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Background: De Quervain tenosynovitis is an inflammatory condition of wrist joint resulting in pain swelling and tenderness on the side of thumb. Repeated thumb movements and overuse of wrist joint contribute to the severity of symptoms. Objectives: To measure the prevalence of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis in cell phone gamers and its relationship to the frequency of cell phone usage/number of hours among gamers. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted using self-made questionnaire and a valid and reliable Finkelstein’s test was used. The study population was young students of Multan and the data of 300 students was taken. The data was collected from both male and female students using purposive sampling technique. Results: There were 13% gamers having De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. 31% were females and 69% were male students. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis was associated with game playing hours as the statistical analysis showed strong association between tenosynovitis and game playing hours having P-value=0.000. Moreover 87 students felt stressed during playing games and students reported that they felt difficulty during gripping of the objects, twisting the keys and typing on keyboard. Conclusion: Study concluded that De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is prevalent among phone gamers in both male and female and game playing hours was associated with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Increase in game playing ours increased the incidence of DQT.

The objectives of this study: Prevalence and in-silico analysis of lipid and cardiac enzymes in ACS patients. A total of 213 (137 male and 76 female) blood samples were taken from cardiac patients. After prevalence analysis was done on blood samples of patients & to check the biomarker level of all cardiac and lipid enzymes in all patients to find out the acute coronary syndrome. Statical analysis was done using the spss 21 software and In-silico analysis was also done in this study. In statical analysis, correlation showed a relationship with lipid, cardiac, walk and exercise with significant level P

Zinc oxide nanoparticles can be classified as a multipurpose material, along with their distinctive features and applications in optoelectronic devices. This research looks at the morphological, structural, and optical features of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The sol-gel procedure has been used to form zinc oxide nanoparticles with zinc nitrate [Zn (NO3)2.4H2O] and sodium hydroxide [NaOH] as precursors. The main objective is to synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles by using the sol-gel approach because that is easy to implement and offers the capacity to adjust particle size and morphology by systematically monitoring reaction conditions. X-ray diffraction phenomenon, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Ultraviolet-vis spectroscopy characterization techniques were used to determine the structural, morphological, and optical features of produced zinc oxide nanoparticles. According to the XRD examination, the produced nanoparticles are in a highly crystalline phase nature. The high crystallinity of ZnO is observed in all diffraction peaks, implying that Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized properly using the sol-gel process. The UV-vis spectroscopy produced an absorption spectrum at 370nm due to ZnO nanoparticles. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) measurements reveal the surface structure and grains size of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles at a different resolution.

Autoimmune disorder is a chronic immune imbalance which is developed through a series of pathways. The defect in B cells, T cells, and lack of self-tolerance has been greatly associated with the onset of many types of autoimmune complications including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The SLE is an autoimmune disease with a common type of lupus that causes tissue and organ damage due to the wide spread of inflammation. In the current study, twenty anti-inflammatory peptides derived from plant and animal sources were docked as ligands or peptides counter to proinflammatory cytokines. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 3 (IL-3), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were targeted in this study as these are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE in many clinical studies. Two docking approaches (i.e., protein-ligand docking and peptide-protein docking) were employed in this study using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software and HADDOCK web server, respectively. Amongst docked twenty peptides, the peptide DEDTQAMMPFR with S -score of -11.3018 and HADDOCK score of − 10.3 ± 2.5 kcal/mol showed the best binding interactions and energy validation with active amino acids of IFN-γ protein in both docking approaches. Depending upon these results, this peptide could be used as a potential drug candidate to target IFN-γ, IL-3, and TNF-α proteins to control inflammatory events. Other peptides (i.e., QEPQESQQ and FRDEHKK) also revealed good binding affinity with IFN-γ with S -scores of -10.98 and -10.55, respectively. Similarly, the peptides KHDRGDEF, FRDEHKK, and QEPQESQQ showed best binding interactions with IL-3 with S -scores of -8.81, -8.64, and -8.17, respectively.

