Supplementary Table I.-Distribution of AIV ELISA positive serum samples across different cities o... more Supplementary Table I.-Distribution of AIV ELISA positive serum samples across different cities of Pakistan in year 2013. City Jan n=24 Feb n=21 Mar n=23 Apr n=22 May n=43 Jun n=24 Jul n=16 Aug n=41
African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2011
The objective of study was to evaluate the pattern and practice of consultants especially antimic... more The objective of study was to evaluate the pattern and practice of consultants especially antimicrobials in the allopathic health sector in Pakistan to assess the magnitude of the problem and suggesting corrective measures. A cross-sectional survey in various cities of Pakistan was conducted which was developed in line with WHO and has so far been implemented in 12 developing countries. A total of 4923 prescriptions of 197 consultants were collected and analyzed. Drugs dispensed were 480142; average number of drugs per prescription for all disciplines was 3.13±1.5. The number of encounters with antibiotics in medicine department was 20.17% of the total antibiotic while ophthalmology had no encounter with injectables. Cost of 23.79% of prescriptions was below Rs.100 and 4.9% above 500 rupees. Therapeutic categories of the drugs prescribed were 14.6% antimicrobial followed by 12.5% cardiovascular or renal drugs. The age of the patient, severity of disease, socio-economic status, previ...
The present study explored the efficiency of a four-chambered anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) as ... more The present study explored the efficiency of a four-chambered anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) as a cost-effective and sustainable method of organic pollutant and pathogen removal from domestic wastewater, under a range of environmental conditions. An ABR with a circular additional filter at the outlet pipe was constructed to treat wastewater from a residential colony of 108 households with an average inflow of 110 m3/day and a nominal hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 20 h. Analysis of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen, sulfate and phosphate load, and total coliform removal for 2 years of operation, 2015 and 2017, showed a COD of 46%, sulfate load of 28%, phosphate load of 51% and total nitrogen of 28% for 2015, compared to a COD of 48%, sulfate load of 44%, phosphate load of 58% and total nitrogen of 31% for 2017. The lack of a significant effect of sludge removal suggested a stable process. The overall efficiency of the ABR increased in the summer, including for pat...
Being a significant protein L-glutaminases discovers potential applications in various divisions ... more Being a significant protein L-glutaminases discovers potential applications in various divisions running from nourishment industry to restorative and cure. It is generally disseminated in microbes, actinomycetes, yeast and organisms. Glutaminase is the principal enzyme that changes glutamine to glutamate. The samples were gathered from soil of Taxila, Wah Cantt and Quetta, Pakistan for the isolation of glutaminase producing bacteria. After primary screening, subordinate screening was done which includes multiple testification such as purification, observation of morphological characters and biochemical testing of bacterial strains along with 16S rRNA sequence homology testing. Five bacterial strains were selected showing glutaminase positive test in screening, enzyme production via fermentation and enzymatic and protein assays. Taxonomical characterization of the isolates identified them asBacillus subtilisU1,Achromobacter xylosoxidansG1,Bacillus subtilisQ2,Stenotrophomonas maltophi...
Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 2018
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been th... more This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as
Background: House dust mite (HDM) sublingual tablets at 300IR, the recommended dose, have been pr... more Background: House dust mite (HDM) sublingual tablets at 300IR, the recommended dose, have been proven to be beneficial in subjects with HDM-associated allergic rhinitis (HDM-AR). Here we report the immunological data evaluated in a Phase II/III study.
The survival rate of women diagnosed with triple-negative breast-cancer (TNBC) remains low. Hence... more The survival rate of women diagnosed with triple-negative breast-cancer (TNBC) remains low. Hence, this study aimed at the chemical and biological optimization of furanosteroid derivatives for the treatment of this type of malignancy using TNBC cells. Semi-synthetic analogs of wortmannolone (1-6) that negatively affected the aberrant pathways in tumor cells were evaluated in hormone-independent breast cancer cells using western blot and cell-cycle analysis. Wortmannolone derivatization generated NF-ĸB inhibitors as new lead structures for further development. Compound (3) was found to be the most significantly active lead. Structure-activity analysis in the present study showed that acetylation of the hydroxyl groups and substitution on C3 and C17 of wortmannolone enhanced biological activity. Alpha-substitution of the acetyl group in C3 on ring A (compound 3) resulted in ROS inducing effect; however, presence of an acetyl group in β-position of C3 displayed the highest NF-ĸB p65 in...
