Life Science Journal of Pakistan

Frequency Distribution of Most Common Infectious Diseases among the Hospital Visited Patients of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Muddasir Khan — 2022-03-29

Infectious agents cause serious diseases in humans worldwide and are responsible for the high rate of morbidity and mortality. With this background, the frequency distribution of infectious diseases in the hospital visited patients and their associated risk factors were studied in Peshawar. The data of 753 immune chromatographic technique (ICT) based infected patients were collected during the period of May 2015 to April 2016 from four clinical laboratories of Peshawar. The frequency and percentage of each infectious agent/ diseases were calculated. The study had approval from institutional ethical committee. A list of the Top 5 medically most important infectious agents/ diseases was generated. The results showed that 354 (47.01%) patients were positive for Hepatitis B virus infection, 162 (21.51%) were positive for Salmonella typhi (causing Typhoid fever) infection, 108 (14.34%) were positive for Hepatitis C virus infection, 93 (12.35%) patients were infected with Helicobacter pylori, and 36 (4.78%) were positive for Plasmodium (causing malaria) infection. Among the 753 patients screened for infectious diseases, 378 (50.1%) were males and 375 (49.8%) were females. The prevalence was high in the age group 21-30 and high in married patients (76%). This study provides help in the estimation of the spread of the most common diseases, the calculation of their associated risk factors and control of the diseases in Pakistan.

The emergence of vancomycin resistance among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from post-operative surgical site infections at District Jacobabad

Rao Muhammad Abid Khan — 2022-03-29

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common post-operative infections and Staphylococcus aureus is the leading microbial cause. SSIs contribute significantly to morbidity and healthcare costs. The epidemiology and susceptibility pattern of S. aureus is fluctuating over time with the propagation of newer clones and the emergence of highly resistant strains. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS) to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among patients suffering from SSIs from January to October 2021. A total of 180 pus aspirate and pus swabs were collected from patients who had undergone surgical procedures. Of these, 146 (81%) specimens were bacterial culture positive. Mono-bacterial growth was isolated from 111 (76%) patients and the remaining 35 (24%) patients revealed growth of either two organisms or mixed bacterial growth. Diabetes mellitus and chronic liver disease were major underlying medical conditions. The most common bacterial isolate was S. aureus 88 (79%) of which 38 (43%) were MRSA. The highest sensitivity of MRSA was revealed against vancomycin (87%), followed by Amikacin and Doxycyclin 84% and 82% respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of vancomycin revealed, 5 (13%) of MRSA isolates were resistant to vancomycin exhibiting three isolates MIC 32 μg/ mL and two isolates MIC 64 μg/ mL. None of the methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was resistant against vancomycin. Among MRSA and MSSA, the highest rate of resistance was observed against sulfamethoxazole+trimethoprime and ciprofloxacin. This report highlight the emergence of a significant fraction of VRSA among MRSA isolates amongst post-operative SSIs. The findings of this study call for regular monitoring of sensitivity patterns and the necessity of new and effective antibiotics.

The Impact of Hydropriming and Halopriming on Seed Vigor and Germination of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds at High Temperature

Philip Harris — 2022-03-29

Seed priming techniques have been widely used to enhance germination, increase germination uniformity and improve seedling establishment. This study was designed to assess the impact of hydropriming or halopriming with 10, 25, 50, or 100 mM NaCI on the seed germination of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under heat stress conditions. All treatments significantly improved the seed vigor as indicated by increased germination percentage (G%), mean germination time (MGT), germination rate index (GRI), and coefficient velocity of germination (CVG) of primed seeds compared with unprimed ones. All treatments except priming with 10 mM NaCl considerably increased the mean germination rate (MGR) and a germination value (GV) above that of the control. Overall, 100 mM NaCl was superior to the other treatments in improving the measured indices.

Editorial

Yasar Saleem — 2022-03-29

Editorial – Issue 1, Volume 4

Life Science Journal of Pakistan (LSJP) is going to publish its fifth issue and become more and more credible among life science researchers who are sending their valuable articles for publication. In the current issue, five manuscripts have been selected for publication, out of which three are original research articles and two review articles. First manuscript focuses on immuno-chromatographic assay-based frequency estimation of most common infectious diseases among the hospital visiting patients of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Authors reported almost half of the hospital attending patients (47.01%) were positive for Hepatitis B virus infection followed by Salmonella typhi infection among 21.51% of patients. Other reported infections were Hepatitis C virus found in 14.34% of patients, Helicobacter pylori infection in 12.35% of patients, and almost every 20^th patient was found positive with Plasmodium (4.78%). Both males and females were almost equally screened in over 750 subjects, astonishingly, over 3/4^th of screened subjects belonged to the age group 21-30 years. The figures mentioned in this manuscript are alarming for health officials and demand urgent and special attention. The second manuscript accepted for publication was also of great importance in reporting post-operative surgical site infections (POSSIs) to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in remote areas of Jacobabad. They highlighted the emergence of a significant fraction of VRSA among MRSA isolates in POSSIs. They also suggested regular monitoring of sensitivity patterns and the necessity of finding new and effective antibiotics sensitivity patterns in order to treat infections in our local settings. The third article, accepted for publication in this issue was regarding plant sciences and reports the impact of hydropriming and halopriming on seed vigor and germination of tomato seeds under heat stress conditions. Authors have devised safe, cost-effective, and easily adaptable protocols for farmers for priming of low-quality tomato seeds and they can achieve seed- germination to several folds by using such protocols.

