Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in Karachi, Pakistan.

An epidemiological study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia infections in adult females by enzyme immunoassay and microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained smears. Endocervical swabs were collected from 126 females attending OB/GYN ward at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi. 13.5% of 126 females tested were positive by enzyme immunoassay and only 5.6% were positive by the Giemsa-staining method. The infection rate among pregnant and nonpregnant women with urinogenital problems were 11.8% and 14.7%, respectively. The majority of females complained of excessive cervical discharge and pain in the lower abdomen. A high prevalence of infection in normal pregnant women (18.2%) indicates the asymptomatic nature of this infection.     

Prediction of Certain Well-Characterized Domains of Known Functions within the PE and PPE Proteins of Mycobacteria

The PE and PPE protein family are unique to mycobacteria. Though the complete genome sequences for over 500 M. tuberculosis strains and mycobacterial species are available, few PE and PPE proteins have been structurally and functionally characterized. We have therefore used bioinformatics tools to characterize the structure and function of these proteins. We selected representative members of the PE and PPE protein family by phylogeny analysis and using structure-based sequence annotation identified ten well-characterized protein domains of known function. Some of these domains were observed to be common to all mycobacterial species and some were species specific.     

Acorus calamus extracts and nickel chloride

Nickel, a major environmental pollutant, is known for its clastogenic, toxic, and carcinogenic potential. In this article, we report the effect of Acorus calamus on nickel chloride (NiCl₂)-induced renal oxidative stress, toxicity, and cell proliferation response in male Wistar rats. NiCl₂ (250 μmol/kg body weight/mL) enhanced reduced renal glutathione content (GSH) glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), lipid peroxidation (LPO), H₂O₂ generation, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine with a concomitant decrease in the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (p<0.001). NiCl₂ administration also dose-dependently induced the renal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity several-fold as compared to salinetreated control rats. Similarly, renal DNA synthesis, which is measured in terms of [³H] thymidine incorporation in DNA, was elevated following NiCl₂ treatment. Prophylactic treatment of rats with A. calamus (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight po) daily for 1 wk resulted in the diminution of NiCl₂-mediated damage, as evident from the downregulation of glutathione content, GST, GR, LPO, H₂O₂ generation, BUN, serum creatinine, DNA synthesis (p<0.001), and ODC activity (p<0.01) with concomitant restoration of GPx activity. These results clearly demonstrate the role of oxidative stress and its relation to renal disfunctioning and suggest a protective effect of A. calamus on NiCl₂-induced nephrotoxicity in a rat experimental model.     

Development of a novel inducer for EBV lytic therapy

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus that infects over 90% of the world's population that persists as a latent infection in various lymphoid and epithelial malignancies. The total number of EBV associated malignancies is estimated to exceed 200,000 new cancers per year. Current chemotherapeutic treatments of EBV-positive cancers include broad-spectrum cytotoxic drugs that ignore the EBV positive status of tumors and have limited safety and selectivity. In an effort to develop new and more efficacious molecules for inducing EBV reactivation, we have developed high-throughput screening assays to identify a class of small molecules (referred to as the C60 series) that efficiently activate the EBV lytic cycle in multiple latency types, including lymphoblastoid and nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. In this paper we report our preliminary structure activity relationship studies and demonstrate reactivation of EBV in the SNU719 gastric carcinoma mouse model and the AGS-Akata gastric carcinoma mouse model.     

Copper Oxide Nanomaterials Derived from Zanthoxylum armatum DC. and Berberis lycium Royle Plant Species: Characterization,Assessment of Free Radical Scavenging and Antibacterial Activity

Copper oxide nanomaterials were synthesized by a facile sustainable biological method using two plant species (Zanthoxylum armatum DC. and Berberis lycium Royle ). The formation of materials was confirmed by FT‐IR, ATR, UV‐visible, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, TGA and PL. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion method to ascertain the efficacy of plant species extract and extract derived copper oxide nanomaterials against six Gram‐positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium xerosis, Bacillus cereus and four Gram‐negative bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris against the standard drug, Ciprofloxacin for Gram‐positive and Gentamicin for Gram‐negative bacteria, respectively. In both cases, copper oxide nanomaterials were found to be sensitive in all the bacterial species. Sensitivity of copper oxide nanomaterials shows an be higher as compared to plant species extract against different bacteria. Scavenging activity of plant extracts along with nanomaterials have been accessed using previously reported protocols employing ascorbic acid as standard. Scavenging activity of copper oxide nanomaterials shows an increase with increase in concentration. The biological activity (bactericidal and scavenging efficiency) of plant derived copper oxide nanomaterials revealed that these materials can be used as potent antimicrobial agent and DPPH scavengers in industrial as well as pharmacological fields.     

