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The non-covalent immobilization of β-glucuronidase enzyme obtained from Rhizopus oryzae was carried out by entrapment in natural fiber (papaya and coconut). The bioconversion capability of immobilized enzyme was analyzed based on conversion of glycyrrhizin to 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid under different conditions. The hydrolytic activity of the β-glucuronidase enzyme was highly depended on the microbial source and matrix, in which enzyme was immobilized. R. oryzae β-glucuronidase immobilized in papaya fibers produced the highest GA content (13.170 μg/mL) at 10 h of reaction. However R. oryzae β-glucuronidase immobilized in coconut fibers produced the highest GA content (21.425 μg/mL) at 15 h of reaction. Online Molinspiration software was used to predict drug like molecular properties of the 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, and software suggested that the compounds had potential of becoming the orally active molecules. Therefore, in silico studies were conducted on proposed 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid to select the best possible drug candidates based on drug properties and bioactivity score of the compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is an important source for drinking and irrigation purposes. Due to anthropogenic activities, heavy metals have been leaching due to industrial waste and agricultural activities to the groundwater causing pollution. The assessment of groundwater quality is necessary to reduce the pollution to acceptable levels. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate heavy metal concentrations in the groundwater of the villages of Garautha Tehsil, Jhansi where the anthropogenic activities are active. The groundwater samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the results were compared to the 2012 Bureau of Indian Standard limits. Three multivariate statistical methods were used to analyze the groundwater quality for irrigation and drinking purposes and to investigate the geological and hydrogeological processes. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) identified four factors responsible for the data structure by illuminating the total variance of 77.83% of the dataset. The majority of groundwater samples contained Al, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Fe within the acceptable limits except at few locations. However, the Al, Fe, and Mn concentration were high at a few sites due to rock–water interactions, whereas the concentration of As, Cd, and Zn were lower than their respective permissible limits in all groundwater samples. Furthermore, the groundwater quality for the use of irrigation is found to be acceptable at 19 locations, with only one high result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Islamic society, many different categories of relationships were made among human beings to recognize each other, the most important category among them is divorced women. In Islamic teachings, it is commanded to adopt a positive attitude in all the circumstances which are related to human life. In particular, Islam forbids bad and cruel treatment with women. If we have a close look at history, we found some incredible situations about women such as a woman was considered less than animals, she was burnt alive with her dead husband, she was deprived her fundamental rights, even she could not take the inheritance. This was the law of the world, which was made concerning a weak (physically weak) woman because in the sight of a man she was less than cattle. If we talk about Islam it is a religion of peace and harmony, it gives honour and respect to a woman as a mother, a sister, a wife and a daughter as compared to other religions in society. It is a fact that with the passage of time we are ignoring the teachings of Islam and we are going towards ignorant time period. In the contemporary arena, there are many cases of deprivation to the economically and socially of a divorced woman, whose we can see, hear and read through the different sources as TV, newspapers and in real conditions. Especially divorced women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) are facing economic and social issues in male dominant society. After divorce, they are deprived of their economic and social rights in society. There is a dire need that the economic and social issues of divorced women must be solved in society, then they would be able to spend their lives with calm in society. This article is written in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is facing scarcity of water worldwide. Scientists are busy in searching such techniques which may overcome the problem to some extent. Keeping in view this contest an experiment was conducted at the field area of Soil Bacteriology Section, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute (ABRI), Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), Faisalabad in year 2013-14, to evaluate the potential of PGPR on wheat, facing drought stress at booting and milking stages. Inoculum of PGPR having colony forming unit (CUF) 106 mL-1 was applied as seed coating at sowing. Drought stress was given at two sensitive stages (tillering and grain filling). Fertilizers (100-100-60 kg NPK ha-1) were applied as Urea, single super phosphate and sulphate of potash to all the treatments, following randomized complete block design. Results revealed that PGPR inoculation produced more grain yield 4.95 t ha-1 where water stress was given at milking stage compared to 4.51 t ha-1 having water stress at booting stage. Number of tillers (582), thousand grains weight (40.3 g) and spike length (18.4 cm) were more with PGPR where water stress was given at grain filling stage compared to 499, 37.7g and 18.3 cm respectively where drought was given at booting stage. So, it is concluded that drought is more harmful at booting stage than at milking stage and stress can be evade to some extent by inoculation with PGPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion has always been playing a very important role in the lives of all humans since the very beginning of life. Historians believe that there has never been lack of divine guidance in any period of time ever since the existence of human race, but with the passage of time the teachings of Islām were perverted and different religions and civilizations came into existence, some of which diminished with time while others adopting their teachings according to the modern and changing conditions continued to exist. However, religious teachings have always dominated other forces in the world mainly because of visionary efforts and a continued chain of prophets. Apart from Islam other religions also had their influnce on the systems. The study of religions has always been a well-established tradition among the researchers and thinkers who have always focused on this aspect of learning which paved the way to producing books of immense scholastic quality. People in different parts of the world had been expressing their opinions about the teaching of religions. Religious teachings were also debated in our part of the world-the sub-continentwhich is evident from the writings of Ḥāfiz Muḥammad Shariq in his book which led to the opening of many gateways of research for knowledge seekers. In this article an analytical review of the special work of Muhammad Shariq on Hinduism is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil borne pathogens are responsible for considerable yield losses in field crops. Healthy growth and ultimate yield of the crop depends upon the efficient supply of water, nutrients and absence of biotic and abiotic stress. Under biotic stress plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and compost inhabiting bacteria (CIB) can help the plant to function normally by suppressing the pathogen. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of PGPR and CIB on growth and yield of maize, grown in fungus infested soil. Two strains, each of PGPR (Mb4 and Mb7) and CIB (Cb4 and Cb9) were evaluated to improve the growth and yield of maize crop. Maize seeds were sterilized and inoculated with bacterial strains before sowing along with un-inoculated control for comparison. Recommended dose of fertilizers (180, 140, 90 NPK kg ha-1) was applied at sowing and pots were arranged in completely randomized design. Results showed that inoculation with selected strains of bacteria, exhibited percent increase in yield of fresh cob (up to 52.69%) and dry cob (40.87%), cob length (51.42%), grain yield (up to 55.34%), 1000-grain weight (up to 37.27%), K contents in grains and straw (1.756 and 0.793, respectively), %N in grains and straw (up to 2.675 and 0.997%, respectively) and %P in grains and straw (up to 1.756 and 0.793%, respectively) compared to un-inoculated control. Keeping in view the higher yield parameters of inoculated treatments compared to un-inoculated control, it was concluded that inoculation of maize seeds with bacterial consortia suppressed the adverse effect of fungal pathogen and enhanced the growth and yield of maize crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was conducted in Soil Bacterology Section, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan to study the role of Rhizobium in heavy metal remediation in two consecutive years (2013-14 and 2014-15). Growth and yield of chickpea, under metal contaminated soil, was evaluated. At the time of pot filling copper was applied as CuSo4.5H2O @ 50, 100,150 and 200 mg kg-1 soil in all the treatment. In these treatments, chickpea seed was inoculated with peat based Rhizobium inoculums. Fertilizers @ 30-60 kg NP ha-1 were applied at sowing. The trial was laid out according to CRD having four repeats. The results revealed