A mini-review focusing release of the herpes simplex virus from the infected cells was also included in this issue. That review describes the role of different proteins including UL7, UL51, UL 36, UL 37, Pin1, etc. in the egress of the herpes simplex virus. Team LSJP is striving and supporting government agencies and healthcare workers, in fighting against COVID-19, by continuously publishing pandemic-related literature. A relevant review was included in this issue focusing on COVID-19 and human physiological systems. Authors have reviewed the effect of COVID-19 on lungs, gut, immune system, brain and mental health, cardiac system, liver, muscular system, etc., and reported COVID-19 is a multi-organ affecting unique virus.

LSJP will continue addressing scientific trends related to all disciplines mentioned in the scope of this journal, for that we hope for more active participation of scholars from academia and R&D institutes. Team LSJP made every effort to make the process of manuscript submission, review, and publication very user-friendly and convenient. Efforts of the LSJP team are highly acknowledged for their help and support to bring LSJP to this level of gaining excellence in life sciences publications.

Dr. Yasar Saleem,

Managing Editor,

Life Science Journal of Pakistan

The Egress of Herpes Simplex Virus from the Infected Cell

Saba Rani — 2022-03-29

Herpes virus is among the most complex viruses and is composed of more than 30 viral as well as cellular proteins. Infection of herpes virus can commonly be observed on genitals and mouth but can appear on other body parts as well. Due to its contagious nature, it can transmit from one person to another through direct contact. Its structure consists of four parts which are morphologically distinct including core, capsid for the protection of viral genome, tegument facilitating the replication of DNA, and envelope for the protection of viral genome. Mostly after the entry of herpes virus into the nucleus of a cell, virus filled up their capsid while being inside the nucleus, and then export or passes their macromolecule outside the nucleus through nuclear pores into the cell’s cytoplasm. Various viral and cellular proteins are responsible for the complex process of envelopment and de-envelopment of the herpes virus inside the nucleus, and by fusion with other nuclear membranes. Many viral proteins as well as cellular proteins are involved in its regulation process. The current review is aimed to highlight the role of various viral and cellular proteins and their interaction in the egress of the herpes virus facilitating its transmission and thus pathogenicity.

Covid-19 And Human Physiological Systems-A Review Based Study

Shafaq Razi — 2022-03-29

COVID-19 is commonly recognized as a respiratory infection. Effects of COVID-19 are, however, not only limited to the human respiratory system but all other physiological systems are also prone to COVID-19. The virus can attack many different cells of the body via angiotensin-converting-2 (ACE2) receptors. COVID-19 impact on the human body has been considered a multi-organ response, causing a range of physiological symptoms. Age-related chronic diseases coupled with a hyperactive inflammatory response can lead to the severity of the infection and death. The risk of physiological complications is higher in comorbidity, weak, and aged patients. Acknowledgment of the various physiological effects of the disease and its complications is fundamental for the proper clinical management of patients. This review intends to provide a detailed perspective on the possible physiological impacts of COVID-19 and adds to the ever-emerging knowledge of human physiology.

List of Contents Issue 1 Volume 4

shaheen iqbal — 2022-03-29

S. No	Title	Page No.
	List of Contents	ii
	Editorial	iii
01	Frequency Distribution of Most Common Infectious Diseases among the Hospital Visited Patients of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Muddasir Khan, Fazal Akbar, Abdullah, Syed Hussain Shah	03-07
02	The emergence of vancomycin resistance among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from post-operative surgical site infections at District Jacobabad Rao Muhammad Abid Khan, Aamir Ali, Om Parkash, Muneer Ahmed Qazi, Ali Nadeem	08-15
03	The Impact of Hydropriming and Halopriming on Seed Vigor and Germination of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds at High Temperature Philip J.C. Harris, Ibrahim Ahmed Eshkab, Salma Assoudani Salem	16-24
04	The Egress of Herpes Simplex Virus from the Infected Cell Saba Rani, Iqra Zulfiqar, Palwasha Rehman, Madeha Gohar1, Farzana Jan, Sartaj Ali	25-32
05	Covid-19 And Human Physiological Systems-A Review Based Study Shafaq Razi, Ishrat Perveen, Sumbal Nazir, Sajida Naseem, Saba Sabahat, Abeer Qasim, Hafiza Najma Naeem	33-44