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The application of fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometrics was explored in the current study for the detection of stripe rust in wheat. The healthy and stripe rust leaves were collected from the disease screening nursery. The variations in the blue-green region and chlorophyll fluorescence intensity in leaves provides the basis for the detection of stripe rust infection. With the progress of disease, the variations in the synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) spectrum was witnessed. SFS is an excellent tool for the simultaneous measurement of multiple compound samples, in case of plants it generates evidence regarding the occurrence of leaf fluorophore bands thus revealing the biochemical variations going on at different infection stages. Based on the results of the current study, it is inferred that p-coumaric acid has the highest intensity in healthy samples followed by the asymptomatic leaf samples, whereas the band intensity of α-tocopherol, sinapic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, tannins, flavonoid, carotenoids and anthocyanins increases in the diseased and the asymptomatic samples accordingly to the rust infection. Principal component analysis (PCA) beautifully differentiated the healthy and the infected leaf samples. It is evident that the asymptomatic samples are grouped with the diseased samples or independently; indicating the start of disease infection, the decision that is hard to make with the visual assessments. The results of the current study suggest that the fluorescence emission and the SFS spectral signatures acquired for stripe rust could be utilized as fingerprints for early disease detection.

A 56-year-old woman with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia presented with a 10-year history of persisting wart-like skin lesions on her feet. Biopsy revealed changes of eccrine syringofibroadenoma. These lesions are rare, with only nine case reports describing an association with ectodermal dysplasia of hidrotic type (Clouston and Schopf's syndrome). To our knowledge, this is the first case of eccrine syringofibroadenoma developing in the hypohidrotic/anhidrotic subtype of ectodermal dysplasia.

Background Keeping in view the developmental origin of health and disease hypothesis, the aim of this study was to assess differences in cardiac and vascular structure and function in children exposed to preeclampsia in utero compared with those of normotensive mothers. The hypothesis under investigation was that children exposed to preeclampsia would have altered cardiac and vascular structure and function compared with the unexposed group. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study that included children 2 to 10 years of age born to mothers with and without exposure to preeclampsia in utero (n = 80 in each group). Myocardial morphology and function using echocardiography and carotid intima-media thickness and pulse-wave velocity were determined. Multivariate linear regression was used to compare preeclampsia-exposed and nonexposed groups. Subgroup analysis to assess differences between early- and late-onset preeclampsia was also performed. Results Forty-one percent of mothers (n = 33) had early-onset preeclampsia. Children in the exposed group had a significantly higher prevalence of stage 1 systolic and diastolic hypertension (22% [n = 18] and 35% [n = 18], respectively) compared with the unexposed group (9% [n = 7] and 19% [n = 15], respectively; P = .01). Children in the exposed group also had higher pulse-wave velocity compared with those in the unexposed group (0.42 ± 0.1 vs 0.39 ± 0.1, P = .03). Subgroup analysis revealed that changes in blood pressure and pulse-wave velocity were determined primarily by early-onset preeclampsia. There was no significant difference in cardiac morphology or systolic and diastolic function between the exposed and unexposed groups. Conclusion In utero exposure to preeclampsia has an effect on vascular function in children aged 2 to 10 years, related primarily to early-onset disease. Routine blood pressure screening should be recommended for such children.

Keloid is characterized by benign overgrowth of dermal collagen in response to skin injury in genetically predisposed individuals. Intralesional triamcinolone and bleomycin have been used with varying success in the treatment of keloids. To compare the efficacy of intralesional triamcinolone versus intralesional bleomycin in the treatment keloids. A total of 164 patients were randomized into two of 82 each. Group A received intralesional bleomycine and Group B received intralesional triamcinolone. Patients were scored at baseline and at the end of treatment for therapeutic response based on reduction on patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS). Mean baseline POSAS score was 91 ± 10.98 SD check in Group A and 90 ± 10.85 SD in Group B. POSAS score after 24 weeks 26 SD ± 11.91 in Group and 34 ± 12.28 in Group B. This difference was statistically difference. Intralesional bleomycin is more efficacious than intralesional triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of keloids.

