Lakki Marwat Research Articles

Effect of Displacement on Adherence to TB Treatment: An Observational Study in TB Patients from Internally Displaced Persons of Pakistan.

Objective:This study was aimed to investigate TB patients adherence and treatment outcomes among internally displaced patients in comparison with adjacent settled areas.Methods:The study was designed as an observational cross-sectional study among the TB patients of internally displaced populations (IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and adjacent settled areas of Bannu and Lakki Marwat (NIDPs). Based on the study inclusion and exclusion criteria 330 patients fullfilled the inclusion criteria and were assigned equally to both IDPs and NIDPs study groups. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval was calculated and p-values, 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results:The treatment outcomes with the status of “cured” and “completed treatment” were better among NIDPs as compared to IDPs. Patients with treatment outcome status of “defaulted treatment”, “without documentary evidence, and “failure” were high in IDPs as compared to NIDPs. Adherence to TB treatment was better among NIDPs (50.9%) as compared to IDPs (39.4%). The patients showing non-adherence to TB treatment were more among IDPS (27.3%) than NIDPs (10.9%).Conclusion:Overall results of this study revealed a poor adherence to the TB treatment medications with an odds ratio of 0.286, (p<0.05) among IDPs as compared with NIDPs.

Sero prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in general population of Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

A research study was conducted with the aim to investigate the frequency of Hepatitis B Virus positivity in the general population of district Lakki Marwat. Blood samples were collected from 2000 individuals in various hospitals and diagnostic/ medical laboratories of the study area. All the blood samples were evaluated for HBV by Liver function tests (LFTs), Immuno-chromatographic tests (ICT) and PCR. Among the total, 108 blood samples were found positive for the virus with a prevalence rate of 5.4%. A higher prevalence rate (4.15%) was found in males as compare to 1.25% in females. Among the total HBV positive samples 83 (76.85%) were male (from 4 years to 75 years) and 25 (23.19%) were female (from 5 years to 60 years). The HBV positive data was also analyzed for various age groups i.e. 1-15 years, 16-30 years, 31-45 years, 46-60 years and above 60 years. It was found that disease prevails more in males than in females and is predominant in the age group 16-30 (57%), followed by age groups 31-45 (23%), 1-15 (10.18%), 46-60 (7%) and >60 (3%) respectively. Various risk factors were found involved in the spread of HBV in the study area like medical injections (59.26%), dental procedures by medical quacks (12.04%), hair dressing and shaving salons/ barber shops (11.11%), transfusion of blood and blood based products (5.56%), mother to children transmission (3.70%), occupational risk groups (2.78%), sexual transmission (2.78%), tattooing (0.92%), circumcision (0.92%) and shared injection by drug abuser (0.92%). Keywords: Frequency; HBV; ICT; PCR; Risk factors http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90267

BLACKSPOTS IDENTIFICATION AND ACCIDENT ANALYSIS OF INDUS HIGHWAY (N-55)

Traffic accidents are unavoidable in human life therefore highway safety is one of the most important factors of transportation engineering. After the advent of National highways and freeways, developing nations including Pakistan is facing new dimensions of highway safety challenges, highway safety management demands more attention due to the involvement of high-speed dynamics. This study presents a method by which accident-prone locations commonly termed as Blackspots are been identified. A stretch of 188 KM of National Highway N-55 also known as Indus highway from Peshawar to Lakki Marwat has been selected for the study. Road traffic accident data was only available with local district police in a manual file record (First Investigation Report). Accident data were collected from nine police stations along the selected route for seven years i.e. from 2013 to 2019. After analysis, it was found that most of the accidents occurred due to over speeding and geometric problems. Moreover, it was also found that there are no proper pedestrian crossings. The data was analyzed month and year wise. Fourteen such locations on which five or more fatalities occurred were identified as blackspots. The blackspots are within the range of 1KM.

