MULTAN, Dec 20: A total of 18 papers were read on the third day of a symposium organized jointly by the Nishtar Medical College and the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America.

The symposium on various topics relating to medical sciences were delivered simultaneously in the college auditorium, assembly hall and crush hall.

In the auditorium, Samad Shera read his paper on ‘Global and National Overview of Diabetes’, Farruk Malik on ‘New Concepts in Diabetic Vascular Diseases’, Abdul Khaliq Naveed on ‘Regulation of Glucagen Gene Expression by Insulin’, Raheel Shafi on ‘Knockout of O-Glyonac Transferase Gene’, Tahir Shafi on ‘Chronical Renal Failure’ and a group presentation on ‘Current Status of Vascular Surgery’ by Hasan Buhkari, Nooruzzaman and Mustafa Kamal Pasha.

Amna Buttar’s lecture on ‘Misuse of Hadood Ordinance in Pakistan and Escalating Violence Against Women’ pulled more audience as compared to pure scientific lectures. She urged the expatriates to play role in ‘atrocities’ against women in the country to end exploitation of the gentler sex.

At the assembly hall, Amna Buttar delivered lecture on ‘Controversy Over Hormone Replacement Therapy’, Rashid Lateef on ‘IVF Experience in Pakistan’, Farrukh Zaman on ‘Save the Mother Project - What Can Be Done’, Mushtaq Ahmed on ‘Quality of Care at Aga Khan University Hospital’ while Arif Muslim and Shabbir Nasir threw light on the issues in gastroenterology.

At crush hall, Adeel Butt read out paper on ‘Principles of HIV Treatment’, Zafar Ali Syed on ‘Tuberculosis - from pyramids to the present times’, Tariq Bhutta on ‘Rational Use of Drugs in Pakistan’, Iftikhar Rana on ‘Energetic Fever - Rural-Urban Differences in central Punjab’ and Muhammad Saeed on ‘Reconstitution of Mandible Following Tumour Surgery‘.

A group of Sultan Ahmed, Mushtaq Sharif, Shahid Ahsan and Zafar Ali Syed highlighted the issue relating to the ‘Global Problem of Smoking’.

A short documentary filmed by Shireen Pasha ‘Insaf Ki Talash Mein’ was also exhibited while former Supreme Court judge and now dean of Hamdard Law College Nasir Aslam Zahid also threw light on the status of women in Pakistan.

The four-day celebrations at the Nishtar Medical College will come to an end on Saturday (today) with another round of 18 lectures on different subjects.