| 1. |
- Khan, Mumtaz Ali, et al.
(författare)
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Health risks associated with radon concentrations in carbonate and evaporite sequences of the uranium-rich district Karak, Pakistan
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-665X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present research was carried out to investigate the behavior of radon (222Rn) concentrations over the carbonate and evaporite sequences and to assess the related health hazards. A total of 50 points from three different stratigraphic units, namely, the Bahadurkhel Salt, Jatta Gypsum, and the Kohat Formation of the Eocene age, were analyzed for radon concentrations in the district of Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Measurements for radon levels were made by using RAD7 of Durridge, United States. The highest average 222Rn concentration (16.5 Bq/L) was found in the limestone unit of the Kohat Formation of the Eocene age. However, the lowest radon levels were observed in the salt-bearing strata of the Bahadurkhel Salt of the Eocene age. The study revealed that the average radon concentration in all the lithologies varied in the order of RnLimestone > RnSalt > RnGypsum. The findings of the current research suggest that the study area is safe from radon-related health hazards.
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| 2. |
- Ahmad, Bashir, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Salicylic Acid and Amino Acid on Pea Plant (Pisum sativum) Late Season, Growth and Production
- 2023
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Ingår i: Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. - : HARD Publishing Company. - 1230-1485 .- 2083-5906. ; 32:3, s. 1987-1994
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salicylic acid and amino acid are plant growth promoters. Therefore, the study entitled "Effect of salicylic acid and amino acid on late season peas growth and production" was conducted. The study has two factors: amino acid (Glycine) and salicylic acid each having four levels that were sprayed on peas. Analysis of data showed that maximum germination percentage (92.50 %), plant height (63.16 cm), primary branches plant-1 (2.80), leaves plant-1 (264.27), leaf chlorophyll content (57.25 SPAD), pods plant-1 (49.25), seeds pod-1 (10.41), pod length (11.74 cm) and yield ha-1 (1922.5 kg) having least days to flowering and pod formation (50.13 and 5.12 days) were noted in 225 mg L-1 amino acid. Salicylic acid levels showed that maximum germination percentage (95.83 %) height of plants (71.85 cm), leaves plant-1 (257.13), primary branches plant-1 (3.25), leaf chlorophyll content (55.81 SPAD), pods plant-1 (52.16), seeds pod-1 (10.91), pod length(11.05 cm) and yield ha-1 (1895.0 kg) having least days to pod formation and flowering (5.26 and 48.30 days) were noted in salicylic acid level of 300 mg L-1. The combined effect of 225 mg L-1 amino acid and 300 mg L-1salicylic acid levels positively improved primary branches plant-1 (3.93), pod plant-1 (66.33), pod length (13.77 cm), seeds pod-1 (12.44), leaf chlorophyll content (64.49 SPAD) and maximum yield ha-1 (1942.66 kg). It is concluded that for higher growth and yield pea cultivar Climax when cultivated late could be applied with 225 mg L-1 amino acid and 300 mg L-1 salicylic under Peshawar climatic conditions.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Mushtaq, Iram, et al.
(författare)
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N-acetyl cysteine, selenium, and ascorbic acid rescue diabetic cardiac hypertrophy via mitochondrial-associated redox regulators
- 2021
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI AG. - 1420-3049. ; 26:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metabolic disorders often lead to cardiac complications. Metabolic deregulations during diabetic conditions are linked to mitochondrial dysfunctions, which are the key contributing factors in cardiac hypertrophy. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in diabetes-induced cardiac hypertrophy are poorly understood. In the current study, we initially established a diabetic rat model by alloxan-administration, which was validated by peripheral glucose measurement. Diabetic rats displayed myocardial stiffness and fibrosis, changes in heart weight/body weight, heart weight/tibia length ratios, and enhanced size of myocytes, which altogether demonstrated the establishment of diabetic cardiac hypertrophy (DCH). Furthermore, we examined the expression of genes associated with mitochondrial signaling impairment. Our data show that the expression of PGC-1α, cytochrome c, MFN-2, and Drp-1 was deregulated. Mitochondrial-signaling impairment was further validated by redox-system dysregulation, which showed a significant increase in ROS and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, both in serum and heart tissue, whereas the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione levels were decreased. Additionally, the expression levels of pro-apoptotic gene PUMA and stress marker GATA-4 genes were elevated, whereas ARC, PPARα, and Bcl-2 expression levels were decreased in the heart tissues of diabetic rats. Importantly, these alloxan-induced impairments were rescued by N-acetyl cysteine, ascorbic acid, and selenium treatment. This was demonstrated by the amelioration of myocardial stiffness, fibrosis, mitochondrial gene expression, lipid profile, restoration of myocyte size, reduced oxidative stress, and the activation of enzymes associated with antioxidant activities. Altogether, these data indicate that the improvement of mitochondrial dysfunction by protective agents such as N-acetyl cysteine, selenium, and ascorbic acid could rescue diabetes-associated cardiac complications, including DCH.
