Tissue engineering in urethral reconstruction

Tissue engineering is an exciting and rapidly evolving technology. In this review, we discuss the recent progress made in the field of urethral reconstruction and consider the clinical implications and further advancement of these endeavours

Exogenous melatonin enhances salt stress tolerance in tomato seedlings

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an essential molecule which regulates plant growth and development and alleviates the damaging effects of abiotic stresses. To evaluate the important functions of melatonin in response to salinity stress, the effects of exogenous melatonin on the antioxidant system and growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under 150 mM NaCl stress were investigated. The application of 100 μM melatonin compensated the growth inhibition caused by salt-stress. Melatonin treated seedlings had an increased fresh and dry masses of shoots and roots. The application of 1 - 200 µM melatonin notably enhanced the relative chlorophyll content (SPAD index), root characteristics, and gas exchange in tomato seedlings subjected to salt stress compared to seedlings treated with salt stress alone. Moreover, melatonin pretreatment minimized accumulation of reactive oxygen species and improved activities of antioxidative enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase.We would like to thank Wang Zhiwei from the College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Hainan University, Haikou for his kind guidance and laboratory equipment. This program was financially supported by the Innovative Team Program of Hainan Natural Science Foundation (2018CXTD334) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41871041)

Phosphorus and potassium application improves fodder yield and quality of sorghum in Aridisol under diverse climatic conditions

Fodder yield and quality must be improved for sustainable livestock production. A lack of or low application of phosphorus (P) and potassium (P) are among the leading constraints of lower fodder yield and quality of sorghum [most cultivated fodder crop during kharif season (crop cultivation in summer and harvesting during winter] in Aridisol of Pakistan. Therefore, this two-year field study evaluated the role of different P and K levels on fodder yield and quality of sorghum cultivar ‘Ijar-2002’ planted in Multan and Okara districts, Punjab, Pakistan. Seven P-K (kg ha−1) levels, i.e., T1 (40–0), T2 (80–0), T3 (0–40), T4 (0–60), T5 (40–40), T6 (80–40), T7 (60–80) and an untreated T0 (control) were included in the study. Results indicated that individual effects of years, locations and P-K levels had a significant effect on fodder yield and quality. All treatments received an equal amount of nitrogen (i.e., 120 kg ha−1). Application of P-K in Aridisols at both locations significantly improved fodder yield, dry matter yield, and ether contents during both years. The T6 (80–40 kg ha−1) significantly improved yield and quality traits of sorghum fodder except for crude fiber (CF) and acid and neutral detergent fiber (ADF and NDF) at both locations during both years of study. Moreover, fodder harvested from Multan observed significantly higher CF, ADF, NDF, cellulose and hemicellulose contents than Okara. However, sorghum grown in Okara harvested more fodder yield due to more plant height and ether contents. In conclusion, planting sorghum in Aridisols, fertilized with 80–40 kg ha−1 P-K seemed a viable option to harvest more fodder yield of better quality

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Two Endangered Plant Species Atropa belladonna and Matricaria chamomilla

Background: Plants are the natural source of antioxidants as well as antimicrobial compounds that has great potentials in pharmaceuticalindustry. In the present study, two medicinal plants Atropa belladonna and Matricaria chamomilla were collected from Northern areas ofPakistan.Materials and Methods: The extracts of the collected plants were obtained by microwave assisted extraction (MAE) with changing parameters, power level and time; methanol and ethanol were solvents used during  extraction. The extracts of plants were tested against different bacterialstrains.Results: It was observed that ethanolic extracts of Atropa belladonna has more significant antimicrobial activity against S.aureus than E.coli. Inparallel, methanolic extract of Matricaria chamomilla showed greater significant antibacterial activity against S.aureus when compared withE.coli. In comparison, ethanolic extracts of Matricaria chamomilla has shown more significant results against S. aureus than E.coli (p.0.05).Both plants had no antibacterial activity against S.typhi. The free radical scavenging activity observed by DPPH assay, indicate that both plantshave antioxidant activity at all levels of concentrations in solvent tested during the present work. However, methanolic extracts had greaterantioxidant activity when compared with ethanolic extracts.Conclusion: Present study is thus helpful in highlighting present potentials for antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in the selected plants.Key words: Antimicrobial, antioxidant, Atropa belladonna, Matricaria chamomill

Three novel F8 mutations in sporadic haemophilia A cases

Letter to the editorRashid Hussain, Noman Bin Abid, Sajjad Hussain, Zeeshan Shaukat, Mudassir Altaf, Sara Altaf, and Gulzar Niaz

Bacteriological profile of wound infections and antimicrobial resistance in selected gram-negative bacteria

