Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Polymorphism Of Hla-Dr And Hla-Dq In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients And Clinical Response To Methotrexate--A Hospital-Based Study, Azra Arif I Ali, Tariq Moatter, Jawed Altaf Baig, Ahmed Iqbal, Azmat Hussain, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal Oct 2006

Polymorphism Of Hla-Dr And Hla-Dq In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients And Clinical Response To Methotrexate--A Hospital-Based Study, Azra Arif I Ali, Tariq Moatter, Jawed Altaf Baig, Ahmed Iqbal, Azmat Hussain, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To investigate the frequency and distribution of DRB1 and DQB1 alleles in Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze the relationship between clinical response to methotrexate (MTX) and the HLA-DR and HLA-DQ genotypes in these patients.
Methods: In this case-control study, the HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 polymorphism in 91 RA patients and 91 healthy controls was done using polymerase chain reaction and sequence specific primers.
Results: There was no statistical difference in frequencies of HLA-DRB1*03, DRB1*04, DRB1*07, DRB1*10, DRB1*11, DRB1*12, DRB1*13, DRB1*14, DRB1*15 and DRB1*16 genotypes between patients and controls. However, DRB1*01 was found to be significantly more common (p=0.015) …


Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma, Zubair Ahmad, Fouzia Rauf, Najamul Sahar Azad, Aamir Ahsan Oct 2006

Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma, Zubair Ahmad, Fouzia Rauf, Najamul Sahar Azad, Aamir Ahsan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGAs) are slowly growing tumours corresponding to WHO grade I. They are intraventricular and usually occur in the setting of tuberous sclerosis complex. They often result in obstructive hydrocephalus. Treatment is usually restricted to surgical resection, recurrences are rare and long term prognosis is excellent. We present a series of three cases.


Assessment Of Resistance In Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients, Seema Irfan, Qaiser Hassan, Rumina Hasan Sep 2006

Assessment Of Resistance In Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients, Seema Irfan, Qaiser Hassan, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To study MDR-TB isolates and to identify primary and secondary resistance at microbiology laboratory Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: All samples positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) received during January - September 2004 were reviewed for drug resistance pattern as well as for history of previous antituberculous drugs exposure.
Results: Out of 216 Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures, 138 (64%) showed resistance to one or more agents. Multi drug resistance (MDR) was observed in 102 (47%) isolates. Of 138 drug resistant isolates; primary resistance to any one or more agent was noted in 31(39%) and secondary (acquired) resistance in 107 …


Brain Tumor Stem Cells: Role In Neuro-Oncogenesis And Therapeutic Implications, Muhammad Zeeshan Ozair, Adil Hameed Khan, Ather Enam Jul 2006

Brain Tumor Stem Cells: Role In Neuro-Oncogenesis And Therapeutic Implications, Muhammad Zeeshan Ozair, Adil Hameed Khan, Ather Enam

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Malignant brain tumors are notorious for high morbidity and mortality. Our deficient understanding of brain tumor pathogenesis is reflected in our inability to cure this disease. Treatment remains palliative at best. The cancer stem cell hypothesis of brain tumors promises to consolidate many observations which have previously eluded neuroscientists and may reveal why aberrations in developmental programs are among the commonest findings in brain tumors. It is ironic that brain ontogeny and cancer - two processes with very different outcomes - exploit similar mechanisms to multiply, migrate,and survive. Implications of this hypothesis extend beyond mere academic interest. It may explain …


Systemic Mastocytosis: A Rare Entity, Naveen Naz Syed, Bushra Moiz Jul 2006

Systemic Mastocytosis: A Rare Entity, Naveen Naz Syed, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

An 18 year old female presented with generalized maculopapular rash and headaches. The skin and bone marrow biopsy revealed numerous mast cells which stained metachromatically with giemsa and toludine blue stains and showed positivity with CD68 and CD117 on immunohistochemistry. Her clinical presentation and laboratory findings were consistent with the diagnosis of indolent systemic mastocytosis. Because of the benign course of the disease, patient was offered only anti-histamine drugs that were quite successful in alleviating her symptoms.


