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Oxidative stress has been hypothesized to play a crucial role in the complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Hyperglycaemia-mediated increases in free radicals have a deleterious effect on cellular compartments and nucleic acids, leading to imbalances between free radicals and antioxidant enzymes. This case–control study comprised two groups with 100 participants (50 T2D and 50 DN patients) and aimed to examine the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX), glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP1), and glutathione peroxidase 1(GPX1) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) risk in patients with T2D. An SNP genotyping assay was performed using TaqMan assay and real-time PCR to identify the SNPs (NOX rs4673, GSTP rs1695, GPX1 rs1050450). The Sanger method was used to validate our findings. Fisher chi-square analyses revealed no significant differences in these genes when comparing T2D patients with and without DN. Our findings suggest no association between the rs4673, rs1695, and rs1050450 SNPs and DN in Saudi patients with T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, very little has been published on the organic geochemical and petrological aspects of the Bara formation coals, Southern Indus Basin, Pakistan. To address this, fresh unweathered coal samples were collected from seven different coal mines of the Lakhra coal field and were subsequently analysed and evaluated in detail. Numerous characteristics were assessed i.e. thermal maturity (coal rank), petroleum generation potential, type of organic matter and paleo-depositional environment. Evaluation techniques include proximate analysis, bitumen (soluble organic matter) extraction, fractionation of hydrocarbon yield using liquid column chromatography, Rock Eval, pyrolysis-GC (Py-GC), GC-MS, huminite/vitrinite reflectance and maceral analysis. Based on proximate analysis, the samples are classified as lignite to subbituminous C based on the ASTM standard. This low rank is supported by extracted bitumen and Rock Eval data. Although immature, these Lakhra coals show to possess excellent hydrocarbon generation potential. The distributions of n-alkanes, isoprenoid, hopane and sterane biomarkers further corroborate that these coals are thermally immature for hydrocarbon generation. The probable paleodepositional environment interpreted based on biomarkers and maceral analysis data suggests a waterlogged swamp in a lower delta plain setting that experienced frequent marine influence as indicated by the sub-oxic condition of deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]