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Abstract Background Co-morbidity with respiratory viruses including influenza A, cause varying degree of morbidity especially in TB patients compared to general population. This study estimates the risk factors associated with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 in TB patients with ILI. Methods A cohort of tuberculosis (TB) patients who were admitted to and enrolled in a TB Directly Observed Therapy Program (DOTs) in tertiary care hospitals of Lahore (Mayo Hospital and Infectious Disease Hospital) were followed for 12 weeks. At the start of study period, to record influenza-like illness (ILI), a symptom card was provided to all the participants. Every participant was contacted once a week, in person. When the symptoms were reported by the participant, a throat swab was taken for the detection of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09. A nested case control study was conducted and TB patients with ILI diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 by conventional RT-PCR were selected as cases, while those who tested negative by conventional RT-PCR were enrolled as controls. All cases and controls in the study were interviewed face-to-face in the local language. Epidemiological data about potential risk factors were collected on a predesigned questionnaire. Logistic analysis was conducted to identify associated risk factors in TB patients with ILI. Results From the main cohort of TB patients (n = 152) who were followed during the study period, 59 (39%) developed ILI symptoms; of them, 39 tested positive for influenza A (H1N1)pdm09, while 20 were detected negative for influenza A (H1N1)pdm09. In univariable analysis, four factors were identified as risk factors (p

Summary: Background: The increasing prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Asia is concerning, with type 2 diabetes projected to rise to 68%, compared to the global increase of 44%. Encouraging healthy diets requires stronger policies for healthier food environments. Methods: This study reviewed and assessed food environment policies in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka from 2020 to 2022 using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) and compared them with global best practices. Seven policy domains and six infrastructure support domains were considered, employing 47 good practice indicators to prevent NCDs. Stakeholders from government and non-governmental sectors in South Asia (n = 148) were invited to assess policy and infrastructure support implementation using the Delphi method. Findings: Implementation of food environment policies and infrastructure support in these countries was predominantly weak. Labelling, monitoring, and leadership policies received a moderate rating, with a focus on food safety, hygiene, and quality rather than obesity prevention. Key policy gaps prioritized for attention included front-of-pack labelling, healthy food subsidies, unhealthy food taxation, restrictions on unhealthy food promotion, and improvements in school nutrition standards to combat NCDs. Interpretation: Urgent action is required to expand food policies beyond hygiene and food security measures. Comprehensive strategies targeting NCD prevention are crucial to combat the escalating burden of NCDs in the region. Funding: This research was funded by the NIHR (16/136/68 and 132960) with aid from the UK Government for global health research. Petya Atanasova also acknowledges funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (ES/P000703/1). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the NIHR, the UK government or the ESRC.

Abstract A new compound, C23H20BrN3OS, containing a quinoline-based iminothiazoline with a thiazoline ring, was synthesized and its crystal and molecular structures were analyzed through single crystal X-ray analysis. The compound belongs to the triclinic system P − 1 space group, with dimensions of a = 9.2304 (6) Å, b = 11.1780 (8) Å, c = 11.3006 (6) Å, α = 107.146 (5)°, β = 93.701 (5)°, γ = 110.435 (6)°, Z = 2 and V = 1025.61 (12) Å3. The crystal structure showed that C–H···N and C–H···O hydrogen bond linkages, forming infinite double chains along the b-axis direction, and enclosing R2 2(14) and R2 2(16) ring motifs. The Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed that H…H (44.1%) and H…C/C…H (15.3%) interactions made the most significant contribution. The newly synthesized (Z)-4-bromo-N-(4-butyl-3 (quinolin-3-yl)thiazol-2(3H)-ylidene)benzamide, in comparison to oleanolic acid, exhibited more strong potential against elastase with an inhibition value of 1.21 µM. Additionally, the derivative was evaluated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies, which showed that the quinoline based iminothiazoline derivative has the potential to be a novel inhibitor of elastase enzyme. Both theoretical and experimental findings suggested that this compound could have a number of biological activities.

