Purpose of the study: This study was designed to explore the socio-cultural impediments to female... more Purpose of the study: This study was designed to explore the socio-cultural impediments to females getting higher education in pakhtun society. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative research method was conducted in district Dir lower Pakistan. A well-structured interviewed schedule (encompassing all the study attributes) was used for primary data collection from 375 female respondents after the pre-test procedure. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics(x2 test) to ascertain the association between dependent (female higher education) and independent (sociocultural impediments) variables. Principal Findings: Based on the study results, a significant association (P=0.000) was found between the dependent variable and sociocultural attributes; the prevalence of patriarchal norms (P=0.00), preferences of early marriages (P=0.00), fear of sexual harassment (P=0.00), parents carelessness (P=0.00), Parda (veiling for women and protecting their ...
Ebola virus is a highly pathogenic RNA virus that causes haemorrhagic fever in human. With very h... more Ebola virus is a highly pathogenic RNA virus that causes haemorrhagic fever in human. With very high mortality rate, Ebola virus is considered as one of the dangerous viruses in the world. Although, the Ebola outbreaks claimed many lives in the past, no satisfactory treatment or vaccine have been discovered yet to fight against Ebola. For this reason, in this study, various tools of bioinformatics and immunoinformatics were used to design possible vaccines against Zaire Ebola virus strain Mayinga-76. To construct the vaccine, three potential antigenic proteins of the virus, matrix protein VP40, envelope glycoprotein and nucleoprotein were selected against which the vaccines would be designed. The MHC class-I, MHC class-II and B-cell epitopes were determined and after robust analysis through various tools and molecular docking analysis, three vaccine candidates, designated as EV-1, EV-2 and EV-3, were constructed. Since the highly conserved epitopes were used for vaccine construction...
Purpose: This review features a generalized overview of dengue outbreaks, dengue pathogenesis, sy... more Purpose: This review features a generalized overview of dengue outbreaks, dengue pathogenesis, symptoms, immune response, diagnosis methods and preventive measures which facilitates the better understanding of the global expansion and concerns relating to the disease. Recent Findings: A recent study showed that natural killer cells of the infected person become activated soon after the infection which may help in treatment and vaccine development. A research team has also produced synthetically engineered mosquitoes that can prevent the transmission and dissemination of the dengue virus by the activation of an antibody. Furthermore, a mutation in the protein envelope of the dengue virus leads to variation in shapes, developing resistance towards the vaccine. Summary: The increasing number of reported cases indicated the worldwide distribution of the mosquito vectors, which was further facilitated by the growth in the shipping and commerce industries. The immune system, through activ...
The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus obstructed the Chinese economy and has expanded to the re... more The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus obstructed the Chinese economy and has expanded to the rest of the world at a rapid pace affecting at least 215 countries, areas and territories. The advancement of the disease and its economic repercussions is profoundly ambiguous, making it challenging for policymakers to formulate suitable microeconomic and macroeconomic policy responses. The scenarios in this paper illustrate how an outbreak could significantly affect the global economy in the short run. It has been estimated that each additional month of crisis would cost from about 2.5-3% of the global GDP and that the GDP growth would take a blow, reaching about 3-6%, depending on the country. Scenarios also suggest that GDP can drop by more than 10% and even exceed 15% in some countries. Via addressing the economic consequence of COVID-19 in different industries and countries, the paper presents assessments of the likely global economic costs of COVID-19 and the GDP growth of different...
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most demolishing form of pancreatic cancer with po... more Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most demolishing form of pancreatic cancer with poor prognosis and rising incidence. Difficulties in the early detection and aggressive biological nature of this disease are responsible for most of the therapeutic failures. In this study publicly available microarray expression data of full RNA from peripheral blood of PDAC patient has been utilized via network-based approach in order to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers and drug targets for early diagnosis and treatment of PDAC. Analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed their predominant involvement in translational process, apoptotic process, protein phosphorylation, immune responses, ATP binding, protein binding and signal transduction. Moreover, CREBBP, MAPK14, MAPK1, SMAD3, UBC, MAGOH, HSP90AB1, RPL23A, ACTB and STAT3 were identified as the best proteome signatures, GATA2, FOXC1, PPARG, E2F1, HINFP, USF2, MEF2A, FOXL1, YY1 and NFIC were identified as the best tra...
