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Research Interests: Endocrinology, Biology, Medicine, Biological Sciences, Internal Medicine, and 15 moreAnimals, Male, Glucose Transport, Adenylate Kinase, Calmodulin, Protein Kinase, Leydig cells, Forskolin, Pregnenolone, Adenosine Triphosphate, Aminoglutethimide, Cumulant, Androstenedione, Medical and Health Sciences, and Chorionic gonadotropin
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Research Interests: Endocrinology, Kinetics, Biology, Biological Chemistry, Biological Sciences, and 15 moreInternal Medicine, cyclic AMP, Animals, Male, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Adenylate Kinase, Guanosine Triphosphate, Leydig cells, Luteinizing Hormone, Forskolin, Drug synergism, Medical and Health Sciences, In Vitro Techniques, Chorionic gonadotropin, and Cholera toxin
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Hepatitis B virus has been classified into eight genotypes from A to H which have variety in geographical distribution. HBV/D is reported to be the most prevalent genotype in Pakistan. Sub genotypes D1 and D3 were reported in a study from... more
Hepatitis B virus has been classified into eight genotypes from A to H which have variety in geographical distribution. HBV/D is reported to be the most prevalent genotype in Pakistan. Sub genotypes D1 and D3 were reported in a study from Karachi. Present study was designed to investigate the genotypes and sub-genotypes of HBV with sequencing of S gene fragment as well as complete viral genome of samples from Islamabad, Pakistan. A total of 22 HBV sample were genotyped by type specific primer PCR method. Complete viral genome of 4 samples and the S gene fragment of all samples was subjected to direct sequencing. Genotypes and sub-genotypes were confirmed by phylogenetic analyses of the sequences. Employing type specific primer PCR method, 14 (63.6%) samples were detected with HBV/D infection while a mix infection with HBV/A and HBV/D was detected in 8 (36.4%) samples. However on direct sequencing of S gene fragment, all 20 of the sequenced samples were identified as only genotype D ...
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Eight haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) related Pasteurella multocida isolates, collected from different localities of Pakistan, were characterized by sodium-dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique. After... more
Eight haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) related Pasteurella multocida isolates, collected from different localities of Pakistan, were characterized by sodium-dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique. After sonification, the bacterial proteins were separated by ...
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The effect of testosterone on regulation of epididymal protein synthesis has been investigated in castrated rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The proteins in the treated monkeys were characterized using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis... more
The effect of testosterone on regulation of epididymal protein synthesis has been investigated in castrated rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The proteins in the treated monkeys were characterized using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (under nondenaturing and denaturing conditions) and electrofocusing. At least four distinct proteins have been shown to be synthesized by the monkey epididymis under testosterone influence. Two of these proteins were detected following two days of testosterone treatment while the other two proteins were detected after a six‐day treatment period. None of these proteins was detectable in monkeys treated with estradiol for six days. Electrofocusing of epididymal cytosol proteins from untreated and testosterone‐treated and castrated monkeys also confirmed the presence of four androgen‐dependent proteins in this species. The isoelectric points of these proteins were shown to range between 5.8 and 6.4. The molecular weights of these proteins were found to ...
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This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in a school based population of children without gastrointestinal symptoms. The children were enrolled from three schools in the suburbs of Islamabad (Pakistan)... more
This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in a school based population of children without gastrointestinal symptoms. The children were enrolled from three schools in the suburbs of Islamabad (Pakistan) and their anthropometric data were noted. To this end, non-invasive 13 C urea breath test (UBT) was used. Overall, 72.3% of apparently healthy children were harboring the H. pylori bacterium and the prevalence was 70.3% in girls and 74.0% in boys, while the difference in the genders was not significant. When analyzed according to age, the prevalence was 73.6% in 3-8 years age group, 74.4% in 8-12 years age group and 60.4% in children 12-16 years of age. In conclusion, high prevalence of H. pylori infection warrants further studies to identify the environmental risk factors.
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In this study, contribution of micro-deletion towards male infertility among Pakistani male individuals has been described. Our analyses involved evaluation of seven genetic markers spanning the AZFa, b and c region among infertile males... more
In this study, contribution of micro-deletion towards male infertility among Pakistani male individuals has been described. Our analyses involved evaluation of seven genetic markers spanning the AZFa, b and c region among infertile males and observed micro-deletions were compared with the control healthy fertile counterparts. Data revealed AZFa deletion in 2% infertile azoospermic and oligospermic males, while the AZFb and AZFc deletions were found in 3.8 and 5.8% infertile males, respectively. These deletions ...