Evaluation of various strategies for isolation and culturing of Helicobacter pylori
Pakistan journal of zoology
The effects of transport media, transportation time, culture media, blood from different sources,... more The effects of transport media, transportation time, culture media, blood from different sources, and effectiveness of a low cost atmosphere generation system (AGS) on isolation and culturing of H. pylori was studied. Biopsy samples from 56 dyspeptic patients were transported for culturing in sterile normal saline and Brain Heart infusion (BHI) broth. Both normal saline and BHI broth were effective transport media. Samples were plated on Columbia blood agar plates supplemented with 5% sheep blood and Dent antibiotic supplement (CBA-D) for primary isolation and determining the effect of transportation time. A low cost envelope system was compared with standard Campygen gas packs and anaerobic jar system for the production of microaerophilic environment. Isolates were subcultured on CBA and BHI agar plates having different concentrations of blood from various sources. When the samples were cultured within 2 hours of sampling, both transport media gave similar isolation rate of 87.5% (49/56). Isolation rate decreased to 75%, 62.4% and 46.4% in case of biopsy specimens transported in normal saline. Whereas, for specimen transported in BHI broth it was 76.8%, 71.4% and 53.6%, when culturing was delayed upto 4, 6 and 8 hours, respectively. CBA and BHI agar were comparable for subculturing with 100% and 94% efficiency. Thirty six (73.5%) out of 49 isolates were successfully subcultured using atmosphere generated by low-cost envelope system as compared to that produced by Campygen gas pack with anaerobic jar. When subcultured on CBA supplemented with 5% human or sheep blood, growth was observed for all isolates. However, on 3% human or sheep blood concentration in the medium, 75.5% and 71.4% growth was observed, respectively. Isolation rate was higher when biopsy samples were cultured within 2 hours of sampling. CBA-D was found to be the best selective medium for H. pylori isolation. Microaerophilic environment could be created using low-cost systems but needs further studies.
Purpose: To study multidrug-resistance in Uropathogenic E. Coli (UPEC) isolated from non-hospital... more Purpose: To study multidrug-resistance in Uropathogenic E. Coli (UPEC) isolated from non-hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 250 bacterial samples were collected from non-hospitalized patients. Their identifications were done on basis of Gram-staining, colony morphology, biochemical testing and PCR. Susceptibility testing was performed by using standard protocols which were recommended by CLSI. Statistical analysis: For comparisons, statistical analysis was performed by using software, Graphpad Prism 5.0. Results: In total, 32% (n = 80) of the isolates were identified as E. Coli strains and their susceptibility patterns for different antibiotics were determined. The data indicated least resistance against tazocin [(TZP)-1.25%], amikacin [(AK)-1.8%], tigecycline [(TGC)-2.5%] and nitrofurantoin [(F)-3.75%]. For both minocycline (MH) and sulzone (SUL), resistance rate was 5%, for gentamicin (CN), it was 16.25%, while higher resistances were observed against cephalothine [(KF)-70%], cefotaxime [(CTX)-58.5%], ceftazidime [(CAZ)-57.5%], cefepime [(FEP)-55%], cefuroxime and cefixime [(CXM) (CFM)-53.75 %]. Resistance against ciprofloxacin (CIP) was 57.5%, for norfloxacine (NOR), it was 52.5% and incase of sparfloxacin (SPX), it remained 55%. High percentage of the isolates were resistant to cotrimoxazole [(SXT)-86%] and Amoxicillin [AMX-CLA (AMC)-76%]. No resistance against meropenem (MEM) was observed. Conclusion: Highest level of drug-resistance was observed against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) among clinical isolates of uropathogenic E. Coli collected from nonhospitalized patients. Ihsan alI 1 , neeraj Kumar 2 , safIa ahmed 3 , javId Iqbal dastI 4
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2014
Ziziphus jujube honey, Antimicrobial properties, Non-peroxidase activity, Antioxidative propertie... more Ziziphus jujube honey, Antimicrobial properties, Non-peroxidase activity, Antioxidative properties Objective: To evaluate physico-chemical properties and antimicrobial potential of indigenous honey samples against different reference strains including Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048, Pseudomonas aeroginosa ATCC 9027, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Salmonella typhi ATCC 14028, Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 13883, Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404, Rhizopus oligosporus PCSIR1, Candida albicans ATCC 14053 and Candida utilis ATCC 9950. Methods: By using standard methods samples were evaluated for their antimicrobial properties including additive effect of starch and non-peroxidase activity, antioxidative properties (phenol contents, flavonoid contents, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity). Prior to this evaluation, complete physico-chemical properties including pH, color, ash contents, protein contents, moisture contents, hydroxymethyl furfural contents, total sugar contents, reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar contents were analyzed. Results: Relatively higher ash contents were found in the Siddar honey i.e. (0.590 0依0.033 6)% and small honey showed relatively higher protein contents i.e. (777.598依9.880) mg/kg. The moisture contents of tested honey samples ranged between 13.8%-16.6%, total sugar contents from 61.672%-72.420% and non-reducing sugar contents from 1.95%-3.93%. Presences of phenolic contents indicate higher antioxidant potential of these honey samples. All bacteria showed clear inhibition zones in response to tested honey samples whereas fungi and yeast showed inhibition at higher concentrations of these honey samples. For Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Aspergillus niger, overall the small honey showed the higher activity than other honey samples. Conclusion: Physico-chemical analysis of honey samples confirmed good quality of honey according to the standards set by European Union Commission and Codex Alimentarius Commission. Evaluation of these honey samples confirms antimicrobial potential of particular types of honeys indigenous to Pakistan.
