Search

Abstract Background Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), hemangioma, and other angioproliferative diseases are highly prevalent in HIV-infected individuals. While KS is etiologically linked to the human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) infection, HIV-patients without HHV-8 and those infected with unrelated viruses also develop angiopathies. Further, HIV-Tat can activate protein-tyrosine-kinase (PTK-activity) of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor involved in stimulating angiogenic processes. However, Tat by itself or HHV8-genes alone cannot induce angiogenesis in vivo unless specific proteins/enzymes are produced synchronously by different cell-types. We therefore tested a hypothesis that chronic HIV-replication in non-endothelial cells may produce novel factors that provoke angiogenic pathways. Methods Genome-wide proteins from HIV-infected and uninfected T-lymphocytes were tested by subtractive proteomics analyses at various stages of virus and cell growth in vitro over a period of two years. Several thousand differentially regulated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and >200 proteins were confirmed in multiple gels. Each protein was scrutinized extensively by protein-interaction-pathways, bioinformatics, and statistical analyses. Results By functional categorization, 31 proteins were identified to be associated with various signaling events involved in angiogenesis. 88% proteins were located in the plasma membrane or extracellular matrix and >90% were found to be essential for regeneration, neovascularization and angiogenic processes during embryonic development. Conclusion Chronic HIV-infection of T-cells produces membrane receptor-PTKs, serine-threonine kinases, growth factors, adhesion molecules and many diffusible signaling proteins that have not been previously reported in HIV-infected cells. Each protein has been associated with endothelial cell-growth, morphogenesis, sprouting, microvessel-formation and other biological processes involved in angiogenesis (p = 10-4 to 10-12). Bioinformatics analyses suggest that overproduction of PTKs and other kinases in HIV-infected cells has suppressed VEGF/VEGFR-PTK expression and promoted VEGFR-independent pathways. This unique mechanism is similar to that observed in neovascularization and angiogenesis during embryogenesis. Validation of clinically relevant proteins by gene-silencing and translational studies in vivo would identify specific targets that can be used for early diagnosis of angiogenic disorders and future development of inhibitors of angiopathies. This is the first comprehensive study to demonstrate that HIV-infection alone, without any co-infection or treatment, can induce numerous "embryonic" proteins and kinases capable of generating novel VEGF-independent angiogenic pathways. more...

This study outlines the importance of warehouse management and inventory management in every business or organization's success and operational performance. Germany is a global leader in logistics with its excellent infrastructure, and the World Bank rated Germany #1 three times in a row in logistics. Hence the descriptive analysis was made by taking the eight operating companies of Germany. The data was collected through a questionnaire emphasizing logistics management and its connection with cost reduction, increased efficiency and outcomes with improved market competitiveness. The study aims to acquire fresh insights into German businesses' logistics management and highlight the long-term implications of adopting suitable management techniques. This research's practical aim is to make the results accessible to domestic businesses to help improve their operations and, if necessary, build a logistics based system. The study's findings reveal that effective storage management and control may help save money on storage expenses. The placement of primary and auxiliary storage helps companies to avoid "idle time," and stock control storage helps them to prevent the possibility of losing product lifetime and incurring extra expenses due to poor storage. Moreover, the study results concluded that logistics management positively impacts the companies or businesses' performance, and it plays a vital role in increasing the efficiency of any business's operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Soilborne fungal diseases are most common among vegetable crops and have major implications for crop yield and productivity. Eco-friendly sustainable agriculture practices that can overcome biotic and abiotic stresses are of prime importance. In this study, we evaluated the ability of plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Bacillus aryabhattai strain SRB02 to control the effects of tomato wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (strain KACC40032) and promote plant growth. In vitro bioassays showed significant inhibition of fungal growth by SRB02. Inoculation of susceptible and tolerant tomato cultivars in the presence of SRB02 showed significant protection of the cultivar that was susceptible to infection and promotion of plant growth and biomass production in both of the cultivars. Further analysis of SRB02-treated plants revealed a significantly higher production of amino acids following infection by F. oxysporum. Analysis of plant defense hormones after inoculation by the pathogen revealed a significantly higher accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), with a concomitant reduction in