Mixed Epithelial And Stromal Tumour Of Kidney, Fozia Rauf, Nausheen Yaqoob, Akhtar Husain Jul 2006

Mixed Epithelial And Stromal Tumour Of Kidney, Fozia Rauf, Nausheen Yaqoob, Akhtar Husain

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Mixed epithelial and stromal tumour of kidney is a recently described, rare entity and includes cases previously termed as cystic hamartoma of renal pelvis and adult mesoblastic nephroma. We report a case of 36 years old female who presented with a history of recurrent loose stools for 5 years. During ultrasound abdomen, a solid right renal mass was incidentally found in upper pole of right kidney. On gross examination it was a 3.5 cm diameter mass which was microscopically composed of both epithelial and stromal components in the form of cystically dilated tubules and fascicles of spindle shaped cells. These …


Hyperhomocysteinemia And Coronary Artery Disease In Pakistan, M Perwaiz Iqbal Jun 2006

Hyperhomocysteinemia And Coronary Artery Disease In Pakistan, M Perwaiz Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The relative risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) in Pakistani men is highest in early ages. Majority of those suffering from CAD belong to the lower middle socioeconomic stratum of the society. Mild hyperhomocysteinemia (concentration of plasma homocysteine between 15-25 micromol/l) is very commonly seen in Pakistani patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as well as in normal healthy subjects. There appears to be a lack of association between hyperhomocysteinemia and CAD in Pakistani population. There is also no evidence of association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C>T mutation with CAD in this population. High prevalence of deficiency of folate …


Comparison Of Two Methods (Precipitation Manual And Fully Automated Enzymatic) For The Analysis Of Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol, Jawaid Jabbar, Imran Siddiqui, Qaiser Raza Feb 2006

Comparison Of Two Methods (Precipitation Manual And Fully Automated Enzymatic) For The Analysis Of Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol, Jawaid Jabbar, Imran Siddiqui, Qaiser Raza

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective:
To compare accuracy and throughput time for the measurement of HDL and LDL cholesterol by manual precipitation and fully automated enzymatic methods.
Methods:
Fifty, serum samples collected over a 4 months period (February - May 2004) were analyzed for HDL and LDL cholesterol by two different methods i.e. precipitation manual and automatic enzymatic method in the section of chemical pathology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi Pakistan.
Results:
The mean standard deviation for HDL Cholesterol by precipitation method and automated method were 43.12 +/- 8.97mg/dl and 43.86 +/- 10.34mg/dl respectively (p-value = 0.301). The …


[3120+1kbdel86kb]+[Pn1303k] Genotype In An Emirati Cystic Fibrosis Patient: Indication Of A Founder Mutation In Palestinian Arabs, Danish Saleheen, Philippe M. Frossard, Emmanuelle Girodon Jan 2006

[3120+1kbdel86kb]+[Pn1303k] Genotype In An Emirati Cystic Fibrosis Patient: Indication Of A Founder Mutation In Palestinian Arabs, Danish Saleheen, Philippe M. Frossard, Emmanuelle Girodon

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting autosomal recessive disorder in Caucasian population. The disease was initially considered to be rare in Middle Eastern countries. 95% of CF in Emirati families is due to two mutations only--p.S549R(T > G) and p.F508del. We report here the case of a patient referred to CF and Respiratory Clinic at Tawam Hospital for cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene screening to ascertain the diagnosis of CF, who was found to carry a unique genotype, signifying the importance of retrieving ancestral histories of patients with monogenic disorders.


