Arsenic (As) contamination in drinking groundwater is a common environmental problem in Pakistan. Therefore, sixty-one groundwater samples were collected from various groundwater sources in District Sanghar, Sindh province, Pakistan, to understand the geochemical behavior of elevated As in groundwater. Statistical summary showed the cations and anions abundance in decreasing order of Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺, and HCO₃⁻ > Cl⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > NO₃⁻. Arsenic was found with low to high concentration levels ranging from 5 µg to 25 µg/L with a mean value of 12.9 µg/L. A major water type of groundwater samples was mixed with NaCl and CaHCO₃ type, interpreting the hydrochemical behavior of rock–water interaction. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed the mixed anthropogenic and natural sources of contamination in the study area. Moreover, rock weathering and exchange of ions controlled the hydrochemistry. Chloro-alkaline indices revealed the dominance of the reverse ion exchange mechanism in the region. The entropy water quality index (EWQI) exposed that 17 samples represent poor water, and 11 samples are not suitable for drinking.

The current study aimed to assess the pharmacological potential of Justicia adhatoda by evaluating the presence of biologically active compounds using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry approach and to undertake biological activities for the effectiveness of the present compounds using standard tests. A total of 21 compounds were identified in the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction in which 14 of the identified compounds are recognized for their pharmacological potential in the literature. In total, four fractions (ethyl acetate, chloroform, n-hexane, and aqueous) were evaluated for pharmacological activities. In carrageenan-induced inflammation, the chloroform fraction exhibited high anti-inflammatory activity (46.51%). Similarly, the analgesic potential of ethyl acetate fraction was the most effective (300 mg/kg) in the acetic acid-induced test. Similarly, in the formalin test, ethyl acetate fraction exhibited maximum inhibition in both early (74.35%) and late phases (88.38). Maximum inhibition of pyrexia (77.98%) was recorded for the ethyl acetate fraction (300 mg/kg). In DPPH assay, the ethyl acetate fraction revealed the highest scavenging potential among other fractions (50 μg/ml resulted in 50.40% and 100 μg/ml resulted in 66.74% scavenging).

An ethnomedicinal survey of the plants of Maidan Valley, Lower Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan was carried out to collect and document the information available with the local people. A total of 43 ethnomedicinal taxa were identified, that were distributed among 40 genera and 31 families and utilized by the local people for the treatment of various ailments. Amongst them thirty eight taxa were Angiosperms that included thirty four Dicotyledons and four Monocotyledons. The remaining five taxa comprised of two Pteridophytes, two Gymnosperms and one Fungus. Lamiaceae was the largest family with seven taxa, Apiaceae, the second largest family with three taxa followed by Amaranthaceae, Berberidaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rutaceae and Violaceae having two taxa each. The remaining families viz. Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae, Buxaceae, Canabiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fagaceae, Fumariaceae, Geraniaceae, Juglandaceae, Liliaceae, Morchellaceae, Oleaceae, Papaveraceae, Papilionaceae, Punicaceae Rosaceae, Saxifragaceae and Solanaceae had one taxa each of ethnobotanical importance.. They were mostly used in the form of dicoctions and infusionsas remedies against respiratory diseases viz. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and pneumonia, kidney and urinary problems, circulatory disorders and skin diseases.

Ferns are often used by indigenous people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This study was designed to collect the ethnomedicinal and traditional knowledge of these locals about this group of vascular plants. Forty taxa belong to nineteen genera and ten families are used in the treatment of different diseases. The Pteridaceae was the most representative family with twelve taxa (30%), followed by Athyriaceae and Dryopteridaceae with six taxa each (30%), and Thelypteridaceae with five taxa (12.5%). Regarding the genera, Adiantum, Asplenium and Dryopteris ranked first with four taxa each (30%), followed by Aleuritopteris, Diplazium, Pteris and Equisetum with three taxa each (30%), followed by Athyrium, Oeosporangium, Polystichum and Pseudophegopteris with two taxa each (20%). These taxa were commonly used in the treatment of respiratory disorders i.e. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia; intestinal ulcer, stomach, urinary ailments and skin disorders by the methods of decoction and infusion. Traditional knowledge about ethnomedicinal plants is a valuable and essential source for the discovery of allopathic, herbal and homeopathic medicines.

Background: Germin-like Proteins (GLPs) play an important role in various stresses. Rice contains 43 GLPs, among which many remain functionally unexplored. The computational analysis will provide significant insight into their function. Objective: To find various structural properties, functional importance, phylogeny and expression pattern of all OsGLPs using various bioinformatics tools. Methods: Physiochemical properties, sub-cellular localization, domain composition, Nglycosylation and Phosphorylation sites, and 3D structural models of the OsGLPs were predicted using various bioinformatics tools. Functional analysis was carried out with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) and Blast2GO servers. The expression profile of the OsGLPs was predicted by retrieving the data for expression values from tissuespecific and hormonal stressed array libraries of RiceXPro. Their phylogenetic relationship was computed using Molecular and Evolutionary Genetic Analysis (MEGA6) tool. Results: Most of the OsGLPs are stable in the cellular environment with a prominent expression in the extracellular region (57%) and plasma membrane (33%). Besides, 3 basic cupin domains, 7 more were reported, among which NTTNKVGSNVTLINV, FLLAALLALASWQAI, and MASSSF were common to 99% of the sequences, related to bacterial pathogenicity, peroxidase activity, and peptide signal activity, respectively. Structurally, OsGLPs are similar but functionally they are diverse with novel enzymatic activities of oxalate decarboxylase, lyase, peroxidase, and oxidoreductase. Expression analysis revealed prominent activities in the root, endosperm, and leaves. OsGLPs were strongly expressed by abscisic acid, auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, and brassinosteroid. Phylogenetically they showed polyphyletic origin with a narrow genetic background of 0.05%. OsGLPs of chromosome 3, 8, and 12 are functionally more important due to their defensive role against various stresses through co-expression strategy. Conclusion: The analysis will help to utilize OsGLPs in future food programs.

Critical examination of the pteridophytes of District Mansehra based on our own field surveys and previous literature as well revealed the occurrence of total 130 taxa distributed in 34 genera and 17 families. Of these, 23taxa are new records for the study area, while Polystichum obliquum (D. Don) T. Moore is reported for the first time for Pakistan. Nomenclatural reassessment of previously reported taxa suggests that 23 taxa are now synonyms. Habitat-wise, 68 taxa are terrestrial, while 54 are epilithic, 5exist as epiphytes and the remaining 3 are aquatic.