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Background: Delay in diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) may enhance the chances of morbidity and mortality and play a key role in continuous transmission of the bacilli. The objective of this study was to describe health care... more
Background: Delay in diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) may enhance the chances of morbidity and mortality and play a key role in continuous transmission of the bacilli. The objective of this study was to describe health care seeking behavior of suspected TB patients and initial diagnostic work up prior to consultation and diagnosis at National TB Center (NTC). Findings: Interviews of 252 sputum smear positive patients were taken from NTC, Rawalpindi. The duration between on-set of symptoms and start of treatment was considered as the total delay and correlated with general characteristics of TB patients. The proportion of males and females were 49.6 % and 50.4 % with median age of 25 and 24 years respectively. A median delay of 56 days (8 weeks) was observed which was significantly associated with age, cough and fever. More than 50 % of the current patients had a history of contact with previously diagnosed TB patients. The majority of patients (63%) visited health care p...
Background: Valve scarring and collagen deposition are crucial in pathogenesis of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), an autoimmune disorder of the heart. Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) plays a major role in fibrous tissue formation.... more
Background: Valve scarring and collagen deposition are crucial in pathogenesis of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), an autoimmune disorder of the heart. Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) plays a major role in fibrous tissue formation. Objectives: The present research work aimed to assess the role of ACE Insertion/Deletion (I/D) polymorphism in progress of RHD. Patients and Methods: DNA was pre pared from blood samples from 156 RHD patients (156) and 204 healthy ethnically-matched controls. Then, it was screened using sequencespecific Primers. Polymerase chain reaction and Agarose gel electrophoresis. The data were analyzed using Vassar stats (http://faculty.vassar.edu/lowry/VassarStats.html). Results: I allele (P = 0.024, OR = 1.42) and II genotype (P = 0.001, OR = 3.07) were significantly higher in Pakistani RHD patients compared to the healthy controls. Also, a significant difference was found between the female, but not male, patients and the controls regarding I allele and II g...
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Globally, Pakistan with population of around 180 million moved up two spots to 6 in the list of countries with the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) patients in the world according to WHO report (2011). Global TB control is further... more
Globally, Pakistan with population of around 180 million moved up two spots to 6 in the list of countries with the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) patients in the world according to WHO report (2011). Global TB control is further challenged by drug-resistant TB. For controlling the spread and better understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) isolates circulating in this region, it is important to explore the characteristics of these strains. In this study 71 isolates were tested for drug sensitivity and 41 out of 71 were found to be resistant. Out of these 41 isolates, 21 (51%) were resistant to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) and remaining have different drug resistance patterns. Genes associated with drug resistance like ahpC, katG and inhA for INH, rpoB for RIF, rrs and rpsL for streptomycin (STR) and embB for ethambutol (EMB) resistant isolates were checked for mutation using PCR amplification and sequencing. Out of 27 RIF resistant strains, 22 have mutation af...
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Herbal remedy is one, in which the main therapeutic activity rests on plant metabolites (active principle), which it contains. The effectiveness of plant barks on mouth microbes using all available plants (total 13) in the garden of... more
Herbal remedy is one, in which the main therapeutic activity rests on plant metabolites (active principle), which it contains. The effectiveness of plant barks on mouth microbes using all available plants (total 13) in the garden of Divisional Public School, Rawalpindi was tested. The bark samples were dried, grinded and centrifuged to collect clear supernatant in sterilized tubes. Five discs made of Whatmann paper were dipped in each freshly extracted bark extract to be used for its antimicrobial activity against mouth microbes. Mouth microflora was cultured in nutrient agar and incubated overnight at 37oC. Then five pre-soaked discs from each aqueous extract were placed at equal distance from each other in pre-incubated agar plate containing mouth microflora. The plates were incubated overnight at 37oC and next day measured the zones of inhibition. The barks of some these plants showed significant antimicrobial activities against mouth microflora. Callistiman lanceolatus (bottle b...
