Advancements in Life Sciences (E-Journal, University of the Punjab)
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Extraction and Amplification of mtDNA HVR1 from Old and Degraded Samples of Human Skeletal Collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Get PDFBackground: The study of ancient DNA enables the examination of genetic associations between past and present individuals and populations. The recovery and analysis of human DNA from degraded samples precisely has become a central research tool in various scientific fields’ ranges from ancient DNA to forensics and medical sciences. Methods: In the current study, remains of human bones are analyzed that dates back to 1000-1200 BC from different burial sites of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) as a genetic marker was selected. Multiple extractions, qubit assays quantification and cloning of PCR products were performed to get the sequences from the hypervariable region 1 of mtDNA. In this study, we also evaluate the possibility of extracting DNA from degraded human tissues (bones and teeth) such as remains buried in archaeological sites and remains of dead bodies buried for many decades. Results: Mitochondrial DNA HVR1 of 2000 years old degraded bone specimens were successfully determined by analyzing haplotype, defining polymorphisms in the hypervariable region 1. The prominent haplogroup found was eastern European R (63%) that was also found in present day population by previous studies.Conclusion: The protocol developed in this study could be used for the extraction of DNA from old degraded and ancient bone samples.Keywords: Ancient DNA; Degraded samples; mtDNA; HVS1; Pakistan
Industrial Pesticides and a Methods Assessment for the Reduction of Associated Risks: A Review
Get PDFRegarding the increasing growth of the population and importance of food security, Iranian Ministry of Agriculture has prioritized and encouraged greenhouse farming products. One of the developmental challenges of greenhouse farming is the current extensive use of chemical fertilizers. Importantly, as raw agricultural products are the main ingredients on the table of Iranian families (Iranians generally tend to eat fresh products), the determination of pesticide residues in such products is of utmost importance. The penetration of resistant contaminants into freshwater resources can lead to detrimental effects on humans and the environment. Concerning the importance of environmental protection and the role of chemical pesticides, this study reviews the pesticides used in the agronomic sector and the associated risks of using chemicals to control pests for society, agriculture, freshwater resources, and the environment.Keywords: Environment; Water resources; Agriculture; Health; Biological metho
Salinity, livelihood and agricultural productivity: A case of Hafizabad District
Get PDFBackground: Soil salinity; concentration and or accumulation of salts may pose severe risk on soil productivity and in turn concerned population and farmers. Salt-influenced lands in Pakistan were spread over 6.63 million hectare which is diminishing the agrarian profitability. This study will explore the impact of salinity on livelihood of farmers in district Hafizabad.Methods: Data of 192 small, medium and large farmers was collected from four randomly selected villages of salinity affected area of Hafizabad district of Punjab province of Pakistan using multistage probability sampling technique. SPSS version 21.0 was utilized to analyze the data for generating logical results.Results: Farmers belonging to saline area communities were characterized on the basis of their education, experience, cultivated area, and method of irrigation and technological adoption for analyzing their livelihood typologies. Average yield of wheat was found to be 26mnds/acre, while marketable surplus was high for large farmers due to ownership of more area. Livelihood typologies were derived mainly from on-farm and off-farm income activities of the farmers. Agriculture farm earning in the saline area was estimated as Rs. 10 to 12 thousand per acre. Contribution of off-farm income in household cash flows was estimated in 79% of small, medium and large farmer as less than 15000 indicating the dependency status of the households.Conclusion: Major livelihood source in Salt-affected soils was still agricultural cash inflows beside their contribution to the food basket of consumers. Farmers were in favour of provision of farming inputs on subsidized rates i.e. lime and gypsum as a poverty alleviation strategy in the area for positive promotion of sharing culture with public sector. Keywords: Salinity; Livelihood; Productivity; Farming experience; Farm sizeEditorial Expression of Concern08 July 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 Note26 July 2025: You are viewing the latest version of this article having correction in article info (metadata) section. Expression of concern is hereby revoked
