3-(Propan-2-yl­oxy)-1,2-benzothia­zole 1,1-dioxide

In the title compound, C10H11NO3S, the benzisothia­zole ring system is almost planar [maximum deviation = 0.030 (1) Å for the S atom]. The isoprop­oxy group is almost in the plane of the benzisothia­zole ring system [N—C—O—C = 4.5 (2)°] with one of its methyl groups in an anti­periplanar orientation relative to the benzisothia­zole ring system [C—C—O—C = −162.0 (2)°]

Frequency of bloodstream infection in febrile neutropenic patients, experience from a developing country

Introduction: About 20% of febrile neutropenic patients are presented with bloodstream infection which is a leading cause of mortality among these patients. Awareness of the locally prevalent pathogens and their susceptibility pattern is important for proper treatment of infection which improves survival in these patients. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of bloodstream infection in patients with febrile neutropenia admitted in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.Methods; This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Medical wards in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi from 21-2-2016 to 20-8-2017. Patients of over 15 years of age of either gender with severe neutropenia were included in this study. Patients with noninfectious cause of fever, or fever prior to neutropenia were excluded. Patients meeting inclusion criteria were enrolled after taking informed consent. About 2-5 ml blood was collected under aseptic measures in Bactac culture bottles. Blood samples were sent to lab within 30 min of collection. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing of all isolates was performed on diagnostic Sensitivity test plates by Kerby - Bauer Method. Patients were referred back to treating physician if blood culture is positive. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.Results; Of 200 patients, the mean age was 25.8 ± 5.7 years, 120 (60%) were male with male to female ratio of 1.5:1, 89 (44.5%) had low grade fever (Temp. ≤102 °C) and 111 (55.5%) had high grade fever(Temp. \u3e102 °C). The frequency of staphylococcus aureus was 16%, E. coli was 14.5%, Pseudomonas 8.5% and Klebsiella 15.5.Conclusion: It is concluded that the frequency of staphylococcus aureus was 16%, E. coli was 14.5%, Pseudomonas 8.5% and Klebsiella 15.5

Multiomics integrative analysis reveals antagonistic roles of CBX2 and CBX7 in metabolic reprogramming of breast cancer

Striking similarity exists between metabolic changes associated with embryogenesis and tumorigenesis. Chromobox proteins-CBX2/4/6/7/8, core components of canonical polycomb repressor complex 1, play essential roles in embryonic development and aberrantly expressed in breast cancer. Understanding how altered CBX expression relates to metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer may reveal vulnerabilities of therapeutic pertinence. Using transcriptomic and metabolomic data from breast cancer patients (N > 3000 combined), we performed pathway-based analysis and identified outstanding roles of CBX2 and CBX7 in positive and negative regulation of glucose metabolism, respectively. Genetic ablation experiments validated the contrasting roles of two isoforms in cancer metabolism and cell growth. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the role of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling in mediating contrary effects of CBX2 and CBX7 on breast cancer metabolism. Underpinning the biological significance of metabolic roles, CBX2 and CBX7 were found to be the most up- and downregulated isoforms, respectively, in breast tumors compared with normal tissues. Moreover, CBX2 and CBX7 expression (not other isoforms) correlated strongly, but oppositely, with breast tumor subtype aggressiveness and the proliferation markers. Consistently, genomic data also showed higher amplification frequency of CBX2, not CBX7, in breast tumors. Highlighting the clinical significance of findings, disease-specific survival and drug sensitivity analysis revealed that CBX2 and CBX7 predicted patient outcome and sensitivity to FDA-approved/investigational drugs. In summary, this work identifies novel cross talk between CBX2/7 and breast tumor metabolism, and the results presented may have implications in strategies targeting breast cancer

N-Cyclo­hexyl-4-meth­oxy­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title mol­ecule, C13H19NO3S, the S atom has a distorted tetra­hedral geometry with an O—S—O bond angle of 120.39 (18)°. The cyclo­hexane ring has a chair conformation. In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag hydrogen-bonded chains directed along the c axis

The Regulation of Hawala and other IVTS in Post 9/11Years: A Case Study of Pakistan’s Hawala Regulation 2002

In 2002, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) created Money Exchange Companies with the aim to create a well-documented, corporatized foreign exchange market in order to eliminate the informal, undocumented and illegal hawala. This has not happened. The purpose of this research was to investigate why the 2002 reforms have failed to eliminate hawala in Pakistan. It is a descriptive case study analysis, which has relied on both primary and secondary data sources. The secondary data comprised the available literature and other published sources while primary research data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with the various hawala market stakeholders so as to describe the ‘on the ground’ implementation of the reforms and explain the operational dynamics of the market in the post reform years. It was found that despite the 2002 reforms two types of hawala markets are functioning in Pakistan. One comprises exchange companies, their dealers and agents and the other is ‘pure hawala’ in Pakistan-Afghanistan border cities. It was also found that the formally regulated exchange companies and the unregulated hawala market are closely integrated, having domestic and international networks. Moreover, the project that the SBP initiated to counter hawala’s inherent incentive is mired in scandal and corruption in which billions have allegedly been doled out from the public exchequer as a result of alleged collusion between commercial banks and officials of the SBP. The 2002 reforms were fundamentally ill-conceived and introduced without taking steps that were required to mitigate the impact of those factors that directly challenge hawala regulation in Pakistan. These include the existence of a Frontier Crimes Regulation that excluded the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the shadow economy and its criminal elements, rampant tax evasion, ineffective and overriding legislation and corruption and tax evasion by the Pakistani elite. Failure to address these factors led to the failure of the 2002 reforms. Funds which are generated through tax evasion and corruption constitute a large part of Pakistan’s shadow economy and are subsequently siphoned off through the use of hawala. The Pakistani ruling governments are unwilling to take action to introduce fundamental taxation reforms as the majority of the elected politicians do not themselves pay income tax. An active role by the international donors who could have used their substantial influence to push the Pakistani ruling elite for essential reforms has remained elusive. The integration of hawala in today’s globalized world is due to disparities and irregularities in international trade as well as repressive and restrictive government policies. Regulations that attempt to control hawala with the reporting and compliance standards applicable to banking and other formal structures could not produce successful results in mitigating the risks of abuse of the informal transfer systems as long as policy prescriptions do not consider the salient features of hawala-type informal systems that make them a preferable choice in the different geographical, economic and cultural realities. In Pakistan’s case, the ‘dual function’ of hawala — channelling development finance to the poor and the underserved as well as facilitating illicit financial flows — is the critical policy factor that needs to be considered for effective regulation of these informal transfer systems. Whilst Pakistan’s peculiar geo-political situation and administrative and institutional issues require a multi-track hawala regulatory strategy, the weak and failing Pakistani state lacks the capacity to undertake multifarious regulatory responsibilities. The SBP therefore, needs to review its hawala regulatory strategy from that of one which views hawala as completely outlawed to a more inclusive one by bringing the hawaladars into the legal network by offering them suitable incentive