that post-harvest soil carried lower Cu contents compared to pre-sowing soil even without inoculation. However, Rhizobium inoculation decreased the Cu contents upto 73-98%. Significant increase in grain yield (16.8 g pot-1) was observed by Rhizobium inoculation at Cu concentration of 50 mg kg-1. The physical parameters of the plants like root/shoot length, biomass, dry weight, nodular mass and number of nodules plant-1 were also increased significantly at all Cu levels combined with Rhizobium inoculation. It is concluded that rhizobial inoculation exerted positive effect on growth of crop in metal infected soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: p16 overexpression and wild-type p53 expression are associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical and oropharyngeal cancer. Role of HPV-related carcinogenesis in the etiology of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still vague in Indian population. We aimed to explore the expression pattern of p16 and p53 in HPV-positive and HPV-negative OSCC to elicit differences, if any. Further their effect on survival of patients was studied.Methods: Thirty-one consecutive HPV-positive as well as 31 age and sex-matched HPV-negative OSCC cases from a case series of 369 histologically diagnosed cases of OSCC were included in this study. HPV was detected by two methods, viz. real-time PCR and conventional PCR in biopsy samples. p16 and p53 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and p16 mRNA expression was quantified with real-time PCR using SYBR Green assay.Results: p16 was expressed in six (19.4%) HPV-positive and in four (12.9%) HPV-negative cases. Overall mutant-type p53 expression in 62 OSCC cases was 54.8%. Out of ten p16-positive cases, eight expressed mutant-type p53 and only two cases expressed wild-type p53. Risk factors including oral tobacco consumption and alcohol were present in all these ten p16-positive cases. Survival of patients was not affected by HPV, p16 and p53 status.Conclusion: Presence of mutant-type p53 and exposure to tobacco-related risk factors in both HPV-positive and negative cases suggest existence of p53-related carcinogenesis in HPV-positive cases in Indian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The selection of suitable functional excipients with low toxicity index and having P-glycoprotein inhibitory characteristics represents a major innovative step in designing a promising formulation for oral chemotherapy. This study was aimed at investigating the chemosensitizing effect of selected pharmaceutical excipients to improve the in vivo pharmacokinetic performance of VP-16. Methods: The pharmaceutical excipients having P-glycoprotein inhibitory activity were screened by shake flask method for their VP-16 solubilization capacity. The cumulative amount of VP-16 was determined with or without the selected pharmaceutical excipients at three different concentrations (0.1 % w/v, 0.5 % w/v and 1 % w/v) by an everted gut sac technique. Moreover, pharmacokinetic studies were also performed to determine the oral bioavailability assessment of VP-16 in albino male Wistar rats. Results: The absorptive transport from mucosal-to-serosal ( M → S) and secretory transport from serosal-to-mucosal ( S → M) for VP-16 solution over 90 min were found to be (3.58 ± 0.32) × 10 and (14.63 ± 3.11) × 10 cm/s, respectively, with a net efflux of 4.08. Addition of verapamil (200 µM), a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, elevated the transport from M → S [P app from (3.58 ± 0.32) to (9.66 ± 1.55) × 10 cm/s, p < 0.05] and lowered the S → M [P app from (14.63 ± 3.11) to (13.35 ± 2.01) × 10 cm/s, p < 0.01], with a net efflux of 1.38. The relative bioavailability of VP-16 following oral administration (4.5 mg/kg) in rats was increased significantly ( p < 0.01) in presence of Labrasol micellar solution at a concentration of 5 % (w/v) when compared with VP-16 solution alone. Conclusion: The findings suggest that pharmaceutical excipients may be employed in the development of drug delivery systems to improve the oral bioavailability of drugs having low solubility and/or less permeability as a result of substantial P-glycoprotein mediated efflux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the entire scenario of Pakistan citrus sector, kinnow (Citrus reticulata Blanco) right from its introduction and successful acclimatization continues to dominate both in area and production besides an exportable commodity. Presence of large seed number in Kinnow is big issue for fresh consumption and as well as for processing industry in the international markets. Visualizing such compulsions of international markets, a systematic study was undertaken by Horticultural Research Station, Sahiwal with identification of five less seeded kinnow strains (1-6 seeds). Results depicted that less seeded kinnow strain, encoded LSKS-2, produced superior external