{"title":"EFFECTS OF MORINDA CITRIFOLIA LINN (NONI) AND TAHITIAN NONI® JUICE (TNJ) ON LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY IN MICE","authors":"Yasmin Khan, Vijayapandy Pandi","doi":"10.53992/njns.v7i1.89","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v7i1.89","url":null,"abstract":"Noni fruit extract and juice (Morinda citrifolia L., Family: Rubiaceae) had long been known as a medicinal plant in folklore medicine in tropical countries and Pacific islands. To date, the available scientific knowledge was focused on different pharmacological effects. It was claimed to have a beneficial effect on drug addiction by Noni fruit extract and its juice in animal studies. Keeping this in mind we investigated whether the noni fruit extract and noni beverages contained any effect on locomotion in mice using Actimeter (a standard test for locomotor activity). We found that the administration of a single dose of Morinda citrifolia extract (MMC) at varying doses (0.5, 1, 3, and 5 g/kg p.o.) 60 min before the testing and Tahitian noni juice (TNJ) 100% made available as a source of drinking water for a period of 24 hours before the test day produced no significant effect on animal’s locomotion and behavior when compared with the control group. The extract did not exhibit any toxic effects. There was no mortality and change in animal behavior seen. The current results suggest that MMC and TNJ are safe and can be utilized for further neuropharmacological research.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87195071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mamona Mumtaz, Munir Ahmad, Mirza Rahmat Baig, Naveed UL HAQ
{"title":"Sequential and Parallel CNN Structures for the Classification of Lumbar Herniated Disc in MRI","authors":"Mamona Mumtaz, Munir Ahmad, Mirza Rahmat Baig, Naveed UL HAQ","doi":"10.53992/njns.v7i1.87","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v7i1.87","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the present study was to detect the lumbar herniated disc in lumbar spine MRI using Convolutional Neural Network with sequential and parallel models. We performed a CNN classification technique for detecting the normal and herniated disc using sequential (single-input) and parallel (multi-input) models while capturing the effect of dropout ratios and L2 regularizers on the overall accuracy of the model. To overcome the problems of overfitting of CNN model and to enhance the overall performance, we applied data augmentation to our dataset. After evaluating the 87 patients MRI data using sequential and parallel CNN structures, the sequential CNN structure provides higher accuracy of 99.31% (training accuracy) and 96.86% (test accuracy), and when we apply parallel CNN structure, the classification accuracy is also high i.e., 99.52% (training accuracy) and 95.38% (test accuracy). We conclude that the overall sequential and parallel CNN structures provide higher accuracy for the classification of normal or herniated disc in lumbar spine MRI, as compared to when we add dropouts and regularizers in the CNN model. The results demonstrate that our proposed CNN structures significantly outperform the state-of-the-art methods.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"4 2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88857101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannelle Diana Habániková, Rubina Dad, Chandra S Azad
{"title":"Kinase Targeted Anticancer Agents: A Perspective","authors":"Shannelle Diana Habániková, Rubina Dad, Chandra S Azad","doi":"10.53992/njns.v7i1.90","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v7i1.90","url":null,"abstract":"The phosphate group present in the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is transferred to the hydroxy group-containing tyrosine, serine, or threonine residue by the protein kinases encoded in the human genome. Till now, a large number of these kinases have been reported to be associated with the initiation and progression of human cancers. In clinical trials, it has been demonstrated that small-molecule kinase inhibitors can effectively cure a wide range of cancers. The FDA approved more than 40 kinase inhibitors for cancer treatment since the early 1980s when the first protein kinase inhibitor was developed. In this review, the authors explained the relevancies of the kinase with cancer. In addition, several FDA-approved drug candidates have been classified according to their binding with kinases.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"977 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77102820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sehrish Imtiaz, Naveed Iqbal Soomro, Iqra Riasat, Saira Hafeez, Dr. Javed Iqbal, Dr. Syeda Marriam Bakhtiar