General Elections 2013: A Case Study of Low Turnout of Women Voters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The Constitution of 1973 offers direct elections under adult franchise in Pakistan. However, it is unfortunate that in every election of Pakistan, the ratio of female voters’ turnout remained low. This research is an attempt to discuss the potential causes of low female voters' turnout in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study is based on quantitative data survey from six randomly selected districts from sub-geographical areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan including the districts of Lakki Marwat (Far South), Karak (South), Charsadda (Centre), Mardan (Centre), Lower Dir (North) and Chitral (Far North).The study utilizes Chi-square test for statistical inferences of dependent and independent variables. The research argues that the factors responsible for low turnout of women in these districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can be categorized as administrative, cultural, political, and religious. The primary concern of respondents’ administrative obstacles were followed by cultural barrier and then by religious factors. Moreover, gender, the locality (district) and education of respondents cannot be ignored as they are key parameters as well.

Moderating effects of organizational commitment on job satisfaction and turnover intention

This study was conducted in Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, and D.I. Khan Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province of Pakistan to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The study is based on data collected from Wateen and Multinet Telecom companies. Two staged-sampling technique was used in this study. A total of 140 employees were selected from both companies using equal allocation and stratified random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used to collect information from respondents. Regression analysis was used to find out the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The results of the regression model indicated that job satisfaction decreases the chances of turnover. The results also confirmed that organizational commitment plays a key mediating role in improving job satisfaction and reducing turnover intentions. The study recommends that organizations should make efforts to promote job satisfaction to enhance organizational commitment and reduce turnover.

PALYNOLOGICAL PALYNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF ALLERGENIC AND INVASIVE WEEDS PLANTS FOR BIODIVERSITY IN DISTRICT LAKKI MARWAT USING SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

A total of 16 different allergenic and invasive weed species belonging to 12 different families collected from different areas of study area. Among the studied plants, most of the species belong to the Asteraceae family. For morphological studies of pollen through LM and SEM the samples were acetalized. We done the fieldwork for the collection of weed plants and also performed the experimental work i.e. SEM and LM for the pollen morphology. Most of the species recorded with pollen of tricolporate and echinate. Species belonging to Asteraceae were considered as most abundant and allergenic as compared to others. The maximum polar diameter was noted in the Convolvulus arvensis is 40.00 µm and the minimum were noted in Oxalis corniculata is 6.15 µm. Maximum exine thickness was noted in convolvulus arvensis is 3.70 µm and Minimum were noted in Sorghum halepense is 1.65 µm. It was noticed that most of the allergenic and invasive weeds found in plain areas of Lakki Marwat during September and April. Present study provides information about the allergenic and invasive weeds plants and their threats to biodiversity. The pollen of such weed plants causes asthma and atopy disease in humans.

Prevalence of Refractive Error and Strabismus in Primary School Children of Tehsil Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

OBJECTIVES: Refractive errors and strabismus continue to remain a significant public health problem. Among school children it has an impact on child development. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of refractive error and strabismus among primary school children. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the school children. Data was collected in November-December 2013. Visual impairment was defined as, presenting VA of &lt; 6/12. A total of 2288 children (1746 boys and 542 girls) were screened from 26 randomly selected schools. Stratified sampling technique was used. Data were collected on pre-designed questionnaires and entered and analyzed by SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: The mean age of children was 8.10 + 2.3 years. About 4% children were found visually impaired. The prevalence of refractive error was found to be 5.4%, of which 88.6% was uncorrected refractive error. The prevalence of refractive error was found higher in girls than boys, 6.8% and 5.0% respectively. Among types of refractive error, myopia prevalence was 2.3%, hypermetropia prevalence was 2.0% and astigmatism prevalence was 1.1%. The prevalence of strabismus was 1.3%. Refractive error was found as a main cause of visual impairment in school children. Prevalence of strabismus among this study population is relatively low as compared to the global prevalence of 2% to 5%. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that more study to determine the extent of the problem and possible factors for development of refractive error and strabismus types are needed to mitigate these conditions.