Background/Objective: Repeated freezing and thawing results in the structural, compositional, and functional modifications in food materials. The present study was designed to optimize the effect of Freeze-thaw treatment (FTT) on free radical scavenging and linoleic acid reduction potentials of Nelumbo nucifera rhizome starch (NNRS). Methodology: A 4-factorial response-surface central composite design (CCD) based on three levels of each of the four input factors including freezing temperature (FT: -40, -20, and 0°C), freezing time (Ft: 24, 48, and 72 h), thawing time (Tt: 2, 4, and 6 h), and number of freeze-thaw cycles (FTC: 2, 4, and 6) was constructed. The NNRS was treated at different combinations of input variables as selected by CCD. The Freeze-thaw-treated N. nucifera rhizome starch (FTT-NNRS) was analyzed for antioxidant potential. Principle Findings: A statistically significant main effect (p=0.0017-0.0029) of FTT was observed on free radical scavenging and linoleic acid reducing potential (LARP) of NNRS. The 2, 2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging potential was found to be a linear positive function of FT and Ft while hydroxyl radical scavenging potential showed a linear linear negative response towards FT and linear positive response towards FTC. The LARP also showed a linear positive response towards FT and Tt and quadratic positive response towards FT. Conclusion: FTT significantly affected the free radical scavenging potential and LARP of NNRS that may be attributed to the time-dependent variation in the structure of starch and exposure of some antioxidant residues after repeated freezing and thawing treatments.

Various preparation and application methods of copper chromites catalyst have recently been extensively discussed. According to all discussions, copper chromites is a versatile catalyst that not only catalyses many processes of national programmed and commercial importance, all of which are related to defense and space research, but also finds a lot of application in the most concerned worldwide, such as environmental pollution control. Copper chromites catalysts have many useful applications in the production of drugs, clean energy, and agro chemicals. Different synthesis methods are presented to prepare doped Zinc Copper chromites, demonstrating a clear understanding of the dependence of catalytic activity. This sample was created using a simple, eco-friendly sol gel method and characterized using various techniques such as EDS, SEM, UV, Raman spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence. Several parameters influence sample techniques. This sample was sintered in a furnace at 750°C for 4 hours. Zinc was successfully doped in copper chromites and emerged completely, according to EDS.

The anti-pathogenic activity (APA) of the metabolic extracts obtained from rhizobacteria of Parthenium hysterophorus was optimized by constructing a tri-factorial central composited design in the response surface methodology. The colonies of the rhizobacteria isolated from the rhizospheric soil of P. hysterophorus were identified microscopically. The pink and yellow-colored colonies were cultured at five levels of three culture variables including pH (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), incubation temperature (IT: 24, 28, 32, 36, and 40°C), and incubation time (It: 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h). The bacterial metabolites were extracted in methanol and analyzed for their APA against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. A statistically significant linear positive effect of pH was observed on the APA of both of the bacterial extracts and quadratic negative effect on APA of yellow-colored extracts against each of the selected pathogens. The It showed a significant linear positive effect on APA of the pink-colored extract against E. coli and that of the yellow-colored extract against the selected pathogens. It also showed quadratic negative effects on the APA of both of the bacterial extracts against the selected pathogens. However, the IT in the selected range showed no significant effect on the APA of the selected bacterial metabolites against the selected pathogens.

The effect of particle size and high dose gamma irradiation on functional properties of maize flour was studied. The maize flour at three levels of particle size (-177, -250 and -420 µm obtained from sieves of 80, 60 and 40 meshes respectively) was irradiated in transparent glass bottles at three levels of gamma radiation (25, 50 and 75 kGy) using 60Co gamma source. A significant linear increase in water holding and swelling capacities and bulk density values and significant linear decrease in emulsifying stability was observed in response to an increase in particle size of the flour. Gamma radiation dose was found to show a significant linear positive effect on water holding capacity and solubility but a significant linear negative effect on oil holding capacity, protein solubility and bulk density values. These observed trends in functional properties of maize flour with the application of gamma irradiation suggests that quality of maize flour, regarding the manufacture and packaging of food products, may be improved by irradiation process.

