Gynaecological morbidities among married women and husband’s behaviour: evidence from a community‐based study

Aim To determine the association between gynaecological morbidities and IPV among married women specifically, with attention to the attitudes of the husband and the degree of satisfaction in a marital relationship. Design Cross‐sectional study design. Methods Data were collected using face‐to‐face interviews with married women aged 15–49 years, living in selected communities. Information was collected on demographic characteristics, gynaecological morbidities and IPV using a self‐developed tool. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results Logistic Regression showed a significant association between physical violence and burning micturition, increased urinary frequency, constant dribbling of urine, genital ulcers, lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge and painful coitus (OR: 1.41–1.84). A significant association between sexual and psychological abuse was also found with burning micturition (OR: 1.41) and dribbling of urine (OR: 0.12). Since gynaecological morbidities can have a serious effect on the psychological, physical well‐being, and the social status of women in Pakistan; effective interventions are imperative in dealing with their symptoms and decreasing their emergence

Silica-based chelating resin bearing dual 8-Hydroxyquinoline moieties and its applications for solid phase extraction of trace metals from seawater prior to their analysis by ICP-MS

Solid phase extraction (SPE) using chelating resins has been established as a convenient technique for samples pretreatment prior to trace metal analysis from complex matrices. Oxine chelating agents (e.g., 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ)) are popular moieties in the synthesis of chelating resins, due to their characteristic coordination chemistry. So far most of the reported silica-oxine chelators encompasses a single oxine molecule per spacer arm. In this work, two 8-HQ ligands have been covalently attached onto silica surface throughout a single linkage. The synthesized resin characterized with FTIR, elemental analysis and SEM. The main parameters affecting SPE procedures, such as pH, and sorption kinetics, investigated using batch experiments. The capacity exchange of the produced resin under optimized conditions was 0.219 and 0.161 mmol g−1 for Cu(II) and Mn(II) respectively. The resin packed into 10 ml standard cartridges and used with a typical SPE manifold for matrix removal prior to an ICP-MS analysis of transition metals (i.e., Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co) in seawater certified reference material samples and real samples from high saline seawater near the discharge zone of Yanbu desalination plant. The obtained results confirm the usefulness of the method.The authors are grateful for the Scientific Research Deanship, Taibah University for the generous financial support, grant No. 766/432

High frequency CMOS amplifier with improved linearity

In this paper, a novel amplifier linearisation technique based on the negative impedance compensation is presented. As demonstrated by using Volterra model, the proposed technique is suitable for linearising amplifiers with low open-loop gain, which is appropriate for RF/microwave applications. A single-chip CMOS amplifier has been designed using the proposed method, and the simulation results show that high gain accuracy (improved by 38%) and high linearity (IMD3 improved by 14 dB, OIP3 improved by 11 dB and adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) improved by 44% for CDMA signal) can be achieved

Mapping the Binding Interactions between Human Gasdermin D and Human Caspase-1 Using Carbene Footprinting

Carbene footprinting is a recently developed mass spectrometry-based chemical labeling technique that probes protein interactions and conformation. Here, we use the methodology to investigate binding interactions between the protease human Caspase-1 (C285A) and full-length human Gasdermin D (hGSDMD), which are important in inflammatory cell death. GSDMD is cleaved by Caspase-1, releasing its N-terminal domain which oligomerizes in the membrane to form large pores, resulting in lytic cell death. Regions of reduced carbene labeling (masking), caused by protein binding, were observed for each partner in the presence of the other and were consistent with hCaspase-1 exosite and active-site interactions. Most notably, the results showed direct occupancy of hCaspase-1 (C285A) active-site by hGSDMD for the first time. Differential carbene labeling of full-length hGSDMD and the pore-forming N-terminal domain assembled in liposomes showed masking of the latter, consistent with oligomeric assembly and insertion into the lipid bilayer. Interactions between Caspase-1 and the specific inhibitor VRT-043198 were also studied by this approach. In wild-type hCaspase-1, VRT-043198 modifies the active-site Cys285 through the formation of a S,O-hemiacetal. Here, we showed by carbene labeling that this inhibitor can noncovalently occupy the active site of a C285A mutant. These findings add considerably to our knowledge of the hCaspase-1-hGSDMD system

Sudden switch of generalized Lieb-Robinson velocity in a transverse field Ising spin chain