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In this report, we describe the cloning, over-expression, efficient solubilization, purification and evaluation of bioactivity of camel growth hormone (cGH). The total cellular RNA was extracted from pituitary glands of freshly... more
In this report, we describe the cloning, over-expression, efficient solubilization, purification and evaluation of bioactivity of camel growth hormone (cGH). The total cellular RNA was extracted from pituitary glands of freshly slaughtered animals and cDNA of cGH was synthesized by a pair of sequence specific primers with a product of 576 base pairs (bps). Amplicons was cloned into T/A cloning vector and positive clones were subjected to sequencing. After sequencing, cDNA was cloned in the prokaryotic expression vector system pET23b + . Conditions for cGH expression were optimized by varying the concentration of isopropyl-L-thio-β D-galactopyronoside (IPTG) and induction time. It was observed that 100 µM concentration of IPTG and 3 h post-induction produced the highest amount of cGH. Expressed GH was sequestered as inclusion bodies (IBs), and was therefore, solubilized using denaturant (urea) and detergents (SDS, CTAB, Tritin X-100, Tween-20). The best solubilization was obtained wi...
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A systematic approach was taken to isolate and characterize the antimicrobial peptide(s) from the crude aqueous extract, solubilized ammonium sulphate precipitates and purified gel filtration chromatographic fractions of seed/pod of Pisum... more
A systematic approach was taken to isolate and characterize the antimicrobial peptide(s) from the crude aqueous extract, solubilized ammonium sulphate precipitates and purified gel filtration chromatographic fractions of seed/pod of Pisum sativum L. (garden pea). Their antibacterial activity was investigated against a number of bacteria: Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris Pasterurella multocida, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using disc diffusion method. Two active peptides from seed i.e., S4, S5 and pod i.e., P7, P8 were obtained having molecular weight ~19 kDa, ~22 kDa, ~10 kDa and ~11 kDa, respectively. The bioactivity of each peptide was tested against different enzymes, temperatures and pH. The results showed that the all purified peptides were susceptible to inactivation by trypsin and proteinase K, stable at temperature 4, 25˚C and active at pH 5-7. Further S. aureus was...
Sorghum forage either green or dry is the main source of livestock feed in dry areas of Pakistan. However, a lethal risk of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is associated with this forage. Therefore, a study was carried out under rainfed conditions... more
Sorghum forage either green or dry is the main source of livestock feed in dry areas of Pakistan. However, a lethal risk of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is associated with this forage. Therefore, a study was carried out under rainfed conditions to assess HCN contents in three commonly grown sorghum cultivars viz., JS-2002, Chakwal Sorghum and Local Cultivar at three growth stages i.e. 3 rd leaf (GS1), pre-booting (GS2) and 50% heading stage (GS3) and at three post cutting intervals i.e., 06, 12 and 18 hours. The results of this study identified forage sorghum cultivar JS-2002 with lowest HCN content grown under rainfed conditions and is safer for livestock feeding at pre-booting stage. Moreover, this study has provided clear evidence that HCN contents were very high at early growth stages of crop in all the cultivars and decreased with the advancement of the growth stages. The post cutting intervals have also indicated that HCN contents decreased in all the cultivars as the post-cutting i...
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a life threatening infectious disease which is prevalent throughout the world. Mycobacterium bovis based Bacille Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG) is the only vaccine available against TB however, this (single) vaccine is not... more
Tuberculosis (TB) is a life threatening infectious disease which is prevalent throughout the world. Mycobacterium bovis based Bacille Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG) is the only vaccine available against TB however, this (single) vaccine is not enough to eradicate it. Furthermore, numbers of researches from different parts of the World have shown its efficacy as variable. Hence other (better) vaccines like DNA vaccines are needed in addition to BCG in order to achieve desired goal of TB eradication. The current study was aimed to develop subunit based DNA vaccines against TB and to check their efficacy. Two constructs Bfrb-pND14 and Mpt32-pND14 were made and used as DNA vaccines. Endotoxin free DNA preparations were made and used in immunization studies. Twenty Balb/c female mice of age eight weeks were used in trial. Two experimental groups each comprising eight animals were used to inoculate Mpt32-pND14 and Bfrb-pND14 vaccines respectively. A group of four animals was used as negative cont...
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Polyclonal antisera were raised against bovine somatotropin (ST) in rabbits and high titer achieved in less than 40 days after primary immunization. Protocol was developed with slight modification in method of Hu (2002) for antisera... more
Polyclonal antisera were raised against bovine somatotropin (ST) in rabbits and high titer achieved in less than 40 days after primary immunization. Protocol was developed with slight modification in method of Hu (2002) for antisera production and booster injection given on 28th and 37th day. The serum for antibody titer was collected on 35th and 42nd day. The antisera procured were effective in Western blotting and for purification of ST using affinity column chromatography.