Explore the vast range of titles available.

Study was conducted to assess the occupational dental erosion among mineral, chemical and metal factory workers in Lahore, Pakistan. It was a descriptive cross sectional study in which 236 factory workers of Lahore formed the study group. Dental erosion was recorded using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) scoring system. The age of study subjects ranged from 18 to 55 years (mean age = 32.16 ñ 3.39 years) comprising of 221 (93.6%) males and 15 (6.4%) females. The prevalence of dental erosion among the study subjects was 54.2%. Approximately 79.5% of the study participants, who had dental erosion, did not use mouth wash during or after work. The cumulative BEWE score was 1.94 ñ3.01. The number of years spent at work had a significant relation with dental erosion (P = 0.000).

To determine the economic burden of thalassemia on parents of thalassemic children. Descriptive nonprobability, purposive sampling done in PHRC Research Centres of Multan, Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta from July 2013 to June 2014. After taking informed written consent, parents/guardians of thalassemia major children were interviewed. All information was recorded on the pre-tested questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 11. A total of 600 guardians/ parents of the thalassemic children were included in the study. There were 57% boys and 43% girls with a mean age of 9.40 + 5.66 years. Among them, 47.8% were from rural and 52.2% from urban areas. Almost 71% children were transfusion dependent. The family history of cousin/interfamilial marriage was present in 78.2% while parental consanguinity was present in 72.8%. Only 1.7% parents got premarital screening for thalassemia. In private sector 56.8% had to pay nothing while others had to pay from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2000 per visit. Expenditure per month in private thalassemia centres showed that 57% had to bear no cost at all, 12.2% had to spend up to Rs. 1000, while 24.8% Rs. 1001 to 5000 and 6% had to pay more than Rs. 5000. In the government sector cost per visit in 35.5% was up to Rs. 500 while others had to pay between Rs. 501 to more than Rs. 2000. Monthly cost at government sector almost doubled. Total expenditure (private and government sector) per month was Rs. 9626 for each patient. Total cost (both direct and indirect) for the management of thalassemia was quite high and this cost puts significant economic burden on the affected thalassemic families. This disease puts social, financial and psychological impacts on suffering families, so prevention-based strategies like premarital screening, prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling should be adopted in Pakistan. A national screening project for thalassemia is the need of the day.

Prevalence and floral host plant range of indigenous Bombus pollinators are considered to be important alternatives than the imported species. Commercial enclosed farming has increased the use of the bumblebees as economically important pollinators for high economic return and offseason crops. Indigenous bumblebee species has been considered important to rear and use for such pollination services than imported bumblebees to avoid possible environmental and pest problems. Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith the only bumblebee species of this region was collected at monthly interval from different non-agricultural and agricultural flora of Margalla and Murree hills of Pakistan during 2011-12. Plant species for floral host plant resources variation in seasonal population and distribution with different climatic regions of this indigenous bumblebee were observed. Twenty four plant species of thirteen plant families were found as floral host plants visited for nectar and pollens with seven new localities ranging from 542-1986 m altitude. The most commonly visited plant family was Asteraceae. Reproductive stages including males and daughter queens were observed from October to December. Prevalence of queen workers and males differ from parks to forests with altitude. Workers were observed active in early and late day hours to avoid harsh climate of June to August. Present study provides the possible available floral host plants variation in its availability of different life stages and possible distribution for future utilization in possible alternate pollinator rearing programs. It also focuses on the ecological and biological interaction of the only bumblebee pollinators of this agro-ecological zone of Pakistan.

Sleep is one of the most important functions of the life. The disturbance in sleep or quality of sleep leads to several dysfunctions of the human body. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders, their possible risk factors and their association with other health problems. The data was collected from the educational community of the Pakistani population. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to evaluate the insomnia and the sleep apnea was evaluated through a simple questionnaire method. The blood samples were collected to perform significant blood tests for clinical investigations. Current research revealed that the individuals in the educational community had poor sleep quality. A total of 1998 individuals from the educational community were surveyed, 1584 (79.28%) of whom had a sleep disorders, including insomnia (45.20%) and sleep apnea (34.08%). The measured onset of age for males and females was 30.35 years and 31.07 years respectively. The Clinical investigations showed that the sleep had significant impact on the hematology of the patients. Higher levels of serum uric acid and blood sugar were recorded with a sleep disorder. The individuals of the educational community were using the sleeping pills. The other associated diseases were mild tension, headaches, migraines, depression, diabetes, obesity, and myopia. The use of beverage, bad mood, medical condition, mental stress, disturbed circadian rhythms, workload and extra use of smartphone were major risk factors of sleep disorders. It was concluded that the insomnia was more prevalent than the sleep apnea. Furthermore, life changes events were directly linked with disturbance of sleep. Tension, depression, headaches, and migraine were more associated with sleep disorders than all other health issues.