A Comparison Between Online and on-campus Classes: Taking University Students’ Perspective

During the current pandemic Covid-19, the universities had to start their online classes instead of traditional on-campus classes. The students are a pivotal point as well as a significant stakeholder of education, so they must be given the opportunity for expressing their perspectives in this regard. So, this study aimed to investigate university students' perceptions regarding online and on-campus classes. The students’ perspectives were further compared regarding the abovementioned to get insight into what they prefer to be taught with. The survey was conducted for this study. The sample consisted of 440 university students enrolled in the BS Program at three public whereas three private universities at Lahore. The sample includes students of both genders (male=221, female=219). The instrument for data collection was developed by the researcher which was consisted of five point Likert’s rating scale with 40 items. Based on findings, it is concluded that overall university students prefer to learn through on-campus classes as compared to online classes. Moreover, males students are more inclined towards learning through online classes, whereas female students were in favor of on-campus classes

Synthesis, characterization and properties of Se nanowires intercalated polyaniline/Se nanocomposites

Present work reports novel synthesis of Polyaniline (PANI)/Se nanocomposites. Se nanowires are prepared from SeO2 under assistance of vitamin C and polyaniline is synthesized through chemical oxidation. The effect of composition of Se nanowires on the properties of polyaniline was investigated and five orders increase in conductivity after doping has been observed. The electrical properties of nanocomposites show that conduction is through hopping process due to the wide range of localized states present near fermi level. FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy) and ultraviolet (UV)-visible studies confirm the occurrence of polyaniline in conducting emeraldine salt form in the composites and suggest incorporation of Se in polymer. The optical studies indicate that absorption mechanism is due to indirect allowed transition and the optical band gap tends to decrease after doping. The thermal stability of composites has been ascertained on the basis of DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetery) measurements. TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) analysis have also been carried out for morphological studies

The effect of amantadine on an ion channel protein from Chikungunya virus.

Viroporins like influenza A virus M2, hepatitis C virus p7, HIV-1 Vpu and picornavirus 2B associate with host membranes, and create hydrophilic corridors, which are critical for viral entry, replication and egress. The 6K proteins from alphaviruses are conjectured to be viroporins, essential during egress of progeny viruses from host membranes, although the analogue in Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) remains relatively uncharacterized. Using a combination of electrophysiology, confocal and electron microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations we show for the first time that CHIKV 6K is an ion channel forming protein that primarily associates with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes. The ion channel activity of 6K can be inhibited by amantadine, an antiviral developed against the M2 protein of Influenza A virus; and CHIKV infection of cultured cells can be effectively inhibited in presence of this drug. Our study provides crucial mechanistic insights into the functionality of 6K during CHIKV-host interaction and suggests that 6K is a potential therapeutic drug target, with amantadine and its derivatives being strong candidates for further development

Isolation of Chlorogenic Acid from Soil Borne Fungi Screlotium rolfsii, their Reversal of Multidrug Resistance and anti-proliferative in Mouse Lymphoma cells

BACKGROUND: Fungi performing a wide range of function in soil by secreting low molecular weight compound known as secondary metabolites. S. rolfsii is a soil borne phytopathogenic fungi was used for the production of bioactive compounds. OBJECTIVE: The present study belongs to evaluate the anticancer potentials of a secondary metabolites isolated from S. rolfsii, their multidrug resistance (MDR), and molecular docking study. METHOD: (1S,3R,4R,5R,E)-3-(3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)acryloyloxy)-1,4,5 trihydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid (1), or best known as chlorogenic acid, was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of crude secondary metabolites produced by the soil borne Fungus Screlotium rolfsii. Structure of chlorogenic acid (1) was confirmed by means of FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectrometry as well as by melting point. RESULTS: Effect of compound 1 on the reversion of multidrug resistant (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) against cancer cells was evaluated with a rhodamine-123 exclusion screening test on human mdr1 gene transfected mouse gene transfected L5178 and L5178Y mouse T-cell lymphoma. Compound 1 was also evaluated for Anti-proliferative effect on the L5178 mouse T-cell lymphoma cell line. CONCLUSION: Results from the present investigation revealed that compound 1 exhibits excellent MDR reversing effect in a dose-dependent manner against mouse T-lymphoma cell line. Compound 1 also showed anti-proliferative effect on L5178Y mouse T-lymphoma cell line