Advancements in Life Sciences (E-Journal, University of the Punjab)
Not a member yet
523 research outputs found
Sort by
Deleterious Nonsynonymous Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in the Human Interleukin 12B Gene: Identification and Structural Characterization
Get PDFBackground: Interleukin-12B (IL12B) polymorphism has been identified as a factor in the development of various Immunological disorders and cancer. The objective of this study was to identify the non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) with the strongest predicted negative impact on the function of the IL12B protein.Methods: We employed a variety of computational methods, including SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, and SNAP2 to determine the functional impact of nsSNPs. Also, in order to investigate the potential association of nsSNPs in the IL12B gene with disease, a computational analysis was conducted using PhD-SNP, SNPs&GO, and PMut. Additionally, I-Mutant and MuPro were employed to predict protein stability, while ConSurf was used to identify functional domains and conserved amino acid residues within the protein. Furthermore, SOPMA was used in combination with Project Hope and MutPred2 to predict the impact of mutations on both the structure and function of proteins. Finally, we used GeneMania to analyze the gene-gene interactions of the IL12B gene with other genes.Results: Our results indicate that nine nsSNPs (G72C, G86C, C90R, C131S, Y136D, P235L, V254G, Y258H and P259S) were found to be potentially deleterious in the IL12B gene.Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the significance of identifying functional and structural polymorphisms in the IL12B gene, as they may reveal potential therapeutic targets and provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of related diseases. Further experimental investigation is necessary to fully explore the role of these nsSNPs in disease pathogenesis.Keywords: Interleukin 12B; deleterious nsSNPs; Polymorphisms; Computational analysis; CancerEditorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about errors in metadata. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of this incidence as we do the required corrections.Editorial Note24 June 2025: You are viewing the latest version of this article having correction in article info (metadata) section. Expression of concern is hereby revoked
Ultrasound Detected Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Prevalence and its Risk Factors in Pakistani Population
Get PDFBackground: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common predictor of chronic liver disease. It is an emerging health condition in Pakistan and in most cases, the disease remains undiagnosed due to a low trend of screening processes observed over the years. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship of ultrasonography (USG) – detected NAFLD with the risk factors including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and menopause.Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the data gathered from medical histories, anthropometric measurements, and diagnostic abdominal ultrasound scans of 87 patients referred to radiology department of a trust hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Patient diagnosed with NAFLD without any other disease or complication were selected through purposive sampling for further study.Results: The results depicted a higher prevalence of NAFLD in females. Among diagnosed NAFLD patients, most (33.7%) showed signs of mild fatty liver on USG. Statistically, a significant (p value= 0.002) relationship of obesity with NAFLD was observed. NAFLD patients had higher mean BMI values (31.04 ± 4.67 Kg/m2, p value = 0.000) as compared to other patients (25.34 ± 4.71 Kg/m2), confirming that obesity is the most important risk factor for NAFLD. Other risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, and menopause) were not found to be significantly related to NAFLD.Conclusion: The major finding of this study is that higher BMI increases the likelihood of developing NAFLD. Prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity can reduce the prevalence of NAFLD. Keywords: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Obesity; Cirrhosis
Molecular phylogeny and morphological characterization of Leucocoprinus birnbaumii from Punjab, Pakistan
Get PDFBackground: Leucocoprinus in Agaricaceae is a genus distributed worldwide and represented by nearly 50 species. From Pakistan, only four species in this genus have been known so far.Methods: The specimen was identified by morphological and anatomical characters combining with sequence analysis of nrDNA-ITS region.Results: Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, a bright yellow mushroom found on wood log from Sialkot district, Punjab, Pakistan. This species is identified by its medium sized bell-shaped pileus bearing the same colored squamule with sulcate striate margins, presence of metachromatic basidiospores and pseudoparaphyses around the basidia. Molecular data also supported its taxonomy as L. birnbaumii. The species is being described for the first time based on morphological and anatomical characters in combination with molecular phylogeny using ITS region of nrDNA.Conclusion: Leucocoprinus birnbaumii is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America. It grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Its occurrence in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan with humid subtropical climate represents its wide ecological amplitude and geographic distribution. Keywords: Humid subtropical climate; ITS; nrDNA-ITS; TaxonomyEditorial Note: This article has post-publication language corrections
A comparative study between X-chromosome mapping of Sudanese and Egyptian Anopheles pharoensis theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) strains