Abstract Background Influenza and tuberculosis both cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the burden of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection among human tuberculosis patients and the general population. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted among a cohort group (TB positive patients) as exposed and a comparison group (general population) as non-exposed. A total of 304 participants were recruited in both groups and followed for a period of 12 weeks. Of the 304 concurrently enrolled individuals, 152 were TB-positive patients (cohort group) and 152 were from the general population (comparison group).To calculate the sample size, the power of study was kept at 80% for detecting a difference at 5% alpha level assuming the 25% prevalence of respiratory viruses in cohort group compared to 12.5% in general population. An oropharyngeal swab was taken from a participant with symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI). Samples were tested by conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09. All statistical analyses were conducted using R software. Results A total of 95 participants developed influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms. Among these, 64 tested positive for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, of which 39 were from the exposed group and 25 were from the non-exposed group. During the 12-week period of follow-up, the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 incidence rate was 20 per 1000 people. The risk of testing positive for influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 was 1.66 times higher in the exposed group compared to the non-exposed group. The cumulative incidence indicated that 25% of the TB cohort and 16% of the comparison group were at risk of getting influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 during the 12 weeks of follow-up. Conclusion Participants from the TB cohort had a higher incidence of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 than the general population suggesting that they should be prioritized for influenza vaccination.

Abstract Background Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Precise HIV burden information is critical for effective geographic and epidemiological targeting of prevention and treatment interventions. Age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence estimates are widely available at the national level, and region-wide local estimates were recently published for adults overall. We add further dimensionality to previous analyses by estimating HIV prevalence at local scales, stratified into sex-specific 5-year age groups for adults ages 15–59 years across SSA. Methods We analyzed data from 91 seroprevalence surveys and sentinel surveillance among antenatal care clinic (ANC) attendees using model-based geostatistical methods to produce estimates of HIV prevalence across 43 countries in SSA, from years 2000 to 2018, at a 5 × 5-km resolution and presented among second administrative level (typically districts or counties) units. Results We found substantial variation in HIV prevalence across localities, ages, and sexes that have been masked in earlier analyses. Within-country variation in prevalence in 2018 was a median 3.5 times greater across ages and sexes, compared to for all adults combined. We note large within-district prevalence differences between age groups: for men, 50% of districts displayed at least a 14-fold difference between age groups with the highest and lowest prevalence, and at least a 9-fold difference for women. Prevalence trends also varied over time; between 2000 and 2018, 70% of all districts saw a reduction in prevalence greater than five percentage points in at least one sex and age group. Meanwhile, over 30% of all districts saw at least a five percentage point prevalence increase in one or more sex and age group. Conclusions As the HIV epidemic persists and evolves in SSA, geographic and demographic shifts in prevention and treatment efforts are necessary. These estimates offer epidemiologically informative detail to better guide more targeted interventions, vital for combating HIV in SSA.

OBJECTIVES:. We assessed the efficacy and safety of PB compared with benzodiazepine (BZD)-based protocols in treating AWS in MICU. DESIGN:. Single-center, pre-post protocol implementation study. SETTING:. The setting is a forty-bed MICU in a tertiary-level academic medical center. PATIENTS:. We included all patients admitted to the MICU with a primary diagnosis of AWS. INTERVENTIONS:. Intravenous PB 260 mg followed by 130-mg doses every 15–30 minutes as needed up to 15 mg/kg of ideal body weight versus escalating doses of BZD, to achieve a Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Alcohol Scale-Revised score less than 10. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), in addition to safety measures were the main outcomes of the study. A total of 102 patients were included, 51 in the PB arm and 51 in the BZD arm. There were no differences in baseline clinical characteristics. Half the patients in each group were admitted with delirium tremens. The use of PB-based protocol was associated with 35% reduction in median ICU LOS (1.5 d [interquartile range, 1.2–2.4 d] vs 2.3 d [1.4–4.8 d]; p = 0.009) and 50% reduction in hospital LOS (3 d [2.7–4 d] vs 6 d [4–10 d]; p < 0.001). After adjustment for comorbidities and clinical factors, PB protocol decreased ICU LOS days by 40% (95% CI; 25.8–53.5%). PB group required fewer adjunctive medications to control symptoms (0.7 [0.5–1] vs 2.5 [2–3]; p < 0.001), less need for intubation (1/51 [2%] vs 10/10 [19.6%]; p = 0.023) and less need for physical restraint (19/51 [37.3%] vs 29/51 [56.9%]; p = 0.047), compared with the BZD group. CONCLUSIONS:. A protocol utilizing rapidly escalating doses of PB over a short period is an effective and safe alternative to BZD in treating AWS in MICU.