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| 5. |
- Sohail, Muhammad Tayyab, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of urbanization, LULC, LST, and NDVI changes on the static water table with possible solutions and water policy discussions: A case from Islamabad, Pakistan
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-665X. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rapid urbanization, coupled with land use land cover changes (LULC), has caused stress on freshwater resources around the globe. As in the case of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, the population has increased significantly, creating a deficit of natural resources and affecting the environment adversely. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of urbanization and LULC on the decline of the static water table in Islamabad. It also seeks to analyze water policy issues in order to achieve sustainable water resource development. The excessive pumping of the existing groundwater has exceeded the safe limit, which is justified by the constantly growing population. However, the changes in the LULC of the study area have turned many green pastures into barren land. Our research data were obtained from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and Landsat Satellite images. After analyzing PMD and CDA data for the last 20 years (2000–2020), the results were interpreted using Arc GIS. It has been observed that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value increases as the Land Surface Temperature (LST) decreases. Therefore, the overall observation is a decreasing trend in Islamabad temperatures due to the increased vegetation in the study area during the period of 2000–2020. It was observed that there has been a considerable drop in water levels due to over-pumping in a few areas. It is primarily associated with the increasing population of the capital in the last 2 decades. This study uses a survey to explore the potential locations for check dams to enhance and recharge the groundwater aquifers in the capital, Islamabad. It suggests catchment areas throughout the Margalla Hills along with different localities, such as Rumli Village, Trail 5, and Shahdara.
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| 6. |
- Ahmad, Shafqat, et al.
(författare)
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Physical activity, smoking, and genetic predisposition to obesity in people from Pakistan : the PROMIS study
- 2015
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genetics. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2350. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Multiple genetic variants have been reliably associated with obesity-related traits in Europeans, but little is known about their associations and interactions with lifestyle factors in South Asians.Methods: In 16,157 Pakistani adults (8232 controls; 7925 diagnosed with myocardial infarction [MI]) enrolled in the PROMIS Study, we tested whether: a) BMI-associated loci, individually or in aggregate (as a genetic risk score - GRS), are associated with BMI; b) physical activity and smoking modify the association of these loci with BMI. Analyses were adjusted for age, age(2), sex, MI (yes/no), and population substructure.Results: Of 95 SNPs studied here, 73 showed directionally consistent effects on BMI as reported in Europeans. Each additional BMI-raising allele of the GRS was associated with 0.04 (SE = 0.01) kg/m(2) higher BMI (P = 4.5 x 10(-14)). We observed nominal evidence of interactions of CLIP1 rs11583200 (P-interaction = 0.014), CADM2 rs13078960 (P-interaction = 0.037) and GALNT10 rs7715256 (P-interaction = 0.048) with physical activity, and PTBP2 rs11165643 (P-interaction = 0.045), HIP1 rs1167827 (P-interaction = 0.015), C6orf106 rs205262 (P-interaction = 0.032) and GRID1 rs7899106 (P-interaction = 0.043) with smoking on BMI.Conclusions: Most BMI-associated loci have directionally consistent effects on BMI in Pakistanis and Europeans. There were suggestive interactions of established BMI-related SNPs with smoking or physical activity.
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| 7. |
- Rockenfeller, Patrick, et al.
(författare)
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Diacylglycerol triggers Rim101 pathway-dependent necrosis in yeast : a model for lipotoxicity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cell Death and Differentiation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1350-9047 .- 1476-5403. ; 25:4, s. 765-781
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The loss of lipid homeostasis can lead to lipid overload and is associated with a variety of disease states. However, little is known as to how the disruption of lipid regulation or lipid overload affects cell survival. In this study we investigated how excess diacylglycerol (DG), a cardinal metabolite suspected to mediate lipotoxicity, compromises the survival of yeast cells. We reveal that increased DG achieved by either genetic manipulation or pharmacological administration of 1,2-dioctanoyls-n-glycerol (DOG) triggers necrotic cell death. The toxic effects of DG are linked to glucose metabolism and require a functional Rim101 signaling cascade involving the Rim21-dependent sensing complex and the activation of a calpain-like protease. The Rim101 cascade is an established pathway that triggers a transcriptional response to alkaline or lipid stress. We propose that the Rim101 pathway senses DG-induced lipid perturbation and conducts a signaling response that either facilitates cellular adaptation or triggers lipotoxic cell death. Using established models of lipotoxicity, i.e., high-fat diet in Drosophila and palmitic acid administration in cultured human endothelial cells, we present evidence that the core mechanism underlying this calpain-dependent lipotoxic cell death pathway is phylogenetically conserved.
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| 8. |
- Zhou, Zheng, et al.
(författare)
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Reduced intensity conditioning for acute myeloid leukemia using melphalan- vs busulfan-based regimens : a CIBMTR report
- 2020
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Ingår i: Blood Advances. - : American Society of Hematology. - 2473-9529 .- 2473-9537. ; 4:13, s. 3180-3190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a lack of large comparative study on the outcomes of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transplantation using fludarabine/busulfan (FB) and fludarabine/melphalan (FM) regimens. Adult AML patients from Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research who received first RIC allo-transplant between 2001 and 2015 were studied. Patients were excluded if they received cord blood or identical twin transplant, total body irradiation in conditioning, or graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with in vitro T-cell depletion. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS), secondary end points were leukemia-free survival (LFS), nonrelapse mortality (NRM), relapse, and GVHD. Multivariate survival model was used with adjustment for patient, leukemia, and transplant-related factors. A total of 622 patients received FM and 791 received FB RIC. Compared with FB, the FM group had fewer transplant in complete remission (CR), fewer matched sibling donors, and less usage of anti-thymocyte globulin or alemtuzumab. More patients in the FM group received marrow grafts and had transplantation before 2005. OS was significantly lower within the first 3 months posttransplant in the FM group (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.82, P < .001), but was marginally superior beyond 3 months (HR = 0.87, P = .05). LFS was better with FM compared with FB (HR = 0.89, P = .05). NRM was significantly increased in the FM group during the first 3 months of posttransplant (HR = 3.85, P < .001). Long-term relapse was lower with FM (HR = 0.65, P < .001). Analysis restricted to patients with CR showed comparable results. In conclusion, compared with FB, the FM RIC showed a marginally superior long-term OS and LFS and a lower relapse rate. A lower OS early posttransplant within 3 months was largely the result of a higher early NRM.
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