The Lieb-Robinson theorem states that the speed at which the correlations between two distant nodes in a spin network can be built through local interactions has an upper bound, which is called the Lieb-Robinson velocity. Our central aim is to demonstrate how to observe the Lieb-Robinson velocity in an Ising spin chain with a strong transverse field. We adopt and compare four correlation measures for characterizing different types of correlations, which include correlation function, mutual information, quantum discord, and entanglement of formation. We prove that one of correlation functions shows a special behavior depending on the parity of the spin number. All the information-theoretical correlation measures demonstrate the existence of the Lieb-Robinson velocity. In particular, we find that there is a sudden switch of the Lieb-Robinson speed with the increasing of the number of spin

Thalassemia, a human blood disorder

A group of inherited blood defects is known as Thalassemia is among the world’s most prevalent hemoglobinopathies. Thalassemias are of two types such as Alpha and Beta Thalassemia. The cause of these defects is gene mutations leading to low levels and/or malfunctioning α and β globin proteins, respectively. In some cases, one of these proteins may be completely absent. α and β globin chains form a globin fold or pocket for heme (Fe++) attachment to carry oxygen. Genes for alpha and beta-globin proteins are present in the form of a cluster on chromosome 16 and 11, respectively. Different globin genes are used at different stages in the life course. During embryonic and fetal developmental stages, γ globin proteins partner with α globin and are later replaced by β globin protein. Globin chain imbalances result in hemolysis and impede erythropoiesis. Individuals showing mild symptoms include carriers of alpha thalassemia or the people bearing alpha or beta-thalassemia trait. Alpha thalassemia causes conditions like hemolytic anemia or fatal hydrops fetalis depending upon the severity of the disease. Beta thalassemia major results in hemolytic anemia, growth retardation, and skeletal aberrations in early childhood. Children affected by this disorder need regular blood transfusions throughout their lives. Patients that depend on blood transfusion usually develop iron overload that causes other complications in the body systems like renal or hepatic impairment therefore, thalassemias are now categorized as a syndrome. The only cure for Thalassemias would be a bone marrow transplant, or gene therapy with currently no significant success rate. A thorough understanding of the molecular basis of this syndrome may provide novel insights and ideas for its treatment, as scientists have still been unable to find a permanent cure for this deadly disease after more than 87 years since it is first described in 1925

Accelerated directed evolution of dye-decolorizing peroxidase using a bacterial extracellular protein secretion system (BENNY)

Background Dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs) are haem-containing peroxidases that show great promises in industrial biocatalysis and lignocellulosic degradation. Through the use of Escherichia coli osmotically-inducible protein Y (OsmY) as a bacterial extracellular protein secretion system (BENNY), we successfully developed a streamlined directed evolution workflow to accelerate the protein engineering of DyP4 from Pleurotus ostreatus strain PC15. Result After 3 rounds of random mutagenesis with error-prone polymerase chain reaction (epPCR) and 1 round of saturation mutagenesis, we obtained 4D4 variant (I56V, K109R, N227S and N312S) that displays multiple desirable phenotypes, including higher protein yield and secretion, higher specific activity (2.7-fold improvement in kcat/Km) and higher H2O2 tolerance (sevenfold improvement based on IC50). Conclusion To our best knowledge, this is the first report of applying OsmY to simplify the directed evolution workflow and to direct the extracellular secretion of a haem protein such as DyP4

Probiotic properties of Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from traditional Pakistani yoghurt

Probiotic bacteria are of utmost importance owing to their extensive utilisation in dairy products and in the prevention of various intestinal diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the probiotic properties of bacteriocin-producing isolates of Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from traditional Pakistani yoghurt. In this study, ten bacteriocin-producing isolates were selected to screen for the probiotic property. The isolates showed resistance to acidic pH (6-6.5), bile salt (0.01-1%), and 1-7% NaCl salt and showed good growth at acidic pH and antibacterial activity against ten different foodborne pathogens. Interestingly, these isolates were proved to be effective against Actinobacter baumannii but least effective against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A few isolates were found to be resistant to some antibiotics like vancomycim, gentamycin, erythromycin, streptomycin, and clindamycin. Our results provide strong evidence in favour of traditional Pakistani yoghurts as a potential source of bacteriocin-producing bacteria with an added benefit of the probiotic property. Specifically, LBh5 was considered a good probiotic isolate as compared to other isolates used in the study. Further extensive research should be done on isolation and characterisation of probiotic isolates from local fermented foods, and then, these isolates should be used in the development of probiotic enriched food supplements in Pakistan