Self-medication is an important issue, especially in developing countries. Self-medication is the concept in which individuals use medicine to ease and manage their minor illnesses. The current survey was designed to conduct interviews at different universities based on the availability of the students from August 2021 to October 2021 in Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Overall, 1250 questionnaires were distributed to students from various departments. Students of microbiology (n = 305, 24.4%) and agriculture 236 (n = 18.8%) were the most elevated members in this study, while other participants were from medical lab technology (n = 118, 9.4%), chemistry (n = 103, 8.2%), food science (n = 92, 7.3%), business administration (n = 83, 6.6%), sociology (n = 78, 6.2%), math/physics (n = 6, 14.8%), Pak study (n = 58, 4.6%), English (n = 47, 3.7%), and psychology (n = 19, 1.5%). Students working towards their Bachelor numbered (n = 913, 73.0%), Master (minor) numbered (n = 80, 6.4%), Master (major) numbered (n = 221, 17.6%), and Doctorate numbered (n = 36, 2.8%). The age group of participants was majorly 20–25 years (61.0%), while others belonged to the age groups 25–30 years (20.6%), 30–35 years (9.8%), and 35–40 years (8.4%). The mean and standard deviation of daily practices of self-medication were observed (M = 416.667, SD = 1,026,108.667) and p = 0.002. The mean and standard deviation of daily practices of antibiotic knowledge was (M = 431.5, SD = 1,615,917) and p = 0.002. Antimicrobial agents were leading over others with 631 (50.4%), followed by anti-inflammatory with 331 (26.4%), multivitamins with 142 (11.3%), gynecological purpose with 59 (4.7%), and analgesic with 72 (5.7%), while the lowest frequency rate was observed against herbal remedies with 15 (1.2%). The results of the current study concluded that students practiced self-medication for reasons such as convenience to obtain these medications from cheap sources and to avoid the fee of a physician. They searched for the medicine on social media platforms and purchased it blindly from the pharmacy without any prescription from a physician.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a leading cause of treatment failure for many infectious diseases worldwide. Improper overdosing and the misuse of antibiotics contributes significantly to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. The co-contamination of heavy metals and antibiotic compounds existing in the environment might also be involved in the spread of AMR. The current study was designed to test the efficacy of heavy metals (arsenic) induced AMR patterns in clinically isolated extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria. A total of 300 clinically isolated ESBL-producing bacteria were collected from a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, with the demographic characteristics of patients. After the collection of bacterial isolates, these were reinoculated on agar media for reidentification purposes. Direct antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) for bacterial isolates by disk diffusion methods was used to determine the AST patterns with and without heavy metal. The heavy metal was concentrated in dilutions of 1.25 g/mL. The collected bacterial isolates were isolated from wounds (n = 63, 21%), urine (n = 112, 37.3%), blood (n = 43, 14.3%), pus (n = 49, 16.3%), and aspirate (n = 33, 11%) samples. From the total 300 bacterial isolates, n = 172 were Escherichia coli (57.3%), 57 were Klebsiella spp. (19%), 32 were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.6%), 21 were Proteus mirabilis (7%) and 18 were Enterobacter spp. (6%). Most of the antibiotic drugs were found resistant to tested bacteria. Colistin and Polymyxin-B showed the highest sensitivity against all tested bacteria, but when tested with heavy metals, these antibiotics were also found to be significantly resistant. We found that heavy metals induced the resistance capability in bacterial isolates, which leads to higher AMR patterns as compared to without heavy metal tested isolates. The results of the current study explored the heavy metal as an inducer of AMR and may contribute to the formation and spread of AMR in settings that are contaminated with heavy metals.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a highly morphic, retrovirus that rapidly evolves through mutation as well as recombination. Because of the immunocompromised status in HIV patients, there is often a higher chance of acquiring different secondary infections followed by liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B & C, and HIV-associated nephropathy. The current study was conducted to see the prevalence of secondary infections, hematological and biochemical markers for liver and renal associated diseases, and to detect the envelope gene (GP41) in newly diagnosed HIV patients. A total of 37 samples were collected from HIV-positive patients registered in different hospital settings under the National AIDS control program. The collected samples were processed for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hematological analysis, and biochemical analysis. To identify the envelope gene in newly diagnosed HIV patients, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using four gene-specific primers. The HIV infections were seen more in male as compared to females. A significant decrease in complete blood count was observed in HIV patients when compared to healthy individuals. There was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine observed in HIV patients. No significant difference was observed in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, and albumin levels when compared to healthy control. Anemia was observed in 59.4% of HIV patients. A total of three (8.1%) patients were found to be co-infected with hepatitis B and one (2.7 %) was co-infected with hepatitis C. Out of these 37 tested samples, a total of four showed the successful amplification of the envelope gene. This study provides platform for the health care facilitators to regularly monitor the signs, symptoms and clinical biomarkers of HIV-associated infections to prevent toxicity at an early stage to improve the quality of life (QoL) and minimize the mortality rate in HIV patients. Envelope gene mutating frequently results in drug resistance, and thus future research on polymorphism analysis will reveal points of substitutions to improve drug designing.

