A staggering rise of HIV cases in Pakistan

In the last decade,Pakistan has experienced multidemics of HIV in key populations,namely:injecting drug users,male sex with male,female sex workers,transgender sex workers,and transgenders.According to recent reports,in Pakistan,210000 people with HIV accounts for less than 0.2%of the general population.

Functional Analysis of the Genotypic Differences in Response of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) to Calcareous-Induced Iron Deficiency

Lime-induced iron chlorosis is a major nutritional disorder causing severe plant growth and yield reduction in the calcareous soils of Tunisia.The understanding the behavior of key metabolic functions of peas on calcareous soils,the identification of useful traits of tolerance,and the exploration of the genotypic differences in response to this constraint remain the most efficient approaches due to their coast,environmental benefits,and sustainability.For this purpose,a greenhouse experiment was conducted on three pea genotypes(Alexandra:Alex,Douce de provence:DP,and Merveille de Kelvedon:MK)cultivated on calcareous soil(Fe-deficient)and fertile soil(control).Plant growth,SPAD index,iron nutrition and distribution,photosynthesis,and antioxidant enzymes were deeply analyzed to discriminate genotypic differences.Calcareous-induced iron deficiency reduced SPAD index,plant growth,net photosynthesis,and tissue Fe content against a significant stimulation of the oxidative stress indicators,H2O2 and Malondialdehyde(MDA).Moreover,we reported a significant induction of SOD and CAT activity in shoots and roots of the Alexandra genotype.Fe use efficiency increased on calcareous soil and clearly discriminated the studied genotypes.Alexandra genotype was found to be the most tolerant to lime-induced iron chlorosis.This genotype protects its tissues against oxidative stress by stimulating enzyme activities(SOD and CAT)and develops significant efficiency of Fe uptake,translocation to shoots and use when cultivated on calcareous soil.

Fungi as chemical industries and genetic engineering for the production of biologically active secondary metabolites

Fungi is somewhere in between the micro and macro organisms which is a good source of producing biologically active secondary metabolites.Fungi have been used as tool for producing different types of secondary metabolites by providing different nutrients at different laboratory conditions.The fungi have been engineered for the desired secondary metabolites by using different laboratory techniques,for example,homologous and heterologous expressions.This review reported how the fungi are used as chemical industry for the production of secondary metabolites and how they are engineered in laboratory for the production of desirable metabolites:also the biosynthetic pathways of the bio-organic-molecules were reported.

phytochemical investigation and in vitro antioxidant activity of an indigenous medicinal plant Alpinia nigra B.L.Burtt

Objective:To investigate antioxidant potential of methanol extract of Alpinia nigra leaves.Methods:The study was done by using various in vitro methods such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH),2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)(ABTS),nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays.Phytochemical constituents,total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of the extract at different concentrations(10-500μg/mL)were determined.Results:Alpinia nigra leaves showed high free radical scavenging activity as evidenced by the low IG_(50)values in DPPH(64.51μg/mL),in ABTS(28.32μg/mL),in nitric oxide(80.02μg/mL)and in H_2O_2(77.45μg/mL)scavenging assays.Furthermore the TPC and TFC of the extract were found to be 69.25 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram of extract and 78.84 mg quercetin equivalent per gram of extract respectively.Conclusions:The results of present comprehensive analysis demonstrated that Alpinia nigra leaves possess high phenolic,flavonoid contents and potential antioxidant activity,and could be used as a viable source of natural antioxidants and might be exploited for functional foods and neutraceutical applications.

Reductive Acid Leaching of Low Grade Manganese Ores

Manganese recoveries from low-grade ores using organic acids as reducing agents were investigated in the present work. The acid leaching potential of both oxalic acid and citric acid were estimated. Manganese leaching amount were measured by using standard manganese curve and estimated by titration method. Effects of various acid concentrations on leaching efficiency were studied. The observed result suggested prominent manganese recovery of 66% by oxalic acid at 2 M concentration whereas citric acid had less effect on leaching showing leaching percentage upto 40% in 6 days. Acid leaching of manganese ore with both the acids gave a comparative data stating that oxalic acid leached better than citric acid.

