Issue In Pakistan Research Articles

Evaluation of efficacy of serological methods for detection of HCV infection in blood donors: A single centre experience.

Background and Objective:Blood transfusion is an essential and life-saving medical intervention. Despite multiple preventive measures transfusion-transmitted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to be a major healthcare issue in Pakistan. This study was conducted at National Institute of Blood Diseases & Bone Marrow Transplantation to evaluate the frequency of active HCV infection with or without co-infection in blood donors and also to determine comparative efficacy of Multisure HCV antibody assay (MHAA); a new serological device.Methods:A total of 14652 blood donors visiting National Institute of Blood Diseases & Bone Marrow Transplantation (NIBD) Blood Bank from January 2013 to July 2014 were enrolled and screened for a range of blood borne infections such as HBV, HCV, HIV, malaria and syphilis. The HCV was screened simultaneously by Abbot Architect anti-HCV assay (CLIA) and MHAA. The active HCV infection was confirmed by nucleic acid testing (NAT) in reactive donors. Later; for determination of comparative efficacy of MHAA; all NAT positive samples were further tested using Monolisa™, HCV blot 3.0, Anti-HCV plus V2 and Anti-HCV-MPBIO-EIA.Results:The HCV reactive sera were observed in 1.563% (226) donors. The NAT confirmed active HCV infection in 138 donors. Overall 27.84% of HCV positive donors exhibited co-infection either with HBV (2.57%), syphilis (22.78%). Triple infection was not observed in any donor. The efficacy of MHAA is comparable to all the serological tests with a sensitivity of about 96.89%.Conclusion:Active HCV infection was present in 0.94% donors. With a sensitivity of 96.89% (95% CI: 95.66-98.12) the multi-parametric device MHAA can effectively detect HCV infection in donors. Thus, it can be used in limited health care settings for HCV screening.

Security Issues in Pakistan: Its Solution in the light of Seerah

Modern world is facing issues like poverty, starvation, pollution, exploitation of the poor, and the status of woman in society. However, the most prominent issue of the modern world is that of lawlessness and insecurity. It has become a kind of root cause for the rest of the allied issues, hence affecting the peace and prosperity across the globe. This paper discusses the said problems and gives a way forward for its solution in the light of the Seerah, the way, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) practiced his life. This is a qualitative and descriptive research in which the interpretations of Ahadith has been used as a tool for the analysis of this complex problem. At the end, suggestions have been given in the light of the analysis and discussion to conclude the study.

Knowledge Attitude and Practices of shepherds regarding Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Balochistan, Pakistan

Background :Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is an infectious disease and a growing public health issue in Pakistan. Thus, more research on awareness assessment vital for developing a planned inquiry form to initiate an activity of interrogating.Methodology: The current survey was initiated in Balochistan where disease is endemic. A cross sectional survey was plotted through April 2016 to June 2016, in district Loralai, Balochistan and a total of 420 subjects were part of this survey. The questioning was led in Makhtar; the beneficiary group was comprised of shepherds. Information was gathered through a structured data collecting tool regarding Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever.Results :The implication of Statistical analysis of the accumulated information unveiled that (279) 66% of shepherds had low level of knowledge while only (141) 38.6% had good preventive practices. A notable amount (261) 62% had negative attitude. Status of education (P= 0.018), monthly income (P= 0.173) and age (P= 0.000) of the respondents had significant association with their practices about prevention of CCHF. Most shepherds had varying levels of knowledge about ticks and tick-borne diseases, while 46.2% knew any preventive practice regarding CCHF. There was a strongly associated relationship between knowledge and practices of shepherds related to CCHF prevention measures (P<0.000).Conclusion :Raising community awareness regarding CCHF and route of its dispatch is suggested through various broadcasting and radio medium; despite that the role of health workers in the health system of Pakistan is important, they can be utilized in training of rural population. Activities to raise awareness among shepherds are important to be integrated.

