Diversity and succession of chemolithoautotrophic microbial community along a recently deglaciation chronosequence on the Tibetan Plateau.

Glaciers in high-altitude mountain regions are retreating rapidly due to global warming, exposing deglaciated soils to extreme environmental conditions, and microbial colonization. However, knowledge about chemolithoautotrophic microbes, which play important roles in the development of oligotrophic deglaciated soils prior to plant colonization, remains elusive in deglaciated soils. Using real-time quantitative PCR and clone library methods, the diversity and succession of the chemolithoautotrophic microbial community harboring the cbbM gene across a 14-year deglaciation chronosequence on the Tibetan Plateau were determined.

Synthesis, Physicochemical Characterization, Biological Evaluation, In Silico and Molecular Docking Studies of Pd(II) Complexes with P, S-Donor Ligands.

One homoleptic () and three heteroleptic (-) palladium(II) complexes were synthesized and characterized by various physicochemical techniques, i.e., elemental analysis, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, H, C, and P NMR.

Nonsense variant in a consanguineous family expands the phenotype of KPTN gene-related syndrome to include hearing impairment.

A short report with two affected siblings from consanguineous family born with intellectual disability, motor disability, language deficit, and hearing impairment and found to carry biallelic nonsense variant in KPTN gene known to be associated with KPTN gene related syndrome.

Autosomal recessive variants c.953A>C and c.97-1G>C in NSUN2 causing intellectual disability: a molecular dynamics simulation study of loss-of-function mechanisms.

Introduction: Intellectual disability (ID) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. It drastically affects the learning capabilities of patients and eventually reduces their IQ level below 70.

Methods: The current genetic study ascertained two consanguineous Pakistani families suffering from autosomal recessive intellectual developmental disorder-5 (MRT5).

Effects of microplastics in freshwater fishes health and the implications for human health.

The presence of microplastics in aquatic environments has raised concerns about their abundance and potential hazards to aquatic organisms. This review provides insight into the problem that may be of alarm for freshwater fish. Plastic pollution is not confined to marine ecosystems; freshwater also comprises plastic bits, as the most of plastic fragments enter oceans via rivers.

Molecular Genetic Analysis of the Autosomal Recessive Non-Syndromic Inherited Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Introduction: 90% of visually impaired people live in developing countries. There are various types of vision impairment, but the focus of the current study is retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Up to now, 150 mutations have been reported that are linked with RP.

Collaterally Sensitive β-Lactam Drugs as an Effective Therapy against the Pre-Existing Methicillin Resistant (MRSA) Biofilms.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is among the leading causes of nosocomial infections and forms biofilms, which are difficult to eradicate because of their increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. This is especially true for pre-existing biofilms. The current study focused on evaluating the efficacy of three β-lactam drugs, meropenem, piperacillin, and tazobactam, alone and in combination against the MRSA biofilms.

A novel frameshift variant in UBA2 causing split-hand/foot malformations in a Pakistani family.

Split-hand/foot malformation (SHFM) shows diverse heterogeneity and manifests with reduced penetrance and variable expressivity. This study investigated the underlying genetic cause of a family segregating SHFM. Exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing identified a novel single nucleotide heterozygous variant (NC_000019.

Data Diversity in Convolutional Neural Network Based Ensemble Model for Diabetic Retinopathy.

The medical and healthcare domains require automatic diagnosis systems (ADS) for the identification of health problems with technological advancements. Biomedical imaging is one of the techniques used in computer-aided diagnosis systems. Ophthalmologists examine fundus images (FI) to detect and classify stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Biofabrication of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Catalyzed by : Characterization and Evaluation of their Antiepileptic and Cytotoxic Activities.

The green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is a new method that can be used in various biomedical applications. Therefore, the green approach was an aspect of ongoing research for the synthesis titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NP) using the aqueous plant extract, which acts as a stabilizing and reducing agent. The synthesis of TiO NPs was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) analyses.

Assessment of heavy metals and associated oxidative stress in occupationally exposed workers from Bannu and Karak Districts in Pakistan.

Heavy metals (HMs) are extensively found in occupationally exposed miners and industrial workers, which may cause serious health-related problems to the large workforce. In order to evaluate the impact of these toxic pollutants, we have investigated the effect of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) concentration on exposed workers of mining, and woolen textile mill and compared the findings with unexposed individuals. From each category like exposed workers (mining, and woolen mill textile site) and unexposed individuals, 50 blood samples were taken.

Unravelling the genetic basis of retinal dystrophies in Pakistani consanguineous families.

Background: Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a clinically and genetically progressive retinal dystrophy associated with severe visual impairments and sometimes blindness, the most common syndromic form of which is Usher syndrome (USH). This study aimed to further increase understanding of the spectrum of RP in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan.

Methodology: Four consanguineous families of Pashtun ethnic group were investigated which were referred by the local collaborating ophthalmologists.

Analysis of Monkeypox viral infection with human to animal transmission via a fractional and Fractal-fractional operators with power law kernel.