The study was based on the comparative evaluation of physical and physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential of different cooking oils as awareness for the consumers. The cooking oils extracted from sunflower, corn, canola, soybean, and rapeseed and available for consumers as different commercial brands were purchased from the local market and analysed for their physical, physicochemical and antioxidant properties. All of the selected oils were found to be statistically similar on the basis of their physical properties including odour, specific gravity (P=.65) and refractive index (P=0.84). All of the selected oils contained vitamin A except one brand of each of the sunflower, corn and canola oils. The selected oils and their blend showed statistically different physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential (P=.000). The corn oil and rapeseed oil were found to be the best quality oil due to comparatively lower acid, peroxide and saponification values and higher antioxidant potential in terms of free radical scavenging capacity. The study results would provide valuable information to the consumers and the researchers regarding the selection of the best quality cooking oils available in the market.

Objectives: Aerva javanica, an underutilized desert plant, is a rich source of polysaccharide but not investigated properly for the antioxidant potential of its polysaccharides. The antioxidant potential of cell wall polysaccharides in leaves, branches, stem and root of A. javanica was determined. Methods: In a sequential extraction procedure, the water-soluble fraction (WSF), sodium acetate-EDTA soluble fraction (SASF), sodium carbonate soluble fraction (SCSF), 4% potassium hydroxide soluble fraction (4%KOHSF) and 14% potassium hydroxide soluble fraction (14%KOHSF) were obtained and subjected to antioxidant analysis. Results: The addition of salt or alkali in the extraction media resulted in a significant increase in total extractable polysaccharide content. The 14%KOHSF showed higher extract yield, total antioxidant activity, ferrous ion chelating activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and linoleic acid reduction capacity. The WSF showed higher scavenging capacity against DPPH radical. WSF of branches and root and SCSF of leaf and stem showed highest scavenging capacity against hydroxyl radical. Conclusion: The lower extraction yield but high radical scavenging capacity of WSF may be attributed to the presence of some protein linked hydrophilic polysaccharides of pectin nature. The high extractable polysaccharide content with strong antioxidant potential makes A. javanica a suitable candidate for the antioxidant polysaccharide based pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

Autoimmune disorder is a chronic immune imbalance which is developed through a series of pathways. The defect in B cells, T cells, and lack of self-tolerance has been greatly associated with the onset of many types of autoimmune complications including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The SLE is an autoimmune disease with a common type of lupus that causes tissue and organ damage due to the wide spread of inflammation. In the current study, twenty anti-inflammatory peptides derived from plant and animal sources were docked as ligands or peptides counter to proinflammatory cytokines. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 3 (IL-3), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were targeted in this study as these are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE in many clinical studies. Two docking approaches (i.e., protein-ligand docking and peptide-protein docking) were employed in this study using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software and HADDOCK web server, respectively. Amongst docked twenty peptides, the peptide DEDTQAMMPFR with S-score of -11.3018 and HADDOCK score of −10.3 ± 2.5 kcal/mol showed the best binding interactions and energy validation with active amino acids of IFN-γ protein in both docking approaches. Depending upon these results, this peptide could be used as a potential drug candidate to target IFN-γ, IL-3, and TNF-α proteins to control inflammatory events. Other peptides (i.e., QEPQESQQ and FRDEHKK) also revealed good binding affinity with IFN-γ with S-scores of -10.98 and -10.55, respectively. Similarly, the peptides KHDRGDEF, FRDEHKK, and QEPQESQQ showed best binding interactions with IL-3 with S-scores of -8.81, -8.64, and -8.17, respectively.

