Pakistan BioMedical Journal

A Review on the Impact of Superfoods on Cognitive Performance, Physical Resilience, and Mental Health

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cognitive performance and physical well-being are critical to success. Dietary strategies, particularly the inclusion of superfoods, have garnered significant attention for their potential to improve brain function and overall physiological health. This comprehensive review examines the impact of key superfoods on cognitive and physical health in students and professionals subjected to prolonged mental exertion. Updated scientific literature on nutrient-dense foods such as dark chocolate, omega-3-rich fish, walnuts, moringa, fermented foods, and high-quality proteins is evaluated for their neuroprotective properties and health-promoting effects. Evidence suggests that integrating multiple superfoods yields synergistic benefits for mental clarity, endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and metabolic balance. The review emphasizes a multidisciplinary dietary approach and offers a framework for future research and evidence-based dietary guidelines.

Keywords: Superfood, Cognitive performance, physical and mental health, high cognitive load professionals, and nutrient-dense foods

Transvaginal Ultrasound: Current Practices and Barriers in Pakistani Sonographers

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) is an important diagnostic medium in the evaluation of female pelvic pathology because it can be performed without invasiveness, is real-time, and has diagnostic accuracy. Its use in low and middle-income countries, particularly in gynecological practice, has significant difficulties regardless of the international suggestions to use it regularly. Objective: To explore the current practices, perceived barriers, and influential factors associated with the routine implementation of TVUS among Pakistani sonographers. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 162 accredited sonographers across Pakistan using a 35-item structured questionnaire. Data on demographic characteristics, clinical experience, confidence levels, protocol adherence, and perceived barriers were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: The findings revealed strong patient preference for female sonographers across all regions, with statistically significant differences based on practice location (p<0.001). Adherence to standardized TVUS protocols was highest in public hospitals and among practitioners with over 15 years of experience (p<0.001). Key barriers included cultural taboos, inadequate training, limited institutional support, and legal/ethical concerns, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. Practitioners' confidence was positively associated with years of experience. Conclusions: The study highlights critical gaps in training, infrastructure, and cultural acceptability that hinder effective TVUS utilization in Pakistan. Targeted interventions such as gender-sensitive training, protocol standardization, and policy-level reforms are essential to bridge these gaps and enhance the delivery of equitable, high-quality gynecological care.

Electromagnetic Pollution and Its Health Effects: A Public Awareness and Health Symptom Survey

Neha Raheel, Maham Shabbir, Areeba Razaqi — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In a contemporary world with a lot of electromagnetic fields (EMF) producing appliances, individuals are becoming increasingly worried about the impact that the appliances can have on their health. Objectives: To investigate the level of public awareness, behavior, and symptoms of health in relation to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation of mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and 4G / 5G towers. Methods: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional descriptive survey (n=115) with a confirmed questionnaire that was administered online. The Chi-square test and descriptive statistics were used to test the relationships between EMF exposure and reported health symptoms. Results: The study revealed that mobile phone addiction is high, and over 60 percent of the respondents spent over six hours a day on the devices. Interestingly, 76 percent of them reported headaches, 66 percent complained of eye strain, and 61 percent complained of sleep problems, which indicates that the long-term exposure to EMF might be associated with neurological symptoms. The chi-square test was used to demonstrate that the association between high EMF exposure and health complaints is statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusions: The paper gives important points on how the community education needs much improvement, policies should be made according to the situation, and more longitudinal studies are needed to understand the health risks of prolonged EMF exposure and mitigate them.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Towards Human Papillomavirus Vaccine among Healthcare Professionals at Tertiary Care Hospitals Karachi

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

One of the sexually transmitted infections is Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is the primary source of cancer morbidity and mortality in women, with 604,000 new infections and 342,000 deaths reported worldwide in 2020. Objectives: To determine the knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the HPV vaccine in tertiary care hospitals. Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey in Dow University Hospital, Karachi, and Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. All healthcare workers were included in the study (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and technicians). The data were interpreted into SPSS version 26.0. To do the descriptive analysis, the frequency, means, standard deviations, and percentages were computed. Knowledge and attitude categories were compared using a chi-square test to determine the relationship between demographic information of HCPs and knowledge and attitude. Results: 57.5% of the participants were able to give correct answers. The proportion of attitude of HCPs in response to the HPV vaccine was approximately 1/3 (32.3% agreed/strongly agreed), and almost one-half (46.4% of HCPs) of the HCPs formed a neutral attitude. Profession was statistically significantly associated with knowledge (χ² = 26.70, df = 6, p<0.001) and attitude categories (χ² = 22.90, df = 6, p<0.001) between HCPs. Conclusions: The knowledge and attitude of the healthcare professionals towards the HPV vaccine have been moderate, with a neutral attitude, which could reduce their willingness to recommend the vaccine, with consequences to the rate of patient vaccination and subsequent prevention of cervical cancer.