Background: Managing wound infections is a challenging task. Understanding their resistance pattern is an essential step at reducing its burden in hospital settings. Objective: To determine the bacteriological diversity of wound infections and the antimicrobial resistance exhibited by a selected Gram-negative bacterium in the Aljouf region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study retrospectively analysed the antibiograms of wound infections from hospitalized patients for the year 2019. The European Centre for Disease Control guidelines were adopted for the classification of resistant bacteria. Multidrug-, extensive drug-, and carbapenem-resistant isolates are presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: A total of 295 non-duplicate wound swab antibiograms were retrieved, 64.4% (190) and 35.6% (105) isolates were Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections respectively. Predominant pathogens included Staphylococcus species 21.0% (62), E. coli 16.3% (48) and K. pneumoniae 13.5% (40). 148 (77.9%), 42 (22.1%) and 43 (22.6%) of the Gram-negative isolates were multidrug-, extensively drug- and carbapenem-resistant. The antibiotic resistance exhibited by gram-negative bacteria was 43.4% (234/539), 59.1% (224/379) and 53.7% (101/188) towards carbapenems, 3rd - and 4th – generation cephalosporins. Conclusions: The majority of wound infections are caused by multidrug-, extensively drug- and carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Further studies should focus on the molecular basis of this resistance. Keywords: Wound infections; hospital; Gram-negative bacteria; antibiograms; multidrug-resistance; E. coli

Future Smartphone: MIMO Antenna System for 5G Mobile Terminals

In this article, an inverted L-shaped monopole eight elements Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna system is presented. The multi-antenna system is designed on a low cost 0.8 mm thick FR4 substrate having dimensions of 136 x 68 mm(2) resonating at 3.5GHz with a 6dB measured bandwidth of 450MHz, and with inter element isolation greater than 15 dB and gain of 4 dBi. The proposed design consists of eight inverted L-shaped elements and parasitic L-shaped strips extending from the ground plane. These shorted stripes acted as tuning stubs for the four inverted L-shaped monopole elements on the side of chassis. This is done to achieve the desired frequency range by increasing the electrical length of the antennas. A prototype is fabricated, and the experimental results show good impedance matching with reasonable measured isolation within the desired frequency range. The MIMO performances, such as envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and mean effective gain (MEG) are also calculated along with the channel capacity of 38.1bps/Hz approximately 2.6 times that of 4 x 4 MIMO system. Due to its simple shape and slim design, it may be a potential chassis for future handsets. Therefore, user hand scenarios, i.e. both single and dual hand are studied. Also, the effects of hand scenarios on various MIMO parameters are discussed along with the SAR. The performance of the proposed system in different scenarios suggests that the proposed structure holds promising future within the next generation radio smart phones

Assessment of hospital pharmacists' clinical knowledge and practical skill levels for pharmaceutical care in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To evaluate hospital pharmacists’ clinical knowledge and practical skill levels for pharmaceutical care.Methods: A quasi-experimental prospective longitudinal study design was used to evaluate the level of clinical skills with problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. Pharmacists’ in three different government hospitals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia recorded their responses or assessments in their work manuals for preparing reports. Instructors encouraged interactive learning by presenting case studies, in which pharmacists had to interpret medical history and clinical assessments of various body systems. Course learning design also focused on drug use evaluation, monitoring plans, and reaching clinical evidencebased decision-making.Results: A total of two hundred and fifty-five (255) hospital pharmacists participated in the study. The study sample was comprised of 128 (50.9 %) males and 127 (49.1 %) females. A significant (p < 0.01) difference was noticed between genders (male: 47.91 ± 7.15, female: 50.31 ± 4.88) for total mean scores of clinical skills. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for case data recitation was 0.91, while clinical assessment skills coefficient was 0.89. Overall, pharmacists reported that they “agree” (4.01 ± 0.67) that they acquired the ability to use case data recitation taught in the PBL; they also reported a positive evaluation (4.48 ± 0.58) of their ability to perform clinical data assessment.Conclusion: The findings indicate that pharmacist’s self-confidence to perform clinical assessment activities is low. Lack of confidence remains a critical education issue among pharmacists in the study setting.Keywords: Clinical pharmacy, Problem-based learning, Clinical skills, Pharmacist focus group, Therapeutics, Pharmaceutical car

4-Hydroxy-4,6a,6b,9,9,12a,14b-heptamethylperhydropicen-3-one hemihydrate isolated from Adiantum incisum

The title compound, C29H48O2·0.5H2O, is a triterpenoid isolated from the stems and rhizomes of Adiantum incisum. The basic skeleton of the mol­ecule contains five six-membered rings, all adopting chair conformations, bearing a total of seven methyl, one hydroxyl and a keto group. There are two mol­ecules of the triterpene and one water molecule of crystallization in the asymmetric unit. The two unique triterpenoid mol­ecules hydrogen-bond directly via an O—H⋯O=C inter­action, and are also bridged by the water mol­ecule. The water also bridges to another pair of hydrogen-bonded triterpenoid mol­ecules