Evaluation of elevated alanine aminotransferase and hepatitis B virus DNA in healthy seronegative blood donors

Background: Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) has been used as a surrogate marker for detection of hepatitis B and C in blood donors in Pakistan since 1985. Since the introduction of more sensitive assays the value of ALT became questionable but it was still used with subsequent wastage of blood units with raised ALT. Finding: We conducted a study for a period of one year to evaluate the usefulness of ALT. During the study period, 25117 subjects donated blood. Eight hundred and seventy two donors (3.4%) were positive for one or more serological tests. ALT of all donors ranged from 0-1501 U/L (Mean±SD; 33.4±25.45U/L). The donors seronegative for all disease markers were 24245 (96.6%). Of these, 21164 (84.2%) donors had their ALT within reference range while 2874 (11.4%) and 207 (0.8%) of donors had minimal and markedly elevated results respectively. Six hundred and twenty one blood units (including red cells, platelets and plasma) were discarded based on elevated ALT results alone at a cost of $39,123. Two hundred seronegative blood donors with normal ALT, minimally and markedly elevated ALT levels, were selected randomly and evaluated for hepatitis B deoxynucleic acid by individual PCR. None of the donors was found to be reactive. Conclusion: This work did not support a positive association between hepatitis B virus nucleic acid and elevated ALT in healthy serologically negative blood donors

Emerging Trends in E-Learning in Punjab- Pakistan

رافق التعلم عبر الإنترنت والجوال ظهور اتجاهات ناشئة في التعليم خلال العقد الماضي الامر الذي يعكس التغييرات الهائلة في انتشار المعرفة المحدثة التي عززت النتاج التعليمي وملاءمة العالم في الوقت الحالي. وعملت شبكة الإنترنت والجوال معًا لتسهيل عملية التعلم الذاتي. وفي هذه الدراسة وضعت ثلاثة مؤشرات لتقييم أهمية التعلم الإلكتروني الذاتي؛ أولاً، التحقق من أن الإنترنت مصدر سهل لتعزيز وتحديث المعرفة من وجهة نظر طلاب الجامعات. ثانيًا، إدراك أن التعلم الإلكتروني هو وسيلة لتوفير الوقت للتعلم الذاتي. ثالثًا، سهولة الحصول على مصادر المعرفة الكترونيا في مجال دراسة معينة ومن خلال استخدام محركات البحث المختلفة. في هذه الدراسة تم إعداد استبيان راجعه النظراء وحكمه مراجعون متخصصون. الذين وافقوا على محتواه والجوانب الدلالية لجميع الأسئلة، لجمع البيانات من مائة طالب مسجلين في ثلاث جامعات عامة في البنجاب في باكستان. أوضحت النتائج أن الإنترنت والجوال يُستخدمان للتسلية والترفيه واكتساب المعرفة ومواد البحث ولتسهيل الدراسات أو الأبحاث في مختلف التخصصات. علاوة على ذلك، بدت نتائج الدراسة الحالية متباينه، وهو ما قد يرجع إلى فحوى الدراسة الحالية والنتائج المحتملة من استخدامات وممارسات المستخدمين الحاليين للتعلم الإلكتروني والجوال. والحقيقة المثبته و بوضوح على أن العلماء والطلاب يميلون في الغالب إلى مثل هذه التوجهات في دولة باكستان.Internet and mobile learning are necessarily emerging trends in education through last decade. They are mirroring vast changes and proliferation of update knowledge, which enhanced our learning productivity and real time world relevancy. Internet and mobile worked together to facilitate the self-learning process. In this study, there are three indicators set up to weigh the importance of E-learning; first, to investigate that the internet is an easy source of promoting and updating knowledge from university students’ points of view. Second,  to recognize that the E-learning is a time saving method of self-learning. Third, to facilitate gaining electronic sources of a specific study field through using different search engines. A peer reviewed questionnaire was prepared and governed by specialist reviewers; who agreed on its content and semantic aspects of all questions, to collect the data from one hundred students enrolled at three public universities of Punjab in Pakistan. Results outlined that internet and mobile are used to fun and entertainment, gain knowledge, search materials, and  to facilitate studies or researches of different disciplines. Furthermore, the outcomes of the current study seemed different, which may be due to the focus of the current study upon perceived consequences rather than uses and practices of current users of mobile and E-learning. The fact that apparently clear demonstrates that scholars and students mostly tend to such trends in Pakistan