{"title":"Association of BDNF Gene (rs6265/G196A) Polymorphism with Depression","authors":"Sehrish Imtiaz, Naveed Iqbal Soomro, Iqra Riasat, Saira Hafeez, Dr. Javed Iqbal, Dr. Syeda Marriam Bakhtiar","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i2.78","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i2.78","url":null,"abstract":"Depression affects an individual’s feelings, thoughts, and behavior. It is known as the most common mental illness worldwide with complex origin. The risk factors for depression include both genetic as well as environmental factors. Depression is affecting more than 300 million individuals globally and is categorized as a major cause of the global burden of disease. Several studies demonstrate the involvement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene in the etiology of depressive disorder. This study was designed to assess the association of (rs6265/G196A) polymorphism of the BDNF gene in the pathogenesis of depression. The cross-sectional study was conducted consisting of 357 samples from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Depression was determined through questionnaire, using DSM-Ⅳ (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Version Ⅳ). DNA was extracted from the blood samples of study participants. The conventional polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify the BDNF gene and to detect the frequency of rs6265/ G196A SNP in the samples of subjects under study. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson’s Chi-Squared test. It was observed that the homozygous GG genotype is more prevalent in study subjects than the homozygous AA or heterozygous AG genotypes. However, depression is likely to be more prevalent in AA genotype i.e., 37.8%, less prevalent in AG genotype i.e., 34.0%, and least prevalent in GG genotype i.e., 28.2%. This data shows the A allele of the BDNF gene to be more associated with depression than the G allele, suggesting this polymorphism to be a somewhat potential target for anti-depressants.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"405 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79758699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Awais Shahid Minhas, Malik Saif Ur Rehman, Abdul Rehman, Mansoor A Baluch, Malik Sajjad Mehmood
{"title":"Phytochemical Investigation, Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by Peel Extract of Punica Granatum","authors":"Awais Shahid Minhas, Malik Saif Ur Rehman, Abdul Rehman, Mansoor A Baluch, Malik Sajjad Mehmood","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i2.76","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i2.76","url":null,"abstract":"Iron oxide nanoparticles are gradually being studied for many applications in the field of medicine, photonics, laser, and biophysics. In this experiment, dark synthesis is used for obtaining iron oxide nanoparticles from Punica granatum fruit peel extract. Results confirmed that all synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles have a purity and high degree of crystallinity. The size of the nanoparticles which is synthesized by this root has a high degree of crystalline structure with a crystalline size of 37.71 nm. The highest peaks angle is 33.240, and 35.710 with the interplanar spacing (hkl) at (104), and (112) respectively, and the index hkl based on ICSD no. 01-079-0007. UV–vis absorption recorded a characteristic peak at 653.9 nm for iron oxide nanoparticles. The bandgap analysis at 1.81 eV.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85793208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Y. Ali, Mehran Akhtar, Kainat Khan, N. Farooqi, Shahla Gohar, Syed Ishfaq Ahmad, Madeeha Ayaz, Zia Ul Islam, M. Arshad, F. Jalil
{"title":"Screening for Deleterious non-synonymous SNPs in Human CCL21 Gene using in-silico analysis","authors":"Y. Ali, Mehran Akhtar, Kainat Khan, N. Farooqi, Shahla Gohar, Syed Ishfaq Ahmad, Madeeha Ayaz, Zia Ul Islam, M. Arshad, F. Jalil","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i2.79","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i2.79","url":null,"abstract":"Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systematic, and progressive inflammatory disorder, causing severe damage to joints and hence increase mortality. The Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21), a member cytokines family, is involved in immuno-inflammatory and regulatory processes. Therefore, identifying the important SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in the CCL21 gene is of key importance to evaluate their structural and functional significance and to discover novel therapeutic targets for immune-related diseases, including RA. In this study, we used in silico approaches for identifying the most damaging non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs), playing