The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin B-6 for young women was recently reduced from 1.6 to 1.3 mg/d based on an adequate plasma pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) concentration of 20 nmol/L. To assess vitamin B-6 requirements and suggest recommendations for intake, seven healthy young women consumed a controlled diet providing 1.2 g protein/kg body weight for a 7-d adjustment period (1.0 mg vitamin B-6/d) and three successive 14-d experimental periods (1.5, 2.1 and 2.7 mg/d, respectively). Direct and indirect vitamin B-6 status indicators were measured in plasma, erythrocytes and urine. Indicators most strongly correlated with vitamin B-6 intake [i.e., plasma and erythrocyte PLP, urinary 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA) and total vitamin B-6] were regressed on vitamin B-6 intake and the dietary vitamin B-6 to protein ratio. Inverse prediction using adequate and baseline values estimated vitamin B-6 requirement. Adequate values were determined for plasma PLP and urinary 4-PA from baseline values of 60 previous subjects, using the statistical method suggested by Sauberlich. The current study suggests a vitamin B-6 Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for young women of 1.1 mg/d or 0.016 mg/g protein, and a RDA of 1.5 mg/d or 0.020 mg/g protein. When results from this study are combined with data from four other recent studies, the combined data predict an EAR of 1.2 mg/d or 0.015 mg/g protein, and a RDA of 1.7 mg/d or 0.018 mg/g protein. This study suggests that the current vitamin B-6 RDA may not be adequate.

Wireless and mobile networks are quickly becoming the consequential type of network access for telecommunication services and with the emergence of modern technologies the number of users has also increased numerously. Similarly, In Pakistan advance facilitating promotions and improved service quality of mobile networks have enormously raised 161.24 million users of mobile networks till july-2019. Due to the innovative advancement and Hi-tech competition in the market the networks use different strategies to retain and sustain the brand equity such as, Linking the brand with an event via sponsorship enables companies to reach consumers’ interest and attention by associating with the events that hold great importance to them. This research article is based on determining the effect of sponsorship on the components of brand equity such as brand loyalty, brand awareness and perceived quality. The methodology adopted for this using a survey questionnaire based on 5-likert scale, and the primary data collection source was sample of 160 respondents. The reliability and regression analysis were used to determine the effects of sponsorships. The results of the reliability shows that the Cronbach’s Alpha lies in the range of good and excellent, Furthermore, it indicate that the sponsorship have positive and significant impact on brand awareness, brand loyalty and perceived quality. Therefore, Managers need to increase the use of sponsorship as a tool, for effective marketing communication, sponsor events for which their customers are emotionally connected and use its attention for their brand and build strong brand equity. In a highly competitive environment, sponsorship activities can help telecom companies attain a completive edge over others.

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Introduction: There is a need for rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples. A study was conducted in which the target for the amplification being a segment of IS6110 in the M. tuberculosis chromosome was evaluated using real time PCR and its results were compared with routine tests, using pulmonary and extra-pulmonary specimen. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study, specificity and sensitivity of PCR were analyzed. A total of 293 clinical samples were processed at a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, during the time period of 2016-2018, from patients suspected of having pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and Follow up patients with DOTS treatment and MDR treatment that are referred by tertiary hospital were also included in this study after taking their informed consent. Patients not willing to participate in the study were excluded. For identification specimens were stained by Ziehl Neelsen staining (ZN), cultured on Lowenstein–Jensen (LJ) medium and then confirmed by PCR for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Results: Of the 293 samples, 165(56.3%) were from males and 128(43.7%) females. Mean age was 44 years (2-85 years). Specimen types included: CSF (30.4%), pleural fluid (4.1%), sputum (15%), urine (2.4%), synovial fluid (2.4%), other fluids (33.1%) and biopsies (12.6%). Only 3.1% of specimens were ZN-smear positive for (MTB). LJ culture identified 7.2% whereas PCR method detected (MTB) in 15% of the total specimens. Using PCR as gold standard, ZN microscopy correctly identified 20.5% of total (MTB) positive specimens and LJ culture detected 47.7%.Specimen types showed significant association with PCR test: 42.9% of synovial fluid samples and 41.7% of pleural fluid samples; 28.6% of urine samples were positive for (MTB) by PCR method. This indicates that PCR analysis of these specimens’ exhibit greater positivity rates for (MTB) as opposed to CSF and other fluids and biopsies Conclusions: TB PCR is a rapid and reliable test in the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis.

Purpose. The prevalence of adrenal insufficiency (AI) in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis is unknown. Because these patients have lower levels of cortisol-binding carrier proteins, their total serum cortisol (TSC) correlates poorly with free serum cortisol (FC). Salivary cortisol (SaC) correlates better with FC. We aimed to establish SaC thresholds for AI for the 250 g intravenous ACTH test and to estimate the prevalence of AI in non-critically ill cirrhotic patients. Methods. We included 39 patients with decompensated cirrhosis, 39 patients with known AI, and 45 healthy volunteers. After subjects fasted ≥8 hours, serum and saliva samples were collected for determinations of TSC and SaC at baseline 0’ (T0) and at 30-minute intervals after intravenous administration of 250