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative age-related dementia that ... more Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative age-related dementia that results in memory loss of elderly people. Many hypotheses have been formally articulated till now to decipher the pathogenesis of this disease. According to the compelling amyloidogenic hypothesis, β-secretase is a key regulatory enzyme in AD development and is therefore considered as one of the major targets for the development of drugs to treat AD. In this study, 40 plant-derived phytocompounds, proven to have β-secretase inhibitory activity in different laboratory experiments, were evaluated using computational approaches in order to identify the best possible β-secretase inhibitor(s). Results Amentoflavone (IFD score: − 7.842 Kcal/mol), Bilobetin (IFD score: − 7.417 Kcal/mol), and Ellagic acid (IFD score: − 6.923 Kcal/mol) showed highest β-secretase inhibitory activities with high binding affinity among all the selected phytocompounds and interacted with key amino acids, i.e., Asp32,...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Gamma delta T-cells are commonly found in response to Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice, w... more Gamma delta T-cells are commonly found in response to Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice, whereas this same immunological response has only been reported a few times in vivo in humans. Moreover, gamma delta T-cell response in cerebral spinal fluid samples in conjunction with Listeria meningitis has never been described in medical literature to date. Thus, we describe a 64-year-old male who presented with altered mental status, fever, and neck stiffness. After lumbar puncture revealed elevated glucose, protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and white blood cell count, further cytologic analysis was indicated. The CSF showed a markedly hypercellular sample with a lymphocytic pleocytosis, including some enlarged forms with irregular nuclear contours, and rare macrophage containing intracytoplasmic bacteria. Lymphocyte immunophenotyping was performed via flow cytometric analysis, which ultimately revealed a prominent CD4/CD8 negative T-cell population, suggestive of a gamma delta T-cell ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Although neuroblastoma is one of the most common extra-cranial tumors in the pediatric population... more Although neuroblastoma is one of the most common extra-cranial tumors in the pediatric population, it is rarely seen as a metastasis to the mandibular bone. The following is a case report of a 3-year-old male who initially presented with a submandibular mass that was proven to be a poorly differentiated metastatic neuroblastoma through excisional biopsy. This report is one of the few case reports that demonstrates metastatic submandibular neuroblastoma with mandibular bone involvement in the pediatric population.
Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2021
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is supposed to cause vitamin D deficiency in man... more The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is supposed to cause vitamin D deficiency in many people by a direct effect of home quarantine in the affected countries. Generally, vitamin D provides human body with significant health benefits including bone development, specific gene regulation and protection against different diseases. However, deficiency of optimal amount of vitamin D inside human body may result in susceptibility to multiple infectious diseases. Therefore, with vitamin D levels gravely decreased by reduced movement and activity, a number of possible negative outcomes are expected in COVID-19 patients, pregnant women and children during this ongoing pandemic. Vitamin D has a direct inhibitory effect on post infection through a number of mechanisms that promises to make vitamin D a future adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 treatment. Besides, clinical evidence also supports its role in preventing pregnancy complications and improving pregnancy outcomes. Consistent w...
Klatskin Tumor in the Light of ICD-O-3: A Population-Based Clinical Outcome Study Involving 1,144 Patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) Database (2001-2012)
Rare Lower Extremity Fibrosarcomatous Variant of Dermatofibrosarcoma With Myxoid Features Treated With Transtibial Amputation
Cureus
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon soft tissue tumor originating from the derm... more Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon soft tissue tumor originating from the dermis, with high rates of local recurrence and invasive growth but low likelihood of distant metastasis. Fibrosarcomatous transformation (FS-DFSP) of DFSP accounts for approximately 5-15% of DFSP tumors, is a higher-grade tumor, with higher chances of metastasis and poorer prognosis. We present a case of a 66-year-old female presented with a large fungating mass on the left dorsal foot. Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy with immunohistochemistry suggested a spindle cell neoplasm, favoring myxofibrosarcoma with intermediate grade. The patient elected for below-knee amputation over limb salvage with wide resection and free flap reconstruction. Based on clinical presentation, radiologic, histologic features and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies confirmed the diagnosis of fibrosarcomatous variant of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with myxoid change. FS-DFSP with myxoid change is a rare soft tissue tumor that requires aggressive treatment due to its high rates of recurrence. This case presents a rare tumor in a unique location that was successfully treated with limb amputation, which is not documented in current literature.
