Persistent organic pollutants in Pakistan: Potential threat to ecological integrities in terms of genotoxicity and oxidative stress

As a consequence of both increasing population and industrialization in agro-economic sector, Pakistan has inevitably been confronted by multicomplex environmental challenges. Owing in part to poor regulatory framework, pollution due to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has caused serious problems throughout the country. Resultantly, extensive use of POPs is causing vigorous deterioration of environment and human health. The current study addresses: (1) the general information on associated ecological effects and toxicity assessment by meta-analysis for local fauna and flora (2) their respective occurrence in living organisms; and (3) sources and distribution patterns of various POPs classes in environmental compartments of Pakistan. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the environment of Pakistan is highly contaminated with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dechlorane plus (DP), and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), which is further supported with the meta-analysis. Nevertheless, unavailability of environmental quality standards and food safety for POPs render it a forthcoming challenge of multicompartment toxicity exposure. Therefore, strategies must be planned for risk assessment of biologically active POPs, while the POP waste inventory should be elevated, along with the necessary measures to promote appropriate handling and treatment of POP as a matter of prime importance.     

Biological control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella: A review

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is one of the most destructive cosmopolitan insect pests of brassicaceous crops. It was the first crop insect reported to be resistant to DDT and now, in many crucifer producing regions, it has shown significant resistance to almost every synthetic insecticide applied in the field. In certain parts of the world, economical production of crucifers has become almost impossible due to insecticidal control failures. Consequently, increased efforts worldwide have been undertaken to develop integrated pest management (IPM) programs, principally based on manipulation of its natural enemies. Although over 130 parasitoid species are known to attack various life stages of DBM, most control worldwide is achieved by relatively few hymenopteran species belonging to the ichneumonid genera Diadegma and Diadromus, the braconid genera Microplitis and Cotesia, and the eulophid genus Oomyzus. DBM populations native to different regions have genetic and biological differences, and specific parasitoid strains may be associated with the specific DBM strains. Therefore, accurate identification based on genetic studies of both host and parasitoid is of crucial importance to attaining successful control of DBM through inoculative or inundative releases. Although parasitoids of DBM larvae and pupae are currently its principal regulators, bacteria-derived products (e.g., crystal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis) and myco-insecticides principally based on Zoophthora radicans and Beauveria bassiana are increasingly being applied or investigated for biological control. Viruses, nematodes and microsporidia also have potential as biopesticides for DBM. When an insect pest is exposed to more than one mortality factor, there is the possibility of interactions that can enhance, limit, or limit and enhance the various aspects of effectiveness of a particular control tactic. This paper reviews the effectiveness of various parasitoids and entomopathogens against DBM, interactions among them, and their possible integration into modern IPM programs.     

Nanoparticles and cancer therapy: Perspectives for application of nanoparticles in the treatment of cancers

Rapid growth in nanotechnology toward the development of nanomedicine agents holds massive promise to improve therapeutic approaches against cancer. Nanomedicine products represent an opportunity to achieve sophisticated targeting strategies and multifunctionality. Nowadays, nanoparticles (NPs) have multiple applications in different branches of science. In recent years, NPs have repetitively been reported to play a significant role in modern medicine. They have been analyzed for different clinical applications, such as drug carriers, gene delivery to tumors, and contrast agents in imaging. A wide range of nanomaterials based on organic, inorganic, lipid, or glycan compounds, as well as on synthetic polymers has been utilized for the development and improvement of new cancer therapeutics. In this study, we discuss the role of NPs in treating cancer among different drug delivery methods for cancer therapy.     

Genetic mapping of an autosomal recessive postaxial polydactyly type A to chromosome 13q13.3–q21.2 and screening of the candidate genes

Postaxial Polydactyly (PAP) is characterized by fifth digit duplication in hands and/or feet. Two types of PAP including PAP-A, representing the development of well-formed extra digit, and PAP-B, representing the presence of rudimentary fifth digit, have been described. Both isolated and syndromic forms of PAP have been reported. Isolated forms of PAP usually segregate as an autosomal dominant trait and to date four loci have been identified. In the present study, we have described mapping of the first locus of autosomal recessive PAP type A on chromosome 13q13.3–13q21.2 in a consanguineous Pakistani family. Using polymorphic microsatellite markers, the disease locus was mapped to a 17.87-cM (21.13 Mb) region flanked by markers D13S1288 and D13S632, on chromosome 13q13.3–13q21.2. A maximum multipoint LOD score of 3.84 was obtained with several markers along the disease interval. DNA sequence analysis of exons and splice-junction sites of ten candidate genes (CHM-I, TSC22D1, FOXO1, DIAPH3, CCDC122, CKAP2, SUGT1, RANKL, LPAR6, C13ORF31) did not reveal potentially causal variants.     

MotViz: a tool for sequence motif prediction in parallel to structural visualization and analyses

Linking similar proteins structurally is a challenging task that may help in finding the novel members of a protein family. In this respect, identification of conserved sequence can facilitate understanding and classifying the exact role of proteins. However, the exact role of these conserved elements cannot be elucidated without structural and physiochemical information. In this work, we present a novel desktop application MotViz designed for searching and analyzing the conserved sequence segments within protein structure. With MotViz, the user can extract a complete list of sequence motifs from loaded 3D structures, annotate the motifs structurally and analyze their physiochemical properties. The conservation value calculated for an individual motif can be visualized graphically. To check the efficiency, predicted motifs from the data sets of 9 protein families were analyzed and MotViz algorithm was more efficient in comparison to other online motif prediction tools. Furthermore, a database was also integrated for storing, retrieving and performing the detailed functional annotation studies. In summary, MotViz effectively predicts motifs with high sensitivity and simultaneously visualizes them into 3D strucures. Moreover, MotViz is user-friendly with optimized graphical parameters and better processing speed due to the inclusion of a database at the back end. MotViz is available at http://www.fi-pk.com/motviz.html.