Publications by authors named "Naz R"

Objectives: To explore the landscape of BRCA1/2 mutations in gastric cancer patients.

Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS), Sanger sequencing, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Immunohistochemistry, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), gnomAD, and DAVID.

Results: With 95% of bases boasting a phred score surpassing 30 and a minimum coverage depth of 500X, our NGS approach ensures high-quality data acquisition.

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Background: Complete heart block (CHB) is a relatively common complication in post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Data on the incidence and consequences of CHB in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are limited. Besides serving as an indicator of widespread myocardial injury, the development of CHB in STEMI is also associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death.

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Objective: To determine the frequency of deliberate self-harm (DSH), risk factors leading to DSH, and the methods adopted by medical students and young doctors to execute DSH.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on medical college students and young doctors aged 18-26 years. After approval by the parent institute's ethical board, different medical students and doctors from Pakistani medical colleges of both male and female populations were recruited through non-probability sampling.

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Article Synopsis
  • SNP-based association studies have changed the biomedical landscape, focusing on the genetic factors influencing susceptibility to enteric fever, which is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar typhi and paratyphi.
  • A study in the Punjabi population examined the PARK2_e01(-697) polymorphism to see if it was linked to an increased risk of typhoid fever using blood samples from patients and healthy controls.
  • The results showed no significant association between the PARK2_e01(-697) polymorphism and susceptibility to typhoid fever, suggesting that further research with larger sample sizes is needed to better understand its potential role in the disease.
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Objective: To compare the effectiveness of flipped classroom and video-assisted learning techniques with didactic lectures in promoting clinical reasoning skills in Forensic Medicine.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Forensic Medicine, Dow International Medical College and Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan, from May to October 2023.

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Rationale: Artificial Intelligence (AI) large language models (LLM) are tools capable of generating human-like text responses to user queries across topics. The use of these language models in various medical contexts is currently being studied. However, the performance and content quality of these language models have not been evaluated in specific medical fields.

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Background: Osteoporosis (OP) stands as a prevalent bone ailment affecting the elderly, globally. The identification of reliable diagnostic markers crucially aids OP clinical management.

Methods: Utilizing the GEO database (GSE35959), we acquired expression profiles for OP and normal samples.

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Article Synopsis
  • The AcPase enzyme has a high specific activity of 31.32 U/mg with significant purification and a low yield of 3.15% compared to the Zn-dependent variant which has a lower specific activity of 14 U/mg and higher total recovery at 5.14%.
  • SDS-PAGE analysis shows a single band for each enzyme, with AcPase at 18 kDa and Zn-AcPase at 29 kDa, indicating their molecular weights.
  • AcPase shows broad substrate specificity, while Zn-AcPase shows preference for certain substrates, and various divalent metal ions enhance enzyme activity, while others inhibit it; competitive inhibitors have been identified for both enzyme types,
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Purpose: This study aimed at investigating the risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy.

Design: This is a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study.

Methods: The study involved 163 children aged 5 to 18 years who underwent appendectomy in the pediatric surgery clinic of a tertiary hospital between December 2022 and June 2023.

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Article Synopsis
  • Phytochemicals, or secondary metabolites found in fruits, vegetables, and grains, play a significant role in health despite being classified as non-essential nutrients, as they have medicinal properties that can help prevent and treat diseases.* -
  • Dietary polyphenols, including compounds like kaempferol, quercetin, and resveratrol, offer various health benefits such as regulating oxidation, modulating blood vessel function, and reducing inflammation, which can contribute to heart health.* -
  • Current research emphasizes the protective effects of polyphenols against cardiovascular disorders and related conditions, suggesting that a diet rich in these compounds could lower the risk of heart diseases like hypertension and strokes.*
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Objective: To determine the correlation between levels of stress with level of empathy in all five years of undergraduate medical students of a private medical college in Pakistan.

Methods: This descriptive correlation study was conducted at Al Tibri Medical College, Karachi from 15 June to 14 November 2021. Of the 500 students in the medical school, 408 participants filled out the questionnaires through online Google Forms.

