Crystal structure of Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor: Entomotoxic effect of native and encapsulated protein targeting gut trypsin of Herbst.

Trypsin inhibitors are known to act against insect pests by inhibiting proteases of the digestive tract. In this study, we report structural and functional characterization of ∼ 19 kDa Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor (ApKTI) protein with potential bio-insecticidal applications. Crystal structure of ApKTI protein has been refined to 1.

Lived experiences of mothers with postnatal anxiety: a qualitative phenomenology study from Pakistan.

Objective: The prevalence of postnatal anxiety is high among women during the first year of childbirth globally. Rates are higher in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), that is, 24%. Existing literature on maternal mood and its impact on child development has largely focused on postnatal depression.

Supporting Depressed Mothers of Young Children with Intellectual Disability: Feasibility of an Integrated Parenting Intervention in a Low-Income Setting.

As a lifelong condition, intellectual disability (ID) remains a public health priority. Parents caring for children with ID experience serious challenges to their wellbeing, including depression, anxiety, stress and health-related quality of life. Integrated parenting interventions, which have been well evidenced for depressed mothers, may also effectively support depressed parents with a child with ID in low-resource settings such as Pakistan, and in turn optimise child outcomes.

In Silico and In Vivo Evaluation of Synthesized SCP-2 Inhibiting Compounds on Life Table Parameters of (Hübner).

For environment-friendly, safe and nonpersistent chemical control of a significant polyphagous insect pest, , discovery of growth-regulating xenobiotics can offer a sustainable alternative to conventional insecticides. For this purpose, chemically synthesized compounds to inhibit sterol carrier protein (SCP-2) function using in silico and in vivo assays were evaluated to estimate their impact on the survivals and lifetable indices of . From nine chemically synthesized compounds, OA-02, OA-06 and OA-09 were selected for this study based on binding poses mimicking cholesterol, a natural substrate of sterol carrier protein and molecular dynamics simulations.

Toxicology of diatomaceous earth, phyto oils and their admixed emulsions against adults of (Herbst).

(Herbst), one of the invasive stored pest, is resistant to the most of synthetic insecticides used against this it. Moreover, synthetic insecticides are a major threat to human health, the environment, and the ecosystem. The development of some smart tools is needed to minimize the use of hazardous chemicals.

Studies Calculated a New Chitin Oligomer Binding Site Inside Vicilin: A Potent Antifungal and Insecticidal Agent.

Vicilins are major seed storage proteins and show differential binding affinities toward sugar moieties of fungal cell wall and insect gut epithelium. Hence, purpose of study is the thorough characterization of interactions between vicilin and chitin oligomer followed by fungal and insecticidal bioassays. This work covers the molecular simulation studies explaining the interactions between vicilin (V) and chitin oligomer followed by protein bioassay against different pathogens.

Comprehensive Structural and Functional Characterization of a Seed γ-thionin as a Potent Bioactive Molecule Against Fungal Pathogens and Insect Pests.

Background: Fungi and insect pests ruin stored crop grain, which results in millions of dollars of damage, presenting an ongoing challenge for farmers in addition to diminishing the safety of stored food. A wide-range defensive system against pathogens is needed to reduce or even eliminate the dependence of the crop yield upon the use of pesticides. Plant defensins (γ-thionins) are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are a component of the host defense system.

In Silico Analysis and Functional Characterization of Antimicrobial and Insecticidal Vicilin from Moth Bean ( (Jacq.) Marechal) Seeds.

Vicilin has nutraceutical potential and different noteworthy medicative health-promoting biotic diversions, and it is remarkable against pathogenic microorganisms and insects. In this study, vicilin (V) has been identified and characterized from the seed of (Jacq.) Marechal (Moth beans).

Correlation between antibiotic resistance and phylogenetic types among multidrug-resistant isolated from urinary tract infections.

Objectives: Emergence of multidrug resistance has reduced the choice of antimicrobial regimens for UTIs. To understand the association of phenotype and genotype among uropathogens.

Materials And Methods: Six hundred and twenty-eight (628) urine samples were collected and analyzed.

Efficacy of learning through play plus intervention to reduce maternal depression in women with malnourished children: A randomized controlled trial from Pakistan.

Background: The risk factors and adverse outcomes related to maternal depression and child malnutrition are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) including Pakistan. Above 25% of women suffer from maternal depression. Up to 50% children are under-nourished which contributes to 35% of all under-5 deaths in the country.

Model prediction of a Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor protein from seeds of Acacia nilotica L. with strong antimicrobial and insecticidal activity.

A Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor protein has been purified and characterized from seeds of L. LC-MS/MS analysis of trypsin inhibitor (TI) provided the N-terminal fragment of 11 amino acids which yielded 100% identity with already reported Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor protein of (TI) in UniProtKB database search. SDS-PAGE showed a single band of ~21 kDa under nonreduced condition and appearance of a daughter band (17 kDa) in the presence of -mercaptoethanol indicating the presence of interchain disulfide linkage typical for Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitors.