The study was based on the comparative evaluation of physical and physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential of different cooking oils as awareness for the consumers. The chemical and physicochemical composition of the cooking oil significantly affects its nutritional and edible quality. The cooking oils extracted from sunflower, corn, canola, soybean, and rapeseed available for consumers as different commercial brands were purchased from the local market and analysed for their physical, physicochemical and antioxidant properties. All of the selected oils were found to be statistically similar on the basis of their physical properties including odour, specific gravity (P=.65) and refractive index (P=0.84). All of the selected oils contained vitamin A except one brand of each of the sunflower, corn and canola oils. The selected oils and their blend showed statistically different physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential (P=.000). The corn oil and rapeseed oil were found to be the best quality oil due to comparatively lower acid, peroxide and saponification values and higher antioxidant potential in terms of free radical scavenging capacity. The study results would provide valuable information to the consumers and the researchers regarding the selection of the best quality cooking oils available in the market. The rapeseed oil and corn oil B1 were found to be the best among the selected oil due to acceptable physical, physicochemical and antioxidant properties.

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway is the most commonly studied signaling mechanisms, consisting of different groups of protein kinases that participate in regularly connecting interpretation of external stimuli that can change in gene expression or cellular organization within eukaryotic systems. The MAP kinase pathways functions in plants cell signaling (intra- and extra). MAPK cascades follow a response system. MAP kinases are the component of kinase constituents that deliver signals from sensors to responders in eukaryotes including plants. Several pathways are activated under different environmental stresses. Stimulating agents may be biological (biotic) like microbial infections or environmental (abiotic) like temperatures threshold, high salt concentration, drought, heavy metal, Ultra-violet radiation, ozone gases and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The involvement of MAPK signaling pathway in different stresses has been widely studied. In this review we also try to highlight MAPK cascades, its regulation, functions and recent findings in various cellular processes against stress conditions.

This study describes the activity-guided isolation and purification of antimicrobial proteins from the seeds of Foeniculum vulgare. Purification was carried out by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Antifungal and antibacterial activities were determined by disc diffusion assay method. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the purified protein was a monomer with molecular mass of 60 kDa. This is a first report on purification of a protein from Foeniculum vulgare, which possesses a strong and broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. Our results suggest that the antimicrobial properties of this plant seed may be further investigated to explore the possibility of using them in the treatment of candidal or bacterial infections.

Plants are under constant assault by biotic and abiotic agents. When an elicitor is prologued, an immense reprogramming of plant gene expression and defense responses are initiated, which could be a natural source for potential drug development and insertional mutagenesis. In this regard, differential expression analysis of a medicinal plant Moringa oleifera was performed for bioactive genes at seedling stage, using differential display-RT-PCR technique. Infected seedlings with a fungus Fusarium solani collected at different time intervals, showed a massive change in their gene expression profile. The data analysis revealed that at least 150 pathogen-induced and about 60 suppressed genes were differentially expressed at 8-h postinoculation of the biotic stress. Fifty-five selective genes were disunited and reamplified. Sequence analysis of these potential genes illustrated that these genes had properties of some induced peroxidase mRNA, cell proliferation, others were mitogen activated protein kinases, ribosomal protein genes, defense regulating genes, and a few also had structural properties. Further studies about the utility of these genes in plant metabolism could assist to develop improved transgenic breeds with enhanced value of infection tolerance not only of M. oleifera but of other cultivars also.

Mutations in EDNRB gene have been reported to cause Waardenburg-Shah syndrome (WS4) in humans. We investigated 17 patients with WS4 for identification of mutations in EDNRB gene using PCR and direct sequencing technique. Four genomic mutations were detected in four patients; a G to C transversion in codon 335 (S335C) in exon 5 and a transition of T to C in codon (S361L) in exon 5, a transition of A to G in codon 277 (L277L) in exon 4, a non coding transversion of T to A at -30 nucleotide position of exon 5. None of these mutations were found in controls. One of the patients harbored two novel mutations (S335C, S361L) in exon 5 and one in Intronic region (-30exon5 A>G). All of the mutations were homozygous and novel except the mutation observed in exon 4. In this study, we have identified 3 novel mutations in EDNRB gene associated with WS4 in Pakistani patients.