Impact of Credit Constraints on Firms Growth: A Case Study of Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan

This study explores the impact of credit constraint on growth by using firm level data of manufacturing sector of Pakistan for the period of 1974-2010 analyzing via Generalized Method of Moments (1991) one step and two step estimation technique. Result of full sample shows that the firms in manufacturing sector for the period from 1974-2010 are not facing external financial constraints and the effect of sale to capital ratio indicates the availability of investment opportunities for the firms in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. The results for pre and post financial sector reform era shows that firms are facing tight external financial constraints in pre financial reform era as compared to post financial reform era. Results show that growth of firms having small assets is constrained by internal finance whereas firms having medium and large assets are not constrained by internal finance. Similarly, firms’ growth that is less dependent on debt finance is constrained by internal finance whereas results for the firms that are moderately and highly aggressive in financing with debt indicate that the growth of firms belonging to these groups is not constrained by internal finance. Similarly, low dividend paying firms growth is constrained by internal finance whereas high dividend paying firms’ growth is not constrained by internal finance

Impact of Sickle Cell Anemia on children growth and clinical parameters in Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a single gene mutation, leading to sickle-shaped red blood cells, causing many clinical complications. Resulting complications may affect the growth of the SCD patients that is a strong measure of severity of disease and helps in disease management strategies in any area.  Eastern province of Saudi Arabia has one of the highest SCD incidences. Nevertheless, no studies have been previously carried out of about clinical outcome of SCD in Al-Ahsa area of eastern province. Therefore, this study was conducted to find out the impact of SCD children at king Abdulaziz Hospital Al-Ahsa.Methods: All pediatric SCD patients were included in the study. Patient data was taken from hospital information system and analyzed using SPSS version 27.Results: A total of 53 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.4:1 and mean age was 3.3 years (range: 1-9). Eighteen (34%) did not present with sickle cell crisis possibly due to ameliorating effects of high HbF and G6PD deficiency. Although growth parameters of SCD patients were not statistically different from international standards, there was significant difference between weight of SCD patients in recurrent sickle cell crisis group and non-crisis sickle cell (NC-SC) group at diagnosis and after clinical interventions (p= 0.04 and 0.03, respectively) that included hydroxyurea. The corrected reticulocyte (at diagnosis and after clinical intervention) and WBC counts were statistically significant between hydroxyurea and non-hydroxyurea groups (p-value < 0.05).Conclusions: Overall, one-third of SCD patients in Al-Ahsa region have mild disease and hydroxyurea can minimize the SCD severity through lowering corrected reticulocyte and WBC counts. Exact mechanisms of mild SCD and hydroxyurea in minimizing disease severity are needed to be elucidated.    Keywords: Salinity; Livelihood; Productivity; Farming experience; Farm size

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON OCHRATOXIN A PRODUCTION IN COMMON CEREALS BY ASPERGILLUS SPECIES

ABSTRACT Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a naturally occurring fungal metabolite produced by some species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. OTA being nephrotoxic, carcinogenic, hepatotoxic and immunosuppressive imparts many human and animal health hazards. In this study OTA production was observed at different temperatures (5ºC, 10ºC, 20ºC, 30ºC and 40ºC) in three substrates (corn, rice and wheat) by A. ochraceus and A. sulphureus. These two fungal species were grown on aforementioned substrates for three weeks separately. It was quantified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) using the florescent detector. The samples were considered positive for OTA if the peak was obtained at the retention time of 6.34 minutes. OTA was produced at all studied temperatures and in all substrates but the maximum OTA production was observed (1.87±0.021 µg/g) at 30ºC in corn by the Aspergillus ochraceus where as it was minimum at 5ºC in wheat by both species i.e. A. ochraceus (0.19±0.021 µg/g) and A. sulphureus (0.09±0.046 µg/g). Our results indicate that production of OTA by both species of fungus A. ochraceus and A. sulphureus depends upon temperature and substrate and the production in cereals was significantly higher than the maximum permitted level in cereals (5ng/g) as described by the European Union regulation commission and other agencies in the world