A piperazine (PZ)-promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution for a carbon dioxide (CO2) remova... more A piperazine (PZ)-promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution for a carbon dioxide (CO2) removal process from the flue gas of a large-scale coal power plant has been simulated. An Aspen Plus® was used to perform the simulation process. Initially, the effects of MDEA/PZ concentration ratio and stripper pressure on the regeneration energy of CO2 capture process were investigated. The MDEA/PZ concentration ratio of 35/15 wt.% (35 wt. MDEA and 15 wt.% PZ) was selected as an appropriate concentration. The reboiler duty of 3.235 MJ/kg CO2 was obtained at 35/15 wt.% concentration ratio of MDEA/PZ. It was considered a reference or base case, and process modifications including rich vapor compression (RVC) process, cold solvent split (CSS), and the combination of both processes were investigated to check its effect on the energy requirement. A total equivalent work of 0.7 MJe/kg CO2 in the RVC and a reboiler duty of 2.78 MJ/kg CO2 was achieved in the CSS process. Similarly, the total equiv...
Curcumin analogs as the inhibitors of TLR4 pathway in inflammation and their drug like potentialities: a computer-based study
Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction
Abstract Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is one of the major pathways that mediate the inflam... more Abstract Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is one of the major pathways that mediate the inflammation in human body. There are different anti-inflammatory drugs available in the market which specifically act on different signaling proteins of TLR4 pathway but they do have few side effects and other limitations for intended use in human body. In this study, Curcumin and its different analogs have been analyzed as the inhibitors of signaling proteins, i.e. Cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), inhibitor of kappaβ kinase (IKK) and TANK binding kinase-1 (TBK-1) of TLR4 pathway using different computational tools. Initially, three compounds were selected for respective target based on free binding energy among which different compounds were reported to have better binding affinity than commercially available drug (control). Upon continuous computational exploration with induced fit docking (IFD), 6-Gingerol, Yakuchinone A and Yakuchinone B were identified as the best inhibitors of COX-2, IKK, and TBK-1 respectively. Then their drug-like potentialities were analyzed in different experiments where they were also predicted to perform well. Hopefully, this study will uphold the efforts of researchers to identify anti-inflammatory drugs from natural sources.
The novel coronavirus known to have brought the world to a standstill is responsible for many dea... more The novel coronavirus known to have brought the world to a standstill is responsible for many deaths throughout the globe as of now. The causative agent (SARS-CoV-2) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been recognized as a zoonotic transfer. Although, the medium of animal-human transmission is still unknown, bats maybe a potential reservoir of this novel strain. Due to its high rate of transmission the most favorable way of limiting the outbreak's extent is by early diagnosis followed by isolation of the infected individuals. So far, the most widely used diagnosis methods are RT-qPCR which detects specific sequences of the viral RNA. Some other methods include serological tests and the recently introduced CRISPR-CAS-12 based assays. As of now, no specific therapeutic treatments are known for COVID-19 however the use of some broad-spectrum antiviral drugs and convalescent plasma therapy have demonstrated positive outcomes. Apart from these treatments, vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 is also in progress by 17 known companies. This article provides a comprehensive insight on the recently emerged Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) including its origin, transmission mechanism, pathophysiology and updated treatment methods.
The flow of conducting Carreau fluid on a permeable stretching/shrinking surface is analytically ... more The flow of conducting Carreau fluid on a permeable stretching/shrinking surface is analytically investigated by considering the thermal radiation, mass transfer, and cross diffusion effects. A uniform external magnetic field is employed which gives rise to Hall current. The nonlinear PDEs are converted to a set of ODEs using similarity transformations. The developed ODEs are solved using the well established mathematical procedure of Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The influence of associated parameters over the state variables of the Carreau fluid are analytically studied and discussed through different graphs. It is found that fluid velocity augments (drops) with the rising power law index and Hall parameter (velocity slip and material parameters). The temperature field increases with the higher Dufour number and radiation parameter values, and decreases with larger Prandtl number. The concentration field augments with the larger Soret number and velocity slip parameter values wh...