Biodegradable blends based on Poly(styrene/starch) Poly(Sty/Starch) were prepared by the casting method using different contents of starch in the range of 0–20 wt% aiming at preparing disposable packaging materials. The prepared bio-blends were Characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), swelling behavior, mechanical properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the swelling behavior slightly increased with increasing starch content and not exceeding 7.5%. The results showed that by increasing irradiation dose up to 5 kGy, the mechanical properties of the prepared PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film modified than other blend films, and hence it is selected. Also the water resistant increased, by irradiation of the selected PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction between Starch and PSty of the PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film promote a more homogenous blend film as shown in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared Poly(Sty/Starch) blends with different compositions and the selected irradiated PSty/10 wt% Starch blend were subjected to biodegradation in soil burial tests for 6 months using two different types of soils; agricultural and desert soils, then analyzed gravimetrically and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results suggested that there is a possibility of using irradiated PSty/10 wt% Starch at a dose of 5 kGy as a potential candidate for packaging material.

The current study presents Raman Spectroscopy (RS) accompanied by machine learning algorithms based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) for analysis of tuberculosis (TB). TB positive (diseased), TB negative (cured) and control (healthy) serum samples are considered for inter and intra comparative analysis. Raman spectral differences observed between both TB group and control samples spectra attributed probably to the changes in biomolecules like higher lactate concentration, lowering level of β-carotene and amide-I band of protein in TB patient’s blood samples. Inter comparison between control and TB positive sera samples shows prominent decrease in three extremely intense Raman peaks associated to β-carotene concentration. Noteworthy spectral differences are also observed among TB positive and TB negative sera samples. The comparison of these Raman results clearly indicate that the blood composition of TB negative patients still showing irregularities in some important elements. Moreover, the Raman spectral differences observed in the data of the control and diseased samples are further highlighted with the help of the machine learning algorithms. In general, a fine correlation has been observed between PCA score plot as well as HCA dendogram with the original Raman findings. Further investigation of such noticeable differences could help in understandings regarding the existing threshold levels. Moreover in future, it can contribute a lot towards the development of new, modified and more effective screening options.

This study presents the analysis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in human blood serum using Raman spectroscopy combined with pattern recognition technique. In total, 119 confirmed samples of HBV infected sera, collected from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) general hospital have been used for the current analysis. The differences between normal and HBV infected samples have been evaluated using support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. SVM model with two different kernels i.e. polynomial function and Gaussian radial basis function (RBF) have been investigated for the classification of normal blood sera from HBV infected sera based on Raman spectral features. Furthermore, the performance of the model with each kernel function has also been analyzed with two different implementations of optimization problem i.e. Quadratic programming and least square. 5-fold cross validation method has been used for the evaluation of the model. In the current study, best classification performance has been achieved for polynomial kernel of order-2. A diagnostic accuracy of about 98% with the precision of 97%, sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95% has been achieved under these conditions.

Objective: The aim of the study is to check the associated deformities due to of bike riding.Study Design: Observational study.Sample Size: 30 Participant meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled.Sample population: Undergraduates of Ziauddin College of physical therapy and physiotherapist of Ziauddin hospital.Method: Every participant was asked to stand in a quiet room with air condition at 26 degree and proper lightening. We informed the participant about full procedure and distribute the consent form among all participants. Each participant attended an experiment on different stations to measure different deformities. Each session consisted for 15-20 minutes. Participant voluntarily responded the pre survey questionnaire before experiment. Afterward physical examination is done i.e. height and weights of participants are taken. During session scoliosis, kyphosis, bilateral shoulder shift and lumber lordosis are measured at each station and then participants are allowed to rest there for 5 minutes.Result: Result showed that there is a significant effect of having pain due to prolong riding and faulty posture.Conclusion: There was no significant effect on life style, type of bike use, duration of riding bike from years to years, estimated time of riding, localized pain, pain spread, numbness after riding, feeling pain in sitting or standing on cervical, thoracic, lumber spine, shoulder and neck.But there was a significant effect on cervical, lumber and thoracic spine in bike rider which having pain while riding, prolong riding time and faulty sitting posture.

