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Due to its antibacterial activity against clinical bacterial pathogens at the time of tissue development, zinc oxide (ZnO) is considered one of the most important metal oxide nanostructured materials. In this study, ZnO nanostructures were prepared using Aloe vera gel juice, which is easy, inexpensive, and ecofriendly. The nanostructures of ZnO were characterized using a variety of analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). As a result of the XRD study, the hexagonal phase of ZnO with the structure of wurtzite has been identified. ZnO material with high heterogeneity morphology has been observed by SEM analysis. As-prepared ZnO nanostructures were tested for their antibacterial activity against the newly discovered pathogen of catfish. A ZnO sample prepared with a high concentration of Aloe vera gel possessed an inhibition zone of 13.21±0.04 mm, whereas a ZnO sample prepared with a low concentration of Aloe vera juice had an inhibition zone of 6.23±0.02 mm and a pure ZnO sample had an inhibition zone of 3.31±0.03 mm. Furthermore, we examined the effectiveness of the ZnO nanostructures on bacterial strains based on the type of nanoparticles applied to the commercial strains. In addition to their modified surface properties, small particle size, and highly toxic effects for the killingof bacterial cell growth, the Aloe vera juice assisted ZnO nanostructures demonstrated excellent antibacterial activity against the catfish pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defense compounds containing sulfur, play vital roles in the plant's survival under abiotic and biotic stresses. Cysteine (Cys) is the first organic molecule in the cell containing reduced sulfur and acts as a precursor for many sulfur-containing compounds including Glutathione (GSH). GSH functions to protect the plants against different forms of stresses. In this study, the feedback-insensitive serine acetyltransferase (SAT); a rate-limiting enzyme for Cys biosynthesis from tobacco i.e. NtSAT4 was successfully cloned into three types of overexpression constructs i.e. pBinAR_NtSAT4 (targeted to cytosol), pBinAR-TKTP_NtSAT4 (targeted to plastids) and pBinAR-SHMT_NtSAT4 (targeted to mitochondria). For stable transformation of B. napus floral-dip and tissue culture based approaches were tested using different formulations of phytohormones for calli, shoots and roots induction in a variety of genotypes. While false positive lines were obtained in the result of floral-dip method, the tissue culture based method led to successful regeneration of shoots on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing BAP 3 mgL-1 and developed roots in ½ MS media supplemented with IBA 3 mgL-1 in case of OSCAR cultivar. Successful selection of transgenic lines was achieved using selective antibiotic kanamycin 50 mgL-1. NtSAT4 gene integration into the plants genome was confirmed by PCR using the NtSAT4 gene specific primers. The positive transgenic lines were successfully acclimatized to soil and glass house conditions. The developed transgenic lines have the potential to overproduce high levels of cysteine and glutathione for enhanced stress tolerance especially against heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the severity of post-operative pain and incidence of incisional hernia in open cholecystectomy while making rectus sparing and rectus cutting incisions in patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Skardu, three years with effect from May 2012 to May 2015. Material and Methods: Patients meeting the inclusion criteria who underwent elective open cholecystectomy were included in the study. Written informed consent was taken before surgery. Approval of hospital ethics committee was also granted. Patients were divided into two groups "I" and "II" of sixty one patients each. In group "I", patients underwent open cholecystectomy by making rectus sparing subcostal incision. In group "2", patients underwent open cholecystectomy by making rectus cutting subcostal incision. Patients were assessed on 1st, 2nd and 7th postop days for severity of pain using visual analogue score. Patients in both groups were also followed up to look for development of incisional hernia. Results: Severity of post-operative pain is much less in patients undergoing open cholecystectomy by making rectus sparing subcostal incision. However no difference was noted in both techniques in terms of incidence of incisional hernia as no patient in any group developed this morbidity. Conclusion: Use of rectus sparing subcostal incision was found more feasible in open cholecystectomy in terms of severity of postoperative pain as compared to rectus cutting incision. However, both techniques did not reveal any difference in terms of incidence of incisional hernia as no patient in either group developed hernia on six months follow up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of needle assisted laparoscopic repair (NALR) of inguinal hernias in children. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatric surgery, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Aug 2017 to Apr 2018. Material and Methods: A total of 50 patients were included in the study. All the patients were diagnosed with inguinal hernias on the basis of history given by parents and clinical examination. All patients underwent NALR of inguinal hernias after preoperative workup and informed written consent. Pneumoperitoneum was created in all cases by open method. Transumblical 3mm port was used for telescope along with a single 3mm port in lower abdomen for grasping forceps. Internal inguinal ring was closed by transfixing it with a loop suture using 22 G spinal needle and 2/0 prolene suture. Operative time and presence of contralateral processus vaginalis was noted. Patients were followed up at four weeks and three months for postoperative complications. Results: Age of the patients ranged from 12 years, Mean ± SD was calculated as 40.36 ± 37.74. Regarding inguinal hernia site, n=17 (34%) have right sided hernia, n=13 (26%) have left sided hernia while bilateral hernia were present in n=20 (40%), 9 patients (18%) were found to have occult patent processus vaginalis peroperatively. Mean operative time ranged from 9 minutes to 25 minutes with Mean ± SD calculated as 15.94 ± 5.30. All operations were completed laparoscopically without need of conversion to open herniotomy. There were no intraoperative complications; No case of matachronous contralateral inguinal herniaor hydrocele formation and wound related complications during follow up at 4 weeks and 3 months. Conclusion: LNAR of inguinal hernias in children is an effective, quick and safe technique which can be easily learnt due to its simplicity to perform. This technique can be employed in both male and female pediatric population with promising results. One main advantage is the ability to pick up the occult patent internal ring which can be repaired in the single stage to prevent the development of metachronous inguinal hernia in the later age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the urethroplasty with and without stent for hypospadias in terms of frequency of postoperative urethrocutaneous fistula formation. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Jan 2015 to Dec 2017. Patients and Methods: A total of 260 patients with diagnosis of hypospadias were selected from outpatient department after confirming their diagnosis by taking a detailed history and performing thorough clinical examination. Patients were divided randomly into two groups, group A and group B via lottery method. In group A, urethroplasty was done by using a stent while in group B, urethroplasty was done without a stent although stent was used in this group as a template preoperatively to form a neo urethra and then removed after 24 hours. The 6-8 FR nasogastric tube was used as stent. The follow up was after 2, 6 and 12 weeks to see the fistula formation in both types of procedures. All the data was recorded on the specially designed proforma attached as annexure A. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: The overall incidence of urethrocutaneous fistula was 21 (8%) out of the total study population. In group- A there were 18 (13%) cases who developed fistula and in group-B 3 (2%) cases developed fistula. There was significantly higher no of cases in group-A, who developed fistula as compared to group-B, p-value = 0.001. Conclusion: Stents are routinely used in many centres after urethroplasty for hypospadias repair leading to higher incidence of urethrocutaneous fistula. If urethroplasty is done meticulously, stentless surgery may produce fewer fistulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undescended testis is a very common presentation in male paediatric population but testis at ectopic sites is a very rare pathology. One of the ectopic sites is perineum and it accounts for only 1% of all cases of undescended testis. We report a case of an 11 yr old boy who presented with an empty left hemiscrotum and detailed examination revealed a soft tissue mass on the corresponding side in the perineum. Surgical exploration was carried out during which it was revealed that mass was actually testis at ectopic site with adequate length of the spermatic cord. Testis was mobilized and fixed in the ipsilateral hemiscrotum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To present an experience of the first 50 cases of appendectomy performed via laparoscopy assisted open technique. Study Design: Descriptive case series. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at Pediatric Surgery department, Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Jan 2016 to Apr 2018. Material and Methods: Fifty patients (<12 years old) diagnosed as cases of acute appendicitis were enrolled after ethical committee approval. The procedure was performed via three ports (4 ports if required). Appendix was brought out through the right iliac fossa port and appendectomy was performed by extracorporeal knotting technique. Operative time, position of appendix and postoperative complications were recorded. Data was expressed as means and frequency percentages. Results: Out of 50 patients, 31 were male and 19 were females. The mean age of the patients was 7.99 ± 3.34 years. Forty one patients had acute appendicitis while 9 patients were diagnosed as appendicular mass. The mean operative time was 24.9 ± 7.42 minutes. There were no cases of surgical site infection. Thirty eight patients were operated via three ports while 12 patients required four ports. Three patients required conversion to open appendicectomy due to extensive adhesions or abscess. Post-operatively drain was placed in only 6 patients. Conclusion: Laparoscopic assisted open appendectomy is a safe, quick and easy to learn technique in children which combines all the advantages of minimal access surgery with open appendectomy while reducing the number of complications associated with it. The technique has the added advantage of diagnostic laparoscopy over open surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock play a significant role in the developing economy of Pakistan. Goat is population wise one of the major livestock specie of Pakistan. This study was conducted to analyze morphological traits of four indigenous goat breeds of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. The breeds selected for this study were namely Damani, Surguli, Kaghani and Gaddi. Data was collected from two districts to the south (Dera Ismail Khan and Kohat) and two districts to the north (Kaghan and Naran) of KP province. Total number of 120 goat specimen (30 per breed) was selected for this study from random locations. A pretested questionnaire was used to record the morphological parameters of each individual. The results showed differences in morphological traits of different goat breeds. The facial appearance of Surguli and Damani was predominantly convex, whereas straight shape facial outline was observed in most of Gaddi and Kaghani goat individuals. The ears of Damani and Surguli goat were mostly straight, whereas Kaghani and Gaddi had rounded edge ears in most cases. Horn color was predominantly black, with a little percentage of brown and red in Damani and Gaddi goat. Body hairs were mostly straight with medium length in Damani and Surguli, and long in Kaghani and Gaddi breed. Body size manifested by weight, length and other body measurements, was highest in Gaddi, followed by Kaghani and then Surguli. The body size of Damani was the smallest compared to the other breeds; however, statistically it was similar to Surguli. Kaghani is the highest ranking along