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Various natural products used for water treatment are becoming more popular due to their general safety, eco-friendly sludge production, ease of degradation, cost-effectiveness, and local availability. This research assessed the efficiency of powdered neem (Azadirachta indica) seeds in removing turbidity from the water. Batch experiments determined the optimum coagulant dose, pH level, mixing time, and mixing speed to reduce turbidity from kaolin-based synthetic turbid water. Powdered neem seeds with a pore size of about 0.45 mm were prepared and used in water treatment under optimum conditions. Results showed that a coagulant dose of 3 g of neem seeds/L, 13.2 pH level, 60 mins mixing time at 80 rpm mixing speed could reduce turbidity levels to 35 NTU from 250 NTU (86% removal). Findings suggest that powdered neem seeds can be a potential substitute for conventional chemical coagulants for drinking water treatment.

Objectives This study was conceived with the objective of assessing the correlation between ovarian reserve markers and vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in a selected group of Pakistani subfertile women presenting at a specialized subfertility treatment centre. The measurements of antral follicle count (AFC), serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and serum vitamin D (VD) levels were the main tools used for the assessment of ovarian reserve. Materials and methods All female patients aged 18 to 45 years presenting with primary and/or secondary subfertility at the Australian Concept Medical Centre in Karachi, Pakistan from August 2016 to July 2021 were included in the study. The data of all eligible patients were recorded in the pre-defined Performa designed for this study. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to report the distribution of the data. The correlation between the categorical variables (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-OHD] levels with AFC and AMH) was assessed using the chi-square test and Spearman correlation. The comparison was based on vitamin D levels grouped into three categories: deficiency (20 ng/ml), insufficiency (21-29 ng/ml), and sufficiency (30 ng/ml). Results One hundred ninety-nine cases were evaluated for AFC and hormone analysis. The mean age and BMI were 32.87±5.49 years and 28.27±4.97 kg/m

Pakistan has more than 18,000 brick kilns and produced about 45 billion bricks every year. Brick making in Pakistan is a traditional small-scale and unmanaged industry. Coal is a major source of fuel for brick kilns. In Pakistan, urbanization, in terms of building construction has increased by 10% per year from 2015 to 2020. That growth has increased demand of building construction stock by 80% which causes an increased production of building materials and bricks. This increase in demand for bricks will increase the consumption of coal used in brick manufacturing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the health risk to people living near brick kilns. This study assesses the health risk due to the emission of air pollutants from brick kilns. Two non-carcinogenic pollutants (i.e., SO2 and Hg) and three carcinogenic pollutants (i.e., As, Cd and Cr) were selected for this health risk assessment. Both short-term and long-term health impacts were assessed. The AERMOD air dispersion model was used for predicting ground-level concentrations within a 10 km radius of the brick kilns. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessments indicate adverse health impacts from short-term concentrations, while long-term concentrations are within acceptable limits. Carcinogenic health risks also indicate adverse health effects from short-term concentration, while only As and Cr cause adverse health impacts from long-term concentration and exposure. The findings of this study show that a detailed assessment of the health effects caused by emissions from all of the brick kilns and ambient air concentration with meteorological conditions should be carried out.

This review provides knowledge about air pollution and its impact on agriculture crop yield and quality in developing countries. The need of increasing agriculture production has been very important for the increasing of population. Air pollutants pose risks on yield of crops depending on the emission pattern, atmospheric transport and leaf uptake and on the plant’s biochemical defence capacity. In the recent research it is identified that the agriculture production is being affected by air pollution, the impact of air pollution is caused by number of air pollutants (sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), and Ozone (O3). Air pollutants produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which adversely affect biochemical processes of plants and reduce their tolerance capacity to other stresses also. Several vital physiological processes such as photosynthetic CO2 fixation and energy metabolism are also affected negatively by air pollutants. An adverse effect caused by air pollutants depends not only upon its concentration, but also on the duration and combination of air pollutants. Ozone is the most phytotoxic of the common air pollutants. It is concluded that the continuous increasing concentration of pollutants will pose a critical threat to future world food security.

