Quality assessment and antimicrobial activity of various honey types of Pakistan

Forty samples of different honey types (Acacia, Ziziphus, Brassica and Citrus) were collected from different areas of Pakistan and analyzed for moisture, pH, total acidity, ash, electrical conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sucrose, total sugars, invert sugar, protein, proline contents as well as macro and micro elements. The variation in composition of honey samples was observed due to different types of flora. Higher pH (6.56 ± 0.05) was observed for Ziziphus honey, acidity (45.0 ± 2.35 mg/kg) for Citrus, moisture (36.8 ± 1.8%) for Brasica and HMF (32.7 ± 0.49 mg/kg) for Acacia. Whereas, higher concentrations of proline (2.1 ± 0.04 mg/kg) and invert sugar (0.38 ± 0.1%) for Citrus honey and protein (16.5 ± 1.5 g/100g) for Acacia honey were observed. Likewise, a significant level (P < 0.05) of ash, electric conductivity, sucrose, total sugar as well as macro and micro elements was also found in these honey types. Different formulations of honey has significantly inhibited growth of pathogenic microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger when compared to control group, which is an evidence that honey is a therapeutic agent being used since ancient time throughout the world.Key words: Honey types, flora, sugar, nutritional food, therapeutic agent

Isolation of Oxyberberine and β-Sitosterol from Berberis lycium Royle Root Bark Extract and In Vitro Cytotoxicity against Liver and Lung Cancer Cell Lines

Berberis lycium Royle has been traditionally used to cure rheumatism, eye and ear diseases, malarial fever, diabetes, stomach disorders, and skin diseases. There is a least amount of data available on cytotoxic capacity of Berberis lycium from Pakistani origin, so on this basis, the present study was aimed to screen Berberis lycium root bark extracts for cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines and isolation of chemical constituents from the most cytotoxic extract. Initial screening of extracts was performed on HepG2 cells at 100 μg/mL for 72 hours of treatment by using an MTT assay. Active fractions were subjected to a series of column chromatographies for the isolation of cytotoxic compounds. Molecular structures were elucidated by using combined data from 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and ESI-MS graphs. Assessment of reduction in cell proliferation by isolated compounds was performed on three human cancer cell lines (SK-Hep-1, HepG2, and NCI-H1299). Both n-hexane and chloroform fractions were found active with percent cell viabilities of 8.41 ± 2.23 and 22.31 ± 9.11 in HepG2 cells compared with lupeol 35.43 ± 3.35 percent viability. A protoberberine alkaloid identified as oxyberberine was isolated from chloroform fraction while β-sitosterol was isolated from n-hexane fraction. Oxyberberine inhibited SK-Hep-1 cell proliferation under a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 34.26 ± 3.34 μM while HepG2 cells showed 50% inhibition at 62.96 ± 4.12 μM. β-Sitosterol showed reduction in cell viability in SK-Hep-1 cells and HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 123.12 ± 3.51 μM and 140 ± 4.21 μM. This is the first report on the isolation of oxyberberine and β-sitosterol from Berberis lycium root bark and their cytotoxic evaluation against SK-Hep-1 and NCI-H1299 cells. The cytotoxic potential of Berberis lycium Royle extracts and isolated compounds is suggesting that it is a promising candidate for anticancer drug discovery

Development of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers for the identification of Cholistani cattle

<p>The identification issue of livestock can be resolved by using molecular identification tools that are acceptable to preserve and maintain pure breeds worldwide. The application of a molecular identification methodology is more important for developing nations, e.g., Pakistan, where uncontrolled crossbreeding has become a common practice and the import of exotic animals and germplasm is ever increasing. This presents a risk to local breeds as also stated by the FAO. Therefore, the current study was designed to develop standard molecular markers for Cholistani cattle to ascertain their purity for breeding purpose. In this study 50 and 48 unrelated males were sampled for Cholistani and each crossbred cattle, respectively. Candidate molecular markers present in Cholistani but absent in crossbred cattle and vice versa were detected using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. Eleven markers were developed and were converted to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for genotyping. The allele frequencies in both breeds were determined for discrimination ability using polymerase-chain-reaction–restriction-fragment-polymorphism (PCR-AFLP). The probability of identifying the Cholistani breed was 0.905 and the probability of misjudgment was 0.073 using a panel of markers. The identified markers can ascertain the breed purity and are likely to extend the facility for breed purity testing before entering into a genetic improvement program in the country.</p&gt

Development of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers for the identification of Cholistani cattle

<p>The identification issue of livestock can be resolved by using molecular identification tools that are acceptable to preserve and maintain pure breeds worldwide. The application of a molecular identification methodology is more important for developing nations, e.g., Pakistan, where uncontrolled crossbreeding has become a common practice and the import of exotic animals and germplasm is ever increasing. This presents a risk to local breeds as also stated by the FAO. Therefore, the current study was designed to develop standard molecular markers for Cholistani cattle to ascertain their purity for breeding purpose. In this study 50 and 48 unrelated males were sampled for Cholistani and each crossbred cattle, respectively. Candidate molecular markers present in Cholistani but absent in crossbred cattle and vice versa were detected using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. Eleven markers were developed and were converted to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for genotyping. The allele frequencies in both breeds were determined for discrimination ability using polymerase-chain-reaction–restriction-fragment-polymorphism (PCR-AFLP). The probability of identifying the Cholistani breed was 0.905 and the probability of misjudgment was 0.073 using a panel of markers. The identified markers can ascertain the breed purity and are likely to extend the facility for breed purity testing before entering into a genetic improvement program in the country.</p&gt

Screening of native hyper-lipid producing microalgae strains for biomass and lipid production

International audienc

Contributions of Interactions Between Lifestyle and Genetics on Coronary Artery Disease Risk

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: To summarize current knowledge on interactions between genetic variants and lifestyle factors (G×L) associated with the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) and prioritize future research. RECENT FINDINGS: Genetic risk and combined lifestyle factors and behaviors have a log-additive effect on the risk of developing CAD. First, we describe genetic and lifestyle factors associated with CAD and then focus on G×L interactions. The majority of G×L interaction studies are small-scale candidate gene studies that lack replication and therefore provide spurious results. Only a few studies, of which most use genetic risk scores or genome-wide approaches to test interactions, are robust in number and analysis strategy. These studies provide evidence for the existence of G×L interactions in the development of CAD. Further G×L interactions studies are important as they contribute to our understanding of disease pathophysiology and possibly provide insights for improving interventions or personalized recommendations

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Comparison of minor allele frequencies (MAFs) based on BMI categories.

The BMI categories-based distribution of the MAFs of all genetic variants is presented as bar graph. The y-axis represents frequencies of the minor alleles per BMI categories (Normal, Lean, Over-weight, Obese, and Over-weight + Obese) while genetic variants with corresponding minor alleles are shown in the x-axis. MAFs were calculated using online software SNPStats.</p

Descriptive statistics of study population.

Descriptive statistics of study population.</p

BMI raising risk effect size estimation of minor alleles.

The BMI raising risk effect size of all genetic variants are presented as β-coefficients (SE) in total and gender based (Male vs female) population cohort obtained by linear regression analysis. The positive β-coefficient values represent an increase in BMI (Kg/m2) while a negative value showed a decrease in BMI (Kg/m2) for each copy of the minor allele of a variant.</p