Objective: The study aimed to ascertain different causes and outcomes of convulsive status epilepticus in children. Methods: From January 2018 to June 2018, seventy three patients who presented with status epilepticus were studied. Data were recorded with the help of a pre-formed performa. Etiological factors and outcomes in terms of recovery, morbidity and mortality were studied. Results: Out of 73 children, forty one (56%) were males and 32(44%) were females with median age of 1.09±0.27 years. Etiologies were acute symptomatic 25(34%), febrile 19(26%), progressive encephalopathy 10(14%), remote symptomatic 10(14%) and idiopathic 7 (9%) with p-value 0.005. Status epilepticus was controlled within one hour in 42(57%), within 1-6 hours in 21(29%) and more than 6 hours in 10(14%) patients with p-value 0.027. During hospitals stay, twenty one (29%) patients recovered completely, seizure recurred in 12(16%), Twelve (16%) became mentally retarded, Twelve (16%) developed mental retardation along with seizures and 16(22%) died. Eight (10.9%) deaths were attributed to acute symptomatic etiology with p-value less than 0.001. Conclusion: This study concluded that acute symptomatic etiology was more common cause of status epilepticus as compared to other etiologies and it is associated with poorer outcomes as compared to other etiologies. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.120 How to cite this:Uzair M, Ibrahim A, Zafar F, Sultan T. Etiology and outcomes of convulsive status epilepticus in children. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.120 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Tin mining tailings are unprocessed waste materials that overlie an ore which are displaced during mining activities. This research work is aimed at characterizing and evaluating the human health risk of heavy metals in tin mine tailings in Zabot (S3) and Tafan (S4) districts in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The samples were characterized using EDX-XRF and SEM. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (Pb, Cr, As, Ni, Cd, Cu and Zn) were determined in S3 and S4. The results showed that Cr, Ni, Cd, Cu and Zn were within the USEPA permissible limits, except for Pb and As with range of (270-300) mg/kg and (40-70) mg/kg respectively for both mining and control sites of S3 and S4. The SEM results revealed small particles size with fine porous structure, and rough areas with varying sizes and pores distributed over the surface for S3 and S4 respectively. Results of the risk assessment showed that the hazard quotient HQ and HI values were greater than 1 indicating high risk. The Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks associated with Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni and As were evaluated for S3 and S4 for the three exposure pathway and it was found that the mining sites pose more risk than the control and the children were more exposed than the adults. The carcinogenicity of these samples were due to the high hazard quotient for ingestion and dermal exposure pathway. The R total results for As, Cr, Pb and Ni for mining site S3 were found to be (1.39 × 102 , 2.02 × 10-7 , 3.30 × 103 and 8.17 × 10-8 ), and control site (3.42 × 103 , 2.64 × 10-5 , 38.30 × 101 , 6.90 × 10-8 ) for As, Cr, Pb and Ni respectively. From the R total results As and Pb were more than the acceptable threshold, while Cr and Ni were below the threshold of 1 × 10-4 . For the mining site S4, the R total were found to be (5.70 × 102 , 1.82 × 10-7 , 3.63 × 104 and 9.64 × 10-9 ),and the control (1.16 × 103 , 1.71 × 10-7 , 31.1 × 102 and 1.51 × 10-8 ) for As, Cr, Pb and Ni respectively. From the results of the mining and control sites, As and Pb R total were higher than the acceptable threshold, while Cr and Ni were below the threshold of 1 × 10-4 .

Aspergillus spp., the fungus containing aflatoxin, is commonly spread in nature and contains severely polluted food sources from humans and wildlife, resulting in risks to health and even mortality of species. In plants, such as maize and peanuts, the spores of Aspergillus paraciticus and Aspergillus flavus can grow on the surface of stigma. The germ tube goes into the developing embryo and mimics pollen germ tubes. Aflatoxins are naturally occurring substances, so it is difficult to remove them completely from products. However, they should be lessened to minimum possible level. There is also a strong need for research into aflatoxins to establish effective methods for their correct identification , quantification and monitoring to ensure public health safety. The chemistry and biosynthesis process of aflatoxins is addressed in a succinct fashion along with their occurrence and the toxic health threats to humans and livestock. This analysis focuses primarily on aflatoxin tools, development, identification and control techniques to ensure food and feed safety. The study is very useful to health-conscious customers and academic authorities in the related fields. In addition , the availability of information on toxicity of aflatoxins would help ensure food safety and solve potential problems for the rising population by reducing the occurrence of outbreaks related to aflatoxins.

Mostly drugs possess not only positive pharmacological effects, but also have toxic effects, making the concept of drug targeting very gorgeous. However, one of the important need for any kind of the production of nanoparticles is that the matrix should be recyclable. This review article presents importance, application, formulations and future perceptions of nanoparticles in pharmaceutical industry. The aim is to acknowledge the nanoparticles as highly growing application in pharmaceutical technology and drug delivery system.

Macronutrients are very important for plant development and growth. They can be important constituents of various structural units and redox sensitive agents. Moreover, macronutrients can improve the yield, quality and growth of crops. Now a day, biotechnologists, plant physiologists and ecophysiologists have been investigating other blind features of these minerals, as macronutrients are involved in every aspect of plant life. Each macronutrient has its own characteristic features, and are involved in different metabolic processes of plant life.