Diversity of Diatom (Bacillariophyta) Flora from the Coastal Waters of Pakistan: A Review on Ecology and Taxonomy

Studies on diversity of diatom community including their seasonality and taxonomy have been carried out during the period of May 2002 to July 2003, July, 2007 and November, 2008. This paper focused on the ecological aspect which is always manifestly important as well as taxonomy and both are strongly interrelated. The studied area is heavily influenced by the Asian monsoon system results the production of diatom blooms which were observed in the month of September 2002 and February 2003. Strong negative relationship -0.218 and -0.054 observed between diatom abundance and chlorophyll a at both stations suggesting other factors like picoplanktons are contributing in chlorophyll a concentrations. Statistical analysis showed overall lower species diversity from 0.1 to 3.6. It suggests that organic loads decreased the abundance and diversity of diatom communities in the region. Taxonomy and seasonal abundance of potentially toxic bloom forming Pseudo-nitzschia species also reported for the first time from coast of Pakistan

Comparison of foeto-maternal outcome in pregnant women with hepatitis E - A review of 12 years.

Objective: To compare adverse maternal and foetal outcome in pregnant women with hepatitis E immunoglobulin M reactive versus non-reactive.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of pregnant patients at any gestational age with clinical and biochemical evidence of hepatitis E from January 2002 and December 2014. . Maternal and perinatal outcome of the subjects were analysed. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.Results: Out of the 200 subjects, 168(84 %) were hepatitis E immunoglobulin M reactive and 32(16%) were non-reactive. The overall mean age was 26.7±4.5 years. Also, 12(7%) patients in the immunoglobulin M reactive group were admitted to intensive care unit compared to no one from the non-reactive group. Similarly fulminant hepatic failure was seen in 12(7.1%) patients in the immunoglobulin M reactive group compared to no one in the other group. Post-partum haemorrhage was more frequent in the immunoglobulin M reactive group compared to the non-reactive group. There were 5(3%) maternal deaths in the reactive group compared to no death in the other group.Moreover, 34(20.2%) neonates of the immunoglobulin M reactive group needed neonatal intensive care unit admission compared to none in the non-reactive group. There were 4(2.4%) neonatal deaths in the reactive group.Conclusion: Participants in the immunoglobulin M reactive group had a higher percentage of adverse foeto-maternal outcomes compared to the non-reactive group

Strategies to improve coverage of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) immunization campaign in Karachi, Pakistan

The emergence and spread of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in Karachi, Pakistan led to an outbreak response in Lyari Town, Karachi utilizing a mass immunization campaign with typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Typbar TCV®. The mass immunization campaign, targeted Lyari Town, Karachi, one of the worst affected towns during the XDR typhoid outbreak. Here we describe the strategies used to improve acceptance and coverage of Typbar TCV in Lyari Town, Karachi. The mass immunization campaign with Typbar TCV was started as a school- and hospital-based vaccination campaign targeting children between the age of 6 months to 15 years old. A dose of 0.5 mL Typbar TCV was administered intramuscularly. A mobile vaccination campaign was added to cope with high absenteeism and non-response from parents in schools and to cover children out of school. Different strategies were found to be effective in increasing the vaccination coverage and in tackling vaccine hesitancy. Community engagement was the most successful strategy to overcome refusals and helped to gain trust in the newly introduced vaccine. Community announcements and playing typhoid jingles helped to increase awareness regarding the ongoing typhoid outbreak. Mop-up activity in schools was helpful in increasing coverage. Networking with locally active groups, clubs and community workers were found to be the key factors in decreasing refusals

The Impact of Migration on Rural Poverty: The Case Study of District Faisalabad, Pakistan

