Evaluation of nephrotoxic potential of iyengaria stellata

ABSTRACT The development of renal injury by use of xenobiotics is very prevalent. Iyengaria stellata (Børgesen) is a brown sea weed belongs to the class Phaeophyceae and family Scytosiphonaceae and its effects on renal function has been determined after 30 days once daily dosing to rabbits and the level of urea and creatinine was measured which showed increased level of urea after prolonged administration of Iyengaria stellata however this increase is insignificant and decrease in creatinine level after 30day ingestion of Iyengaria stellata, lead to the conclusion that Iyengaria stellata has nephroprotective effect

PCR-Based Molecular Diagnosis of Hepatitis Virus (HBV and HDV) in HCV Infected Patients and Their Biochemical Study

Seroprevalence of HCV indicates that HCV is found in more than 10% of HBV-or HDV-infected patients worldwide leading to liver disease. Here we show HBV and HDV coinfection association with HCV infected Pakistani patients, study of disease severity, and possible interpretation of associated risk factors in coinfected patients. A total of 730 liver diseased patients were included, out of which 501 were found positive for HCV infection via PCR. 5.1% of patients were coinfected with HBV while 1% were coinfected with HBV and HDV both. LFTs were significantly altered in dually and triply infected patients as compared to single HCV infection. Mean bilirubin, AST, and ALT levels were highest (3.25 mg/dL, 174 IU/L, and 348 IU/L) in patients with triple infection while dual infection LFTs (1.6 mg/dL, 61 IU/L, and 74 IU/L) were not high as in single infection (1.9 mg/dL, 76 IU/L, and 91 IU/L). The most prominent risk factor in case of single (22%) and dual infection (27%) group was "reuse of syringes" while in triple infection it was "intravenous drug users" (60%). It is concluded that HBV and HDV coinfections are strongly associated with HCV infected Pakistani patients and in case of severe liver disease the possibility of double and triple coinfection should be kept in consideration

Fungal systematics and evolution : FUSE 6

Fungal Systematics and Evolution (FUSE) is one of the journal series to address the “fusion” between morphological data and molecular phylogenetic data and to describe new fungal taxa and interesting observations. This paper is the 6th contribution in the FUSE series—presenting one new genus, twelve new species, twelve new country records, and three new combinations. The new genus is: Pseudozeugandromyces (Laboulbeniomycetes, Laboulbeniales). The new species are: Albatrellopsis flettioides from Pakistan, Aureoboletus garciae from Mexico, Entomophila canadense from Canada, E. frigidum from Sweden, E. porphyroleucum from Vietnam, Erythrophylloporus flammans from Vietnam, Marasmiellus boreoorientalis from Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, Marasmiellus longistipes from Pakistan, Pseudozeugandromyces tachypori on Tachyporus pusillus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from Belgium, Robillarda sohagensis from Egypt, Trechispora hondurensis from Honduras, and Tricholoma kenanii from Turkey. The new records are: Arthrorhynchus eucampsipodae on Eucampsipoda africanum (Diptera, Nycteribiidae) from Rwanda and South Africa, and on Nycteribia vexata (Diptera, Nycteribiidae) from Bulgaria; A. nycteribiae on Eucampsipoda africanum from South Africa, on Penicillidia conspicua (Diptera, Nycteribiidae) from Bulgaria (the first undoubtful country record), and on Penicillidia pachymela from Tanzania; Calvatia lilacina from Pakistan; Entoloma shangdongense from Pakistan; Erysiphe quercicola on Ziziphus jujuba (Rosales, Rhamnaceae) and E. urticae on Urtica dioica (Rosales, Urticaceae) from Pakistan; Fanniomyces ceratophorus on Fannia canicularis (Diptera, Faniidae) from the Netherlands; Marasmiellus biformis and M. subnuda from Pakistan; Morchella anatolica from Turkey; Ophiocordyceps ditmarii on Vespula vulgaris (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from Austria; and Parvacoccum pini on Pinus cembra (Pinales, Pinaceae) from Austria. The new combinations are: Appendiculina gregaria, A. scaptomyzae, and Marasmiellus rodhallii. Analysis of an LSU dataset of Arthrorhynchus including isolates of A. eucampsipodae from Eucampsipoda africanum and Nycteribia spp. hosts, revealed that this taxon is a complex of multiple species segregated by host genus. Analysis of an SSU–LSU dataset of Laboulbeniomycetes sequences revealed support for the recognition of four monophyletic genera within Stigmatomyces sensu lato: Appendiculina, Fanniomyces, Gloeandromyces, and Stigmatomyces sensu stricto. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of Rhytismataceae based on ITS–LSU ribosomal DNA resulted in a close relationship of Parvacoccum pini with Coccomyces strobi.http://www.sydowia.at/index.htmpm2021Medical Virolog