Polypeptide antimicrobials used against topical infections are reported to obtain from mesophilic... more Polypeptide antimicrobials used against topical infections are reported to obtain from mesophilic bacterial species. A thermophilic Geobacillus pallidus SAT4 was isolated from hot climate of Sindh Dessert, Pakistan and found it active against Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Bacillus subtilis NCTC 10400 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 49189. The current experiment was designed to optimize the production of novel thermostable polypeptide by applying the Taguchi statistical approach at various conditions including the time of incubation, temperature, pH, aeration rate, nitrogen, and carbon concentrations. There were two most important factors that affect the production of antibiotic including time of incubation and nitrogen concentration and two interactions including the time of incubation/pH and time of incubation/nitrogen concentration. Activity was evaluated by well diffusion assay. The antimicrobial produced was stable and active even at 55°C. Ammon...
This work was focused on the possibility of accelerating the biodegradation process of low densit... more This work was focused on the possibility of accelerating the biodegradation process of low density polyethylene (LDPE). Comparative studies, between the properties of untreated LDPE pieces and those exposed to UV irradiation and nitric acid plus microbial culture treatment, were performed. The LDPE pieces were irradiated by UV light (254 nm wavelength) for 250 h and incubated with nitric acid (99.0%) at 808C for 6 days. These pretreated LDPE pieces were used as sole carbon source in mineral salt medium and inoculated with the Fusarium sp. AF4, isolated from soil. The efficiency of the LDPE degradation depended on the growth phase in pure cultivation of the fungus. The changes in the structural properties of LDPE film because of UV-nitric acid and microbial treatment were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was observed that in case of UV and nitric acid treated LDPE, peaks appeared at 1710 cm À1 and 831, which were then reduced to 1708 cm À1 and 830 after microbial treatment, indicating breakdown of polymer chain. In this study, it was observed that a synergistic effect of UV-nitric acid and microbial treatment induced oxidation reaction that enhanced and accelerated the biodegradability rate of LDPE pieces.
The present research work monitored the successive biofilm development and its catabolic role in ... more The present research work monitored the successive biofilm development and its catabolic role in the degradation of polystyrene (PS). PS material was artificially colonized with biofilm by incubating it with activated sludge under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Biofilm formation was monitored by gravimetric weight analysis, spectrophotometric absorbance technique, heterotrophic plate count, and scanning electron microscopy under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The wet weight (1.59 and 1.17 g) and dry weight (0.41 and 0.08 g) of a biofilm showed a significant constant increase under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, from first till 9 weeks of incubation. Plate count of the selected bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) considerably declined (90-99 %) in the biofilm after seventh and fifth weeks of incubation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, indicating a positive shift from pathogenic to beneficial microbial community. While most probable number index of fecal coliforms and E. coli in the sludge showed more reduction (98 and 99 %) under aerobic as compare to anaerobic conditions (86 and 91 %) after 9 weeks of biofilm formation on PS cubes. Correspondingly, the decreasing levels of chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand (up to 73 %) showed signs of sludge digestion. Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope revealed nature of PS media containing high carbon content. However, biofilm development proved to be involved in the biochemical transformation of the PS medium as indicated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
The present study describes the isolation of bacteria from soil with the ability to degrade plast... more The present study describes the isolation of bacteria from soil with the ability to degrade plastic polyurethane (PU). Bacterial strains attached on the polyurethane film, after soil burial for 6 months, were isolated and identified as Bacillus sp. AF8, Pseudomonas sp AF9, Micrococcus sp. 10, Arthrobacter sp. AF11, and Corynebacterium sp. AF12. In plate assay, zones of hydrolysis were visualised around the bacterial colonies on mineral salt agar plates containing polyurethane as a sole carbon source. The results of the Sturm test for degradability showed more CO 2 production in the test than in control. The production of esterase was detected in the presence of polyurethane as a substrate. The Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed certain changes on the surface of PU film and formation of some new intermediate products after polymer breakdown.
