Objectives: To determine the frequency of bacteremia and its association with age and gender in febrile neutropenic children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia and identify the commonest pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility identified on blood cultures. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study Place and Duration of Study: Pediatrics Inpatient Department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad Pakistan, from Sep 2018 to Mar 2019. Methodology: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia aged 1-12 years, presenting with temperature >100ºF and absolute neutrophil count of <500 cells/µL were enrolled. An automated blood culture system was used and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Guidelines 2017 were used for susceptibility testing. Antibiotics were started empirically in all cases and changed after susceptibility testing. Results: A total of 62 children were enrolled. The mean age was 8.6 ± 2.4 years. Majority of the children i.e., 32 (51.6%) were females. The frequency of bacteremia was 16 (25.8%) and there was no significant association with age or gender (p=0.475 and p=0.881 respectively). Majority of the isolates were gram-positive. The organism isolated in the highest frequency was Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Epidermidis (MRSE) 5 (31.25%). Susceptibility to Vancomycin was present in 10 isolates while seven isolates were sensitive to penicillins/cephalosporins. Conclusion: Bacteremia, primarily caused by gram-positive bacteria was found in 25.8% of our sample and was uninfluenced by age or gender. MRSE was the most frequent isolate. The bacterial isolates were susceptible primarily to vancomycin and penicillins/cephalosporins.

Objectives: To evaluate the functional status of Pakistani patients with non-cancerous end-stage liver disease selected for liver transplant, and to compare results acquired through various assessment tools. Methods: The study was conducted at the Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan, from August 2017 to November 2019, and comprised end-stage liver disease patients of either gender who had been selected for liver transplant.  Assessment tools included the Six-Minute Walk Distance, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status and Modified Borg Scale across age, gender, ethnicity, primary aetiology, and Model for end-stage liver disease scores. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 172 patients, 143(83%) were males; 99(58%) hailed from the Punjab province; and 118(71%) had hepatitis C as the most common aetiology. The overall mean age was 46.1±10.5 years (range: 14–70 years). The mean Six-Minute Walk Distance was 291.9±67.2m. Model for end-stage liver disease scores had a significant inverse correlation with Six-Minute Walk Distance (p<0.01) and a significant positive correlation with Modified Borg Scale (p=0.02) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status scores (p<0.01). Age and ethnicity had no correlation with the variables (p>0.05). Conclusions: The Six-Minute Walk Distance score was significantly low.  The Model for end-stage liver disease scores were inversely correlated with Six-Minute Walk Distance scores, and positively correlated with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status and Modified Borg Scale scores. Continuous...