Keenjhar Lake in Pakistan provides several ecosystems services including drinking water to millions of people. The seasonal variation (pre-, during, and post-monsoon) in Keenjhar Lake water quality was investigated during nine sampling rounds at ten locations. Water samples (n = 270) were analyzed for As, Cd, Cr(III), Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, Cr(VI) with a UV spectrophotometer, and water quality parameters (solids, oxygen, conductivity, and pH). Several elements exceeded WHO or Pakistan safe limits for unrestricted use including As (0.038 mg·L−1, 95th upper confidence limit), Cr(III) (0.15 mg·L−1), Cd (0.11 mg·L−1), Fe (0.42 mg·L−1), Ni (0.037 mg·L−1), and Pb (0.04 mg·L−1). Monsoon levels of chromium, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb were higher than other seasons, while As was highest during post-monsoon, and Ni was highest during pre and post-monsoon. There were significant spatial differences in metals concentrations in the lake. As, Cu, and Fe significantly declined in concentration with distance from the lake inlet. Using the lake as a source of drinking water presented unacceptable carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic hazards. This study suggests measures should be taken to limit discharge of pollution to the lake and future monitoring should consider seasonal monsoon effects on lake quality.

The Keenjhar Lake in the southern part of Pakistan is exposed to heavy metal contamination, mainly due to the lack of proper upstream industrial effluent treatment. In this study, accumulation of heavy metals in five frequently consumed fish species Cirrhinus mrigala (Morakhi), Labeo rohita (Kur’ro), Solea solea (Mundi), Sperata seenghala (Singharo), and Anguilla bengalensis (Baam) from Keenjhar Lake were investigated. A total of 30 fish samples were collected from fishermen at the lake. Fish tissues were digested using standard methods and analyzed for metals using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Heavy metal (Cu, Ni, Pb, total Cr, Cr(VI), and Cd) concentrations were detected both in fish muscles and liver. Among the five targeted species, Cirrhinus mrigala appeared to be the most bioaccumulative fish, with Cr (219.78) > Pb (34.20) > Cu (22.49) > Ni ((16.24) > Cr(VI) (15.25) > Cd (0.01). The target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were calculated to assess human health risk. The concentration of metals showed a significant difference among fish muscles and liver in the three studied locations. The total HI for heavy metals were estimated to be less than 1, but the cancer risk (CR) for Pb and Cr(VI) exceeded acceptable limits for fish consumption. From the human health perspective, this study informs local populations, i.e., fishing communities and population consuming approximately 150 g/day of Keenjhar Lake fish regularly are chronically exposed to Pb and Cr(VI) contamination with (10ˉ4 to 10ˉ6) carcinogenic risks.

This study aimed to evaluate stress among general population of Karachi, Pakistan and to categorize the relative risk of diseases through body mass index (BMI), as well as to categorize the relative risk of diabetes through questionnaire based scoring pattern. Study consisted of two phase study duration. Total 377 individuals were approached; only 269 individuals completed the study procedures. In phase-I, data was collected through standardized questionnaire of American Institute of Stress (AIS), to determine total stress scores (TSS). In phase-II, anthropometric markers (e.g., body weight, height, waist and body mass index) were measured, to evaluate the Relative Risk of Disease (RrD). With the aid of socio-demographic variables and questionnaire, the relative risk of diabetes mellitus (RrDM) was also quantified. 71% was the participation rate, in which 51.3% were male and 48.7% were female. Cronbach’s alpha (α) value was 69%. The mean scores of TSS (57.31±5.28) were moderate. Averages of body weight, height, waist and body mass index (BMI) were 164.6±13.5, 1.67±0.06, 35.75±2.5, 27.35±1.8, and RrDM (34.17±7.8), respectively. Through categorizing the RrD, 87.7% respondents were found to have increased risk, whereas, a least proportion were with high risk. Spearman R coefficient of gender variables showed indirect significant (p­≤0.01) association with RrDM score. Pearson r coefficient of age variable showed direct significant (p­≤0.01) association with RrDM score. Findings concluded that moderate increase of TSS with increase RrD leads to moderate existence of RrDM. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Karachi, body mass index, metabolic diseases, Pakistan, stress.

