Vitamin D status of patients visiting a private endocrinology clinic: a retrospective analysis from Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To estimate the burden of vitamin D deficiency and its association with chronic diseases in patients visiting a private endocrinology clinic in an urban setting.

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Medicell Institute of Diabetes Endocrinology & Metabolism, Karachi, and comprised medical records of adult patients of either gender between January 2000 and December 2019.Vitamin D status of the patients and its association with various chronic disorders were investigated.

Peanut-Colonized Piriformospora indica Enhanced Drought Tolerance by Modulating the Enzymes and Expression of Drought-Related Genes.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important cash and oil seed crop, mostly distributed in arid and semi-arid areas. In recent years, due to the influence of atmospheric circulation anomalies and other factors, drought has become frequent and increasingly serious in China.

Study of medicinal plants used in ethnoveterinary medical system in riverine areas of Punjab, Pakistan.

Background: The use of medicinal plants to treat various veterinary illnesses has been practiced for millennia in many civilizations. Punjab is home to a diverse ethnic community, the majority of whom work in dairy farming, agriculture, and allied professions and have indigenous practices of treating animal illnesses using native flora. This study was designed to (1) document and preserve information about the applications of medicinal plant species in ethnoveterinary remedies among inhabitants of Punjab, Pakistan, and (2) identify popular plants for disease treatment by quantitative analysis of the obtained data and to assess the pharmacological relevance of these species.

Role of the redox state of the Pirin-bound cofactor on interaction with the master regulators of inflammation and other pathways.

Persistent cellular stress induced perpetuation and uncontrolled amplification of inflammatory response results in a shift from tissue repair toward collateral damage, significant alterations of tissue functions, and derangements of homeostasis which in turn can lead to a large number of acute and chronic pathological conditions, such as chronic heart failure, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Keeping the vital role of balanced inflammation in maintaining tissue integrity in mind, the way to combating inflammatory diseases may be through identification and characterization of mediators of inflammation that can be targeted without hampering normal body function. Pirin (PIR) is a non-heme iron containing protein having two different conformations depending on the oxidation state of the iron.

Effects of microbial agent and microbial fertilizer input on soil microbial community structure and diversity in a peanut continuous cropping system.

Introduction: The soil harbors a diverse array of microorganisms, and these are essential components of terrestrial ecosystems. The presence of microorganisms in the soil, particularly in the rhizosphere, is closely linked to plant growth and soil fertility.

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to assess the potential advantages of integrating microbial inoculants with compound fertilizer in enhancing peanut yield.

Overexpression of the First Peanut-Susceptible Gene, or , Enhanced Susceptibility to DC3000 in Arabidopsis.

Salicylic acid (SA) serves as a pivotal plant hormone involved in regulating plant defense mechanisms against biotic stresses, but the extent of its biological significance in relation to peanut resistance is currently lacking. This study elucidated the involvement of salicylic acid (SA) in conferring broad-spectrum disease resistance in peanuts through the experimental approach of inoculating SA-treated leaves. In several other plants, the salicylate hydroxylase genes are the typical susceptible genes ( genes).

Delayed diagnosis in Vitamin D-dependent rickets type II results in severe skeletal deformities.

Vitamin D-dependent Rickets Type II (VDDR-II) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by a vitamin D receptor gene mutation, leading to end-organ resistance to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 1,25(OH)2D. We aimed to investigate two cases of VDDR-II. Case 1 was of a 14-year old male, presenting with bone pains, bowing of legs, multiple bone deformities, and fractures since childhood.

Bio-Fabrication of ZnONPs from Alkalescent Nucleoside Antibiotic to Control Rice Blast: Impact on Pathogen () and Host (Rice).

In the traditional method of the bio-fabrication of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs), bacterial strains face metal toxicity and antimicrobial action. In the current study, an alkalescent nucleoside antibiotic was mixed with zinc hexanitrate to fabricate the ZnONPs. An integrated approach of DIAION HP-20 macroporous resin and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography was adopted to separate and purify alkalescent nucleoside AN03 from .

A Second Prone Dose Algorithm for Patients Undergoing Spinal Anesthesia During Thoracolumbar Surgeries.

