Toxicity, analgesic and sedative potential of crude extract of soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus

Background: Aspergillus flavus  is one of the most abundant mold present around the world. The present study was conducted to investigate the acute toxicity, analgesic and sedative effect of the crude extract obtained from soil borne fungi A. flavus.Methods: The fungi was isolated from soil samples and identified morphologically and microscopically. The growth condition i.e. media, temperature, pH, and incubation period were optimized. In these optimized growth condition, A. flavus was grown in batch culture in shaking incubator. Crude contents were extracted by using ethyl acetate solvent. Crude secondary metabolites were screened for acute toxicity, analgesic and sedative effect.Results: Upon completion of the experiment, blood was collected from the tail vein of albino mice, and different haematological tests were conducted. White blood cells counts displayed a slight increase (10.6× 109/L) above their normal range (0.8–6.8 × 109/L), which may be due to the increment in the number of lymphocytes or granulocytes. However, the percentage of lymphocytes was much lower (17.7%), while the percentage of the granulocytes was higher (61.4%) than its normal range (8.6–38.9%). A reduction  in  the  mean  number  of  writhing  in  the different  test  groups  was caused by the application of the crude ethyl acetate extract through the i.p. route at different doses (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg body weight). The results of our investigation showed the EtOAc extract of A. flavus can cause a significant sedative effect in open field.Conclusion: It was concluded from the present study that the A. flavus has the potential to produce bioactive metabolites which have analgesic and sedative effect

Frequency of translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in histologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed cases of ewing\u27s sarcoma

Introduction: Ewing sarcoma (ES) family of tumors is one of the most common groups of malignancies arising in children, adolescents, and young adults. Although characteristic histology with immunohistochemical expression of CD99 and FLI1 after exclusion of other small round blue cell tumors is considered diagnostic of ES, frequency of typical ES translocation, i.e., t(11;22)(q24;q12) is not known in our population. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of this translocation in histologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed cases of ES along with its association with other pathological parameters.Methods: A total of 43 morphologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed cases of ES were included in the study. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on representative paraffin blocks to identify t(11;22)(q24;q12) translocation. Association with various clinicopathological characteristics was determined.Results: Mean age of the patients was 18.23±9.57 years. Bone was the most commonly involved site (22; 51.2%) followed by soft tissue (17; 39.5%) and parenchymal organs (4; 9.3%). A total of 88.4% of cases were found to be FISH-positive for t(11;22)(q24;q12). No significant association of translocation positive cases was noted with tumor size or disease-free survival. Similarly, no significant association of tumor size with disease-free survival was found.Conclusions: A significant proportion of cases of histologically diagnosed cases of ES exhibited characteristic t(11;22)(q24;q12). This signifies that histology along with immunohistochemistry is reliable for the diagnosis of this tumor; however, in difficult cases, FISH can be performed to detect characteristic translocation. Moreover, we did not find tumor size to be a significant prognostic indicator of survival in ES

Role of Personality and Social Factors towards Purchase of Luxury Clothing in Online Settings: Moderating Role of Vanity

In this convenient world & era of online markets; consumer seeks easiest way to evaluate brands. Social factors and brand personality are vital attributes of luxury purchase intentions in traditional/physical market place. However, in digital world brand personality and social factors are quite different due to market dynamics. This study also explored moderating role of vanity on social factor because it impacts luxury brands online purchase intention. By adopting questionnaire research technique based on qualitative method 300 questionnaires were distributed among university students that work part-time in industry that don’t have time to evaluate brands with a response rate of 84.66%. Data were gathered through convenient sampling which is sub type of Non-probability sampling technique and analyzed by descriptive & influential statistics on SPSS & Process macro. Resulted showed that social and personality factor positively effects online purchase intention of luxury brand among university students. The moderating role of vanity (physical) was significantly influencing social factors & purchase intentions. This will guide marketers to design better strategies, differentiating segmentation decisions & ultimately capturing niche market.

Atitude do consumidor e intenção de compra em relação a produtos têxteis orgânicos