Synergistic effects of Zinc oxide nanoparticles and conventional antibiotics against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Get PDFBackground: Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is creating crises in therapeutic options for the treatment of S. aureus associated infections, worldwide. Nevertheless, Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are providing a source of an attractive broad-spectrum antibiotic. The aim of the present study was to investigate the synergistic effects of ZnO-NPs and antibiotics against mecA positive MRSA isolates.Methods: Antibiogram of S. aureus was determined by Kirby Baur disc diffusion assay. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics and ZnO-NPs was determined by using the broth dilution method. The mecA gene in S. aureus was detected by PCR amplification with gene specific forward and reverse primers. The effects of subinhibitory concentration of ZnO-NPs on conventional antibiotics was determined by combined disk diffusion assay.Results: Out of two hundred clinical specimens, twenty-eight showed the growth of S. aureus. Antibiogram of the isolates showed that S. aureus have acquired resistance to the majority of the conventional antibiotics. However, no isolate showed resistance to vancomycin. The confirmed methicillin resistant S. aureus isolates were sensitive to ZnO-NPs. The antibacterial activity of ZnO-NPs appeared in a dose and time dependent manner since higher dose produced stronger effects in two hours than the effects produced from lower dose in three hours. Furthermore, ZnO-NPs enhanced the antibacterial activity of levofloxacin significantly (p < 0.001).Conclusions: S. aureus has acquired strong resistance to multiple antibiotics. ZnO-NPs have potential synergism with levofloxacin antibiotic against the multiple drug resistant S. aureus including MRSA. Keywords: Levofloxacin; Synergism; Combinational therapy; MRSA
Isolation and characterization of Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) from Intensive Care Units (ICU) of different hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan
Get PDFBackground: Nosocomial infections present a major threat because of the increased prevalence of clinical cases appearing among both developed as well as developing countries thus resulting in an alarming condition. This descriptive study was designed to determine the prevalence of hospital acquired vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in intensive care units (ICU) of different hospitals of Lahore.Methods: Sixty three swab samples were collected from different local hospitals in Lahore. The study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Lahore from 2013 to 2014. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and VRSA were isolated and confirmed using Clinical & Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI), 2015 guidelines. vanA gene was amplified to determine the molecular basis of resistance of all VRSA isolates by using strain of S. aureus (ATCC 29213) as a gold standard.Results: Prevalence of VRSA is comparatively low in the hospital settings of Lahore than MRSA. Out of sixty three S. aureus, four (6%) isolates were VRSA positive, and eight isolates (17%) showed intermediate resistance. The absence of vanA gene in VRSA showed that mechanism of resistance is other than vanA gene transfer.Conclusions: Presence of VRSA in hospital settings is alarming for health care workers, patients and researchers and it also highlights the importance of alternative medicines to cure infections.Keywords: Vancomycin, Methicillin resistance, Staphylococcus aureus, Plasmids
Knowledge, attitude, and practices on human myiasis with spatial modeling of human risk of exposure to Oestrus ovis among shepherds/ people in Ilam province, southwest of Iran
Get PDFBackground: Myiasis is the infestation of humans or other animals with the larvae of flies that occurs in the tropical and subtropical regions, worldwide. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice of the population at risk about myiasis and to infer potential risk areas of human myiasis due to the environmental suitability for Oestrus ovis in the Ilam province of Iran.Methods: This study was conducted from April to June 2020 among the myiasis-infested shepherds in Ilam province. The data were collected by a questionnaire. Maximum Entropy (Maxent) niche modeling was used to predict the environmental suitability for O. ovis.Results: The level of awareness of the people of Ilam province on myiasis was generally good, while a small percentage of them had poor information about this disease (1.62%). Mean Diurnal range and isothermality revealed the highest and lowest share on the MaxEnt model, respectively. The elevation variable had the most permutation in the model for predicting the environmental suitability for O. ovis. The best ecological niches for this fly were in the northern parts of the study area.Conclusion: It can be concluded that due to background knowledge of the involved people in exposure to oral myiasis agent, O. ovis, conducting some preventive measures based on improving their knowledge, attitude, and practices could be useful for reducing the risk of the disease in the area. On the other hand, the suitable areas for the establishment of O. ovis which has been clarified with the model could be used for focusing on the preventive measures in the area.Keywords: Modeling; Knowledge; Attitude; Practice; Human Myiasis; Iran
APOBEC3G Variant (rs6001417) CG and GG Genotypes and their protective feature against HIV-1 Infection in Pakistani Dwelled Community