Sensory Evaluation and Nutritional Composition of Developed Papaya-Gooseberry Jam

Jams are delicious and nutritious spreads typically made from fruit, sugar and pectin that ensure availability of fruits in off-season. The study aimed to develop papaya-gooseberry jam and to evaluate sensory and nutritional parameters. Six variations of papaya: gooseberry jam was prepared besides the control T0 (100% papaya). The successive variations were T1 (95:5), T2 (90:10), T3 (85:15), T4 (80:20), T5 (75:25) and T6 (70:30). T-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to find the significant difference in sensory and nutritional parameters in different variations. Among different variations, the treatment (T4) was found to be the best on the basis of sensory evaluation with incorporation levels of 80 percent papaya and 20 percent gooseberry. The identified treatment (T4) was analyzed for nutritional composition in comparison to control (T0). Nutritional analysis showed that treatment (T0) contained maximum energy (353 Kcal/100g), protein (0.50 g/100g), carbohydrate (87.14 g/100g), fat (0.19 g/100g) and beta-carotene (195.0 g/100g) whereas the treatment (T4) was found to be high in nutrients such as fiber (1.32 g/100g), calcium (92.0 mg/100g), phosphorus (14.13 mg/100g), vitamin C (19.16 mg/100g) and antioxidant activity (98.0%). Thus, results signified that treatment (T4) was considered best in sensory and nutritional qualities and gooseberry could be successfully incorporated in fruit jams to enhance the nutritional properties of the food products.

Alteration in the expression of microRNA-21 regulated target genes:Role in breast cancer

Breast cancer,also recognized as the principal cause of cancer-related deaths among women,is the second most familiar and prevalent form of cancer.New diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that are highly specific are urgently needed for its early prognosis.MicroRNAs(miRNAs),a class of non-coding RNAs,are known to control the biological processes involving transcription,post-transcriptional and covalent modifications,splicing,translation,cell differentiation,proliferation,apoptosis,cancer progression,and invasion.Any dysregulation in miRNA expression,demonstrating their oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions,contributes to cancer progression.MicroRNA-21(miR-21),an‘onco-miR’in breast cancer,is involved in tumor progression and metastasis by suppressing the activity of the target gene via its interaction with the 3’UTR of the target gene.The upregulation of miR-21 is observed in many instances of breast cancer.Our review aims to summarize the current understanding of miR-21 in the regulation of important cellular functions via regulation of its target genes.We discuss its biosynthesis,oncogenic function in breast cancer,and different methods used for its detection.This will increase the current understanding of the role of miR-21 in breast cancer tumorigenesis,which will offer a perception of using miR-21 as an early detection molecular prognostic and diagnostic biomarker and as a therapeutic target in breast cancer care.

Microbial Recovery of Manganese using <i>Staphylococcus Epidermidis</i>

Manganese minerals are widely distributed throughout the globe. The most important industrial uses of Mn are in the manufacture of steel, non-ferrous alloys, carbon-zinc batteries and some chemical reagents. Microbial recovery of manganese from low grade manganese ores using bioleaching was investigated in this paper. A bacterial strain, Staphylococcus epidermidis (MTCC-435) was collected from microbial type culture collection, IMTECH Chandigarh and used for the experiment. The experimental results for bioleaching with S. epidermidis showed that under pH 5.5, particle size –150 μm, pulp density 10%, temperature 35℃ and agitation 200 rpm, about 80% of Mn was recovered within 20 days of incubation.

Structure, composition and diversity of tree species in tropical moist deciduous forests of Eastern India: a case study of Nayagarh Forest Division, Odisha

Quantitative assessment of tree species diversity from sample plots in seven forest ranges of Nayagarh Forest Division in Odisha state in the Eastern Ghats of India was made during the period April, 2011 to November, 2013. A total of 120 transects(1000 m × 5 m) were laid in Nayagarh, Odogaon, Pancharida, Khandapada, Dasapalla,Mahipur, and Gania forest ranges and tree stems of at least 30 cm GBH were measured. The regeneration potential of trees was assessed from 5 m × 5 m sample plots located within the main transect. A total of 177 tree species belonging to 120 genera and 44 families were recorded from the study area. Shorea robusta, Buchanania lanzan, Lannea coromandelica, Terminalia alata and Cleistanthus collinus were the predominant tree species. The stand density varied in the range of 355.33–740.53 stems ha)-1) while basal area ranged from 7.77 to 31.62 m2ha-1. The tree density and species richness decreased with increasing girth class. The highest number of species and maximum density was recorded in the girth class of 30–60 cm. The Shannon–Weiner and Simpson Indices with respect to trees with C30 cm GBH varied in the range of 2.07–3.79 cm and 0.03–0.37 cm respectively and the values of diversity indices are within the reported range for tropical forests of Indian sub-continent. The families, Dipterocarpaceae,Anacardiaceae, Combretaceae and Euphorbiaceae contributed to maximum species richness, stand density, and basal area. Regeneration of many tree species was observed to be poor. The present study provides baseline data for further ecological studies, forest management, and formulation of site-specific strategies for conservation of biological diversity in moist deciduous forests of Eastern India.