Get PDFBackground: Current literature lacks information regarding Anopheles pharoensis malaria transmission patterns. Anopheles pharoensis succeeded in transmitting Malaria in Egypt. However, it was unsuccessful in doing the same in Sudan. From here arises these important questions: Why does it transmit malaria in Egypt but not in the Sudan or other Countries? Is it a Sibling species or a Sub-species? This investigation aimed to answer these questions by studying the genetics of Anopheles pharoensis collected from Egypt and Sudan.Methods: A comparative study was conducted in Egypt and Sudan to determine the population genetic structure of Anopheles pharoensis species based on chromosomal inversion of karyotypes. Fourth-stage larvae of Anopheles pharoensis were collected from Egypt (Faiyoum government) and from Sudan (Khartoum, Gezira and Sennar states).Result: Significant levels of differentiation were observed among the species studied.Conclusion: Investigations suggest that Anopheles pharoensis species collected from Egypt can transmit malaria due to the presence of an inversion in the X-chromosome. The lack of the aforementioned inversion probably prevented the transmission of malaria by Anopheles pharoensis in Sudan. The results above provide insight into malaria transmission patterns by Anopheles pharoensis. However, more needs to be done and hence it is recommended to undergo further research on genetics and morphological studies using molecular biological tools on Anopheles pharoensis in Sudan.Keywords: Anopheles pharoensis; X-chromosome; Malaria; Karyotypes; Egypt and SudanEditorial Note: You are viewing the latest version of this article having language corrections
Mathematical Understanding of Sequence Alignment and Phylogenetic Algorithms: A Comprehensive Review of Computation of Different Methods
Get PDFPairwise sequence alignment is one of the ways to position two biological sequences to identify regions of similarity that may suggest the functional, structural and evolutionary relationship among proteins and nucleic acids. There are two strategies in pairwise alignment: local sequence alignment (Smith Waterman algorithm) and global sequence alignment (Needleman Wunsch algorithm). In the prior approach, two sequences that may or may not be related, are aligned to find regions of local similarities in large sequences, whereas in the later one, two sequences of same length are aligned to identify their conserved regions. Moreover, similarities and divergence between biological sequences also has to be rationalized and visualized in the form of phylogenetic trees, so the dendrogram construction approaches were developed and divided into distance-based and character-based methods. In this review article, different algorithms of sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction were meditated with examples and compared by looking into the background computation for the better understanding of the algorithms, which will be helpful for molecular biology, computational sciences and mathematics/statistics novices. Phylogenetic trees are constructed through various methods, some are computationally robust but does not provide precise evolutionary insight, whereas some provide accurate evolutionary understandings, but computationally exhaustive and cumbersome. So, there is a need to understand the implicit mathematics and intricate computation behind the dendrogram construction for improving the existing algorithms and developing new methods. Keywords: Local sequence alignment; Global sequence alignment; UPGMA; Neighbour joining; Fitch Margoliash; Maximum-Parsimony; Maximum-Likelihood
Animal Blood supplemented diet can improve growth performance, body composition and blood profile of Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Get PDFBackground: Artificial feeding is an effective way to enhance fish production, development and carrying capacity of the culture system to feed the increasing human population. This study was designed to determine and compare the effects of supplementation of basal fish feed with plant (soybean meal) and animal blood as protein sources.Methods: The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized block design. A total of 135 Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia were randomly divided into three groups comprising three replicates and kept in controlled conditions in nine glass aquaria for a period of ninety days. The animals were provided basal diet, plant and animal protein supplemented diets throughout the experiment. Water quality parameters were recorded on a routine basis while growth performance, blood indices and chemical analysis of the body was recorded after ninety days of trial.Results: Overall, water quality parameters remained within the normal range, which highlights those diets had no detrimental effect on the quality of the water and in all groups. However, the fish kept on animal-based protein source diet presented higher growth performance, crude protein and lipids contents, red blood cell count and normal serum ALT, AST, and ALP levels In contrast the fish kept on plant protein diet displayed comparatively lower meat quality and signs of toxicity viz., raised level of hepatic enzymes.Conclusion: From these results, it was concluded that fish fed on diet having blood meal supplementation showed higher performance in comparison to fish groups fed on other diets.Keywords: GIFT; Fish feed; Plant meal; Soybean meal; Animal blood
Stressed experimental diabetic rats challenged with glimepiride
Get PDFBackground: This study was accomplished to evaluate the anticipated effects of glimepiride on some of the hematological parameters and antioxidant enzymes in alloxan-induced diabetic and healthy rats.Methods: In this study, thirty-two adult albino male rats were adopted. The animals were randomly divided into four groups of eight rats each. The animals of the control group were dozed orally with 5 ml distilled water. The second was injected into intraperitoneally with 150 mg/kg of Alloxan once to induce diabetes. The third group were administered a daily oral dose of 5 mg/kg of Glimepiride. The fourth group were injected with alloxan in the same manner as the second group and then dosed orally with 5 mg/kg of glimepiride. The above-mentioned experimental protocol lasted for one month and thereafter the planned tests were done.Results: The results showed that diabetes induced by alloxan led to significant decline in the packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), platelets (PLT), red blood cell counts (RBC), glutathione (GSH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at (p ≤ 0.05) with significant elevation in the total white blood cells count (WBC), malondialdehyde (MDA), erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) comparing with those of the control group. The use of glimepiride alone to the healthy rats led to significant decline in RBC, PLT, GSH and AST with significant elevation in ESR and WBC without effecting PCV, Hb, MDA, ALT and ALPat (p ≤ 0.05) comparing with those of the control group. Treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats with glimepiride led to significant decline in RBC, Hb and PCV with significant elevation in WBC, PLT, GSH, MDA and ALT at (p ≤ 0.05) compared with the control group.Conclusion: We conclude that glimepiride affects blood parameters and antioxidant enzymes.Keywords: Glimepiride; Amaryl; Stress; Diabetes; RatsEditorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about problems in use of English language. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community as we address the errors.Editorial Note26 June 2025: You are viewing the latest version of this article having minor corrections related to the use of English language. Expression of concern is hereby revoked