The effects of foliar application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) and magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs) on the growth, physiology, and gas exchange parameters of two varieties of spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.) under cadmium (Cd) stress were examined. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 72 pots. Two varieties of S. oleracea (Desi Palak & Lahori Palak) were used. Two concentrations of Cd (0 µM and 150 µM) in the form of cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 ) were used. Two levels of SNP (0 ppm and 100 ppm) and two levels for each form of Mg i.e. MgSO 4 and MgO-NPs (0 and 200 ppm) were foliar sprayed on plants in control and Cd stress. Both varieties behaved similarly under Cd stress and caused reductions in growth, physiology, gas exchange, water content parameters and inorganic ion uptake. However, the biochemical parameters like relative membrane permeability (RMP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) contents were increased. However, all foliar spray treatments increased growth, physiological and gas exchange parameters, water content and inorganic ion uptake. However, this reduced the MDA, RMP, and H 2 O 2 contents. Desi Palak showed the more positive results under foliar application of MgO-NPs. However, Lahori palak showed more positive results under the SNP + MgO-NP treatment. It is concluded that foliar application of SNP, MgSO 4 and MgO-NPs could be an innovative approach to alleviated the heavy metals (Cd) toxicity in crop plants.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the taxonomic diversity, richness, and distribution patterns of Poaceae in relation to abiotic factors in the Jhelum district of the Pakistan Himalayas. We used a random sampling technique from 80 grids within 240 sites with a rich diversity of wild grasses and 720 quadrates in triplets from each site across the Jhelum district between 2019 and 2021 to collect data on grass species and the associated environmental factors and conditions. After evaluating the important value index for each plant taxa and for the environmental data, we analyzed the data using ordination and cluster analysis techniques. Fifty-two Poaceae taxa from twenty-nine genera were recorded within the study area. From a total of 52 recorded Poaceae species, 45 were native and 7 were invasive species. The life form (biological) showed the dominancy of 27 therophyte species, followed by 24 hemicryptophyte species, and 1 geophyte species. Microphyll had the leading leaf size spectra (27 species), followed by nanophyll (12 species), macrophyll (10 species), and leptophyll (3 species). The trend of the life cycle was the maximum (27 spp.) during the monsoon season, followed by spring (11 spp.), winter (8 spp.), and summer (6 spp.). The leading genera were Setaria with 9.61% of the species, followed by Panicum, Cenchrus, and Brachiaria with 7.69% of the species. Aristida and Echinochloa made up 5.76% of the species while Chrysopogon, Digitaria, Eragrostis, Pennisetum, and Poa made up 3.84% of the species. Other genera recorded single species. The leaf size spectra of grasses were dominated by microphylls (50%) followed by nanophylls (23.07%), macrophylls (19.23%), and leptophylls (7.69%). On the basis of the importance value index, the most dominant species was Cynodon dactylon (68), followed by Dichanthium annulatum (58), Brachiaria ramose (38), Dactyloctenium aegyptium (37), Eleusine indica (35), Saccharum bengalense (33), and Cenchrus biflorus (28). Two-way cluster analyses classified the grasses into three plant community associations based on the indicator plant species. Soil parameters as subsamples were tested for moisture, pH, EC, OM, macronutrients (CaCO3, N, P, and K), and saturation while the ordination analysis revealed that they had a significant (p ≤ 0.002) effect on vegetation associations. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the influence of environmental factors on the composition and associations of grass species and the development of scientifically informed management solutions for the ecological restoration of degraded habitats in this Himalayan region.

Fungal species secrete various enzymes and are considered the primary sources of industrially important cellulases. Cellulases are essential natural factors for cellulose degradation and have attracted significant interest for multiple applications. However, reducing the cost and enhancing cellulase production remains a significant challenge. Mutagenesis has opened a new window for enhancing enzyme secretion by modifying the organism’s genome. In this study, cellulases from Alternaria citri were produced and characterized, and the optimization for ideal fermentation conditions was performed for three types of cellulases (endoglucanase, exoglucanase, and β-glucosidase) by a wild-type (A. citri) and a mutant strain (A. citri 305). Ethyl methanesulfonate, a chemical mutagen, was used to enhance cellulase production by A. citri. The results demonstrate the improved cellulolytic ability of the mutant strain A. citri 305 utilizing lignocellulosic waste substances, particularly, orange-peel powder, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, and sawdust, making this study economically valuable. This evokes the potential for multi-dimensional applications in enzyme production, waste degradation, and biofuel generation. This study highlights that the activity of cellulases to hydrolyze various lignocellulosic substrates is enhanced after mutagenesis.