Ecophysiological aspects and photosynthetic pathways in 105 plants species in saline and arid environments of Tunisia

In Tunisian arid regions, plant life forms, ecotypes, physiological types and photosynthetic pathways （03, 04 or CAM） remain unclear. Understanding the characters of these plant species could be important for land restoration. A literature survey was conducted for 105 plants species in arid regions of Tunisia. These plant species belong to several ecotypes： halophytes, xerophytes, gypsophytes, psamophytes, xero-halophytes, gypso-halophytes, psamo-halophytes, psamo-xerophytes, xero-gypsophytes and hygro-halophytes. The variation of photosynthetic pathway types in the 105 studied species shows that 56.2% were C3, 41.0% were C4, 1.9% were CAM and 1.0% were C3-CAM. The C3 pathway was more abundant in the halophytes, whereas the C4 one was more common in the xerophytes, gypsophytes, gyp- so-halophytes and psamo-halophytes. The ratio of C3 to C4 species （C3/C4 ratio） was 0.2 in the psamo-halophytes, 0.8 in the gypso-halophytes, 1.1 in the xerophytes, 1.6 in the xero-halophytes, 1.8 in the hygrohalophytes, 2.0 in the psamo- phytes and 3.8 in the halophytes. The annuals were mainly C3 plants whereas most of perennials were C4 ones. The C3/C4 ratio was 1.3 in succulent species and 1.4 in non-succulent species. Thus, succulence seems not to affect the distribution of C3 and C4 pathways within the studied plants. This investigation shows high percentages of C4 plants occurred in Tuni- sian arid regions. However, there were significant differences in their abundance among ecotypes. Basing on C3/C4 ratio, we can find that the abundance of the C4 pathway was in the following order： psamo-halophytes, gypso-halophytes, xe- rophytes, xero-halophytes, hygro-halophytes, psamophytes and halophytes. In Tunisian arid regions, C4 species were most abundant in xerophytes and less abundant in halophytes. In the Chenopodiaceae the number of C3 plants was 13 and the number of C4 species was 20 and in the Poaceae the number of C3 was 23 and the number of C4 was 19 species. Thus, the most C4 proportion was in the Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae species. This confirms the fact that the Cheno- podiaceae and the Poaceae were the leading families that tolerate salinity and aridity.

Current Progress of Phytomedicine in Glioblastoma Therapy

Glioblastoma multiforme,an intrusive brain cancer,has the lowest survival rate of all brain cancers.The chemotherapy utilized to prevent their proliferation and propagation is limited due to modulation of complex cancer signalling pathways.These complex pathways provide infiltrative and drug evading properties leading to the development of chemotherapy resistance.Therefore,the development and discovery of such interventions or therapies that can bypass all these resistive barriers to ameliorate glioma prognosis and survival is of profound importance.Medicinal plants are comprised of an exorbitant range of phytochemicals that have the broad-spectrum capability to target intrusive brain cancers,modulate anti-cancer pathways and immunological responses to facilitate their eradication,and induce apoptosis.These phytocompounds also interfere with several oncogenic proteins that promote cancer invasiveness and metastasis,chemotherapy resistance and angiogenesis.These plants are extremely vital for promising anti-glioma therapy to avert glioma proliferation and recurrence.In this review,we acquired recent literature on medicinal plants whose extracts/bioactive ingredients are newly exploited in glioma therapeutics,and also highlighted their mode of action and pharmacological profile.

