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Yolk sac tumors (endodermal sinus tumors) are an important subgroup of germ cell tumors of the ovary. They are seen in young females and are highly aggressive, but respond well to treatment. Although different morphological patterns can be seen on light microscopy, granulomatous reaction and giant cells are a very rare occurrence. We report the case of a young female with ovarian yolk-sac tumor in which a widespread granulomatous reaction was seen, causing a diagnostic dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Meliolaceae is a family of fungi in the order Meliolales. These fungi flourish well in tropics and have extended their distribution from sub-temperate to temperate regions of the world. These are obligate but mostly ectoparasites that produce black or brown colonies on the leaves and stems of the host plants. These fungi are known to cause black or brown mildew disease on the plants. These black or brown mildews are obligate but mostly ectoparasites that produce black colonies on the surface of the host plants. Extensive work on the foliicolous fungi belonging to the family Meliolaceae at Aligarh and other adjacent areas has not been carried out. Therefore, a study was carried out to isolate and identify the foliicolous fungi attacking different plants of Aligarh. This paper gives the detailed description and illustration of five types of Meliolaceae fungi viz.,Meliola alstoniae,Meliola mangiferae,Meliola memecyli,Amazonia peregrinaandExosporodiella phoenixesa. Of these, the genusExosporodiellawith a type speciesE. phoenixesawas reported for the first time in the world, while the rest of the fungi were reported for the first time from Aligarh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibitory activity of five plant extracts viz.Artemisia absinthiumL., Rumex obtusifoliusL., Taraxacum officinaleWeber ex Wiggers, Plantago lanceolataL. andMalva sylvestrisL. were evaluated against the mycelial growth of three fungiAlternaria alternata(Fr.) Keissler, Penicillium expansumLink ex Thom. andMucor piriformisFisher that cause rot diseases in fruits and vegetables resulting in low yield and quality of fruits and vegetables. Results revealed that all the concentrations of plant extracts brought about significant inhibition in the mycelial growth of these pathogenic fungi. However, the highest concentration caused maximum inhibition in the mycelial growth followed by lower concentrations of plant extracts. The extract ofA. absinthiumleaves at highest concentration (S) proved highly effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth of all these pathogenic fungi followed by other plant extracts. These plants thus may have potential as the new natural fungicide for management of fungal rot diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various chemical fungicides, systemic and non-systemic, were tested against fruit rot pathogensviz.Alternaria alternataandMucor pyriformisfor the evaluation of inhibition of mycelial growth. InA. alternata, among the systemic fungicides used, hexaconozole showed highest inhibition of mycelial growth followed by carbendazim and least effective was myclobutanil. While inM. pyriformis, hexaconozole showed highest inhibition and least effective was bitertanol. Among the non-systemic fungicides tested in bothA. alternataandM. pyriformis, mancozeb showed highest inhibition of mycelial growth followed by capton and the least inhibition was shown by zineb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel heterobimetallic CuII–SnIV complex 1 bearing bioactive 1,10-phenanthroline pharmacophore ligand scaffold was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV–vis spectroscopy, Mass (ESI and FAB) and X–ray crystallography. The in vitro DNA binding studies of complex 1 with CT DNA was carried out by various biophysical and molecular docking techniques which revealed that complex 1 binds to DNA through intercalation in the minor groove having AT-rich sequences. Complex 1 exhibits high chemical nuclease activity cleaving supercoiled pBR322 DNA via hydrolytic pathway which was further evidenced by T4 DNA ligase assay. The complex 1 shows high inhibitory activity against Topo I at a very low concentration (15 μM), suggesting that complex 1 is an efficient catalytic inhibitor of human Topo I and further validated by molecular docking studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitric oxide releasing compound sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is regarded as novel chemical to beat the daunting challenges of postharvest losses in cut flowers. In the recent years, it has yielded propitious results as postharvest vase preservative for cut flowers. Our study explicates the efficacy of SNP in mitigating postharvest senescence in Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur cut spikes. The freshly excised C. ajacis spikes were subjected to different SNP treatments viz , 20 μM, 40 μM, 60 μM and 80 μM. The control spikes were held in distilled water. The spikes held in test solutions showed a marked improvement in vase life and flower quality. Our results indicate a profound surge in sugars, phenols and soluble proteins in SNP-treated spikes over control. Moreover, the SNP treatments