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Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Asian community in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was identified as having risk factors for exposure and specific barriers to accessing testing and reliable health information, rendering them particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We sought to investigate the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among South Asian people in the GTA, and to characterize the demographic characteristics, risk perceptions and trusted sources of health information in this group.We conducted a cross-sectional analysis from the baseline assessment of participants in a prospective cohort study. Participants from the GTA were enrolled from Apr. 14 to July 28, 2021. Seropositivity for antispike and antinucleocapsid antibodies was determined from dried blood spots, and estimates of seropositivity were age and sex standardized to the South Asian population in Ontario. Demographic characteristics, risk perceptions and sources of COVID-19 information were collected via questionnaire and reported descriptively.Among the 916 South Asian participants enrolled (mean age 41 yr), the age- and sex-standardized seropositivity was 23.6% (95% confidence interval 20.8%-26.4%). Of the 693 respondents to the questionnaire, 228 (32.9%) identified as essential workers, and 125 (19.1%) reported living in a multigenerational household. A total of 288 (49.4%) perceived that they were at high COVID-19 risk owing to their geographic location, and 149 (34.3%) owing to their type of employment. The top 3 most trusted sources of information related to COVID-19 included health care providers and public health, traditional media sources and social media.By the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, about one-quarter of a sample of South Asian individuals in Ontario had serologic evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Insight into factors that put certain populations at risk can help future pandemic planning and disease control efforts.

This study paper is trying to find out the difficulties in rhetorical translation and its implicit meaning. Translation of Quranic verses is seriously a difficult job because it includes the tacit relationship of meaning with the words and the structure of sentences. The translation is a scientific and civilized work through which nations rise and flourish and cultures and civilizations fertilize, so we find the nation is the foundation for itself, its civilization and its glory, for the development of the nation and benefit from the civilization of other nations resorting to translating its production in order to be inspired by the human heritage. With the above facts, the paper tries to study the translation of Surah al-Kwathar and find the lapses and shortcomings in the translation of this Surah in Urdu and English and the paper underlined the difficulties faced by the translator in understanding the quranic verses.

Antrhopogenic activities are responsible for exponential increase in temperature in recent dacades. To examine this variation, data from 30 meteorological stations in Pakistan's largest cities were examined to determine the annual average and highest temperatures between 1981 and 2020. A combination of parametric and non-parametric tests, including Sen's slope estimator, the Mann-Kendall trend test, and linear regression, were utilized for the analysis. NASA Power Data Access Viewer provides historical climatic datasets which are reliable and provide promising results. We extracted historical footprints of climatic data from NASA website and mapped the trends. About 90% of the meterological stations had rising annual temperature trends, whereas 10% had declining trends. The average annual temperature increased by 0.49 °C per decade in Gilgit, Hyderabad, Quetta, and Lasbela, which was the largest rate of change. Chitral, Gilgit, Nawabshah, and Quetta experienced the biggest increase in annual temperature that was 0.34 °C per decade. Various indicators e.g., simple linear regression and the Mann-Kendall test, respectively, revealed that the yearly average temperature was rising at a 0.001 % (at the 0.06 level). Annual temperatures were increasing at 27 stations and 23 stations were experiencing 0.002 level of significance (at the 0.06 level). Overall, the findings indicated that all climatic parameters were increasing, but during the study period, the annual average temperature was increasing more quickly than the annual maximum temperature.

Nitrogen is one of chemical gases which has drastic impact on human health. It is also renowned globally as a major component of climate change. Lahore city has been selected as the study area to conduct this research. The basic objective of this study is to assess the temporal and seasonal change of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentration in the study area and its effects on human health. For this purpose, the two-phase methodology has been adopted. In the first phase, primary and secondary datasets were collected through an online questionnaire and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), respectively, while in the second phase, satellite imageries were acquired from NASA Earth Observatory (NEO). An online questionnaire survey was conducted for a better understanding and assessment of NO2 effects on inhabitants. The interpolation technique was applied to show a temporal change in Concentration of NO2 from 2010-2022 and for seasonal change in 2022. Findings of this research showed that NO2 levels are high during winters as compared to summers. Whereas, temporal analysis from 2010-2019 revealed that high dense columns of NO2 were found in 2019 & 2020 and less dense columns were found in 2019, whereas this concentration declined due to the arrival of COVID from 2020 to the end of 2021. The main reason of this decline is the lack of transport or industrial exhaust due to lockdown by COVID. The results of the questionnaire indicate that people encountered diverse health problems due to long- and short-term exposure to NO2. Moreover, this study helps to display the drastic impacts of NO2 concentration on human health and the natural environment.