Perceptual Study Regarding the Impact of Recreational Activities Upon Healthy Lifestyle of Youth

The main focus of the existing research study was to examine the impact of recreational activities upon youth from social prospective healthy lifestyle. The study Population consist of 520 Teachers, 15890 Students and 14926Parents from Government Girls Colleges (GGC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Five districts Swabi, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan (20% percent of 25 districts) were randomly selected from the population further the researcher using proportionate sampling technique for the data collection. Self- developed and administered questionnaire was used for the present study to draw finding and conclusion. Both descriptive frequency and percentage and inferential statistic was used for such as regression and ANOVA were used for the data analysis. It was concluded that the researcher concluded that a very positive stance was received regarding effectiveness of recreation in individual lives and particularly among the youngster. The respondents of all categories i.e. parents, students and teachers thought that recreation is very effective tool to promote and develop healthy lifestyle.

Baseline survey for malaria prevalence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan.

Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are prevalent in Pakistan. Data on the epidemiology of Plasmodium infections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are lacking. This study aimed to: 1) determine the malaria prevalence in three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with endemic malaria (Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat); 2) determine household ownership of long-lasing insecticidal bed nets in the districts; and 3) assess malaria services in health facilities in the districts, in order to provide baseline information for malaria control in these areas. A cross-sectional study was conducted. In total, 31 041 individuals were selected for the malaria prevalence survey, 864 households for the insecticidal net ownership survey and 98 health facilities for malaria services. Rapid diagnostic tests were used to test for malaria. Overall, 4297 (13.8%) people tested positive for malaria. The prevalence of P. vivax, P. falciparum and mixed infection was 92.4%, 4.7% and 2.9%, respectively. The prevalence of malaria infection differed significantly between districts (P < 0.05). Prevalence was higher in people over 14 years and in women for P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria (P < 0.05). Only 44.1% of households owned one or more insecticidal nets. The most common drugs used to treat malaria were primaquine (62.5% of cases) and chloroquine (36.1%). The prevalence of malaria infection was high in the three districts. Malaria services in the health facilities were weak. Household ownership of long-lasing insecticidal nets was low. Malaria control or elimination strategies should be strengthened in these districts.

Epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Serai Naurang, Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, during 2015–2018

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide and is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence and seasonality of PTB among the suspected tuberculosis patients diagnosed at Tehsil Head Quarter Hospital Serai Naurang, District Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, during April 2015 to March 2018. Out of 2467 registered and suspected cases of PTB, 239 (9.69%) were positive cases. As a whole, the disease was highly prevalent in females (60.67%) compared with males (39.33%) in the study period. The age group 15–30 (years) had the highest percentage disease (37.24), followed by the age groups 46–60 (19.67), more than 60 (18.41), 31–45 (17.16), and 5–14 (7.11). While there found no patient of PTB less than 5 years during the study period. As a whole, 92.47% of the positive cases were at least 15 years of age. Annual variations occurred among the number of suspected patients as well as PTB-positive cases, and both were correlated. The monthly/seasonal occurrence of the disease showed that the late summer season (September) had the highest number of positive cases, 43 (17.99%); however, July (hot summer) and November (autumn) had the lowest number of positive cases, 13 (5.44%), each of the total positive cases. Data pooled over for the study period showed that females had a higher rate of disease than males in 10 out of 12 months of the year.

Technical Efficiency of Maize in District Lakki Marwat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Technical Efficiency of Maize in District Lakki Marwat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Pregnant Women of Lakki Marwat and Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Pregnant Women of Lakki Marwat and Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Epidemiological Study of Foot and Mouth Disease in Livestock of District Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Epidemiological Study of Foot and Mouth Disease in Livestock of District Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Ingestion of Arsenic-Contaminated Drinking Water Leads to Health Risk and Traces in Human Biomarkers (Hair, Nails, Blood, and Urine), Pakistan

