Serum Anti-Nuclear Antibodies and their patterns on immunofluorescence in patients with joint pain from Lahore, Pakistan

Background: Autoimmunity is the deviation of the immune system from its natural course and evoking a potent inflammatory response against organs or systems of its own body. Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) are an important marker for the diagnosis of autoimmune. The incidence of autoimmune diseases is increasing globally due to advancements in civilization, so it becomes crucial to monitor its trends. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of ANA and its specific pattern in individuals with joint pain.Methods: The duration of this cross-sectional study was 6 months, from December 2018 to May 2019. ANA profiles of 155 subjects were evaluated using the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) technique.Results: Amongst 155 enrolled subjects 101(65.2%) were females and 54(34.8%) were males. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 61 (39.3%) patients. ANA was found positive in 35 (22.5%) individuals, 5(14.3%) males, and 30(85.7%) females. Homogenous pattern was positive in 25(71.4%), 5(14.3%) fine speckled, 5(14.3%) centromere, and 1(2.8%) presented nuclear dots. The most frequent titer observed was 1/320 in 14(40%) individuals.Conclusion: The homogenous pattern was frequently observed patterns ANA positive subjects. There was also a significant relationship between age group and their patterns. The homogenous pattern was most frequent among the 60-69-year age group

Induced polyploidy: a tool for forage species improvement

Polyploidy means having more than two basic sets of chromosomes. Polyploid plants may be artificially obtained through chemical, physical and biological (2n gametes) methods. This approach allows an increased gene scope and expression, thus resulting in phenotypic changes such as yield and product quality. Nonetheless, breeding new cultivars through induced polyploidy should overcome deleterious effects that are partly contributed by genome and epigenome instability after polyploidization. Furthermore, shortening the time required from early chromosome set doubling to the final selection of high yielding superior polyploids is a must. Despite these hurdles, plant breeders have successfully obtained polyploid bred-germplasm in broad range of forages after optimizing methods, concentration and time, particularly when using colchicine. These experimental polyploids are a valuable tool for understanding gene expression, which seems to be driven by dosage dependent gene expression, altered gene regulation and epigenetic changes. Isozymes and DNA-based markers facilitated the identification of rare alleles for particular loci when compared with diploids, and also explained their heterozygosity, phenotypic plasticity and adaptability to diverse environments. Experimentally induced polyploid germplasm could enhance fresh herbage yield and quality, e.g., leaf protein content, leaf total soluble solids, water soluble carbohydrates and sucrose content. Offspring of experimentally obtained hybrids should undergo selection for several generations to improve their performance and stability

A descriptive study on association of β Thalassemia and its types with ABO & Rh blood groups, in Lahore

Objective The objective of this study was to study relation of ß-thalassemia and its types (major, minor, intermedia) with ABO and Rh blood groups in Lahore, Pakistan. Materials and methods It was an observational study, in which ABO and Rh blood grouping of 711 β-Thalassemia patients was performed, after taking consent from patients. Blood grouping was performed by forward and reverse grouping, using tube method. Results The observed ABO blood group pattern, in both genders was O>B>A>AB. The overall frequency of O and A blood group was higher in female patients while frequency of B and AB was higher in male patients, but the difference was non-significant. Significant difference was observed between gender and Rh factor. Most patients of β-thalassemia lies in the category of major 48%, followed by minor 44% and intermedia 8%. Overall patients of AB blood group are mostly the patients of β-thalassemia major while β-thalassemia minor and intermedia had highest frequency of blood group B. Conclusion It was concluded from the study that the patients of ß-thalassemia have higher frequency of O+ blood group and least frequency of AB- blood group. A significant difference was seen in Rh blood group between the male and female patients. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in distribution of ABO and Rh blood group according to type of β-thalassemia

A MAGDM approach for evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on education using 2-tuple linguistic q-rung orthopair fuzzy sets and Schweizer-Sklar weighted power average operator

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in education can be viewed as a multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem, in which several stakeholders evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of AI applications in educational settings according to distinct preferences and criteria. A MAGDM framework can assist in providing transparent and logical recommendations for implementing AI in education by methodically analyzing the trade-offs and conflicts among many components, including ethical, social, pedagogical, and technical concerns. A novel development in fuzzy set theory is the 2-tuple linguistic q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (2TLq-ROFS), which is not only a generalized form but also can integrate decision-makers quantitative evaluation ideas and qualitative evaluation information. The 2TLq-ROF Schweizer-Sklar weighted power average operator (2TLq-ROFSSWPA) and the 2TLq-ROF Schweizer-Sklar weighted power geometric (2TLq-ROFSSWPG) operator are two of the aggregation operators we create in this article. We also investigate some of the unique instances and features of the proposed operators. Next, a new Entropy model is built based on 2TLq-ROFS, which may exploit the preferences of the decision-makers to obtain the ideal objective weights for attributes. Next, we extend the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique to the 2TLq-ROF version, which provides decision-makers with a greater space to represent their decisions, while also accounting for the uncertainty inherent in human cognition. Finally, a case study of how artificial intelligence has impacted education is given to show the applicability and value of the established methodology. A comparative study is carried out to examine the benefits and improvements of the developed approach

Cumulative prediction of possible deleterious nature of nsSNPs.

Cumulative prediction of possible deleterious nature of nsSNPs.</p

Entire workflow for nsSNPs screening in the <i>SCN9A</i> gene using computational tools.

Entire workflow for nsSNPs screening in the SCN9A gene using computational tools.</p

Procheck-RAMACHANDRAN plot of the native <i>SCN9A</i> predicted model.

Procheck-RAMACHANDRAN plot of the native SCN9A predicted model.</p

Interaction of protein ligands with typical <i>SCN9A</i> and mutant D1778N, F1782V, L1802P, M939V, and V1311M.

Interaction of protein ligands with typical SCN9A and mutant D1778N, F1782V, L1802P, M939V, and V1311M.</p

Interacting residues obtained from docking.

Wild protein, L1802P, F1782V, D1778N, V1311M and M936V variants with ligands including their binding residues and hydrophobic interactions.</p

High risk non-synonymous SNPs identified by SIFT, Polyphen, Mutpred2 and SNAP2.

High risk non-synonymous SNPs identified by SIFT, Polyphen, Mutpred2 and SNAP2.</p