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In clinical setting, urinary tract infections (UTIs) rank second among infectious presentations. Each year, around 150 million people receive a UTI diagnosis worldwide. Objectives: To determine the antibacterial sensitivity of meropenem, imipenem and ciprofloxacin against bacteria isolated from patients presented with Urinary Tract Infection. Methods: This Descriptive type Cross-sectional study was carried out at Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Pathology Department of King Edward Medical University. A total of 100 patients were included that had Urinary Tract Infections. Urine culture was done using standardized Cysteine lactose electrolyte deficient (CLED) agar. Gram reaction, morphology, and biochemical properties were used to identify bacterial pathogens. Antibiotic sensitivity of the selected Gram negative bacteria was observed by using the Kirby Bauer method for antibiotic susceptibility. Results: The bacteria isolated were E. coli (62%), Klebsiella spp. (11%), Candida spp. (8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7%), Proteus spp. (4%), Staphylococcus spp. (3%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (3%) and Enterobacter spp. (2%). Sensitivity pattern for Ciprofloxacin was 20 (23.3%) sensitive and 66 (76.7%) resistant. Similarly 87.2% were sensitive to Meropenem and 12.8% were resistant. While for Imipenem 95.3% were sensitive and 4.7% were resistant. Conclusions: It was concluded that UTI most commonly caused by E. coli which is a gram negative bacteria followed by Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Proteus and Enterobacter. Other microorganisms such as Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Candida spp. were also isolated in least amount. Antimicrobial susceptibility showed that Gram negative isolates of uropathogens were highly resistant against Ciprofloxacin and showed sensitivity against Imipenem and Meropenem

Cancer remains a second leading cause of death in the world, despite significant advances in treatment. It is well known that diet has a significant impact on overall health, calorie restriction may be beneficial for treating a number of diseases and even lengthening patients survival. Obesity and cancer have been shown to have strong epidemiological links, and healthy diets have been shown to lower the risk of developing cancer. There is also evidence that obese patients have a worse outcome and a higher mortality rate after being diagnosed with breast, colon, prostate, pancreatic, ovarian, and hematologic cancers. However, little is known about how nutrition may affect cancer once it has been detected, particularly how diet may influence cancer therapy [1]. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) developed lifestyle recommendations based on the most recent evidence. Following these suggestions may increase overall survival after cancer diagnosis: preserving a healthy body weight; engaging in physical activity; eating a diet high in fiber and soy; and limiting the consumption of fats, particularly saturated fatty acids. Previous study also supports the clinical utility of diet interventions in cancer patients. These interventions aim to ensure adequate energy and nutrient intake during chemotherapy, which may also improve patient response to and alleviate the toxicity of pharmacological anti-cancer therapies. Furthermore, by reducing cancer comorbidities, modifications in lifestyle, like as diet and exercise, might lessen the long-term negative effects of treatment regimens and improve general health over the long term [2]. Consumption of lignans, raw vegetables, dietary fiber, the Mediterranean diet, various dietary sources, low meat consumption, vegetarianism, or veganism, dietary intake (or biomarkers) of specific vitamins, like vitamin D, vitamin K2, or vitamin C, were all linked to a lower risk of developing cancer. An increased risk of cancer mortality was associated with poor food quality, alcohol usage, the intake of soft beverages like juice, and to a lesser extent, the consumption of certain fatty acids. The risk of dying from cancer was significantly enhanced by obesity [3]. The diet play important role in the lifestyle, disease prevention and may act as an immune booster but diet intervention is not surprising topic of discussion in the therapy of cancer. If the dietary intervention found beneficial in cancer treatment and prevention with therapeutic efficacy, it may have little or no toxicity. At this point, it is impossible to be sure which dietary strategy is best, and diet efficacies are likely to vary depending on patient, therapeutic regimen and cancer type. When implementing these strategies in the clinic, some personalization may be required because physician who treat overweight and obese patients are aware that sometimes the best diet is the one the patient is willing and able to follow. Further studies are needed on better diet intervention to cancer patients in order to improve cancer prognosis and patients survival