with similarities to Gaddi breed and also recommended for management to achieve the utmost benefits within goat breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current studies calli of Oryza sativa. L. cv. Swat-1 were incrementally adapted to ionic stress (25 mM LiCl) to asses some of the adaptation mechanism(s). Adapted calli line was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (2 mg/l) and kinetin (0.25 mg/l). For regeneration MS medium with 1.0mg/l NAA and BAP + 30g/l D-Sorbitol was used. LiCl adapted line showed significantly higher indices of tolerance than unadapted line at 100, 150, 200 and 250 mM NaCl stress. Adaptation resulted in enhanced accumulation of saturated fatty acids (myristic and stearic acids), while unsaturated fatty acids exhibited variable profiles with enhanced oleic acid and significantly reduced linoleic acid. The regeneration capability of adapted line decreased 10 times (20% to 2%), while that of unadapted line kept on increasing (26% to 38%) at each subsequent subculture on regeneration medium. Addition of 10 mM LiCl resulted in enhanced and earlier regeneration in adapted line. Complete plantlets were obtained in about ten days while normally plantlets were obtained after 28 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocephalus is a very common presentation especially in paediatric population that can be multifactorial like infections, genetic disorders or spina bifida leading to increased intracranial pressure. In order to decrease this pressure, ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a very commonly performed neurosurgical procedure. This procedure is associated with many complications like infection, blockage, over/under drainage or CSF pseudocyst formation but we report a patient who presented with extrusion of VP shunt from the urethral meatus which is a very rare complication of this procedure. Later on the same patient presented with migration of VP shunt in left hemithorax causing massive pleural effusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study investigated the cross tolerance mechanisms of osmotic [25% poly ethylene glycol (PEG)] and ionic (25 mM LiCl) stress tolerant cell lines of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Swat-1. The adapted lines showed tolerance up to six generation on stress free medium. When adapted and un-adapted cell lines were subjected to 200 mM Nacl, there was 98% reduction in relative growth rate (RGR) of un-adapted line and the adapted (PEG and LiCl) cell lines showed significantly higher tolerance. Albeit there were no qualitative differences among adapted and un-adapted cell lines under salt stress. However, responding mechanisms of adapted and un-adapted cell lines to osmotic and ionic homeostasis to tolerate NaCl stress were highly different. PEG adapted cells line appeared to acquire halophytic behavior of a salt accumulator, while LiCl adapted line performed like salt tolerant glycophyte. The tolerance strategies of adapted lines were not confined to the same type of stress but showed cross tolerance towards other abiotic stresses. © 2015 Friends Science Publishers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the safety of the Mitchelle bank technique for herniotomy in children by comparing its recurrence rate with conventional Ferguson's technique. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Paediatric Surgery Department, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Sep 2018 to Sep 2019. Methodology: Children below the age of 6 years coming to Paediatric Surgery Outpatient Department with inguinal hernia were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups. Group-I underwent herniotomy by Mitchelle bank technique (MBT-group) while Group-II by Ferguson's technique (FT-group). The demographic characteristics of the studied population, operative time, and intra-operative and post-operative complications were recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients was 25.94 ± 17.06 months in Ferguson's technique-group and 24.76 ± 16.63 months in the Mitchelle bank technique-group. The mean operative time was less in the Mitchelle bank technique-group (13.17 ± 1.47 minutes) as compared to Ferguson's technique-group (16.23 ± 1.51 minutes) (p<0.05). Early complications such as hydrocele, seroma and hematoma were seen in 5 (2.3%), 6 (2.6%) and 3 (1.3%) cases in Ferguson's technique-group, and 15 (6.9%), 8 (3.7%), and 9 (4.1%) cases in the Mitchelle bank technique group, respectively. Late complications such as orchitis, testicular atrophy, and recurrence were seen in 5 (2.3%), 6 (2.6%), 2 (0.9%) in Ferguson's technique group, and 6 (2.6%), 4 (1.8%), and 3 (1.3%) in the Mitchelle bank technique group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Mitchelle bank technique is safe for herniotomy in children with less operative time and no increase in recurrence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassica napus is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil in the world. Efficient and reproducible protocols were developed for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of B. napus in the current study. Synthetic chitinase (NIC) gene encoding antimicrobial protein in plasmid pEKH was transformed to Abasyn-95 cultivar of B. napus to produce transgenic plants. The role of a number of factors such as different ratios of growth regulators, various concentrations of growth hormones and chemicals, which can directly or indirectly influence the process of transformation, was evaluated. Hypocotyls and cotyledons from in vitro grown seedlings were used as explants for transformation. Culturing of the explants on solidified MS plates supplemented with different hormone ratios and concentrations showed that the media supplemented with 2 mg L-1 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D), 0.5 mg L-1benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.1 mg L-1naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) is the best combination among all tested conditions for callus induction. Maximum shooting was observed on MS medium containing 0.5 mg L-1 BAP and 2 mg L-1 2, 4-D. The transgenic nature of the calli and regenerated shoots was confirmed by PCR analysis viaNIC gene specific primers using their isolated genomic DNA as template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]