This paper is purposed to delineate the current situation around Bangladesh as well as impacts of... more This paper is purposed to delineate the current situation around Bangladesh as well as impacts of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) around the country and how the people over here are encountering this threatening pandemic. COVID-19 is an international epidemic that has got rapid wide-spread throughout different countries of the world to date. After its first outbreak in China different continents started to make sense and get aware against COVID-19 though, due to its special strategy of transmission several countries have been quite deteriorated preventing it. All the countries are moving at their best forward to find out any solution so that whole world could get rid of this horrifying situation as soon as possible. The authors here have reported an overview of how the outbreak of COVID-19 had put its commence in Bangladesh and to date how people over here have been tracing the way to tackle this havoc. Also, the changes that have brought around due to the crisis have offered us...
Electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opals for optical storage application
Chemical Engineering Journal
Abstract Reversible modulated upconversion luminescence exhibits an application potential as the ... more Abstract Reversible modulated upconversion luminescence exhibits an application potential as the photo-switch, fingerprint acquisition, anti-counterfeiting and optical storage devices. It is found that the photochromism and thermochromism could be applied to modify the upconversion luminescence. However, the electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation was not reported. Here, the WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was prepared by the template approach, and its electrochromism property was investigated. The color changing of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal from a bit yellow to black was observed upon the negative bias voltage stimulation, and its color can be recovered upon the positive bias voltage stimulation. For the first time, the electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was observed, exhibiting a high modulation degree (100%). In addition, the reversibly modulated upconversion luminescence exhibited excellent repeatability and stability by alternating stimulation between negative bias voltage and positive bias voltage. The present results open up a new channel to modulate the upconversion luminescence of materials, exhibiting the application potential in the switch, anti-counterfeiting and optical storage devices. As an instance, the application potential of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was described as an optical storage medium, and the optical date writing and reading out were obtained in the electrochromic WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal.
Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan
Renewable Energy
Abstract We investigate the photovoltaic (PV) power losses due to soiling for Lahore, Pakistan fo... more Abstract We investigate the photovoltaic (PV) power losses due to soiling for Lahore, Pakistan for solar panels. Optimized cleaning schedules are proposed incorporating the effect of solar panels’ tilt angle and the method (manual vs. automatic) for cleaning. Output power losses and dust accumulation on solar panels were measured at variable tilt angles for a period of 120 days at an open roof top location in Lahore. The relative soiling losses for monofacial vs. bifacial (constructed by stacking two back to back monofacial) solar panels were compared for two different panel orientations, i.e., south faced tilted panels vs. East/West faced vertical panels. We found that the soiling rate for Lahore was consistently around 0.8% per day for 30° tilted panel (for the measurement period between October to January), which is among one of the highest soiling rates reported for various urban locations across South Asian and Gulf regions. A dust accumulation rate of 0.01 − 0.02 m g / c m 2 per day was recorded for panels that were fixed at 30° tilt. The variation for soiling/dust deposition rates was found to be negligible for different dry periods spanning between October and January. The chemistry and composition of the dust were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and, electron dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Large contents of carbon and quartz were found in the dust collected from the samples through EDX and XRD analysis. High carbon contents in the accumulated dust are attributed to air pollutants and could be a contributing factor for the high soiling rate. For manual cleaning, the optimal cleaning schedule was calculated to be about once per week for panels at 30° tilt, and, once every three weeks for panels at 90° tilt.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease that leads to gradu... more Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease that leads to gradual decline in lung function. The molecular mechanism and risk factors of this disease are still obscure. Poorly understood etiology of this disease is the major obstacle in the identification of potential biomarkers and drug targets. In this study, microarray gene expression data of normal and IPF patient has been utilized for the statistical analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a view to identifying potential molecular signatures using network-based system. Then their functional enrichment analysis revealed their predominant involvement in transcription, protein acetylation, extracellular matrix organization, apoptic process, inflammatory response etc. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network revealed (UBC, PTEN, SOS1, PTK2, FGFR1, YAP1, FOXO1, RACK1, BMP4 and CD44) as hub proteins in IPF. Subsequent regulatory network analysis suggested (E2F1, STAT3, PPARG, MEF2A, FO...