improved membrane stability as signposted by decreased lipoxygenase activity (LOX). The SNP treatments also upregulated different antioxidant enzymes viz , ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The current study recommends 40 μM SNP as optimum concentration for preserving floral quality and extending display period of C. ajacis spikes. Together, these findings reveal that SNP at proper dosage can efficiently alleviate deteriorative postharvest changes by modulating physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying senescence. Nitric oxide is regarded as novel chemical to beat the daunting challenges of postharvest losses in cut flowers. Flower quality and vase life are crucial postharvest attributes key to marketability and customer satisfaction of cut flowers. Our study explicates the efficacy of nitric oxide in mitigating postharvest senescence in Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur cut spikes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new axially chiral BODIPY–based fluorescent dye was prepared. • Its molecular structure confirmed by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 19F-NMR. • The 19F NMR spectrum is consistent with the presence of a 1:1 mixture of the chiral. • A 7.46 Kcal mol−1 barrier to diastereomer conversion. • Molecular docking gives brief insight about the binding of the compound 3 , suggesting that it has a strong binding potential. A new axially chiral BODIPY–based fluorescent dye, 4,4‒difluoro‒2,6‒bis(2‒methoxyphenyl)‒1,3,5,7‒tetramethyl‒8‒phenyl‒4‒bora‒3a,4a‒diaza‒s‒indacene, 3 , has been synthesized. Its molecular structure confirmed by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 19F-NMR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The 19F NMR spectrum is consistent with the presence of a 1:1 mixture of the chiral, anti -diastereoisomer and the meso, syn isomer which do not interconvert on heating to 100 °C in d 8 -toluene. Geometry minimization by density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the expected non-coplanarity caused by steric interactions between the 2-methoxyphenyl substituents and the methyl groups on the BODIPY core and predict a 7.46 Kcal mol−1 barrier to diastereomer conversion by rotation around the BODIPY-aryl bond. The syn isomer is predicted to be more stable than the anti -isomer by only 0.13931 Kcal mol−1. The theoretical potential of the present compound to act as an antibacterial agent has been explored by molecular docking studies. From the partition coefficient value, it can be inferred that the compound 3 could exhibit potential antibacterial activity. Furthermore, molecular docking results provided details of the binding site and the energy of the compound 3 with selected target molecules. The results of which revealed its potential to inhibit bacterial target enzymes viz., DNA gyrase, enzymes in the type II fatty acid synthesis and Ddl in peptidoglycan synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1-alkyl-2-pyridones, 2a-c , and 2-acyl-2-hydroxypyridines, 3a-b, were synthesized under ultrasonic irradiation. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1HNMR and FTIR spectroscopy. DFT calculations were performed in order to study reactivity of the N and O-sites of 2-hydroxypyridine towards these reactions. The results showed that the electrophilicity index of the alkyl and acyl halide were found to be higher than that of 2-hydroxypyridine. Furthermore, these compounds were screened for antimicrobial activities and were found to be significantly inhibit bacterial and fungal strains. 1-hexyldecyl-2-pyridone (2c) and 2-acyl-2-hydroxypyridines (3a) displayed strong antibacterial activities towards Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 2921. Moreover compound 3a was found to effective inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 204305 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763. Hence to further validate the binding of these compounds, molecular docking studies were performed. The results revealed that compounds 2c and 3a were found to be interactive within the active sites of E. coli DNA gyrase enzyme and cytochrome P450, 14-α-sterol demethylase (CYP51) with good binding affinities. Furthermore, their comparative molecular docking results suggested to the compound 2c have a higher binding affinity than 3a with the selected receptors. Best docked conformation of compound 2c and 3a in complex (a) with antibacterial receptor, E. coli DNA gyrase. The protein and the DNA backbone are displayed in green ribbon and coils, (b) Binding pocket of compound 2c and 3a in DNA gyrase. Image 1 • 1-Alkyl-2-pyridones, 2a-c , and 2-acyl-2-hydroxypyridines, 3a-b, were synthesized. • 1-Hexyldecyl-2-pyridone (2c) and 2-acyl-2-hydroxypyridines (3a) displayed strong antibacterial activities. • Compound 3a was found to effectively inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 204305 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763. • The molecular docking results revealed that compounds 2c and 3a were found to be interactive within the active sites of E. coli DNA gyrase enzyme and cytochrome P450. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the association of GDM and pre-eclampsia in women with obstetric cholestasis., Materials and Methods: Pregnant women with > 28 weeks gestation attending ANC, OPD and labor room of J.N.M.C.H, AMU, Aligarh UP (India) from 2020 to 2022 were included in the study after taking informed consent and ethical approval from the Institute. Women were divided into 2 groups, i.e. group 1 having 200 women with IHCP and group 2 having 200 healthy pregnant women; both the groups were followed up for the development of GDM and pre-eclampsia., Results: A statistically significant association was observed between IHCP and development of GDM [26.5% and odds ratio (OR) 1.64] and pre-eclampsia (17% and OR: 1.95) (p < 0.05), an also GDM and pre-eclampsia were found to be significantly associated with the severity of cholestasis (p < 0.05). Thus, on calculating OR, we found higher odds of developing GDM and pre-eclampsia in IHCP group with raised serum bile acid levels, maximum at 60 μmol/L level as compared to 10-40 μmol/L (GDM: OR: 8.647 and pre-eclampsia: OR: 6.303). Induction and cesarean rates were significantly higher in IHCP group (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Our study concludes significant association of IHCP with GDM and pre-eclampsia as all three shares common pathogenetic pathways and greater risk of development at higher serum bile acid levels., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Senescence is a multifaceted and dynamic developmental phase pivotal in the plant's lifecycle, exerting significant influence and involving intricate regulatory mechanisms marked by a variety of structural, biochemical and molecular alterations. Biochemical changes, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, membrane deterioration, nucleic acid degradation and protein degradation, characterize flower senescence. The progression of senescence entails a meticulously orchestrated network of interconnected molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways, ensuring its synchronized and efficient execution. Within flowering plants, petal senescence emerges as a crucial aspect significantly impacting flower longevity and postharvest quality, emphasizing the pressing necessity of unravelling the underlying signalling cascades orchestrating this process. Understanding the complex signalling pathways regulating petal senescence holds paramount importance, not only shedding light on the broader phenomenon of plant senescence but also paving the way for the development of targeted strategies to enhance the postharvest longevity of cut flowers. Various signalling pathways participate in petal senescence, encompassing hormone signalling, calcium signalling, protein kinase signalling and ROS signalling. Among these, the ethylene signalling pathway is extensively studied, and the manipulation of genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis or signal transduction has demonstrated the potential to enhance flower longevity. A thorough understanding of these complex pathways is critical for effectively delaying flower senescence, thereby enhancing postharvest quality and ornamental value. Therefore, this review adopts a viewpoint that combines fundamental research into the molecular intricacies of senescence with a practical orientation towards developing strategies for improving the postharvest quality of cut flowers. The innovation of this review is to shed light on the pivotal signalling cascades underpinning flower senescence and offer insights into potential approaches for modulating these pathways to postpone petal senescence in ornamental plants., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The fine-tuning of the intricate network of plant growth hormones empowers the balanced responses of plants to environmental and developmental signals. Salicylic acid and jasmonates are emerging as advanced hormones that provide plants with resistance to environmental stresses. Senescence is characterized by coordinated and systematic crosstalk between phytohormones that remodels the biochemical and physiological mechanisms in plants, resulting in cell death. The present investigation examines the role of jasmonates (methyl jasmonate and jasmonic acid) and salicylic acid (SA) in regulating the petal senescence of detached stalks of Cosmos sulphureus . Based on our results, it was revealed that SA and jasmonic acid (JA) at 40 μM and methyl jasmonate (MJ) at 0.75 μM concentration delayed the senescence of detached flowers of C. sulphureus considerably. These growth regulators improved the membrane stability, reinforced the antioxidant enzyme activities and averted the upsurge of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) content in the petals. Additionally, SA and jasmonates preserved higher content of total phenols, reducing sugars and soluble proteins in the petals, besides impeding the bacterial growth in testing solutions which corroborated with the maximum solution uptake. The elevated soluble protein content was found to be associated with low specific protease activity (SPA) and α-amino acid content in the petal tissues. Our study concluded that SA and jasmonates delayed flower senescence by averting oxidative stress and maintaining the nutritional status of the petals., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Flower senescence is a fundamental aspect of