In diabetes mellitus (DM), non-enzymatic glycation of proteins, lipids, and fatty acids is accelerated due to persistent hyperglycemia and plays an important role in diabetes and its associated secondary complications. Glycation has the potential to alter the biological, structural, and functional properties of macromolecules. Glycated products (early and late) are both involved in provoking the immune-regulatory cells and generating autoantibodies in diabetic patients. More precisely, human serum albumin is the most abundant protein in circulation involved in glycation. Glycated albumin may accumulate in the body tissues of diabetic patients and participate in its secondary complications. This chapter compiles the studies focused on changes in the secondary and tertiary structure of proteins upon glucosylation. Various in-vitro and in-vivo approaches involved in investigating such changes are systematically reviewed. Besides, the potential role of glycated albumin in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, as well as its applicability as a diagnostic marker in the progression of the disease, is also highlighted.

Objectives: To compare outcome of conventional treatment of Pre labor rupture of membranes (PROM) with active treatment in term patients. Place and Duration: This study was Conducted in Family Medics Infertility and Maternity Centre Karachi from March 2022 till June 2022. Materials & Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial on 74 registered patients who presented to the labor room with term pregnancy and with the ruptured membranes at thirty-seven weeks or more gestation verified from the last normal menstrual period or a dating scan. Two groups were randomized as either spontaneous labor or active management by Prostin.37 patients presented in Prelabour rupture of membranes were examined as per departmental policy and left for spontaneous labor and 37 women were actively managed by inserting Prostin in the posterior fornix. Main Outcomes Measured: The outcome of interest was intervention vs .non intervention regarding timespan between PROM and initiation of labour in respective groups. Secondary outcome included patients who did not respond to either conventional measures or active treatment and required caesarian section. Results: The time duration between rupture membrane and initiation of labour was less in intervention group as compared to conservative group (6.40hrs vs. 5.03hrs).The rates with respect to normal delivery or caesarian section were same in test and control groups (27 pts. vs. 25 pts.). There was no statistically significant difference regarding complication in both the arms in study. (P-value=0.967) Conclusion: The results of our study showed that there are no differences in outcomes of conservative management of PROM with that of active management. However, patients managed actively in intervention group delivered earlier as matched with patients with spontaneous management. Keywords: Term pregnancy, PROM, Spontaneous vaginal delivery, Emergency Cesarean section. The Registration number of the study specified by the university is JSMU/IRB/2022/-601.

Objective: Postoperative complications are commonly observed during gynecologic and obstetric surgeries that could be controlled by timely management. The factors that involve in these complications could be related with patient or surgeon as well. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of immediately reported postoperative complications in gynecologic and obstetric surgeries in a tertiary care center. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Hamdard hospital, Karachi. The duration of this study was 1 year from July 2018 – June 2019. A total of 200 adult female patients of 18 to 65 years having elective or emergency surgical procedure were included in the study. Data was analysed by using SPSS version-16. Mean standard deviation was calculated for age and hospitalization stay. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for presence of comorbidities such as obesity, anaemia and diabetes mellitus and postoperative complications. Results: The study results showed the mean age was reported 32.04±7.79 years and mean hospital stay was observed 3.38±1.08 days. Comorbidities revealed that 26(13.0%) were obese, 89(44.5%) were anemic and 6(3.0%) had diabetes. Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting was the most common complication observed in 110(55.0%) women followed by fever that was reported in 69(34.5%) cases. Three patients (1.5%) were found to have Paralytic lleus, 23(11.5%) reported abdominal distention, postoperative gastritis was reported in 15(7.5%) cases, bleeding per vagina observed in 7(3.5%) women. Wound dehiscence was found in 2(1.0%) cases and Wound Infection in 10(5.0%) women. Conclusion: The present study concluded that post-operative nausea and vomiting were observed in most of the patients followed by fever subsequent to gynecologic and obstetric surgeries. Additionally, the incidence of wound infection and wound dehiscence were observed low.

