Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk assessment of selected metals in soil around a natural water reservoir, Pakistan.

Contaminants in surface soil can directly pose significant human health risks through oral ingestion, dermal contact and particle inhalation, especially for children. Both non-cancer and cancer risks associated with selected metal levels (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) were evaluated in surface soil around Mangla Lake during summer and winter. The results based on average pseudo-total metal concentrations followed the decreasing order: Fe (4038mg/kg)>Mn (394mg/kg)>Zn (40mg/kg)>Pb (17mg/kg)>Cr (21mg/kg)>Cu (15mg/kg)>Cd (1.

α-Glucosidase and lipoxygenase inhibitory derivatives of cryptosporioptide from the endophytic fungus Cryptosporiopsis sp.

Two new cryptosporioptide-derived polyketides cryptosporioptides A (2) and B (3) were isolated from the extract of endophytic fungus Cryptosporiopsis sp. associated with the shrub, Viburnum tinus. The structures of the isolates were determined through spectral analysis including 1D NMR ((1)H, (13)C) and 2D NMR (HSQC, HMBC, COSY) techniques, HR-FAB-MS and by comparison with the reported data of cryptosporioptide (1).

The smart 2-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-N-(2-methoxyphenyl)hydrazinecarbothioamide functionalized as Ni(II) sensor in micromolar concentration level and its application in live cell imaging.

In recent years, fluorescent probes for the detection of environmentally and biologically important metal cations have received extensive attention for designing and development of fluorescent chemosensors. Herein, we report the photophysical results of 2-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-N-(2-methoxyphenyl) hydrazinecarbothioamide (4) functionalized as Ni (II) sensor in micromolar concentration level. Through fluorescence titration at 488 nm, we were confirmed that ligand 4 showed the remarkable emission by complexation between 4 and Ni (II) while it appeared no emission in case of the competitive ions (Cr(3+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ba(2+), Cu(2+), Ca(2+), Na(+), K(+), Cu(+), Cs(+)).

Colovaginoplasty in a case of mayer-rokitansky-kuster-hauser syndrome.

Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome (MRKHS) is characterized by various abnormalities of paramesonephric duct structures; vaginal aplasia being the commonest anomaly in the spectrum. We report a 17-year-old girl; a case of MRKHS with vaginal agenesis. The cervix was present but atretic; uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries were normal.

Dissolved concentrations, sources, and risk evaluation of selected metals in surface water from Mangla Lake, Pakistan.

The present study is carried out for the assessment of water quality parameters and selected metals levels in surface water from Mangla Lake, Pakistan. The metal levels (Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Average levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb were higher than the allowable concentrations set by national and international agencies.

Fungal phenalenones: chemistry, biology, biosynthesis and phylogeny.

Covering up to the end of August 2013. Phenalenones are members of a unique class of natural polyketides exhibiting diverse biological potential. This is a comprehensive review of 72 phenalenones with diverse structural features originating from fungal sources.

Synthesis, crystal structure, anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic activities of novel 3,4-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-one derivatives.

A new series of 3,4-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-one 5a-r, bearing various methoxyphenyl, fluorophenyl, tolyl and phenyl groups, was synthesized by the dehydrocyclization of hydrazinecarboxamides 4a-r by refluxing in a 2 N sodium hydroxide solution. Hydrazinecarboxamides 4a-r was synthesized via the condensation of the corresponding aralkanoic acid hydrazides, 3a-g, with fluoro-, tolyl- and methoxyphenylisocyanates. The newly synthesized compounds (5a-r) were characterized by IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR analyses.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of parapharyngeal space: a case report and review of the literature.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) of the parapharyngeal space is a rare malignant tumor. Only eleven cases of FDCS of the parapharyngeal space have been reported in English literature. Most of the reported cases developed tumor recurrence within 1 year or had metastasis.

Facile synthesis, cytotoxicity and bioimaging of Fe(3+) selective fluorescent chemosensor.

