Eight – and - half syndrome: a rare neuro-ophthalmic syndrome “Possible Nine Syndrome”

“Eight-and-half” syndrome is “one-and-a-half” syndrome characterized by conjugated horizontal gaze palsy and internuclearopthalmoplegia plus ipsilateral fascicular seventh nerve palsy. We report a case of 50 year old woman who presented with right eight and half syndrome together with contralateral hemiparesis and hemihypesthesia. Non contrast CT scan brain showed hyperdensesignal on right pontine region. MRI brain plain revealed hemorrhagicpontinetegmentuminfarction as well as corticospinal tract and medial meniscus. This spectrum of presentation suggests a possible “Nine syndrome” as a novel neuropthalmicpontine syndrome. The first of its kind ever reported from Pakista

Epilepsy in the rural areas of sindh: knowledge, beliefs and practices

Unfounded beliefs regarding epilepsy are still common and widespread. Visits to shrines and seeking help from faith healers goes along with thesebeliefs.This creates a major barrier in the timely diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Objective: To determine the knowledge, beliefs and practices relating to epilepsy in the rural areas of Sind and how do they differ between educated and uneducated families of patients with epilepsy. Methods: This was an observational study conducted at the Neurology Out-Patient Department of the Peoples Medical University Hospital Nawabshah during the period 1.1.2015 to 30.6.2015. A pro forma was designed incorporating questions pertaining to knowledge,beliefs and practices regarding epilepsy amongpatients and accompanying family members.Each case was considered as representing the whole family.Educational background was ascertainedand the comparison of study variablesbetween educated and uneducated families was evaluated. The questions were translated into their native spoken language (Sindhi). Results: A total of 120 cases were included in this study. Sixty nine (57.7%)were male and 51 (42.5%) were female. Age ranged from 1 to 55 years. Eighty one (67.5%) were the residents of rural villages and 39(32.5%)were residing in Nawabshah and adjoining towns.Of the 120 cases 80 (66.7%)families were educatedand 40 (33.3%) were uneducated. Majority 76 (63.3%) believed that epilepsy is a disease whereas 44(36.7%) considered epilepsy a “super naturalforce” (‘alamaat’: a native term) or possession by a ‘fakir’ (Jinaat). Of the80 educated families 56 (70.0%) had knowledge about the disease and of the 40 uneducated families 20 (50%) had no knowledge about the disease.Better awareness about the disease among families having educational background was statistically significant (p\u3c0.05). Of the 80 educated families 23 (28.8%) visited shrines and of the 40 uneducated families 26 (65.0%)visited shrines. Uneducated families visiting shrines wasstatistically significant (p\u3c0.01). Families having younger individuals (11 -30 years) were more inclined towards visiting shrines. Out of 120 cases 44 (36.6%) were being treated by faith healers (dagho-phenu: a native term for this kind of practice) and 76 (63.%) were receiving medical therapy. Of the 44 cases receiving faith healing 28 (63.6%)also visited shrines and of the 76 caseswho were receiving medical therapy 21 (27.6%) visited shrines.Followers of faith healing practices significantly visited shrines compared to those who were receiving medical therapy (p\u3c0.001). Those who went for faith healing at first place and did not get benefitout of it came to seek medical therapy. They also pledgedfor the strict complianceand thatin future they will not switch over to “other” forms of therapy. Conclusion: Misperceptions about epilepsy are common in the rural areas of Sindh, Possession by a “supernatural force” (Alamaat) was most common belief among those who did not consider epilepsy a disease.Knowledge about epilepsy was better among families having educational background. Uneducation and unawareness leads to unscientific practices like faith healingand visit to shrines. There iswillingness for receiving medical therapy once the proper guidelines are provi

An in-vitro evaluation of skin protection factor of non-polar date seed extract from three different date varieties Ajwa, Aseel and Khapra by UV spectrophotometry

