Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are healthcare problems that commonly involve bacterial and, in some rare instances, fungal or viral infections. The irrational prescription and use of antibiotics in UTI treatment have led to an increase in antibiotic resistance. Urine samples (145) were collected from male and female patients from Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Biochemical analyses were carried out to identify uropathogens. Molecular analysis for the identification of 16S ribosomal RNA in samples was performed via Sanger sequencing. Evolutionary linkage was determined using Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis-7 (MEGA-7). The study observed significant growth in 52% of the samples (83/145). Gram-negative bacteria were identified in 85.5% of samples, while Gram-positive bacteria were reported in 14.5%. The UTI prevalence was 67.5% in females and 32.5% in males. The most prevalent uropathogenic bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae (39.7%, 33/83), followed by Escherichia coli (27.7%, 23/83), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.8%, 9/83), Staphylococcus aureus (9.6%, 8/83), Proteus mirabilis (7.2%, 6/83) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (4.8%, 4/83). Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining method, further confirming the relation of the isolates in our study with previously reported uropathogenic isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility tests identified K. pneumonia as being sensitive to imipenem (100%) and fosfomycin (78.7%) and resistant to cefuroxime (100%) and ciprofloxacin (94%). Similarly, E. coli showed high susceptibility to imipenem (100%), fosfomycin (78.2%) and nitrofurantoin (78.2%), and resistance to ciprofloxacin (100%) and cefuroxime (100%). Imipenem was identified as the most effective antibiotic, while cefuroxime and ciprofloxacin were the least. The phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that K. pneumoniae, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and P. mirabilis clustered with each other and the reference sequences, indicating high similarity (based on 16S rRNA sequencing). It can be concluded that genetically varied uropathogenic organisms are commonly present within the KP population. Our findings demonstrate the need to optimize antibiotic use in treating UTIs and the prevention of antibiotic resistance in the KP population.

Purpose: To use dynamic magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of hyperpolarized ¹³C‐pyruvate to follow the progress over time in vivo of breast cancer metabolism in the MMTV‐PymT model, and to follow the response to the anti‐estrogen drug tamoxifen.Methods: Tumor growth was monitored by anatomical MRI by measuring tumor volumes. Dynamic MRS of hyperpolarized ¹³C was used to measure an “apparent” pyruvate‐to‐lactate rate constant (k_p) of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in vivo. Further, ex vivo pathology and in vitro LDH initial reaction velocity were evaluated.Results: Tamoxifen significantly halted the tumor growth measured as tumor volume by MRI. In the untreated animals, k_p correlated with tumor growth. The k_P was somewhat but not significantly lower in the treated group. Studies in vitro confirmed the effects of tamoxifen on tumor growth, and here the LDH reaction velocity was reduced significantly in the treated group.Conclusion: These hyperpolarized ¹³C MRS findings indicate that tumor metabolic changes affects k_P. The measured k_p did not relate to treatment response to the same extent as did tumor growth, histological evaluation, and in vitro determination of LDH activity. Magn Reson Med 73:51–58, 2015.

Aquatic pollution is a burning issue nowadays due to urbanization and industrialization. Industrial wastewater (IWW) contains pollutants that pose a great risk to the environment and human beings and is a big challenge for industries. The remediation of IWW by microorganisms is an environmentally friendly technique. This study was carried out to evaluate the pollution of IWW and to use consortia of Bacillus pakistanensis, Lysinibacillus composti, and Cladophora glomerata for bioremediation. The IWW was obtained from the Hayatabad Industrial Estate and was evaluated for physicochemical parameters and metal concentration. A pot experiment was carried out for two weeks to assess the efficiency of the developed consortia. The IWW and tap water (control) were treated with three different consortia (Bacillus pakistanensis-Cladophora glomerata (CT1, E1), Lysinibacillus composti-Cladophora glomerata (CT2, E2), and Bacillus pakistanensis-Lysinibacillus composti-Cladophora glomerata (CT3, E3). The three pots (CT1, CT2, and CT3) serving as the control were provided with tap water, and the three experimental pots (E1, E2, and E3) were provided with IWW. After treatment, substantial reductions were obtained in the following parameters and percentages: colour 85.7%, electrical conductivity (EC) 40.8%, turbidity 69.6%, sulphide 78.5%, fluoride 38.8%, chloride 62.9%, biological oxygen demand (BOD) 66%, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 81.8%, total suspended solids (TSSs) 82.7%, total dissolved solids (TDSs) 24.6%, Ca hardness 37.2%, Mg hardness 50%, and total hardness 39%. The samples of water were also examined for metal concentrations using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The selected species removed 98.2% of Mn, 94% of Cu, 97.7% of Cr, 91.6% of Cd, 92.8% of Co, 79.6% of Ag, 82.6% of Ni, 98% of Ca, 90% of Mg, and 82.1% of Pb. The BCF values showed by the consortia for Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Ag, Ni, Ca, Mg, and Pb were 91.8, 67, 97.5, 83.3, 85.7, 48.1, 80.4, 84.3, 82.5, and 80.3%, respectively. The t-test analysis showed that the treatment with the selected species significantly decreased the metal concentrations in the IWW (p ≤ 0.05). Overall, the study concludes that metal concentration in the water was decreased significantly by the consortia of algae-bacteria.