Eclipta alba (L.) is a valuable medicinal plant. However, its medicinal efficacy can be affected by geminivirus infection. Therefore, identification of healthy specimen is essential before to use as medicine. The present study provided the taxonomic characterization of geminivirus infected and healthy E. alba plant by studying apparent morphology and microscopic features through light and scanning electron microscopy. Before taxonomic characterization infected and healthy specimens were separated through molecular detection of geminivirus. Results of morphological studies reported that geminivirus infected E. alba plant showed systematic symptoms of infection like stunted growth, distortion and chlorosis of leaves, decrease in size of root, shoot and fruit, and so forth in comparison to healthy specimen. Anatomical findings reported that in both plants anomocytic and anisocytic types of stomata with multicellular warty trichomes were present. However, variations were observed in quantitative measures such as size of trichomes, epidermal, subsidiary and guard cells. Palynological observations identifies that both plants possessed tricolporate type of pollen but variation was mainly observed in size and shape of pollen, thickness of exine and intine, P/E ratio, pore size, interspecific difference, size of colpi, and pollen ornamentation. Overall this study concluded that both healthy and infected E. alba do not reported much variations in qualitative taxonomic features, but can be differentiated in terms of quantitative taxonomic evidences. Future studies are recommended for pharmacological analysis of both healthy and virus infected plants. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Eclipta alba has incredible therapeutic worth, but due to geminivirus infection the plant is affecting badly. Hence, the present studies give a comprehensive taxonomic report on the geminivirus infected and healthy plant species.

Objective: Preoperative anemia among women has been recognized as a risk factor for adverse postoperative complications following gynecologic and obstetric surgeries. Therefore, this retrospective analysis was conducted to assess the association of postoperative complications and comorbidities with anemia in women underwent gynecologic and obstetric surgeries. Methodology: A retrospective study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Hamdard hospital, Karachi by using non-probability, purposive sampling technique. A total of 200 women were chosen for this study wherein 89 women were anemic and 111 were non-anemic. Duration of the study was one year from July 2018 – June 2019. Adult female patients of 18 to 65 years having elective or emergency surgical procedure were included. Chi square test was applied to evaluate the association between religion, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and postoperative complications with anaemia. Results: The study results showed that the mean age of studied women was found 32.04±7.79 years and mean hospital stay was reported 3.38±1.08 days. Regarding Comorbidities, 89(100.0%) non diabetic were anemic while 6(5.4%) diabetic and 105(94.6%) non-diabetic were non-anemic with a significant association of diabetes with anemia (p=0.026). Regarding postoperative complications, significant association of fever was found with anemia (p

In 2010, Pakistan experienced a massive flood that took the lives of 1985 individuals, in addition to causing huge damage to livestock, shelters, and domestic goods. Multiple local and international organizations extended support to the victims of the 2010 Pakistan flood. Beside relief support, media highly criticized their relief activities. The study was conducted in the district of Layyah, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The study primarily aims at determining aspects of the flood relating to: ground situation and extent of damages, quality of services provided by the government and non-government organizations (NGOs). The study gathers data and analysis of data was carried out with simple statistical techniques. Ground situation in the country appeared alarming: flood affected 160,000 square kilometer of land, damaged to crop approached US$ 0ne billion, and affected around 20 million people. In the study area 40 % of livestock could not survive, 94.5 % houses were completed abolished and 38.7 % of domestic goods were heavily damaged. District government role was appreciated by 66.4 % of the respondents. Around 50 % of the respondents reported against the performance of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and National Disaster Management Authority. 96.2 % of the respondents recognized the role of NGOs while respondents suggested working of NGOs through district governments.

Islam looks at the animal world in a realistic way based on its importance in life and benefit to the human being, the Islamic tradition has always held animals in high esteem,” deserving the same level of consideration as humans. The Qur'an opines that “And there is no animal on the earth and no bird that flies with its two wings except for nations like you”. Therefore, we saw animal used in many areas of Islamic thought and legislation the greatest evidence for this is several surahs in the Qur’an, Allah used the titles for them names of the animal e.g. “Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Al-Anam, Surah Al-Nahl, Surah An-Naml, Surah Al-Anqabut, Surah Al-Fil”. It honors the animal, indicating its position and determining its role in the human life. The Qur'an uses each word for its own connotation and its moral function. The paper has discussed role of animals in humans life, Did they use the apparent meaning referred to by the word or did they use elements that are not of the same type of linguistic units? Birds and animals mentioned in the Quran is an important subject which plays a major role in developing of Human thinking. These names mentioned in several verses for different purpose and action. The reason of mentioning them in Quran is a miracle of Allah. The paper presents the prevalent view of man's superiority over animals and suggests new ways of interpreting the Qur'an.