the developmental trajectory in flowers, occurring after the differentiation of tissues and maturation of petals, and preceding the growth and development of seeds. It is accompanied by various alterations at the cytological, physiological, and molecular levels, similar to other forms of programmed cell death (PCD). It involves an intricate interplay of various plant growth regulators, with ethylene being the key orchestrator in ethylene-dependent petal senescence. Petal senescence mediated by ethylene is marked by various changes such as petal wilting, amplified oxidative stress, degradation of proteins and nucleic acids, and autophagy. Ethylene crosstalks with other growth regulators and triggers genetic and/or epigenetic reprogramming of genes during senescence in flowers. While our understanding of the mechanism and regulation of petal senescence in ethylene-sensitive species has advanced, significant knowledge gaps still exist, which demand critical reappraisal of the available literature on the topic. A deeper understanding of the various mechanisms and regulatory pathways involved in ethylene-dependent senescence has the capacity to facilitate a more precise regulation of the timing and site of senescence, thus leading to optimized crop yields, enhanced product quality, and extended longevity., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Plant leaves provide a unique insight into the changes that occur in organs, tissues and cells as they approach senescence. As part of the parental outlay, plants instigate leaf senescence to reallocate resources from older tissues to new organs towards the termination of the growing season. The aim of crop breeding initiatives is to optimize senescence for specific species. Considering hormonal regulation and their crosstalk during leaf senescence through integration of developmental signals, this work examines the efficacy of polyamines (PAs) in modulating several biochemical and physiological aspects with an ultimate aim to delay leaf senescence in leaf discs of Berginia ciliata (Haw.) sternb. Leaf discs were treated with putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) at 20μM, 20μM and 15μM concentration, respectively. A set of leaf discs kept in distilled water served as the control. Leaf discs treated with PAs were green and fresh by about 4 days compared to the control, thus exhibited delayed senescence. This delayed leaf senescence corroborated with the maintenance of high activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging antioxidant enzymes viz , superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and higher content of chlorophylls. A marked increase was also observed in membrane stability and soluble proteins in leaf discs treated with PAs. Exogenous PAs reduced oxidative stress in the leaf discs, as revealed by lower malondialdehyde (MDA) level, which is manifested as reduced lipid peroxidation (LPO). Improved membrane stability was proportional to lower LPO, as measured by the membrane stability index (MSI).

The concepts of environmental and business sustainability are well-established in the business lexicon of progressive firms. However, firms are yet to examine the effects of environmental management practices (EMPs) on environmental performance (EP) and financial performance (FP) by connecting the missing linkage of environment, social, and governance disclosure (ESGD). This study analyses the impact of EMPs on EP and FP and offers empirical evidence of whether ESGD mediates the relationship between EP and FP of firms in Malaysia. The data from 141 listed firms on Bursa Malaysia was extracted between 2009-2020. The data was analyzed using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique. The findings reflect that EMPs have a significant positive effect on EP and all five proxies of EP have a significant positive effect on ESGD (except 'S') and FP. Also, ESGD together with its three proxies mediates the relationship between EP and FP. The findings of this research offer an empirical rationale for regulators and policymakers of industrial firms to accelerate their EMPs and improve ESGD mechanisms for better environmental and financial outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

A series of novel 1,2,3-triazole derivatives of capsaicin and its structural isomer (new natural product hybrid capsaicinoid) were synthesized by exploiting one-/two-point modification of capsaicin without altering the amide linkage (neck). The newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity against an NCI panel of 60 cancer cell lines at a single dose of 10 μM. Most of the compounds have demonstrated reduced growth between 55 and 95%, whereas capsaicin ( 10 ) has shown reduced growth between 0 and 24%. Compounds showing more than 50% growth inhibition were further evaluated for the IC 50 value. Among the cell lines tested, lung cancer cell lines (A549, NCI-H460) were found to be more susceptible toward most of the synthesized compounds. Compounds 14g and 14j demonstrated good antiproliferative activity in NCI-H460 with IC 50 values of 6.65 and 5.55 μM, respectively, while compounds 18b , 18c , 18f , and 18m demonstrated potential antiproliferative activity in A549 cell lines with IC 50 values ranging between 2.9 and 10.5 