IntroductionThe process of learning begins in childhood and accurate vision can greatly affects a child's learning capacity. It is documented that visual impairment in children can have a significant impact on their performance at school as well as their social interaction and development.ObjectiveThis research aimed to study the impact of refractive corrections on the academic performance of high school children in Lahore.MethodologyA total of 2,000 students with equal distribution of gender, public, private school, and locality were included in the study. All students were screened for defective vision. The academic performance before and after corrections was recorded on the prescribed proforma.ResultsThe prevalence of refractive error was high among the public high schools 244 (59.2%) as compared to the private schools 168 (40.8%). The area-based prevalence was higher among the students in urban settings 255 (62%) while in rural it was 157 (38%). It was found that in the public sector, the average score of academic results before the intervention was 56.39 ± 13.24 which was increased to 60.27 ± 14.94 after the intervention while in the private sector, before the intervention, the average score was 63.53 ± 17.50 which was improved to 67.12 ± 18.48. It was found to be statistically significant at p-value < 0.05.ConclusionA significant impact was observed in the average academic scores of the results after refractive corrections.

Viral vector characterization and analysis are important components for the development of safe gene therapeutic products, elucidating the potential genotoxic and immunogenic effects of vectors and establishing their safety profiles. Here, we present VSeq-Toolkit, which offers varying analysis modes for viral gene therapy data. The first mode determines the undesirable known contaminants and their frequency in viral preparations or other sequencing data. The second mode is designed for the analysis of intra-vector fusion breakpoints and the third mode for unraveling the viral-host fusion events distribution. Analysis modes of our toolkit can be executed independently or together and allow the analysis of multiple viral vectors concurrently. It has been designed and evaluated for the analysis of short read high-throughput sequencing data, including whole-genome or targeted sequencing. VSeq-Toolkit is developed in Perl and Bash programming languages and is available at https://github.com/CompMeth/VSeq-Toolkit.

Soil salinity, drought, and increasing temperatures are serious environmental issues that drastically reduce crop productivity worldwide. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is an important crop for food security under the changing climate. This study examined the physio-biochemical responses, plant growth, and grain yield of four quinoa genotypes (A7, Titicaca, Vikinga, and Puno) grown in pots containing normal (non-saline) or salt-affected soil exposed to drought and elevated-temperature treatments. Combinations of drought, salinity, and high-temperature stress decreased plant growth and yield more than the individual stresses. The combined drought, salinity, and heat stress treatment decreased the shoot biomass of A7, Puno, Titicaca, and Vikinga by 27, 36, 41, and 50%, respectively, compared to that of control plants. Similar trends were observed for grain yield, chlorophyll contents, and stomatal conductance. The combined application of these three stresses increased Na concentrations but decreased K concentrations in roots and shoots relative to control. Moreover, in the combined salinity, drought, and high-temperature treatment, A7, Puno, Titicaca, and Vikinga had 7.3-, 6.9-, 8-, and 12.6-fold higher hydrogen peroxide contents than control plants. All four quinoa genotypes increased antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, and POD) to overcome oxidative stress. Despite A7 producing the highest biomass under stress, it did not translate into increased grain production. We conclude that Puno and Titicaca are more tolerant than Vikinga for cultivation in salt-affected soils prone to drought and heat stress.

Health Care Professionals (HCPs), including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics, are a high-risk group for influenza infection due to their continuous exposure to patients having a known or unknown history of influenza-like illnesses. Influenza vaccination is the most effective method of primary prevention. This study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers associated with influenza vaccination among HCPs at tertiary care hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. A multicenter analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among HCPs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. All statistical analyses were conducted in R software. A total of 400 HCPs were enrolled, and among these, 67% had a high level of knowledge and 65.5% had a positive attitude towards influenza vaccination. About 51% of HCPs adopted good practices leading to influenza vaccination. Results identified major barriers for influenza vaccinations, including unfamiliarity with vaccine availability (RII = 0.760), insufficient staff for administering the vaccine (RII = 0.649), lack of proper storage (RII = 0.625), safety concerns (RII = 0.613), and cost of vaccine (RII = 0.602). More than half of the HCPs showed a high level of knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice against influenza vaccination. Despite the positive Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) scores and published guidelines, a very low percentage of HCPs were vaccinated against influenza. Many hindering factors were associated with influenza vaccination.