CRY2 is one of the four central proteins of the cell-autonomous molecular clock in mammals. Numerous missense SNPs have been reported in the cry2 gene which results in missense variants of CRY2. These were correlated with diverse metabolic diseases as well as autism spectrum disorders. Thus, we performed in silico analysis of the human CRY2 (hCRY2) protein, assessing the structural stability and interaction of the protein with the FBXL3 and PER2. Multiple computational tools were used in each phase of the analysis assuring the reliability of the data. The computational study suggests that among 436 missense variants of hCRY2, variants: L74P, L274P, L309P, F315V and Y485H were the most destabilizing missense mutants. These variants were found to alter hCRY2 structure and FAD binding pocket that likely affects the binding of its cofactor FAD and interfering the binding mode of other CRY activating compounds. Structural alterations also reduce the binding affinity to regulatory proteins FBXL3 and PER2, which may cause imbalance in the circadian period length in cells as well as develop multiple abnormalities. These five missense variants warrant detailed in vitro and in vivo investigations to solidify their roles in damaging the protein structure, stability, interaction with protein partners.

Love is a worldwide known phenomenon that affects many aspects of human life, including considering a romantic partner with whom to bond. Thus, developing a reliable and valid measure of love experiences is crucial. One of the most popular tools to test love levels is Sternberg's 45-item Triangular Love Scale (TLS-45), which measures three love components: Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment. However, our literature review reveals that the majority of studies (64%) use a broad variety of shortened versions of the TLS-45. To achieve scientific consensus and improve the reliability, comparability, and generalizability of results across studies, here, we develop a short version of the scale–the TLS-15–which contains 15 items with a 5-point rather than 9-point response scale. In Study 1 (N = 7,332), we re-analyzed secondary data from a large-scale multinational study that validated the original TLS-45 to establish whether the scale could be truncated. In Study 2 (N = 307), we provided evidence for the three-factor structure of the TLS-15 and its reliability. Study 3 (N = 413) confirmed convergent validity and test-retest stability of the TLS-15. Study 4 (N = 60,311) presented a large-scale validation across 37 linguistic versions of the TLS-15 on a cross-cultural sample spanning every continent of the globe. The overall results provided support for the reliability, validity, and cross-cultural invariance of the TLS-15, which could be used as a measure of love components–separately or jointly as a three-factor measure.

For an orthodontist, changes in the width of the arch caused by treatment with fixed appliances are important. Understanding these changes is critical to your physician's planning for treatment. Aim: The purpose of the study was to compare and determine the width of the inter- molar arch in cases of class II, division 1 before and 4 months after fixed orthodontic treatment. Study Design: A cross-sectional intervention study. Place and Duration: In the Orthodontics department of Jam Ghulam Qadir Govt. Hospital, Hub Govt of Balochistan and Bhitai Dental and Medical College Mirpurkhas, for six-months duration from July 2021 to December 2021. Methods: 200 Class II Division 1 malocclusion patients were included by the purposive non- probability technique of sampling. 14 to 28 years was the patients age range. The impressions of the upper arch were measured before and six months after orthodontic treatment, and the maxillary inter-molar width was measured. Standard 0.012 Nitinol to 0.019x0.028 arch wires were used. The width of the inter-molar arch was taken as the transverse distance from the central fossa of the 1st molar on one side of the same arch to the central fossa of the 1st molar on the same arch of other side. Results: 200 Class II Division 1 malocclusion patients were included (120 males and 80 females) with 14-28 years of age range and 18.24 ± 2.8 years of mean age. The mean values of the inter-molar width in the entire sample were 46.01 mm ± 2.58 mm in T1 and 48.201 mm ± 2.70 mm in T2 (Table 2). The mean width of the inter-molar arches in men and women before treatment was 43.7± 2.2 mm and 46.2 ± 2.8 mm. Though, the mean T2 inter-molar arch width after treatment was 47.1 ± 2.3 mm in women and 48.3 ± 2.7 mm in men. Conclusion: There was an average rise in the width of the inter-molar arch by 1.7 mm before and after treatment, therefore the orthodontist should consider the mechanics of expanding the arch, especially when the treatment plan does not include extractions. Keywords: width of the inter-molar arch, shape of the arch, malocclusion class II division 1