The current study presents the application of fluorescence spectroscopy for the identification of cow and buffalo milk based on β-carotene and vitamin-A which is of prime importance from the nutritional point of view. All samples were collected from healthy animals of different breeds at the time of lactation in the vicinity of Islamabad, Pakistan. Cow and buffalo milk shows differences at fluorescence emission appeared at band position 382 nm, 440 nm, 505 nm and 525 nm both in classical geometry (right angle) setup as well as front face fluorescence setup. In front face fluorescence geometry, synchronous fluorescence emission shows clear differences at 410 nm and 440 nm between the milk samples of both these species. These fluorescence emissions correspond to fats, vitamin-A and β-carotene. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) further highlighted these differences by showing clear separation between the two data sets on the basis of features obtained from their fluorescence emission spectra. These results indicate that classical geometry (fixed excitation wavelength) as well as front face (synchronous fluorescence emission) of cow and buffalo milk nutrients could be used as fingerprint from identification point of view. This same approach can effectively be used for the determination of adulterants in the milk and other dairy products.

Cockroaches are cosmopolitan and are found in warm snug places. They are active at night and like to live in humid cracks, behind appliances, cabinets and drawers. They carry microbes on their external body surfaces as they often live in unsanitary places and are thus dangerous to human. This study was carried out in Quetta city. 50 samples of cockroaches were collected from washroom, kitchen and gardens from different areas of Quetta city. The collected cockroaches were brought to the laboratory for further investigation. The cockroaches were inoculated in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and were incubated at 37°C for 24 h. The subcultures were made on Mac Conkey, SS and EMB agar for the isolation and purification of microorganisms. Biochemical tests that were catalase, simon citrate, methyl red and Voges-Proskauer (MR-VP) and motility tests were applied and the results show the presence of 82% Salmonella and 64% Escherichia coli on the external surfaces of cockroaches. It is deduced from the study that cockroaches are vital carriers of infectious pathogens; therefore, their control is necessary to minimize the spread of such infectious diseases. Key words: Cockroaches, broth, agar, biochemical tests, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, pathogens.

This study presents the screening of dengue virus (DENV) infection in human blood sera based on lactate concentration using Raman spectroscopy. A total of 70 samples, 50 from confirmed DENV infected patients and 20 from healthy volunteers have been used in this study. Raman spectra of all these samples have been acquired in the spectral range from 600 cm-1 to 1800 cm-1 using a 532 nm laser as an excitation source. Spectra of all these samples have been analyzed for assessing the biochemical changes resulting from infection. In DENV infected samples three prominent Raman peaks have been found at 750, 830 and 1450 cm-1. These peaks are most probably attributed to an elevated level of lactate due to an impaired function of different body organs in dengue infected patients. This has been proven by an addition of lactic acid solution to the healthy serum in a controlled manner. By the addition of lactic acid solution, the intense Raman bands at 1003, 1156 and 1516 cm-1 found in the spectrum of healthy serum got suppressed when the new peaks appeared around 750, 830, 925, 950, 1123, 1333, 1450, 1580 and 1730 cm-1. The current study predicts that lactate may possibly be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of DENV infection.

This study was conducted to get an insight into the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the people of Pakistan regarding organ donation (OD), and to understand the various factors that influence these. Systematic sampling was used to generate a sample size of 357. Data collection was carried out via a questionnaire in the outpatient units of our hospital. All kinds of medical and surgical patients were interviewed. Knowledge of ODs that occur in Pakistan and the rest of the world was found to be 65.5 and 72.8%, respectively. The percentage of those willing to donate their organ/s was 59.9%. Knowledge of OD was significantly associated with education and socioeconomic status. Willingness to donate had a significant association with gender. It also had a moderate association with education and socioeconomic status. Awareness of OD and the knowledge that OD can save lives was also significantly associated with the willingness to donate.

