Association between TSH status and prevalence of miscarriages and stillbirth

Thyroid hormones play a significant role in normal human body growth. Abnormalities in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels can result in pregnancy loss due to miscarriages and intrauterine death (IUD). The objective of the study was to assess the levels of association of thyroid stimulating hormone with miscarriages and IUD. The descriptive study involving 110 samples between 18-40 years of age fulfilling inclusion criteria were sampled for TSH testing (2ml blood) after attaining their written informed consent. The mean age of participants was 29.49±4.26 year. The prevalence of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism was 3.64% and 2.73%, respectively. Complications like gestational hypertension, depression and oligomenorrhea were found prevalent in these females. Majority of females were taking high/low iodine than recommended iodine level (150mcg). This work shows that there is a significant association between pregnancy loss and disturbed TSH levels among pregnant females

Process optimization for enhanced production of cellulases form locally isolated fungal strain by submerged fermentation

Cellulase has myriad applications in various sectors like pharmaceuticals, textile, detergents, animal feed and bioethanol production, etc. The current study focuses on the isolation, screening and optimization of fungal strain through one factor at a time technique for enhanced cellulase production.  In current study sixteen different fungal cultures were isolated and the culture which quantitatively exhibits higher titers of cellulase activity was identified both morphologically and molecularly by 18S rDNA and designated as Aspergillus niger ABT11. Different parameters like fermentation medium, volume, temperature, pH and nutritional components were optimized. The highest CMCase and FPase activities  was achieved in 100ml of M5 medium in the presence of 1% lactose and sodium nitrate at 30 oC, pH5 after 72 hours. The result revealed A. niger can be a potential candidate for scale up studies

Bioethanol production from urban cellulosic waste employing Alcaligenes faecalis HI-1 isolated from gut of termite Heterotermes indicola

This study assessed the potential of termite gut inhabiting bacteria towards bioconversion of cellulosic waste into biofuel. Total seven bacterial isolates from the gut of Heterotermes indicola were isolated. Among all the isolates, HI-1 produced the largest zone upon primary screening.  Untreated paper had more cellulose content (73.03%) than acid (0.5%) treated paper that was used as a lignocellulosic substrate for saccharification. Among all the isolates tested, glucose yield (1.08mg/mL) was high for HI-1 isolate. Several factors were considered for optimizing augmented glucose yield (8.57mg/mL) and growth (8.07×108cfu/mL), such as temperature 37°C, pH 4.5, 5% (w/v) substrate concentration, 6 % bacterial inoculum size, agitation 150 rpm with PEG 0.25 % and Ca2+ ions 0.002 g/L. Overall 8-fold increase in glucose yield was achieved. Enzyme activity of HI-1 showed higher endoglucanase 0.29 ± 0.01 (U/mL/min) and exoglucanase 0.15±0.01 (U/mL/min) activity under optimum conditions, mentioned above. temperature 37°C, pH 4.5, substrate concentration 5%, inoculum size 6%, surfactants PEG 0.01%, ions Ca2+(0.002g/L) and agitation (120 rpm). Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of hydrolyzed office paper yielded 5.43mg/mL bioethanol. According to 16S rRNA sequence homology, the bacterial isolate H1 was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis. Bioethanol production from office paper untreated waste proved an effective strategy. Bacteria having natural tendency towards cellulosic waste consumption are promising for bioconversion of cellulosic waste to valuable products

Youth Perception on Climate Change and Its Impact on Health (Islamabad)

Climate change is a global issue characterized by a shift in regular weather patterns over decades or longer, such as rising temperatures, more precipitation, or decreased humidity. Pakistan is experiencing the consequences of climate change, with increased glacier melt, droughts, and warmer winters and early summers. Pakistan does not make a significant contribution to global warming or climate change. It is, nevertheless, the seventh most severely affected country. In the last century, the average temperature of Pakistan increased by 0.6°C. Pakistan’s government has already initiated the Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Project, one of the world’s most ambitious endeavors to extend and repair its forests. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions of youth of Islamabad on climate change and its impact on human health. The mixed methodology (qualitative and quantitative) is used to get better results in apprehensive research work. Our research found that a large percentage of people in the capital city believe climate change is happening and is caused by global warming and deforestation. The youth are aware of climate change and its effects on humans, but they require further education on the subject and guidance on how to mitigate climate change. The government should do something at the national or university level to raise awareness about climate change. &nbsp

Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests for COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2)

The knowledge regarding diagnostic testing for SARS COV-2 is still at hit-and-trial phases, all over the world. Evolving day by day through ongoing research and extensive trials, use for SARS-COV-2 infectionsReverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and IgM/ IgG serology by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) or Electro-Chemiluminescent Immunoassay remain the main stay of diagnosis. However, the time course for the PCR positivity and seroconversion seem to vary in children and adults both, which also includes a huge population of asymptomatic individuals who are potentially labelled negative hence posing a great threat to the surrounding community.</p

Applying Silver Nanoparticles to Enhance Metabolite Accumulation and Biodiesel Production in New Algal Resources