jasmonic acid (JA). These results indicate that B. aryabhattai strain SRB02 reduces the effects of Fusarium wilt disease in tomato by modulating endogenous phytohormones and amino acid levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Artemisia chamaemelifolia Vill. is a perennial herb from the genus Artemisia of the Asteraceae family. This plant is mostly distributed in Armenia, Russia, Georgia and the Eurasian mountains including Cantabrian chain, Spanish Sierra Nevada, the Alps (France and Italy), Azerbaijan, Pyrenees, the Balkan range (Bulgaria), northeast and east Anatolia (Turkey) and the mountain regions of Northern Iran. In continuation of our preceding papers on Northeastern Pakistani Artemisia, here we report the local occurrence of A. chamaemelifolia from Pakistan by critically analyzing its geographical distribution. To date, we have found the species in 4 major areas of Ghizer, Gilgit, Hunza-Nagar and Skardu districts of Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis with maximum likelihood approach using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA showed resemblance of northeastern Pakistani A. chamaemelifolia with other Artemisia species reported from other parts of the world. This species has been listed as critically endangered in the national IUCN red list of many countries. It is recommended that A. chamaemelifolia plant should be included in the rare plant species list in the flora of Pakistan. It will ensure conservation approaches to circumvent its extinction from the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In this paper, we shall generalize two recently proved results of Mir (Ann Univ Ferrara 65:327–336, 2019) concerning the polar derivative of a polynomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte (Asteraceae) is a species of Artemisia described from Europe but native to East Asia. It is an alien and/or invasive species that has become naturalized in many European regions, Australia, South America, New Zealand, North and South Africa and Western Asia.In continuation of our work on Northeastern Pakistani Artemisia, we report the first local occurrence of Artemisia verlotorum Lamotte from Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan by investigating its geographical distribution and phylogenetic analysis. To date, we have observed this species in stony landscapes of Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan. Phylogenetic analysis of A. verlotiorum with maximum likelihood approach using its ETS (External transcribed spacer)and ITS (Internal transcribed spacer) of nrDNA sequences showed its resemblance with other Artemisia species reported from the world. This species needs to be included in the rare plant species list in the flora of Pakistan following the criteria of IUCN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The emerging wireless energy transfer technology enables sensor nodes to maintain perpetual operation. However, maximizing the network performance while preserving short charging delay is a great challenge. In this work, a Wireless Mobile Charger (MC) and a directional charger (DC) were deployed to transmit wireless energy to the sensor node to improve the network's throughput. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to optimize the data sensing rate and charging delay by the joint scheduling of an MC and a DC. We proved we could transmit maximum energy to each sensor node to obtain our optimization objective. In our proposed work, a DC selected a total horizon of 360° and then selected the horizon of each specific 90 ∘ area based on its antenna orientation. The DC's orientation was scheduled for each time slot. Furthermore, multiple MCs were used to transmit energy for sensor nodes that could not be covered by the DC. We divided the rechargeable wireless sensor network into several zones via a Voronoi diagram. We deployed a static DC and one MC charging location in each zone to provide wireless charging service jointly. We obtained the optimal charging locations of the MCs in each zone by solving Mix Integral Programming for energy transmission. The optimization objective of our proposed research was to sense maximum data from each sensor node with the help of maximum energy. The lifetime of each sensor network could increase, and the end delay could be maximized, with joint energy transmission. Extensive simulation results demonstrated that our RWSNs were designed to significantly improve network lifetime over the baseline method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Asteraceae is the largest flowering plant family with ∼19 11 genera and ∼32 913 species worldwide used in medicine and diet. Data on Asteraceae flora was assembled from Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, SciELO, Science Direct, Web of Science, books, and dissertations using specific keywords. Overall, 198 species from 78 genera of Asteraceae with traditional uses have been reported in Pakistan with Artemisia (16.6%), Launea (4%), Sassurea (4%), Conyza (3.5%), Lactuca , and Taraxacum (3%) being widely used genera. Maximum studies were reported for Artemisia from Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) following Sonchus from Punjab, Taraxamum and Xanthium from KPK. Herb was the dominant life form (86.88%) following shrubs (9.59%) and subshrubs (3.53%). Highly used plant parts include whole plant (46.96%), leaves (46.46%), and flowers (23.23%) with 12 preparation methods including decoction (64.64%), powder (29.79%), and paste (25.25%) maximally consumed orally (55%). The ethnomedicinal uses of Asteraceae were reported against ∼126 diseases specifically against gastrointestinal problems (70 species), fever (63 species), and skin diseases (50 species). The baseline data from Pakistan provide comprehensive indigenous knowledge about Asteracea species against different diseases. The documentation of ethnobotany of rare species from unexplored areas of Pakistan is recommended to avoid the loss of traditional knowledge. Further toxicologic evaluation of Asteraceae species with emphasis on heavy metals profile could be a possible research line. [Display omitted] • Asteraceae is the largest plant family used in diet and medicine for centuries. • This review provides repository data on ethnobotany ofAsteraceae in Pakistan. • Ethnobotany of198 species from 78 Asteraceae genera was reported in Pakistan. • Artemisia , Launea , Sassurea , and Conyza were the highly used genera. • Ethnomedicinal uses of Asteraceae were reported against 126 diseases in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Improper post-harvest handling results in significant losses to cut rose flowers. The phytohormone ethylene plays a key role in the growth of rose and flower opening. In this study we isolated and characterized an Ethylene Response Factor (RhERF092) from rose (Rosa hybrida) cv. "Samantha" and investigated its role in flower opening and development. RhERF092 was originally detected in a microarray experiment with a significant increase in its expression in rose petals after 1 h of ethylene treatment. Sequence analysis showed the presence of a canonical AP2/EREBP domain and a C-terminus trans-activation domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that RhERF092 is an orthologue of the Arabidopsis ERF1 (AT3G23240) belonging to subgroup IX of the ERF gene family. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed RhERF092: GFP expression in the nucleus. Basal expression of RhERF092 is highest expression at stage 0 of flower opening which gradually decreases and remains constant till senescence. Ectopic expression of RhERF092 in Arabidopsis caused various ethylene-related aberrations in plant development including stunted growth, abortion of apical dominance, production of lateral tillers from rosette nodes, branches from the aerial nodes, and sterile inflorescence. Arabidopsis 35SRhERF092 plants were found to be sensitive to the ethylene precursor ACC with significantly reduced hypocotyl and root system with significant reduction in the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, cell expansion and cell cycle such as ARGOS, ARGOS-LIKE, SIM, JAGGED, AN3, CYCD3-1, and CYCD3-2as compared to WT plants. Taken together these results indicate that RhERF092 regulates ethylene-specific responses in rose and Arabidopsis. Key message: The rose Ethylene Response Factor RhERF092 is a transcription factor that regulates essential ethylene-related development of rose flowers and mediates abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Exposure of plants to different environmental insults instigates significant changes in the cellular redox tone driven in part by promoting the production of reactive nitrogen species. The key player, nitric oxide (NO) is a small gaseous diatomic molecule, well-known for its signaling role during stress. In this study, we focused on abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism-related genes that showed differential expression in response to the NO donor S-nitroso-l-cysteine (CySNO) by conducting RNA-seq-based transcriptomic analysis. Results: CySNO-induced ABA-related genes were identified and further characterized. Gene ontology terms for biological processes showed most of the genes were associated with protein phosphorylation. Promoter analysis suggested that several cis-regulatory elements were activated under biotic and/or abiotic stress conditions. The ABA biosynthetic gene AtAO3 was selected for validation using functional genomics. The loss of function mutant atao3 was found to differentially regulate oxidative and nitrosative stress. Further investigations for determining the role of AtAO3 in plant defense suggested a negative regulation of plant basal defense and R-gene-mediated resistance. The atao3 plants showed resistance to virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 (Pst DC3000) with gradual increase in PR1 gene expression. Similarly, atao3 plants showed increased hypersensitive response (HR) when challenged with Pst DC3000 (avrB). The atgsnor1–3 and atsid2 mutants showed a susceptible phenotype with reduced PR1 transcript accumulation. Drought tolerance assay indicated that atao3 and atnced3 ABA-deficient mutants showed early wilting, followed by plant death. The study of stomatal structure showed that atao3 and atnced3 were unable to close stomata even at 7 days after drought stress. Further, they showed reduced ABA content and increased electrolyte leakage than the wild-type (WT) plants. