Exploring the Relationship of Network Centrality and Academic Performance of Female Students

This research endeavor aims to investigate the impact of network centrality (degree, closeness and betweenness) on academic performance (CGPA) of female students in an academic advice network. Where degree centrality refers to the number of direct links that an actor has with other actors, betweenness centrality refers to the degree to which an actor lies on the geodesic paths between other actors and closeness centrality focuses on how close a member is to all other members in network. Data was collected from 182 female students enrolled in various programs at a public sector University in Baluchistan through name generators for egocentric network by Burt. Techniques of correlation and standard multiple regression analysis are employed to test the hypotheses. The results of statistical analysis revealed that high degree and betweenness centrality leads to increase academic performance of students whereas higher closeness centrality leads to decrease academic performance. The result of the study has practical implications for students’ academic life: it will aid the female students to discover structural pattern of social ties of their advice network and enhance their tendency for forming more ties related with academic advices for the achievement of excellent academic performance

Exploring the Relationship of Network Centrality and Academic Performance of Female Students

This research endeavor aims to investigate the impact of network centrality (degree, closeness and betweenness) on academic performance (CGPA) of female students in an academic advice network. Where degree centrality refers to the number of direct links that an actor has with other actors, betweenness centrality refers to the degree to which an actor lies on the geodesic paths between other actors and closeness centrality focuses on how close a member is to all other members in network. Data was collected from 182 female students enrolled in various programs at a public sector University in Baluchistan through name generators for egocentric network by Burt. Techniques of correlation and standard multiple regression analysis are employed to test the hypotheses. The results of statistical analysis revealed that high degree and betweenness centrality leads to increase academic performance of students whereas higher closeness centrality leads to decrease academic performance. The result of the study has practical implications for students’ academic life: it will aid the female students to discover structural pattern of social ties of their advice network and enhance their tendency for forming more ties related with academic advices for the achievement of excellent academic performance

A case of concomitant leukemoid reaction and mucormycosis in a patient with severe COVID-19 infection

Leukemoid Reaction (LR) signifies leukocytosis characterized by mature neutrophils. The incidence of LR is about 1 % among hospitalized patients. Mucormycosis is a rare, aggressive, fatal fungal infection that afflicts immune-compromised patients. This study discusses the case of concomitant leukemoid reaction and mucormycosis in a patient with severe COVID-19 infection

In silico analysis of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase inhibition by PY873, PY899 and DIA

In humans, purine de novo synthesis pathway consists of multi-functional enzymes. Nucleotide metabolism enzymes are potential drug targets for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. Glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GART) is one of the most important trifunctional enzymes involved in purine synthesis. Previous studies have demonstrated the role of folate inhibitors against tumor activity. In this present study, three components of GART enzyme were targeted as receptor dataset and in silico analysis was carried out with folate ligand dataset. To accomplish the task, Autodock 4.2 was used for determining the docking compatibilities of ligand and receptor dataset. Taken together, it has been suggested that folate ligands could be potentially used as inhibitors of GART. Keywords: In silico, Inhibition, PY873, PY899, Isophthalic aci

Biomolecular Evaluation of Lavandula stoechas L. for Nootropic Activity

Lavandula Stoechas L. is widely known for its pharmacological properties. This study was performed to identify its biomolecules, which are responsible for enhancement of memory. L. stoechas aqueous extract was first purified by liquid column chromatography. The purified fractions were analyzed for in vitro anti-cholinesterase activity. The fraction that produced the best anti-cholinesterase activity was named an active fraction of L. stoechas (AfL.s). This was then subjected to GC–MS for identifications of biomolecules present in it. GC–MS indicated the presence of phenethylamine and α-tocopherol in AfL.s. Different doses of AfL.s were orally administered (for seven days) to scopolamine-induced hyper-amnesic albino mice and then behavioral studies were performed on mice for two days. After that, animals were sacrificed and their brains were isolated to perform the biochemical assay. Results of behavioral studies indicated that AfL.s improved the inflexion ratio in mice, which indicated improvement in retention behavior. Similarly, AfL.s significantly (p < 0.001) reduced acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde contents of mice brain, but on the other hand, it improved the level of choline acetyltransferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione. It was found that that high doses of AfL.s (≥400 mg/Kg/p.o.) produced hyper-activity, hyperstimulation, ataxia, seizures, and ultimate death in mice. Its LD50 was calculated as 325 mg/Kg/p.o. The study concludes that α-tocopherol and phenethylamine (a primary amine) present in L. stoechas enhance memory in animal models

