Objective: To document ethnobotanical informations of useful woody plant species in the region of Kotli, Azad Kashmir. Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Kotli. Data were collected by interview and semi structured questionnaire from selected local informants and traditional practitioners as well as by field assessment. Results: The present study documented the etnobotanical uses of 33 woody plant species. Most of the species have been used for dual purpose. Only 5 species are used for one purpose. Study revealed all species have medicinal value, among which 21 were used as fuel wood species, 16 as fodder species, 4 as timber wood species, 12 as edible fruit species, 6 as fence or hedge plant, 7 as ornamental species and 12 species had other uses. Conclusions: Medicinal plants are still widely used for health care by locals of Kotli. Some species of woodlands seem to be vulnerable to overcollection and deforestation. As the young generation is diverted toward allelopathic medicines, ethnobotanical knowledges of important medicinal plants are restricted to the old people only. It is suggested to close the forest of district Kotli for next two to three decades for the conservation of plant biodiversity.

Objective:To explore the medicinal importance of the stem of Desmodium elegans, methanolic extract, and its different solvent fractions were evaluated for brine shrimp lethality, insecticidal and phytotoxicity, antifungal, and antibacterial activities.
Methods:The methanolic extract and its solvent fractions were tested for cytotoxic, phytotoxic, insecticidal, antifungal, and antibacterial effects using our previous published protocols.
Results:The methanolic, DCM, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions exhibited insecticidal effect against Callosobruchus analis and Rhyzopertha dominic. The methanolic extract, n-hexane, DCM ethyl acetate and n-butanol showed 75, 85, 85, 65 and 5%phytotoxicity at the tested concentration of 500μg/mL respectively. The solvent fractions (DCM and ethyl acetate) were effective against F. solani (10%and 20%inhibition respectively). All the tested samples were devoid of cytotoxic and antibacterial effects.
Conclusions:It was concluded that this plant can be practiced for control of weeds and insects.

Pakistan is at intersection of hyperendemic regions for hydatidosis. Current study aimed to determine the prevalence of hydatid cysts and cyst characteristics in different intermediate hosts (sheep, goats, cattle and buffaloes) across the 4 provinces of Pakistan. A total of 991 sheep, 1,478 goats, 1,602 cattle and 1,343 buffaloes were examined for presence of hydatid cysts during 2 years (January 2016-December 2018). Differences in frequency of hydatidosis were observed with highest overall prevalence in buffaloes (11.9%) and sheep (11.5%). Highest prevalence and burden of infection were observed in older age animals (23.8%, 9.78±0.49) and females (26.5%, 12.53±0.67). Data for seasonal prevalence alluded to year-round presence of disease with non-significant statistical difference. Organ predilection indicated liver as the most preferred site of cyst localization followed mainly by lungs. An over-dispersion pattern was observed in all infected animals as majority of cysts belonged <10 cysts per infected host category. Highest percentage of fertile cysts was observed in liver of sheep. Interestingly, solitary form of cysts had higher fertility rate than multiple form. Amid lack of data and wide gap of knowledge, this study would try to fill up the lacunae regarding this neglected tropical disease. Extensive rearing of livestock, unregulated official slaughter and home slaughtering have played role in adaptability of E. granulosus in Pakistan.

PURPOSE: The MammaPrint™ gene signature, currently used in clinical practice, provides prognostic information regarding the recurrence and potential metastasis in breast cancer patients. However, the prognostic information of the 70 genes included can only be estimated at the RNA expression level. In this study, we investigated whether copy number information of MammaPrint™ genes at the DNA level can be used as a prognostic tool for breast cancer, as copy number variations (CNVs) are major contributors to cancer progression. METHODS: We performed CNV profiling of MammaPrint™ genes in 59 breast cancer cell lines and 650 breast cancer patients, using publicly available data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Statistical analyses including Fisher exact test, chi-square test, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed. RESULTS: All MammaPrint™ genes showed recurrent CNVs, particularly in TCGA cohort. CNVs of 32 and 36 genes showed significant associations with progesterone receptor and estrogen rector, respectively. No genes showed a significant association with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status and lymph node status. In addition, only six genes were associated with tumor stages. RFC4, HRASLS, NMU, GPR126, SCUBE2, C20orf46, and EBF4 were associated with reduced survival and RASSF7 and ESM1 were associated with reduced disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, a concordance of CNV-based genomic rearrangement with expression profiling of these genes and their putative roles in disease tumorigenesis was established. The results suggested that the CNV profiles of the MammaPrint™ genes can be used to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients. In addition, this approach may lead to the development of new cancer biomarkers at the DNA level.
Biomarkers ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Line ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; DNA ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Estrogens ; Genome ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Recurrence ; RNA