Purpose of the study: This study was designed to explore the socio-cultural impediments to female... more Purpose of the study: This study was designed to explore the socio-cultural impediments to females getting higher education in pakhtun society. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative research method was conducted in district Dir lower Pakistan. A well-structured interviewed schedule (encompassing all the study attributes) was used for primary data collection from 375 female respondents after the pre-test procedure. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics(x2 test) to ascertain the association between dependent (female higher education) and independent (sociocultural impediments) variables. Principal Findings: Based on the study results, a significant association (P=0.000) was found between the dependent variable and sociocultural attributes; the prevalence of patriarchal norms (P=0.00), preferences of early marriages (P=0.00), fear of sexual harassment (P=0.00), parents carelessness (P=0.00), Parda (veiling for women and protecting their ...
Ebola virus is a highly pathogenic RNA virus that causes haemorrhagic fever in human. With very h... more Ebola virus is a highly pathogenic RNA virus that causes haemorrhagic fever in human. With very high mortality rate, Ebola virus is considered as one of the dangerous viruses in the world. Although, the Ebola outbreaks claimed many lives in the past, no satisfactory treatment or vaccine have been discovered yet to fight against Ebola. For this reason, in this study, various tools of bioinformatics and immunoinformatics were used to design possible vaccines against Zaire Ebola virus strain Mayinga-76. To construct the vaccine, three potential antigenic proteins of the virus, matrix protein VP40, envelope glycoprotein and nucleoprotein were selected against which the vaccines would be designed. The MHC class-I, MHC class-II and B-cell epitopes were determined and after robust analysis through various tools and molecular docking analysis, three vaccine candidates, designated as EV-1, EV-2 and EV-3, were constructed. Since the highly conserved epitopes were used for vaccine construction...
Purpose: This review features a generalized overview of dengue outbreaks, dengue pathogenesis, sy... more Purpose: This review features a generalized overview of dengue outbreaks, dengue pathogenesis, symptoms, immune response, diagnosis methods and preventive measures which facilitates the better understanding of the global expansion and concerns relating to the disease. Recent Findings: A recent study showed that natural killer cells of the infected person become activated soon after the infection which may help in treatment and vaccine development. A research team has also produced synthetically engineered mosquitoes that can prevent the transmission and dissemination of the dengue virus by the activation of an antibody. Furthermore, a mutation in the protein envelope of the dengue virus leads to variation in shapes, developing resistance towards the vaccine. Summary: The increasing number of reported cases indicated the worldwide distribution of the mosquito vectors, which was further facilitated by the growth in the shipping and commerce industries. The immune system, through activ...
The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus obstructed the Chinese economy and has expanded to the re... more The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus obstructed the Chinese economy and has expanded to the rest of the world at a rapid pace affecting at least 215 countries, areas and territories. The advancement of the disease and its economic repercussions is profoundly ambiguous, making it challenging for policymakers to formulate suitable microeconomic and macroeconomic policy responses. The scenarios in this paper illustrate how an outbreak could significantly affect the global economy in the short run. It has been estimated that each additional month of crisis would cost from about 2.5-3% of the global GDP and that the GDP growth would take a blow, reaching about 3-6%, depending on the country. Scenarios also suggest that GDP can drop by more than 10% and even exceed 15% in some countries. Via addressing the economic consequence of COVID-19 in different industries and countries, the paper presents assessments of the likely global economic costs of COVID-19 and the GDP growth of different...
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most demolishing form of pancreatic cancer with po... more Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most demolishing form of pancreatic cancer with poor prognosis and rising incidence. Difficulties in the early detection and aggressive biological nature of this disease are responsible for most of the therapeutic failures. In this study publicly available microarray expression data of full RNA from peripheral blood of PDAC patient has been utilized via network-based approach in order to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers and drug targets for early diagnosis and treatment of PDAC. Analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed their predominant involvement in translational process, apoptotic process, protein phosphorylation, immune responses, ATP binding, protein binding and signal transduction. Moreover, CREBBP, MAPK14, MAPK1, SMAD3, UBC, MAGOH, HSP90AB1, RPL23A, ACTB and STAT3 were identified as the best proteome signatures, GATA2, FOXC1, PPARG, E2F1, HINFP, USF2, MEF2A, FOXL1, YY1 and NFIC were identified as the best tra...
