Introduction: Established in 1994, Pakistan's polio program demonstrated early success. However, despite over 120 supplementary immunization activities in the last decade, polio eradication efforts ...in Pakistan have been unable to achieve their objective of halting polio transmission. Variable governance, and inconsistent leadership and accountability have hindered the success of the polio program and the quality of the campaigns. Insecurity and terrorism has interrupted polio activities, and community fears and misbeliefs about polio vaccinations continue to persist.
Areas covered: The article consists of a systematic review of the barriers and facilitators associated with the delivery of polio eradication activities in Pakistan. We also provide a comprehensive review of the policy and programmatic decisions made by the Pakistan Polio Programme since 1994. Searches were conducted on Embase and Medline databases and 25 gray literature sources.
Expert opinion: Polio eradication efforts must be integrated with other preventive health services, particularly immunization services. Addressing the underlying causes of polio refusals including underdevelopment and social exclusion will help counteract resistance to polio vaccination. Achieving polio eradication will require building health systems that provide comprehensive community-centered care, and improving governance and systems of accountability.
Machiavellian leadership, an emerging form of toxic leadership, has been noticed to have serious negative effects on organizations. Thus, expanding the literature on dark styles of leadership, this ...study specifically examines the mechanism via which Machiavellian leadership of departmental heads (HODs) may hinder university teachers’ creativity by considering the mediating effect of teachers’ enterprising tendency. Furthermore, the study considers leader-member exchange (LMX) as a moderator that buffers the dysfunctional effects of Machiavellian leadership. A dual-source data was collected from 303 teachers and 32 HODs of two leading universities in Islamabad. Findings from statistical analyses confirm that the Machiavellian leadership–creativity relationship is mediated by teachers enterprising tendency. Also, the Machiavellian leadership and enterprising tendency relationship is moderated by LMX, such that the relationship is more evident under higher levels of LMX. In total, this study’s findings expand the understanding regarding why, when and how Machiavellian leadership may hinder employees’ creativity.
SARS-CoV 2 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have a debilitating effect on health worldwide. This editorial provides an overview of the provision of cancer services at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer ...Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore, and Peshawar.
Tick infestation is the major problem for animal health that causes substantial economic losses, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries. To better understand the spatial distribution of ...tick species and risk factors associated with tick prevalence in livestock in Pakistan, ticks were counted and collected from 471 animals, including 179 cattle, 194 buffaloes, 80 goats and 18 sheep, on 108 livestock farms in nine districts, covering both semi-arid and arid agro-ecological zones.
In total, 3,807 ticks representing four species were collected: Hyalomma anatolicum (n = 3,021), Rhipicephalus microplus (n = 715), Hyalomma dromedarii (n = 41) and Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 30). The latter species is reported for the first time from the study area. Rhipicephalus microplus was the predominant species in the semi-arid zone, whereas H. anatolicum was the most abundant species in the arid zone. The overall proportion of tick-infested ruminants was 78.3% (369/471). It was highest in cattle (89.9%), followed by buffaloes (81.4%), goats (60.0%) and sheep (11.1%). The median tick burden significantly differed among animal species and was highest in cattle (median 58), followed by buffaloes (median 38), goats (median 19) and sheep (median 4.5). Female animals had significantly higher tick burdens than males and, in large ruminants, older animals carried more ticks than younger animals. The intensity of infestation was significantly lower in indigenous animals compared to exotic and crossbred cows. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed that the absence of rural poultry, not using any acaricides, traditional rural housing systems and grazing were potential risk factors associated with a higher tick prevalence in livestock farms.
