Objective: To assess the prevalence and determinants of depression in undergraduate medical students within their learning environment. Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan, from May to June 2015, and comprised medical students of all the five professional years. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Section one of the questionnaire related to demographic information, section two comprised Patient health questionnaire-9 for screening depression, and section three was the Dundee ready education environment measure inventory to gather students' perceptions of their learning environment. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 533 students, 206(39%) were males, 327(61%) were females, 213(40%) were of preclinical years and 320(60%) were of clinical academic years. Overall, 399(75%) students were found to be depressed. Of them, 255(64%) were females and 144(36%) were males. Among the students, 96(18%) had negative perception of their learning environment, and out of these, 91(95%) were found to be depressed. There was significant association of depression with female gender (p=0.037) and negative perception of the students of their learning climate (p<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of depression was found to be high among the medical students and it was associated with female gender and negative perception of the learning environment.

Objectives: To determine the frequency and association of single nucleotide polymorphism of transcription cell factor7-like2 rs7903146 (C>T) in metabolic syndrome patients with and without acute coronary syndrome. Methods: The cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from July to December 2017. Patients of metabolic syndrome with and without acute coronary syndrome were selected from Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore. Healthy subjects were enrolled to act as controls. A fasting blood sample of 8ml was taken for deoxyribonucleic acid extraction and estimation of biochemical parameters. Single nucleotide polymorphism of transcription cell factor7-like2 rs7903146 C>T was determined using restriction fragment length polymorphism. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 500 subjects, 200(40%) were group A patients without acute coronary syndrome, 100(20%) were in group B with acute coronary syndrome and 200(40%) were group C controls. Overall, 385(77%) were males and 115(23%) were females. The frequency of CC variant in group A was 35(17.5%) and in group C 22(11%), while CT was 32(16%) and 65(32.5%), and TT was 133(66.5%) and 113(56.5%), respectively. There was significant association of TT genotype with increased risk of metabolic syndrome (p=0.031), and CC genotype had no association (p=0.121). There was no significant difference of genotype frequency between groups A and B (p=0.246), but TT variant was significantly higher in group A compared to group B (p=0.009). Conclusion: TT genotype of transcription cell factor7-like2 rs7903146 C>T was found to be associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome in patients without acute coronary syndrome compared to those with acute coronary syndrome and healthy controls.

Objective: To determine the correlation of insulin resistance with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and serum ferritin, and to evaluate whether NLR and serum ferritin can predict insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome. Method: The cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from July 2016 to 2019, and comprised male patients of metabolic syndrome and healthy controls. The correlation involving insulin resistance, serum ferritin and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was determined. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 210 subjects, 160(76.2%) were cases with a median age of 45 years (interquartile range: 39-50 years), and 50(23.8%) were controls with a median age of 41 years (interquartile range: 35-50 years). Serum ferritin, alanine aminotransferase, total neutrophil count, lymphocyte count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were significantly higher among the cases than the controls (p<0.05). Significant positive correlation of insulin resistance was observed with serum ferritin and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (p<0.05)) among the cases. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio significantly predicted insulin resistance among the cases (p<0.05). Conclusion: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was fund to be a significant predictor of insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome. Key Words: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, Ferritin, Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance. Continue...

Objectives: To find the association of single nucleotide polymorphism of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha, rs11549465 (1772 Cytosine > Thymine) with metabolic syndrome, and to compare the anthropometric and biochemical variables in different genotypes of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha. Methods: The cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from July 2016 to April 2019, and comprised patients of metabolic syndrome selected from the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore. Healthy controls were also enrolled. Fasting venous sample was taken for the determination of study parameters. The genetic variant of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha was analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Out of 400 subjects, 200(50%) each were patients and controls. The frequency of CC genotype of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha Cytosine > Thymine in patients was 166(83%) and in controls 147(73.5%); CT genotype was 34(17%) and 53(26.5%) respectively, while TT genotype was not observed. There was a significant association of the C allele and CC genotype (p=0.03) with the increased risk of metabolic syndrome (p=0.02). On comparison of study variables in the two genotypes, systolic blood pressure, anthropometric and lipid parameters were significantly higher in the wild CC genotype compared to CT in the control group (p0.05). Conclusion: Major allele C of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha 1772 Cytosine > Thymine was found to be associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Continuous...

Introduction Self-control and cognition are mental processes that influence reasoning, modulate actions and shape decision-making. Both these processes regulate lifestyle choices, such as dietary habits and physical activity. Understanding the connection between self-control and cognition in conditioning dietary behavior and physical workouts is vital for developing targeted approaches to enhancing overall well-being. The present study explores the associations of self-control and cognition with dietary habits, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at a private medical college, over a ten-month period. The study population consisted of MBBS students across all the academic years. The study tool was a questionnaire with five domains. Domain 1 included demographic characteristics, Domain 2 the ‘Brief Self-Control Scale,' Domain 3 the ‘Cognitive Functioning Self-Assessment Scale,' Domain 4 the ‘Fat and Fiber Behavior Questionnaire,’ and Domain 5 utilized the ‘Global Physical Activity Questionnaire.’ Results The data collection form was distributed to 480 students, of whom 400 completed and submitted it, yielding a response rate of 83%. Data was entered and analyzed by SPSS version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York). Out of 400 students, 120 (30%) were males and 280 (70%) females. On chi-square test, there was significant association of self-control with body mass index (p=0.001), dietary habits (p=0.01), and cognition (p=0.001). Body mass index also showed a significant association with dietary habits (p=0.03). However, there was no significant association of cognitive level with body mass index (p=0.894), dietary habits (p=0.994), and physical activity (p=0.664). Binary logistic regression was conducted to assess the association between BMI and variables, including physical activity, self-control, dietary habits, and cognition, while controlling for age and gender. Higher self-control was significantly associated with lower odds of obesity (p=0.003). Dietary habits showed a potential protective effect, but the association was not statistically significant (p=0.07). Cognition and physical activity were not significantly associated with BMI (p>0.05). Conclusion These findings underscore the potential importance of self-control in weight management, suggesting that self-control may be more promising for supporting a healthier body mass index compared to cognitive function or physical activity. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the predictive value of self-control on body mass index over a span of time.