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Green nanobiotechnology and beneficial bacterial strains as biofertilizers are crucial in agriculture to achieve food security. Both these strategies have been individually studied in improving plant resistance against phytopathogens along with enhancing plant productivity. Therefore, objective of this study was to explore the eco-friendly and cost-effective approach of utilizing plant growth promoting and disease suppressing bacterial strains and nanoparticles, individually as well as in combination, as bio-stimulants to improve plant growth, antioxidant defense system, nutrition and yield of tomato.

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Rice is a staple food crop and is a major source of employment and income in the world. However, the attack of fungal disease poses a serious threat to the crop growth and productivity and leads toward yield loses. Therefore, current study was performed to evaluate the biocontrol potential of Lactobacillus and Weissella spp.

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Irrigation of food crops with untreated wastewater leads to the accumulation of heavy metals in their edible parts. Exposure to toxic elements through consumption of contaminated vegetables even at very low concentration is becoming a serious problem for human health in many countries. This issue of heavy metals contamination needs great attention especially in Pakistan where irrigation by wastewater has become a common practice in urban and periurban areas.

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Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of menthol gum chewing on nausea, vomiting, and length of hospital stay after appendectomy in children.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) can be induced by general anesthesia. Several drugs are available to reduce the risk of PONV; however, their cost and side effects limit their clinical use.

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Type II diabetes mellitus and its related complications are growing public health problems. Many natural products present in our diet, including polyphenols, can be used in treating and managing type II diabetes mellitus and different diseases, owing to their numerous biological properties. Anthocyanins, flavonols, stilbenes, curcuminoids, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringenin, and phenolic acids are common polyphenols found in blueberries, chokeberries, sea-buckthorn, mulberries, turmeric, citrus fruits, and cereals.

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Background: The current study was carried out between October 2017 and October 2018 to explore knowledge, attitudes, practices, and information sources regarding toxoplasmosis among pregnant women in Malakand region, the northwestern part of Pakistan. The current study was carried out between October 2017 and October 2018.

Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to interview the women after taking verbal informed consent.

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Objective: To determine the association of chronological age through ossification of the medial clavicular epiphysis using computed tomography (CT) scan.

Study Design: An Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Dow Institute of Radiology, Dow University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from February 2021 till October 2021.

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A novel pair of protein tyrosine phosphatases in (pupal retina) has been identified. Phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatases (PTPs) are structurally diverse enzymes increasingly recognized as having a fundamental role in cellular processes including effects on metabolism, cell proliferation, and differentiation. This study presents identification of novel sequences of PTPs and their comparative homology modeling from (Dr-PTPs) and complexation with the potent inhibitor HEPES.

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Unlike previous viral diseases, COVID-19 has an "asymptomatic" group that has no symptoms but can still spread the disease to others at the same rate as symptomatic patients who are infected. In the literature, the mass action or standard incidence rates are considered for compartmental models with asymptomatic compartment for studying the transmission dynamics of COVID-19, but the quarantined adjusted incidence rate is not. To bridge this gap, we developed a Susceptible Asymptomatic Infectious Quarantined (SAIQ) model with a Quarantine-Adjusted (QA) incidence to investigate the emergence and containment of COVID-19.

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Background: Pakistan has got a very high prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI). MI presents at pretty young age in this country. The objective of present study was to determine the frequency of common risk factors associated with early development of MI in middle aged adults of less than 45 years.

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Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are classified as a group of disorders affecting function and development of the brain and having wide clinical variability. Herein, we describe two affected individuals segregating a recessive NDD. The affected individuals exhibited phenotypes such as global developmental delay (GDD), intellectual disability (ID), microcephaly and speech delay.

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Microorganisms can interact with plants to promote plant growth and act as biocontrol agents. Associations with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) enhance agricultural productivity by improving plant nutrition and enhancing protection from pathogens. Microbial applications can be an ideal substitute for pesticides or fungicides, which can pollute the environment and reduce biological diversity.

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Most excitatory impulses received by neurons are mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). These receptors are located at the apex and play an important role in memory, neuronal development, and synaptic plasticity. These receptors are ligand-dependent ion channels that allow a wide range of cations to pass through.

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