Get PDFBackground: APOBEC3G (Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3G) gene is one of the genetic host factors, have been linked with HIV-1 AIDS predisposing and protection in different residence populations. The investigation of genetic marker (APOBEC3G) variant (rs6001417) CC, CG and GG genotypes in Pakistan.Methods: The extraction of DNA, the DNA Rapid Salting-out method was used. Then the observed DNA with electrophoresis technique referred for quantitative real-time PCR to identify the APOBEC3G variant rs6001417 genotypes and Taq Man genotyping. Results: Three genotypes of rs6001417 (CC, CG and GG) were compared both in HIV-1 infected patients and healthy control groups (p=0.73, p=0.007, p=0.01 respectively). The rs6001417 CG and GG genotype demonstrated a significant involvement in both the healthy and infected individuals and portraying possible protective effect against HIV-1 infection with predictive value of 36.43% and 13.57% respectively.Conclusion: APOBEC3G (rs6001417) CG and GG genotypes may have a protective feature in the progression of HIV-1 infection and we may use this as a preliminary predictive marker in the country for HIV-1 infected individuals as well.Keywords: HIV-1; APOBEC3G; Predictive marker; Predictive value; Real-time PC
Metabolic and molecular effects of edible oils on PPAR modulators in rabbit liver
Get PDFBackground: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors are the receptors that switch-on DNA responding elements as heterodimers with nuclear retinoic acid. These are the transcription factors and belong to the family of nuclear receptors and key regulators for lipid and glucose metabolism.Methods: The study was designed to investigate the effect of edible oil on PPAR Alpha & Gamma expression on rabbit liver.Results: Reduced Glutathione (GSH) activity showed a significant increase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity showed a significant decrease in batch II and batch III in comparison to control group was observed. Out of the total 3 batches, an increase was significantly increased in batch III (160%) in comparison to batch II (151%). Inedible oil-treated Batches, PPAR α, and PPAR γ levels were found to decrease significantly for the control batch. The decrease in PPAR alpha levels in batch II and batch III was 1.7 and 2.2 fold with p<0.01. In the case of PPAR gamma, the corresponding values increased by 1.6 and 2.4 fold respectively with p<0.01.Conclusion: The study demonstrated that edible oil supplementation significantly increases mRNA levels up to two-fold in comparison to the control batch. Keywords: PPARα; PPARγ; Edible oil; Reduced glutathione; Glutathione peroxidase
Rhizobacterial mediated antimetabolites and their significant effect on human pathogens
Get PDFBackground: The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is increasing globally. Therefore, new strategies and exploration of new metabolites are need of the day to combat various diseases. The aim of the current study is to isolate the rhizobacterial strains from medicinal plants to examine their antibacterial activity against human pathogens.Methods: The total 239 rhizobacterial isolates were screened with agar plug and well diffusion methods, characterized biochemically and identified by Bergey’s manual scheme. In chemical screening, metabolic extracts of rhizobacterial isolates were separated in thin layer chromatography (TLC) and further identified by HPLC. The ability of rhizobacterial strains for optimum metabolite production was checked in vitro under different environmental conditions.Results: Results showed that 31% isolates had antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, E. coccus, E. coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC20737, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 and Neisseria. Gonorrhea ATCC19424, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus 1, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus 6 and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus 8. Maximum rhizobacterial strains showed best antibacterial activity at 35ᵒC and at pH7. ST5 strain showed significant results against E. coli ETCC and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus-7 (25mm zone of inhibition). The bands of ST5 and ST2 extracts on a TLC plate were detected at Rf value 4.7 and 4.8 respectively. In HPLC, different peaks at different retention times with maximum peak at 2.90 and 2.92 indicating the production of antimetabolites.Conclusion: These rhizobacterial isolates are valuable inputs in natural consortium to produce specific antibacterial metabolites. Demonstrating the structure and purification of these bioactive compounds may enhance the antimicrobial activities which further can be helpful in development of antibiotics.Keywords: Antibiotics; Rhizobacteria; Antimicrobial agents; MRSA; HPL
Hyperhomocysteinemia: The independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases
Get PDFHyperhomocysteinemia (Hcy) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated with primary causes of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Association between Hcy and CVD has been a question for biologists over the last five decades. The circulating levels of Hcy can be increased by defects in enzymes involved in the metabolism of several B and therefore for homocysteine. Although researchers have yielded conflicting findings on the link between homocysteine and CVD risk, but there is convincing evidence on link between B vitamin deficiencies and increased CVD risk. This review identifies the research conducted on this subject matter and provides a framework for the factors associated with Hcy and CVD.Keywords: Hyperhomocysteinemia; CVD; Methionine; Homocystein