The enteric system residing notorious Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhi) is an intracellular, food-borne, and zoonotic pathogen causing typhoid fever. Typhoid fever is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in developing and underdeveloped countries. It also increased the prevalence of multidrug resistance globally. Currently, available anti-bacterial modalities are unable to penetrate into the intracellular compartments effectively for eradicating S. typhi infection. Therefore, in this study, we developed nanostructured lipid-based carriers in the form of a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) for targeted delivery of ciprofloxacin (CIP) into the S. typhi intracellular reservoirs. Capryol 90, Tween 80, and Span 20 were finalized as suitable oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively, according to the pseudoternary phase diagram emulsifying region. Targeting capability and mucopenetration of the SNEDDS was attributed to the inclusion of amidated pluronic (NH2-F127). Developed NH2-F127 SNEDDS were characterized via physicochemical, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo evaluation parameters. The size of the SNEDDS was found to be 250 nm, having positively charged zeta potential. In vitro dissolution of SNEDDS showed 80% sustained release of CIP in 72 h with maximum entrapment efficiency up to 90% as well as good hemocompatibility by showing less than 0.2% hemolysis and 90% biocompatibility. The survival rate of S. typhi in macrophages (RAW 264.7) was minimal, i.e., only 2% in the case of NH2-F127 SNEDDS. Macrophage uptake assay via nanostructures confirmed the maximum cellular uptake as evidenced by the highest fluorescence. Biofilm dispersion assay showed rapid eradication of developed resistant biofilms on the gall bladder. In vivo pharmacokinetics showed improved bioavailability by showing an increased area under the curve (AUC) value. Taken together, NH2-F127-SNEDDS can be utilized as an alternative and efficient delivery system for the sustained release of therapeutic amounts of CIP for the treatment of S. typhi.

IMPORTANCE:. In-hospital cardiac arrest survival among coronavirus disease 2019 patients has been reported to range from 0% to 12%. These numbers are significantly lower than reported prepandemic in-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates of approximately 20–25% in the United States for non–coronavirus disease 2019 patients. OBJECTIVE:. To assess the incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrest survival of coronavirus disease 2019 patients. DESIGN:. A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 subsequently found to have in-hospital cardiac arrest and underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). SETTING:. Multiple hospitals of the Cleveland Clinic Health System. PATIENTS:. All adult patients (age ≥ 18 yr) admitted to Cleveland Clinic Health System with a diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 who experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. From March 01, 2020 to October 15, 2020, 3,555 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 were hospitalized; 1,372 were admitted to the ICU; 58 patients had in-hospital cardiac arrest. Median age of this cohort was 66.5 years (interquartile range, 55.0–76.0 yr). Patients were predominantly male (62.5%), White (53.4%), with a median body mass index of 29.7 (interquartile range, 25.8–34.6). Most in-hospital cardiac arrests were in critical care environments (ICU), 51 of 58 (87.9%); seven of 58 (12.1%) were on ward locations. Thirty-four of 58 patients (58.6%) were on mechanical ventilation prior to in-hospital cardiac arrest with a median duration of mechanical ventilation of 9 days (interquartile range, 2–18 d). Twenty-four of 58 patients (44%) were on vasopressors prior to arrest. Initial arrest rhythm was pulseless electrical activity at (63.8%), asystole (29.3%), and pulseless ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (6.9%). Of the 58 patients, 35 (60.3%) attained return of spontaneous circulation, and 13 of 58 (22.4%) were discharged alive. CONCLUSIONS:. We report a 22% survival to discharge after in-hospital cardiac arrest in coronavirus disease 2019 patients, a survival rate similar to before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the unprecedented devastating catastrophes with severe public health threat globally. Low and middle income countries (LMICs) are trying hard to cope with the rapidly changing global scenario and trying to mitigate this double crisis of pandemic and economic recession. This pandemic, has led to major changes in global and regional health care delivery proceedings with surge in telemedicine to provide the required services and also giving priority to control the disease spread.