Anthropometric Study of the Human Craniofacial Morphology among different castes of Punjab Pakistan
Get PDFBackground: It appears from the literature that there is a research vacuum in craniofacial anthropometric studies in Pakistani population. Therefore, this study was carried out to characterize the craniofacial parameters among different castes of the Punjab Pakistan.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on population of the Punjab, Pakistan, with age 18-45 years in a normal healthy state and data was collected using a questionnaire. Anthropometric instruments such as standard spreading caliper, round ended caliper, vernier caliper and scale were used for the measurement of craniofacial parameters. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0 and MS Excel 16. Morphological anthropometry of face, head, nose and ears was observed and noted.Results: Hyperleptoprosopic face was most common one in the studied population. The dominant nasal type was Leptorrhine while the most dominant head shape was Dolichocephalic. The average ear index was 50.42 and 51.19 of right and left ears, respectively.Conclusion: This data form the basis for the anthropometric data bank of the Punjab province of Pakistan. This data is helpful in medicolegal cases, forensic investigations, and in facial surgeries. This study is also important for anthropological and forensic research.Keywords: Anthropology, Anthropometry; Craniofacial; Morphology; PopulationEditorial Note: This article has post-publication language corrections
The prevalence of antimicrobial-producing Gram-positive bacteria in human gut: a preliminary study
Get PDFBackground: Human gut microbiome is an excellent source for searching novel antimicrobials which is currently in need due to the rise of drug-resistance bacteria. Many Gram-positive bacteria isolated from human gut have been reported to produce antimicrobial compounds but still only a few studies investigate the prevalence of these bacteria in human gut.Methods: We took stool samples from 19 adult participants (age: 20–70 years; ethnicity: European and Asian). Stool samples obtained from 7 females and 12 males. We screened for Gram-positive antimicrobial-producing bacteria from the stool samples and identified the positive ones using 16S rRNA sequencing.Results: Here, we reported that antimicrobial-producing Gram-positive bacteria can be found in the stool samples of 6 out of 19 participants. By screening against Staphylococcus aureus USA300 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, some isolates exhibited a different inhibition activity compared to the previously reported antimicrobial compounds.Conclusion: Our findings showed that some strains isolated from human gut exhibit novel antimicrobial activity which implies that there could still be novel antimicrobial compounds in human gut produced by Gram-positive bacteria.Keywords: Antimicrobial-producing bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; Gut microbiota; MicroorganismEditorial Note: You are viewing latest version of this article having language corrections
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Demographics, Risk Factors, and Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Among Patients in the Middle Euphrates Region of Iraq
Get PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global health, requiring a comprehensive understanding of its regional dynamics for effective management and response strategies. This study aimed to explore the demographics, risk factors, and post-COVID-19 syndrome among patients in the Middle Euphrates region of Iraq.Methods: A total of 410 patients were included in the study, with 180 females and 230 males. Demographic characteristics, risk factors (such as smoking, and comorbidities), and post-COVID-19 syndrome manifestations were analyzed. Statistical and machine learning analyses were conducted to predict outcomes.Results: The findings revealed a diverse age range (38-83 years) of COVID-19 patients in the Middle Euphrates region. Smoking was prevalent among 93 patients, while comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity were observed in significant numbers. Post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms included generalized muscle fatigue, impaired concentration and memory, joint pain, hair loss, and respiratory problems. The prevalence of these symptoms varied across different age groups.Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the demographics, risk factors, and post-COVID-19 syndrome among patients in the Middle Euphrates region of Iraq. The high prevalence of smoking and comorbidities highlights the importance of tailored interventions for high-risk individuals. The range of persistent symptoms emphasizes the need for comprehensive healthcare support. These findings contribute to the existing knowledge on the impact of COVID-19 in the region and can inform targeted interventions and resource allocation.Keywords: COVID-19; Middle Euphrates; Demographics; Risk factors; Post-COVID-19 syndromeRetraction Note24 Sept 2025: The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article due to the below mentioned scientific deficiencies revealed by an internal audit.1. The manuscript is riddled with direct contradictions in its core data.The stated age range of the participants conflicts with the age groups presented in the data tables.The total number of smokers reported in the text is significantly different from the sum of the numbers provided in the tables.Data for a key risk factor (obesity) is presented with three different conflicting values across the text and within duplicated tables.These are fundamental inconsistencies that make the dataset unreliable.2. The study's analytical methods are either invalid or so poorly explained.The paper claims to use "machine learning" to generate predictions but fails to provide any methodological details. The results are presented in a scientifically implausible way, assigning a single outcome to entire, diverse age groups."Statistical probabilities" are presented without any context, making them scientifically unsound and unverifiable.The authors have not responded to correspondence regarding this retraction