Epsin15 Homology Domains: Role in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Intersectin-1s (ITSN) deficiency and expression of a biologically active ITSN fragment, result of granzyme B cleavage under inflammatory conditions associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), are characteristics of lung tissue of human and animal models of PAH. Recently, we have shown that this ITSN fragment comprising two Epsin15 homology domains (EHITSN) triggers endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and the plexiform arteriopathy in PAH. Limited evidence also indicates that the EH domains of endocytic proteins such as ITSN, upregulate compensatory endocytic pathways in cells with impaired vesicular trafficking. Thus, we sought to investigate whether the EHITSN may be involved in this compensatory mechanism for improving the EC endocytic dysfunction induced by ITSN deficiency and possibly contribute to PAH pathogenesis. We used stably-transfected human pulmonary artery ECs expressing the Myc-EHITSN (ECEH-ITSN) and ITSN knockout heterozygous mice (K0ITSN+/-) transduced with the Myc-EHITSN, in conjunction with functional assays: the biotin assay for caveolae internalization and 8 nm gold (Au)- and dinitrophenylated (DNP)-albumin perfusion of murine lung microvasculature. Pulmonary artery ECs of PAH patients (ECPAH), ITSN knockdown ECs (ECKD-ITSN), the monocrotaline (MCT)-induced mouse and rat models of PAH, as well as untreated animals, served as controls. ELISA via streptavidin-HRP or anti-DNP antibody (Ab), applied on ECs and lung lysates indicated greater than 30% increase in biotin internalization in ECEH-ITSN compared to ECCtrl. Despite their endocytic deficiency, ECPAH internalized biotin similar to ECCtrl which is twofold higher compared to ECKD-ITSN. Moreover, the lung microvascular bed of Myc-EHITSN-transduced mice and MCT-treated animals showed greater than twofold increase in DNP-BSA transendothelial transport, all compared to untreated controls. Electron microscopy (EM) revealed the increased occurrence of non-conventional endocytic/transcytotic structures (i.e., caveolae clusters, tubulo-vesicular and enlarged endocytic structures, membranous rings), usually underrepresented. Most of these structures were labeled by Au-BSA, consistent with their involvement in the transendothelial transport. Furthermore, ITSN deficiency and EHITSN expression alter the subcellular localization of the EH-binding protein 1 (EHBP1) and cortical actin organization, altogether supporting the increase occurrence/trafficking of the alternative endocytic structures. Thus, the EHITSN by shifting the physiological vesicular (caveolae) transport toward the alternative endocytic pathways is a significant contributor to the dysfunctional molecular phenotype of ECPAH

A comparison of transgenic rodent mutation and in vivo comet assay responses for 91 chemicals.

A database of 91 chemicals with published data from both transgenic rodent mutation (TGR) and rodent comet assays has been compiled. The objective was to compare the sensitivity of the two assays for detecting genotoxicity. Critical aspects of study design and results were tabulated for each dataset. There were fewer datasets from rats than mice, particularly for the TGR assay, and therefore, results from both species were combined for further analysis. TGR and comet responses were compared in liver and bone marrow (the most commonly studied tissues), and in stomach and colon evaluated either separately or in combination with other GI tract segments. Overall positive, negative, or equivocal test results were assessed for each chemical across the tissues examined in the TGR and comet assays using two approaches: 1) overall calls based on weight of evidence (WoE) and expert judgement, and 2) curation of the data based on a priori acceptability criteria prior to deriving final tissue specific calls. Since the database contains a high prevalence of positive results, overall agreement between the assays was determined using statistics adjusted for prevalence (using AC1 and PABAK). These coefficients showed fair or moderate to good agreement for liver and the GI tract (predominantly stomach and colon data) using WoE, reduced agreement for stomach and colon evaluated separately using data curation, and poor or no agreement for bone marrow using both the WoE and data curation approaches. Confidence in these results is higher for liver than for the other tissues, for which there were less data. Our analysis finds that comet and TGR generally identify the same compounds (mainly potent mutagens) as genotoxic in liver, stomach and colon, but not in bone marrow. However, the current database content precluded drawing assay concordance conclusions for weak mutagens and non-DNA reactive chemicals

Recommendations for conducting the rodent erythrocyte Pig-a assay: A report from the HESI GTTC Pig-a Workgroup.

The rodent Pig-a assay is a flow cytometric, phenotype-based method used to measure in vivo somatic cell mutation. An Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guideline is currently being developed to support routine use of the assay for regulatory purposes (OECD project number 4.93). This article provides advice on best practices for designing and conducting rodent Pig-a studies in support of evaluating test substance safety, with a focus on the rat model. Various aspects of assay conduct, including laboratory proficiency, minimum number of animals per dose group, preferred treatment and blood sampling schedule, and statistical analysis are described

Cave macroinvertebrates used as bioindicators of water quality

Galindo-Pérez, E. J., Chávez-Sandoval, B. E., Espinoza- Graciano, E., Flores-Martínez, M. C., Villeda-Callejas, M. P., Bhalli, J. A., Tejocote-Pérez, M., & García-Franco, F. (September-October, 2017). Cave macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of water quality. Water Technology and Sciences (in Spanish), 8(5), 5-17. Caves are very fragile systems which are influenced by specific biogeographic and ecological patterns that maintain unique species of fauna, flora, and microbiota. One cave species, macroinvertebrates, represents a heterogeneous group of animal taxa which is in constant danger of extinction, principally due to anthropogenic activities. Macroinvertebrates have been widely used as bioindicators of the quality of biogeographic zones, ecosystems, and protected areas, as well as to determine protected species. The Boca del Río Cave is located in the biogeographic transition zone in Mexico’s Neotropical region, and is home to a large enclave of different biotic elements. Twenty-nine organisms were collected and grouped into 19 families based on their morphological and physiological characteristics. The coefficient of taxonomic work (CTW) indicates that the taxonomic level family is the most consistent for all of the organisms collected. The Coenagronidae family was the most abundant in the study. The BMWP, ASPT, and SCI biotic index scores indicate that the water in the Boca del Río Cave is slightly contaminated, while the Family Biotic Index (FBI) indicates poor water quality with very substantial organic pollution. The diversity of macroinvertebrate families confirms that the Boca del Río Cave serves as an important refuge for fauna in the transition zone located in Mexico’s Nearctic biogeographic region. This report represents the first study to use bioindicators to analyze the water quality of a cave system, and contributes to the inventories of macroinvertebrate cave fauna