Population study of 1311 C/T polymorphism of Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase gene in Pakistan – an analysis of 715 X-chromosomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nucleotide 1311 polymorphism at exon 11 of G6PD gene is widely prevalent in various populations of the world. The aim of the study was to evaluate 1311 polymorphism in subjects carrying G6PD Mediterranean gene and in general population living in Pakistan.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients already known to be G6PD deficient were tested for 563C-T (G6PD Mediterranean) and 1311 C-T mutation through RFLP based PCR and gene sequencing. A control group not known to be G6PD deficient was tested for 1311C/T only.</p> <p>C-T transition at nt 1311 was detected in 60/234 X-chromosomes with 563 C-T mutation (gene frequency of 0.26) while in 130 of normal 402 X-chromosomes (gene frequency of 0.32).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that 1311 T is a frequent polymorphism both in general populations and in subjects with G6PD Mediterranean gene in Pakistan. The prevalence is higher compared to most of the populations of the world. The present study will help in understanding genetic basis of G6PD deficiency in Pakistani population and in developing ancestral links of its various ethnic groups.</p

Management of obstetric hemorrhage; an observational study highlighting the efficacy of uterine artery ligation

Background: Obstetrical hemorrhage is leading cause of maternal mortality. UAE is termed safe and effective method for resolving hemorrhage. objective of this study was to determine efficacy of uterine artery ligation in management of obstetrical hemorrhage.Methods: This cross sectional observational using non-probability convenient sampling technique was carried out for six months. After ethical approval, females between 18 to 35 years diagnosed with obstetrical hemorrhage, uterine atony refractory to medical treatment, having active bleeding from placental side or having normal coagulation profile were while females with post-partum hemorrhage because of retained products of conception, due to genital tract trauma or with disseminated intravascular coagulation were excluded. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 23.0. Quantitative variables were reported as mean and standard deviation and for qualitative variables, frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was applied keeping p-value of <0.05 as statistically significant.Results: From 109 females with mean age 47±5.25 years. In comparison of parity distribution, 62 (56.88%) were multiparous and 47 (43.12%) were primiparous. Type of bleeding observed was antepartum 36(33.03%), peripartum 39 (35.78%) and postpartum in 34 (31.19%). Efficacy of uterine artery ligation in management of obstetric hemorrhage was observed to be 35 (32.11%). The efficacy of uterine artery ligation in management of obstetric hemorrhage in three categories of age groups reported significant association (p=0.0005) and type of bleeding (p=0.025).Conclusions: Efficacy of UAE in different types of obstetrical hemorrhage reported in our study was lower than expected in about one-third of females

Evaluation of two ELISA assay kits against RT-PCR for diagnosis of dengue virus infection in a hospital setting in Karachi, Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate two commercially available ELISA-based kits against RT-PCR for the diagnosis of dengue virus infection in a Tertiary Care center in Karachi.METHODS: During the 2006 Dengue outbreak, sera were collected from patients clinically classified as dengue fever and graded according to WHO grading. Out of these, 83 samples were selected randomly and analyzed using two different commercial kits (PanBio versus Calbiotech) and were compared with RT-PCR. Clinical charts of the inpatients were also reviewed. Statistical significance was considered at P \u3c or = 0.05.RESULTS: Clinically, a total of 29 (69%) in-patients were diagnosed with dengue haemorrhagic fever, the remaining 13 (30.9%) were diagnosed as dengue fever. Diagnostic PCR was positive in 73 (87.9%) of the total 83 patients. PanBio capture ELISA had a sensitivity of 83.5%. Calbiotech on the other hand, had a sensitivity of 50.7%. The association of PanBio assay with PCR was found to be statistically significant (

Cerebellar Manifestation Secondary To Rectal Neoplasia

The condition known as paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is among the most disabling examples of a cancer\u27s remote effects. Serology for paraneoplastic antibodies, clinical suspicion, and a targeted search for malignancy all play a role in the diagnosis. Tests for neuronal autoantibodies aid in diagnosis and point the way for the search for malignancy. Unfortunately, even with an early diagnosis, existing therapeutic approaches only have little success. Here we present the case of a young male who developed cerebellar syndrome secondary to rectal neoplasia

3-[(Methyl­carbamo­yl)amino]-1H-isoindolium chloride

The title compound, C10H12N3O+·Cl−, is a derivative of o-phthaldehyde and methyl­thio­urea. The mol­ecules form dimers through intra- and inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers are further linked into chains through one C—H⋯Cl and two N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds

Characterization and efficiency assessment of PGPR for enhancement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield

Background: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in phosphorous solublization, nutrient uptake and crop productivity. A variety of PGPR and their combinations were supplemented to rice crop for evaluation of their effects on plant height, filled grain per panicle, tillers per plant, 1000 grain weight, panicle length and yield per acre.    Methods: Roots of sugarcane plants and their adhering soil samples were used as an isolation source for PGPR. The nursery plant roots of local rice varieties i.e. Super Basmati and Basmati-515 were inoculated with isolated PGPR formulation. Data was recorded and statistically analyzed to determine analysis of variance, genetic correlation, path coefficient and principle component. Results: 5 out of 11 bacterial strains produced high indole acetic acid (IAA). Other 6 were either average or low producers of the acid. The strains selected for maximum amount of phosphorous solublization were CEMB-22 (Klebsiella sp.) and CEMB-15 (Burkholderia sp.) with best IAA production. It was found that higher genetic advance, heritability, genotypic and phenotypic correlation have positive direct effects on yield properties of rice.Conclusion: Yield of rice can be enhanced by the application of CEMB-22+CEMB-15 PGPR in combined formulation

Flash flood susceptibility assessment and zonation by integrating analytic hierarchy process and frequency ratio model with diverse spatial data

Flash floods are the most dangerous kinds of floods because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed. They occur when heavy rainfall exceeds the ability of the ground to absorb it. The main aim of this study is to generate flash flood maps using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Frequency Ratio (FR) models in the river&rsquo;s floodplain between the Jhelum River and Chenab rivers. A total of eight flash flood-causative physical parameters are considered for this study. Six parameters are based on remote sensing images of the Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS), Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and Sentinel-2 Satellite, which include slope, elevation, distance from the stream, drainage density, flow accumulation, and land use/land cover (LULC), respectively. The other two parameters are soil and geology, which consist of different rock and soil formations, respectively. In the case of AHP, each of the criteria is allotted an estimated weight according to its significant importance in the occurrence of flash floods. In the end, all the parameters were integrated using weighted overlay analysis in which the influence value of drainage density was given the highest weight. The analysis shows that a distance of 2500 m from the river has values of FR ranging from 0.54, 0.56, 1.21, 1.26, and 0.48, respectively. The output zones were categorized into very low, low, moderate, high, and very high risk, covering 7354, 5147, 3665, 2592, and 1343 km2, respectively. Finally, the results show that the very high flood areas cover 1343 km2, or 6.68% of the total area. The Mangla, Marala, and Trimmu valleys were identified as high-risk zones of the study area, which have been damaged drastically many times by flash floods. It provides policy guidelines for risk managers, emergency and disaster response services, urban and infrastructure planners, hydrologists, and climate scientists

The development of cost effective 100 base pair prototype DNA ladder using polymerase chain reaction

Background: In genomics, DNA scale is used as a standard unit for the measurement of unknown DNA fragments, plasmids, and PCR products during gel electrophoresis. The 100 base pair DNA ladder is essential and cost-effective in molecular biological research and is available commercially which is too expensive and not easily accessible to a common researcher for laboratory usage.Methods: The main purpose of this study was to report easily and practical method to prepare 100 base pair DNA ladder by simple PCR using pCAMBIA 1301 plasmid as a template which is an effective cost reduction strategy for laboratories. pCAMBIA 1301 was transformed into Escherichia coli (Top 10) bacteria by using heat shock method for high the yield of the plasmid. Bacteria containing our desire plasmid were cultured and plasmid was extracted from bacteria by using kit method. About 10 pairs of primers were designed from the backbone of the plasmid which amplifies 100 to 1000 base pair of PCR product with an interval of 100 base pair fragments. These fragments were optimized by using gradient thermo cycler and PCR products were purified using kit methods. For the stability of 100 base pair DNA ladder, it was placed in seven different buffers.Results: The outcome of this study shown that polymerase chain reaction was able to amplify 10 different types of DNA fragments which ranges from 100 to 1000 base pair with high qualification and size accuracy. PCR products were purified and sequenced. DNA ladder was pooled in seven different buffers and stored at -20°C. These buffers were used to optimize and evaluate the stability of the prototype DNA ladder.Conclusion: Our laboratory made 100base pair DNA ladder is very cost effective, it only cost 11 USD to prepare DNA ladder. This 100 base pair DNA ladder provides an independent quantitative unit that can be used with any biological application or technology, enabling genomes to be measured using a common metric.Keywords: 100 bp DNA ladder, pCAMBIA 1301 plasmid; PCR technique; Gel electrophoresis; Break Even Point Analysis