and internal quality attributes. Average fruit weight and size outstripped other contestant strains. It produces average weight per fruit as 170.58gms with length/breadth, as 70.68mm and 68.08 mm respectively. Maximum juice recovery as 46.22% with glucose 48.08gms per liter, fructose 27.72gms per liter was obtained significantly high in less seeded strain LSKS-2. Total soluble solids as 11.70% remained in the same strain (LSKS-2). Vitamin C was18.43 mg/100gms besides total phenolic compounds 94.78 µgms in LSKS-2. However, somewhat tenacious fruit with more peel thickness was observed in LSKS-4 which was 3.31 mm. Highest firmness remained 2.48kg in LSKS-1 of less seeded kinnow. Conclusively less seeded strain LSKS-2 proved best of all the five strains of less seeded kinnow. The study is worthwhile for exploiting natural mutant kinnow strains bearing less seeded fruit of high quality characters through vegetative method of propagation thereby avoiding inevitable heterozygosity and polyembyonic nature of citrus fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is characterized by a dismal prognosis owing to the paucity of early signs and symptoms. North India reports high incidence of GBC possibly due to environmental, dietary and reproductive factors. Understanding the epidemiology of gallbladder cancer has and will continue to provide valuable insights into determining causes and risk factors for gallbladder cancer. Methods: Prospective study of gallbladder carcinoma patients, presenting in our department, was undertaken over three year period to evaluate the epidemiological profile of gallbladder carcinoma patients from our region. Results: The peak incidence of GBC was in 31-50 years age group (58 %). Male to female ratio was 1:4.83, with mean age for females (mean 49.1 years) significantly lower than male counterpart (mean 54.9 years) ( p value = 0.000423). Majority of patients were non-vegetarians (67 %) and 84 % of them consumed mustard oil (home made/loose packed) as predominant cooking medium. Majority of the patients of GBC in our study were from low socioeconomic strata (68 %) (Kuppuswamy classes IV, V (lower class)). GBC was more commonly seen in females with the age of menarche less than 14 years (83 %) and the age of the first child birth less than 20 years (56 %). Females with more than two children had higher incidence (57 %). Majority of the female patients (71 %) were postmenopausal. Gallstones were present in 390 out of 490 patients (80 %). Incidental gallbladder carcinoma was detected in 158 out of 490 patients (32 %). Pain abdomen was the most common presenting complaint (98 %). Significant proportion of the patients with GBC presented with distant metastasis (stage IVB) (52 %). The most common histological subtype was adenocarcinoma (78 %). Conclusion: Current data suggest that the epidemiology of gallbladder cancer is constantly evolving, with much of this change caused by lifestyle, cultural and dietary factors. Balanced diet, prevention of malnutrition/adulteration, tobacco prevention and early intervention for cholelithiasis may help in decreasing the incidence of this dreaded disease. More structured studies need to be carried out to ascertain risk factors for GBC in our population subgroup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) attracts great attention of the growers owing to its good taste, ample antioxidant potential and high nutriotional value. Potassium (K) plays vital role in many biochemical and physiological processes. Potassium application and its proper application time was tested in field experimenet for tomato yield and nutritional quality. The experiment site was the farm area of Biocemistry Section, Post Harvest Research Centre, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, during the year 2022. Seven treatments were applied on two tomato varieties (Nadir and Nagina) with 4 K-levels i.e. without any K (0-K), 60, 90 and 120 kg ha-1. Potassium was applied as single basal dose at transplanting, as well as in two splits. Recommended nitrogen and phosphorus (150 and 90 kg ha-1, respectively) were applied to all the treatments. The highest yield (24.80 t ha-1 ) and fresh fruit weight (86.3 g fruit-1) resulted in response of 90 kg of K ha-1 in two splits, albeit firmness (8.48 kg), total soluble solids (7.28 %), acidity (0.84%), total invert sugars (6.65 %), ascorbic acid (31.28 mg 100 g-1), mineral matter (1.99 %), lycopene (5.73 mg 100 g-1) and beta-carotene (237 µg 100 g-1) were recorded the highest with the application of 120 kg ha-1 potassium in two splits. Nadir was superior to Nagina with improved total invert sugars (6.31 %), mineral matter (1.89 %), lycopene (5.36 mg 100 g-1) and beta-carotene (229 µg 100 g-1). So, it is concluded that Nadir was a better variety than Nagina and 120 kg of K ha-1 showed good results with both the varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]