Analyzing the Labour Issues in Pakistan: a historical background of Labour Laws and Labour Unions

The study explores the historical development of labour laws in Pakistan during different military and democratic governments. The paper discusses the constitutional framework, international obligations and ILO conventions with regard to country’s labour laws.However, the substantial focus is on the representation and problems faced by the labour unions, implementation of labour laws, Occupational Health and Safety of Labourers at workplace and low women participation in trade unions.The study reveals that the country has an exhaustive structure of labour legislation but practically, the labour laws are exploitive and discriminatory. Registration of Trans-Provincial establishments is unclear and constitutional right of formation of trade union has been suspended in the provinces.Serious Occupational health and safety issues at workplaces have been witnessed resulting in loss of several precious lives.Women membership is extremely low in trade unions mainly owing to their distrust on union leaders and fear of losing job, and they receive fewer benefits as compared to their male counterparts. The labour laws exclude the agricultural sector- the biggest employment sector in the country- from its scope.

Sexual conflicts in panic disorder: a multi-case study

Purpose Problems related to sexual functioning have been reported in patients with anxiety disorders in general and panic disorder in particular. The past literature has shown the association of sexual conflicts of panic disorder patients with sadomasochism, and revealed the themes of: guilt, self-punishment, role of unconscious conflicts about sexuality, anger and separation. The purpose of this paper is to explore sexual conflicts in patients with panic disorder and their beliefs regarding guilt around sexual fantasies and dreams. Design/methodology/approach Interpretative paradigm and case study method was employed. For collecting data, semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and subjected to within and cross-case analyses. Clarifying researcher’s bias and rich thick description were used for verification of data. Findings Cross-case analyses revealed themes of negative emotions, positive emotions and ambivalence. Negative emotions (i.e. guilt and anger) were experienced as threatening and harmful and caused distress to participants. Positive emotions, such as, satisfaction, pleasure and happiness were revealed in response to questions related to sexual fantasies, thoughts dreams, emotional attachment and sexual relations. Ambivalence was shown in response to questions related with reactions toward sexual fantasies, masturbatory practices, sexual relations and/or emotional attachment. Research limitations/implications The participants of this study consisted of two self-selected individuals who had diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia. The main limitation of the study is a small sample size comprising of men only. This research can provide grounds for more Asian studies in future especially by including females. Practical implications The findings point toward addressing sexual conflict in therapeutic intervention of panic disorder. Social implications The findings have implications in society in expanding the awareness and knowledge about sexual conflicts in clinical population and general population suffering from anxiety symptoms. Originality/value This research study adds understanding of psychological issues in Pakistan’s socio-cultural context.

Detection of HBsAg mutants in the blood donor population of Pakistan.

BackgroundInfection with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to be one of the leading healthcare issues in Pakistan, affecting over 6 million people. The existence of HBsAg mutants is well documented in many countries. In Pakistan, HBV screening in the majority of the blood banks is performed by Rapid Detection Devices or ELISA tests. These tests are designed to detect HBsAg, but may not detect the mutant HBsAg. Failure to detect the HBsAg mutant may result in the transmission of HBV infection from donor to recipient. Hence, there is a need to identify a HBsAg assay which can detect mutants in a country where simple and conventional HBsAg assays with varying sensitivity and specificity are used to detect HBV infections.Material and methodsThree routinely used diagnostic tests (Rapid Detection Devices, ELISA and CLIA) for HBsAg were compared with the LIAISON® XL Murex HBsAg Quant Assay to determine the prevalence of HBV mutants in the Pakistani blood donor population.The samples of blood donors from different cities of Pakistan were collected. The testing was performed using SD Bioline rapid assay (n = 1500), ELISA (n = 1500), and Abbott ARCHITECT®CLIA system (n = 1500) at the centers where the donations were collected. All samples (n = 4500) were re-tested for comparative analysis on the LIAISON® XL Murex HBsAg Quant assay (DiaSorin S.p.A.). PCR testing was performed as a gold standard on all discordant samples.Results119/4500 (2.64%) of the samples were positive for antibodies against HBsAg. The sensitivity of SD Bioline Rapid, GB HBsAg ELISA, Abbott ARCHITECT® and LIAISON® XL Murex HBsAg Quant assay was 17.24%, 43.75%, 90.91%and 100% respectively. The specificity of SD Bioline Rapid, GB HBsAg ELISA, Abbott ARCHITECT® and LIAISON® XL Murex HBsAg Quant Assay was 98.82%, 99.59%, 100% and 100%, respectively.ConclusionLIAISON® XL Murex HBsAg Quant assay is a highly sensitive, specific and accurate screening assay for detecting wild type as well as mutant HBsAg.

