Afghanistan Research Articles

Emerging Trends of Bloodstream Infections: A Six-Year Study at a Paediatric Tertiary Care Hospital in Kabul.

To determine the frequency of pathogens causing bloodstream infections and evaluate their trends and antibiogram patterns among in-patients in a paediatric tertiary care centre. Descriptive study. French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC), Kabul, Afghanistan in two phases, from January 2010 to December 2015. Results of blood cultures from suspected cases of sepsis admitted in the FMIC, from January 2010 to December 2012 (Period-1), and from January 2013 to December 2015 (Period-2) were completed. Standard microbiological methods were followed for blood culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing. Out of total 1,040 cases of culture proven sepsis, 528 (50.77%) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), 474 (45.58%) Gram-positive cocci (GPC), and 38 (3.65%) Candida species were isolated during the entire study period. Out of 528 GNB isolates, 373 (70.64%) belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae and 155 (29.36%) were non-fermenters. Among Enterobacteriaceae, 168 (31.82%) were Klebsiella species (K. pneumoniae=124, K. oxytoca=44), 70 (13.26%) were Enterobacter species (E. cloacae=52, E. aerogenes=18), 65 (12.31%) were E. coli, 37 (7.01%) were Serratia marcescens and 31 (5.87%) were others. Out of 155 non-fermenters, 88 (16.67%) were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 39 (7.39%) were Burkholderia cepacia and 18 (3.41%) were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. There was a drop in the frequency of Enterobacteriaceae from 85% in Period-1 to 58.68% in Period-2. There was an increase in the frequency of nonfermenters from 15% to 41.32%, particularly 18 new cases of sepsis caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia during Period-2. Among GPC, there was an overall rise of 16.14% in the prevalence of Staphylococcus epidermidis during Period-2 and a drop of 9.64% in the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus during Period-2. The majority of Gram-negative isolates were multidrug-resistant to commonly used antibiotics. However, most of the isolates were sensitive to amikacin and imipenem (except S. maltophilia). The frequency of those producing ESBL reduced by 11.22% during the Period-2. Among Gram-positive cocci, the pattern of antibiogram did not show a significant change during both periods, and majority remained resistant to commonly used antibiotics. All Staphylococci were sensitive to vancomycin but resistant to penicillin. There was a substantial decline of 18.87% in the frequency of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRSA/MRSE) during Period-2. Staphylococci and Klebsiellae remain the most important bacteria responsible for bloodstream infections in a tertiary healthcare facility in Kabul. Yet, there has been an increase in the prevalence of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia cepacia. Moreover, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia emerged as a new hospital acquired pathogen. This study could possibly help in suggesting choices eluding the misuse of appropriate antibiotics.

Trends in Modernizing Foreign Armor Withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan

Trends in Modernizing Foreign Armor Withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan

Конституционные нормы как элемент правовой борьбы с международным терроризмом

The article raises the most actual question: the problem of the prevention of international terrorism — and the mechanisms of the legal security of the counterterrorist activity. All these are analyzed at the constitutional level. Having this in mind the author undertook the respective analysis and established that a few of them have such legal regulations. Examples are to be found in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq and the Arab Republic of Egypt. The attempt is made to explain the reasons of the existence of these legal regulations in the main laws of these countries and to define the efficacy of their application and realization into the practice. On the basis of analysis the author proposed to include the similar legal regulations in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

IDPs in Afghanistan: A Confused National Glossary

IDPs in Afghanistan: A Confused National Glossary

Horticulture in Afghanistan: Challenges and Opportunities

Horticulture in Afghanistan: Challenges and Opportunities

Nicholas Sims-Williams. Bactrian Documents from Northern Afghanistan, I: Legal and Economic Documents (revised edition)

Suivant le plan annonce dans son premier volume d’edition des manuscrits bactriens (2000), comprenant deux volumes de texte (transcription et traduction anglaise), dont le premier (2000, voir AI-vol.23-Rub.2-1-n.25) presente les « documents legaux et economiques » et le deuxieme (2007, voir AI-vol.30-Rub.2-1-n.22) les « lettres et textes bouddhiques », l’A. a complete en 2012 son edition des manuscrits bactriens avec un volume de planches. L’execution de l’ensemble de cette œuvre majeure est...

