3 research outputs found
Evaluating the current ecological status and proposing rehabilitation interventions for the low flooded riparian reserve forest in Punjab Pakistan
No full textAim of Study: The complex community of riparian reserve forest has become of great concern for researchers to develop more viable management strategies. The paper aimed to evaluate the current structural diversity of vegetation and its association with the physical environment of low-lying forest for proposing the rehabilitation interventions. Area of Study: We studied two forests, Chung-Mohlanwal and Dhana-Bheni on both riverbanks along river Ravi in the Jhok riparian reserve forest situated in the southwest of Lahore, Pakistan.Material and Methods: A methodological framework was developed based firstly, on direct comparison of diversity (measured by Hill numbers) and structure of existed vegetation layers (trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses) and environmental factors (canopy structure, anthropogenic activities, microclimate, and soil characteristics) between the two forests and secondly, on environment-vegetation association using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) ordination method.Results: Dhana forest was more diverse vegetation layers (Shannon Diversity index 1D < 11) and intact due to plantation of uneven-aged tree stands of varied stand basal area and stem density. Microclimate under this forest could not support the dominant understory positively unlike the monoculture forest. On the contrary, Chung-Mohlanwal forest was under the influence of uncontrolled grazing activities, fuelwood extraction, and invasive species. Multivariate analysis CCA elucidated that most variance was shown by soil characteristics (38.5 %) for understory vegetation in both forests.Research Highlights: Overstory stand structure, species composition, distance to nearby communities, and soil characteristics should be considered for developing forest planting and management strategies.Keywords: Vegetation Structure; Hill Numbers; Grazing; Environment; Management.Abbreviation used: CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis); 1D (Shannon Diversity); Ca + Mg (Calcium + Magnesium); Na (Sodium); ECe (Electrical Conductivity); DBH (Diameter at Breast Height); IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature); SBA (Stand Basal area); BA (Basal Area); 0D (Richness); 2D (Simpson Index); IVI (Importance Value Index); LU (Livestock Unit); GPS (Global Positioning System); OC (Organic Carbon); OM (Organic matter); SAR (Sodium Adsorption Ratio); N (Nitrogen); P (Phosphorous); K (Potassium); DCA (Detrended Correspondence Analysis); S (Shrub); H (Herb); G (Grass)
Peripheral mRNA Expression and Prognostic Significance of Emotional Stress Biomarkers in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients
No full textEmotional stress is believed to be associated with increased tumor progression. Stress-induced epigenetic modifications can contribute to the severity of disease and poor prognosis in cancer patients. The current study aimed to investigate the expression profiles along with the prognostic significance of psychological stress-related genes in metastatic breast cancer patients, to rationalize the molecular link between emotional stress and cancer progression. We profiled the expression of selected stress-associated genes (5-HTT, NR3C1, OXTR, and FKBP5) in breast cancer including the stress evaluation of all participants using the Questionnaire on Distress in Cancer Patients–short form (QSC-R10). A survival database, the Kaplan–Meier Plotter, was used to explore the prognostic significance of these genes in breast cancer. Our results showed relatively low expressions of 5-HTT (p = 0.02) and OXTR (p = 0.0387) in metastatic breast cancer patients as compared to the non-metastatic group of patients. The expression of NR3C1 was low in tumor grade III as compared to grade II (p = 0.04). Additionally, the expression of NR3C1 was significantly higher in patients with positive estrogen receptor status. However, no significant difference was found regarding FKBP5 expression in breast cancer. The results suggest a potential implication of these genes in breast cancer pathology and prognosis