The protective effect of the Pro12Ala polymorphism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) isoform 2 in progression to diabetes in a Pakistani cohort

Diabetes is a serious health issue in Pakistan with 6.9 million cases of diabetes and 87,548 deaths due to diabetes in Pakistan in 2014. Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors are transcription factors, regulating several physiological processes The aims of the current study were to determine the prevalence of Pro12Ala polymorphism (C>G) of PPAR-y iso-form 2 gene and analyze its effect on selected anthropometric and biochemical parameters in a Pakistani cohort. We collected 926 samples, 500 healthy controls (fasting blood sugar 99 mg/dL, random blood sugar > 126 mg/dL). The genotyping was done and serum biochemical parameters were determined. The results showed allelic frequency C = 0.716 and G = 0.284 in controls and C = 0.766 and G = 0.234 in diabetic cases; whereas, genotypic frequency was CC = 52.2%, CG = 38.8%, and GG = 9% in controls and CC = 57.7%, CG = 37.8%, GG = 4.5% in cases. The association of Pro12Ala polymorphism under additive, dominant, and recessive models was checked (additive OR 0.58, CI 0.44–0.77, p value 0.0002, dominant OR 0.60, CI 0.44–0.82, p value 0.001, recessive OR 0.36, CI 0.15–0.86, p value 0.016). The result showed that the polymorphism is significantly associated with the decreased risk of diabetes in the Pakistani study subjects under additive models. The variant showed an association with weight, BMI, blood glucose, TC, HDL-C, insulin, and HOMA-IR. In conclusion, the presence of minor allele lowers the risk of diabetes and the effect may involve modulating serum glucose and lipid levels.

Life cycle sustainability assessment of electricity generation in Pakistan: Policy regime for a sustainable energy mix

Electricity crisis has become a key issue in Pakistan mainly due to a tenacious and spreading gap between demand and supply. Moreover, the current production is causing severe environmental and energy security issues due to reliance on thermal sources. Stakeholders are hindered to address these issues due to a significant knowledge gap causing discrepancies in power policies. A comprehensive approach over the sustainability dimensions is missing due to non-adoption of life cycle thinking. This study adopts an integrated approach of life cycle sustainability assessment of the electricity sector in Pakistan for proposing policy guidelines and implementation framework to optimize the future energy mixes. In total, 20 sustainability indicators have been assessed covering life cycle of seven electricity generation sources, currently in use. These sources have been ranked by equally weighting the sustainability dimensions and respective indicators. Hydropower is found as the most sustainable option having lowest environmental and economic impacts. While due to worst economic and social impacts, oil is found to be the least sustainable option for the country. While establishing tradeoffs between different electricity generation sources, this study presents an unbiased view and highlights the worth of life cycle approach in sustainability assessment for improving the energy policies.

Impact of climate change on the precipitation pattern of district Sargodha, Pakistan

PurposeSpatio-temporal variations in precipitation pattern of district Sargodha is one of the most significant researchable questions because of the massive reliance on rainfall for agricultural practice in the study area. The pattern of current rainfall in the study area is unexpectedly changed. The purpose of the present study is to examine the changing precipitation pattern and to link it with climate change.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by using rainfall data of the past 30 years collected from 8 meteorological stations around the study area. The averages of rainfall on monthly basis were temporally arranged, and the fluctuation trends were studied using GIS and statistics. The temporal data of rainfall were compared and contrasted with the precipitation normals of the study area from 1981to 2010. The rainfall deviation in the present study was calculated. The spatial pattern of rainfall was plotted by interpolating the eight points of Punjab around the study area for the first two decades, whereas the past decade was analysed by incorporating five more points of Tehsils in the existing eight. The spatial and statistical representation of data were examined by compare and contrast with the previous findings.FindingsThe rainfall in the study area showed remarkable changes in magnitude and spatiality. The rainfall in the district is on the rise, whereas the spatial pattern of rainfall is becoming more complex and anomalous in character. This paper provides convincing evidence about the impact of climate change on the magnitude and spatial patterns of precipitation in the study area.Practical implicationsIt will be helpful for understanding the shifts in the rainfall pattern in future as well as for the preparation of response to the issue of climate change and its impacts.Originality/valueThe current manuscript, for the very first time, provided detailed insights about the precipitation pattern shifting during the last 30 years in district Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Furthermore, agricultural sector would likely get severally affected because of seasonal changes in climatic factors like rainfall and have strong food security implications. The current findings will be useful to manage the climate change-related issues in Pakistan and helpful for the policy makers to design a coping strategy for climate change impacts.