Studies on the Traditional Uses of Some Medicinal Shrubs of Swat Kohistan,Pakistan

This paper is based on an ethnobotanical project carried out in the remote Hindukush mountain region of Swat Kohistan.Most of the local people still rely on medicinal plants for curing different diseases.However,the traditional use and pertinent knowledge of medicinal plants are on decline with the introduction of allopathic drugs in the study area.During present study,an effort was made to document the traditional knowledge of some important medicinal shrubs of Swat Kohistan.The traditional uses of 18 frequently used shrubs belonging to 12 different families were thus documented.The Kohistani people use these medicinal shrubs for curing multiple ailments and some of these are also exported to other parts of Pakistan.

Polyphosphatase PPN1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Is a Deoxyadenosine Triphosphate Phosphohydrolase

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae polyphosphatase PPN1 (uniprot/Q04119) degrades inorganic polyphosphates both by cleaving Pi from the chain end and by fragmenting long-chain polymers into shorter ones. In this study, we have found a new activity of this protein: it releases phosphate from dATP. The dATP phosphohydrolase activity of pure PPN1 was ~7-fold lower compared to the exopolyphosphatase activity. This activity was strongly stimulated by Co2+ ions, as well as by ammonium ions, and inhibited by heparin and pyrophosphate similar to the exopolyphosphatase activity of PPN1. The Km value for dATP was 0.88 ± 0.14 mM. The dATP phosphohydrolase activity in the cells of PPN1-overexpressing yeast strain was several-fold higher than that in the parent strain. The other exopolyphosphatase of S. cerevisiae, PPX1, did not split Pi from dATP.

A looming twindemic of COVID-19 and dengue on post-flood scenario in the developing countries

Pakistan has recently faced a disastrous and lethal flooding across the country,affecting 33 million people and 1400 healthcare facilities,putting further strain on the nation's fragile healthcare system.The country faces widespread infectious diseases including dengue and COVID-19[1].To date,SARS-CoV-2 has caused about 6.53 million deaths and spread globally,infecting about 612 million people.Throughout the developing world,infection rate is particularly high in Pakistan,causing 30606 deaths so far[2].As of September 2022,healthcare authorities claimed a continued rise in dengue cases due to heavy flood in the country.Till date,a total of 14173 dengue cases have been reported,and the highest number of cases was documented in Sindh province(5203),followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(4538),Punjab(3101),and Islamabad with 1331[3].

Antimicrobial and plant growth-promoting activities of bacterial endophytes isolated from Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton

Bacterial endophytes are beneficial to their hosts as they can fix nitrogen in the soil and make it available to the host.Endophytic bacteria also secrete plant growth-promoting hormones to support their host plants under normal as well as stress conditions.The current study aimed to isolate endophytic bacteria from different parts of Calotropis procera,i.e.,roots,stem and leaves of Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton.Plants were collected from the Lundkhwar,district Mardan.A total of 12 bacterial strains,i.e.,six from roots,three from the stem and three from the leaves were isolated.The strains were screened for their growth-promoting activity in rice plants because rice shows a quick and easy response to the bioactive compounds present in the culture filtrate(CF)of the potent endophytic strains.The rice plants were cultivated in pots containing 30 mL of 0.8%w/v water-agar medium.The pots were placed in a growth chamber,operated at 28±0.3℃ for 14 h(day);and 25±0.3℃ for 10 h(night),at 70%relative-humidity.Among the isolated strains,R1,S1,S3,L1,R5 and R6 showed visible growth promotion in rice plants.The biochemical analysis revealed that the strains were able to produce indole acetic acid(IAA)and flavonoids in higher quantities.Moreover,the strains also produced bioactive compounds that inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Aspergillus flavus using the well diffusion method.From the results,it was concluded that these strains can secrete potent compounds that can promote the host plant growth and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and,therefore,can be used as bio-fertilizer and bio-control agents.

Down Regulation of Survivin Gene and Up Regulation of p53 Gene expression by siRNA Induces Apoptosis in human Hepatocellular Carcinoma cell Line HepG2

Survivin gene may be a good target for cancer gene therapy because it is over expressed in a variety of human tumors including human hepatocellular carcinoma but not in differen- tiated adult tissues. To explore the effects of the siRNA of survivin gene inducing apoptosis in human hepatocellular cancer cells, three siRNAs cpusiRNA1, cpusiRNA2 and cpusiRNA3 were designed and transferred into human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 (HepG2) by lipofection. MTT test showed that the growth of HepG2 decreased when it was transfected with 25nM, 50nM, 100nM, 150nM, 200nM, 400nM siRNA respectively after 48 hours. And the change of mRNA and protein of survivin gene and p53 gene had been detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. Cells presented an increase in apoptosis index was assayed by flow cytometry. Small interfering RNA can exert a knockdown of survivin gene expression and up regulation of p53 gene to induce apoptosis and to inhibit the growth of HepG2.

