Deciphering Pakistan's foreign investment policy: a review of Pakistani BITs

This study presents the first ever comprehensive analysis of Pakistani foreign investment treaty regime, which consists of 47 BITs as of 15 June, 2012. This study provides a provision by provision comparison of all 47 Pakistani BITs. The objective is to identify similarities and differences in these BITs, explaining legal implications of their individual provisions and suggesting policy changes for future BITs in the light of existing and emerging state practices. The overall purpose is to identify policy implications of the BITs regime for Pakistan. Looking forward, the study inquires how to enhance foreign investors’ confidence and to promote and facilitate much needed FDI in Pakistan without undermining Pakistan’s sovereign right to protect necessary public and economic interests

Data from: Synthesis of 4-substituted ethers of Benzophenone and their antileishmanial activity

Leishmaniasis is a vector born protozoan disease, it is mainly originated by the bite of sand fly and initiated when parasite is transmitted to human at the stage of metacyclic flagellated promastigote form. In current study, a synthesis of a series of 4-substituted benzophenone ethers 1-20 has been carried out in good yields and their in vitro antileishmanial activity has also been performed. Among synthetic derivatives, fifteen compounds 1, 3, 5-12, 15, and 17-20 showed antilieshmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania major with IC50 values in the range of 1.19 - 82.30 µg/mL, and compared with the standard pentamidine (IC50 = 5.09 ± 0.09 µg/mL). This study identified a series of new antileishmanial molecules as potential lead. Structures of these synthetic compounds were deduced by different spectroscopic techniques such as 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, EI-MS, HREI-MS, and IR

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Antileishmanial diterpenoid alkaloids from <i>Aconitum spicatum</i> (Bruhl) Stapf

<p>The crude extracts of tubers of <i>Aconitum spicatum</i> (Bruhl) Stapf were investigated for <i>in vitro</i> antileishmanial activity against <i>Leishmania major</i>. The dichloromethane extract at pH 2.5 showed antileishmanial activity with IC₅₀ value of 27.10 ± 0.0 μg/mL. Chromatographic purification of the dichloromethane extract led to isolation of three C-19 norditerpenoid alkaloids indaconitine (<b>1</b>), chasmaconitine (<b>2</b>) and ludaconitine (<b>3</b>). Compounds <b>3</b> and <b>2</b> showed antileishmanial activity with IC₅₀ = 36.10 ± 3.4 and 56.30 ± 2.1 μg/mL, respectively. Compound <b>1</b> was less effective (IC₅₀ > 100 μg/mL). The cytotoxicity of compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b> and <b>3</b> studied against MCF7, HeLa and PC3 cancer cell lines and 3T3 normal fibroblast cell line did not show cytotoxicity at 30 μM.</p