Background: Electronic Medical Records (EMR) give patients, doctors, and clinical groups advantages and bring up moral issues. Exploring to provide care in computerized age requires an evaluation of the effect of the EMR on the care of the patient and the patient-doctor relationship. The aim of the study is to classify all possible ethical concerns of healthcare professionals who are engaged in research, and service provision and to understand how they integrate the EMR into their workflow and whether specific ethical questions arise while sharing medical information both with other practitioners and with patients. Methods: Conducted A systematic literature review, for which we searched four databases (PubMed/ Medline, Google scholar, and PakMediNet) between January 2011 to June 2021. Used broad terms like (Ethical issues, health care provides, electronic medical records, digital health records) as keyword searches. The authors used a narrative approach according to PRISMA guidelines 2020 (Checklist). The authors performed no meta-analysis, and did a qualitative synthesis of selected studies according to inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria required articles that reported ethical issues; the full-text articles were electronically available and published in English between January 2011 and June 2021. All identified studies like KAP studies, case reports, prospective, randomized interventional studies, and papers in other languages are not part of the study Results: From the 24 papers reviewed, authors identified or discussed the following ethical principles concerning ethical issues faced by healthcare professionals during usage of electronic medical records. Autonomy was addressed in 62.5% (n=15/24) studies, beneficence 33% (n=8/24), non-maleficence 25% (n=6/24), confidentiality 58 % (n=14/24), Privacy 83% (n= 20/24), justice 50% (n=12/24), Fidelity 16% (n=4/24), veracity 8.3% (n=2/24). Conclusions: The findings show that most of the ethical issues related to EMR are consistent with the ethical challenges that digital technologies introduce in healthcare, such as privacy, anonymity, security, and informed consent. Despite some evidence, more efforts need to promote ethical technology use and analysis of the ethical difficulties.

Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases) are ectoenzymes that play an important role in the hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphate and diphosphate to nucleoside monophosphate. NTPDase1, -2, -3 and -8 are the membrane bound members of this enzyme family that are responsible for regulating the levels of nucleotides in extracellular environment. However, the pathophysiological functions of these enzymes are not fully understood due to lack of potent and selective NTPDase inhibitors. Herein, a series of oxoindolin hydrazine carbothioamide derivatives is synthesized and screened for NTPDase inhibitory activity. Four compounds were identified as selective inhibitors of h-NTPDase1 having IC50 values in lower micromolar range, these include compounds 8b (IC50 = 0.29 ± 0.02 µM), 8e (IC50 = 0.15 ± 0.009 µM), 8f (IC50 = 0.24 ± 0.01 µM) and 8l (IC50 = 0.30 ± 0.03 µM). Similarly, compound 8k (IC50 = 0.16 ± 0.01 µM) was found to be a selective h-NTPDase2 inhibitor. In case of h-NTPDase3, most potent inhibitors were compounds 8c (IC50 = 0.19 ± 0.02 µM) and 8m (IC50 = 0.38 ± 0.03 µM). Since NTPDase3 has been reported to be associated with the regulation of insulin secretion, we evaluated our synthesized NTPDase3 inhibitors for their ability to stimulate insulin secretion in isolated mice islets. Promising results were obtained showing that compound 8m potently stimulated insulin secretion without affecting the NTPDase3 gene expression. Molecular docking studies of the most potent compounds were also carried out to rationalize binding site interactions. Hence, these compounds are useful tools to study the role of NTPDase3 in insulin secretion.

Background: Vector-borne diseases are major public health problem worldwide. Dengue Fever (DF), Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), and Malaria are endemic in Pakistan. The current study is aimed to find out temporal and spatial distribution of vector-borne diseases in Punjab province of Pakistan. Materials & Methods: The data of temporal, spatial and personal characteristics were collected from the health department of Punjab from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 after taking departmental approval. The collected data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 24.0. Frequencies and rates were calculated and graphically presented. Results: A total of 2,640 cases of malaria were reported during from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 and with 1415(53%) male cases and male to female ratio of 1.3:1. A total of 2,520 cases of dengue fever were reported with 1829 (72%) male cases with male to female ratio of 2.6:1. Mean age was 17 years and 32 years for malaria and dengue fever cases respectively. For malaria, most affected age group was 5-9 years while for dengue fever 20-24 years. The highest number (n= 821) of malaria cases reported from Muzaffargarh (southern Punjab) and 1139 dengue cases reported from Rawalpindi (northern Punjab). Temporal characteristics of dengue indicated the highest frequency during September to November while malaria from August to October. Conclusion: Social, temporal and spatial distribution is suggestive of targeted interventions for both diseases yet integrated with their respective vector control measures. Dengue fever time trend is more demands robust outdoor preventive activities in north of Pakistan

In vivo reprogramming of somatic cells is hampered by the need for vectors to express the OKSM factors in selected organs. Here the authors report new AAV-based vectors capable of in vivo reprogramming at low doses.