Objective: To report the patterns of species diversity, and regenerating capacity in the forest of Nikyal valley in relation to environmental variables and underlying anthropogenic influence. Methods: A study area was selected in a traditionally managed mountain woody pasture during July 2012 to June 2013. The area was sampled by quadrat method. The quadrats were laid down at regular intervals of 150 m. The size of quadrats was kept 10×10, 5×5 and 1×1 m

BACKGROUND: Workers in pesticide manufacturing industries are constantly exposed to pesticides. Genetic biomonitoring provides an early identification of potential cancer and genetic diseases in exposed populations. The objectives of this biomonitoring study were to assess DNA damage through comet assay in blood samples collected from industry workers and compare these results with those of classical analytical techniques used for complete blood count analysis. METHODS: Samples from controls (n = 20) and exposed workers (n = 38) from an industrial area in Multan, Pakistan, were subjected to various tests. Malathion residues in blood samples were measured by gas chromatography. RESULTS: The exposed workers who were employed in the pesticide manufacturing industry for a longer period (i.e., 13-25 years) had significantly higher DNA tail length (7.04 μm) than the controls (0.94 μm). Workers in the exposed group also had higher white blood cell and red blood cell counts, and lower levels of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), MCH concentration, and mean corpuscular volume in comparison with normal levels for these parameters. Malathion was not detected in the control group. However, in the exposed group, 72% of whole blood samples had malathion with a mean value of 0.14 mg/L (range 0.01-0.31 mg/L). CONCLUSION: We found a strong correlation (R2 = 0.91) between DNA damage in terms of tail length and malathion concentration in blood. Intensive efforts and trainings are thus required to build awareness about safety practices and to change industrial workers' attitude to prevent harmful environmental and anthropogenic effects.
Blood Cell Count ; Chromatography, Gas ; Comet Assay ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; Environmental Monitoring* ; Erythrocyte Count ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Hematologic Tests ; Leukocytes ; Malathion ; Occupations* ; Pakistan ; Pesticides* ; Tail

From 2013 to 2015, the National Institute of Health, Pakistan, received 1,270 blood samples of suspected dengue cases reported from inpatient and outpatient departments of various hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. In this study, we determined the circulating dengue virus (DENV) serotypes using real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR to understand the serotype-based epidemiology of DENV. All four serotypes (DENV-1 [6%], DENV-2 [33%], DENV-3 [47%], and DENV-4 [0.1%]) were found circulating during the study period. Our findings suggest the need for an active surveillance system coupled with the laboratory diagnosis, especially in the chronic endemic areas of the country. Public awareness programs are needed for effective control and prevention of outbreaks in the future.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Dengue/diagnosis/*epidemiology/virology ; Dengue Virus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pakistan/epidemiology ; RNA, Viral/genetics/metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Serogroup ; Young Adult

Objective: To document the medicinal and other folk uses of native plants of the area with a view to preserve the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with this area. Methods: The fieldwork was conducted during a period of one year. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with indigenous tribal people and traditional health practitioners residing in the study area. Results: The present study documented ethnobotanical uses of 104 plant species belonged to 93 genera and 51 families. Results revealed that most of the documented species were used medicinally (78 spp., 44.07%). Leaves were found to be the most frequently used part (69 spp., 42.86%) for the preparation of indigenous recipes and for fodder. Conclusions: The current research contributes significantly to the ethnobotanical knowledge, and depicts a strong human-plant interaction. There is an urgent need to further document indigenous uses of plants for future domestication.

Objective To report the indigenous people's uses of plants from a multidimensional perspective in a remote area where strong ethnobotanical cultural practices prevail. Methods An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the field during 2014–2016. Ethnobotanical data were gathered from 182 informants through oral interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. The distribution of plants was explored using both descriptive and graphical methods. Further, a Multinomial Logit Specification was applied to find out the probability of the occurrence of diverse utilization of plants in multipurpose domains. Results The study identified 202 plant species distributed among 71 families and 156 genera. Ethnobotanical data indicate that there are more medicinal (36.96%) uses of plants as compared to all other use categories. The output from the Multinomial Logit Specifications (MLS) model reveals that perennial and non-woody plants are exploited more for medicinal and food uses than annual and woody plants. In the context of ethnomedicinal uses, aerial plant parts particularly leaves are more extensively used for the preparation of herbal recipes as compared to underground parts. Conclusions The results of the study emphasize the need to create awareness among the local communities about the conservation status of plant species in order to maintain a sustainable resource of plant-derived materials into the future. The novel econometric approach employed in this study adds a new insightful methodology to the existing body of literature in the field of ethnobotany. We strongly recommend conservation measures, alongside phytochemical and pharmacological studies on the useful plant species identified in this study in order to ensure their sustainable and effective utilization.