Internal-migration is the process of displacement of people within a country, mostly for better employment. Pakistan is among those South-Asian countries who have high rate of internal-migration. Poverty is considered to be an important factor in this context. This study estimates the rural-household poverty in Pakistan's Faisalabad District and the impact of internal-migration on rural-household poverty. By using stratified random sampling technique, 180 respondents were selected and interviewed. Propensity Score Matching method was used to examine the causal effect of internal-migration on household-poverty level. Results reveal that the ATT estimates of 0.18 for poverty reduction which shows that the household participation in the internal-migration decreases the probability of poverty by 0.18 points, suggesting that internal-migration has a significant impact on poverty reduction among the rural-households. The study suggests the policy makers to focus on rural development and enhance labor productivity, so that internal-migration is discouraged, which will ultimately reduce poverty. Keywords: Internal-Migration, Rural-Poverty, Pakistan JEL Classifications: I320, J11, D310, D1

Parental acceptance of typhoid conjugate vaccine for children aged 6 months to 15 years in an outbreak setting of Lyari Town Karachi, Pakistan

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the parental acceptance of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) and to determine the predictors of TCV vaccination status among children in an outbreak setting of extensively drug resistant (XDR) typhoid fever in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using the WHO recommended rapid vaccine coverage assessment technique was conducted. Out of 11, four union councils (UCs) in Lyari Town were randomly selected. A parent or primary caretaker from the eligible household was interviewed. Data were collected using a locally validated vaccine attitudes scale (VAS). Sum of scores was calculated for VAS. A higher score denoted negative attitudes and perceptions regarding TCV and vice versa. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the predictors of TCV vaccination status. Results: Based on the 14-item parental VAS, 78.0 % of the parents had a score between 0 to <40 and 22 % had a score ≥40. VAS score of <40 was significantly associated with higher odds of receiving TCV during the campaign setting (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 1.30; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.02, 1.66). The odds of receiving TCV vaccination were higher among children whose parents were aware of the ongoing vaccination campaign in the area (aOR: 4.57; 95 % CI: 2.93, 7.12) and expressed willingness to get their child vaccinated against typhoid fever (aOR: 2.54; 95 % CI: 1.82, 3.55). Conclusion: Parental awareness of the ongoing vaccination campaign, positive perception and attitudes towards vaccine were found to be significantly associated with TCV vaccination among children. Appropriately structured pre-vaccination awareness campaigns focused on childhood vaccination targeted towards parents are necessary to improve parental awareness, attitude and behavior towards vaccination.Peer reviewe

Effectiveness of typhoid conjugate vaccine against culture-confirmed typhoid in a peri-urban setting in Karachi : A case-control study

Background: Enteric fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi and S. Paratyphi, is a cause of high morbidity and mortality among children in South Asia. Rising antimicrobial resistance presents an additional challenge. Typhoid Conjugate Vaccines (TCV) are recommended by the World Health Organization for use among people 6 months to 45 years old living in endemic settings. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of TCV against culture-confirmed S. Typhi in Lyari Town, Karachi, Pakistan. This peri-urban town was one of the worst affected by the outbreak of extensively drug resistant (XDR) typhoid that started in November 2016. Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted following a mass immunization campaign with TCV at three key hospitals in Lyari Town Karachi, Pakistan. Children aged 6 months to 15 years presenting with culture-confirmed S. Typhi were enrolled as cases. For each case, at least 1 age-matched hospital control and two age-matched community controls were enrolled. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Of 82 typhoid fever patients enrolled from August 2019 through December 2019, 8 (9·8%) had received vaccine for typhoid. Of the 164 community controls and 82 hospital controls enrolled, 38 (23·2%) community controls and 27 (32·9%) hospital controls were vaccinated for typhoid. The age and sex-adjusted vaccine effectiveness was found to be 72% (95% CI: 34% − 88%). The consumption of meals prepared outside home more than once per month (adjusted odds ratio: 3·72, 95% CI: 1·55- 8·94; p-value: 0·003) was associated with the development of culture-confirmed typhoid. Conclusion: A single dose of TCV is effective against culture confirmed typhoid among children aged 6 months to 15 years old in an XDR typhoid outbreak setting of a peri-urban community in Karachi, Pakistan.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Genetic modification of Mucor circinelloides for canthaxanthin production by heterologous expression of β-carotene ketolase gene