A quantitative analysis for the screening of immunoglobulin-G (IgG) positive human sera samples is presented for the dengue virus infection. The regression model was developed using 79 samples while 20 samples were used to test the performance of the model. The R-square (r 2) value of 0.91 was found through a leave-one-sample-out cross validation method, which shows the validity of this model. This model incorporates the molecular changes associated with IgG. Molecular analysis based on regression coefficients revealed that myristic acid, coenzyme-A, alanine, arabinose, arginine, vitamin C, carotene, fumarate, galactosamine, glutamate, lactic acid, stearic acid, tryptophan and vaccenic acid are positively correlated with IgG; while amide III, collagen, proteins, fatty acids, phospholipids and fucose are negatively correlated. For blindly tested samples, an excellent agreement has been found between the model predicted, and the clinical values of IgG. The parameters, which include sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, are found to be 100%, 83.3%, 95% and 0.99, respectively, which confirms the high quality of the model.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disease that affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age, in which hyperandrogenism (HA), enlarged cystic ovaries, and chronic anovulation often co-exist with obesity, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance (IR). There is a need for an alternative to metformin with minimal side effects to improve insulin sensitivity and correct dyslipidemia in PCOS patients.Methods: It was a prospective, Randomized controlled clinical trial. 116 PCOS patients, 58 each in two groups received either Metformin 500 mg TDS or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 600 mg TDS for 3 months. Clinical and biochemical parameters contributing to metabolic syndrome (MS) and insulin resistance (fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin (FI), FBS:FI, HOMA-IR and QUICKI) were assessed at the start and end of the study. Results were compared between the two groups.Results: Both treatment modalities resulted in a significant reduction in number of cases with IR (p=0.001) and MS. Fasting hyperinsulinemia improved in 15 % (p=0.12) and 30% (p=0.001) of patients while 12% (p=0.23) and 18% (p=0.049) improvement was seen in FBS:FI in MET and NAC group respectively. Similarly, improvement in HOMA-IR was 12% (p=0.30) and 32% (p=0.001) in MET and NAC group which is significant with NAC. QUICKI and impaired glucose tolerance showed significant improvement in both the groups with a p-value of 0.04 and 0.006, 0.035 and 0.046 respectively. Significant reduction was seen in triglycerides (p=0.048) in NAC group.Conclusions: NAC is equally efficacious as metformin in improving parameters of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome with minimal occasional side effects ensuring better compliance for a long-term therapy.

Raman spectroscopy based investigations of the molecular changes associated with an early stage of dengue virus infection (DENV) using a partial least squares (PLS) regression model is presented. This study is based on non-structural protein 1 (NS1) which appears after three days of DENV infection. In total, 39 blood sera samples were collected and divided into two groups. The control group contained samples which were the negative for NS1 and antibodies and the positive group contained those samples in which NS1 is positive and antibodies were negative. Out of 39 samples, 29 Raman spectra were used for the model development while the remaining 10 were kept hidden for blind testing of the model. PLS regression yielded a vector of regression coefficients as a function of Raman shift, which were analyzed. Cytokines in the region 775–875 cm−1, lectins at 1003, 1238, 1340, 1449 and 1672 cm−1, DNA in the region 1040–1140 cm−1 and alpha and beta structures of proteins in the region 933–967 cm−1 have been identified in the regression vector for their role in an early stage of DENV infection. Validity of the model was established by its R-square value of 0.891. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 100% each and the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was found to be 1.

This study demonstrates the evaluation of Raman spectroscopy as a rapid diagnostic test in comparison to commonly performed tests for an accurate detection of dengue fever in human blood sera. Blood samples of 104 suspected dengue patients collected from Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, have been used in this study. Out of 104 samples, 52 (50%) were positive based on immunoglobulin G (IgG), whereas 54 (52%) were positive based on immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody tests. For the determination of the diagnostic capabilities of Raman spectroscopy, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and false positive rate have been calculated in comparison to normally performed IgM and IgG captured enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests. Accuracy, precision, specificity, and sensitivity for Raman spectroscopy in comparison to IgM were found to be 66%, 70%, 72%, and 61%, whereas based on IgG they were 47%, 46%, 52%, and 43%, respectively.

This study is intended to develop a multivariate statistical model for the prediction of nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) in dengue virus (DENV) infected blood serum in humans. The model has been developed on the basis of partial least squares regression using the Raman spectra of NS1 positive and NS1 negative samples. Human blood sera of 218 subjects is included in this study, of which 95 were NS1 positive and 123 were NS1 negative, which was confirmed with the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. For model development, 80 NS1 positive and 98 NS1 negative samples were used, while 40 DENV suspected samples were used for double blind testing of the model. This selection of samples was performed by the code in an automatic manner to avoid biasing. A laser at 785 nm was used as the excitation source to acquire Raman spectra of samples with an integration time of 15 s. The multivariate model yields coefficients of regression at corresponding Raman shifts. These coefficients represent changes in the molecular structures associated with NS1 positive and negative samples. The analysis of the regression coefficients which differentiate NS1 positive and NS1 negative groups shows an increasing trend for phosphatidylinositol, ceramide, and amide-III, and a decreasing trend for thiocyanate in the DENV infected serum. The R-squared value of the model was found to be 0.91, which is clinically acceptable. The blind testing of 40 suspected samples yields an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of about 100% each.