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly toxic mycotoxin, always contaminated in a variety of agricultural products. Camelid variable domain of heavy chain antibody (VHH) is a noteworthy reagent in immunoassay, owing to its excellent characteristics. Immunization of camelid animals is a straightforward strategy to produce VHHs. In this study, to avoid the dependence on the large animals, the camelized, murine antibody (cVHs) against AFB1 was prepared in vitro based on the identities between murine VH and camelid VHH and then to develop an immunoassay for AFB1. A murine anti-AFB1 VH fragment (VH-2E6) was selected for camelization through replacement of conserved hydrophobic residues in framework region 2 (FR2) (cVH-FR2), point mutation at position 103 in the FR4 region (cVH-103), and CDR3-grafted with a high AFB1-affinity VHH (cVH-Nb26). The cVH-Nb26 had a yield of 5 mg/L as refolded protein expressed from Escherichia coli and 10 mg/L expressed from Pichia pastoris. Compared with anti-AFB1 single-chain fragment variable (scFv) 2E6, cVH-Nb26 performed more than 20-fold enhancement of AFB1-binding interactions. Although the AFB1-affinity of cVH-Nb26 cannot meet the application requirement in the present form, our study provides effective strategies for preparation of camelized antibody in vitro, which could be a promising immunoreagent for AFB1 detection. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12550-021-00433-z.

The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) is a wild bird of the Phasianidae family. In Pakistan, it occurs in a wide range of rugged, sloping and dry areas, rising to the interior of the Himalayas, the western Himalayas and plains, the higher piedmont valleys on the dry slopes of the Baluchistan provinces and Punjab and Sindh provinces. It is the “national bird” of Pakistan, however, little is known about its ecology and reproduction in the northern part of the country. This study investigated the existence, distribution and population of birds in the Bajaur region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province from December 2019 to August 2020. Usually in the early morning (5 to 78 AM) and evening (4 to 9 pm). The areas occupied by Alectoris chukar mainly include Mulberry, Ficus banyan, Gum arabic, Arabian acacia, Barberes lycium, Dilberia sisso, Melia azedarach, Ailanthus, Alalthus altissima, Zanthoxylum alatum, Olea europaea, Olea europaea, Ingres, Celtis eriocarpa and Pinus wallichiana. Habitat destruction (overgrazing, mowing and landslides) caused by hunting, shooting, capture, explosives, excavation, and road construction is the main threat to existing wildlife (including Alectoris chukar).

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the major mycotoxins, which naturally occurs in food and agricultural products. In this study, a cyclic peptide (CVPSKPGLC) mimicking AFB1 was used to develop a biotinylated peptide–based immunoassay (bp-ELISA) for AFB1 determination. This cyclic peptide was isolated from a commercially available phage-displayed random 7-mer cyclic peptide library, and then synthesized chemically. Instead of phage particles, the peptide was biotinylated and used to detect AFB1 by bp-ELISA, with an IC50 of 0.92 ng/mL, which was approximately 60-fold better than that of phage ELISA. Good recoveries (83–102%) were obtained in spiked rice and corn samples, which were further validated by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector. As better sensitivities (0.92–1.21 ng/mL) were obtained by bp-ELISA even using selected anti-AFB1 antibodies prepared previously in laboratory, this cyclic peptide is suitable as a substitute for synthetic competitive AFB1 antigens in food contamination monitoring.

The current research involves the optimum energy densification of two indigenous residual biomass (corncob and rice husk) in Pakistan through torrefaction. Effect of temperature along with time was...

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components in the adult population. Place and Duration: In the Medicine Unit II of Jinnah Hospital Lahore for one year duration from March 2019 to March 2020. Methods: A total of 630 people over the age of 18 were randomly selected from the primary healthcare register to represent a representative sample of the population in the Tetovo poviat, adjusted for age and gender. MetS is defined according to the definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATPIII). Results: The prevalence of MetS was 28.25%. It was much higher in women than in men (34.06% vs. 22.26%, p = 0.004). The largest number of people from MetS living in rural areas (31.32% vs. 23.60%, p = 0.002). Of the individual components of MetS, 52.06% of the population had elevated blood pressure, 46.35% lowered high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and 43.17% abdominal obesity (AA). In the female population, abdominal obesity was more dominant (59.38% and 26.54%, p = 0.000), and men were more dominated by increased blood pressure (53.44% and 50.65%, p = 0.48). Conclusion: The prevalence of MetS is high in our society, especially among women. Rates of hypertension and abdominal obesity are among the highest in the region. Advice on diet and lifestyle changes, in addition to drug therapy in this category, would contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and complications associated with these diseases. Key words: metabolic syndrome, prevalence, abdominal obesity.

Aflatoxin B