Monkeypox (MPX) is a global public health concern. This infectious disease affects people all over the world, not just those in West and Central Africa. Various approaches have been used to study epidemiology, the source of infection, and patterns of transmission of MPX.

Comparative efficacy of (L.) derived biochar and iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticle on heavy metals (HMs) mobility and its uptake by (L.) in chromite mining contaminated soils.

In this study we investigated the efficacy of a novel material parthenium weed ( L.) biochar (PBC), iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (Fe-ZnO), and biochar modified with Fe-ZnO (Fe-ZnO@BC) to adsorb heavy metals (HMs) and reduce their uptake by wheat ( L.) in a highly chromite mining contaminated soil.

Co-Doped CeO/Activated C Nanocomposite Functionalized with Ionic Liquid for Colorimetric Biosensing of HO via Peroxidase Mimicking.

Hydrogen peroxide acts as a byproduct of oxidative metabolism, and oxidative stress caused by its excess amount, causes different types of cancer. Thus, fast and cost-friendly analytical methods need to be developed for HO. Ionic liquid (IL)-coated cobalt (Co)-doped cerium oxide (CeO)/activated carbon (C) nanocomposite has been used to assess the peroxidase-like activity for the colorimetric detection of HO.

The Influence of the Barriers of Hybrid Strategy on Strategic Competitive Priorities: Evidence from Oil Companies.

This study examines the impact of the barrier of adopting hybrid strategy on strategic performance using the oil sector in Iraq as a case. International oil companies consider various strategies in order to achieve superior performance. The procedure needs to overcome certain essential barriers for the adoption of the hybrid strategy that combines the cost leadership and differentiation strategy.

Strigolactones can be a potential tool to fight environmental stresses in arid lands.

Background: Environmental stresses pose a significant threat to plant growth and ecosystem productivity, particularly in arid lands that are more susceptible to climate change. Strigolactones (SLs), carotenoid-derived plant hormones, have emerged as a potential tool for mitigating environmental stresses.

Methods: This review aimed to gather information on SLs' role in enhancing plant tolerance to ecological stresses and their possible use in improving the resistance mechanisms of arid land plant species to intense aridity in the face of climate change.

Feature selection for high dimensional microarray gene expression data via weighted signal to noise ratio.

Feature selection in high dimensional gene expression datasets not only reduces the dimension of the data, but also the execution time and computational cost of the underlying classifier. The current study introduces a novel feature selection method called weighted signal to noise ratio (WSNR) by exploiting the weights of features based on support vectors and signal to noise ratio, with an objective to identify the most informative genes in high dimensional classification problems. The combination of two state-of-the-art procedures enables the extration of the most informative genes.

Burden and distribution of dengue infection in Pakistan (2000-19): a review.

The goal of this study is to review the overall prevalence, burden, and distribution of the dengue disease in Pakistan from 2000 to 2019. Literature was searched using different search engines like Google scholar, PubMed, etc. providing the keywords "Dengue disease/infection, Dengue virus, DENV, DF/DHF/ DSS Pakistan".

Formulation and Characterization of Polymeric Cross-Linked Hydrogel Patches for Topical Delivery of Antibiotic for Healing Wound Infections.

Wound healing faces significant challenges in clinical settings. It often contains a series of dynamic and complex physiological healing processes. Instead of creams, ointments and solutions, alternative treatment approaches are needed.

Genotoxic effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in vehicle-wash wastewater on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and freshwater mussels (Anodonta cygnea).

Vehicle-wash wastewater (VWW) contains high levels of various petrochemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogenic category of organic substances. However, the genotoxic effects of PAHs present in VWW remain largely unknown. We explored the genotoxic effects of PAHs present in VWW on fish grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and freshwater mussels (Anodonta cygnea).

Novel plasmids in multidrug-resistant Shigella flexneri serotypes from Pakistan.

Shigellosis is the main cause of food and waterborne diarrhea and is an emerging threat to human health. The current study characterized the indigenous multidrug-resistant Shigella flexneri serotypes for their plasmid profiles and genetic diversity, to characterize the plasmid evolutionary patterns and distribution. In total, 199 identified S.

Development and Evaluation of Essential Oil-Based Nanoemulgel Formulation for the Treatment of Oral Bacterial Infections.

Prevalence of oral infections in diabetic patients is a health challenge due to persistent hyperglycemia. However, despite great concerns, limited treatment options are available. We therefore aimed to develop nanoemulsion gel (NEG) for oral bacterial infections based on essential oils.

Synthesis and applications of MXene-based composites: a review.

Recently, there has been considerable interest in a new family of transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides referred to as MXenes (TiCT) due to the variety of their elemental compositions and surface terminations that exhibit many fascinating physical and chemical properties. As a result of their easy formability, MXenes may be combined with other materials, such as polymers, oxides, and carbon nanotubes, which can be used to tune their properties for various applications. As is widely known, MXenes and MXene-based composites have gained considerable prominence as electrode materials in the energy storage field.