This retrospective cohort study of cancer decedents during 2004–2015 examined end-of-life cancer care quality indicators (QIs) in the provinces of British Columbia (BC), Ontario, and Nova Scotia (NS). These included: emergency department use, in-patient hospitalization, intensive care unit admissions, physician house calls, home care visits, and death experienced in hospital. Ontario saw the greatest 12-year decrease in in-hospital deaths from 52.8% to 41.1%. Hospitalization rates within 30 days of death decreased in Ontario, increased in NS, and remained the same in BC. Ontario’s usage of aggressive end-of-life measures changed very little, while BC increased their utilization rates. Supportive care use increased in both NS and Ontario. Those who were male or living in a lower income/smaller community (in Ontario) were associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving supportive care. Despite the shift in focus to providing hospice and home care services, approximately 50% of oncology patients are still dying in hospital and 11.7% of patients overall are subject to aggressive care measures that may be out of line with their desire for comfort care. Supportive care use is increasing, but providers must ensure that Canadians are connected to palliative services, as its utilization improves a wide variety of outcomes.

The usefulness of sirolimus (SIR) in the treatment of diseases that involve retinal degeneration like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been well documented. However, the problem still remains probably owing to the peculiar environment of the eye and/or unfavourable physiochemical profile of SIR. In the present work, we aimed to fabricate sirolimus loaded PLGA nanoparticles (SIR-PLGA-NP) and chitosan decorated PLGA nanoparticles (SIR-CH-PLGA-NP) to be administered via non-invasive subconjunctival route. Both the nanoparticles were characterized in terms of size, zeta potential, DSC, FTIR and XRD analysis. Quality by Design (QbD) approach was employed during the preparation of nanoparticles and the presence of chitosan coating was confirmed through thermogravimetric analysis and contact angle studies. Cationic polymer modification showed sustained in-vitro SIR release and enhanced ex-vivo scleral permeation and penetration. Further, SIR-CH-PLGA-NP revealed enhanced cellular uptake and thus, reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced free-radicals generation by RAW 264.7 cells. The prepared nanoparticles were devoid of residual solvent and were found to be safe in HET-CAM analysis, RBCs damage analysis and histopathology studies. Moreover, high anti-angiogenic potential was observed in SIR-CH-PLGA-NP compared with SIR-PLGA-NP in chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) test. Overall, the current work opens up an avenue for further investigation of CH-PLGA-NP as SIR nanocarrier in the treatment of AMD.

Aim: To find out possible to determine effect of C. reflexa extract on spontaneous contractions of rabbit jejunum. Methods: Animal experimental in vitro study from 1st October 2017 to 30 September 2018 at Pharmacology experimental lab, Wah Medical College Wah Cantt. Study model was Isolated pieces of rabbit jejunum and ileum. Sampling Technique used was Simple Random. Tissue considered fit for experiment after initial equilibration and stabilization. Result: Three increasing concentrations (0.1mg/ml, 0.2mg/ml and 0.4mg/ml) of C. reflexa extract decreased the response to 3.83±0.40, 2.33±0.33 and 1.33± 0.21mm. Decrease in response was significant with p- value 0.04, 0.008 and 0.003 respectively. Conclusion: Freshly prepared aqueous solution of crude extract of C. reflexa decreases the amplitude of spontaneous contractions of isolated rabbit jejunum. Keywords: Rabbit jejunum, effect of drug