Chickpea is mainly grown on marginal lands across the Pakistan where it has to face the problem of water shortage due to erratic water availability. For improvement of chickpea production, there is dire need for development of drought tolerant chickpea genotypes with high yield potential. Therefore, 20 advanced lines were evaluated against three water treatments (irrigated, rainfed and rain shelters) by following two-factor factorial randomized complete block design. Treatment mean comparison showed that irrigation at initiation of flowering promoted the vegetative growth and reduced the grain yield by redirecting the translocation of assimilates to the vegetative parts instead of grains. Rain shelter treatment induced the earliness in chickpea genotypes to complete the life cycle as early as possible to avoid severe water shortage but due to earliness there was great yield penalty in genotypes. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on drought tolerance indices converted the traits into principal components (PCs) in which PC 1 and PC 2 contributed 84.62% cumulative variability. So, these components were used for making biplot graph. Biplot categorized the genotypes into four distinct groups. Group-1 which was characterized to have the genotypes with superior performance under normal and stressed conditions included CM 1403/08, CM 1909/08, CM 516/06, D 096-11, CH 51/07, CH 54/07 and TGDX 203. Genotypes of group-1 were selected to be used as parents to develop high yielding genotypes because these genotypes showed highest yield under diverse water regimes. Other three groups had least importance as their tolerance level and potential yield was lower than Group-1.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare, potentially life-threatening, autoimmune bullousdisease with considerable age and gender variation, high incidence of relapse and an unpredictableprogression and prognosis.OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors leading to relapse of disease in pemphigus vulgaris patients.METHODOLOGY: This case series was conducted at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. A total of 80consecutive patients who presented with a relapse over a two year period (2013-2015) were included inthe study. Relevant information including biodata, number of relapses, and cause of relapse like poordrug compliance, faulty tapering, infection, pregnancy & uncontrolled diabetes were collected from thepatients. Analysis was done in SPSS version 20.RESULTS: The mean age of patients presenting with a relapse was 38.08 + 14.5 years with minimumage of 10 years and maximum of 80 years. The male to female gender ratio was 2:1 with 67.5% malesand 32.5% females. The causes identified for relapse were Poor drug Compliance in 46.3% patients,Faulty Tapering in 30% patients ,unknown cause in 8.8%,Infection in 7.5% patients. Pregnancy in 3.8%patients and Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus in3.8% patients. Patients had multiple relapses varyingfrom one to more than three.CONCLUSION: The most common cause of relapse in pemphigus patients is poor drug compliancefollowed by faulty corticosteroid tapering. Most of these cases are of middle age with a malepredominance and present to us during the second relapse.KEY WORDS: pemphigusvulgaris, relapse, compliance, faulty tapering, infection.

TiO 2 nanoparticles, successfully prepared by sol-gel method, were added with different contents to CMC solution to obtain CMC/TiO 2 nanocomposite. The structure and particle size of the TiO 2 nanoparticles, embedded in the CMC matrix, were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, with particle size in the range of 20–40 nm. The additives have a significant effect on the particle size distribution and physical properties of CMC/TiO 2 . The optical and electrical properties of CMC/TiO 2 were characterized by means of UV–VIS spectroscopy and electrical methods, respectively. The electrical activation energy Δ E for DC conduction decreases with increasing in TiO 2 ratio. The ac conductivity depends on the temperature and frequency according to SPH model for CMC polymer and CBH model for CMC/TiO 2 nanocomposites. The dielectric constant ɛ 1 and dielectric loss ɛ 2 for all samples increase with increasing temperature and decrease with increasing the frequency. The optical band gap transforms from indirect in case of CMC polymer into direct band gap in case of CMC/TiO 2 nanocomposites. Moreover, the optical band gap was investigated under different doses of gamma irradiation. The band gap is slightly increased by increasing the doses of gamma irradiation.