BackgroundThe tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 4 (OX40) and its ligand (OX40L) are members of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily and play roles as costimulatory immunomodulators to combat infectious diseases as well as cancers. Presently, many therapeutic agents focused on OX40 and OX40L are in trials for antitumor efficacy. In Pakistan, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the second most prevalent cancer with a mortality of 50% despite the availability of various therapeutic modalities. Data regarding serum levels of OX40 in patients with OSCC is lacking. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the OX40 levels in serum and their association with the clinicopathological features of the tumor. MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted and serum samples of 78 biopsy-confirmed OSCC patients were collected prior to any treatment along with 10 healthy persons after informed consent. Serum levels of OX40 were measured via sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ResultsThe mean serum levels of OX40 were 1.65 ± 0.64 ng/ml and 2.39 ± 0.58 ng/ml in early and late-stage disease patients of OSCC, respectively (p =<0.005). However, based on gender and tumor site, male gender and buccal mucosa tumors in late-stage OSCC patients showed higher mean levels of OX40, 2.42± 0.58 ng/ml and 2.41 ± 0.58 ng/ml (p =<0.05), respectively. Patients with well-differentiated tumors demonstrated mean serum levels of 2.28 ng/ml, and in moderately differentiated tumors, the mean levels were 2.19 ng/ml (p =0.47). ConclusionsA high OX40 level is associated with advanced-stage disease and a poor prognosis, possibly reflecting the immune-exhausted status against OSCC.

Objective: To determine the frequency of Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (bla KPC ) and New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase (bla NDM ) resistant genes among clinical isolates of Enterobacterales in a set of Karachi population.

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Preterm birth is defined as any birth before 37 weeks of completed weeks of gestation. Preterm infants are said to have an imbalanced intestinal and immune system. Alteration of the gut microbiota in preterm infants has been associated with the development of short term diseases such as sepsis or Necrotizing enterocolitis. Necrotizing enterocolitis is a catastrophic disease affecting the preterm infants. Although its pathogenesis is poorly known, r gestational age, birth weight, formula feeding and bacterial colonization of the gut are found to be associated with its emergence. This review was aimed at describing the latest literature related to Necrotizing enterocolitis and its asso several studies have shown the use of fecal samples in detecting the presence of Necrotizing enterocolitis. Microbial dysbiosis preceding Necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants is characterized by increase relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes .Immune responses like Toll-Like Receptors also trigger the severity of Necrotizing enterocolitis. Necrotizing enterocolitis can be reduced through administration of probiotics, thus, reduc morbidity and mortality of preterm infants.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that is transmitted by a variety of routes, including the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat. It infects roughly one-third of the world's population and is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite. The goal of this research is to detect the existence and genotypes of T. gondii in beef and mutton, two of the most widely consumed red meats in Gaza, Palestine, using both ELISA and PCR techniques. For this purpose, 60 red meat samples were collected from butcheries in Gaza city, during the period from January to March 2021. These samples were divided evenly between beef and mutton. This study found that beef is devoid of T. gondii, whether tested using ELISA or PCR. On the contrary, both approaches detected T. gondii in mutton; however, the percentage of positive samples reported differed. For example, whereas T. gondii was detected in 14 (46.66 %) of 30 samples using ELISA, only 5 (16.66 %) of positive samples were detected using PCR. The genotyping results of the current investigation showed that the three DNA isolates were T. gondii type II. A Chisquare test was also implemented to evaluate the prevalence of T. gondii and the type of red meat samples (mutton and beef) examined using PCR and ELISA. Similarly, in the detection of T. gondii, a comparison of the PCR approach and ELISA was conducted, and all of these relationships were shown to be statistically significant, with p values < 0.05. Meanwhile, this investigation found that beef samples were devoid of T. gondii infection. Regardless of whether it was examined with an ELISA or a PCR, this study revealed the occurrence of T. gondii in mutton. The current study also concluded that eating raw or undercooked mutton is a potential risk factor for the transmission of T. gondii infection to humans. Besides, the occurrence of T. gondii type II in the three genotyped ADNA isolates.

Objectives This research aimed to determine OX40 and OX40L mRNA expression in blood samples of naive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients in different histological grades and clinical stages. The in silico analysis was performed using the STRING database for functional association and a better understanding of the interactions of OX40 and its ligand with other proteins. Materials and Methods In this study, we recruited 141 newly diagnosed patients of OSCC. Levels of OX40 and OX40L mRNA expression were explored using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. An in silico tool was also utilized to evaluate the OX40/OX40L interactome. Results The results showed higher OX40 expressional levels in the late stage (23-fold) compared with the early stage (8.5-fold) (p = < 0.001). A similar trend was seen in OX40L mRNA expression, revealing a fold change of 5.8 in the early stage in comparison to 9.9-fold change in the late stage (p = < 0.001). Overexpression of OX40 and OX40L was found in different histological grades (p = 0.005 and p = < 0.001, respectively). Overexpression of OX40 and OX40L was detected in habits such as smoking and paan intake, whereas statistically significant upregulation was observed in the cheek, lip, and alveolus tumors. However, there was no substantial difference in OX40 and OX40L expression based on age or gender. The functional interactions, that is, interactomes of OX40 and OX40L with other proteins have been determined by in silico analysis. Conclusion Based on current study findings, despite OX40 and OX40L upregulation in newly diagnosed OSCC patients, it is speculated that the physiological function of these molecules is altered due to immune system exhaustion.

The advancement of modern molecular biology techniques has made it possible to detect fetal anomalies beforehand in order to tackle the upcoming situation. However, the idea is to devise the most sensitive screening tools with fewer chances of errors as well as noninvasive methods to diagnose fetal abnormalities. Previously used methods amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling possess risks for the fetus on the other hand cell free fetal DNA (cffDNA) method is less invasive and reduces the risk to fetus. However, currently most cffDNA screening tests routinely evaluate fetal sex and sex chromosomal aneuploidies while in developed countries analysis of cffDNA is incorporated in high-risk pregnancies to detect the defects and mutations. In Pakistan where the prevalence of birth defect is reported approximately 7% as well as increased consanguineous marriages increase the chance of such defects. Centers in Pakistan offer cffDNA testing but with a hefty cost on the pocket. This review highlights the importance and prospects of exploring the maternal plasma Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening in high risk mothers in Pakistan as well as the limitations and strengths of the technique. Since the cffDNA sequencing is a major advancement in genomic medicine that has reduced the invasive procedures in clinical medicine.