Prevalence of malnutrition among children under five is alarmingly high in Pakistan. However, there are ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) available which may be used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). This study aims to assess the efficacy of prebiotics as a synergistic additive to RUTF to enhance blood parameters and anthropometric measurements in children with uncomplicated SAM living in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A double-blind parallel treatment randomized controlled trial was conducted on 204 children aged between 6-59 months. Participants were randomized and allocated to the placebo (n=102) and experimental arms (n=102) at a 1:1 ratio. One group of children were provided RUTF and 4 g prebiotics, while the other group were given RUTF and starch as a placebo. Participants recruited for both arms were given treatment for eight weeks, and then their biochemical and anthropometric outcomes were evaluated. A substantial difference between the mean weight, mid upper arm circumference, haemoglobin, haematocrit, platelet count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and albumin was revealed. Conclusively, supplementation with RUTF and prebiotics has proven to be an efficient, effective and safe therapy for children suffering from SAM to improve their growth and development indicators and reduce the dangers of malnutrition in comparison to RUTF alone.

Objective: To explore the cultural risk factors influencing the Postpartum Depression of first-born infants’mothers. Study Design: Correlational survey. Place and Duration of Study: Jannat Maternity Home, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan, from Jan to Nov 2019. Methodology: A sample of 101 first-born infants’ mothers with ages ranging from 18 to 26 years was selectedthrough purposive sampling. Edinburgh Post-Partum Depression Scale and Oslo Social Support Scale were used. Results: Results suggested significantly lower mean scores for Postpartum Depression of mothers having a firstborn baby boy (M=5.98, SD=2.44) and higher for those having a girl (M=18.33, SD=4.62). Multi-factorial analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect of Social Support and Family System on Postpartum Depression levels of first-born infants’ mothers, explaining 44% and 11% variance respectively. Further, Post-Hoc analysis revealed higher levels of Postpartum Depression for mothers having poor Social Support (M=17.30, SD=6.15) as compared to those having moderate (M=9.68, SD=6.27) and strong Social Support (M=6.26, SD=2.30). Moreover, pair wise-comparisons demonstrated higher levels of Postpartum Depression for first-born infants’ mothers belonging to nuclear families (M=17.61, SD=7.09) as compared to joint ones (M=9.60, SD=5.70). Conclusion: The study establishes that first-born infants’ gender, degree of social support, and nature of familyhave a profound effect on the Postpartum Depression levels of mothers. These findings will extend the understanding of cultural risk factors influencing first-born infants’ mother’s mental health.

This article is an analytical reconsideration of the nature of the theological and cultural relationship that existed between Muslims and the Hindus in the Delhi Sultanate. It further aims at an examination of the religious attitudes of both communities towards each other. Historical links between Islam and Hinduism in the Indian subcontinent are extended into the very ancient past. Both religions have shared a long history that goes back to the early days of Islam. Religious interaction between Islam and Hinduism is a complex and multidimensional theme. It has its significance in the present world and in fact, it not only involves religious and theological issues but also many current socio-political and anthropological themes like race, gender, nation, and majority-minority relations are linked with the shared past of both communities in the Indian subcontinent. In this article, I explore the nature of the religious or theological interactions between both communities i.e., how Hindus generally and Brahmans particularly perceived and interpreted Islam and Muslims as newcomers to their land and what were the Muslim theological and intellectual perspectives on Indian traditions generally and on Hindus particularly.

Mujaddid-e-Alfi Sani Shaikh Ahmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī (1564–1624) was an Indian Islamic scholar, a Hanafi jurist, and a prominent member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. He has been described as a Mujaddid, meaning "the reviver" for his work in rejuvenating Islam and opposing the newly made religion of Din-i Ilahi and other dissident opinions of Mughal emperor Akbar. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi's teaching emphasized the inter-dependence of both the Sufi path and sharia, stating that "what is outside the path shown by the prophet is forbidden. Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi advanced the notion of wahdat ash-shuhūd (oneness of appearance). According to this doctrine, the experience of unity between God and creation is purely subjective and occurs only in the mind of the Sufi who has reached the state of fana' fi Allah (to forget about everything except Almighty Allah). Sirhindi consi-dered wahdat ash-shuhūd to be superior to wahdat al-wujūd (oneness of being), which he understood to be a preliminary step on the way to the Absolute Truth.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of covid-19 on the learning of medical students of Federal Medical College, Islamabad. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 215 medical students of Federal Medical College, Islamabad from October to December 2021. A pretested validated tool was used to collect primary data from medical students via random sampling. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. The chi-square test was used to see the association between various variables. Results: This study included 54.9% (118) females and 45.1% (97) males. 188 (87.4%) students reported that they were taking online classes. Most of the students, 181 (84.2%) thought that COVID-19 affected their study durations. The pandemic has caused wastage of time was reported by 155 (72.1%) students and 60 (27.9%) stated pandemic had given them extra time to clear their concepts. More than 2/3rd of the students (78.6%) were concerned about their professional examinations due to the present situation of the pandemic. Among all the respondents, 177 (82.3%) were not satisfied with this method of learning and also 184 (85.6%) students have lost interest in their studies. Most of the students 173 (80.5%) were facing difficulty in establishing the boundary between their work and home and 180 (83.7%) were missing classroom engagement. Conclusion: Covid 19 has severely affected medical education. E-learning is not suitable for medical students as most of their learning involves practical performance and interaction with patients. Keywords: Covid-19, medical students, medical education, online learning