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative age-related dementia that ... more Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative age-related dementia that results in memory loss of elderly people. Many hypotheses have been formally articulated till now to decipher the pathogenesis of this disease. According to the compelling amyloidogenic hypothesis, β-secretase is a key regulatory enzyme in AD development and is therefore considered as one of the major targets for the development of drugs to treat AD. In this study, 40 plant-derived phytocompounds, proven to have β-secretase inhibitory activity in different laboratory experiments, were evaluated using computational approaches in order to identify the best possible β-secretase inhibitor(s). Results Amentoflavone (IFD score: − 7.842 Kcal/mol), Bilobetin (IFD score: − 7.417 Kcal/mol), and Ellagic acid (IFD score: − 6.923 Kcal/mol) showed highest β-secretase inhibitory activities with high binding affinity among all the selected phytocompounds and interacted with key amino acids, i.e., Asp32,...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Gamma delta T-cells are commonly found in response to Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice, w... more Gamma delta T-cells are commonly found in response to Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice, whereas this same immunological response has only been reported a few times in vivo in humans. Moreover, gamma delta T-cell response in cerebral spinal fluid samples in conjunction with Listeria meningitis has never been described in medical literature to date. Thus, we describe a 64-year-old male who presented with altered mental status, fever, and neck stiffness. After lumbar puncture revealed elevated glucose, protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and white blood cell count, further cytologic analysis was indicated. The CSF showed a markedly hypercellular sample with a lymphocytic pleocytosis, including some enlarged forms with irregular nuclear contours, and rare macrophage containing intracytoplasmic bacteria. Lymphocyte immunophenotyping was performed via flow cytometric analysis, which ultimately revealed a prominent CD4/CD8 negative T-cell population, suggestive of a gamma delta T-cell ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Although neuroblastoma is one of the most common extra-cranial tumors in the pediatric population... more Although neuroblastoma is one of the most common extra-cranial tumors in the pediatric population, it is rarely seen as a metastasis to the mandibular bone. The following is a case report of a 3-year-old male who initially presented with a submandibular mass that was proven to be a poorly differentiated metastatic neuroblastoma through excisional biopsy. This report is one of the few case reports that demonstrates metastatic submandibular neuroblastoma with mandibular bone involvement in the pediatric population.
Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2021
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is supposed to cause vitamin D deficiency in man... more The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is supposed to cause vitamin D deficiency in many people by a direct effect of home quarantine in the affected countries. Generally, vitamin D provides human body with significant health benefits including bone development, specific gene regulation and protection against different diseases. However, deficiency of optimal amount of vitamin D inside human body may result in susceptibility to multiple infectious diseases. Therefore, with vitamin D levels gravely decreased by reduced movement and activity, a number of possible negative outcomes are expected in COVID-19 patients, pregnant women and children during this ongoing pandemic. Vitamin D has a direct inhibitory effect on post infection through a number of mechanisms that promises to make vitamin D a future adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 treatment. Besides, clinical evidence also supports its role in preventing pregnancy complications and improving pregnancy outcomes. Consistent w...
Klatskin Tumor in the Light of ICD-O-3: A Population-Based Clinical Outcome Study Involving 1,144 Patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) Database (2001-2012)
Rare Lower Extremity Fibrosarcomatous Variant of Dermatofibrosarcoma With Myxoid Features Treated With Transtibial Amputation
Cureus
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon soft tissue tumor originating from the derm... more Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon soft tissue tumor originating from the dermis, with high rates of local recurrence and invasive growth but low likelihood of distant metastasis. Fibrosarcomatous transformation (FS-DFSP) of DFSP accounts for approximately 5-15% of DFSP tumors, is a higher-grade tumor, with higher chances of metastasis and poorer prognosis. We present a case of a 66-year-old female presented with a large fungating mass on the left dorsal foot. Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy with immunohistochemistry suggested a spindle cell neoplasm, favoring myxofibrosarcoma with intermediate grade. The patient elected for below-knee amputation over limb salvage with wide resection and free flap reconstruction. Based on clinical presentation, radiologic, histologic features and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies confirmed the diagnosis of fibrosarcomatous variant of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with myxoid change. FS-DFSP with myxoid change is a rare soft tissue tumor that requires aggressive treatment due to its high rates of recurrence. This case presents a rare tumor in a unique location that was successfully treated with limb amputation, which is not documented in current literature.
