Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS) as a Tool for the Management of Pine Pitch Canker Forest Disease.

Global change is exacerbating the prevalence of plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi in forests worldwide. The conventional use of chemical fungicides, which is commonplace in agricultural settings, is not sanctioned for application in forest ecosystems, so novel control strategies are imperative. Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) is a promising approach that can modulate the expression of target genes in eukaryotes in response to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) present in the environment that triggers the RNA interference mechanism.

Chitinase of Trichoderma longibrachiatum for control of Aphis gossypii in cotton plants.

Chitinase-producing fungi have now engrossed attention as one of the potential agents for the control of insect pests. Entomopathogenic fungi are used in different regions of the world to control economically important insects. However, the role of fungal chitinases are not well studied in their infection mechanism to insects.

Molecular Monitoring of BCR-ABL Fusion Transcripts in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia During Treatment Using the Endpoint Fluorescence Method.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to compare results and evaluate the agreement between the endpoint fluorescence (EPF) method and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) during molecular monitoring of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving treatment.

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted at Molecular Lab of Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan, from January 2017 to December 2018. A total of 150 blood specimens from 30 patients with CML were analyzed at regular intervals during therapy.

Characteristics of BCR-ABL gene variants in patients of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Background: Depending on breakpoints of rearrangement different types of BCR-ABL fusion protein can be generated in patients of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The aim of this study is to observe frequencies of major transcripts in CML patients by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and their hematological features at the time of presentation.

Materials And Methods: This cross sectional study was performed at Molecular Lab of Riphah International University, Islamabad from January to June 2019.

Phenotypic characterization of exotic tomato germplasm: An excellent breeding resource.

Tomato production in Pakistan faces significant problems of low yields due to various biotic and abiotic stresses primarily because of a narrow genetic base of the cultivars being used. Therefore, Introduction and evaluation of the exotic tomato germplasm has become necessary to acquire elite material to develop future breeding programs. To this end, the present study was conducted for the phenotypic characterization of twenty exotic tomato genotypes along with two locally grown cultivars in semi-arid subtropical climate.

Serum hepcidin levels in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis.

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) are usually anemic because of defective erythropoeisis. Hepcidin is a polypeptide that regulates iron homeostasis and could serve as an indicator of functional iron deficiency in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD); this may also aid in the assessment of patient's response to erythropoietin (EPO). The present study was directed to investigate serum levels of hepcidin, iron status and inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with ESRD on maintenance HD and to observe the correlation of serum hepcidin with conventional iron and inflammatory markers.

Coagulation factors and antithrombin levels in young and elderly subjects in Pakistani population.

Aging is associated with increased levels of coagulation factors and decrease in natural anticoagulant factors. This strongly supports that age-related hypercoagulable state occurs in elderly. This study aimed to measure the plasma levels of coagulation factors and anticoagulant levels in young and elderly to observe the effect of age on haemostatic system.

Frequency of and factors leading to obesity and overweight in school children.

Background: Obesity is considered as a global epidemic. Obesity in childhood and adolescent is an issue of concern because it is an important predictor of adult obesity. Identifying individuals who are physically inactive, overweight or obese in school going age is very important.