Human exposure to arsenic (As) is a global public health concern that frequently occurs through both dietary and non-dietary pathways. This is the first systematic field study that investigated the drinking water (n = 190) for concentrations of total As (AsT) and its inorganic species such as arsenate As(V) and arsenite As(III) and organic species including monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The concentrations of AsT surpassed (from 1.2- to 23-fold) the world health organization (WHO) drinking water guidelines in 28% samples collected from Dera Ismail Khan (D.I. Khan) and Lakki Marwat. Results revealed that among As species, As(III) showed the highest concentration (116 µg L−1) in drinking water samples. In addition, the results revealed that the chronic or non-cancer risk (HQ > 1) and cancer risk (1.0E-03 to 1.0E-06) values were above their respective safe limits. Further, As species concentrations were determined in consumer biomarkers (n = 60) such as blood (red blood cells and plasma), hair, nails, and urine. The highest AsT (170 µg kg−1) accumulation was observed in hair samples collected from the resident of D.I. Khan District. The study revealed that high As-contaminated drinking water led to its accumulation in human body that could threaten the exposed population with hazardous chronic and cancer diseases.

Microscopic investigation of palyno-morphological features of melliferous flora of Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The present study was carried out to investigate the polliniferous bee flora of Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total of 18 species, belonging to 13 different families were identified for the foraging activities of honeybees, namely, Cenchrus biflorus, Cestrum nocturnum, Citrus limon, Combretum indicum, Datura innoxia, Duranta erecta, Hamelia patens, Helianthus annuus, Ipomoea cairica, Luffa aegyptiaca, Nerium oleander, Ocimum basilicum, Parthenium hysterophorus, Pennisetum typhoides, Prosopis cineraria, Prosopis juliflora, Saccharum spontaneum, and Ziziphus jujuba. The identified melliferous flora was collected for the morpho-palynological investigation. Pollen were acetolyzed, measured, and described qualitatively using light microscopy. The pollen types varied from psilate to echinate and colpi from tricolpate to hexacolpate. Quantitative characteristics including polar diameter, equatorial diameter, polar to equatorial ratio, colpi length, colpi width, spine length, spine width, and exine thickness of the pollen were determined and analyzed statistically using software IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The results of the present study highlighted the significance of pollen morphology of the bee flora of the area which may lead to the identification of the potential and useful botanical sources for beekeepers and to check the honey quality marketed from the study area.

Climate Change-Farmers’ Perception, Adaptation and Impact on Agriculture in the Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Climate Change-Farmers’ Perception, Adaptation and Impact on Agriculture in the Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Role of Masjid in Social Reformation in Contemporary Pashtun Society: A Case Study of District Bannu and Lakki Marwat, Pakistan

Pulpit and Masjid play very pivotal and productive role in a Muslim society. It not only educates and guides Muslims in religious matters as well shapes the social attitude and role of Muslims. Moreover, it is evident by the history that Islamic State was run by the Head of the State from Masjid. Unfortunately, pulpit and Masjid have been losing sense of their actual responsibility as an agent of social cohesion, integration and reformation. The paper is an attempt of studying the current role of pulpit and Masjid regarding religious education and training, exploring the factors that have been hampering the way of realizing the dream of social reformation in contemporary Pashtun society by not allowing pulpit and Masjid to play its due role in this respect and suggesting feasible recommendation for coping with the issue. The study is based on primary data that was collected through questionnaire in District Bannu and Lakki Marwat.

Woman’s Share in Inheritance Islamic Teachings, State Law and Contemporary Pashtun Traditions in District Bannu and Lakki Marwat.

The woman was once considered a commodity and property of her male partner that was to be used for satisfying physical needs and procreation. There was no concept of woman rights in its ideal sense for many centuries in east and the west. Though socialists and historians claim that woman was once head of the family in the agricultural age due to certain factors of that age, the plight of women throughout various phases of history is pityful. It was when Islam came that the just rights for women were granted to them keeping in view their innate capabilities and requirement. The Islamic law of inheritance is one of such rights that accommodate and preserve economic needs of a woman in view of her rights and responsibilities as a mother, sister, daughter, and wife. Muslim states in the current age have also legislated and enforced certain laws in accordance with these Qur’anic principles. Contemporary Pashtun society, mainly a male-dominant society, indicates quite an opposite approach towards woman’s share in inheritance, however. An attempt has been made in this paper to study and explore the context, factors, and impacts of the Pashtun social traditions regarding women’s share in inheritance and explain the teachings of Islam based on rationality and divine wisdom and highlight the State Law in this respect as well.