This project tries to artificially grow one of the most ornamentally significant Petunia hybrida when it is out of season. Murashige and Skoog Basal Medium (MS Basal Medium) was used for in vitro growth of P. hybrida, supplemented with different Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs). Various physical and chemical factors on in vitro growth of P. hybrida using different explants were analyzed. The type of auxin that proved significant for somatic embryogenesis of P. hybrida Vilm was 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0 mg/L) using the leaf as explant under controlled environmental conditions, i.e., 92% at 23oC with a 5.8 pH and 16 hours photoperiod & 30g/l sucrose in. Friable calli were also developed from leaf, node, and internodal explants on a tissue culture medium (MS basal medium) when supplemented with other PGRs in certain combinations i.e. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0 mg/L), Benzyl Amino Purine (2.5mg/L), Benzyl Amino Purine + 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2mg/L +2.5mg/L), Naphthalene Acetic Acid (1.5mg/L), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid + Naphthalene Acetic Acid (2mg/L+1.5mg/L) and Benzyl Amino Purine + Naphthalene Acetic Acid (2.5mg/L+0.5mg/L) at optimal physical factors under strict aseptic environment. These results may enable one to produce the required type of P. hybrida Vilm during off and on seasons on a commercial scale by using plant tissue culture as a tool.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of renewable energy consumption along with some other regressors namely income by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, foreign remittances, inflation rate, growth in population on human development in eight Asian countries (Pakistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Japan) from 1995 to 2018. Based on the nature of panel balanced data, we employed the fully modified ordinary least squares and fixed-effects estimators for the empirical investigation. The empirical estimates exhibit that renewable energy usage, foreign remittances and real per capita income have substantial positive impacts on human development. In contrast, inflation rate and growth in population have negative link with human development in the sample countries. Empirical estimates reveal that renewable energy usage positively contribute enhancing human development. These findings expose that the availability and accessibility of renewable energy will not only improve human development rather will also help in accomplishing sustainable development goals. Empirical findings suggest that the management authorities need to allocate more budget in investment in renewable energy schemes and also create environment which facilitate by providing incentives to the private sector also for renewable energy production in the Asian countries.

IntroductionSouth Asians are more likely to develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than white Europeans. Diet and lifestyle modifications may prevent GDM and reduce undesirable outcomes in both the mother and offspring. Our study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and participant acceptability of a culturally tailored, personalised nutrition intervention on the glucose area under the curve (AUC) after a 2-hour 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in pregnant women of South Asian ancestry with GDM risk factors.Methods and analysisA total of 190 South Asian pregnant women with at least 2 of the following GDM risk factors—prepregnancy body mass index>23, age>29, poor-quality diet, family history of type 2 diabetes in a first-degree relative or GDM in a previous pregnancy will be enrolled during gestational weeks 12–18, and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to: (1) usual care, plus weekly text messages to encourage walking and paper handouts or (2) a personalised nutrition plan developed and delivered by a culturally congruent dietitian and health coach; and FitBit to track steps. The intervention lasts 6–16 weeks, depending on week of recruitment. The primary outcome is the glucose AUC from a three-sample 75 g OGTT 24–28 weeks’ gestation. The secondary outcome is GDM diagnosis, based on Born-in-Bradford criteria (fasting glucose>5.2 mmol/L or 2 hours post load>7.2 mmol/L).Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HiREB #10942). Findings will be disseminated among academics and policy-makers through scientific publications along with community-orientated strategies.Trial registration numberNCT03607799.

Salinity has a significant negative impact on production of rice. To cope with the increased soil salinity due to climate change, we need to develop salt tolerant rice varieties that can maintain their high yield. Rice landraces indigenous to coastal Bangladesh can be a great resource to study the genetic basis of salt adaptation. In this study, we implemented a QTL analysis framework with a reciprocal mapping population developed from a salt tolerant landrace Horkuch and a high yielding rice variety IR29. Our aim was to detect genetic loci that contributes to the salt adaptive responses of the two different developmental stages of rice which are very sensitive to salinity stress. We identified 14 QTLs for 9 traits and found that most are unique to specific developmental stages. In addition, we detected a significant effect of the cytoplasmic genome on the QTL model for some traits such as leaf total potassium and filled grain weight. This underscores the importance of considering cytoplasm-nuclear interaction for breeding programs. Finally, we identified QTLs co-localization for multiple traits that highlights the possible constraint of multiple QTL selection for breeding programs due to different contributions of a donor allele for different traits.

BackgroundSouth Asians represent the largest non-white ethnic group in Canada. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA), home to a high proportion of South Asians, emerged as a COVID-19 hot spot. Early in the pandemic, the South Asian community was identified as having risk factors for exposure and specific barriers to accessing testing and reliable health information, rendering them uniquely vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection.ObjectivesTo investigate the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among South Asians in the GTA, and to determine which demographic characteristics were most closely aligned with seropositivity, in this cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study.MethodsParticipants from the GTA were enrolled between April and July 2021. Seropositivity for anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies was determined from dried blood spots, and age and sex standardized to the Ontario South Asian population. Demographics, risk perceptions, and sources of COVID-19 information were collected via questionnaire in a subset.ResultsAmong the 916 South Asians enrolled, mean age 41 years, the age and sex standardized seropositivity was 23.6% (95% CI: 20.8%-26.4%). Approximately one-third identified as essential workers, and 19% reported living in a multi-generational household. Over half perceived high COVID-19 risk due to their geographic location, and 36% due to their type of employment. The top three most trusted sources of COVID-related information included healthcare providers/public health, traditional media sources, and social media.ConclusionBy the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately one-quarter of a sample of South Asians in Ontario had serologic evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Insight into factors that render certain populations at risk can help future pandemic planning and disease control efforts.