Absence of rural poultry, not performing acaricide treatments, traditional rural housing systems and grazing were important risk factors associated with higher tick prevalence in livestock farms. Age, gender, breed and animal species significantly affected the intensity of tick infestation. This report also describes the presence of R. turanicus in the Punjab Province of Pakistan for the first time. The outcomes of this study will be useful in the planning of integrated control strategies for ticks and tick-borne diseases in Pakistan.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
An integrated study using geophysical method in combination with pumping tests and geochemical method was carried out to delineate groundwater potential zones in Mian Channu area of Pakistan. ...Vertical electrical soundings (VES) using Schlumberger configuration with maximum current electrode spacing (AB/2 = 200 m) were conducted at 50 stations and 10 pumping tests at borehole sites were performed in close proximity to 10 of the VES stations. The aim of this study is to establish a correlation between the hydraulic parameters obtained from geophysical method and pumping tests so that the aquifer potential can be estimated from the geoelectrical surface measurements where no pumping tests exist. The aquifer parameters, namely, transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity were estimated from Dar Zarrouyk parameters by interpreting the layer parameters such as true resistivities and thicknesses. Geoelectrical succession of five‐layer strata (i.e., topsoil, clay, clay sand, sand, and sand gravel) with sand as a dominant lithology was found in the study area. Physicochemical parameters interpreted by World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization were well correlated with the aquifer parameters obtained by geoelectrical method and pumping tests. The aquifer potential zones identified by modeled resistivity, Dar Zarrouk parameters, pumped aquifer parameters, and physicochemical parameters reveal that sand and gravel sand with high values of transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity are highly promising water bearing layers in northwest of the study area. Strong correlation between estimated and pumped aquifer parameters suggest that, in case of sparse well data, geophysical technique is useful to estimate the hydraulic potential of the aquifer with varying lithology.
Article impact statement: An integrated geoelectrical method as a tool for the evaluation of groundwater potential in Mian Channu area of Pakistan.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This book explores the role of the grass roots public administrative institution of DC & DM in historical context for Pakistan, and its viability for a meaningful democracy and stability of the ...country. The authors contend that Pakistan's democracy to-date lacks firm foundation, as evidenced by the country's disintegration in 1971, violence and drugs in the 80s, crime infested communities in the 90s, terrorism in the 2000s, and the current volatile situation in Balochistan and FATA, as well as high crime rate and lacking sense of security among the communities of Pakistan.
Asteraceae is the largest flowering plant family with ∼19 11 genera and ∼32 913 species worldwide used in medicine and diet.
Data on Asteraceae flora was assembled from Google Scholar, PubMed, ...Medline, SciELO, Science Direct, Web of Science, books, and dissertations using specific keywords.
Overall, 198 species from 78 genera of Asteraceae with traditional uses have been reported in Pakistan with Artemisia (16.6%), Launea (4%), Sassurea (4%), Conyza (3.5%), Lactuca, and Taraxacum (3%) being widely used genera. Maximum studies were reported for Artemisia from Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) following Sonchus from Punjab, Taraxamum and Xanthium from KPK. Herb was the dominant life form (86.88%) following shrubs (9.59%) and subshrubs (3.53%). Highly used plant parts include whole plant (46.96%), leaves (46.46%), and flowers (23.23%) with 12 preparation methods including decoction (64.64%), powder (29.79%), and paste (25.25%) maximally consumed orally (55%). The ethnomedicinal uses of Asteraceae were reported against ∼126 diseases specifically against gastrointestinal problems (70 species), fever (63 species), and skin diseases (50 species).
The baseline data from Pakistan provide comprehensive indigenous knowledge about Asteracea species against different diseases. The documentation of ethnobotany of rare species from unexplored areas of Pakistan is recommended to avoid the loss of traditional knowledge. Further toxicologic evaluation of Asteraceae species with emphasis on heavy metals profile could be a possible research line.
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•Asteraceae is the largest plant family used in diet and medicine for centuries.•This review provides repository data on ethnobotany ofAsteraceae in Pakistan.•Ethnobotany of198 species from 78 Asteraceae genera was reported in Pakistan.•Artemisia, Launea, Sassurea, and Conyza were the highly used genera.•Ethnomedicinal uses of Asteraceae were reported against 126 diseases in Pakistan.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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