Cr-resistant rhizo- and endophytic bacteria associated with Prosopis juliflora and their potential as phytoremediation enhancing agents in metal-degraded soils

Prosopis juliflora is characterized by distinct and profuse growth even in nutritionally poor soil and environmentally stressed conditions and is believed to harbor some novel heavy metal-resistant bacteria in the rhizosphere and endosphere. This study was performed to isolate and characterize Cr-resistant bacteria from the rhizosphere and endosphere of P. juliflora growing on the tannery effluent contaminated soil. A total of 5 and 21 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere and endosphere, respectively, could tolerate Cr up to 3000 mg l-1. These isolates also exhibited tolerance to other toxic heavy metals such as, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, and high concentration (174 g l-1) of NaCl. Moreover, most of the isolated bacterial strains showed one or more plant growth-promoting activities. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated a higher and wider range of population of Cr-resistant bacteria in the endosphere than rhizosphere and the predominant species included Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Aerococcus. As far as we know, this is the first report detecting rhizo- and endophytic bacterial population associated with P. juliflora growing on the tannery effluent contaminated soil. The inoculation of three isolates to ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) improved plant growth and heavy metal removal from the tannery effluent contaminated soil suggesting that these bacteria could enhance the establishment of the plant in contaminated soil and also improve the efficiency of phytoremediation of heavy metal-degraded soils

Reorganising for COVID-19 pandemic: A review of structural modifications by the department of internal medicine in low to middle-income countries

Scientists classified the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a novel coronavirus on January 7, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the SARS-CoV-2 outburst a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. Since its origin, this virus has disrupted the best healthcare systems, economies, and strained financial resources; and for underdeveloped countries\u27 healthcare systems, the virus has become a crisis. To tackle the potential hazards from this virus, our Department restructured the services that not only helped us to cope with the pandemic, but also provided an example to copy for other contemporary institutes. This article aims to describe the measures and structural changes undertaken by the Internal Medicine Department, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan. Key Words: COVID-19, Internal medicine, Structural modifications, Pandemic

Application of Gene Expression Programming (GEP) for the prediction of compressive strength of geopolymer concrete

For the production of geopolymer concrete (GPC), fly-ash (FA) like waste material has been effectively utilized by various researchers. In this paper, the soft computing techniques known as gene expression programming (GEP) are executed to deliver an empirical equation to estimate the compressive strength of GPC made by employing FA. To build a model, a consistent, extensive and reliable data base is compiled through a detailed review of the published research. The compiled data set is comprised of 298 experimental results. The utmost dominant parameters are counted as explanatory variables, in other words, the extra water added as percent FA (), the percentage of plasticizer (), the initial curing temperature (), the age of the specimen (), the curing duration (), the fine aggregate to total aggregate ratio (), the percentage of total aggregate by volume (), the percent SiO2 solids to water ratio () in sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution, the NaOH solution molarity (), the activator or alkali to FA ratio (), the sodium oxide (Na2O) to water ratio () for preparing Na2SiO3 solution, and the Na2SiO3 to NaOH ratio (). A GEP empirical equation is proposed to estimate the of GPC made with FA. The accuracy, generalization, and prediction capability of the proposed model was evaluated by performing parametric analysis, applying statistical checks, and then compared with non-linear and linear regression equations

Tobacco control laws in Pakistan and their implementation: A pilot study in Karachi

Objective: In order to limit the high prevalence of tobacco use in Pakistan various tobacco control laws have been implemented. The objective of this study is to serve as a pilot study to assess the implementation of these laws in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi. The implementation of tobacco control laws in \u27smoke-free\u27 places, the adherence of tobacco companies to these laws, the regulation of cigarette sale, and the awareness and views of the general public regarding tobacco control laws were assessed via direct observation by visits and through self-administered questionnaires. Results: The implementation of tobacco control laws in \u27smoke-free\u27 public places was found to be poor. Out of 37, only 23(62%) brands displayed pictorial warnings on their packs. 3(8%) of the brands were available in two different kinds of packs, both with and without pictorial warnings. Cigarette sale to minors was taking place at 80(85%) of the visited cigarette outlets. 50(53%) of the outlets displayed cigarette advertisements in the form of posters. 46(40%) of the persons questioned had awareness regarding the existence of ban on smoking in public places and 126(90%) of these were in favour of it. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of tobacco control law in Pakistan is poor. Non adherence to the law in public places was alarmingly high. Also, the study demonstrates the poor compliance to the tobacco control laws by tobacco companies. The sale of cigarettes is almost unregulated

Gastric Outlet Obstruction – An Etiological Breakup

To evaluate the etiology of gastricoutlet obstruction in Pakistani population.Methods: In this descriptive study patients withgastric outlet obstruction were included .All patientsincluded in the study received intravenous fluidsand electrolytes to correct dehydration andelectrolyte imbalance. Nasogastric suction withgastric lavage was done. Diagnosis was establishedby UGI endoscopy and biopsy and was supported byCT scan and barium studies where required.Results: The total number of patients was 39 with19 males (48.7%) and 20 females(51.3%). The age ofpatients ranged from 15 years to 70 years. The meanage was 43.41 ±16.57. The most common pathologyleading to gastric outlet obstruction was malignancy,in 21 (53.8%) patients whereas 18 patients (46.2%)had benign disease. Among the malignancies, gastriccarcinoma was the most common disease affecting 14patients (35.9%) and among the benign diseases,caustic injury induced stenosis was the mostcommon, involving 14 patients (35.9%). Pancreaticcarcinoma was found in 3 patients (7.7%) and pepticulcer disease in 4 patients (10.3%).Conclusion: Gastric outlet obstruction is a seriousand difficult to manage problem. Malignancy wasthe most common cause (53.8%) of gastric outletobstruction. Post caustic gastric outlet obstructionhas emerged as the second most common(35.9%)cause. Caustic stricture leading to gastric outletobstruction is emerging as a serious health care issuein developing countries, especially among youngfemales with poor socioeconomic status