Aquatic bodies contaminated by heavy metals (HMs) are one of the leading issues due to rapidly growing industries. The remediation of using algae and hydrophytes acts as an environmentally friendly and cost effective. This study was performed to investigate the pollution load, especially HMs, in the wastewater of the Gadoon Industrial Estate and to utilize the hydrophytes (Typha latifolia (TL) and Eicchornia crassipes (EI)) and algae (Zygnema pectiantum (ZP) and Spyrogyra species (SS)) as bioremediators. The wastewater was obtained and assessed for physiochemical parameters before treating with the selected species. The pot experiment was performed for 40 days. Then the wastewater samples and selected species were obtained from each pot to analyze the metal removal efficiency and assess for metal concentrations using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The dissolved oxygen (DO; 114 mg/L), total suspended solids (TSS; 89.30 mg/L), electrical conductivity (EC; 6.35 mS/cm), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (236 mg/L), biological oxygen demand (BOD; 143 mg/L), and total dissolved solids (TDS; 559.67 mg/L), pH (6.85) were analyzed. The HMs were noted as Zn (5.73 mg/L) and Cu (7.13 mg/L). The wastewater was then treated with the species, and significant reductions were detected in physicochemical characteristics of the wastewater such as DO (13.15–62.20%), TSS (9.18–67.99%), EC (74.01–91.18%), COD (25.84–73.30%), BOD (21.67–73.42%), and TDS (14.02–95.93%). The hydrophytes and algae removed up to 82.19% of the Zn and 85.13% of the Cu from the wastewater. The study revealed that the hydrophytes and algae significantly decreased the HM levels in the wastewater (p ≤ 0.05). The study found TL, EI, ZP, and SS as the best hyper accumulative species for Zn and Cu removal from wastewater. The HMs were removed in the order of Cu > Zn. The most efficient removal for Cu was found by Typha latifolia and Zn by Zygnema pectiantum. It was concluded that bioremediation is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technique that can be used for the treatment of wastewater due to the efficiency of algae and hydrophytes species in terms of HM removal.

COVID-19 is reported as an extremely contagious disease with common symptoms of fever, dry cough, sore throat, and tiredness. The published literature on incidence and gender-wise prevalence of COVID-19 is scarce in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study was designed to compare the distribution, incubation period and mortality rate of COVID-19 among the male and female population of district Attock. The data were collected between 01 April 2020 and 07 December 2020 from the population of district Attock, Pakistan. A total of 22,962 individuals were screened and 843 were found positive for RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2. The confirmed positive cases were monitored carefully. Among the positive cases, the incidence of COVID-19 was 61.7% among males and 38.2% among females. The average recovery period of males was 18.89±7.75 days and females were 19±8.40 days from SARS-CoV-2. The overall mortality rate was 8.06%. The death rate of male patients was significantly higher (P<0.05) compared to female patients. Also, the mortality rate was higher (P<0.05) in male patients of 40-60 years of age compared to female patients of the same age group. Moreover, the mortality rate significantly increased (P<0.05) with the increase of age irrespective of gender. In conclusion, the incidence and mortality rate of COVID-19 is higher in males compared to the female population. Moreover, irrespective of gender the mortality rate was significantly lower among patients aged <40 years.

Water and soil polluted by heavy metals (HMs) are the primary problem due to rapidly increasing urbanization and industrialization. For the treatment of polluted soil, phytoremediation turns into a cost-effective and eco-friendly technique. The current research aimed to examine the load of pollution, specifically HMs, in sediment and wastewater (WW) of the GadoonAmazai Industrial Estate (GAIE), Pakistan and compare the ability of native grass species Cynodon dactylon and Digiteria sanguinalis for the phytoaccumulation of HMs. The industrially polluted soil was analysed for HMs using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and compared with healthy soil (irrigated by freshwater), which served as a control. The HM accumulation was considerably higher in the soil irrigated with WW than in control soil samples. The most substantial metal pollutant was manganese (Mn), which accumulated up to 2491.7 mg/kg in the WW irrigated soil. For assessing the bioremoval efficiency of grass species, pot experimentation was performed for 90 days. Soil samples and grasses were collected from the pots to examine the HM removal efficiency. A significant reduction was noted in physicochemical characteristics of the soil, such as electrical conductivity, total organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, and saturation. The grasses removed up to 59.0% of the Cu and 59.9% of Mn from the soil. The highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) of Cu were observed for D. sanguinalis. While the highest BCF and TF of Mn were obtained for C. dactylon. The research showed that the grass significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced HM in soil samples. Moreover, the selected grasses found a higher capability to accumulate HM in the roots than in the shoot. The maximum Cu removal was obtained by D. sanguinalis and Mn by C. dactylon. The research study concluded that phytoremediation using D. sanguinalis and C. dactylon is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method that can be utilized for soil remediation.