Search

Abstract Protein kinases and their substrates form signaling networks partitioned across subcellular compartments to facilitate critical biological processes. While the subcellular roles of many individual kinases have been elucidated, a comprehensive assessment of the synaptic subkinome is lacking. Further, most studies of kinases focus on transcript, protein, and/or phospho-protein expression levels, providing an indirect measure of protein kinase activity. Prior work suggests that gene expression levels are not a good predictor of protein function. Thus, we assessed global serine/threonine protein kinase activity profiles in synaptosomal, nuclear, and cytosolic fractions from rat frontal cortex homogenate using peptide arrays. Comparisons made between fractions demonstrated differences in overall protein kinase activity. Upstream kinase analysis revealed a list of cognate kinases that were enriched in the synaptosomal fraction compared to the nuclear fraction. We identified many kinases in the synaptic fraction previously implicated in this compartment, while also identifying other kinases with little or no evidence for synaptic localization. Our results show the feasibility of assessing subcellular fractions with peptide activity arrays, as well as suggesting compartment specific activity profiles associated with established and novel kinases.

Our study uses the consumption-based asset-pricing power utility model to test the Equity Risk Premium (ERP) puzzle in Pakistan. The study has collected monthly stock price data from July 1997 to December 2017 from the PSX data portal. We extracted information about macroeconomic factors such as inflation and risk-free interest rate from the State Bank of Pakistan. Moreover, the study used private consumption and population data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The results suggest that the ERP puzzle has a strong occurrence in Pakistan, a phenomenon previously associated with only developed markets. One disadvantage of the present investigation is the small sample size. A longer time duration could have reduced short-term biases. Past researchers have suggested different approaches for solving the equity premium puzzle. For instance, some studies used improvised structural models to justify the equity risk premium puzzle using macroeconomic factors.

Agricultural waste disposal is one of the main concerns in today's world that can cause environmental pollution. Utilisation of agro-waste materials to grow mushrooms is an eco-friendly method to reduce pollution. Therefore, various agricultural waste materials, such as wheat straw, rice straw and cotton waste, were utilised for the production of milky mushroom. Among the substrates used in this study wheat straw showed superior substrate for the production of milky mushroom. The agronomic traits studied such as total yield, number of fruiting bodies, the maximum diameter of pileus and stalk length, biological efficiency, protein contents, phosphorous and potassium contents were observed on wheat straw substrate. Peat moss, loam soil and spent mushroom substrate were used as casing materials. Among the casing materials used, the highest yield and biological efficiency were observed on peat moss. The results also indicated that the addition of supplements with the substrate improved yield and yield contributing characteristics. Among the tested supplements (wheat bran and rice bran), wheat bran was the best supplement for wheat straw substrate to cultivate milky white mushroom.

The case study highlights the importance of finding a simple and cost effective solution to a core business problem. It elaborates the cost effective approach of Al-Shajar Capital’s Management in reactivating its dormant client base in order to capitalize the post Polling Stock Market rally. In order to analyze its dormant client base, Al-Shajar Capital remodeled the exercise as a capstone project and awarded it to final year MBA students of IoBM-CBM. The study used a modified form of Doreén Pick’s Customer win back model to reactivate customers’ accounts, not actively trading in the market. A five-week, non-scripted warm calling session was conducted, followed by a detailed report and formal presentation. Due to operational issues and human resource limitation, the exercise was conducted on weekends. The study was a success as not only it was able to revert and activate majority of dormant client accounts but also left a positive impression on many non-returning clients.

Hyperinflammatory response caused by infections such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) increases organ failure, intensive care unit admission, and mortality. Cytokine storm in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) drives this pattern of poor clinical outcomes and is dependent upon the activity of the transcription factor complex nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) and its downstream target gene interleukin 6 (IL6) which interacts with IL6 receptor (IL6R) and the IL6 signal transduction protein (IL6ST or gp130) to regulate intracellular inflammatory pathways. In this study, we compare transcriptomic signatures from a variety of drug-treated or genetically suppressed (i.e. knockdown) cell lines in order to identify a mechanism by which antidepressants such as fluoxetine demonstrate non-serotonergic, anti-inflammatory effects. Our results demonstrate a critical role for IL6ST and NF-kappaB Subunit 1 (NFKB1) in fluoxetine’s ability to act as a potential therapy for hyperinflammatory states such as asthma, sepsis, and COVID-19.

The present study was aimed at preparation of transdermal patches of tizanidine HCl, evaluation of the effect of polymers on in vitro release pattern of the drug, and the effect of permeation enhancers on the penetration of the drug through the rabbit skin. Various proportions of hydrophilic (HPMC) and hydrophobic (Eudragit L-100) polymers were used with PEG 400 as film-forming agent, and Span 20 or DMSO as permeation enhancer. The formulations were assessed for physicochemical characteristics and in vitro drug release studies using USP paddle over disc method in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 32.0±1°C. On the basis of in vitro studies and physicochemical evaluations, S03-A and S04-A were selected at Eudragit : HPMC ratios of 8 : 2 and 7 : 3, respectively, for further ex vivo analysis. The effects of different concentrations of Span 20 and DMSO were evaluated on excised rabbit skin using Franz diffusion cell. Cumulative drug permeation, flux, permeability coefficient, target flux, and enhancement ratio were calculated and compared with the control formulations. Kinetic models and Tukey’s multiple comparison test were applied to evaluate the drug release patterns. Formulation SB03-PE containing Eudragit L-100:HPMC (7:3) with Span 20 (15% w/w) produced the highest enhancement in drug permeation, and followed zero order kinetic model with super case-II drug release mechanism.