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis is very important as starter culture of cheese and yogurt produc... more Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis is very important as starter culture of cheese and yogurt production. A variety of bacteriocins ranging the molecular weight 3 to 10 have been reported from L. lactis under different growth conditions. In our study, we have optimized the growth of L. lactis for the bacteriocin production. Growth kinetics of these bacteria was studied in accordance to time, pH and temperature. Optimum growth as well as optimum bacteriocin activity was obtained after 18 h at pH 5.0 and temperature 37°C. Bacteriocin activity was produced on optimal conditions and were further characterized and purified. Antibacterial assay of bacteriocin showed the strong growth inhibition of test bacteria. Bacteriocin activities were checked after their treatment with different enzymes, organic solvents, sodium chloride (NaCl) and detergents as well as their heat stability and effect of pH was studied. Bacteriocin activity was found to heat stability at 100°C for 30 min and activity was found stable in the 3 to 10 pH range but lost the activity after the treatment with proteinase-K and protease enzymes. Urea, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 6% affected the bacteriocin activity. Bactericidal activity was further purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulphate precipitation and chromatographic techniques. Molecular weight was calculated by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) as 4.6 kDa.
Microcosm Studies for the Biodegradation of Carbaryl in Soil
Pak. J. Bot, 2011
A field-scale experiment with a complete randomized block design was performed to study the degra... more A field-scale experiment with a complete randomized block design was performed to study the degradation of carbaryl in soil. Soil was treated with different types of treatments. Degradation was observed at two levels of soil after 7, 14 and 21 days of treatments. Soil bacteria have ...
Industrial effluent is a major environmental threat in Pakistan due to contaminant loads, especia... more Industrial effluent is a major environmental threat in Pakistan due to contaminant loads, especially of heavy metals. Bioremediation is a process that is in use to remediate effluents and is ecologically sound. In the present study, fungal strains isolated from effluent and adjacent contaminated soil of Koh-i-noor Textile Mills, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were explored for the potential to remove lead from aqueous solution. A. niger RH 17 and A. niger RH 18 strains were tested for metal resistance on Pb-amended plates, which showed maximum resistance up to 6000 and 7000 mg/L, respectively. In media containing 1000 mg/L Pb, maximum lead removal exhibited by A. niger RH 17 was 92.04% and that by A. niger RH 18 was 93.09%, after three days incubation. The optimum pH for Pb detoxification was 9.0 and 9.5 for A. niger RH 17 and A. niger RH 18 respectively, with respective removal percentage being recorded as 93.8% and 94.2%. Pb biosorption was also assessed at different temperatures, in media...
Oil-contaminated sites potentially harbor biosurfactant-producing microorganisms. The present stu... more Oil-contaminated sites potentially harbor biosurfactant-producing microorganisms. The present study relates to isolation of biosurfactant-producing bacteria from Fimkassar oil field, Chakwal, Pakistan, and their molecular screening for two important genes viz. srfA and rhlB, responsible for production of surfactin and rhamnolipid biosurfactants, respectively. In total, 38 out of 79 different bacterial isolates showing growth on crude-oil-containing media were screened for biosurfactant production. Evidently, 34.2% ($$n=13$$n=13) of the isolates were found to inherit srfA gene, while 15.8% ($$n=6$$n=6) of the isolates contained rhlB gene. Subsequently, 16S ribosomal RNA sequence homology studies confirmed the gene-positive isolates to be the species of genera Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Proteus and Stenotrophomonas. The unusual presence of genes in these microorganisms indicates the possibility of horizontal gene transfer and retention or presence of ...
Musa ka Musalla glacier is situated in the Allai, Manshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan... more Musa ka Musalla glacier is situated in the Allai, Manshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (34.713678, 73.360806). There were 20 different water samples sites moving downstream from the glacier, which is the source of river Siran, during winter, summer and monsoon seasons taken for the analysis of water quality destruction in sense of total viable count, total coliform count, fecal coliform count, fecal E.coli count, which are indicator organisms of fecal contamination, as well as the prevalence and distribution of MBL blaNDM-1 producing Gram negative bacteria. Total viable counts were found in the range of 3×10² to 40×10² CFU/mL in winter, 5×10² to 45×10² CFU/mL in summer and 2×10² to 40×10² CFU/mL in monsoon. The range of MPN 100 mL -1 for total coliform was found 11-2400, 150-2400 and 80-2400, for fecal coliform, it was 3-700, 2-900, 2-800 and for fecal E.coli, it was 1-300, 2-450 and 1-400 in winter, summer and monsoon, respectively. While, out of total 20 samples from di...
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