Computational Tool for Classification of Dengue Virus

Dengue is one of the greatest important mosquito-borne viral sicknesses touching people; with over portion of the total populace living in regions at hazard initially, dengue infection contaminations happened for the most part as pestilences in tropical and subtropical nations There are four distinctive dengue infection (DENV) serotypes that share antigenic affiliations (DENV-1, DENV- 2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) Doctors/Scientists are confronting trouble in the characterization of dengue Virus (DV) through wet labs and accessible programming’s are not particular for this reason. Dengue infection has turned into a noteworthy general medical issue in Pakistan Through the computational approach, noteworthiness of ID in order for genome grouping of DV will turn out to be more productive in clinical and test ways. By methods for calculations it has been viewed as that rate of precision and factual control turn out to be more advantageous for genotyping of dengue Virus. On the premise of results we build up a Tool for the Classification of dengue Virus, the computational approach, importance of recognizable proof in arrangement for genome grouping of DV will turn out to be more effective in clinical and test ways.

China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) issues/barrier and imperatives of Pakistan and China

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is blessing for Pakistan and China. China and Pakistan have best political relations. CPEC is going to boost up the economic relations between both countries. China’s participation in the development of Gwadar Port took the international attention. Planning the development of Gwadar port becomes an important content of CPEC. This way Gwadar port has entered into a new development period. Due to their potential impact on the strategic pattern of the Indian Ocean and because of its strategic importance, there is international repercussion, also have other difficulties such as cost, security issues in Pakistan and Power crises and other issues. This paper attempts to explain the challenges, due to security issues, culture difference, energy and political crises in Pakistan, conflict in Baluchistan, and external pressure. Finally, this paper discusses some specific measures of barriers, solutions and suggestions. CPEC will be a game changer on the regional canvas and is expected to bring prosperity and improve quality of life in general to the region and in particular to Pakistan. There is a dire need to take on board all the regional and global players by addressing their concerns for early establishment of CPEC.

Environmental policies to protect pollinators: attributes and actions needed to avert climate borne crisis of oil seed agriculture in Pakistan

The impact of climate change on oil seed crop is getting more and more pronounced with each passing day, resulting in reduced crop yields in Pakistan. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy, however it is subjected to severe climatic vulnerabilities like floods, droughts, and changing rainfall patterns. Climate change has a marked influence on the population and distribution of pollinators. Extreme weather events can further aggravate the situation by causing high overwintering losses. Less roving pollinators, such as small beetles and ground nesting bees, may be among the most severely affected by flooding and gusts. Extreme conditions not only can disrupt the livelihoods of individual insects, but can also negatively impact entire colonies or local populations. It is recommended to take offensive measures to address these issues, otherwise the area under oil seed crops may decrease resulting in poor market stability index. Moreover, in this regard, there is desperate need to aggressively explore opportunities of capacity building and institutional strengthening to address the climate change issues in Pakistan. Through this review, it is hoped that a proactive risk assessment approach to climate change can assist the Government in making strategies against the losses of pollinator services in Pakistan.

The Current Account Deficit Sustainability: An Empirical Investigation for Pakistan

The existence of large and persistent current account deficit is always viewed with great concerns, as it usually leads an economy to a state of insolvency due to building up excessive net foreign debt. As the current account deficit is a persistent feature of Pakistan’s economy, therefore, it becomes essential to empirically investigate, whether this deficit is sustainable or not. To this end, the present study has applied two alternative approaches, namely, the intertemporal approach to the current account and the intertemporal solvency approach, in order to get more convincing evidence on the sustainability issue in Pakistan using the time series data over the period 1960 to 2012. From the perspective of both the approaches, Pakistan’s current account deficit is on a sustainable path and the macroeconomic policies of the country remained effective in securing it from any external sector crisis. JEL Classification: C32, F32, F41 Keywords: Current Account Deficit, Intertemporal Budget Constraint, VAR Model, Cointegration

