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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Gossypiboma: An Unrecognized And Under-Reported Problem In Pakistan, Abdul Rehman, Noor-Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais Dec 2014

Gossypiboma: An Unrecognized And Under-Reported Problem In Pakistan, Abdul Rehman, Noor-Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis Caused By Naegleria Fowleri: An Old Enemy Presenting New Challenges, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan Aug 2014

Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis Caused By Naegleria Fowleri: An Old Enemy Presenting New Challenges, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

First discovered in 1899, Naegleria fowleri is a protist pathogen, known to infect the central nervous system and produce primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. The most distressing aspect is that the fatality rate has remained more than 95%, despite our advances in antimicrobial chemotherapy and supportive care. Although rare worldwide, most cases have been reported in the United States, Australia, and Europe (France). A large number of cases in developing countries go unnoticed. In particular, religious, recreational, and cultural practices such as ritual ablution and/or purifications, Ayurveda, and the use of neti pots for nasal irrigation can contribute to this devastating infection. …


Low Doses Of Colony-Stimulating Factors Lead To Resolution Of Neutropenia In Cancer Patients Through Increased Levels Of Dihydrofolate Reductase, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Ikram Ali Burney Mar 2014

Low Doses Of Colony-Stimulating Factors Lead To Resolution Of Neutropenia In Cancer Patients Through Increased Levels Of Dihydrofolate Reductase, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Ikram Ali Burney

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Low doses of granulocyte- colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte macrophage- colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) have been shown to be beneficial in reducing duration of systemic antibiotic therapy and in-patient hospitalization by decreasing the period of neutropenia in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Since the underlying mechanism is unclear, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the administration of G-CSF and GM-CSF in two different doses (low dose and standard dose) would result into resolution of neutropenia with concomitant increase in multiple forms of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR, a pivotal enzyme in the pathway of de novo DNA synthesis). Thirty …


Cholesterol-Cholate-Butterfat Diet Offers Multi-Organ Dysfunction In Rats, Humaira Jamshed, Jamshed Arslan, Anwar-Ul-Hassan Gilani Jan 2014

Cholesterol-Cholate-Butterfat Diet Offers Multi-Organ Dysfunction In Rats, Humaira Jamshed, Jamshed Arslan, Anwar-Ul-Hassan Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Comparable to commercial expensive high-fat diets, cholesterol-cholate-butterfat (CCB) diet has also been used to induce hyperlipidemia in rats. Our objective was to explore its influence on multiple organs. Consequence of fasting was also analysed.
Methods: Rats in groups 1 and 2 received normal diet (ND) whereas groups 3 and 4 received CCB-diet. Food was withdrawn daily for two hours from groups 2 (ND-F) and 4 (CCB-F). Blood was collected at fourth and sixth week for biochemical estimation; Morris water maze was done in the sixth week for learning ability and memory; after which aortae were isolated for vascular reactivity. …


Gossypiboma Diagnosed Fifteen Years After A Cesarean Section: A Case Report, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais Jan 2014

Gossypiboma Diagnosed Fifteen Years After A Cesarean Section: A Case Report, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Gossypiboma, a retained surgical sponge, is a rare complication following any surgical procedure and is primarily a result of human error. Such patients often have vague clinical presentations and the diagnosis often comes as a surprise. We present the case of a 40-year-old woman who had a long-standing history of lower abdominal discomfort. She was diagnosed with a gossypiboma fifteen years after a cesarean section. All general physicians, surgeons and radiologists must be aware of this rare but clinically significant entity.


Interactions Of Neuropathogenic Escherichia Coli K1 (Rs218) And Its Derivatives Lacking Genomic Islands With Phagocytic Acanthamoeba Castellanii And Nonphagocytic Brain Endothelial Cells, Farzana Abubakar Yousuf, Zuhair Yousuf, Junaid Iqbal, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Hafsa Khan, Naveed Ahmed Khan Jan 2014

Interactions Of Neuropathogenic Escherichia Coli K1 (Rs218) And Its Derivatives Lacking Genomic Islands With Phagocytic Acanthamoeba Castellanii And Nonphagocytic Brain Endothelial Cells, Farzana Abubakar Yousuf, Zuhair Yousuf, Junaid Iqbal, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Hafsa Khan, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Here we determined the role of various genomic islands in E. coli K1 interactions with phagocytic A. castellanii and nonphagocytic brain microvascular endothelial cells. The findings revealed that the genomic islands deletion mutants of RS218 related to toxins (peptide toxin, alpha -hemolysin), adhesins (P fimbriae, F17-like fimbriae, nonfimbrial adhesins, Hek, and hemagglutinin), protein secretion system (T1SS for hemolysin), invasins (IbeA, CNF1), metabolism (D-serine catabolism, dihydroxyacetone, glycerol, and glyoxylate metabolism) showed reduced interactions with both A. castellanii and brain microvascular endothelial cells. Interestingly, the deletion of RS218-derived genomic island 21 containing adhesins (P fimbriae, F17-like fimbriae, nonfimbrial adhesins, Hek, and hemagglutinin), …


Self-Reported Attitudes And Behaviours Of Medical Students In Pakistan Regarding Academic Misconduct: A Cross-Sectional Study, Kulsoom Ghias, Ghulam Rehmani Lakho, Hamna Asim, Iqbal Syed Azam, Sheikh Abdul Saeed Jan 2014

Self-Reported Attitudes And Behaviours Of Medical Students In Pakistan Regarding Academic Misconduct: A Cross-Sectional Study, Kulsoom Ghias, Ghulam Rehmani Lakho, Hamna Asim, Iqbal Syed Azam, Sheikh Abdul Saeed

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Honesty and integrity are key attributes of an ethically competent physician. However, academic misconduct, which includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating, and falsifying documentation, is common in medical colleges across the world. The purpose of this study is to describe differences in the self-reported attitudes and behaviours of medical students regarding academic misconduct depending on gender, year of study and type of medical institution in Pakistan.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted with medical students from one private and one public sector medical college. A pre-coded questionnaire about attitudes and behaviours regarding plagiarism, lying, cheating and …


Culturable Aerobic And Facultative Anaerobic Intestinal Bacterial Flora Of Black Cobra (Naja Naja Karachiensis) In Southern Pakistan, Junaid Iqbal, Mehwish Sagheer, Nazneen Tabassum, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan Jan 2014

Culturable Aerobic And Facultative Anaerobic Intestinal Bacterial Flora Of Black Cobra (Naja Naja Karachiensis) In Southern Pakistan, Junaid Iqbal, Mehwish Sagheer, Nazneen Tabassum, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Using morphological analysis and biochemical testing, here for the first time, we determined the culturable gut bacterial flora (aerobes and facultative anaerobes) in the venomous Black Cobra (Naja naja karachiensis) from South Asia. The findings revealed that these snakes inhabit potentially pathogenic bacteria including Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shewanella putrefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella sp., Moraxella sp., Bacillus sp., Ochrobactrum anthropi, and Providencia rettgeri. These findings are of concern, as injury from snake bite can result in wound infections and tissue necrosis leading to sepsis/necrotizing fasciitis and/or expose consumers of snake meat/medicine in the community to infections.