μM. Among the compounds, compound 18f was found to demonstrate the best activity with an IC 50 value of 2.91 μM against A549. Furthermore, 18f induces cell cycle arrest at the S-phase and disrupts the mitochondrial membrane potential, reducing cell migration potential by inducing cellular apoptosis and higher ROS generation along with a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential in addition to surface and nuclear morphological alterations such as a reduction in the number and shrinkage of cells coupled with nuclear blabbing indicating the sign of apoptosis of A549 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Compound 18f has emerged as a lead molecule and may serve as a template for further discovery of capsaicinoid scaffolds., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has emerged as an innovative paradigm for industrial firms contemplating environmental and economic issues. This study explicates the role of I4.0 technologies (I4.0TEC) in reinforcing the management of environmental assets (ENVASS) as well as optimizing financial performance (FP). The data in this research was collected from 738 industrial firms in Malaysia between 2009 and 2018. The analyses of ordinary least square statistics (OLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) delineated three major findings. The individual effect of ENVASS, robotization, and flexibility in production technologies has a marginal impact on sales, exports, and labor productivity indicators. The complementarities of these variables represent a similar effect on the performance indicators. The findings related to gross operating margin elucidate that ENVASS and I4.0TEC have neither individual nor complementarity effects. This was explained by developing a robust model by integrating ENVASS, I4.0TEC, spending and investing in R&D, flexibility in production, and human capital management. Our findings have confirmed that the proposed model offers a functional toolkit for the firms considering optimizing their profitability by leveraging ENVASS and I4.0TEC. This research also contributes to developing an ethical business model for the circular economy., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite a profound evidence of the human unsustainable behaviours' impact on the environment, stark disparities prevail on this narrative especially in the context of the current epidemiological situation ushered by the COVID-19. The ongoing pandemic is a global public health concern due to its sagacious impacts on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and people's quality of life. This study primarily focuses on analysing the impact of COVID-19 (COV) on the environmental awareness (EA), sustainable consumption (SC) and social responsibility (SR). Additionally, we aspire to investigate the impact of demographics of generations and religion on the proposed nexus in this study. The data was collected from 700 participants of different age groups and religious backgrounds in Malaysia, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse this data and test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that COVID-19 has a significantly positive impact on EA, SC and SR, and the generations and religiosity moderate the relationship between COVID-19 and its impact on sustainable behaviours. This study contributes to analyse the difference in the perception of EA, SC and SR among the people that eventually will stimulate the scientific reasoning among the governments, policymakers and scientists to develop a holistic framework to combat unprecedented event such as COVID-19 and ensure the authentication of sustainable environment and exceptional quality of life. The policymakers in Malaysia may use the findings of this study to inspect the social and environmental aspects of the people during the transformation events., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The present investigation primarily focussed on evaluating the efficacy of exogenous proline on the flower longevity of Dianthus chinensis L. Floral buds were harvested at the paint brush stage (i.e., a day prior to anthesis) and divided into 6 sets, with one set of buds (i.e., control) held in distilled water and rest of the 5 sets were supplemented with various concentrations of proline, viz., 10 mM, 20 mM, 30 mM, 40 mM and 50 mM. The application of proline at 40 mM concentration proved out to be most effective in improving the longevity of the flowers by about 4 days as compared to the control. The ameliorated longevity coincided with enhanced floral diameter, fresh mass, dry mass and water content. The flowers with delayed senescence also maintained higher soluble proteins, sugars and phenols. The results suggest that exogenous proline effectively alleviates oxidative stress in the petal tissue, as evident by a relatively lower maloendialdehyde content, which is manifested in the form of reduced lipid peroxidation (LPO). Reduced LPO was commensurate with increased membrane stability, quantified by membrane stability index. Moreover, the flowers with improved longevity exhibited a decline in lipoxygenase activity and significant augmentation of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase., (© Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2021.)