Capacity building for pediatric neuro-oncology in Pakistan- A project by my child matters programme

Background and Aims: The landscape of Pediatric Neuro Oncology (PNO) has changed in Pakistan since 2014, when a PNO twinning program was initiated between the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto. This twinning initiative identified the dire need of broadening the PNO services in other centers of Pakistan.Methods: The project for the Capacity building of PNO services was initiated in 2019 with the support of a ‘My Child Matters’ grant by the Sanofi Espoir Foundation. The grant\u27s main purpose was to enhance the capacity for PNO services in 13 public and private sector hospitals across Pakistan. Activities included establishment of National PNO tumor boards, educational workshops and fellowship to train and raise awareness of health care professional (HCP), patients and families.Results: Monthly tumor boards were started in 2019 covering all provinces of Pakistan. To date 223 patients have been discussed. Three PNO workshops attended by 154 HCP, 25 lectures as part of a lecture series were delivered by 13 international faculties with \u3e 1800 participants from 48 countries. Most activities were virtual amongst the mayhem of the pandemic. This project also led to the establishment of Pakistan\u27s first Pediatric neuro-oncology fellowship program at AKUH. In addition, Pakistan\u27s National Guidelines for the management of Medulloblastoma were developed endorsed by the Pakistan Society of Pediatric Oncology (PSPO) and the Pakistan Society of Neuro-oncology (PASNO). Lastly AKUH was able to host the Pakistan`s First PNO Virtual Symposium in November 2020 which brought together 29 national and international luminaries in the field of PNO, it was attended by 1126 participants from 58 countries across the globe.Conclusions: This program has shown its capacity to transform the management of pediatric brain tumors in a low middle-income country with a very large pediatric population. Further follow-up is needed to assess the impact on survival

In Vitro and In Vivo Antibacterial Activities of Heteroaryl Isothiazolones against Resistant Gram-Positive Pathogens

The activities of several tricyclic heteroaryl isothiazolones (HITZs) against an assortment of gram-positive and gram-negative clinical isolates were assessed. These compounds target bacterial DNA replication and were found to possess broad-spectrum activities especially against gram-positive strains, including antibiotic-resistant staphylococci and streptococci. These included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-nonsusceptible staphylococci, and quinolone-resistant strains. The HITZs were more active than the comparator antimicrobials in most cases. For gram-negative bacteria, the tested compounds were less active against members of the family Enterobacteriaceae but showed exceptional potencies against Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Neisseria spp. Good activity against several anaerobes, as well as Legionella pneumophila and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, was also observed. Excellent bactericidal activity against staphylococci was observed in time-kill assays, with an approximately 3-log drop in the numbers of CFU/ml occurring after 4 h of exposure to compound. Postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of 2.0 and 1.7 h for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and MRSA strains, respectively, were observed, and these were similar to those seen with moxifloxacin at 10× MIC. In vivo efficacy was demonstrated in murine infections by using sepsis and thigh infection models. The 50% protective doses were ≤1 mg/kg of body weight against S. aureus in the sepsis model, while decreases in the numbers of CFU per thigh equal to or greater than those detected in animals treated with a standard dose of vancomycin were seen in the animals with thigh infections. Pharmacokinetic analyses of treated mice indicated exposures similar to those to ciprofloxacin at equivalent dose levels. These promising initial data suggest further study on the use of the HITZs as antibacterial agents

Image1_Research progress of CRISPR-based biosensors and bioassays for molecular diagnosis.JPEG

CRISPR/Cas technology originated from the immune mechanism of archaea and bacteria and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for its success in gene editing. Molecular diagnostics is highly valued globally for its development as a new generation of diagnostic technology. An increasing number of studies have shown that CRISPR/Cas technology can be integrated with biosensors and bioassays for molecular diagnostics. CRISPR-based detection has attracted much attention as highly specific and sensitive sensors with easily programmable and device-independent capabilities. The nucleic acid-based detection approach is one of the most sensitive and specific diagnostic methods. With further research, it holds promise for detecting other biomarkers such as small molecules and proteins. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore the prospects of CRISPR technology in biosensing and summarize its application strategies in molecular diagnostics. This review provides a synopsis of CRISPR biosensing strategies and recent advances from nucleic acids to other non-nucleic small molecules or analytes such as proteins and presents the challenges and perspectives of CRISPR biosensors and bioassays.</p