Quality of Life among Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapses After Postpartum

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is the dropping of the pelvic organs as a result of the inability to hold them through weakness, especially in the aftermath of childbirth, which causes physical and emotional problems. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of POP and its effects on the quality of life (QoL) of postpartum women by administering the P-QOL questionnaire. Purposes: To establish the QoL of postpartum women who have pelvic organ prolapse. Methods: The study was a four-month cross-sectional study to gather information on various hospitals within Lahore. In the present study, 377 postpartum women (20 to 45 years old) in the public hospitals were evaluated by the P-QoL questionnaire, but they were not included whose prior POP treatment or were still pregnant. Results: The researchers established that 96.3 percent of 377 women experienced severe symptoms of POP, with the moderate-to-high performance scores consistent, and only half of them made it to the standardized analysis. Conclusions: The fact that severe POP symptoms occur in the majority of cases (96.3%), and moderate-to-high performance consistency highlights the fact that there is a strong necessity to enhance data inclusion and specific interventions.

Efficacy of Different Herbal and Chemical-Based Hand Sanitizers to Control the Microbial Growth on the Hands of Bank Cashiers

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Hand hygiene plays a vital role in reducing the transmission of infectious diseases, principally in occupations involving the regular handling of contaminated objects, such as currency notes. Objectives: To estimate the effectiveness of three classes of hand sanitizers, including commercial non-alcoholic, alcoholic, and lab-prepared herbal formulations, for reducing microbial growth from the hands of bank cashiers in Lahore. Methods: This experimental study evaluated 32 cashiers aged 25–40 years for sanitizer efficacy. Samples were gathered from both hands before sanitizer application, after 25 seconds, mid-sampling 1 minute, and post-sampling after 1 hour. Results: The findings verified clear modifications among sanitizer types. Alcoholic sanitizers, mainly containing ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, were the most effective, attaining up to an 87% decrease in CFU count. In some alcoholic sanitizers, inhibition was 99.9%. Lab-prepared herbal sanitizers, including constituents such as aloe vera, neem, alum, and basil, reduced bacterial growth by up to 61%. The non-alcoholic sanitizers have also shown activity against bacterial growth and reduced CFU by up to 48%. The bacteria isolated by biochemical isolation were Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. A two-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey's test revealed significant decreases in CFU (colony-forming units) at p<0.0001 among all categories and proved alcoholic sanitizers to be the strongest antimicrobial agents. Conclusions: This result shows that alcoholic hand sanitizers are highly effective against hand-borne microbes in a real-life bank environment, suggesting their use as an integral component of hand hygiene interventions for cashiers.

Targeting the Blood–Brain Barrier: A New Frontier in Alzheimer’s Therapeutics

Muhammad Irfan Bashir — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Currently, there is a need for novel therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) due to the rising global burden. Although some drugs can target amyloid-β and tau pathologies, but still cognitive decline has not been resolved. Advanced research focusing on the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) as a therapeutic target for AD, because BBB dysfunction significantly contributes to AD pathogenesis.

Emerging evidence shows that BBB dysfunction leads to AD through alterations of endothelial tight junctions, pericyte loss, basement membrane degradation, and impaired clearance mechanisms of amyloid-β waste from the brain and increases the permeability of neurotoxins inside the brain. This dysfunction leads to severe neurodegenerative events [1].

Possibly, the integrity of the BBB can be restored by protecting or repairing the structural and functional components of the BBB for homeostasis purposes, reducing the infiltration of peripheral inflammatory mediators, and supporting the normal clearance of soluble amyloid. Another key issue in AD treatment is the very low penetration of the drug inside the central nervous system (CNS). If the drug delivery system becomes better and a maximum amount of the drug can be penetrated inside the brain, it will also be a big milestone against AD progression. A recent study shows that nanomedicine engineered to engage the BBB transport mechanisms led to robust amyloid clearance and memory recovery in AD model mice [2].

Meanwhile, some studies also focus on finding new biomarkers and therapeutic targets to treat AD. There is a need to search for new targets that are associated with neurodegeneration [3]. There is a need to resist BBB dysfunction; once BBB damage becomes irreversible, then many challenges will become hurdles in AD treatment. Researchers should work to protect the BBB from irreversible damage.

In conclusion, we may get proper therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease if we focus on seeking new therapeutic targets, restoring the BBB integrity and developing novel therapeutic strategies that can increase the availability of drugs inside the brain.