Critical Evaluation Of The Claims Made By Pharmaceutical Companies In Drug Promotional Material In Pakistan, Dileep Kumar Rohra, Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Ismail Kamal Memon, Ghazala Perven, Muhammad Talha Khan, Hina Zafar, Rakesh Kumar Jan 2006

Critical Evaluation Of The Claims Made By Pharmaceutical Companies In Drug Promotional Material In Pakistan, Dileep Kumar Rohra, Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Ismail Kamal Memon, Ghazala Perven, Muhammad Talha Khan, Hina Zafar, Rakesh Kumar

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: In Pakistan, there is no mechanism to monitor the drug promotional campaign by pharmaceutical industry despite the fact that there is enough evidence that irrational pharmacotherapy is increasingly encountered even in the developed countries due to unethical practices of pharmaceutical promotion. Objectives. To audit the drug promotional claims made by the pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan.
Methods: Drug promotional pamphlets and brochures containing claims for the drugs, which were circulated by the pharmaceuticalrepresentatives were collected from 122 general practitioners (GPs) from Karachi and Larkana cities of the Sindh Province. The claims were critically analyzed and audited with the help of …


Hiv-1 Subtype A Infection In A Community Of Intravenous Drug Users In Pakistan, Saeed Khan, Mohammad A. Rai, Mohammad R. Khanani, Muhammad N. Khan, Syed H. Ali Jan 2006

Hiv-1 Subtype A Infection In A Community Of Intravenous Drug Users In Pakistan, Saeed Khan, Mohammad A. Rai, Mohammad R. Khanani, Muhammad N. Khan, Syed H. Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Data on the subtypes of HIV in a population help in predicting the potential foci of epidemic, tracking the routes of infection and following the patterns of the virus' genetic divergence. Globally, the most prevalent HIV infection is the HIV-1 subtype C. In Asia, predominant subtypes of HIV-1 are B, C, and CRF-01AE. During the last few years, HIV prevalence in Pakistan has taken the form of a concentrated epidemic in at least two high risk groups, namely, Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) and Male Sex Workers (MSWs). Factors that have facilitated the proliferation of HIV infection include transmission through …


Improved Land Management In The Lake Victoria Basin: Final Report On The Transvic Project, Alex Awiti Jan 2006

Improved Land Management In The Lake Victoria Basin: Final Report On The Transvic Project, Alex Awiti

East Africa Institute

This report addresses the challenges of land management in the Lake Victoria basin of East Africa. In 1999 the World Agroforestry Centre launched a major effort to identify, diagnose and reverse degradation in the Lake Victoria basin, focusing primarily on the Kenyan part of the basin. Dubbed “TransVic,” this project was supported by a number of donor agencies and collaborators, with particularly strong support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Field activities in the Kenyan part of the basin were undertaken with Kenya’s National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Programme. This report summarizes the major achievements of TransVic from …


M. Leprae Inhibits Apoptosis In Thp-1 Cells By Downregulation Of Bad And Bak And Upregulation Of Mcl-1 Gene Expression, Zahra Hasan, Mussarat Ashraf, Ali Tayyebi, Rabia Hussain Jan 2006

M. Leprae Inhibits Apoptosis In Thp-1 Cells By Downregulation Of Bad And Bak And Upregulation Of Mcl-1 Gene Expression, Zahra Hasan, Mussarat Ashraf, Ali Tayyebi, Rabia Hussain

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Virulent Mycobacterium leprae interfere with host defense mechanisms such as cytokine activation and apoptosis. The mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Expression of Fas ligand and apoptotic proteins is found in leprosy lesions and M. leprae has been shown to activate pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 genes, Bak and Bax. However, the mechanism by which M. leprae modulates apoptosis is as yet unclear. We investigated expression of apoptotic genes in THP-1 monocytes in response to infection by M. leprae and non-pathogenic M. bovis BCG.
Results: M. leprae did not induce apoptosis in THP-1 cells, while BCG …


Screening For Cystic Fibrosis: The Importance Of Using The Correct Tools, Uzma Shah, Tariq Moatter Jan 2006

Screening For Cystic Fibrosis: The Importance Of Using The Correct Tools, Uzma Shah, Tariq Moatter

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a potentially lethal genetic disorder. The most frequent mutation worldwide in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene is designated as the Delta F508 mutation. This mutation was found in only 33% of Pakistani patients studied. Since the common Pakistani mutations remain to be identified, appropriate screening tools are required to identify disease. Sweat chloride determinations remain the gold standard for diagnosing CF. This study was done to emphasize the importance of using the correct tests.
Methods: The study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital. The CFTR delta F508 mutation was tested …