Trends of climate change in the Lower Indus Basin region of Pakistan

PurposeLower Indus Basin (LIB) region is the food basket of Pakistan, and climatic variation in response to global warming might severely affect the crop production and, thus, food security and ultimately to the economy of the country.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed the previous climatic factors data series of LIB region to investigate the past and present climatic trends and to predict the future changes. Climatic changes were monitored by studying temperature, rainfall and relative humidity (RH) dynamics at two locations (Lahore and Multan) of the LIB region, Pakistan, by using data from 1953 to 2006. The data were divided into two equal halves (1953-1979 and 1980-2006) and statistically compared for the aforementioned weather parameters.FindingsThe results suggested that mean minimum temperature (MMT) and overall mean temperature in winter were significantly increased, whereas few summer months had also experienced the reduction in both temperatures. However, few minor changes were also observed for the mean maximum temperature at both locations. The rainfall amount did not vary significantly at both locations, with the exception for the months of February and June at Lahore location, which experienced relatively higher rainfall in latter period (1980-2006). However, morning and evening RH was significantly increased at Multan throughout the year and for some selected months (February-March and May-July) at Lahore. However, the comparison of climatic data of both temporal halves suggested either dryer weather during winter months because of increase in MMT and/or increase in area under irrigated agriculture, resulting in more evaporation at both locations. Similarly, the data also indicated the early monsoon rainfall patterns in summer and late western depression rainfall spell during winter, which played key role to affect the crop yield because of irregular rain events.Research limitations/implicationsThe current manuscript would be very useful for the disaster management authorities and agriculture sector to predict the future irregular trends of climate change in Pakistan. Moreover, current findings can be important tool toward the management of climatic changes issues (i.e. floods and dryer spells) and to formulate the future strategies for the improved crop growth in arid and/or semi-arid developing nations such as Pakistan.Originality/valueThe current manuscript, for the very first time, provided detailed insights into key climatic factors changes for past seven decades, into the severely climate change-affected areas of the world. Furthermore, agricultural sector is likely to be severely affected because of minor seasonal change in temperature and moisture, and have a strong food security impact, which can be reflected with current data set to cope with both ecological and economic impacts of climate change in Pakistan. The current findings would be useful to manage the climate change-related issues in Pakistan, including the social, environmental and economic.

Shias of Pakistan: an assertive and beleaguered minority

The Shias of Pakistan are the world's second largest Shia community after that of Iran, but com- prise only 10-15 per cent of Pakistan's population. In recent decades Sunni extremists have increasingly targeted them with hate propaganda and terrorism, yet paradoxically Shias have always been fully integrated into all sections of political, professional and social life without suffering any discrimination. In mainstream politics, the Shia- Sunni divide has never been an issue in Pakistan. Shia politicians in Pakistan have usually downplayed their religious beliefs, but there have always been individuals and groups who emphasised their Shia identity, and who zeal- ously campaigned for equal rights for the Shias wherever and whenever they perceived these to be threatened. Shia 'ulama' have been at the forefront of communal activism in Pakistan since 1949, but Shia laymen also participated in such organisations, as they had in pre-partition India. Based mainly on Urdu sources, Rieck's book examines, first, the history of Pakistan's Shias, including their communal organisations, the growth of the Shia 'ulama' class, of religious schools and rivalry between 'orthodox' 'ulama' and popular preachers; second, the outcome of lobbying of successive Pakistan governments by Shia organisations; and third, the Shia-Sunni conflict, which is increasingly virulent due to the state's failure to combat Sunni extremism.

Road Traffic Accidents :Age and Gender distribution and impact of Religious Month and Holidays (Ramadan and Eid) on frequency of RTAs in Karachi Pakistan