Background: Spinal anesthesia is safe and effective in lumbar surgeries, with numerous advantages over general anesthesia (GA). Nevertheless, 1 major concern preventing the widespread adoption of this anesthetic modality in spine surgeries is the potential for intraprocedural anesthetic failure, resulting in the need to convert to GA intraoperatively.

Objective: To present a novel additional prone dose algorithm for when a first spinal dose fails to achieve the necessary effect.

Screening, and Optimization of Fermentation Medium to Produce Secondary Metabolites from for the Biocontrol of Early Leaf Spot Disease, and Growth Promoting Effects on Peanut ( L.).

A novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BAM strain, with novel fermentation nutrient mediums and compositions, could produce potent antifungal secondary metabolites, as the existing strains face resistance from fungus pathogens. In the current study, we introduced two novel nutrient mediums for the fermentation process, semolina and peanut root extract, as carbon and nitrogen sources in order to maximize the antifungal effects of B. amyloliquefaciens against Cercaspora arachidichola to control early leaf spot disease in peanuts.

Assessing the impact of spinal versus general anesthesia on postoperative urinary retention in elective spinal surgery patients.

Objective: Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a common and vexing complication in elective spine surgery. Efficacious prevention strategies are still lacking, and existing studies focus primarily on identifying risk factors. Spinal anesthesia has become an attractive alternative to general anesthesia in elective lumbar surgery, with the potential of having a differential impact on POUR.

A comprehensive in silico exploration of the impacts of missense variants on two different conformations of human pirin protein.

Background: Pirin, a member of the cupin superfamily, is an iron-binding non-heme protein. It acts as a coregulator of several transcription factors, especially the members of NFκB transcription factor family. Based on the redox state of its iron cofactor, it can assume two different conformations and thereby act as a redox sensor inside the nucleus.

TTN as a candidate gene for distal arthrogryposis type 10 pathogenesis.

Background: Arthrogryposis is a medical term used to describe congenital contractures which often affect multiple limbs. Distal arthrogryposis (DA) is one of the major categories of arthrogryposis that primarily affects the distal parts of the body, i.e.

Vertical growth pattern as a determinant of mandibular asymmetry.

Objectives: To determine normal mandibular linear values in three vertical groups, to compare right and left side to highlight a prevalent pattern towards mandibular asymettry.

Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study in which pre-orthodontic treatment panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms of 224 patients (between 18 to 34 years) undergoing treatment in Orthodontic Department of Bahria University Medical and Dental College were used and traced on an acetate sheet. There were 74 patients in high angle,76 and 78 in low angle and normal angle group respectively based on their vertical growth pattern using SNMP angle.

Safety and feasibility of spinal anesthesia during simple and complex lumbar spine surgery in the extreme elderly (≥80 years of age).

Objective: The extreme elderly population (≥80 years of age) is expected to triple globally by 2050 and surgeries in this age group are likely to increase. Spinal anesthesia has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to general anesthesia in lumbar surgery and may particularly benefit extreme elderly patients concerned with post-operative cognitive dysfunction, poor physiological reserves, and polypharmacy. However, literature supporting its use in this population is lacking and there are potential challenges such as degenerative anatomy and medical comorbidities.

Dataset for carbon footprints of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions performed under spinal or general anesthesia.

The datasets presented here quantify and compare the relative carbon footprints emitted by general versus spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions (TLIFs). Data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records of 100 consecutive patients who underwent a single-level TLIF from a single neurosurgeon at a U.S.

Assessing the Environmental Carbon Footprint of Spinal versus General Anesthesia in Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusions.

Background: The U.S. health care sector produces approximately 10% of national greenhouse gas emissions, paradoxically harming human health.

Antioxidant, antifungal, and aphicidal activity of the triterpenoids spinasterol and 22,23-dihydrospinasterol from leaves of Citrullus colocynthis L.

Terpenoids from natural plant sources are valuable for their diverse biological activities that have important roles in the medical and agrochemical industries. In this study, we assessed the antioxidant, antifungal, and aphicidal activities of a mixture of spinasterol and 22,23-dihydrospinasterol from the leaves of Citrullus colocynthis. We used 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) to assess antioxidant activity, and we measured antifungal activity using mycelium growth inhibition assays with three pathogenic fungi, Magnaporthe grisea, Rhizoctonia solani, and Phytophthora infestans.