ABSTRACT Background: Safety and efficacy concerns regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are common among the public and have a negative impact on their uptake. We aimed to report the adverse effects currently associated with the vaccine in Pakistan to build confidence among the population for its adoption. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan between January and March 2022. The participants were recruited using convenience sampling. All data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Results: We recruited 1622 people with the majority aged between 25-45 years. Of these, 51% were female, including 27 pregnant women and 42 lactating mothers. Most participants had received the Sinopharm (62.6%) or Sinovac (17.8%) vaccines. The incidences of at least one side effect after the first (N = 1622), second (N = 1484), and booster doses (N = 219) of the COVID-19 vaccine were 16.5%, 20.1%, and 32%, respectively. Inflammation/erythema at the injection site, pain at the injection site, fever, and bone/muscle pain were common side effects of vaccination. No significant differences were observed in the adverse effect scores between all demographic variables except for pregnancy (P = 0.012) after the initial dose. No significant association was observed between any variable and the side effect scores of the second and booster doses of the vaccine. Conclusions: Our study showed a 16-32% prevalence of self-reported side effects after the first, second, and booster COVID-19 vaccinations. Most adverse effects were mild and transient, indicating the safety of different COVID-19 vaccines.

Abstract Introduction Disease phobia may impose distressing manifestations along with compromised quality of life, particularly in young age. COVID-19 caused substantial psychological concerns in general population which required the attention of health authorities to address the issue as soon as possible. Objective This study was aimed to determine COVID-19 phobia in Pakistani youth during the current pandemic. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted to ascertain the extent of fear of COVID-19 among university students in Lahore, Pakistan using the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). Psychological, somatic, social, and economic factors were ascertained among students. The relationship of demographics with the phobia score was determined through appropriate statistical tests. Result This study included 374 students with a male preponderance (64.7%). The mean C19P-S score was 59.08 ± 14.44 (IQR: 50 - 70), with no significant difference among demographics except gender (male 57.65 ± 14.77 vs female 61.70 ± 13.47; p = .009). The mean psychological, psycho-somatic, economic, and social subscale scores were 19.59 ± 5.00 (25th percentile = 16 and 75th percentile = 24), 12.29 ± 4.56 (25th percentile = 10 and 75th percentile = 15), 11.22 ± 3.67 (25th percentile = 8 and 75th percentile = 14) and 15.97 ± 4.04 (25th percentile = 13.75 and 75th percentile = 19), respectively. Male students had a significantly lower score on social and psychological subscales than females (p< .05). Discussion and conclusion One fourth of the students achieved a fear score > 70 on C19P-S. These results indicate the need of dire maneuvers for reducing corona-phobia among university students.

Resumen Introducción La fobia a las enfermedades puede imponer malestar psicológico y comprometer la calidad de vida, particularmente en edades tempranas. El COVID-19 causó serias preocupaciones psicológicas en la población en general y éstas requieren la atención de las autoridades de salud para abordar el problema cuanto antes. Objetivo Este estudio buscó determinar la fobia al COVID-19 en jóvenes paquistaníes durante la pandemia actual. Método Se realizó un estudio transversal basado en la web para evaluar el miedo al COVID-19 entre los estudiantes universitarios en Lahore; para esto se utilizó la Escala de Fobia COVID-19 (C19P-S). Se evaluaron factores psicológicos, somáticos, sociales y económicos entre los estudiantes. La relación de la demografía con la puntuación de fobia se determinó mediante pruebas estadísticas apropiadas. Resultados Este estudio incluyó a 374 estudiantes con preponderancia masculina (64.7%). La puntuación media de C19P-S fue 59.08 ± 14.44 (IQR: 50 - 70), sin diferencias significativas entre los datos demográficos, excepto el género (hombres 57.65 ± 14.77 versus mujeres 61.70 ± 13.47; p = .009). Las puntuaciones medias de las subescalas psicológicas, psicosomáticas, económicas y sociales fueron 19.59 ± 5.00 (percentil 25 = 16 y percentil 75 = 24), 12.29 ± 4.56 (percentil 25 = 10 y percentil 75 = 15), 11.22 ± 3.67 (percentil 25) = percentil 8 y 75 = 14) y 15.97 ± 4.04 (percentil 25 = 13.75 y percentil 75 = 19), respectivamente. Los estudiantes varones obtuvieron una puntuación significativamente menor en las subescalas sociales y psicológicas que las mujeres (p< .05). Discusión y conclusión Una cuarta parte de los estudiantes obtuvo una puntuación de miedo > 70 en la C19P-S. Estos resultados indican la necesidad de aplicar medidas extremas para reducir la fobia al Coronavirus entre los estudiantes universitarios.

Abstract Snakebite is one of the major health issues posing considerable morbidity and mortality. According to an estimate of World Health Organization (WHO) (World health organization, 2021) approximately 5 million people are bitten by several species of snakes resulting in up to 2.5 million envenomation cases annually. The mainstay of treatment for envenomation is intravenous administration of anti-snake venom. Although antivenom neutralizes the systemic effects but it does not relieve the symptoms such as venom-induced hemorrhage, necrosis and nephrotoxicity. Moreover, the use of antivenoms is associated with hypersensitivity reactions including urticaria, anaphylaxis, or serum sickness due to their heterologous property. Furthermore, stringent storage conditions and narrow specificity of antivenoms limit their use in both developed as well as developing countries. In this context, researchers have been searching for natural products and plant extracts to explore their antivenom activity along with anti-myotoxic, anti-hemorrhagic and anti-inflammatory properties. Plant remedies may prove to be an effective alternate for antivenom sera with less adverse events and better tolerability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review of medicinal plants possessing anti-snake venom activities against certain species of snakes. The current review highlights the investigated plants with their phytochemical analysis to integrate the available information for future research and development of antivenom sera.

In-vitro investigation of Morus nigra L. (Moraceae) has demonstrated the evidence of several antioxidant compounds. Current study was aimed to determine the phytoconstituents and hepatoprotective potential of n-hexane extract of Morus nigra. Swiss albino mice were divided into five groups: normal control, paracetamol control, silymarin control, 250 mg/kg p.o. extract for 7 days plus paracetamol 3 h later, 500 mg/kg p.o. extract for 7 days plus paracetamol 3 h later. Serum levels of liver enzymes and total bilirubin were assessed and compared between the groups by using one-way ANOVA to confirm hepatoprotective activity. HPLC analysis revealed the presence quercetin, oleanolic acid, luteolin, apigenin, vitamin C and kuwanon C. n-hexane extract of Morus nigra at dose of 250 mg/kg reduced elevated ALT by 54.3% (p<0.001), AST by 55.1% (p<0.01), ALP by 28.5% (p<0.01) and TBR by 56.4% (p<0.01) as compared to paracetamol control. The dose of 500 mg/kg of the extract reduced the ALT levels by 62.9% (p<0.001), AST by 56.7% (p<0.01), ALP by 33.6% (p<0.01) and TBR by 54.5% (p<0.01), as compared to paracetamol group. However, the reduction of liver enzymes and total bilirubin after administration of extract was comparable to the silymarin. Current study demonstrated potential hepatoprotective activity of n-hexane extract of Morus nigra.