Aim The correlation of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a still insufficiently explored entity. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between SCH and PCOS along with the impact of SCH on metabolic and hormonal parameters in women with PCOS. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gynecology Outpatient Department of Ziauddin Hospital Kemari, Karachi, Pakistan, from June 2019 to December 2019. A total of 90 diagnosed cases of PCOS were enrolled in the study. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used. After taking informed consent, participants were evaluated through clinical interviews, a questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements. The participants underwent the following assessments, i.e., transabdominal ultrasonography, hormonal profile (free testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone), and fasting blood sugar. Participants were divided into two groups based on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) into the euthyroid group and subclinical hypothyroid (SCH) group. The Mann-Whitney test was used for comparing the two groups. Results Our results showed a significant difference in weight, body mass index (BMI), insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and TSH were found in the SCH group as compared to the euthyroid group. A significant correlation of TSH with waist-hip ratio (WHR), weight, body mass index (BMI), insulin, and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in PCOS patients. Conclusion This study showed a significant correlation of subclinical hypothyroidism with polycystic ovary syndrome. We found subclinical hypothyroidism may aggravate the insulin resistance; therefore, PCOS patients must be screened with a thyroid profile.

Inam illahi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Student loyalty ensures management to take better strategies to improve the performance of any institute. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors impacting student’s loyalty through an empirical investigation of Higher Education Sector of Pakistan. The data for this research was collected through questionnaires from four major private universities of Karachi: SZABIST, IQRA University, Bahria University and Institute of Business Management (IOBM) with a sample size of 380. According to the nature of data, descriptive statistic and inferential statistics (regression & correlation) was used. In this research 51.6% respondents were male followed by females which are 47.9%. Results show that, female respondents are more inclined towards a university brand name and location as compare to males. On the side, males are more concerned about the universities’ market value and faculty (teachers) as the major traits while choosing a particular university as compare to females. For universities facilities both the gender male and females have not shown much enthusiasm and interest. Moreover, program offered by the university, fee structure and extracurricular activities are not the primary focus for students (both male and females) as one of the university traits. Further the results demonstrate that, academic facilities and service attitude are highly correlated and have a great impact on student’s loyalty. Moreover, campus environment having a weaker correlation also impact’s the student’s loyalty.  Other factors like, HOD and program manager have a significantly weak correlation with student loyalty and at the same time does not produce any impact. This research responded the questions raised and welcomed a wide range of discussions for the university management to work closely for student’s welfare to enhance and maintain the student’s loyalty. The study is restricted within three HEC institutes of Karachi city only due to limited time frame and financial resources available.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive inflammatory disease affecting the joints with a marked impact upon functional capacity of the patient. The working ability of RA patients can be preserved if the disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy is initiated early in the course of disease. The objective of our study was to compare the disease activity variables in DMARD-naïve seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (SPRA) and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (SNRA) patients and to determine correlations between the disease activity variables in RA. Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited n=90 patients from Rheumatology Clinic from May 2020 to October 2020. The rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide levels (ACCP), erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR) were clinically measured. Disease activity variables including the tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI) and disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) were consistently calculated. Patients were divided into seropositive RA group and seronegative RA group, based on RF and ACCP. Chi squared test and Pearson correlation were applied, p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: High HAQ-DI and DAS28-ESR scores were found in SPRA than in the SNRA patients and were statistically significant (p=0.000, p=0.054). TJ-28 and SJ-28 counts were higher in SPRA but were not statistically significant. There was a significant correlation of DAS28 with TJ-28 (r=0.816, p-value = 0.000), with SJ-28(r=0.801, p-value = 0.000) and HAQ-DI (r=0.517, p-value = 0.000). Conclusion: Evaluation of inflammatory markers and functional disability was found significant (p=0.000) in determining the disease activity compared to presence of autoantibodies in DMARD naïve RA patients. Keywords: Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug; Arthritis; Rheumatoid Factor; Autoimmune Diseases.