Graphene quantum dots as cysteine protease nanocarriers against stored grain insect pests.

Storing grains remain vulnerable to insect pest attack. The present study developed a biopesticide using biomolecules and their encapsulation in nanoparticles. A 25 kDa cysteine protease extracted from seeds of Albizia procera (ApCP) was encapsulated in graphene quantum dots (GQDs).

Comparative insecticidal activity of different plant materials from six common plant species against (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

(Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is one of the major insect pests of stored grains. Due to export legislation and zero-tolerance for live insect in trade commodities, extensive use of synthetic insecticides is in practice in order to eliminate pest infestations from the lots. Currently, the one and only acceptable chemical to be used in stored grain is phosphine but due to its excessive usage the stored grain pests are becoming resistant against it.

Toxic effects of some insecticides, herbicides, and plant essential oils against Jacquelin du val (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

Cereals are staple food for many countries and are grown on millions of hectares of land, but much of the harvest is wasted due to losses by pests. To minimize these losses, many pesticides are used which are damaging to the environment and human health. There are debates to get rid of these chemicals but they are still in use at large scale.

Fitness parameters of (L.) (Lepidoptera; Plutellidae) at four constant temperatures by using age-stage, two-sex life tables.

Different temperature zones have significant impact on the population dynamics of . Effective management of requires the knowledge of temperature tolerance by different life stages. In the current study, fitness parameters of diamondback moth were reported by using age-stage, two-sex life table traits at four constant temperatures (15, 20, 25 and 30 °C).

Transmission efficiency of by three cryptic species of complex in cotton cultivars.

(CLCuMuV) is a serious and economically important viral disease agent in cotton and ornamental plants like Hibiscus in many regions of the world, especially in South Asia. CLCuMuV is transmitted exclusively by cryptic species complex. This virus was recently recorded in southern China, presumably an invasion from South Asia.

Chemical control of polyphagous pests on their auxiliary hosts can minimize insecticide resistance: A case study of Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in cotton agroecosystem.

Use of insecticides for agricultural pest management have significant environmental impacts. Using integrated approaches to minimize the frequency of insecticide application by incorporating cultural control tactics can keep environmental hazards to the minimum. The alternate hosts of polyphagous pests have significant role in population development and success of chemical control.

Computational modeling and functional characterization of a GgChi: A class III chitinase from corms of Gladiolus grandiflorus.

The present study describes the predicted model and functional characterization of an endochitinase (30 kDa) from corms of Gladiolus grandiflorus. ESI-QTOF-MS generated peptide showed 96% sequence homology with family 18, Class III acidic endochitinase of Gladiolus gandavensis. Purified G.

Maternal depressive symptoms and child nutritional status: A cross-sectional study in socially disadvantaged Pakistani community.

Malnutrition is a primary cause of child morbidity and mortality. The effects of maternal depressive symptoms on children's health, especially their nutritional status, have received less attention in developing countries but needs to be evaluated to understand the public health implications of maternal depression. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between maternal depressive symptoms and children's nutritional status using data from low socioeconomic community in Pakistan.

Switching among natal and auxiliary hosts increases vulnerability of (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to insecticides.

The role of insecticidal application and host plant resistance in managing has been well documented, but the effect of different host plants, on which the pest cycles its population in the field, has seldom been investigated. Therefore, we have studied the vulnerability of against commonly used insecticides (cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, lufenuron, and emamectin benzoate) with different mode of actions when it switches its generations from natal to auxiliary hosts and vice versa. Different field populations being established on different host plants including castor, cauliflower, cotton, okra, and spinach were collected and reared in the laboratory before insecticidal bioassays.

Development and Survival of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Alternate Crops in Cotton Cropping Pattern, With Implications to Integrated Pest Management.

Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) is a polyphagous pest that shifts its population to different hosts during its life cycle to receive nutritive advantages. Therefore, demographic evaluation of alternate hosts is important for effective pest management. Here, we have evaluated castor (Ricinus communis L.

The effect of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on the size and weight of mangos (Mangifera indica L.).

Background: Pollination has a great effect on the yield of fruit trees. Blow flies are considered as an effective pollinator compared to hand pollination in fruit orchards. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of different pollination methods in mango orchards.

Antenatal Depression is Not Associated with Low-Birth Weight: A Study from Urban Pakistan.

Background: Low-birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g) is considered to be a leading cause of cognitive impairment and physical disabilities in children. Incidence of LBW in South Asia has been reported to be as high as 33%. We investigated the association between antenatal depression and LBW in an urban community, in Karachi, Pakistan.

Comparison Between Several Integrase-defective Lentiviral Vectors Reveals Increased Integration of an HIV Vector Bearing a D167H Mutant.

HIV-1 derived vectors are among the most efficient for gene transduction in mammalian tissues. As the parent virus, they carry out vector genome insertion into the host cell chromatin. Consequently, their preferential integration in transcribed genes raises several conceptual and safety issues.