Objective: Skin is the primary layer of human body which act as protective barrier against exogenous chemicals, UV radiations as well as microorganisms. Maintaining the skin morphology under regular environmental stresses and controlling age related skin changes is one of the biggest challenges for modern science, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. These environmental stresses, such as excessive exposure to UV radiations, can even lead to the devastating skin disorders such as skin cancer. Dates seed has capability to protect skin against the damages caused by solar radiations, which mostly appear in the forms of wrinkles and some other skin related issues. Methods: Therefore, current research is focused on to analyze sun protection factor (SPF) of two non-polar fractions obtained from crushed seeds of three different varieties of i.e., Ajwa, Aseel and Khapra. Results: Results indicate that the highest value of SPF was found in AEA i.e., 15.061 at 200ppm while no difference was observed in the SPF values of KPPE. Conclusion: Hence, it could be concluded that the ethyl acetate fraction of all date seed varieties could be potential Ajwa, Aseel and Khapra could be a promising source of cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations due to the potential SPF value except petroleum ether of Khapra extract

Risk factors of Oral cancer- A hospital based case control study

Oral cancer is a highly prevalent malignancy in Pakistan. Among various risk factors associated with this neoplasm, habits such as smoked and smokeless tobacco usage, betel quid, and betel nut consumption are the major culprits in our society. In the present study, we aimed to ascertain prevalent risk factors for OC in our population and to compare our findings with healthy controls to establish their significance. A hospital-based case control study was conducted at Dow University of Health Sciences, Pakistan from January 2015 ? September 2016. Information pertaining to unhealthy oral habits was obtained from 62 oral cancer patients (cases) and 62 healthy controls on specifically designed proforma by the principal investigator. Smokeless tobacco is strong, independent risk factor for oral cancer development in our study population. Buccal mucosa is the predominantly affected site (71%) which corresponds with high smokeless tobacco use. All studied habits increase risk of oral cancer as demonstrated by high odds ratio. Despite advancement in our knowledge and understanding of carcinogenic potential of these hazardous substances not enough efforts have been put forth to effectively control their widespread sale and consumption, particularly by the youth in our society

Histomorphometric Effcets of Oral use of Tobacco in Testes of Offsprings of Swiss Albino Mice

Objective: To study the gross micro structural changes in the testis of the offspring of Swiss albino mice exposed to oral use of tobacco during pregnancy. Study Design: Experimental Duration and Setting of Study: This study was conducted from July 2017 to December 2017 at Isra University Hyderabad  Methodology: ­­20 female albino mice were mated. After confirmation of pregnancy by vaginal plug they were divided into two groups; experimental A and control B of 10 each. Experimental mice of group A were given 5% tobacco in their chow diet and0water ad libitum; however, control group B were given only normal chow0diet and0water0ad libitum. After 15 days of birth the 10 male offsprings each of control and experimental mice were randomly selected. Their initial and final body weight was recorded.  They were sacrificed0by cervical dislocations and0their testes were taken away for further gross & histological0analysis.  Results: Noticeable changes were observed in the body weight and weight of testes. The mean initial weight of experimental male offspring was found to be 1.76 ± 0.33 g, while in control group it was 2.60± 0.45 g. The final weight in experimental offspring was 9.38± 0.59 g and in control group it was 12.75±0.96 g.  Statistically the difference of body weight in offspring was found to be significant (p value <0.05). The testes weight was markedly decreased in experimental group as compared to control group.  The mean testes weight in experiment group was recorded as 0.03 ± 0.004 g however in control group it was recorded as   0.07 ± 0.004 g. Simultaneously, 5 micro structural variations were also observed in the testes of off-springs of mice. In0the0experimental group0of off-springs, very few0layers and decreased number of spermatocytes were noticed in seminiferous tubules of 9 testes.  Sperm degenerative changes, cellular inflammation and mild to massive hyalinization were noticed in 9, 6, and 9 testes of experimental group respectively. Loss of architecture of seminiferous tubules in 8 testes as well as destruction of the basement membrane in 7 testes were also observed in experiment group testes. However, the decreased number of spermatocytes in only 1 testes and mild hyalinization in 2 testes of control group were observed. Conclusion: The consumption of smokeless tobacco has vital effects on the body weight, micro structure  and weight of testes of offsprings of mice given with cellular injury of seminiferous tubules especially decreased sperm count, cellular inflammation, destruction of basement membrane as well as massive hyalinization. &nbsp