In developing countries like Pakistan, there is a lack of implementation of the environmental laws to manage discharges of untreated effluents, loaded with heavy metals, into freshwater. To evaluate the potential human health impacts from exposure to such polluted water, this study assessed the concentration of six heavy metals (i.e., Zn, Fe, Pb, Cu, Cd, and Mn) in the surface water in lower Sindh, Pakistan. Water samples were collected from eight locations around Kotri barrage at Indus River both during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons to determine the temporal variations of the concentration of heavy metals. The concentrations of heavy metals were then compared with the drinking water quality guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). It was observed that in most cases, the concentrations of metals were significantly higher compared to WHO guidelines during the pre-monsoon period. To determine the potential human health risk associated with the exposure of heavy metals, both oral hazard index (HIoral) and dermal hazard index (HIdermal) were estimated. The results indicated that during pre-monsoon, HIoral was higher than the threshold limits at every location, while HIdermal was higher only at three locations. Nonetheless, during monsoon, these indices were within limits. It suggested that the health of the people dependent on these freshwater streams in the study area is at considerable risk. Finally, the findings of this study recommended the enforcement of the laws in its true spirit to regulate effluent discharges into these streams in order to avoid health vulnerability of millions of people.

The unsafe use of alcohol causes many diseases that lead to social and economic burden in societies. In Pakistan due to limited access, inflated prices of standard alcohol and ban on use of alcoholic products for Muslims, the illegal Liquors " Tharra " production at domestic level is on the rise. The liquor (Tharra) contain many impurities and is often injurious to health. This study examines the impact of consumption of unsafe liquor on socioeconomic and health context in Pakistan by using primary data obtained through filling of suitably designed questionnaires and finding out quality of homemade liquor samples collected from local Bathas. The data was collected by taking representative samples consisting of males from age groups 14 to onwards. The participants were enrolled using CAGE (screening tool. Our data revealed that majority of middle age group (57%) was involved in liquor " Tharra " drinking (36-45 years and 26 – 35 years). More participants (63%) were found representing Hindu religion, followed by Muslims (31%) with few Christian (5%) in the studied area. Almost in all samples the alcoholic strength exceeded by safe volume limit (20%). All other analyzed constituents of the samples (e.g.methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols, esters, metals, anions) were found in concentrations that poses serious threat to public health. It seems impossible for the government to subsidize its prices or lift ban on the use and purchase of standard alcohol products due to social and religious reasons. However, the government needs to reinforce the laws governing sale of methylated spirits for industrial and commercial use.

Background: Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia globally and affects 20% of world adult population. The general practice for replacement of iron reserves is oral supplementation. However, the success of this strategy solely depends on drug adherence and compliance. Where many other factors contribute to compliance, the role of taste of the medicine can also not be neglected. The aim of this study is to evaluate the palatability of micro-encapsulated iron pyrophosphate (Ferfer) and compare its taste with previously taken other oral forms of iron supplements.Methods: The study was conducted with 231 female participants of age more than 18 years. Participants had taken one sachet of micro-encapsulated iron pyrophosphate (Ferfer) for the purpose of taste. Questionnaire based on their previous experience of iron supplements and palatability of Ferfer was asked by participants based on 0-10 mm visual analogue scale and 5 point Likert scale evaluating responses at 0 minute, 5 minute, and at 10 minute. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 23.Results: The women previously taking some others oral form of iron supplementation scored their supplements, a mean taste score is 2.92±2.44 on the VAS. However, micro-encapsulated iron pyrophosphate (Ferfer) received a mean score of 7.66±1.32 immediately after taking it and a score of 7.96±1.37 after 5 minutes on the 0-10 mm VAS. 81.4% patients will recommend their doctors to prescribe FERFER to them in future.Conclusions: Enhanced palatability of micro-encapsulated iron pyrophosphate sachets have resulted in increased compliance to the supplementation regimen among the participants.