11 pags, 4 figs, 1 tab. -- he Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.756218/full#supplementary-materiaCanthaxanthin is a reddish-orange xanthophyll with strong antioxidant activity and higher bioavailability than carotenes, primarily used in food, cosmetics, aquaculture, and pharmaceutical industries. The spiking market for natural canthaxanthin promoted researchers toward genetic engineering of heterologous hosts for canthaxanthin production. Mucor circinelloides is a dimorphic fungus that produces β-carotene as the major carotenoid and is considered as a model organism for carotenogenic studies. In this study, canthaxanthin-producing M. circinelloides strain was developed by integrating the codon-optimized β-carotene ketolase gene (bkt) of the Haematococcus pluvialis into the genome of the fungus under the control of strong promoter zrt1. First, a basic plasmid was constructed to disrupt crgA gene, a negative regulator of carotene biosynthesis resulted in substantial β-carotene production, which served as the building block for canthaxanthin by further enzymatic reaction of the ketolase enzyme. The genetically engineered strain produced a significant amount (576 ± 28 μg/g) of canthaxanthin, which is the highest amount reported in Mucor to date. Moreover, the cell dry weight of the recombinant strain was also determined, producing up to more than 9.0 g/L, after 96 h. The mRNA expression level of bkt in the overexpressing strain was analyzed by RT-qPCR, which increased by 5.3-, 4.1-, and 3-folds at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively, compared with the control strain. The canthaxanthin-producing M. circinelloides strain obtained in this study provided a basis for further improving the biotechnological production of canthaxanthin and suggested a useful approach for the construction of more valuable carotenoids, such as astaxanthin.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31670064 and 31972851), the Tai Shan Industrial Experts Program tscy 20160101, and the Shandong provincial key technology R&D plan (2018GNC110039, 2018GSF121013).Peer reviewe

Occurrence of HAB / toxic Dinoflagellates species from the coast of Karachi, Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea)

73-88Morphological identification of dinoflagellate species were investigated from the coastal waters of Manora Island and Mubarak village Karachi, Pakistan throughout the two years of  study period from (Apr 2008 – Mar 2010). A total number of seventy two dinoflagellate species were identified among them, 42 toxic and 30 HAB species were morphologically differentiated. Dominant species included Alexandrium catenella, Dinophysis caudata, Gymnodinium spp., Prorocentrum micans, Noctiluca scintillans, Prorocentrum gracile, Tripos furca and Gonyaulax spp. these species were previously reported. The sampling area of Mubarak village site was discovered for the first time for dinoflagellates community analysis. This site shows interesting results as some species were observed in high abundance. The high cell concentration of these toxic/ HAB species suggests that our findings add substantially to the HAB dynamics in area and on this basis predicts future event

Occurrence of HAB / toxic Dinoflagellates species from the coast of Karachi, Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea)

73-88Morphological identification of dinoflagellate species were investigated from the coastal waters of Manora Island and Mubarak village Karachi, Pakistan throughout the two years of  study period from (Apr 2008 – Mar 2010). A total number of seventy two dinoflagellate species were identified among them, 42 toxic and 30 HAB species were morphologically differentiated. Dominant species included Alexandrium catenella, Dinophysis caudata, Gymnodinium spp., Prorocentrum micans, Noctiluca scintillans, Prorocentrum gracile, Tripos furca and Gonyaulax spp. these species were previously reported. The sampling area of Mubarak village site was discovered for the first time for dinoflagellates community analysis. This site shows interesting results as some species were observed in high abundance. The high cell concentration of these toxic/ HAB species suggests that our findings add substantially to the HAB dynamics in area and on this basis predicts future event

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oil of Lavendula steochs

Abstract: Antioxidant, antimicrobial activities of essential oil from plant Lavendula steochs were studies by kinetics and thermodynamic approach. Hydro-distillation was used for the extraction of oil from the flowers of Lavendula steochs.-Antioxidant activity was performed using DPPH method, in which the IC50 showed that essential oil has good antioxidant activity. Antimicrobial activity has been analyzed against Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus (VRSA) which shows that Lavendula steochs is found to be effective against MRSA and VRSA. Chemical composition of essential oils were measured by GC-MS and FT-IR techniques and the kinetic &amp; thermodynamic parameters were used for the characterization of essential oils