Publications by authors named "Saima naz"

The reproductive efficiency of livestock is crucial for agricultural productivity and economic sustainability. One critical factor in successful fertilization and the viability of offspring is the quality of semen. Poor semen quality, especially in frozen-thawed semen used in artificial insemination (AI) have been shown to influence conception outcomes, resulting a negative impact on livestock production.

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  • Mountain landscapes, like those in Pir Chinasi National Park, face fragmentation from human activities (tourism, urbanization) and natural events (floods, landslides, climate change); the study focuses on this impact over 25 years.
  • A survey of 200 residents revealed that 60% noticed pressures on local vegetation, while NDVI analysis showed significant vegetation degradation, with over 34% of the area suffering from some level of land deterioration.
  • The research also noted that temperature increases correlate with vegetation changes, and although some areas saw improvements in plant cover, human activities were a major factor affecting the ecosystem.
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Protein malnutrition is a major public health concern in the developing world. The livestock products are a good source of high-quality protein, but the livestock industry is a source of pollution and one of the leading causes of climate change because the slaughtering of animals results in the accumulation of waste, offals, and several inedible body portions. The rapid increase in the human population and inadequate supply of traditional protein sources have driven a search for novel and alternative protein sources such as edible insects.

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  • Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) are increasingly used in biomedicine and agriculture but pose environmental risks, particularly concerning water ecosystems.
  • A study was conducted on grass carp to assess the toxic effects of MgO NPs, with fish exposed to varying concentrations (0.5 mg/L and 0.7 mg/L) over 21 days, while a control group remained unexposed.
  • Results indicated that higher doses of MgO NPs caused significant oxidative stress, DNA damage, and reduced antioxidant enzyme levels in the fish, highlighting adverse impacts on their physiological functions even at low concentrations.
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Background: Ficus benghalensis has been used by local health care practitioners to treat pain, inflammation, rheumatism, and other health issues.

Objective: In this study, the crude extract and diverse fractions, along with the isolated compound of F. benghalensis were examined for their roles as muscle relaxants, analgesics, and sedatives.

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Background: is extensively employed in traditional medicine. This study aimed to isolate and evaluate the therapeutic effects of 3'4'78-tetrahydroxy-3-methoxyflavone from crude extract.

Materials And Methods: The study utilized column chromatography for isolation.

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is used as a decorative tree and currently studied as a source of biofuels. Besides, its parts and extracts are endowed with several therapeutic uses which have been widely explored in traditional medicine and that are related to its rich composition in phytochemicals. Molecular docking and enzymatic inhibition tests were used to study the activity of eriodictyol, a flavonoid extracted from the barks of , against ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) and aldose reductase (ALR2).

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Fernandoa adenophylla, due to the presence of phytochemicals, has various beneficial properties and is used in folk medicine to treat many conditions. This study aimed to isolate indanone derivative from F. adenophylla root heartwood and assess in-vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic characteristics at varying concentrations.

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Cancer is one of the most demanding domains for innovative, effective, safe, and affordable therapeutically active chemicals. The main aim of this study is to research new phytochemicals with anticancer activity. The current experiment identified and analyzed six compounds for anti-cancer potential supported by molecular simulation studies.

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is locally practiced for treating diabetes, pain, inflammation, and erectile dysfunction. Therefore, the current studies subjected the crude extract/fractions and the isolated compound (2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one) to α-glucosidase inhibitor and anti-glycation activities. The development of long-term complications associated with diabetes is primarily caused by chronic hyperglycemia.

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  • - This study focused on evaluating the potential of an extract and a specific compound, dinaphthodiospyrol S, as inhibitors of xanthine oxidase (XO), an enzyme linked to inflammation, using spectrophotometry and molecular docking techniques.
  • - The defatted chloroform extract showed the strongest XO inhibitory effect, while the isolated compound had a significant inhibition with an IC value of 1.09 µM, demonstrating strong interactions with key amino acids in the XO active site.
  • - Molecular studies highlighted the compound's electronic properties, indicating intramolecular charge transfer and providing insights into its reactivity, with oxygen atoms showing negative potential, suggesting they could be targets for electrophilic attack.
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The genus Neopsittaconirmus Conci, 1942 is a host-specific genus, found on both wild and captive parrots and love birds (order Psittaciformes). Two species of this genus: N. lybartota (Ansari, 1947) and N.