Background: Road safety is an important public health issue in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in road traffic accidents (RTCs) managed by accident and emergency department in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, their age and gender distribution and impact of religious month, Ramadan and Eid on frequency of Road traffic accidents in Karachi Design: cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study: Accident &amp; emergency department of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center, Civil hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Aga Khan hospital and Liaqat Hospital Karachi. Pakistan from Jan 2014 to December 2014. Patients and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by ROAD TRAFFIC INJURY RESEARCH AND PREVENTION CENTRE “RTIR&amp;PC” in the five tertiary care hospitals (Civil Hospital ,Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Aga Khan Hospital) of Karachi, Pakistan. All road traffic accident victims presented to the emergency department of the selected hospital, were included in the study. A pretested trauma registry form was completed for all patients. Results: Total numbers of accidents were 24360 and total number of injured were 30274. Minor injury 23825 approximately 78.6%, around 65 per day, serious were 5382 approximately 17%,around 15 per day and fatal were 1067 approximately 3.5%, 3 per day. Male injured were 25263 around 83% and female were 5011 around 17%. According to casualities with respect to age were from 16-20 years male were 5136 around 20% and female were 553 around 11% total of 5689 , from 21-25 years male were 4785 around 19% and female were 674 around 13% total of 5459 , from 26-30 years male were 3546 around 14% and female were 613 around 12% total of 4159 and under 15 years male were 3165 around 13% and female were 840 around 19% total of 4105 , other age and gender distribution given in table 1. On month wise casualities, highest casualities recorded in month of June and July of 2014. Ramadan was from June to July in 2014 and Eid was in July in 2014. In June 2014 injured were 3080 around 11% and fatal were 72 around 7% and in July 2014 injured were 3506 around 12% and fatal were 112 around 10 %. Record of other months casualities given in table 2. Injuries related to body part were , head and neck 23% ,fatal were 53%, face 17% ,fatal were 16%, chest 1% fatal 1%, abdomen, pelvic contents 1% fatal 1%, extremity, pelvic girdle 29% fatal 17% external injuries 28% fatal 12%. Conclusion: The study has described trends of RTAs managed by emergency department of hospitals in karachi. Hospital of Karachi experienced a higher burden of RTAs emergencies in the month of Ramadan 2014 as compared with the preceding months of the year. This increase was mostly concentrated among younger ages range from 16-25 years of age. Injuries in city of Karachi are an important public health problem and contribute to major bulk of Emergency facilities. These accidents and the resultant injuries have considerable physical and socioeconomic impacts; therefore, this issue needs to be addressed. By putting into effect laws that enforce road safety measures and helmet usage can prevent these injuries. Keywords: RTAs (Road traffic accident).

Whose property whose authority? Gendering the legal and customary practices in ownership and access to land: A case of Swat, Pakistan

In South Asia, inheritance is often the vehicle that grants property rights to women. Formal and customary laws govern women's inheritance rights, and the primary formal laws are heavily influenced by custom and religion. Gendered access to land and property rights is a debatable issue in Pakistan in general and in the Swat Valley in particular. In spite of a legal framework that deals with land administration and inheritance law, women remain a marginalized group. This study used a qualitative research design to investigate the in-depth gendered processes that occur around the settlement of land claims and rights in three villages from the lower, middle and upper Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, critical analysis of secondary documents like historical drafts dealing with land management were the major sources of data. The paper begins by reviewing historical discourses around gendered access to land, and categorizes changes in the legal framework based upon the political changes that occurred in Swat after the merger with Pakistan in 1969. The paper challenges many narratives around the strict, traditional and religious Pukhtoon society, by unwrapping different issues, both societal and official, around women holding rights to land ownership. The study shows that custom often takes precedence over religious values, and that civil laws are compromised and settlements are made in the name of Pakhtoonwali1 customs, legal procedures, and Sharia,2 thus denying women their rights to hold land and enjoy the right to property. In many cases, women are used as tools by their relatives in order for them to gain access to property. This study clearly reveals the thin line between ownership, access and use of entitled property. Despite this gendered disparity, the research reveals gradual positive changes in the society regarding women's access to land and their ability to practice their rights, in the form of improved negotiation opportunities and increased awareness.

Optimum predictors of therapeutic outcome in HCV patients in Pakistan.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) constitutes a major public health issue in Pakistan. Interferon α and ribavirin is used widely in routine practice in HCV infected patients in Pakistan.Treatment prediction is an important tool in therapy management. The present study aims to evaluate trends of predictive variables of treatment outcome in patients with different genotypes. The analysis comprised of 921 patients infected with different HCV genotypes. All the patients received IFN α-2b combined with ribavirin for 24 weeks. Overall, 60.2% patients achieved Sustained virologic response (SVR). In females sustained virologic response (SVR) was higher in age group <40 years (77.2%) than ≥40-50 years (60%) but in male SVR was almost equal in both age groups. We also found higher SVR with low pretreatment viral load (72.4%, P < 0.0001). Sustained Virologic Response in genotype 3a was 63.1%, 3b was 55%, 1a was 36.3% and 1b was 35% 3a +3b was 55.0% and 1a+3a was 42.9%. According to multivariable logistic regression analysis age < 40 years (2.0; 95%CI, 1.49-2.84; P = 0.0001), low pretreatment RNA level<800,000 IU/ml (4.0; 95%CI, 2.64-6.17; P = 0.0001), early virologic response at week 12 (12.3; 95%CI, 8.18-18.58; P < 0.0001) and non-fatty liver (2.5; 95%CI, 3.6-6.2; P = 0.005) showed significance for SVR. Nucleotide substitution in 5'UTR before treatment failed to show any characteristic pattern that has correlation with sustained response. Subtype 3a showed 95% presence among patients with age <40 years while older patients showed 79.9%.