Iron oxide nanoparticles with particle size 10-30 nm were prepared by a green approach using tannic acid as reducing and capping agent. These nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The prepared iron oxide nanoparticles were also evaluated for their antifungal activity against Trichothecium roseum, Cladosporium herbarum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus niger. The antifungal activity was observed as inhibition in spore germination and by determining the zone of inhibition of fungal pathogens caused by different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles on culture media. It was observed from the present study that Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles showed significant antimycotic activity against all the tested fungal pathogens. Highest inhibition in spore germination was caused against T. roseum (87.74%) followed by C. herbarum (84.89%). The highest zone of inhibition by iron oxide nanoparticles was reported against P. chrysogenum (28.67 mm) followed by A. niger (26.33 mm), T. roseum (22.67 mm), A. alternata (21.33 mm) and least against C. herbarum (18.00 mm). Activity index was recorded highest against P. chrysogenum (0.81). The MIC value of Fe 2 O 3 NP varies between 0.063 and 0.016 mg/ml for different fungal pathogens that is comparable with the MIC value shown by the standard, revealing the efficacy of iron oxide NP's against different fungal pathogens., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Novel chiral ternary Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes of l/d-histidine and picolinic acid, 1 and 2(a and b) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance and spectroscopic data (IR, NMR, EPR, UV-vis). In vitro DNA binding profile of both Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes have been investigated by UV-vis titrations, while fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and viscosity measurements were carried out for Cu(II) complexes 1(a and b). Both the enantiomers of 1 and 2(a and b) bind to CT DNA via electrostatic interactions and the intrinsic binding constant, Kb values for complexes 1 and 2(a and b) were found to be 5.6×10(4), 9.8×10(3), 8.2×10(3) and 6.7×10(3)M(-1), respectively suggesting greater binding propensity of l-form of Cu(II) complex 1a. The DNA cleavage activity of complexes 1(a and b), investigated by agarose gel electrophoresis suggested an oxidative pathway for DNA cleavage. Further, the molecular docking studies of complexes 1(a and b) were carried out with B-DNA revealing that the complexes bind to the adenine-thymine residues in the minor groove of the DNA. The resulting binding energies of docked metal complexes 1(a and b) were found to be -265.1 and -218.9KJmol(-1), respectively. Furthermore, enantiomeric complexes 1 and 2(a and b) were screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dipeptide (Pro-Gly and Pro-Leu) Zinc(II) complexes 1 and 2 were designed and synthesized for potential use as cancer chemotherapeutic agents. In order to augment the DNA recognition of metallonuclease activity, zinc metal ion was tethered to peptide motif to carry out DNA site specific hydrolytic cleavage. The structural formulation of the complexes 1 and 2 was done by elemental analysis, spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR, electronic) and molar conductance measurements. Their in vitro DNA binding profile was investigated by UV-vis titrations, fluorescence titrations and circular dichroism which revealed that these complexes bind to CT DNA by electrostatic interactions via groove binding mode. Zn(II) Pro-Gly complex 1 showed greater binding affinity to CT DNA as compared to the Zn(II) Pro-Leu complex 2 due to steric constraints in the latter. The supercoiled pBR322 DNA cleavage activity of complex 1, ascertained by gel electrophoresis demonstrated efficient DNA cleaving ability via hydrolytic mechanistic pathway. Further, the molecular docking studies confirmed that complex 1 bind to the minor groove of DNA having AT-rich sequences with relative binding energy of -196.72kJmol(-1)., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine the outcomes of surgical repair of atrial septal defects in paediatric and adult patients., Methods: The retrospective study comprised data of 84 patients who had undergone surgical correction of atrial septal defect at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, between June 2006 and December 2011. All patients with isolated atrial septal defect (ostium secundum, ostium primum and sinus venosus with or without partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection) were included. Clinical and transthoracic echocardiographic data was reviewed. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis., Results: There were no deaths in the study population. The mean time for follow-up was 6.5 +/- 9.9 months. Most of the patients (n = 80; 95.2%) were in NewYork Heart Association class I at follow-up, while the remaining 4 (4.8%) were in New York Heart Association class II. Post-operatively, 8 (9.5%) patients developed brief episodes of arrhythmias. There were 3 (3.57%) patients who were re-admitted within 30 days; 2 (66.7%) had superficial wound infection, while 1 (33.3%) had to be re-opened because of cardiac tamponade., Conclusion: Surgical repair of atrial septal defects is a safe procedure which is associated with excellent results and low morbidity.