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Background: The aim of the current study was to investigate the anticancer potential of bioactive compounds isolated from the leaves of (). Lignans from were previously described to possess antibacterial, antileishmanial, and antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, the antiproliferative activity of cycloolivil (1), ferruginan (2), and ferruginan A (3) have not been investigated in depth.

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Heavy metal accumulation in freshwater ecosystem has become one of the major aquatic environmental concerns for freshwater flora and fauna due to their higher stability and bioaccumulation as well as bio-magnification properties. Furthermore, passing through the food web, these heavy metals affect human populations ultimately. This study assessed the heavy metal accumulation in in spring, autumn, and winter at different locations (I, II, and III) of Panjnad headwork.

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Objective: To compile a comprehensive national cancer registry report of Pakistan by merging and analysing cancer registration data received from major functional cancer registries in various parts of Pakistan.

Study Design: Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Health Research Institute (HRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Islamabad, from 2015-2019.

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Maternal and foetal care has become an important concern in the wake of enormous global spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but there is scarcity of information about maternal and perinatal outcomes. The current review was conducted from March to July 2020. Appropriate and related databases were searched electronically by using terms, like "COVID-19 and pregnancy", "pregnancy outcomes of COVID-19".

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  • Edible mushrooms are recognized as functional foods with a variety of nutrients beneficial for cardiovascular health and are included in diets like the Mediterranean diet and those aimed at reducing hypertension.
  • The review focuses on the bioactive components of mushrooms that may help lower blood pressure and improve heart health, discussing their specific mechanisms, absorption, and presence in various mushroom species.
  • Safety concerns regarding allergens and potential toxic substances associated with mushroom consumption are also addressed, highlighting the need for more research on mushroom bioactives to support healthy dietary practices.
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Objective: To identify the dietary patterns and understand their association with sociodemographic characteristics among adults.

Methods: The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta cities of Pakistan from March to November 2018, after approval from the National Bioethics Committee, Islamabad, and comprised adults of either gender. Data was collected using the food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis.

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Despite being an essential trace element for numerous metabolic processes and micronutrients, copper (Cu) has induced adverse effects on the environment and public health due to its continuous and widespread use for the last several decades. The current study assessed the hematological and histopathological alterations in the freshwater fish () exposed to graded concentrations of copper sulfate. For this purpose, fish ( = 72), weighing ~200-215 g, were randomly divided into four experimental groups and then exposed to acute doses of CuSO, i.

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  • The study uses surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to analyze serum samples from patients with Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) to improve disease diagnosis.
  • By centrifugally filtering the serum samples, researchers aimed to focus on smaller biomarkers, as larger proteins could interfere with the SERS spectrum, while statistical methods like principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) further validated their findings.
  • Results indicated that specific biomarkers were identified in HBV and HCV samples, differentiating them from healthy controls, which suggests SERS could be a valuable tool for diagnosing these viral infections.
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The toxic discharge of heavy metals into the water affects the aquatic ecosystem as well as the human population interacting with it because of their toxicity, bioaccumulation, long persistence, and transfer through the food chain. Thus, it is very important to conduct studies to determine the level of heavy metal pollution in order to better control, manage, and preserve the pollution of aquatic ecosystems. This study assessed heavy metal contamination in fish and its associated health risk to the population around the Tarukri Drain, Punjab, Pakistan.

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is one of the potential medicinal plants which is used locally for the treatment of various ailments such as diabetes, antiasthmatic, and wound healing. To provide a scientific background to these folklores, the current study was designed to evaluate the extract and isolated compound against various enzymes such as ureases, tyrosinase, and phosphodiesterase. The methanolic extract and carpachromene demonstrated a significant urease inhibition effect with maximum percent inhibition of 72.

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  • The study investigated the link between junk food consumption and BMI in adolescent girls, focusing on menstrual abnormalities by comparing two groups: one with these abnormalities and a control group without.
  • Conducted among 200 girls aged 13-19 at Bahria International Hospital, the research used questionnaires and statistical analysis to assess dietary habits and menstrual health.
  • Findings showed that while junk food consumption was higher in the group with menstrual issues, there was no significant difference in BMI between the two groups, indicating the need for further research on this topic.
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  • * Marine macrolides, a significant category of natural products, feature a complex structure that shows promise in various bioactive roles such as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities.
  • * Efforts to isolate and study these macrolides, particularly from sources like fungi and sponges, suggest their potential in developing effective treatments for multiple diseases.
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