Substantial and sustained reduction in under-5 mortality, diarrhea, and pneumonia in Oshikhandass, Pakistan : Evidence from two longitudinal cohort studies 15 years apart

Funding Information: Study 1 was funded through the Applied Diarrheal Disease Research Program at Harvard Institute for International Development with a grant from USAID (Project 936–5952, Cooperative Agreement # DPE-5952-A-00-5073-00), and the Aga Khan Health Service, Northern Areas and Chitral, Pakistan. Study 2 was funded by the Pakistan US S&T Cooperative Agreement between the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) (No.4–421/PAK-US/HEC/2010/955, grant to the Karakoram International University) and US National Academies of Science (Grant Number PGA-P211012 from NAS to the Fogarty International Center). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Histomorphometric Effcets of Oral use of Tobacco in Testes of Offsprings of Swiss Albino Mice

Objective: To study the gross micro structural changes in the testis of the offspring of Swiss albino mice exposed to oral use of tobacco during pregnancy. Study Design: Experimental Duration and Setting of Study: This study was conducted from July 2017 to December 2017 at Isra University Hyderabad  Methodology: ­­20 female albino mice were mated. After confirmation of pregnancy by vaginal plug they were divided into two groups; experimental A and control B of 10 each. Experimental mice of group A were given 5% tobacco in their chow diet and0water ad libitum; however, control group B were given only normal chow0diet and0water0ad libitum. After 15 days of birth the 10 male offsprings each of control and experimental mice were randomly selected. Their initial and final body weight was recorded.  They were sacrificed0by cervical dislocations and0their testes were taken away for further gross & histological0analysis.  Results: Noticeable changes were observed in the body weight and weight of testes. The mean initial weight of experimental male offspring was found to be 1.76 ± 0.33 g, while in control group it was 2.60± 0.45 g. The final weight in experimental offspring was 9.38± 0.59 g and in control group it was 12.75±0.96 g.  Statistically the difference of body weight in offspring was found to be significant (p value <0.05). The testes weight was markedly decreased in experimental group as compared to control group.  The mean testes weight in experiment group was recorded as 0.03 ± 0.004 g however in control group it was recorded as   0.07 ± 0.004 g. Simultaneously, 5 micro structural variations were also observed in the testes of off-springs of mice. In0the0experimental group0of off-springs, very few0layers and decreased number of spermatocytes were noticed in seminiferous tubules of 9 testes.  Sperm degenerative changes, cellular inflammation and mild to massive hyalinization were noticed in 9, 6, and 9 testes of experimental group respectively. Loss of architecture of seminiferous tubules in 8 testes as well as destruction of the basement membrane in 7 testes were also observed in experiment group testes. However, the decreased number of spermatocytes in only 1 testes and mild hyalinization in 2 testes of control group were observed. Conclusion: The consumption of smokeless tobacco has vital effects on the body weight, micro structure  and weight of testes of offsprings of mice given with cellular injury of seminiferous tubules especially decreased sperm count, cellular inflammation, destruction of basement membrane as well as massive hyalinization. &nbsp

HBV S antigen evolution in the backdrop of HDV infection affects epitope processing and presentation