Social mobilization towards various environmental problems changed the consumer’s attitudes and induced purchase decisions towards Organic Textile products. The main purpose of the current study was to understand consumer attitudes towards the purchase intentions of green textile products in developing countries like Pakistan. The model was developed by using the theory of planned behaviour and further attempt to extend the TPB by adding additional constructs (environmental concern, personal norms, health consciousness, and consumer knowledge). Data were collected through emails and self-administered survey questionnaire. Smart PLS 3 was used for data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that Health Consciousness, consumer knowledge, environmental concern and personal norms had a positive relationship with consumer attitude. But Subjective Norms had insignificant impact on consumer attitude. On the other hand Consumer attitude mediates the effect of different factors (IV) on purchase intention (DV). Ultimately, positive consumer attitude resulted in to purchase intention of textile organic products. The findings of the current study provide important practical and theoretical implications for buyer’s behaviors towards green textile products.La movilización social para los diferentes problemas cambió el consumidor de las actitudes y las necesidades de compra de la demanda hacia los productos textiles textiles. El principal propósito del estudio actual fue el de consumir las actitudes relativas a la compra de intenciones de productos del verde productos en países de transición similares. El modelo se desarrolló utilizando la teoría de comportamiento de comportamiento y se ha intentado que se extienda el TPB por agregar construcciones adicionales (aspectos relativos a la seguridad, el comportamiento de las personas, el conocimiento de la conciencia, y el consumidor). Los datos fueron recabados por correo electrónico y auto-encuesta cuestionario. Smart PLS 3 se utilizó para el análisis de datos. Los resultados del estudio revelan que el bienestar de la salud, el consumidor de los consumidores, la atención de la salud y la personalidad de los miembros de la familia. But Subjective Norms había insignificante impacto en la industria de consumo. En la otra mano de atención al consumidor actúa el efecto de diferentes factores (IV) en la demanda (DV). Ultimately, la respuesta positiva de la actitud de la conducta en la compra de los productos de los productos del producto. Los resultados del presente estudio proporcionan un importante sentido práctico y las razones para los comportamientos de los consumidores para los productos del verde.A mobilização social para vários problemas ambientais mudou as atitudes do consumidor e induziu decisões de compra em relação aos produtos têxteis orgânicos. O principal objetivo do presente estudo foi entender as atitudes do consumidor em relação às intenções de compra de produtos têxteis verdes em países em desenvolvimento como o Paquistão. O modelo foi desenvolvido usando a teoria do comportamento planejado e mais uma tentativa de estender o TPB, adicionando construtos adicionais (preocupação ambiental, normas pessoais, consciência de saúde e conhecimento do consumidor). Os dados foram coletados por meio de e-mails e questionário de pesquisa autoaplicável. O Smart PLS 3 foi usado para análise de dados. Os achados do estudo revelam que a Consciência em Saúde, a consciência do consumidor, a preocupação ambiental e as normas pessoais tiveram uma relação positiva com a atitude do consumidor. Mas as Normas Subjetivas tiveram um impacto insignificante na atitude do consumidor. Por outro lado, a atitude do consumidor medeia o efeito de diferentes fatores (IV) na intenção de compra (DV). Em última análise, a atitude positiva do consumidor resultou na intenção de compra de produtos orgânicos têxteis. As conclusões do presente estudo fornecem importantes implicações práticas e teóricas para o comportamento do comprador em relação a produtos têxteis verdes

Predicting Revisit Intention of Commuters: A Case Study of Private Bus Company in Pakistan

Present research tends to explore the impact of service quality and relationship switching cost on revisiting intention. This scrutiny is quantitative in nature that has explored new dimensions of service quality designed public transportation industry. Specifically, revisit intention is taken as main contributor in this study based on commuter satisfaction. In Pakistan, intercity bus service has become competitive market after improvement in road structure and economic globalization. This study considered Daewoo Express Bus Service (Pakistan). Data was collected from 167 commuters that travel through private bus services. All proposed hypotheses were supported. Thus, study unraveled several managerial implications such as private bus services should increase service quality by providing them choices about internal environment of buses. Moreover, it’s not a wise decision by removing services to reduce expenses/cost to earn profits. This led intentions for commuters to switch as Daewoo is an educated professional’s choice of traveling, therefore new tools of commuter retentions are required to maintain their brand meaning

Tuberculosis verrucosa cutis in a patient with keloid over ear lobule

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem with predominance in resource-poor countries. Extrapulmonary TB constitutes approximately 10% of the cases and can present as different forms depending on the route of entry. Cutaneous TB is a small subset of the extrapulmonary TB. Cutaneous TB can either be of primary origin or secondary origin or it can be a part of a systemic infection. TB verrucosa cutis (TBVC) is the exogenous reinfection of TB in a previously sensitised patient. Routine cultures do not have a high yield in TBVC due to the paucibacillary nature of the organism. Here we are presenting a rare case of a patient who developed in a keloid over the right ear lobule following ear piercing. This has only been presented once in the previous literature and for the first time in the head and neck region

'Aariz: A Benchmark Dataset for Automatic Cephalometric Landmark Detection and CVM Stage Classification