Regional Influences on Nutritional Iodine Status of Pregnant Women in Pakistan.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to iodine deficiency. Considering the rural-urban disparities in nutritional status in Pakistan, this study aimed to assess regional influences on nutritional iodine status of pregnant women in Pakistan. Data were collected from 1246 pregnant women in all trimesters of pregnancy who visited antenatal clinics for routine checkups in five Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province districts. Information concerning iodized salt intake and knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) was obtained through an interview questionnaire. Goiter and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) levels were assessed by the palpation method and Sandell-Kolthoff reaction, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to quantify associations between residence (rural-urban), pregnancy trimester, and previous pregnancy outcomes with knowledge about IDD, iodized salt intake, presence of goiter, and UIC <150 μg/L. Among study participants, 87.7% had no knowledge about IDD, and only 21.0% were consuming iodized salt. Goiter was present in 25.5% of the women. The median UIC level was 131 μg/L, and 41.3% of study participants had a UIC ≥150 μg/L. There were no significant differences between pregnant women from rural and urban settings in regions with a solid socioeconomic status with respect to knowledge about IDD, iodized salt intake, iodine deficiency, and goiter prevalence. Urban-rural differences were observed only in socioeconomically disadvantaged districts. Only pregnant women living in the Lakki Marwat district had higher odds of having knowledge of IDD and iodized salt intake than those from rural regions. Trimesters of pregnancy and previous pregnancy outcomes had no significant effect on the outcome measures. Relative to a national nutrition survey conducted in Pakistan in 2011, the results from this study indicate that UIC levels remained stable with mild iodine deficiency, whereas rates of goiter and iodized salt intake remained high and low, respectively, especially in rural areas. Rural-urban disparities were observed only in socioeconomically disadvantaged districts, and these disparities limit the effectiveness of the IDD prevention program in rural areas in Pakistan. Thus, implementation of mandatory salt iodization requires improvement, and program effectiveness should be continuously monitored to prevent adverse health effects of iodine deficiency during pregnancy.

AUTOPSY

Background: One of the most frustrating challenges faced by the medicolegal doctors/ forensic pathologists is the inability to determine the cause of death in casesof sudden / unexpected deaths of medicolegal nature even after detailed autopsy as well asHistopathological / Toxicological analysis. Objective: The study was aimed to find out thepercentage of negative autopsy against the total cases of medicolegal autopsies conductedduring the study period in Lakki Marwat KPK. Material and methods: The study was carried outin DHQ Lakki Marwat based upon five years autopsy data from 1st January 2013 to 31st December2017. All the medico legal autopsies were included in the study whereas; the cases of allegedcustodial deaths / police encounters were excluded. The cases where gross examination atinitial autopsy, histopathalogical examination &amp; toxicological analysis failed to detect the causeof death were labeled as negative autopsies. Study design: Descriptive, Retrospective Study.Setting: The study was conducted at DHQ hospital Lakki Marwat. Period: 1st January 2013to 25th June 2017. Results: Out of the total 200 autopsies, there were 39 negative autopsiescomprising of 26 (60.46%) males and 17(39.53%) females. Conclusion: The cases of negativeautopsy are higher at lakki marwat as compared to international perspectives.the negativeautopsies are higher because of the inadequate training of doctors or limited resources likeavailability of histo-pathological labs, analytical services and radiological facilities. Postmortemunits and toxicology laboratories are not equipped according to the modern standards in thelight of recent advances in the field of medico legal death investigation.