a significant structural and functional role in CCL21 protein. The primary tools used for this study included PROVEAN, SNPs&GO, SIFT and PolyPhen2. Other tools, its stability, Structure and functional effect as well as the conservation profile, were verified using I-Mutant, MutPred, and ConSurf. The site of post-translational modification also predicted. The 3-D modeling of proteins was carried out using I-TASSER which were then visualized in Chimera v1.11. Furthermore, the gene-gene interactions were predicted using STRING and gene MANIA. It was observed that the nsSNPs D30Y (rs753133670), I62N (rs1170851787), R75C (rs759733358), R75S (rs776954599) and A83V (rs776954599) were the most damaging nsSNPs in the CCL21 gene. These nsSNPs might have a significant role in CCL2 protein’s malfunctioning and possibly causing different autoimmune diseases including RA. Our study concluded that, to study the correlation of the CCL21 gene with certain autoimmune disorders, i.e. Crohn’s Disease (CD), RA and other immune-associated diseases, these SNPs could be the most important ones. In addition, these SNPs need to be studied in animal models and cell cultures in association with certain diseases, to identify if they could be of use for the gene therapy and pharmacogenomics.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91154136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"By using Doctor Blade Method, Lithium and Magnesium Co-Doped with Nickel Oxide Thin Film as Charge Transport Layer for Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cell","authors":"Abdul Rehman, S. Naseem","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i2.77","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i2.77","url":null,"abstract":"The organic materials for hole transport layer HTL such as PEDOT: PSS and Spiro-OMeTAD are poor electron blockers, more expensive, unstable, and large charge recombination materials. The inorganic material such as nickel oxide and copper oxide thin film for hole transport layer HTL was used to enhance the fill factor FF, power conversion efficiency PCE and stability of the hole transport layer for inorganic perovskite solar cell. Lithium and Magnesium co-doped with nickel oxide nanoparticles deposited on indium doped tin oxide ITO glass then deposited the cesium lead iodide bromide layer by using doctor blade method then characterize this thin film for confirmed the properties of the materials. \u0000The crystal structure of nickel oxide was measured from XRD and all the peaks were matched with JCPDS cards. The average crystalline size was 24 nm has cubic in shape. For optical properties and bandgap measured, using UV visible and DRS confirmed the strong absorbance near to the visible range, and bandgap decreased from 3.7 to 3.4 eV by adding doping. After the deposition of the inorganic perovskite layer, the bandgap decreased from 3.09 eV to 2.56 eV. RBS confirmed the chemical composition, impurity, and thickness of the thin film. The IV curve measurement showed the 4.3 % efficiency of the pure nickel oxide thin film, by adding the doping of lithium and magnesium in nickel oxide thin film showed the 7.65 % efficiency with the 83 % fill factor FF.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81102550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Malik Saif Ur Rehman, Awais Shahid Minhas, Abdul Rehman, Mansoor A Baluch, Malik Sajjad Mehmood
{"title":"Investigation of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles by Using Punica granatum Extract","authors":"Malik Saif Ur Rehman, Awais Shahid Minhas, Abdul Rehman, Mansoor A Baluch, Malik Sajjad Mehmood","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i1.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i1.67","url":null,"abstract":"Zinc oxide has significant importance as it has various applications in many industries due to its versatile properties which can be enhanced by production at the Nanoscale. Major applications of ZnO in material science are due to its greater refractive index value, considerable thermal conductivity, binding, biocompatibility, and anti-bacterial characteristics. Many physical and chemical Synthesis techniques are adopted but along with synthesis, these methods carry impurities that lead to a reduction of yield of pure Nanoparticles. Adoption of a sustainable route i.e. Green route for the synthesis of Nanoparticles considerably enhances the properties and effectiveness of NP’s, as it is a less hazardous method than other chemical and physical methods. Zinc oxide NPs have been successfully prepared by green synthesis using biological substrate (Fresh Punica granatum seed). Characterization techniques i.e. XRD, DRS, FTIR, UV reveals crystalline structure, Band Gap, Transmission, and absorption spectra of the sample. Miller indices values from the XRD plot are (100) (002) (101). The average grain size obtained from XRD analysis is 17nm and crystal geometry is hexagonal. Grain size ranges from 15nm to 40nm can have the best effect for antibacterial and antifungal applications. Bandgap energy shows the semiconductor range of ZnO Nanoparticles.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75218257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sana Noreen, Sadia Bano, S. Farooq, Waseem Khalid, Tahira Fatima, A. Urooj, Maryam Waris, Samina Sharif, Hanza Natasha Saleem