The designing and development of fluorescent chemosensors have recently been intensively explored for sensitive and specific detection of environmentally and biologically relevant metal ions in aqueous solution and living cells. Herein, we report the photophysical results of alanine substituted rhodamine B derivative 3 having specific binding affinity toward Fe(3+) with micro molar concentration level. Through fluorescence titration at 599nm, we were confirmed that ligand 3 exhibited ratiometric fluorescence response with remarkable enhancement in emission intensity by complexation between 3 and Fe(3+) while it appeared no emission in case of the competitive ions (Sc(3+), Yb(3+), In(3+), Ce(3+), Sm(3+), Cr(3+), Sn(2+), Pb(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Ba(2+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Ag(+), Cs(+), Cu(+), K(+)) in aqueous/methanol (60:40, v/v) at neutral pH.

Seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in five draught equine populated metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan.

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) caused by intraerythrocytic parasites (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) is an emerging equine disease of world-wide distribution. In Pakistan, the prevalence and incidence of EP are unknown. In order to obtain the first insights into the prevalence of the disease, a total of 430 equids, including 33 mules, 65 horses and 332 donkeys, aging from ≤ 5 to ≥ 10 years of either sex, from five metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan, were serologically tested for the presence of antibodies directed against B.

Studies on Emblica officinalis derived tannins for their immunostimulatory and protective activities against coccidiosis in industrial broiler chickens.

The present study reports the effect of Emblica officinalis (EO) derived tannins on humoral immune responses and their protective efficacy against Eimeria infection in chickens. Tannins were extracted from EO and characterized by HPLC. EO derived tannins (EOT) and commercial tannins (CT) were orally administered in broiler chicks in graded doses for three consecutive days, that is, 5th-7th days of age.

Longipetalosides A-C, new steroidal saponins from Tribulus longipetalus.

Longipetalosides A-C (1-3); three new furostane steroidal saponins together with (25S)-5α-furastan-3β,22,26-triol (4) and gitogenin (5) were isolated from the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Tribulus longipetalus. The structures of these compounds (1-5) were established by using 1D ((1)H, (13)C) and 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC, COSY, NOESY) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry (ESIMS, HRESIMS), and in comparison with literature data reported for related compounds. Compounds 1-5 were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against enzymes α-glucosidase, lipoxygenase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase.

Bioactive behavior of silicon substituted calcium phosphate based bioceramics for bone regeneration.

Bone graft substitutes are widely used for bone regeneration and repair in defect sites resulting from aging, disease, trauma, or accident. With invariably increasing clinical demands, there is an urgent need to produce artificial materials, which are readily available and are capable of fast and guided skeletal repair. Calcium phosphate based bioactive ceramics are extensively utilized in bone regeneration and repair applications.

Congenital hairy polyp of posterior tonsillar pillar.

Congenital hairy polyps are exceedingly rare congenital anomalies. We report a case of congenital hairy polyp arising from posterior tonsillar pillar which was excised with bipolar cautry.

TopFed: TCGA tailored federated query processing and linking to LOD.

Backgroud: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional effort to catalogue genetic mutations responsible for cancer using genome analysis techniques. One of the aims of this project is to create a comprehensive and open repository of cancer related molecular analysis, to be exploited by bioinformaticians towards advancing cancer knowledge. However, devising bioinformatics applications to analyse such large dataset is still challenging, as it often requires downloading large archives and parsing the relevant text files.

Lateral pharyngeal wall myeloid sarcoma as a relapse of acute biphenotypic leukemia: a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Myeloid sarcoma is a rare extramedullary malignant tumor composed of immature myeloid cells. The tumor can affect any part of the body. Involvement of the oral cavity and nasopharynx has been reported in 50 cases.

Neisseria meningitidis native outer membrane vesicles containing different lipopolysaccharide glycoforms as adjuvants for meningococcal and nonmeningococcal antigens.