Background: Expectoration of blood that originated in the lungs or bronchial tubes is a frightening symptom for patients and often is a manifestation of significant and possibly dangerous underlying disease. Tuberculosis was and still one of the common causes followed by bronchiactasis , bronchitis, and lung cancer. Objectives: The aim of this study is to find the frequency of causes of respiratory tract bleeding in 100 patients attending alkindy teaching hospital.Type of the study: : Prospective descriptive observational study Methods of a group of patients consist of one hundred consecutive adult patients, with Lower respiratory tract bleeding are studied. History, physical examination, and a group of selected investigations performed, including complete blood examination and blood film, PT, PTT, sputum direct gram and AFB stain, cytology ,chest radiography, CT scan, and bronchoscopy when indicated.Results: pulmonary tuberculosis, acute bronchitis, lung carcinoma, and bronchectiasis are the major causes of hemoptysis in our study with 27%, 23%, 23%, 20% respectively. Of the included patients 63% were males, specially age 41-60, while 37% were females. The primary malignancy is more common than secondary cancer, and that squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcioma, are the most common.Conclusions: Tuberculosis is the main cause of lower respiratory tract bleeding, followed by lung carcinoma bronchitis, and bronchiactesis. Most of the patients are males and in middle age , sever bleeding is not common and squamous cell carcinoma is commonest cause regarding malignancies followed by adeno carcinoma

Background: H1N1 influenza pandemic or swine flu was an influenza pandemic first described in Iraq in October 2009 .The virus appeared to be anew strain of H1N1 causes wide range of morbidity and mortality among different genders and age groups as part of worldwide pandemics.Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. Objectives: Is to determine the morbidity and mortality in different age groups in patients with H1N1 influenza versus those patients with seasonal influenza who were admitted at the same time to AL-kindy teaching hospital during pandemic 2009. Type of the study: A retrospective observational study. Methods: A total number of 210 cases with influenza symptoms and signs were included in this study which was conducted at AL-kindy teaching hospital , Baghdad, Iraq at inpatient medical wards over a period from October to December 2009. All cases were tested by real time PCR for H1N1 influenza virus by taking nasal and throat swab in addition to monitoring symptoms and signs of influenza and chest radiographs. Results: Out of 210 cases, 90 (42.85%) cases were positive for H1N1 influenza and 120 (57.14%) cases had negative test are considered having seasonal influenza. Of the positive cases(64.44%) were males and (35.55%) were females. Of negative cases(seasonal flu)male gender were (61.66%) , while female gender were (38.33%). 57.77% of positive cases developed flue like illness compared with 54.16% of negative while 25.55% of positive developed pneumonia compared with 22.5% of negative.5.55% of positive cases developed ARDS compared with 5% only in negative cases.11.11% had different presentation in positive cases (bronchitis ,gastroenteritis) while 18.33%of negative. Mortality in positive cases are 14.4% compared with only 10% in negative cases. Conclusions: Influenza A/H1N1had same symptoms and signs of epidemic seasonal influenza but run aggressive and short course of morbidity in 3-5 days with high percentage of complication and high mortality compared with seasonal epidemic influenza with rare affection above 65 years old, both groups had same incidence of complication with pneumonia and ARDS

The introduction of a space-time lattice as a regulator of field theories breaks symmetries associated with continuous space-time, i.e. Poincaré invariance and supersymmetry. A non-zero gluino mass in the supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory causes an additional soft breaking of supersymmetry. We employ the lattice form of SUSY Ward identities, imposing that their continuum form would be recovered when removing the lattice regulator, to obtain the critical hopping parameter where broken symmetries can be recovered.

This talk summarizes the results of the DESY-Münster collaboration for N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with the gauge group SU(3). It is an updated status report with respect to our preliminary data presented at the last conference. In order to control the lattice artefacts we have now considered a clover improved fermion action and different values of the gauge coupling.

We study N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory (SYM) on the lattice. The non-perturbative nature of supersymmetric field theories is still largely unknown. Similarly to QCD, SYM is confining and contains strongly bound states. Applying the variational method together with different smearing techniques we extract masses of the lightest bound states such as gluino-glue, glueball and mesonic states. As these states should form supermultiplets, this study allows to check whether SYM remains supersymmetric also on the quantum level.

ABSTRACTBackground: In Iraq smoking is a common habit in both the urban and rural areas. There are many respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, bronchial carcinoma and emphysema which are related to chronic tobacco smoking.Objectives: To study the effect of tobacco smoking on the respiratory system, to establish a correlation between chronic tobacco smoking and its effects on the parameters which were studied and to create awareness in tobacco smokers about the effects of tobacco on their healthMethod: In this study 100 male subjects, 50 chronic smokers and 50 non- smokers were assessed for their pulmonary function tests by using a computerized spirometer.Results: Almost all their respiratory parameters were significantly reduced. In the present study obstructive lung dysfunction was the commonest finding in smoker