Sports anti-siphoning laws and the controversy of sports broadcasting: a case study of Pakistan

Controversies between private and public broadcasters over the broadcasting of live sports, especially cricket, during important sports events have emerged as a serious legal issue in Pakistan. Controversy between Geo Super and Pakistan Television over live telecast of the ICC Cricket World Cup is a typical example of such controversies. An aggressive legal battle, during a most important cricketing event, not only hampered the enjoyment of cricket viewers across the country but also gave Pakistan a bad name across the globe. This article discusses in detail this controversy and highlights lacunas in the existing sports broadcasting regime of Pakistan. There are no clear and well defined sports broadcasting laws in Pakistan. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rules are of general nature. Secondly, PEMRA rules are not comprehensive and explicit enough to provide clear guidelines about sports broadcasting. This may be a possible reason why sports broadcasting controversies reach the highest court in Pakistan, the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Despite these ugly battles between broadcasters, the government of Pakistan has never given due importance to this issue and no efforts have been made at any level to come up with legislation on sports broadcasting to avoid such controversies or to resolve them amicably in the light of well-defined laws on this subject. The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards this important issue because in future more such controversies may be expected in the absence of a sports broadcasting regime in the country.

Foreword

With this volume, Acta linguistica is entering its 5th year. We would like to announce, with our great pleasure, that the journal has undergone some changes and will from now be published twice a year, with its summer and winter volume. This summer volume includes researches with a common topic of practicing a language, whether in educational, and religious institutions, or in the languages primary surroundings. In this spirit, the volume is divided into two parts, with the first devoted to the methodology of language teaching, focusing mainly on Chinese and Japanese language and presently still under-researched dyslexia role in language studies, and the second focusing on under-documented languages and their gap between language policies and the actual state of language use.The first paper by Katja Simončič, entitled Evaluating Approaches to Teaching and Learning Chinese Vocabulary from the Learning Theories Perspective: An Experimental Case Study, discusses two basic approaches to teaching Chinese vocabulary, and evaluates them based on the results of experimental study on Slovene students of Chinese.The next two papers deal with the different lexica in Japanese language. Nataliia Vitalievna Kutafeva's research, entitled Japanese Onomatopoeic Expressions with Quantitative Meaning analyzes the lexical mode of expression of quantitative meanings and their semantics with the help of onomatopoeic (giongo) and mimetic (gitaigo) words, and based on it proposes the new arrangement of semantic groups.Kiyomi Fujii’s research, entitled Blogging Identity: How L2 Learners Express Themselves, discusses identity expression in blogs by Japanese language learners on the intermediate and advanced level.The paper by Nagisa Moritoki Škof, Japanese Language Education and Dyslexia: On the Necessity of Dyslexia Research, shows an insight to dyslexia and through an outline of the present state of accepting and treating leaning disabilities in the Japanese education system stresses the importance of incounting dyslexia in language education in general.Manel Herat in his paper Functions of English vs. Other Languages in Sri Lankan Buddhist Rituals in the UK, analyzes the language shifts from the Sinhala and Pali languages to English at Buddhist festivals and sermons in UK. Next paper by Ali Ammar and his colleagues, Language Policy and Medium of Instruction Issue in Pakistan, briefly re-explores the situation of languages in the country and studies the latest language policy of Pakistan and its implications for local languages.The last research paper in this volume Bhadarwahi: A Typological Sketch was written by Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi and is an attempt to describe phonological and morphosyntactic features of the under-documented Bhadarwahi language belonging to Indo-Aryan language family.Finally, in the context of describing under-documented languages, the influence of the existing language policy is also noticed by Erwin Soriano FERNANDEZ and his book review on Pangasinan, entitled Panuntunán na Ortograpiya éd salitan PANGASINAN 2012. Manila: Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.