<i>In Pursuit</i>of Porcine Pluripotent Stem Cells for Autologous Cell Therapy

Treatments to repair the human heart following regenerative diseases remain a challenge for medical science. Unlike lower vertebrate species the human heart lacks a regenerative pathway meaning that research has to be focused on cell transplantation. Porcines (Sus scrofa) are excellent models for cardiovascular disease and pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) generated from porcines will provide important clinical insights for cardiac cell therapy. This could open a new avenue of research into degenerative conditions as porcine is a more effective human proxy to work with. However, bona fide PSCs are currently available onlyin rodents (mouse, rat) and primates (monkey, human). Attempts to derivepluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from porcine have been going on for more than two decades with slow progress. Despite the fact that the porcine stem cells are under increasing glare of publicity due to milestone achievements in this area of research. Advances in stem cell technology, especially the genetic engineering, innovative cell culturing and induced pluripotency to generate stem cells has dramatically revolutionized the basic and applied investigations and applications of porcine stem cells. This review attempts to summarize the major signaling pathways involved in maintenance of pluripotency and the state of the art conceptual and technical progress for generating bona fide porcine PSCs.

Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on In Vitro Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Growth Parameters and Biological Control Mechanisms

Three endemic plants rhizosphere (Astragalus gombo Coss. & Dur., Daucus sahariensis Murb., Ononis angustissima Lam.), were used for actinomycetes isolation. Ninety-three (93) isolates have been screened to evaluate their antagonistic properties against phytopathogenic microorganisms and to determine their biocontrol properties against Fusarium culmorum, especially responsible for several cereal diseases like font’s seedlings, rust, and burn of ears. Four (04) isolates (D2, D5, D8, and AST1) have been in vitro tested to determine PGPR effect and biocontrol characters of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Hidhab (HD) variety cultivated in the Murashigue and Skoog (MS) culture medium. The aim of this study is the evaluation of antagonistic isolates of pathogenic fungi F. culmorum, without and within commercial fungicide (Tebuconazole, 60 g/l) solution. Our results showed clearly that these isolates have a significant effect on seed germination and seedling growth. However, results argue that these actinomycetes isolates show a very interesting activity compared to the commercial fungicide. As a result, these bacteria isolates can be used as biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt disease of wheat, which have a beneficial effect on growth parameters.

Molecular mechanism of different viruses associated with autoimmunity

Different kinds of human chronic diseases may develop the mechanism of autoimmune diseases.As a group of disorders,in the Western world autoimmunity possess as the third most prevalent morbidity and mortality.However,the mechanism of most autoimmune diseases is still under investigation.Viral infection is the principal factor involved in the induction of autoimmune diseases other than genetic factors and cytokine activity.Different mechanisms have been proposed by which viral infection might interrupt tolerance to self and induce autoimmune cascade which eventually leads to the destruction of a specific type of cell or a whole-body organ.The autoimmune attack can be understood through the different immune systems and other possible mechanisms such as molecular mimicry,bystander activation and epitope spreading.In addition to genetic and viral factors,other environmental factors are also involved including bacterial,parasitic and fungal infections.However,different animal models have been studied which provide strong evidence that viruses induced AIDs as well as accelerated and increased lesions in conditions where self-tolerance is interrupted.In the current review,we discussed the virus-induced autoimmunity and the molecular mechanism which is associated with this phenomenon.Here we also discussed the different viruses such as rubella virus,enteroviruses,measles virus,human T-lymphotropic virus type1,human cytomegalovirus,human herpes virus-6,Epstein-Barr virus,rotavirus and some other viruses which modulate the development of AIDs.

Promising drug targets and associated therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease(PD) is one of the most debilitating brain diseases. Despite the availability of symptomatic treatments, response towards the health of PD patients remains scarce. To fulfil the medical needs of the PD patients, an efficacious and etiological treatment is required. In this review, we have compiled the information covering limitations of current therapeutic options in PD, novel drug targets for PD, and finally, the role of some critical beneficial natural products to control the progression of PD.