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that ABA biosynthesis genes were down-regulated, whereas expression of most of the drought-related genes were up-regulated in atao3 than in WT. Conclusions: AtAO3 negatively regulates pathogen-induced salicylic acid pathway, although it is required for drought tolerance, despite the fact that ABA production is not totally dependent on AtAO3, and that drought-related genes like DREB2 and ABI2 show response to drought irrespective of ABA content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Nitric oxide (NO) is emerging as a key signalling molecule in plants. The chief mechanism for the transfer of NO bioactivity is thought to be S -nitrosylation, the addition of an NO moiety to a protein cysteine thiol to form an S -nitrosothiol (SNO). The enzyme S -nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) indirectly controls the total levels of cellular S -nitrosylation, by depleting S -nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), the major cellular NO donor. Here we show that depletion of GSNOR function impacts tomato (Solanum lycopersicum. L) fruit development. Thus, reduction of GSNOR expression through RNAi modulated both fruit formation and yield, establishing a novel function for GSNOR. Further, depletion of S. lycopersicum GSNOR (SlGSNOR) additionally impacted a number of other developmental processes, including seed development, which also has not been previously linked with GSNOR activity. In contrast to Arabidopsis, depletion of GSNOR function did not influence root development. Further, reduction of GSNOR transcript abundance compromised plant immunity. Surprisingly, this was in contrast to previous data in Arabidopsis that reported that reducing Arabidopsis thaliana GSNOR (AtGSNOR) expression by antisense technology increased disease resistance. We also show that increased SlGSNOR expression enhanced pathogen protection, uncovering a potential strategy to enhance disease resistance in crop plants. Collectively, our findings reveal, at the genetic level, that some but not all GSNOR activities are conserved outside the Arabidopsis reference system. Thus, manipulating the extent of GSNOR expression may control important agricultural traits in tomato and possibly other crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background - Gilgit-Baltistan, the Northeast region of Pakistan, is well known for its floristic diversity, including members of the genus Artemisia. Artemisia is a large, taxonomically complex genus including ~500 species of both herbs and shrubs. This study was conducted to determine the phylogenetic position of ten undescribed Artemisia taxa from northern Pakistan, using nrDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS), external transcribed spacer (ETS) and cpDNA intergenic spacer (psbA-trnH) regions. Methods - The phylogenetic relationships of 28 taxa of Artemisia using separate and combined data sets of sequences of three markers (ITS, ETS and psbA-trnH) were analysed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian approaches. Key results - The results resolve northeastern Pakistani Artemisia, which represent five morphologically defined subgenera, into ten major clades. Subgenera Artemisia and Absinthium are shown to be polyphyletic, while Dracunculus, Pacifica and Tridentatae appear monophyletic. All species of subgenus Seriphidium are retrieved in a single clade that also includes annual species from subgenus Artemisia. In the Flora of Pakistan, Seriphidium is described as a separate genus but in this study, Seriphidium fell within the genus Artemisia. In addition, on the basis of phylogenetic analysis, we present evidence that ten as-yet undescribed taxa are present in northeastern Pakistan based on newly recognized three groups (Groups I, II and III) of taxa within the genus Artemisia. One undescribed taxon from group I was placed within the subgenus Dracunculus clade and the remaining nine taxa from groups II and III were placed in the subgenus Absinthium clade. Morphological studies coupled with modern molecular techniques may lead to a new infrageneric classification of the genus Artemisia. It will also clarify and characterize the undescribed taxa reported in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Contaminated air quality, in lieu of massive industrial pollution, is severely attributing to health anomalies in the proximity of industrial units. Cardiovascular Disease (CAD) is rising around industrial units in the planned capital city of Pakistan, Pakistan. To study self-reported CAD in the proximity of Industrial Estate Islamabad (IEI) by equating two distinct study groups as 'Band-I': the residence 0–650 meters and 'Band-II' 650–1300 meters radius around the perimeter of IEI. The perimeters were digitized using Google Earth and GIS. Field survey was conducted on deploying 388 (194 in each Band) close-ended (self-administered) questionnaires at the household level, after adjusting the potential confounding variables. The research calculated odds ratios (ORs) of the CAD at 95% CI. The study's findings of the multiple logistic regression for ORs confirmed a significant increase in CAD problems due to industrial affluents in Band-I than in Band-II which were less severe and less life-threatening. Study confirmed high incidences of high blood pressure and breathing issues (up to 67%), due to accumulation of unhealthy affluents thus leading to heart stroke (Band I = 56.20% and Band II = 60.30%). It is aided by smoking that has increased CAD in Band-I. Societal attributes of knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and preferences fail to safeguard the local residents amid high concentration of harmful pollutants. As a counter measure the affected respondents engaged in highlighting the issue to the concerned public offices, yet there is a high need on part of the capital government to take mitigative measures to immediately halt the disastrous industrial air emissions to save precious lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...