A series of novel cyanopyrimidine-hydrazone hybrids were synthesized and characterized with various spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized compounds were tested at NCI, USA, on a 60-cell line panel and most of the compounds showed remarkable cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines. Compound 5a was found to be the most potent compound of the series and it was further selected for five dose assays wherein it exhibited GI

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending >10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives., National Science Center, Poland [2019/33/N/HS6/00054]; Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University); Basic Research Program at HSE University, RF; FCT [UID/PSI/03125/2021, SFRH/BD/126304/2016]; UTAR Research Centre Excellence Award; Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman [2019 -CAP (6401/0019)], This work is the result of the research project funded by the National Science Center, Poland (2019/33/N/HS6/00054). Dmitry Grigoryev was supported by the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University).; Dmitrii Dubrov was supported by the Basic Research Program at HSE University, RF.; Patricia Arriaga was supported by the FCT through funds from the research center UID/PSI/03125/2021. Anabela C. Santos was supported by the FCT through funds from a PhD grant SFRH/BD/126304/2016. Kavitha Nalla Muthu and Chee-Seng Tan were supported by the UTAR Research Centre Excellence Award 2019 -CAP (6401/0019) from the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Highlights • BMI is used to characterize nutritional status but may not accurately depict body composition in CF. • DXA and bioelectrical impedance are the most commonly used methods for assessing BC. • Lower fat-free mass associates with worse pulmonary function and greater CF disease severity. • Fat-free mass associates with greater bone mineral density in individuals with CF., Because nutritional status is intimately linked with pulmonary function and survival, nutrition has been at the mainstay of cystic fibrosis (CF) care. Body Mass Index (BMI) is traditionally used to define nutritional status because of the ease with which it can be calculated, but it has a number of limitations including its inability to differentiate fat mass (FM) from lean body mass (LBM), the latter thought to confer health advantage. A number of tools are available to quantify body composition including dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance, MRI, CT, air displacement plethysmography, and stable isotopes, and these have been used to varying degrees in studies of CF. In CF, LBM tends to be lower for a given BMI, particularly at lower BMI. In adults, lower fat-free mass (FFM) correlates with greater CF disease severity, lower pulmonary function and higher inflammatory markers. FFM is also positively associated with greater bone mineral density, while greater FM is associated with greater loss of lumbar spine bone mineral density over 2 years. In youth, LBM is positively associated with pulmonary function. The predictive value of body composition for functional and clinical outcomes and the role of improving LBM on these outcomes remain undefined. With improvements in BMI accompanying highly-effective modulator therapy, closer evaluations of body composition may inform risk for more traditional, non-CF adult outcomes in CF.

Arsenic, a widespread environmental toxin, produces multiple organ toxicity, including hepatotoxicity. Thymoquinone (TQ) is known to restore liver functions in several hepatic injury models. This study aims to assess the mitigative potential of TQ against sodium arsenate (NaAs)-induced cytotoxic and genotoxic alterations in the liver. Rats were randomly distributed to control, NaAs, TQ, and NaAs+TQ groups. NaAs+TQ and TQ group of rats were pre-treated with TQ (1.5 mg/kg bwt, orally) for 14 days, and the treatment was further continued for 30 days, with and without NaAs treatment (5 mg/kg bwt, orally), respectively. The deleterious histological alterations in the liver of arsenic intoxicated animals were accompanied by an upsurge in the activities of serum ALT and AST, the diagnostic indicators of liver injury. NaAs caused pronounced alterations in the activities of membrane marker and carbohydrate metabolic enzymes and the enzymatic and non-enzymatic components of hepatic antioxidant defense. Significant hepatocyte DNA damage and hepatic arsenic accumulation were also observed in arsenic-exposed rats. TQ supplementation alleviated these adverse alterations and improved the overall hepatic metabolic and antioxidant status in NaAs-administered rats. Prevention of oxidative injury could be the key mechanism of TQ-elicited protective effects. TQ may have an excellent scope as a dietary supplement in the management of arsenic-induced hepatic pathophysiology.