Effectiveness of training on de-escalation of violence and management of aggressive behavior faced by health care providers in a public sector hospital of Karachi

Background: Considering high burden of violence against healthcare workers in Pakistan APPNA Institute of Public Health developed a training to prevent reactive violence among healthcare providers. The purpose of this training was to equip healthcare providers with skills essential to control aggressive behaviors and prevent verbal and non-verbal violence in workplace settings. This study assesses the effectiveness of training in prevention, de-escalation and management of violence in healthcare settings.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in October, 2016 using mixed method concurrent embedded design. The study assessed effectiveness of de-escalation trainings among health care providers working in emergency and gynecology and obstetrics departments of two teaching hospitals in Karachi. Quantitative assessment was done through structured interviews and qualitative through Focus Group Discussions. Healthcare providers` confidence in coping with patient aggression was also measured using a standard validated tool .Results: The overall self-perceived mean score of Confidence in Coping with Patient Aggression Instrument (CCPAI) scale was significantly higher in intervention group (Mean= 27.49, SD=3.53) as compared to control group (Mean= 23.92, SD=4.52) (p\u3c0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between intervention and control groups with regard to frequency of violence faced by HCPs post training and major perpetrators of violence.Conclusion: De-escalation of violence training was effective in improving confidence of healthcare providers in coping with patient aggression

Epidemiology of asthma and associated factors in an urban Pakistani population: Adult asthma study-Karachi

Background: This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of asthma and associated risk factors in the adult population of Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: This multi-stage, cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 2014-August 2015; comprising 1629 adults in 75 randomly selected clusters in Karachi, Pakistan. Definitions included: \u27self-reported asthma\u27, \u27reversibility in FEV1\u27 and \u27respiratory symptoms and reversibility in FEV1\u27.Results: Prevalence of asthma was 1.8% (self-reported) (95% CI: 1.0-2.6), 11.3% (reversibility in FEV1) (95% CI: 9.4-13.3) and 6.6% (symptoms and reversibility in FEV1) (95% CI: 5.1-8.1). Asthmatics were more likely to belong to the age group ≥38 years according to \u27reversibility in FEV1\u27 and \u27respiratory symptoms and reversibility in FEV1\u27 (AOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.3) and (AOR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1-4.2), respectively. Asthmatics were more likely to report history of allergies (AOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-2.9) and (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.7-4.8); and were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.5) and (AOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1-3.3) according to \u27reversibility in FEV1\u27 and \u27respiratory symptoms and reversibility in FEV1\u27, respectively. Asthmatics were more likely to report pack years of smoking ≥5 (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1-4.7) according to \u27respiratory symptoms and reversibility in FEV1\u27.Conclusion: This study reports a high prevalence of asthma among Pakistani adults and calls for developing appropriate public health policies for prevention and control of asthma in the country. Further studies should be conducted to determine the national prevalence as well as follow-up studies to identify preventable causes for adult asthma

Genome-wide analyses of the mung bean NAC gene family reveals orthologs, co-expression networking and expression profiling under abiotic and biotic stresses

Background Mung bean is a short-duration and essential food crop owing to its cash prominence in Asia. Mung bean seeds are rich in protein, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. The NAC transcription factors (TFs) family is a large plant-specific family, participating in tissue development regulation and abiotic and biotic stresses. Results In this study, we perform genome-wide comparisons of VrNAC with their homologs from Arabidopsis. We identified 81 NAC transcription factors (TFs) in mung bean genome and named as per their chromosome location. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that VrNACs are broadly distributed in nine groups. Moreover, we identified 20 conserved motifs across the VrNACs highlighting their roles in different biological process. Based on the gene structure of the putative VrNAC and segmental duplication events might be playing a vital role in the expansion of mung bean genome. A comparative phylogenetic analysis of mung bean NAC together with homologs from Arabidopsis allowed us to classify NAC genes into 13 groups, each containing several orthologs and paralogs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis categorized the VrNACs into biological process, cellular components and molecular functions, explaining the functions in different plant physiology processes. A gene co-expression network analysis identified 173 genes involved in the transcriptional network of putative VrNAC genes. We also investigated how miRNAs potentially target VrNACs and shape their interactions with proteins. VrNAC1.4 (Vradi01g03390.1) was targeted by the Vra-miR165 family, including 9 miRNAs. Vra-miR165 contributes to leaf development and drought tolerance. We also performed qRT-PCR on 22 randomly selected VrNAC genes to assess their expression patterns in the NM-98 genotype, widely known for being tolerant to drought and bacterial leaf spot disease. Conclusions This genome-wide investigation of VrNACs provides a unique resource for further detailed investigations aimed at predicting orthologs functions and what role the play under abiotic and biotic stress, with the ultimate aim to improve mung bean production under diverse environmental conditions