Background Herbal medicines, derived from medicinal plants, are among the most popular alternative remedies around the globe. In Saudi Arabia, herbal medicines are extensively used by public as part of the culture as well as religious norms. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding herbal medicines among the general population in Saudi Arabia. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey study was conducted on the general population of Jeddah city with the help of a validated and self-administered questionnaire. Sample size was calculated to be 450 with subjects between 20 and 60 years of either gender. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results Results of our data showed that 173 (42.2%) of the total participants used herbal medicines, however, significant association was found between female gender and the usage of herbal medicines ( p  < 0.001). Approximately, more than half (56.0%) of the respondents agreed that herbal medicines could be used to promote health and treat illnesses, and 45% respondents agreed that herbal medicines are safe. 153 (37.4%) of the participants opined that herbal medicines could be taken with conventional or allopathic medicine. The data also showed a significant ( p  < 0.05) association between knowledge about the source of herbal medicine and gender where females were found to have more knowledge compared to males. Moreover, a significantly higher number of chronic disease patients were using herbal medicines compared to individuals with no medical problems ( p  < 0.001). Strikingly, majority ( n  = 204; 49.9%) of the respondents used herbal medicines as a first choice when sick, while a good number ( n  = 172; 42.1%) of respondents did not consult doctors before taking herbal medicines. Conclusion The use of herbal medicines is common among the general population of Jeddah. Although most of the participants believed that the herbal medicines are safe and do not require consultation, there is a dire need to increase awareness as well as to establish effective strategies to evaluate the safety, efficacy and quality of the herbal medicines for propitious consequences of this commonly used entity in the local society.

Epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people globally and imposes a substantial clinical and societal burden, requiring continuous and personalized monitoring for effective management. Wearable artificial intelligence (AI) technologies offer a promising solution by leveraging physiological signals and machine learning for seizure detection and prediction. While various approaches have been proposed, a comprehensive overview summarizing these advances and challenges is still needed. This review aims to comprehensively explore and map the existing literature on AI-driven wearable technologies for epilepsy, identifying device characteristics, AI methodologies, biosignal measurements, validation approaches, and research gaps. A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. A systematic search was performed across six electronic databases (Scopus, MEDLINE, Embase, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar) to identify relevant studies published up to December 2023. We included studies that developed AI algorithms for epilepsy using noninvasive wearable devices (eg, smartwatches, smart clothing) and excluded those using nonwearables or in-body devices. Eligible publication types included journal articles, conference papers, and dissertations. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by six reviewers. The extracted data were synthesized narratively. A total of 67 studies met the inclusion criteria. Research in this domain has increased significantly since 2021, with India, the United States, and China leading contributions. The studies examined both commercial (n=31, 46.3%) and noncommercial (n=31, 46.3%) wearable devices, with Empatica smart bands being the most frequently used. The primary biosignals monitored included activity measures (n=36, 53.7%), cardiovascular metrics (n=33, 49.3%), brain activity (n=24, 35.8%), and skin conductance (n=23, 34.3%). The most common AI models were support vector machines (n=28, 41.8%), random forests (n=14, 20.9%), and convolutional neural networks (n=10, 14.9%). Most models focused on seizure detection (n=54, 80.6%) compared to seizure prediction (n=14, 20.9%), reflecting a research imbalance that suggests the need for further development in predictive analytics. Sensitivity (n=54, 80.6%) was the most frequently reported performance metric, indicating a focus on identifying seizures; however, comprehensive clinical validation remains limited. Closed-source data predominated (n=44, 65.7%), limiting the generalizability of findings. The most used validation methods were leave-one-out cross-validation (n=21, 31.3%) and k-fold cross-validation (n=20, 29.9%), while video electroencephalography served as the primary reference standard (n=35, 52.2%). Wearable AI technologies show significant promise in epilepsy management, offering real-time, continuous monitoring and early seizure detection. To realize clinical impact, future research should prioritize the standardization of validation methods, promote open data exchange for reproducibility, and develop energy-efficient algorithms that support real-world deployment in wearable devices.

Climber–abiotic parameter interactions can have important ramifications for ecosystem’s functions and community dynamics, but the extent to which these abiotic factors influence the spatial distributions of climber communities in the western Himalayas is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the taxonomic diversity, richness, and distribution patterns of climbers in relation to abiotic variables in the Jhelum District. The data were collected from 120 random transects between 2019 and 2021, from 360 sites within triplet quadrats (1080 quadrats), and classification and ordination analyses were used to categorize the sample transects. A total of 38 climber species belonging to 25 genera and 11 families were recorded from the study area. The Convolvulaceae were the dominant family (26.32%), followed by the Apocynaceae (21.05%), and Leguminosae (15.79%). The majority of the climbers were herbaceous in nature (71.05%), followed by woody (23.68%). Based on the relative density, the most dominant species was Vicia sativa (12.74). The majority of the species flowered during the months of March–April (28.04%), followed by August–September (26.31%). Abiotic factors have a significant influence on the distribution pattern and structure of climbers in the study area. The results show that the climbers react to the biotic environment in different ways. The findings will serve as the foundation for future botanical inventories and will be crucial for understanding the biological, ecological, and economic value of climbers in forest ecosystems. This will help forest management, conservation, and ecological restoration in the Himalayas.