We evaluated the adjuvant effect of a modified glycoform of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (LgtB-LpxL1) compared to that of the nonmodified glycoform Lpxl1 serogroup B meningococcal H44/76 native outer membrane vesicles (nOMVs) on immune responses to vaccination with the recombinant meningococcal protein, rPorA, tetanus toxoid, or meningococcal serogroup C capsular polysaccharide. We used LgtB-LpxL1 LPS because the disruption of the lgtB gene, which results in the exposure of N-acetylglucosamine-galactose-glucose residues in the LPS outer core, has been shown to enhance the activation of human dendritic cells in vitro. The responses were compared to those of a monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL)-based adjuvant and to an aluminum hydroxide suspension.

Diversity of flora used for the cure of equine diseases in selected peri-urban areas of Punjab, Pakistan.

Background: Plants have widely been used and documented for their therapeutic potential in many parts of the world. There are, however, few reports on the use of plants for the treatment of diseases of equines. To this end, participatory epidemiology and rapid rural appraisal techniques were used to document the plants having pharmacotherapeutic significance against different ailments of equines in selected population of Punjab, Pakistan.

Absolute configuration of oplopanone derivatives from Serphidium stenocephalum: ECD spectra of acyclic ketones with front-octant contributions.

The electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of two sesquiterpenoids (1 and 2) related to oplopanone, obtained from a methanolic extract of the plant Serphidium stenocephalum (Artemisia stenocephala), were measured and reproduced by means of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations, establishing their absolute configuration. The application of ketone octant rule for carbonyl n-π* ECD band to compounds 1 and 2, which include an acyclic carbonyl group, was critically assessed. The peculiar oplopanone skeleton makes a straightforward application of the octant rule impossible, because of the uncertainty related to the shape of the so-called third nodal surface separating front and back octants.

The genus Pluchea: phytochemistry, traditional uses, and biological activities.

In this review, literature data on phytochemical and biological investigations on the genus Pluchea are compiled. Pluchea is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae family and comprises ca. 80 species distributed mainly in Northern and Southern America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

The outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy without endotamponade for tractional retinal detachment secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) without the use of an ocular tamponade in patients having tractional retinal detachment (TRD) secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

Methods: It was an interventional study conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, B.V.

Cerebral aneurysm presenting with aseptic meningitis: a case report.

Introduction: This case highlights the potential importance of new-onset headache, even in the absence of other worrisome features, in a patient with a cerebral aneurysm.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old Caucasian woman presented with nonspecific insidious onset of headache, a superior cerebellar artery aneurysm and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis. She had a subarachnoid hemorrhage 21 days later, at which time the aneurysm had enlarged.

Isolation of natural compounds from Phlomis stewartii showing α-glucosidase inhibitory activity.

Stewartiiside (1), a phenylethanoid glycoside and three 28-nortriterpenoids: stewertiisins A-C [(17R)-19(18→17)-abeo-3α,18β,23,24-tetrahydroxy-28-norolean-12-ene, 2; (17R)-19(18→17)-abeo-2α,16β,18β,23,24-pentahydroxy-28-norolean-12-en-3-one, 3; (17R)-19(18→17)-abeo-2α,3α,23,24-tetrahydroxy-28-noroleane-11,13-diene, 4] together with eight known compounds: lunariifolioside (5), notohamosin A (6), phlomispentanol (7), isorhamnetin 3-(6-p-coumaroyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), tiliroside (9), caffeic acid (10), p-hydrxybenzoic acid (11) and oleanolic acid (12) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the methanolic extract of whole plant of Phlomis stewartii. The structures of these isolates (1-12) were elucidated by the combination of 1D ((1)H and (13)C NMR), 2D (HMQC, HMBC COSY, NOESY) NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (EIMS, HREIMS, FABMS, HRFABMS) and in comparison with literature data of related compounds. All the isolates (1-12) showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging between 14.