Taliban warning ramps up risk to Kabul’s reporters: A foreign correspondent recalls safer days in Afghanistan and looks at journalists’ challenges today

Taliban warning ramps up risk to Kabul’s reporters: A foreign correspondent recalls safer days in Afghanistan and looks at journalists’ challenges today

A state built on sand: how opium undermined Afghanistan. By David Mansfield: Middle East drugs bazaar: production, prevention and consumption. By Philip Robins

A state built on sand: how opium undermined Afghanistan. By David Mansfield: Middle East drugs bazaar: production, prevention and consumption. By Philip Robins

PAKISTAN’S POTENTIAL AS A TRANSIT TRADE CORRIDOR AND TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES

Introduction From a strategic perspective, Pakistan lies at the hub of Central Asia, Middle East and South Asia providing the most economical strategic link between the resource affluent Persian Gulf / Central Asia and the energy scarce wider South Asia. Pakistan also offers the shortest route to China / CARs vis-a-vis Iran / Turkey. Land locked Afghanistan now entering the reconstruction / rehabilitation phase, also finds its way through Pakistan. Moreover, the deep water Gwadar port being linked with major urban centers through coastal highway as well as planned /under construction network of motorways /rail offers comparatively superior opportunities to countries like China, Afghanistan and CARs, not only for mutual trade but also for their trade with the rest of the world.

كاریگەرییەكانی داگیركاری و ململانێی سۆڤێت-ئەمریكا لە سەر ئەفغانستان (1979-1989) (توێژینەوەیەکی‌ «وەرگیراو- مستل»ـە

كاریگەرییەكانی داگیركاری و ململانێی سۆڤێت-ئەمریكا لە سەر ئەفغانستان (1979-1989) (توێژینەوەیەکی‌ «وەرگیراو- مستل»ـە

Afghanistan's Arduous Search for Stability

What divides Afghans more than ethnicity or ideology is an unwillingness to share power and a winner-takes-all approach to politics.

Acute malnutrition among under-five children in Faryab, Afghanistan: prevalence and causes.

Acute malnutrition affects more than 50 million under-five (U5) children, causing 8.0% of global child deaths annually. The prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting) among U5 children in Afghanistan was 9.5% nationally and 3.7% in Faryab province in 2013. A cross-sectional study was conducted for 600 households in Faryab to find the prevalence and causes of acute malnutrition. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a logistic model. Demographic results of this study showed that 54.0% of the household heads and 92.3% of the mothers had no education. Three-fourths of households had a monthly income ≤ 250 USD. According to the measurement of weight for height Z-score (WHZ), 35.0% (210/600) of the children had acute malnutrition (wasting, WHZ < -2). In more than half of the households, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions were poor. When adjusted, a significant association of acute malnutrition among U5 children was found with the education level of household heads (OR=1.49; 95% CI, 1.02-2.17), age of household heads (OR=2.01; 95% CI, 1.21-3.35), income (OR=1.66; 95% CI, 1.04-2.27), education level of mothers (OR=2.21; 95% CI, 1.00-4.88), age of children (OR=1.99; 95% CI, 1.32-2.93), history of children with diarrhea in the last two weeks of data collection (OR=1.57; 95% CI, 1.10-2.27), feeding frequency (OR=3.01; 95% CI, 1.21-7.46), water sources (OR=1.89; 95% CI, 1.26-2.83), and iodized salt (OR=0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.88). The present study indicated that an increase in education level of parents, household income, and quality of WASH would result in a significant decrease in prevalence of wasting among U5 children.

A Study of the New Trends in Writing Novel in Afghanistan (Since the Coup of 7th of Sur (April), 1357/1978)

A Study of the New Trends in Writing Novel in Afghanistan (Since the Coup of 7th of Sur (April), 1357/1978)

Selected pomegranate germplasm from Afghanistan: morphological variability and relationship among collected accessions

During the period 2008-09 and in the frame of PHDP 58 Afghan and 18 foreign pomegranate accessions have been collected and grown under homogeneous environmental and cultivation practice conditions in ex situ collections. Standardized procedures were adopted to describe mature trees, leaves, flowers and fruits for a total of 30 phenotypic traits. Within the National Collection of Pomegranate of Afghanistan, coefficients of variability ranged from 8.8 to 31.7% for fruit diameter and weight of non edible part, respectively. Principal component analysis revealed the absence of correlated variables among different organs. The whole set of accessions resulted discriminated on the basis of the studied morphological parameters and all the accessions were grouped into 3 sub-sets by hierarchical cluster analysis. Local accessions resulted distributed in the 3 clusters, nevertheless the largest one held all the foreign varieties while the second one included all the accessions collected under the putative name of ‘Bedana’. The adopted morphological studies allowed to identify one true-to-type ‘Bedana’ accession, considered the best Afghan variety for fresh consume due to its very soft seed, and to solve the cases of homonymy. Analogously, various accessions originally collected from different regions of Afghanistan under the name of ‘Kandahari’ were identified and renamed.

