PurposeA major frustration for most policy researchers in the small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) area is the virtual non‐existence of scientific data on this sector in the country. This paper aims to provide some data.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 651 SMEs from the manufacturing sector of Pakistan was conducted in 2003 and statistical analysis was carried out to analyze the data. This paper focuses on the relationship between the health indicators namely, sales/employee, increase/decrease in sales, and investment plans and the different personal characteristics of the owner/entrepreneur.FindingsThis analysis suggests that education, generation setting up the business, and number of partners have a significant relationship with the health of SMEs. Health of the firm is also dependent on owner habits like watching television, reading newspapers and using computers for office work. Other factors like caste of the owner and occupation of the owner's relatives were also analyzed, but no significant relationship with the health of an SME was observed.Practical implicationsThe implications of this study are far reaching in understanding the profiles of owners of SMEs in Pakistan and how these profiles impact the profitability of the firms.Originality/valueTo date no other such study has been carried out in Pakistan. Similar studies on owner profiles have previously been carried out in other countries such as the UK and USA.

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Alopecia areata (AA) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease resulting in the destruction of hair follicles. Ophiasis refers to a subtype of AA that presents as a symmetric, band-like hair loss pattern of the occipital, temporal, and parietal regions of the scalp. We present a case of a 58-year-old white man with AA, ophiasis pattern, who was treated with clobetasol 0.05% solution and four treatments of microneedling with triamcinolone over 6 months. He underwent gradual improvement, most notably on his left occipital scalp where his hair loss was most prominent, with near complete hair regrowth on his left occipital scalp. Microneedling with triamcinolone can be considered as a promising treatment in cases of ophiasis AA.

Topical 5-fluorouracil has proven to be an effective treatment for flat warts. Although cases of local irritation at the site of application have been reported, allergic contact dermatitis on the adjacent normal skin is generally uncommon. Reactions to propylene glycol and stearyl alcohol, two vehicle components of 5-fluorouracil, have also been described. In this report, we present a 21-year-old woman who developed allergic contact dermatitis of the adjacent normal skin after topical application of 5-fluorouracil to the face for the treatment of flat warts.

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