Field performance of bacterial inoculants to alleviate water stress effects in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Plant and Soil - Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase can play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance in plants, particularly...     

Hexose monophosphate shunt,the role of its metabolites and associated disorders: A review

The hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt acts as an essential component of cellular metabolism in maintaining carbon homeostasis. The HMP shunt comprises two phases viz. oxidative and nonoxidative, which provide different intermediates for the synthesis of biomolecules like nucleotides, DNA, RNA, amino acids, and so forth; reducing molecules for anabolism and detoxifying the reactive oxygen species during oxidative stress. The HMP shunt is significantly important in the liver, adipose tissue, erythrocytes, adrenal glands, lactating mammary glands and testes. We have researched the articles related to the HMP pathway, its metabolites and disorders related to its metabolic abnormalities. The literature for this paper was taken typically from a personal database, the Cochrane database of systemic reviews, PubMed publications, biochemistry textbooks, and electronic journals uptil date on the hexose monophosphate shunt. The HMP shunt is a tightly controlled metabolic pathway, which is also interconnected with other metabolic pathways in the body like glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and glucuronic acid depending upon the metabolic needs of the body and depending upon the biochemical demand. The HMP shunt plays a significant role in NADPH₂ formation and in pentose sugars that are biosynthetic precursors of nucleic acids and amino acids. Cells can be protected from highly reactive oxygen species by NADPH ₂. Deficiency in the hexose monophosphate pathway is linked to numerous disorders. Furthermore, it was also reported that this metabolic pathway could act as a therapeutic target to treat different types of cancers, so treatments at the molecular level could be planned by limiting the synthesis of biomolecules required for proliferating cells provided by the HMP shunt, hence, more experiments still could be carried out to find additional discoveries.     

Metalloids in plants: A systematic discussion beyond description

Metalloids represent a wide range of elements with intermediate physiochemical properties between metals and non-metals. Many of the metalloids, like boron, selenium, and silicon are known to be essential or quasi-essential for plant growth. In contrast, metalloids viz. arsenic and germanium are toxic to plant growth. The toxicity of metalloids largely depends on their concentration within the living cells. Some elements, at low concentration, may be beneficial for plant growth and development; however, when present at high concentration, they often exert negative effects. In this regard, understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the uptake of metalloids by roots, their subsequent transport to different tissues and inter/intra-cellular redistribution has great importance. The mechanisms of metalloids' uptake have been well studied in plants. Also, various transporters, as well as membrane channels involved in these processes, have been identified. In this review, we have discussed in detail the aspects concerning the positive/negative effects of different metalloids on plants. We have also provided a thorough account of the uptake, transport, and accumulation, along with the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of plants to these metalloids. Additionally, we have brought up the previous theories and debates about the role and effects of metalloids in plants with insightful discussions based on the current knowledge.     

2-Amino-5-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole as chemosensor for Ni(II) ion detection: antifungal,antioxidant, DNA binding,and molecular docking studies

An oxadiazole derivative 2 was prepared by condensation reaction through cyclization of semicarbazone in the presence of bromine; the structural confirmation was supported by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Its sensing ability towards Ni²⁺ ion was examined showing a binding constant of 1.04 × 10⁵ compared with other suitable metal cations (Ca²⁺, Co²⁺, Cr³⁺, Ag⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺) using ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and fluorescence spectroscopic studies. The minimum concentration of Ni²⁺ ions and limit of detection was found to be 9.4 μM. A job's plot gave the binding stoichiometry ratio of oxadiazole derivative 2 vs Ni²⁺ ions as 2:1. Furthermore, the intercalative binding mode of oxadiazole derivative 2 with calf thymus DNA was supported by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and fluorescent light, viscosity, cyclic voltammetry, time-resolved fluorescence, and circular dichroism measurements. The molecular docking result gave the binding score for oxadiazole derivative 2 as −6.5 kcal/mol, which further confirmed the intercalative interaction. In addition, the antifungal activity of oxadiazole derivative 2 was also screened against several fungal strains (C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. tropicalis) by broth dilution and disc diffusion methods. In antioxidant studies, the oxadiazole derivative 2 showed potential scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and H₂O₂ free radicals.