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Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an important parasite that belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa, distributed globally, causing major health issues for a wide range of hosts, including humans, native and wild animals. Methods: In the present study, we detected IgG and IgM antibodies through an ELISA kit and DNA of T. gondii through PCR in 197 pets and stray cats in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, and Kohat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) to estimate the existence of feline toxoplasmosis. Results: The current study revealed that stray cats have a significant infection rate of T. gondii (74.6%) as compared to pet cats (25.4%). In all the four districts, the prevalence of T. gondii was pointedly higher in district Kohat (95.5%) in the feline population. In comparison to the female (75.18%) and male (both pets and stray) cats have a maximum infection of (81.66%) non-significantly. The prevalence of T. gondii was observed to be significantly higher (91.66%) in the older and greater than 4 year old population of cats as compared to the younger ones. In poor health condition, the cat populations has a higher risk of infection of 92.3% as compared to healthy and poor body condition (73.91%) and (82.6%) respectively. The chronic and reactivated chronic conditions of toxoplasmosis were higher (58.37%) as compared to the acute condition. Conclusion: It has been concluded that toxoplasmosis is widely spread in the studied population.The outcomes of the present study show that T. gondii infection has a significant impact on the type of cat, age, and area, which implies a serious threat to human beings. Therefore, genotyping of T. gondii strains from different hosts is needed to forecast the current approach for prevention and control of this zoonotic parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The structural and functional differences between hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes are the mainstay to severity, complications, treatment and possibly vaccination against the virus. This study was conducted to determine the HBV genotypes in HBsAg positive patients of Afghanistan as no such large scale data available previously. Methods: Two hundred and fourteen HBsAg-positive patients were included in this study. All patients were anti-HCV and anti-HIV negative. All the samples were confirmed for HBV DNA with nested PCR while HBV DNA positive samples were subjected to type specific PCR for HBV genotyping (A-F). Results: Of the total samples, 168 (78.5%) were males and 46 (21.49%) females, aged ranged between 18 to 71 years. This study demonstrated that genotype D (35.67%) is the predominant genotype circulating in Afghani's population. Genotype C was observed in 32.16% followed by genotype A (19.30%), and genotype B (7.02%) while 6.07% of the individuals were not typed. Conclusion: This study has shown a heterogeneous distribution of HBV genotypes. Further more, extensive studies are required to investigate genetic and geographical divergence and characteristics of the virus in the country, as no such large sample sized study has been carried out so far in this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the efficacy of probiotics in prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) among low birth weight (LBW) preterm neonates. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Department of Pediatric Medicine, Unit-II, Services Hospital, Lahore. Period: September 2019 to February 2020. Material and Methods: A total of 260 LBW preterm neonates were enrolled. All the neonates were allocated to 2 groups with equal number of cases (130 in each group). Group-A was given probiotics whereas placebo was administered in Group-B. All the cases were admitted and follow ups were made up until 7th day. Occurrence of NEC was recorded among both groups. Results: Out of a total of 260 LBW preterm neonates, 142 (54.6%) were male and118 (45.4%) female. Overall, mean age was noted to be 1.48+0.50 days. Table-I shows that there was no statistical difference among neonates of both study groups in terms of age, gestational age and birth weight (p>0.05). Five (3.8%) neonates in Group-A and 14 (10.8%) in Group-B were found to have NEC. Efficacy of treatment in Group-A was significantly higher in comparison to Group-B. Conclusion: Probiotics are effective in the prevention of NEC in preterm LBW neonates. Prophylactic usage of probiotics among preterm neonates is noted to be helpful in avoiding development of NEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a primary liver malignancy in which the risk of development is always multifunctional. Interleukin-6 is a proinflammatory and multifunctional cytokine, which plays an important role in the immune response, haematopoiesis and defence against viral infection. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of Interleukin-6 mutations (rs2069837 and rs17147230) associated with genetic risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Khyber Pakthunkhwa population. A total of 72 hepatocellular carcinoma cases and 38 controls were included in this study. The genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood cells and Interleukin-6 genotyping was performed using T-ARMS-PCR technique. Our results show a significant increase risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma with the mutation within Interleukin-6 gene with heterozygous G allele (rs2069837) (OR = 10.667, 95%CI = 3.923–29.001, p = < 0.0001) and heterozygous T allele (rs17147230) (OR = 75.385, 95%CI = 9.797–580.065, p = < 0.0001). However, under recessive gene model the results were insignificant in case of Interleukin-6 rs2069837 (OR = 0.605, 95%CI = 0.217–1.689, p = 0.337), while significant in case of Interleukin-6 rs17147230 (OR = 0.298, 95%CI = 0.121–0.734, p = 0.0085). In conclusion, Interleukin-6 mutation is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility. More related studies with other associated interleukins and their whole gene sequencing will be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is considered as one of the most common diseases that affect human beings (both male and female) due to its high prevalence and also extending widely to both industrialize and developing countries. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure and ACE inhibition with inhibitory peptides is considered as a major target to prevent hypertension. In the current study, a blood pressure regulating honey protein (MRJP1) was examined to identify the ACE inhibitory peptides. The 3D structure of MRJP1 was predicted by utilizing the threading approach and further optimized by performing molecular dynamics simulation for 30 nanoseconds (ns) to improve the quality factor up to 92.43%. Root mean square deviation and root mean square fluctuations were calculated to evaluate the structural features and observed the fluctuations in the timescale of 30 ns. AHTpin server based on scoring vector machine of regression models, proteolysis and structural characterization approaches were implemented to identify the potential inhibitory peptides. The anti-hypertensive peptides were scrutinized based on the QSAR models of anti-hypertensive activity and the molecular docking analyses were performed to explore the binding affinities and potential interacting residues. The peptide "EALPHVPIFDR" showed the strong binding affinity and higher anti-hypertensive activity along with the global energy of -58.29 and docking score of 9590. The aromatic amino acids especially Tyr was observed as the key residue to design the dietary peptides and drugs like ACE inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning is the back bone of any organization. Education is the production of a generation for future responsibilities. This great task is impossible without appropriate planning. Planning is the conceptual skill of management whereby, future strategy is established, and alternatives are devised in order to redirect attention to another alternative if the first one fails to get goals. The main objectives are to compare the management competency of planning of the heads on the variables of school type, designation, qualification, total experience and experience in the present school. It also aims to explore the impact of management competency of planning of inductee and promotee heads. The results shows different point of view of heads and teachers. Inductee heads showed best according to their own point of view but teachers responses showed opposite and declared promotee as better than inductees. The researcher recommends that training in planning competency should be given to all heads to have effective school management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theclinical outcomes of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) range fromacute resolving hepatitis to chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Identification of the infecting virus genotype is indispensable for the exploration of many aspects of HCV infection, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, and response to antiviral therapy. 1419 individuals were screened for anti-HCV in this study, of which 166 (11.7%) were found reactive by ICT (Immunochromatographic test). These 166 anti-HCV positive and 26 normal individuals were further analyzed. RNA was extracted from serum and reverse-transcribed to cDNAand the core region of HCVgenomewas targeted and amplified bymultiplex PCR. HCVRNAwas detected in 121 individuals, of which 87 were male and 34 were female. Genotype 3a was the most prevalent among all the genotypes observed followed by 3b. Genotypes 1a, 2a, and 2b were found in 10.89%, 13.22%, and 6.61% patients, respectively. 25.41% of the HCV RNA positive samples were not typed. 6.05% of patients were found having mixed genotypes. These findings will not only help the physicians to prescribe more appropriate treatment for the HCV infection but will also draw the attention of health-related policy makers to devise strategies to curb the disease more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of an individual's hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes prior to antiviral therapy has become increasingly important for the clinical management and prognosis of HCV infection. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of HCV genotypes in HCV infected patients of district Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. Serum samples of 117 seropositive patients were screened for HCV-RNA by using reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested PCR) and then PCR positive samples were subjected to HCV genotyping. Out of 117 seropositive samples, 110 samples were found positive by PCR analysis. Genotype 3a was the most prevalent one detected in 38% of patients, followed by genotype 3b in 21% of patients, and then genotype 2a in 12% of patients. However 21% of HCV-PCR positive samples could not be genotyped by method used in this study. Genotype 3a was the most prevalent genotype in patients of all age groups and its prevalence was found high among patients with increasing age (>34 years). Moreover, genotypes 3a and 3b were found to be the most prevalent genotypes in patients with history of shaving by barbers, receiving multiple injections, and dental procedures. In conclusion there is need of further investigation of genotypes of HCV by using more sensitive assays and considering large sample size in district Bannu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis is spread through contamination of water sources and results in morbidity globally. In the current study 300 water samples were processed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection ofToxoplasma gondii. The overall prevalence in different water sources was 6.6% (17/300). Among different water sources the highest prevalence was recorded in drain water at 7% (7/100), followed by tube well water at 7.5% (3/40) and open well water at 5% (5/100) ,and the lowest was recorded in tap water at 3.33% (2/60). The highest prevalence was recorded in summer. Evidence indicates that cleaning and filtration need to be adopted to avoid the health hazards of waterborne zoonotic parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Factor H (FH) is the major plasma regulator of the central complement protein C3b in the alternative pathway of complement activation. The elucidation of the FH interactions with five major ligands (below) is complicated by their weak μM dissociation constants K D and FH multivalency. We present the first survey of all the K D values for the major FH–ligand interactions and critically review their physiological significance. [(i)] FH self-association is presently well-established. We review multiple data sets that show that 5–14% of FH is self-associated in physiological conditions. FH self-association is significant for both laboratory investigations and physiological function. [(ii)] The FH–C3b complex shows low μM affinity, meaning that the complex is not fully formed in plasma. In addition, C3, its hydrolysed form C3u, and its cleaved forms C3b and C3d show multimerisation. Current data favour a model when two C3b molecules bind independently to one FH molecule, as opposed to a 1:1 stoichiometry where FH wraps itself around C3b. [(iii)] Heparin is often used as an analogue of the polyanionic host cell surface. The FH–heparin complex also shows a low μM affinity, again meaning that complexes are not fully formed in vivo. The oligomeric FH–heparin complexes clarify a two-site interaction model of FH with host-cell surfaces. [(iv)] Reinvestigation of the FH and C-reactive protein (CRP) interaction revealed that this can only occur in plasma when CRP levels are elevated during acute-phase conditions. Given that CRP binds more weakly to the His402 allotype of FH than the Tyr402 allotype, this suggested a link with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). [(v)] FH activity is inhibited by zinc, which causes FH to aggregate strongly. High levels of bioavailable zinc occur in sub-retinal pigment epithelial deposits which lead to AMD. Excess zinc binds weakly to a central region of FH, explaining how zinc inhibits FH regulation of C3b. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Analytical ultracentrifugation and solution scattering provide different multi-parameter structural and compositional information on proteins. The joint application of the two methods supplements high resolution structural studies by crystallography and NMR. We summarise the procedures required to obtain equivalent ultracentrifugation and X-ray and neutron scattering data. The constrained modelling of ultracentrifugation and scattering data is important to confirm the experimental data analysis and yields families of best-fit molecular models for comparison with crystallography and NMR structures. This modelling of ultracentrifugation and scattering data is described in terms of starting models, their conformational randomisation in trial-and-error fits, and the identification of the final best-fit models. Seven applications of these methods are described to illustrate the current state-of-the-art. These include the determination of antibody solution structures (the human IgG4 subclass, and oligomeric forms of human IgA and its secretory component), the