The CRISPR/Cas9 technique is one of the gene-editing tools. The CRISPR/Cas9 method is favoured by many due to its high degree of adaptability and precision when cutting and pasting DNA. It makes it possible to carry out genetic engineering on an unprecedented scale at a very low cost, which is one of the reasons why it is so popular. It differs from previous methods of genetic engineering in that it permits the addition or deletion of multiple genes simultaneously. Additionally, it is unique in that it is not species-specific, allowing it to be applied to organisms that were previously resistant to genetic engineering. CRISPR/Cas9 has emerged as a potent strategy for altering the genome, and it has been extensively utilized in a variety of cell lines. CRISPR/Cas9 creation of cell and animal models laid the groundwork for the clinical trials that might have treated the tumor. The technology of genome editing through CRISPR-Cas9 holds great promise for preventing tumor migration, invasion, and even treatment. However, its clinical application is constrained by the possibility of an off-target effect, necessitating an effective ethical review. The research and limitations of cancer clinical trials are discussed, as are the molecular mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9.

Recent advances in vaccine technology and their uses in viral infection management were the focus of the study. Potential nucleic acid-based platforms for vaccine development, including DNA and RNA vaccines, were also investigated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of attention was paid to RNA-based vaccinations like mRNA vaccines because of their rapid development and scalability. These vaccines were shown to be effective at eliciting protective immune responses and provided the adaptability to include multiple antigenic sites. Preclinical and clinical research of this magnitude is required for the development and assessment of these innovative vaccine methods. Immunogenicity, side effects, and efficacy were all taken into account. The study highlighted the need for more investigation and cooperation between researchers, physicians, and business allies to speed up the process of turning these novel vaccine strategies into successful therapies against different types of viral infections. Our study demonstrated the potential of viral vectors, nanoparticles, and nucleic acid-based platforms in developing vaccine technology, and it contributes important insights into the design and evaluation of innovative vaccine tactics against viral diseases. These results add to the existing body of knowledge and may help direct future antiviral research and development. Keywords: Vaccine development, Viruses, DNA Vaccines, RNA Vaccines, COVID-19 Vaccines

The arboviral infection dengue represents a global public health risk as the frequency of cases climbs across period and is anticipated to do so in the future. The fundamental mechanisms behind the concept between obesity and dengue, however, are rarely discussed. A number of variables, including the existence of cytokines that increase inflammatory response and deregulation of endothelium barrier protein production, contribute to plasma permeability, a defining feature of severe dengue. The key diabetes-related variables that impact endothelium functioning include th-1 skewed responses and the production of junctional-related proteins. Additionally, obesity affects lipid metabolism and the immune system, which increases viral multiplication and inflammatory processes. The common factor among individuals with diabetes and obesity is chronic inflammation, which results in endothelial dysfunction. Explored along with the disease's relationships with diabetes and obesity are the potential causes of comorbidities in severe dengue.