Implications of investigating pollination and cross compatibility in the almond varieties of Afghanistan

Survey and collection of almond accessions for a National Collection of Fruit and Nuts of Afghanistan began in 2007. Investigations into cross compatibility of almond accessions began in 2008 on in situ collected exemplar trees, and in 2010 on trees in the ex situ collections. The methods varied in relation to specific trials, nevertheless as an average 150 flower buds were isolated ahead of flowering on 7 one-year-old shoots per tree, and used as pollen donors or receptors. The initial trials on in situ accessions were performed on one single tree per variety, while six trees were used for the tests carried on in the ex situ collections. Fruit set percentage from self-pollination, cross-pollination and open pollination was calculated. All native Afghan varieties tested were shown to be self incompatible. Various problems related to weather and other conditions worked against a comprehensive testing of all combinations of varieties, although many useful and surprising conclusions were reached.

Book Review: Asia and the Pacific: Policing Afghanistan: The Politics of the Lame Leviathan

Book Review: Asia and the Pacific: Policing Afghanistan: The Politics of the Lame Leviathan

A Predictor of PTSD Risk

Autonomic dysfunction is seen in disorders of the stress response, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but is this a risk factor or a consequence of the disorder? Investigators obtained a 5-minute measure of heart rate variability (HRV; the ratio of low- to high-frequency heart rate) in Marine and Navy servicemen before deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan: 1415 were reassessed 6 months after their return …

TBI Increases the Risks for PTSD and Other Psychiatric Disorders

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) in civilians has been linked to subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric conditions, no large prospective civilian or military study has examined links between TBI severity and risk for PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. Now, investigators have used data from a multiwave Army study; 7742 service members answered questionnaires at week 6 of deployment to Afghanistan, and 4645 provided data 1, 3, and …

Supreme Court: 'Ravichandran is Sound'

The cases of TN and MA (Afghanistan) v Secretary of State for Home Department v AA (Afghanistan) [2015] UKSC 40 show that most accounts of being indoctrinated, as advanced by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs), into suicide bombing and jihad are disbelieved. AA, TN and MA were Afghan UASCs whose asylum claims were rejected. However, all of them were granted discretionary leave to enter and remain in UK until age of 17½ years under official policy (as reflected in guidance document Processing an Asylum Application from a Child). In UK Supreme Court, their cases turned sufficiency of appellate process and scope of duty with regard to family tracing. The appeals were dismissed in a cautious judgment. Lord Toulson (with whom Lord Neuberger, Lady Hale, Lord Wilson and Lord Hughes agreed) held that, under old regime for appeals prior to phased cutover to new system under Immigration Act 2014, UASCs in UK were not deprived of an effective remedy by grant of leave to remain for less than a year, even though this precluded them from immediately appealing against asylum decision under section 83 of Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (NIAA). The court also held that a failure to properly discharge obligation to endeavour to trace family members of UASCs did not vitiate a decision to refuse asylum. AA, TN and MA claimed asylum and said that if they returned to Afghanistan they would be in danger from Taliban, government and police. All of them also argued that Home Office's failure to discharge tracing duty vitiated decision to reject asylum claims and that compliance with tracing duty would have produced evidence to support their accounts which had been disbelieved. The Court of Appeal, however, dismissed these appeals. (In addition to Supreme Court's decision, this paper also takes a detailed look at Court of Appeal's copious jurisprudence vexing issues surrounding Afghan minors.) Because statutory scheme under NIAA provided an effective remedy, court found it unnecessary to consider whether availability of judicial review bridged gap perceived by TN and MA. On one hand, court accepted that consequences of a breach of tracing duty are potentially relevant in evaluating present risk owing to possible effect nature and quality of available evidence. But other hand, that acknowledgement did not accord with exercising some form of remedial jurisdiction empowering judges to order grant of ILR where a right to refugee status (or humanitarian protection) was not evidentially made out. Two other points of general application emerged: • The fact that true date of birth of UASCs unknown an additional reason for not regarding supposed date of majority as necessarily changing assessment of risk. • UASCs arrive in UK because their families/friends pay a considerable cost for their fare and for an agent to arrange journey and they will be intransigent to cooperation with Home Office for return of child to Afghanistan. The earlier EU (Afghanistan) case itself paradigmatically demonstrated reality, that it was irrelevant to his family, and was rightly dismissed by Upper Tribunal and Court of Appeal. Turning to issue thrown up by Ravichandran and Rashid, Lord Toulson preferred former and said at para 72 that the Ravichandran principle applies hearing of asylum appeals without exception, and Rashid should no longer be followed. His Lordship held that and that doctrine espoused in Ravichandran is sound because on an asylum appeal question one of present status, i.e. whether or not an appellant meets criteria of Refugee Convention or he in need of humanitarian protection? So role of court was distinguishable from a situation involving a private law claim for breach of contract or tort where claimants can expect to be compensated, by being restored to original position, as if wrong had not been committed. The upshot was that courts needed to desist from following unsatisfactory principle in Rashid – which was an unclear exception where official procedural sloppiness and abuse of power resulted in an Iraqi Kurdish appellant being unfairly denied refugee status – because of impossibility of stating its scope with any degree of clarity.

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839 – 42

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839 – 42