solution structures of the complement proteins of innate immunity (Factor H and C3/C3u) and their interactions with macromolecular ligands (C-reactive protein), and anionic polysaccharides (heparin). Complementary features of joint ultracentrifugation and scattering experiments facilitate an improved understanding of crystal structures (illustrated for C3/C3u, C-reactive protein and heparin). If a large protein or its complex cannot be crystallised, the joint ultracentrifugation-scattering approach provides a means to obtain an overall macromolecular structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Injection drug users (IDUs) are considered as a high risk group to develop hepatitis C due to needle sharing. In this study we have examined 200 injection drug users from various regions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for the prevalence of active HCV infection and HCV genotypes by Immunochromatographic assays, RT-PCR and Typespecific PCR. Our results indicated that 24% of the IDUs were actively infected with HCV while anti HCV was detected among 31.5% cases. Prevalent HCV genotypes were HCV 2a, 3a, 4 and 1a. Majority of the IDUs were married and had attained primary or middle school education. 95% of the IDUs had a previous history of needle sharing. Our study indicates that the rate of active HCV infection among the IDUs is higher with comparatively more prevalence of the rarely found HCV types in KPK. The predominant mode of HCV transmission turned out to be needle sharing among the IDUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Drosophila Nanos gene plays an important role in stem cell maintenance and body patterning. With the purpose of understanding the cis-regulatory machinery involved in the transcription of the nanos gene in the germline stem cells, we examined its promoter fragment from +97 to −708 relative to the transcription start site and identified enhancer elements located between position −108 and +97. Experiments with transgenic flies revealed that the minimal promoter (from −108 to +20) is sufficient in the germline stem cells for the GFP expression in transgenic Drosophila. Moreover, the flag-tagged nanos protein blotting experiments revealed that a short promoter fragment plus some sequences of the nos 5′UTR spanning −108 to +97 could efficiently drive the expression of the flag-tagged [Nos-mRNA-nos3′UTR] transgene in transgenic flies indicating that the cis-regulatory elements located between positions −108 and +97 of the nanos promoter are sufficient to fully transcribe the nanos mRNA. Deletion of the identified cis-acting sequences from the promoter rendered it non-functional as it could no longer transcribe the nanos mRNA in transgenic flies thus revealing the importance of these sequences for the transcription of the nanos gene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hepatitis C is a fatal liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. In this study, blood donors, from various districts of the KPK province and the federally administered tribal area (FATA) of Pakistan were tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA by ICT (Immuno-chromatographic test), ELISA and RT-PCR. Out of the 7148 blood donors, 224 (3.13%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies by ICT, 135 (1.89%) by ELISA while 118 (1.65%) blood donors had active HCV infection as detected by RT-PCR. We suggest that ELISA should be used for anti-HCV screening in public sector hospitals and health care units. Keywords: anti HCV immunochromatography, ELISA, RT-PCR, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eosin modified TiO 2 film with co-exposed {001} and {101} facets was synthesized. • Sulfite/Eosin-TiO 2 system was used as SO 4 − based Advanced Oxidation Process. • Degradation of PABA was performed by sulfite/Eosin-TiO 2 /solar system. • Under visible light irradiation, Eosin-TiO 2 showed appreciable H 2 production rate. • Solar/Eosin-TiO 2 (/SO 3 2–) is a promising method for environmental sustainability. Owing to the increasing photosensitivity and DNA damage properties of para -aminobenzoic acid (PABA), concerns have been raised over the exposure of humans to PABA. Solar light-driven photocatalysis (SPC) provides a promising solution for the effective removal of organic pollutants especially when directed towards sulfate radical (SO 4 −) production. Herein, we have developed a sulfite-enhanced SPC using Eosin-Y sensitized TiO 2 /Ti film as a photocatalyst. The removal efficiency of PABA was enhanced by coupling Eosin-Y with TiO 2 /Ti film as revealed from 23.6 and 48.9 % PABA degradation by reference-TiO 2 /solar and Eosin-TiO 2 /solar, respectively. The apparent rate constant of PABA degradation by Eosin-TiO 2 was improved by 4.7 times in presence of 5 mM sulfite. Interestingly, Eosin-TiO 2 showed appreciable H 2 production rate under visible light illumination. Solar/sulfite/Eosin-TiO 2 system is a promising technology for environmental sustainability by using the renewable solar energy and air pollutants since sulfite is a waste from flue gas desulfurization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]