http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/19733 2026-04-07T08:44:06Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20916 Exploring the impact of sleep quality on intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy Ghazala Jawwad, 1 Shazia Ali,1 Maryam Khizar Hayat,1 Sana Nawab,1 Ruqaiyya Nazir1 Humera Noreen2 Objective: To explore the association of poor sleep quality with the development of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Methodology: This prospective cohort study was con-ducted at Islamic International Medical college in col-laboration with Rawalpindi Medical University. We en-rolled 182 pregnant women between the ages of 20-40 years, from Railway Hospital and Holy Family Hospi-tal, in their second trimester. Sleep quality was deter-mined using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The participants were divided into two groups: Group I, n = 113 (good sleep quality), and Group II, n=69 (poor sleep quality). Blood samples were withdrawn for Ala-nine transaminase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin and fast-ing Total bile acids (TBA) to establish their baseline values. During their third trimester (between 28th to 36th week), same tests were repeated. History of pruritus, a main symptom of ICP was also explored. Differences between continuous and categorical variables among two groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test, respectively. Regression anal-ysis was also employed. Results: Significant differences in liver enzymes and TBA were found between the two groups (p<0.001). A significant correlation of sleep score with ALT, AST, ALP, TBA and age (p<0.05) was found. Significantly higher proportion of participants who developed disease in the third trimester were in group II as compared to group I (p=0.000). Logistic regression analysis showed that poor sleep quality was an independent risk factor for the development of ICP (OR:1.410, p=0.01). Conclusion: The study concluded that poor sleep qual-ity is an independent risk factor for the development of ICP in pregnancy. Associate Professor Dr Ghazala Jawwad, Physiology, BUHSCI 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20913 Unmasking the Role of Obesity in COVID-19: Effects on Laboratory parameters, inflammatory Markers and Clinical outcome Ghazala Jawwad, 1 Ghulam Mustafa Azad Lodhi,1 Javeria Abbasi,2 Ramesha Tahir1 Arslan Kareem,1 Maleha Asim3 Objectives: To compare the outcome in obese and non-obese covid positive patients. Methodology: In this retrospective study, data were obtained from the records of 150 COVID-positive pat-ients, aged 18-80 years, admitted to Railway Hospital Rawalpindi and Riphah International Hospital Sihala from July 2021 to November 2022. Patients were divi-ded into two groups on the basis of BMI. They were cat-egorised into two groups: obese and non-obese. Labora-tory parameters, inflammatory markers and outcomes were compared in two groups. Results: Blood gas analysis revealed significantly hig-her pCO₂ levels (62.01±21.98 vs 54.35±12.43 mmHg, p=0.011) and lower PO2 in obese as compared to non-obese (62.96±12.07 vs 65.85±11.09 mmHg, p=0.038). No significant differences were observed between the two groups for ferritin, d-dimers, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Obese patients had significantly higher glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb-A1c) levels (6.98±1.85% vs 6.17±1.64%, p=0.005). Oxygen requirements at discharge and mortality rate were significantly higher in obese as compared to non-obese (1.48±1.3 vs 0.70±1.05 L/min, p<0.001, and 33 (40.2%) deaths compared to 10 (14.7%), p=0.001). Conclusion: Obese covid positive patients were more likely to have poor outcome in terms of increase morta-lity. Associate Professor Ghazala Jawwad, Physiology BUHSCI 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20915 Protective Role of Whole Wheat Against Stress-Induced Hormonal and Sperm Abnormalities in Male Rats Ruqaiyya Nazir1, Shazia Ali1, Rabia Azhar1, Humaira Fayyaz Khan1, Shagufta Feroz2 and Ghazala Jawwad1 Objective: To assess the effectiveness of whole wheat in reversing hormonal disturbances and sperm abnormalities induced by stress in male rats. Study Design: An experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Physiology, Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan, from April 2024 to April 2025. Methodology: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: Normal Control (NC), receiving no stress; Positive Control (PC), subjected to immobilisation and a standard diet for 10 weeks; and Whole Wheat (WW), exposed to stress for 10 weeks with 4 weeks on a standard diet followed by 6 weeks on whole wheat. Serum cortisol, follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH), and testosterone levels, along with sperm count, morphology, motility, and agglutination, were assessed at weeks 0, 4, and 10. Data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey, and the Chi-square test, as appropriate. Results: Compared to NC, PC rats showed significantly elevated cortisol and reduced FSH and testosterone levels (p <0.001). In contrast, WW rats exhibited decreased cortisol and increased FSH and testosterone compared to PC (p <0.001). Semen analysis revealed that PC had higher sperm agglutination (p = 0.02) and lower sperm count, motility, and morphology (all p <0.001) compared to NC. Conversely, WW showed significant improvement in all semen parameters relative to PC (p <0.05). Cortisol levels correlated positively with sperm agglutination but negatively with FSH, testosterone, sperm count, motility, and morphology. Conclusion: Whole wheat reduced stress-related hormonal imbalance and improved semen quality, suggesting protection against male reproductive damage. Associate Professor Dr Ghazala Jawwad, Physiology, BUHSCI 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20914 Predicting SARS-CoV-2 Omicron outcomes: Investigating the relationship of TLC, ferritin, D-dimer, LDH, C-Reactive protein and HbA1c Ghazala Jawwad1*, Mehvish Iftikhar2, Maleha Asim3, Arslan Kareem1, Amanat Ali4 and Saira Jahan5 This study aimed to explore the relationship between total leukocyte count (TLC), ferritin, D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections. The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 COVID patients, admitted in hospitals in Islamabad and Lahore from January 2021 to December 2022. Baseline data, medical history and laboratory findings including Complete Blood Count (CBC), TLC, D-dimer, serum ferritin, CRP, LDH and HbA1c were collected. The results revealed significant positive correlations between disease outcomes and TLC, CRP, LDH and ferritin (all p<0.01), with HbA1c strongly correlating with mortality (p<0.001). Correlation analysis revealed significant association among various biomarkers. TLC demonstrated significant positive relationship with serum ferritin (p=0.006), CRP (p=0.000) and HbA1c (p=0.002). Lymphocyte count showed significant positive correlation with TLC (p<0.001). Ferritin showed positive correlation with LDH (p<0.001), D-dimer (p=0.008) and CRP (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that CRP, LDH and HbA1c were significant predictors of mortality, with CRP and LDH associated with disease severity also. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis shows LDH to be the strongest predicter of outcome with area under curve (AUC) 0.76. The biomarkers have significant role in predicting disease outcome in current study. Associate Professor Dr Ghazala Jawwad, Physiology, BUHSCI 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z