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Item Vanadium-catalyzed esterification of carboxylates: synthesis, x-ray crystal structure and biological studies.(Chemistry Journal, Scientific Journal, 2016) Khurram Shahzad MunawarThe potentials of vanadium (III) chloride as catalyst were checked for the esterification of substituted carboxylic acids with methanol. The synthesised precursors and methyl esters formed were characterised by various analytical techniques such as FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and single crystal analysis. The antimicrobial activities of the carboxylates and their methyl esters were found good against various strains of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Pasteurella multocida) and fungi (Alternaria alternata, Ganoderma lucidum and Penicillium notatum). All these esters were tested for their activity against the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Methyl 4-oxo-4-(2,4,6-trichlorophenylamino)but- 2-enoate (compound 1) was found to be potent inhibitor while Methyl 4-(3,4-dichlorophenylamino)-4-oxobut-2-enoate (compound 2) showed intercalative mode of binding with DNA.Item Transgenic cotton: harboring board term resistance against insect and weeds through incorporation of cemb double BT and cp4epsps genes(Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences,, 2016) Shahid Javed Butt; Mudassar Fareed AwanIntroduction of multiple traits in crop plants for desirable character is an essential tool of Biotechnological application. To overcome problem of insect pests and weeds cotton variety FBS-37 was genetically modified by transformation of CEMB Cry1Ac+Cry2A and GTGene cloned in different plant expression vectors under CaMV35S Promoter and nopaline synthase Nos Terminator. CEMB optimized protocol of cotton gene transformation i.e. Agrobacterium mediated shoot apex cut method was applied for transformation of these genes constructs in cotton. Overall transformation efficiency was found to be 1.05%. Putative transgenic cotton plants were shifted to soil pots and acclimatized in the green house conditions. PCR with gene specific primers amplified 190bp for EPSPS (Glyphosate GTG) and 1000bp for each of Cry1Ac and Cry2A. Quantification of Cry1Ac, Cry2A and GTG protein through ELISA determined maximum of 0.8µg/g, 1µg/g and 0.9µg/g of tissue respectively. 100% mortality was obtained in 2 nd instar larvae of Heliothus armigera when compared with non-transgenic control cotton plants where maximum damaged was seen in leaf bioassay. Moreover, transgenic cotton plants successfully survived when sprayed with 1600ml/acre of glyphosate as compared to control where 100% mortality and necrosis occur after 7 days of spray assay in control conditions.Item SERO-prevalence of hepatitis b and c virus from rural areas of northern Punjab (Sargodha district), Pakistan(Tropical Biomedicine, 2015) Muhammad Sohail Afzal; Zaheer Hussain ShahPakistan is endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections with 10 and 11 million infections, respectively. The epidemiological studies of these virus showed that the information is only from few cities of the country and is relevant to high risk groups. It is of great importance to have an idea about the prevalence of infectious agents in general population to help in identification of hot spot for infections. Identification of hot spots will help in disease management for future. As the there is no report form district Sargodha (Punjab Province) so this study was designed to analyze the prevalence of HBV and HCV in general population. Blood samples of 2373 randomly selected individuals from six different tehsils were collected and were analyzed for HBV and HCV sero-positivity. An overall prevalence of both HBV and HCV in district Sargodha was 28.10% (667/2373). HCV prevalence was (20.01%) and HBV seropositivity was (8.09%). Males were more infected than females, and a significant difference was found in positive cases between male (58.77%) and female (41.22%). The most common routes of transmission of hepatitis virus in present study were shaving assisted by barbers in male patients 143 (21.43%), non sterile or used needles & syringes 127 (19.04%), dental surgical procedures 88 (13.19%), and sharing razors in males 49 (7.34%). In female patients a significant factor is labor and child birth process. Most cases of hepatitis were seen in mesons, farmers and house wives. The prevalence of HBV and HCV in general population of district Sargodha is very high. The study will help for better management of disease to contain the disease spread. The study highlighted that District Sargodha is endemic for these viral infections and it is highly warranted to carry out more studies to get better idea about the infection spread. Community education campaigns are also highly warranted to general population as well as high risk population to control future disease spread.Item Molecular epidemiology and genotyping of SEN Virus in thalassemia patients in Pakistan(Elsevier, 2016) Amir, Saira; Khan, Jehangir; Afzal, Muhammad SohailItem Surface reforming of diamond particles by the dispersion enhancement in common liquids(Springer Link, 2015-02-13) Ahmad, Mirza Nadeem; Mahmood Zia, Khalid; Nadeem, SohailThe dispersibility of diamond has been improved by reforming its surface with 2-propanol-2-yl[(CH3)2C· OH] radicals. These radicals were produced by the photochemical breakdown of 1-[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-phenyl]-2-hydroxy2-methyl-1-propane-1-one (HPHMP) under ultraviolet (UV) radiations. The diamond particles were mixed with HPHMP in acetone and were placed under UV rays for the generation of required free radicals which were in situ reformed the diamond surface. Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the structural and surface reforming of diamond. The thermogravimetric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry spectrogram confirmed the surface reforming of diamond with 2-propanol-2-yl radicals. The dispersion behavior of the diamond after reforming was observed by SEM analysis and revealed an improvement in dispersibility in common solvents.Item Epidemiology of polio virus infection in Pakistan and possible risk factors for its transmission(Elsevier, 2016) Mahvish Kabir; Muhammad Sohail AfzalEnd Polio Pakistan program still has to overcome many hurdles; unfortunately on 8th February 2016 first polio case of the year has surfaced in Karachi. It seems that battle against polio demands little bit more conviction and motivation. WHO has set a goal of polio eradication in Pakistan till 2018, in order to evaluate the success of this target; polio eradication campaign in Pakistan has been analyzed in different perspectives. Our analysis indicated that major obstacles in eradication are low literacy rate, poor health infrastructure, lack of planning, natural disaster, economic crisis, counter insurgencies and almost no protection for polio health workers. WHO has allocated new funds to tackle this problem, now there is a need to spend this money more effectively; with proper planning and honest deployment of funds.Item Prevalence of rotavirus, adenovirus, hepatitis A virus and enterovirus in water samples collected from different region of Peshawar, Pakistan.(Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 2016) Ahmad, Tahir; Arshad, Najma; Adnan, FazalViral gastroenteritis and other water-borne diseases are the most neglected areas of research in Pakistan. To determine the quality of water, 4 enteric viruses were studied from different localities of Peshawar, Pakistan. The study validates the viral detection method for Rotavirus (RV), Human adenovirus (HAdV), Enterovirus (EV) and Hepatitis A virus (HAV), directly from water sources of rural areas of Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan. Overall, 95 five water samples were tested; among them, 9.47% were positive for RV, 38.94% for HAdV, 48.42% for EV and 12.63% for HAV. The presence of these viruses in water was directly correlated with meteorological data. High prevalence of EV and HAdV was detected frequently in the wet season from May – September, which can be the potential cause of spreading of gastroenteritis in the populationf. Environmental surveillance is an additional tool to evaluate the epidemiology of enteric viruses circulating in a given community.Item Seroprevalence and spatial distribution of toxoplasmosis in sheep and goats in North-Eastern region of Pakistan.(Korean J Parasitol, 2016-06-09) Ahmed, Haroon; Malik, Ayesha; Mustafa, IrfanToxoplasmosis is a protozoan disease that is caused by Toxoplasma gondii in livestock and humans. Due to its medical and veterinary importance, it is essential to study the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among humans and animals in various parts of the world. The major objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and spatial distribution of toxoplasmosis in small ruminants (sheep and goats) of north-eastern region, Pakistan. A total of 1,000 animals comprising of sheep (n=470) and goats (n=530) were examined for T. gondii infection by using ELISA. An epidemiological data was collected in the form of questionnaire. A surface has been generated by using method of interpolation in Arc GIS with the help of IDW (inverse distance weight). The results showed higher seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats (42.8%) as compared to sheep (26.2%). The seroprevalence was higher in females as compared to males in all examined ruminants. Similarly, there is a wide variation in the seroprevalence of T. gondii in different breeds of sheep and goats showing higher seroprevalence in Teddy (52.8%) and Damani breed (34.5%) of goat and sheep’s, respectively. The geographical and spatial distribution of T. gondii shows that it is widely distributed in different parts of the north-eastern region of Pakistan. Our results suggest widespread environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts. It suggests us that small ruminants could be a potentially important source of T. gondii infection if their infected meat is consumed undercooked.Item Genetic analysis of the saraiki population living in Pakistan.