Enhancing Seismic Resilience of Existing Reinforced Concrete Building Using Non-Linear Viscous Dampers: A Comparative Study

After the catastrophic destruction of the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the first building code of Pakistan was developed in 2007. The sole purpose of the building code of Pakistan (BCP) was to incorporate advancements in earthquake-resistant design to fortify structures and ensure the safety of citizens against future seismic events. After 2007, the BCP was not revised till 2021 to include the changes over time. However, the recently updated version of BCP 2021 highlights that the seismicity of many regions in Pakistan is high, which is not truly reflected in the BCP 2007. Therefore, the advancements in earthquake-resistant design due to the growing concerns about the potential risks of seismicity in the region have been incorporated into the updated version of the BCP. However, there are concerns among researchers that many structures designed on the 2007 code may need seismic fortification. Therefore, the current study focuses on the seismic fortification of existing systems that were developed using previous codes. Non-linear viscous fluid dampers are used to improve the seismic resilience of existing structures. This study compares the seismic performance of an existing reinforced concrete building with and without non-linear viscous dampers and subjected to a non-linear dynamic analysis. The performance of the building is evaluated in terms of story displacement, story drift, story acceleration, and energy dissipation mechanisms. Adding the non-linear fluid viscous dampers in the structure caused a decrease in the inter-story drift by around 31.16% and the roof displacement was reduced by around 36.58%. In addition to that, in a controlled structure, more than 70% of energy was dissipated by the fluid viscous dampers. These results indicate that adding the non-linear fluid viscous dampers to the existing structure significantly improved the vibration performance of the system against undesirous vibrations. The outcomes of this study also provide a very detailed insight into the usage of non-linear viscous dampers for improving the seismic performance of existing buildings and can be used to develop effective strategies to mitigate the impact of seismic events on already built structures

Association of vitamin D receptor gene fok1 polymorphism with bone health in Pakistani population

Background: Osteoporosis is the bone disease characterized by demineralization of the bone. One of the most important genetic factors responsible for the osteoporosis is the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism. A translocation polymorphism which changes the codon from ATG to ACG has been associated with bone mineral density (BMD) variation and severity of the disease in patients of osteoporosis. The objective of the study was to find association of VDR Fok1 polymorphism with bone mineral density Methods: This case control study was design to find the association of the VDR Fok1 polymorphism with bone health in Pakistani osteoporotic patients. The study was conducted at Islamabad Diagnostic center from 2014 to July 2016. Total of 156 participant (osteoporatic patients n = 78 and normal health controls n = 78 case control) were enrolled in the study. Polymerase chain Reaction restriction length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to genotype VDR Fok1 polymorphism. Bidirectional sanger sequencing was used to verify the PCR-RFLP results with randomly picked n = 10 samples from both controls and patients. Commercial kits were used to estimate serum calcium and vitamin D level while dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan was used to measure the bone mineral density. The data were analyzed statistically using Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Result: F-allele increased the risk for decrease bone mineral density and osteopenia nearly threefold [Odds Ratio (OR): 2.8; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.2-19.0; p ≤ 0.001]. The genotype frequencies (Ff + ff vs. FF) showed an increase risk of disease (OR = 6.79; 95% CI = 3.41-22.6; p = [JBCGenetics 2020; 3(2.000): 71-76

Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous-methanolic extract of Suaeda fruticosa in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits

In the present study, we evaluated the protective effects of the aqueous-methanolic extract of Suaeda fruticosa (500 mg/kg and 750 mg/kg b.w., p.o) against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits.  Silymarin 100 mg/kg, p.o. was served as standard. The degree of protection was determined by measuring the levels of biochemical marker such as SGOT, SGPT, ALP and bilirubin (total). The results showed that extract of S. fruticosa significantly (p<0.05) decreased the paracetamol-induced increased levels of liver enzymes and total bilirubin in a dose dependent manner. Histopathological studies also revealed the hepatoprotective effects of S. fruticosa. It is concluded that the aqueous-methanolic extract of S. fruticosa possesses hepatoprotective activity.