A piperazine (PZ)-promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution for a carbon dioxide (CO2) remova... more A piperazine (PZ)-promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution for a carbon dioxide (CO2) removal process from the flue gas of a large-scale coal power plant has been simulated. An Aspen Plus® was used to perform the simulation process. Initially, the effects of MDEA/PZ concentration ratio and stripper pressure on the regeneration energy of CO2 capture process were investigated. The MDEA/PZ concentration ratio of 35/15 wt.% (35 wt. MDEA and 15 wt.% PZ) was selected as an appropriate concentration. The reboiler duty of 3.235 MJ/kg CO2 was obtained at 35/15 wt.% concentration ratio of MDEA/PZ. It was considered a reference or base case, and process modifications including rich vapor compression (RVC) process, cold solvent split (CSS), and the combination of both processes were investigated to check its effect on the energy requirement. A total equivalent work of 0.7 MJe/kg CO2 in the RVC and a reboiler duty of 2.78 MJ/kg CO2 was achieved in the CSS process. Similarly, the total equiv...
Curcumin analogs as the inhibitors of TLR4 pathway in inflammation and their drug like potentialities: a computer-based study
Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction
Abstract Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is one of the major pathways that mediate the inflam... more Abstract Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is one of the major pathways that mediate the inflammation in human body. There are different anti-inflammatory drugs available in the market which specifically act on different signaling proteins of TLR4 pathway but they do have few side effects and other limitations for intended use in human body. In this study, Curcumin and its different analogs have been analyzed as the inhibitors of signaling proteins, i.e. Cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), inhibitor of kappaβ kinase (IKK) and TANK binding kinase-1 (TBK-1) of TLR4 pathway using different computational tools. Initially, three compounds were selected for respective target based on free binding energy among which different compounds were reported to have better binding affinity than commercially available drug (control). Upon continuous computational exploration with induced fit docking (IFD), 6-Gingerol, Yakuchinone A and Yakuchinone B were identified as the best inhibitors of COX-2, IKK, and TBK-1 respectively. Then their drug-like potentialities were analyzed in different experiments where they were also predicted to perform well. Hopefully, this study will uphold the efforts of researchers to identify anti-inflammatory drugs from natural sources.
The novel coronavirus known to have brought the world to a standstill is responsible for many dea... more The novel coronavirus known to have brought the world to a standstill is responsible for many deaths throughout the globe as of now. The causative agent (SARS-CoV-2) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been recognized as a zoonotic transfer. Although, the medium of animal-human transmission is still unknown, bats maybe a potential reservoir of this novel strain. Due to its high rate of transmission the most favorable way of limiting the outbreak's extent is by early diagnosis followed by isolation of the infected individuals. So far, the most widely used diagnosis methods are RT-qPCR which detects specific sequences of the viral RNA. Some other methods include serological tests and the recently introduced CRISPR-CAS-12 based assays. As of now, no specific therapeutic treatments are known for COVID-19 however the use of some broad-spectrum antiviral drugs and convalescent plasma therapy have demonstrated positive outcomes. Apart from these treatments, vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 is also in progress by 17 known companies. This article provides a comprehensive insight on the recently emerged Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) including its origin, transmission mechanism, pathophysiology and updated treatment methods.
The flow of conducting Carreau fluid on a permeable stretching/shrinking surface is analytically ... more The flow of conducting Carreau fluid on a permeable stretching/shrinking surface is analytically investigated by considering the thermal radiation, mass transfer, and cross diffusion effects. A uniform external magnetic field is employed which gives rise to Hall current. The nonlinear PDEs are converted to a set of ODEs using similarity transformations. The developed ODEs are solved using the well established mathematical procedure of Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The influence of associated parameters over the state variables of the Carreau fluid are analytically studied and discussed through different graphs. It is found that fluid velocity augments (drops) with the rising power law index and Hall parameter (velocity slip and material parameters). The temperature field increases with the higher Dufour number and radiation parameter values, and decreases with larger Prandtl number. The concentration field augments with the larger Soret number and velocity slip parameter values wh...
