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Objective: To determine the prevalence and association of prenatal depression with socioeconomic, demographic and personal factors among pregnant women living in Kallar Syedan, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Methods: Five hundred women in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, living in Kallar Syedan, a rural area of district Rawalpindi Pakistan, were included in the study. Depression was assessed using “Patient health questionnaire” (PHQ9) in Urdu, with a cut-off score of 10. Multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) was used to assess perceived social support. Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) were used to measure stressful life events in past 1 year. Tool to assess intimate partner violence (IPV) was based on WHO Multi Country Study on “Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women.”Results: Prevalence of prenatal depression was found to be 27%. Number of pregnancies was significantly associated with prenatal depression (p < 0.01). Women living in a joint family and those who perceived themselves as moderately satisfied or not satisfied with their life in the next 4 years were found to be depressed (p < 0.01, OR 6.9, CI 1.77–26.73). Depressive symptomatology in women who experienced more than five stressful life events in last 1 year was three times higher (p < 0.001, OR 3.2, CI 1.68–5.98) than in women with 1–2 stressful events. Women who were supported by their significant others or their family members had 0.9 times (p < 0.01, OR 0.9, CI 0.85–0.96) less chance of getting depressed. Pregnant women who were psychologically abused by their partners were 1.5 times more depressed (p < 0.05 CI 1.12–2.51). Odds of having depression was also high in women who had less mean score of MSSI (p < 0.05, OR 1.1, CI 1.01–1.09). Women who had suitable accommodation had 0.5 times less chance of having depression than others (p < 0.05, OR 0.5, CI 0.27–0.92).Conclusion: Over a quarter of the women in the study population reported prenatal depression, which were predicted predominantly by psychosocial variables.

Background: Vitamin D is also known as the “Vitamin of Sun”. More than one billion people are suffering from Vitamin D deficiency globally; it is an epidemic and a very serious global public health problem. In South Asia, Vitamin D deficiency is quite prevalent. Many recent studies have shown that vitamin D helps in preventing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, dietary and sunshine practices regarding Vitamin D among students of Saidu Medical College, Swat.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 106 students of Saidu Medical College, Swat. Self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all students and data was analyzed on SPSS 20.Results: Majority of the students 72% had good knowledge of Vitamin D and its synthesis in the body. 91% of the students were aware of the source of Vitamin D and 87.5% knew about sources of vitamin D. However, the  attitude of students towards sunlight exposure was poor as 65.2% students disliked being in the sun, 62.5%  thought that sunlight exposure was harmful for skin, and 65.4% of the students thought that their Vitamin D  levels were sufficient without getting their laboratory tests done.59.6% students used sunscreen in summer.Conclusion: The student's knowledge about Vitamin D was good but their attitude towards sun exposure and dietary practices did not match their knowledge. Medical students, being the future physicians and health care providers, must possess current knowledge about Vitamin D and should also look after their own health and dietary practices.

Background: The Novel corona virus outbreak was initially reported in Wuhan state of China in December 2019, affecting more than 200 countries. Pakistan reported its first case in late February, Health care workers (HCW’s) have been under immense physical as well as mental pressure owing to the current situation rendering feelings such as anxiety, fear, aggression and sleep disturbances, which could lead to depression, stress and even suicidal thoughts. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 85 HCW’s of PAF hospital to assess the frequency of depression, anxiety, stress and their association with perceived social support among doctors, selected via simple random sampling. A modified Questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic variables and questions from pre-validated questionnaires including DASS 21 and MSPSS was filled online by the participants of this study. Data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 23.0. Results: The study included HCWs with mean age of 28.3 years & 82.4% of them were female. Majority were medical graduates and belonged to Islamabad. Overall, 29.4%, 31.8% and 38.8% of HCWs had depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Doctors with high social support were less depressed, stressed and showed less anxiety than those who had low social support(p<0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that among the mental health issues under consideration, stress was highest among HCWs and high social support positively affects their mental health.

Introduction: Cancer of breast tissue is a commonly recognized cancer among females and is the fifthmain reason of cancer associated deaths in the world. It is important and beneficial for the females at risk to understand breast cancer as this may assist in timely detection and management of this deadly disease. Objectives: To assess understanding about breast cancer, knowledge and attitude, risk factors and screening practices among female in Islamabad. Methodology: The study is across-sectional survey which was conducted from October 2020 till March 2021. A self-administered questionnaire, using Google forms, was distributed among women residing in Islamabad, consisting of questions regarding knowledge about breast cancer symptoms, risk factors and screening methods. A total of 320 participants completed and submitted the questionnaire. Results: The participants of the present study were familiar with the term “breast cancer”; however, their attitude towards breast cancer prevention was recorded as unsatisfactory because they lacked knowledge about the screening practices of breast cancer. Conclusion: Women residing in Islamabad seem to have limited understanding about breast cancer, its symptoms and associated risk factors which is somewhat similar to other developing countries. Very few women in the study population practice “BSE” and have undergone “CBE” and “mammography”. They also have limited information about other screening practices of breast cancer. Keywords: “Breast cancer”, “Breast Self-Examination”, “Clinical Breast Examination”, “Mammography”, Screening