Biofuel generation from algae can be increased by using nanotechnology. The present study emphasizes the use of silver nanoparticles on algae for algal fuel generation along with the impact of nanoparticles on biomass, metabolites and lipid profile. Silver ion amassing was enhanced in each algal species, but maximum phytoremediation was found in Ulothrix sp. Carbohydrates increased 3.2 times in Oedogonium sp., 3.3 times in Ulothrix sp., 3 times in Cladophora sp. and 2.7 times in Spirogyra sp. Additionally, the application of nanoparticles enhanced by 2 times the production of proteins in Oedogonium sp., 1.9 times in Ulothrix sp., 1.9 times in Cladophora sp. and 2.1 times in Spirogyra sp. Finally, the total lipid yield increased 60% DCW in Oedogonium sp., 56% DCW in Ulothrix sp., 58% DCW in Cladophora sp. and 63% DCW in Spirogyra sp. using 0.08 mg/L silver nanoparticle application. The lipids and fatty acid fractions from algae containing high concentrations of C16:0, C18:0 and C18:1 enhanced with silver nanoparticle addition were comparable with EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 biodiesel standards. This study indicates that the uptake of AgNPs can enhance the production of fatty acids and be commercialized as sustainable biodiesel. The algae Ulothrix sp. is evidenced as the best competent feedstock for biofuel production

AnnoVate: Revolutionizing Data Annotation with Automated Labeling Technique

This research introduces AnnoVate, an innovative web application designed to automate the labor-intensive task of object annotation for computer vision applications. Focused on image annotation, the study addresses the escalating demand for data refinement and labeling in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Leveraging the power of YOLOv8 (You Only Look Once), a high-performance object detection algorithm, AnnoVate minimizes human intervention while achieving an impressive 85% overall accuracy in object detection. The methodology integrates active learning, allowing labelers to selectively prioritize uncertain data during the labeling process. An iterative training approach continuously refines the model, creating a self-improving loop that enhances accuracy over successive loops. The system's flexibility enables users to export labeled datasets for their preferred AI model architectures. AnnoVate not only overcomes the limitations of traditional labeling methods but also establishes a collaborative human-machine interaction paradigm, setting the stage for further advancements in computer vision

Mass cultivation of various algal species and their evaluation as a potential candidate for lipid production

<div><p>Microalgae have been proposed as a promising source for biodiesel production. Focusing on algal strains for biodiesel production, efforts should be made to search new strains. Experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of growth parameters (nutrients, pH, light, aeration and temperature) and the oil percentage of eight algal strains (<i>Chlorella</i> sp., <i>Cladophora</i> sp., <i>Hydrodictylium</i> sp., <i>Oedogonium</i> sp., <i>Oscillatoria</i> sp., <i>Spirogyra</i> sp., <i>Stigeocolonium</i> sp., <i>Ulothrix</i> sp.). Results show that 6.5–7.5 is the optimum pH for the growth of all algal species. Temperature showed a greater variation (25°40°C). <i>Ulothrix</i> sp. gave more biomass productivity and is the most suitable strain for biodiesel production due to higher oil percentage (62%). Least biomass production was observed for <i>Stigeocolonium</i> sp. and least oil content was obtained from <i>Hydrodictylium</i> sp. It was observed that among these eight algal strains for biodiesel production, <i>Ulothrix and Chlorella</i> are the most promising algae species.</p></div

Bioremediation and decontamination potential of flagellate Poteriospumella sp

Water pollution due to heavy metals and water borne pathogen is one of the significant public health issues for developing countries in particular where safe drinking water supply is depleting rapidly. Flagellates are aquatic microscopic organisms that have developed excellent survival strategies, which help them withstand environmental stresses and therefore can act as natural biocontrol in complex ecological systems. This study investigates the wastewater treatment and bioremediation potential of flagellate Poteriospumella sp. Poteriospumella sp. was isolated from northern areas of Pakistan and identified by using 18SrRNA analysis. Wastewater samples were collected from nullah (S1) and two industrial areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi (S2 and S3) and physiochemical properties (Biological oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, ammonia, phosphate and sulfate) were analyzed initially and after treatment with Poteriospumella sp. alone and in combination with consortia of four already characterized bacterial strains i.e., Pseudomonas sp., Salmonella sp., Citrobacter sp., and Enterobacter sp. for 15 days. Furthermore, the bacterivores potential of flagellates was investigated against commonly found endemic waterborne pathogen i.e. Vibrio cholera as well as their ability to sequester or remove heavy metal, mercury (Hg), was also evaluated. The results clearly showed the excellent potential of flagellates in improving wastewater physiochemical properties of all the three wastewater samples i.e. the removal range of BOD (0–10.5%), DO (7.8–38.2%), TN (11.6–53.6%), ammonia (2.7–33.5%), phosphate (0–40%) and sulfate (5.1–12.5%) was recorded. In nutshell, Poteriospumella sp. showed excellent bioremediation potential against Hg (removal of 92–93% of mercuric ions within 2 weeks). In addition, it has significantly reduced the CFU’s of unique subtypes of Vibrio cholerae types circulating in Pakistan and hence can be employed as natural predator to control cholera transmission through water

Adsorption Potential of Schizophyllum commune White Rot Fungus for Degradation of Reactive Dye and Condition Optimization: A Thermodynamic and Kinetic Study

The pollution due to dyes from textile sector is one of the major issues faced worldwide. This study was focused on the removal of the reactive dye, Drimaren Turquoise CL-B using Schizophyllum commune, a white rot fungus (WRF) keeping in mind the current environmental conditions. Different parameters like pH, sources of carbon & nitrogen, temperature, concentration of dye and C/N ratio were used to investigate their effect on the process. Maximum dye removal of 95.45% was obtained at pH 4.5, temperature 35°C, inoculum size 3 mL, veratryl alcohol (mediator), glucose (carbon source) and ammonium nitrate (nitrogen source). The enzyme activity was determined by employing enzyme assay. Laccase and Lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity was low while Manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity was highest. Maximum bio-sorption was achieved at pH 1 and 313 K. The pseudo-2nd-order kinetic model & Freundlich isotherm was best suited for the process of removal of dye. From these data, it is concluded that white rot fungus could possibly be the excellent biomaterial for elimination of synthetic dyes from wastewater