The accurate identification and precise localization of cephalometric landmarks enable the classification and quantification of anatomical abnormalities. The traditional way of marking cephalometric landmarks on lateral cephalograms is a monotonous and time-consuming job. Endeavours to develop automated landmark detection systems have persistently been made, however, they are inadequate for orthodontic applications due to unavailability of a reliable dataset. We proposed a new state-of-the-art dataset to facilitate the development of robust AI solutions for quantitative morphometric analysis. The dataset includes 1000 lateral cephalometric radiographs (LCRs) obtained from 7 different radiographic imaging devices with varying resolutions, making it the most diverse and comprehensive cephalometric dataset to date. The clinical experts of our team meticulously annotated each radiograph with 29 cephalometric landmarks, including the most significant soft tissue landmarks ever marked in any publicly available dataset. Additionally, our experts also labelled the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stage of the patient in a radiograph, making this dataset the first standard resource for CVM classification. We believe that this dataset will be instrumental in the development of reliable automated landmark detection frameworks for use in orthodontics and beyond

CEPHA29: Automatic Cephalometric Landmark Detection Challenge 2023

Quantitative cephalometric analysis is the most widely used clinical and research tool in modern orthodontics. Accurate localization of cephalometric landmarks enables the quantification and classification of anatomical abnormalities, however, the traditional manual way of marking these landmarks is a very tedious job. Endeavours have constantly been made to develop automated cephalometric landmark detection systems but they are inadequate for orthodontic applications. The fundamental reason for this is that the amount of publicly available datasets as well as the images provided for training in these datasets are insufficient for an AI model to perform well. To facilitate the development of robust AI solutions for morphometric analysis, we organise the CEPHA29 Automatic Cephalometric Landmark Detection Challenge in conjunction with IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI 2023). In this context, we provide the largest known publicly available dataset, consisting of 1000 cephalometric X-ray images. We hope that our challenge will not only derive forward research and innovation in automatic cephalometric landmark identification but will also signal the beginning of a new era in the discipline

Bacterobilia in acute cholecystitis: bile cultures\u27 isolates, antibiotic sensitivities and antibiotic usage. a study on a Pakistani population.

Abstract Acute cholecystitis is one of the most common acute surgical conditions. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy remains the mainstay of treatment. In patients managed non-operatively, antibiotics play an important role in the treatment of cholecystitis. The current retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, and comprised medical records of patients admitted between 2008 and 2014with acute cholecystitis and in whom bile cultures were obtained. Of the 509 patients with a mean age of 51.15 ± 13.4years, early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (within 72hours) was performed on 473(92.9%) cases, while the rest underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy. Bile cultureswere positive in 171(33.6%) patients. Predominantly gram-negative organisms were isolated among a total of 137(27%), with E.coli 63(46%) being the most commonly isolated organism. Of the gram-positive organism, enterococcus 11(8%) was the most common. Antibiotic sensitivities were determined.Based on our findings gram-negative coverage alone should be sufficient in our segment of the population

Impact of caffeine and vitamin D3 on the body-weight of pregnant BALB/c mice

Objective:  To investigate the effect of caffeine and Vitamin D3 on the body weight of pregnant BALB/c mice.  Design of Study:  An RCT (Randomized control trial) in the Lab.  Place and Duration of Study:  The study was carried out at Anatomy Department, Army Medical College (AMC), Rawalpindi, in collaboration with National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, from Oct 2018 to Oct 2019.  Material and Methods:  Six-week old pregnant BALB/c mice, thirty (30) in number, weighing  26-28g, were taken and divided into three groups with 10 pregnant mice in each group.  The control group G1 was given standard diet with water ad libitum for 21 days.  The animals in experimental group G2, in addition to the standard diet, were given 10mg of caffeine per 100g body-weight once a day on alternate days by oral gavage for 21 days.  Similarly, mice in group G3, in addition to the diet of group G2, were given 0.1µg of vitamin D3 per day by oral gavage for 21 days.  The body-weights on 1st day, 7th day, 14th day and 21st day of gestation in all the groups were measured to determine the influence of caffeine and vitamin D3.  Results:  Mean body-weights of mice in control group G1 were noted as 26.8 ± 0.789g,  30.7 ± 0.949g, 36 ± 0.667g and 42 ± 1.054g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day of gestation, respectively.  The mean body-weights of experimental group G2 were recorded to be 26.7 ± 0.675g, 29.9 ± 0.738g, 34.3 ± 0.823g and 39.5 ± 0.972g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21th day of gestation, respectively.  The mean body-weights of experimental group G3 were determined as 26.8 ± 0.632g, 30.4 ± 0.699g, 34.6 ± 0.516g and 40.5 ± 0.850g on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day of gestation, respectively.  In comparison to the control group G1, the body-weights of animals in experimental group G2 showed more decrease in accrual of body-weight than noted in experimental group G3.  Conclusion:  Caffeine intake has decreasing influence on the growth of body-weight in pregnant mice while intake of vitamin D3 somewhat nullifies the harmful effect of caffeine on body-weight.