Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Regulating Growth, Enhancing Productivity, and Potentially Influencing Ecosystems under Abiotic and Biotic Stresses.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with the roots of nearly all land-dwelling plants, increasing growth and productivity, especially during abiotic stress. AMF improves plant development by improving nutrient acquisition, such as phosphorus, water, and mineral uptake. AMF improves plant tolerance and resilience to abiotic stressors such as drought, salt, and heavy metal toxicity.

A 10 year service evaluation of the survival of 439 patients with early oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer who underwent initial OncotypeDX ® testing to guide adjuvant chemotherapy decisions.

Objective: To explore the long-term outcome of patients who underwent Oncotype DX® testing. The relationship between the RS, adjuvant treatments received, and clinical outcomes across the entire range of RS results are reported.

Methods: 10-year Kaplan-Meier estimates for distant recurrence/BC-specific survival (BCSS) in this cohort.

Geriatric assessment tool application in treatment recommendations for older women with breast cancer.

Introduction: Treatment of early breast cancer in older women is usually not guideline concordant owing to lack of routine evaluation of their potential frailty. We assessed the feasibility and impact of a self-administered geriatric assessment on the decision-making process in women aged 65 and above treated in a UK District General Hospital.

Methods: One hundred and one patients, aged 65 and above, with early stage, non-metastatic breast cancer were prospectively recruited between Dec-2018 and March-2021.

Automated Breast Volume Assessment Derived From Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Images Compared to Mastectomy Specimen Weight and Its Applications in Cosmetic Optimisation.

Background: Estimating the size and volume of the breast preoperatively is an important step in surgical planning for many breast procedures such as immediate implant-based breast reconstructions and reduction mammoplasties. Breast volume estimation helps in appropriate implant selection preoperatively.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to objectively evaluate the estimation of breast weight by automatic volumetric breast assessment in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) using Quantra™ 2.

Using cryo-EM to understand antimycobacterial resistance in the catalase-peroxidase (KatG) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Resolution advances in cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) now offer the possibility to visualize structural effects of naturally occurring resistance mutations in proteins and also of understanding the binding mechanisms of small drug molecules. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis the multifunctional heme enzyme KatG is indispensable for activation of isoniazid (INH), a first-line pro-drug for treatment of tuberculosis. We present a cryo-EM methodology for structural and functional characterization of KatG and INH resistance variants.

HARP: a database of structural impacts of systematic missense mutations in drug targets of .

Computational Saturation Mutagenesis is an approach that employs systematic mutagenesis of each amino acid residue in the protein to all other amino acid types, and predicts changes in thermodynamic stability and affinity to the other subunits/protein counterparts, ligands and nucleic acid molecules. The data thus generated are useful in understanding the functional consequences of mutations in antimicrobial resistance phenotypes. In this study, we applied computational saturation mutagenesis to three important drug-targets in for the drugs dapsone, rifampin and ofloxacin namely Dihydropteroate Synthase (DHPS), RNA Polymerase (RNAP) and DNA Gyrase (GYR), respectively.

Genomics, Computational Biology and Drug Discovery for Mycobacterial Infections: Fighting the Emergence of Resistance.

Tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy are mycobacterial infections caused by and respectively. These diseases continue to be endemic in developing countries where the cost of new medicines presents major challenges. The situation is further exacerbated by the emergence of resistance to many front-line antibiotics.

Preoperative Ultrasound-guided Core Biopsy of Axillary Nodes for Staging of Clinically Negative Axilla in Breast Cancer Patients - A Pilot Study.

Objective The aim of the current study is to determine the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound-guided core biopsy for staging the axilla in clinically node-negative patients with invasive breast cancer. Introduction Historically, in breast cancer patients, axillary lymph node dissection was performed to stage axilla. Because of the high morbidity of axillary lymph node dissection, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) became the standard of care in patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer.

Identification and Characterization of Genetic Determinants of Isoniazid and Rifampicin Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Southern India.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), one of the leading causes of death worldwide, arises mainly from spontaneous mutations in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms by which the mutations confer resistance in order to identify new drug targets and to design new drugs. Previous studies have reported numerous mutations that confer resistance to anti-TB drugs, but there has been little systematic analysis to understand their genetic background and the potential impacts on the drug target stability and/or interactions.

Mycobacterial genomics and structural bioinformatics: opportunities and challenges in drug discovery.

Of the more than 190 distinct species of Mycobacterium genus, many are economically and clinically important pathogens of humans or animals. Among those mycobacteria that infect humans, three species namely Mycobacterium tuberculosis (causative agent of tuberculosis), Mycobacterium leprae (causative agent of leprosy) and Mycobacterium abscessus (causative agent of chronic pulmonary infections) pose concern to global public health. Although antibiotics have been successfully developed to combat each of these, the emergence of drug-resistant strains is an increasing challenge for treatment and drug discovery.

Dermatological manifestations of dengue fever.

Background: Each year dengue related infections are rising in tropical countries. There is not enough data available on dermatological manifestations of dengue fever. This study was conducted to investigate prevalence and type of dermatological manifestations of dengue fever (DF).

Clinical characteristics of patients with dengue fever: report of 48 patients in 2010.

Background: Dengue fever is a mosquito born viral disease. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the infective bite.

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen carrier state in patients with lichen planus--report of 200 cases from Lahore, Pakistan.

Background: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen carrier state in patients with lichen planus.

Methods: A quasi experimental cross sectional study was done at Department of Dermatology, Shaikh Zayed Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, from April 2003 to March 2005. Two hundred clinically diagnosed cases of LP and equal number of patients with other dermatoses not reportedly associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (control group) were collected from Skin Out Patient Department.

Metastatic duodenal GIST: role of surgery combined with imatinib mesylate.

Background: The best possible treatment of metastatic high grade large duodenal GIST is controversial. Surgery (with or without segmental organ resection) remains the principal treatment for primary and recurrent GIST. However, patients with advanced duodenal GIST have a high risk of early tumour recurrence and short life expectancy.