Introduction Urolithiasis is a common disorder worldwide with an increasing prevalence and high recurrence rate. This makes preventive measures like dietary modification an essential part of patient care. This study focuses on gauging the perception of dietary habits favoring kidney stone formation. Materials and methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. For nine food items and 14 beverages, respondents chose one of four options with regards to their relationship with stone formation, i.e. “increasing”, “decreasing”, “no effect”, and “do not know”. Responses were matched against evidence from the literature to generate correct and incorrect responses, thereby gauging perception for individual items. Results Seven hundred and three participants including 69 (9.6%) with a prior history of kidney stones, were recruited for the study. Participants with a personal history of kidney stone disease were older (odds ratio {OR}: 1.042 CI 1.020-1.064) with a significantly higher family history of stones (OR: 2.151 CI: 1.472-3.144). The majority were managed medically (87%) but never received dietary counseling (57%). Water, soft drinks, and tomatoes were the only three items out of 23 that were correctly identified by >50% of the participants with regards to their effect on stone formation. Responses did not differ significantly between those with stone disease and those without. Conclusion There is a lack of awareness among the general population, including individuals with a prior history of kidney stones regarding dietary prevention of kidney stone disease. This demonstrates a lack of existing dietary counseling thus necessitating the need for incorporating it at a mass level.

al. Novel Chemical scaffolds to inhibit the neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1 (SLC6A19), a potential target to treat metabolic diseases.

Background In this study, we aimed to translate and validate the 19-item version of the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (Bristol FLUTS) Questionnaire in Urdu among women experiencing urinary incontinence at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology A cross-sectional validation study was conducted in the urology clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between April and September 2021. After forward and backward translation of the Bristol FLUTS questionnaire, content validation was done by six experts, followed by the administration of the questionnaire to 10 respondents in the pilot phase of the study. In total, 207 participants were approached to fill the final version of the translated questionnaire. Overall, 188 respondents filled out the questionnaire, including 94 women with urinary incontinence and 94 women from the community to test construct validity. Finally, 30 women with urinary incontinence were asked to fill the form again two weeks later to determine test-retest reliability. Cronbach’s alpha was employed to assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Results The questionnaire displayed good content validity for reliability (content validity index: 0.84) and clarity (0.89). The scores reported by cases were significantly higher than the controls in all but the sexual function domain, suggesting good construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81 signified good internal consistency, and a Pearson’s coefficient of 0.993 (p < 0.001) comparing responses at baseline and after two weeks indicated good test-retest reliability. Conclusions The Urdu translation of the Bristol FLUTS is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used in the clinical setting.