{"title":"IMPACT OF DIETARY GUIDELINES AGAINST COVID-19","authors":"Sana Noreen, Sadia Bano, S. Farooq, Waseem Khalid, Tahira Fatima, A. Urooj, Maryam Waris, Samina Sharif, Hanza Natasha Saleem","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i2.74","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i2.74","url":null,"abstract":" Coronavirus illness 2019 is a contagious disease that has become pandemic after rapidly spreading around the world. Diet is a key factor of happiness. The prevalence of coronavirus disease and the illnesses associated with it Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 is caused by the Coronavirus Virus (COVID-19) and can be treated with a healthy diet. Data was gathered using Google Scholar, Medline, Embase, Science Direct and books from studies conducted between 2020 and 2021. Many studies have indicated that eating a nutrient-dense diet and making wise food choices can aid in the development of adaptive immunity. Improvement of micronutrient deficiencies in current COVID-19 infections may promote the immune response to infection in individuals at greatest risk. Supplementation with vitamins D and C, as well as selenium and zinc, has been proven to be potentially beneficial for persons suffering from or at risk of developing respiratory virus diseases, as well as those suffering from nutritional deficiencies. A healthy diet of iron, zinc, and vitamins B12, B6, A, and E is essential for immune function maintenance. Therefore, the aim of this study is to promote healthy eating pattern, a better lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate sleep, and exercising in their spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76458994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Carbon Capturing Technology: A Step for Sustainable Future","authors":"Waseem Sajjad","doi":"10.53992/njns.v6i1.69","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v6i1.69","url":null,"abstract":"Humans have liberated more than two thousand gigatons of carbon dioxide into atmosphere, since the Industrial revolt took place. (A gigaton is a billion metric tons.) There is a sturdy cover of air around our planet. This thick air-tight blanket captures the heat of the earth we find today. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas which controls the temperature of atmosphere. Since 1880, due to increasing carbon percentage in atmosphere Earth temperature is increased by 2° Fahrenheit. If we don’t change anything, the effects of climate change as forest fires, the stifling heat waves, and sea level rise will continue to become severe. Here's the big, important thing about CO2: this is a greenhouse gas. That means CO2 in the atmosphere works to trap heat near Earth. It helps the Earth to hold on to some of the energy it receives from the Sun so that all the energy that comes from it does not return to space. If it were not for the effects of global warming, the oceans would be extremely solid. Earth would not be as beautiful a planet blue and green as life. Therefore, CO2 and other greenhouse gases are good to a certain level. An increase in CO2 concentration can help plants to grow faster. But CO2 is so good at trapping heat from the Sun, that even a small increase in CO2 in the atmosphere could cause the Earth to warm up even more. Currently, we’re using some techniques as Bio-energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture, Carbon Mineralization, and Ocean-based Concepts. But these are not very cost-effective. For instance, direct air capture costs about $94- $232 per metric ton. It’s not very productive, some researchers have found a way to convert CO2 into useful fuel. The purified carbon could also be used to make methanol, carbon nanofibers, or diesel fuel. But again, fuel formed this way is expensive than naturally available resources. It can cost around $94 and $232 per metric ton. Here is the possible solution to minimize this cost in our report. So, that we may get a sustainable environment for future generations at the least possible cost.","PeriodicalId":19373,"journal":{"name":"NUST Journal of Natural Sciences","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85693324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}