This paper is purposed to delineate the current situation around Bangladesh as well as impacts of... more This paper is purposed to delineate the current situation around Bangladesh as well as impacts of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) around the country and how the people over here are encountering this threatening pandemic. COVID-19 is an international epidemic that has got rapid wide-spread throughout different countries of the world to date. After its first outbreak in China different continents started to make sense and get aware against COVID-19 though, due to its special strategy of transmission several countries have been quite deteriorated preventing it. All the countries are moving at their best forward to find out any solution so that whole world could get rid of this horrifying situation as soon as possible. The authors here have reported an overview of how the outbreak of COVID-19 had put its commence in Bangladesh and to date how people over here have been tracing the way to tackle this havoc. Also, the changes that have brought around due to the crisis have offered us...
Electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opals for optical storage application
Chemical Engineering Journal
Abstract Reversible modulated upconversion luminescence exhibits an application potential as the ... more Abstract Reversible modulated upconversion luminescence exhibits an application potential as the photo-switch, fingerprint acquisition, anti-counterfeiting and optical storage devices. It is found that the photochromism and thermochromism could be applied to modify the upconversion luminescence. However, the electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation was not reported. Here, the WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was prepared by the template approach, and its electrochromism property was investigated. The color changing of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal from a bit yellow to black was observed upon the negative bias voltage stimulation, and its color can be recovered upon the positive bias voltage stimulation. For the first time, the electrochromism induced reversible upconversion luminescence modulation of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was observed, exhibiting a high modulation degree (100%). In addition, the reversibly modulated upconversion luminescence exhibited excellent repeatability and stability by alternating stimulation between negative bias voltage and positive bias voltage. The present results open up a new channel to modulate the upconversion luminescence of materials, exhibiting the application potential in the switch, anti-counterfeiting and optical storage devices. As an instance, the application potential of WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal was described as an optical storage medium, and the optical date writing and reading out were obtained in the electrochromic WO3:Yb3+, Er3+ inverse opal.
Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan
Renewable Energy
Abstract We investigate the photovoltaic (PV) power losses due to soiling for Lahore, Pakistan fo... more Abstract We investigate the photovoltaic (PV) power losses due to soiling for Lahore, Pakistan for solar panels. Optimized cleaning schedules are proposed incorporating the effect of solar panels’ tilt angle and the method (manual vs. automatic) for cleaning. Output power losses and dust accumulation on solar panels were measured at variable tilt angles for a period of 120 days at an open roof top location in Lahore. The relative soiling losses for monofacial vs. bifacial (constructed by stacking two back to back monofacial) solar panels were compared for two different panel orientations, i.e., south faced tilted panels vs. East/West faced vertical panels. We found that the soiling rate for Lahore was consistently around 0.8% per day for 30° tilted panel (for the measurement period between October to January), which is among one of the highest soiling rates reported for various urban locations across South Asian and Gulf regions. A dust accumulation rate of 0.01 − 0.02 m g / c m 2 per day was recorded for panels that were fixed at 30° tilt. The variation for soiling/dust deposition rates was found to be negligible for different dry periods spanning between October and January. The chemistry and composition of the dust were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and, electron dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Large contents of carbon and quartz were found in the dust collected from the samples through EDX and XRD analysis. High carbon contents in the accumulated dust are attributed to air pollutants and could be a contributing factor for the high soiling rate. For manual cleaning, the optimal cleaning schedule was calculated to be about once per week for panels at 30° tilt, and, once every three weeks for panels at 90° tilt.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease that leads to gradu... more Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease that leads to gradual decline in lung function. The molecular mechanism and risk factors of this disease are still obscure. Poorly understood etiology of this disease is the major obstacle in the identification of potential biomarkers and drug targets. In this study, microarray gene expression data of normal and IPF patient has been utilized for the statistical analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a view to identifying potential molecular signatures using network-based system. Then their functional enrichment analysis revealed their predominant involvement in transcription, protein acetylation, extracellular matrix organization, apoptic process, inflammatory response etc. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network revealed (UBC, PTEN, SOS1, PTK2, FGFR1, YAP1, FOXO1, RACK1, BMP4 and CD44) as hub proteins in IPF. Subsequent regulatory network analysis suggested (E2F1, STAT3, PPARG, MEF2A, FO...
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