Integration site profiling and clonality analysis of viral vector distribution in gene therapy is a key factor to monitor the fate of gene-corrected cells, assess the risk of malignant transformation, and establish vector biosafety. We developed the Genome Integration Site Analysis Pipeline (GENE-IS) for highly time-efficient and accurate detection of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based viral vector integration sites (ISs) in gene therapy data. It is the first available tool with dual analysis mode that allows IS analysis both in data generated by PCR-based methods, such as linear amplification method PCR (LAM-PCR), and by rapidly evolving targeted sequencing (e.g., Agilent SureSelect) technologies. GENE-IS makes use of trimming strategies, customized reference genome, and soft-clipped information with sequential filtering steps to provide annotated IS with clonality information. It is a scalable, robust, precise, and reliable tool for large-scale pre-clinical and clinical data analysis that provides users complete flexibility and control over analysis with a broad range of configurable parameters. GENE-IS is available at https://github.com/G100DKFZ/gene-is. Keywords: gene therapy, bioinformatical analysis, next-generation sequencing, viral integration sites, LAM-PCR, targeted sequencing

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According to recent research, the ×alÉl (permissible in Islamic law) food market represents 16% of the total global market, which is expected to double in the near future. A huge potential, therefore, lies in the target market of Muslim consumers. In order to penetrate the ×alÉl markets, firms are employing brand Islamization strategies as per rules of Islamic Commercial Law. Most firms, however, are doing so for extra commercial gains. In this paper an effort has been made to introduce and highlight some of the legal ethical aspects of the branding practices in Islamic law, predominantly, in Islamic commercial law. The purpose of this paper is to analyze specific commercial activities carried out in the name of brand Islamization. One of the objectives is to raise awareness that increasing aspirations related to Islamic branding are, in fact, masked activities of utilizing huge potentials that exist both for Muslim and non-Muslim firms. New methods of incorporation of Islamic legal ethics in the brand design and developmental strategies are also explored in this paper. The paper clarifies that Islamic brandingis not merely limited to the “Halal” factor but is one that is purely SharÊ‘ah (Islamic Law) compliant, both in substance and form.

Heterocyclic molecules belong to the most attractive group owing to their broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. In the undertaken research, a number of new 5-substituted-2-((6-chloro-3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)methylthio)-1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivatives (6a–l) were synthesized by converting various aryl/aralkyl carboxylic acids (1a–l) into corresponding esters (2a–l), carbohydrazides (3a–l) and 5-substituted-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-thiols (4a–l). The last step included the synthesis of target molecules, 6a–l, by stirring 4a–l and 6-chloro-3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl chloride (5) in a polar aprotic solvent. The structures of all the synthesized molecules were corroborated through spectral analysis. The screening of these molecules against antibacterial activity rendered them moderate inhibitors and most likely against Escherichia coli, relative to the reference standard, ciprofloxacin.

1,3,4-Oxadiazole bearing compounds are one of the most attractive class for researchers due to their biological activities. In the undertaken research, a number of N-substituted derivatives of 2-(5-(1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylthio)acetamide (6a–n) were synthesized through a series of steps. The reaction of benzenesulfonyl chloride with ethyl isonipecotate yielded ethyl 1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-carboxylate (1), which was further converted into 1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-carbohydrazide (2) and 5-(1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-thiol (3) respectively. The target compounds 6a–n were synthesized by the reaction of compound 3 with different N-aralkyl/aryl substituted 2-bromoacetamides (5a–n) in the presence of a weak base and polar aprotic solvent. The structures of the synthesized compounds were elucidated through 1H-NMR, IR and mass spectral data. The synthesized compounds were screened against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and exhibited moderate to talented activity.