Silver nanoparticles protect tillering in drought-stressed wheat by improving leaf water relations and physiological functioning

The tillering phase of wheat (Triticum aestivum) crops is extremely susceptible to drought. We explored the potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in protecting wheat genotypes from drought injury during this sensitive stage. After treating with AgNPs (60 ppm), the plants were submitted to different water levels; i.e. 100% field capacity (FC), 75% FC (mild drought), 50% FC (moderate drought) and 25% FC (severe drought) from 15 to 41 days after sowing (tillering phase). Leaf physiological data were collected at stress termination, while yield attributes were recorded at crop maturity. We found that increasing drought intensity significantly impaired leaf physiology and grain yield of both studied genotypes. Compared with control, moderately and severely drought-stressed plants produced 25% and 45% lesser grain yield per spike, respectively (averaged across genotypes and years of study). Likewise, moderate and severe drought reduced photosynthesis by 49% and 76%, respectively, compared with control. In contrast, AgNPs significantly restored leaf physiological functioning and grain yield formation at maturity. For example, under moderate and severe drought, AgNPs-treated plants produced 22% and 17% more grains per plant, respectively, than their respective water-treated plants. Our study suggests that exogenous AgNPs can protect wheat crops from drought during early development stages

Recent developments in textile based polymeric smart sensor for human health monitoring: A review

In the modern age, the most important and prevailing issue is the monitoring of human health. To address this, several devices have been developed and a need new materials investigated. The idea of textile-based smart sensors is emerging rapidly. In this regard, ICPs and ECPs have attracted the attention of researchers due to their mechanical adaptability to suit the characteristics of textile fabric. The lighter weight, stretchability and wearability, etc. are considered an advantage while selecting the material for developing sensors not only in health monitoring but also in biomedical, sports, and military fields. The idea behind wearable sensing devices is to enable easy integration of the sensor device into daily life routines. Such wearable sensors also have the potential for real time and online monitoring of human health and integrate with smart monitoring devices. The purpose of this review is to discuss the recent developments in smart monitoring sensors.Open Access funding for this article is provided by the Qatar National Library, Al Luqta Street, Al-Rayyan P.O Box 5825 Doha, Qatar” The authors acknowledge the funding received for this work from Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) for grant number TDF-03-103

Pharmacists’ approach to oncology medicine shortages: results of a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan

Objectives The study estimated the shortages of oncology medicines in Pakistan, their causes, impacts, mitigation strategies, and possible interventions.Design Cross-sectional survey.Setting Oncology pharmacists working at 43 oncology settings (out of 80) from five regions of Pakistan (four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan) and one federal territory (Islamabad)) were approached.Participants Oncology pharmacists with more than 1 year of experience were selected using stratified random sampling, and data were collected using a questionnaire from September 2021 to January 2022.Primary and secondary outcome measures To estimate the prevalence of oncology medicine shortages in Pakistan and establish recommendations to overcome them.Results Of 167 responded pharmacists, 87% experienced shortages in their practice. Most respondents (50%) experienced both oncology and support agent shortages. It was a current problem in hospitals (58%) and increased with time, but the situation varied across regions (p=0.007). Mainly shortages occur half-yearly (p=0.001) and last for <3 months. Injectable (56.8%) and branded drugs (44.9%) were short. The most frequently mentioned drugs affected by shortages were etoposide, paclitaxel, dacarbazine, bleomycin and carboplatin. Usually, distributors (51.5%) notify the pharmacists about the shortages, and federal agencies (36%) are responsible for these shortages. Distributors (53.4%) were the main source of supply, and shortages were encountered by them as well. The impacts included delayed care (25%) and suboptimal outcomes (23%) on patients, extra time (32%) for staff, prioritisation issues (31%) for pharmacists, delayed clinical trials (60.5%) and increased drugs prices (52.1%). Some hospitals have reporting systems (39.5%) and recording (29.3%) drug shortages. The shortages were managed using available alternative options (21%) and redistributing (21%) the currently available stock.Conclusion Pakistan’s healthcare system is affected by oncology medicine shortages. The government should establish a cancer registry and drug shortage platform, revise drug prescribing/pricing policies and practice penalties for breaching regulations. Oncology medicines must be widely available to avoid the grey market

Mitigation of particulate matters and integrated approach for carbon monoxide remediation in an urban environment

Air pollution is a serious threat throughout the world and may cause remarkable loss to human health and other living beings. A study was conducted to investigate the main sources of contaminants including CO, fine particle (PM2.5), coarse particle (PM10), and total suspended particulate (TSP) in the ambient air of a typical South Asian industrial city of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Twenty sites under five different city sectors (residential, health centers, commercial, industrial, and vehicular) were surveyed over one month. The average concentrations of TSP, PM10, PM2.5 and CO were 1037.62 ± 383.6 μg/m3, 434.62 ± 65 μg/m3, 35.88 ± 1.7 μg/m3, and 6.4 ± 1.95 μg/m3, respectively. The highest Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at the recorded commercial areas followed by the vicinities of health centers and industrial areas. The obtained results were compared against the acceptable limits of Pakistan (national) Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) and the United States, Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA). The results demonstrated that concentration of TSP, PM10,PM2.5, and CO in the ambient air of Faisalabad city exceeded the USEPA and NEQs air quality standards. Consequently, air pollution control should not only emphasize on regulatory particulate emissions but also involve the implementation of an integrated multi-pollutant control strategy.This research was funded through the HEC-NRPU project (No. 5635), Pakistan and IERI-GIST research project (2018), Pakistan