Moral Reforms in a Community: Modus Operandi in the Light of Sīrah

It’s always the people who define the status of a society. If the people of a society are civilized, the society will be called an ideal society. Moral reforms and behavioural therapy of individuals of the society are basic factors to establish an ideal society. Such an ideal society was established by Prophet Muḥammad (P.B.U.H) in Madina where he laid the foundations of brotherhood and equality among citizens of that state. He showed tolerance towards people belonging to different religions by protecting all their human rights and by providing indiscriminate and quick justice. He not only made the social institutions strong but also developed a history of human civilization. We simply need to work on our moral values and behaviours. We should study the daily life of Muḥammad (P.B.U.H) and mould our lives according to that. Dire need of the modern world is the rectification of human behavior in the light of the ideal life of Muḥammad (P.B.U.H). It will give an opportunity to breathe the same spirit into the contemporary social attitudes so that our society may become peaceful.

Common Fusion Oncogenes in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Their Role in Differential Diagnosis and Prognosis

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a complex genetic disease involving many fusion oncogenes having prognostic significance. The frequency of various fusion oncogenes can vary in different ethnic groups, with important implications for prognosis, drug selection and treatment outcome. We studied fusion oncogenes in 101 pediatric ALL patients using RT-PCR and interphase FISH, and their associations with clinical features and treatment outcome. Five most common fusion genes i.e. BCR-ABL t (22; 9), ETV6-RUNX1 (t 12; 21), MLL-AF4 (t 4; 11) TCF3-PBX1 (t 1; 19), and SIL-TAL1 (del 1p32) were found in 88.1% (89/101) patients. Frequency of BCR-ABL was 44.5% (45/101). BCR-ABL positive patients had a significantly lower survival (43.7±4.24 weeks) and higher white cell count as compared to others, except patients with MLL-AF4. The highest relapse-free survival was documented with ETV6-RUNX1 (14.2 months) followed closely by those cases in which no gene was detected (13.100). RFS with BCR-ABL, MLL-AF4, SIL-TAL1 and TCF3-PBX1 was less than 10 months (8.0, 3.6, 5.5 and 8.1 months, respectively). This is the first study from Pakistan correlating molecular markers with disease biology and treatment outcome in pediatric ALL. It revealed the highest reported frequency of BCR-ABL fusion gene in pediatric ALL, associated with poor overall survival. Present data indicated an immediate need for incorporation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of BCR-ABL+ pediatric ALL in this population and the development of facilities for stem cell transplantation.