Introduction: HBV can evolve under selection pressure exerted by drugs and/or host immunity, resulting in accumulation of escape mutations that can affect the drug or the immune activity. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) coinfection is also known to exert selection pressure on HBV, which leads to selective amplification of certain mutations, especially in genes that are required for HDV pathogenesis, such as HBsAg. However, little is known about the function of these mutations on HBV or HDV life cycle. The purpose of this study is to determine mutations selectively amplified in the backdrop of HDV, and how these mutations affect processing of CD4- and CD8-T cell epitopes.Methods: HBsAg was successfully amplified from 49/50 HBV mono- and 36/50 coinfected samples. The sequences were used to identify mutations specific to each study group, followed by an in silico analysis to determine the effect of these mutations on (1) proteasomal degradation, (2) MHC-I and MHC-II biding, and (3) processing of T-cell epitopes.Results: HBV-HDV coinfected sequences exhibited certain unique mutations in HBsAg genes. Some of these mutations affected the generation of proteasomal sites, binding of HBsAg epitopes to MHC-I and -II ligands, and subsequent generation of T- cell epitopes.Conclusion: These observations suggest that HBV selectively amplifies certain mutations in the backdrop of HDV coinfection. Selective amplification of these mutations at certain strategic locations might not only enable HBV to counteract the inhibitory effects of HDV on HBV replication but also facilitate its survival by escaping the immune response

Additional file 1 of Expressional variations of Kaiso: an association with pathological characteristics and field cancerization of OSCC

Additional file 1

Association of Kaiso and partner proteins in oral squamous cell carcinoma

الملخص: أهداف البحث: تهدف هذه الدراسة لتحديد تعبير البروتين وتوطين الخلايا الفرعية لبروتينات إي-كادهيرين، ب120-كاتينين وكايسو في سرطان الفم ولدراسة التعبير البروتيني عن سايكلن-د1 وسي-ميك؛ وتمييز علاقتها وموقعها الخلوي مقارنة بالتعبير لبروتين كايسو. طريقة البحث: تم إجراء التصنيف النسيجي وفقا لمعايير ''بوردر''. تم الحصول على بيانات التعبير والموقع الخلوي لبروتينات إي-كادهيرين، و ب120-كاتينين، وكايسو، سايكلن-د1، وسي-ميك، واي سي باستخدام الكيمياء الهستولوجية المناعية. النتائج: من أصل 47 سرطان فم، أظهر 36٪ تعبيرا منخفضا عن إي-كادهيرين و 34٪ ب120-كاتينين منخفضا. تم التعرف على تعبير كايسو المنخفض في 78 ٪ من عينات الورم. شوهد الموقع الخلوي الزائغ في الهيولى لبروتين ب120-كاتينين في 80.8 ٪ من الحالات. تم تقدير الموقع الخلوي لبروتين كايسو في الهيولى في 87٪ من أنسجة الورم، بينما 29.7٪ افتقرت إلى بروتين كايسو داخل النواة. ارتبط تعبير بروتين كايسو بشكل كبير بالتعبير عن سايكلن-د1 ولكن ليس مع سي-ميك. الاستنتاجات: حددت الدراسة الحالية تغيرا في الموقع الخلوي لبروتين كايسو في سرطان الفم. يجب التحقق من أهمية هذا فيما يتعلق بالسرطان الفموي والتشخيص بالورم مع مزيد من الدراسات باستخدام أحجام عينات أكبر وأدوات جزيئية أكثر حساسية. Abstract: Objectives:: 1. Identification of protein expression and subcellular localization of E-cadherin (E-cad), p120 catenin (P120ctn), and Kaiso in oral cancer (OC). 2. To study the protein expression of cyclin D1 and c-Myc (Kaiso targets) and determine their relationship with the expression and localization of Kaiso. Methods: Histological grading was performed in accordance with Broder's criteria. Expression and localization data for E-cad, p120ctn, Kaiso, cyclin D1, and c-Myc were acquired using immunohistochemistry. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. The chi-square test was used to measure the statistical significance of associations, with p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Of 47 OC cases, 36% showed low E-cad expression and 34% showed low p120ctn. Low Kaiso expression was recognized in 78% of tumor specimens. Aberrant cytoplasmic localization of p120ctn was seen in 80.8% cases. Cytoplasmic Kaiso localization was appreciated in 87% of tumor tissues, whereas 29.7% lacked any nuclear Kaiso. Kaiso expression was significantly associated with the expression of cyclin D1 but not with c-Myc. Conclusion: The present study identified a change in the localization of Kaiso in OC. The significance of this in relation to OC and tumor prognosis needs to be investigated with further studies using larger sample sizes and more sensitive molecular tools