(Taylor&Francis, 2016) Noman Rasool; Asif NadeemAutosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers are a powerful tool used in forensic sciences for profile matching and paternity testing, sibship and kinship analysis. This study represents the allele frequency distribution of 15 autosomal STR multiplex of the Saraiki population living in Pakistan. Allele frequencies of this population were compared with the other populations living in Pakistan. Buccal swabs were taken from 150 unrelated individuals of the Saraiki population living in different regions of Pakistan and profiles were generated using an AmpFlSTR Identifiler PCR Amplification kit. Population genetic calculations were performed on this population. Allele frequencies of the Saraiki population showed that this population is at Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium except at loci D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, TPOX and FGA, with distinct differences in HObs and HExp values. The average heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC) at all loci were 0.77 and 0.766, respectively. Each STR marker showed a high degree of polymorphism and a high power of discrimination (PD). A phylogenetic tree shows that the Saraiki population living in Pakistan is genetically distinct from other geographically neighboring populations of the country. The population data presented in this study can be used as a reference database for the Saraiki population in forensic caseworkItem An overview on differenct aspects of hypodermosis: current status and future propects(Elsevier, 2016-06-01) Haroon, Ahmed; Afzal, Muhammad Sohail; Simsek, SamiLivestock plays a vital role in economic development of a nation and is being used in agriculture for draft power, production of farmyard manure as well as milk and meat production. Bovine hypodermosis is the top culprit among all parasitic infections across the world. Hypodermosis is an endemic disease in the mountainous areas/plain areas and is regularly observed in the northern hemisphere ofthe globe affecting cattle, deer, yaks and buffaloes. There is a wide variation in geographical distribution of Hypoderma spp. during the years 1945–2015. The manuscript includes a geospatial study that tries to maps the global distribution of hypodermosis in different areas of the world in order to detect hotspots or endemic areas that may be a potential source for disease spread. This information’s are very useful to predict the potential high risk areas that are prone to disease outbreak. The present review aims to evaluate the global distribution, molecular discrimination, diagnostics and vaccination of hypodermosis, focusing on its current status and future perspectives towards the management of the disease and its control strategies.Item Recent HCV genotype changing pattern in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan; Is it pointing out a forthcoming problem?(Elsevier, 2016-03-08) Afzal, Muhammad Sohail; Hussain Shah, Zaheer; Ahmed, HaroonItem Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 nano rods by electrochemical deposition into an anodic alumina template(Springer Link, 2016-05-10) MUHAMMAD, IKRAAM,; SHAHID, SAMMIA; ZAMAN, SABAHTitanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods have been successfully grown into a tracketched anodized aluminium oxide membrane (AAM) by a particulate electrochemical deposition from an aqueous medium. The prepared TiO2 sols get stabilized against aging at pH 2. It was found that TiO2 nanorods grown from dilute aqueous solution with a low concentration gave a stable and uniform growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that TiO2 nanorods dried at 500C were a mixture of anatase and brookite phases. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) images confirmed that TiO2 nanorods had a smooth morphology and longitudinal uniformity in diameter. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showed that TiO2 nanorods grown by electrochemical deposition from the dilute aqueous sol had a dense structure and possessed a repetitive pattern, containing small particles with an average size of 15 nm. Based on kinetic studies, it was found that uniform TiO2 nanorods with high-quality morphology were obtained under optimum conditions at an applied potential of 5 V, a uniform current density of 500 mA, and a deposition time of 5 h.Item Synthesis, spectroscopy, single crystal XRD and biological studies of multinuclear organotin dicarboxylates(Elsevier, 2016-05-28) Shabbir, Hussain; Ali, Saqib; Shahzadi, SairaMultinuclear organotin(IV) dicarboxylates of the general formula (Me3Sn)2L_H2O (1), (Ph3Sn)2L (2) and Me2SnL[Sn(Cl)2Me2]2 (3) were synthesized by refluxing disodium iminodiacetate hydrate (Na2L_H2O) with Me3SnCl/Ph3SnCl/Me2SnCl2 in methanol. The elemental analysis (C, H and N) data agreed well with the chemical compositions of the products. IR spectroscopy demonstrated a bridging coordination mode of the carboxylate group. 1H NMR spectroscopy suggested a penta-coordinated environment around the tin(IV) center in complexes 1 and 3. The title complex 3 represents one of the very few examples of organotin(IV) carboxylates showing simultaneously coordination with dimethyltin(IV) as well as dichlorodimethyltin(IV) moieties, by substitution and addition reactions, respectively. The 13C NMR spectroscopy demonstrated the carboxylate-metal linkages. EIMS and ESI spectra verified the molecular skeletons of the products 1–3. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed the bimetallic nature of 2. A single crystal XRD study of 3 has shown a predominantly square pyramidal geometry with some trigonal bipyramidal characteristics around each metal center. The novel products exhibited antibacterial/antifungal potential and their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were also evaluated. In vitro hemolytic studies on human red blood cells indicated a slightly toxic nature of the synthesized complexes.Item Are efforts up to the mark? A cirrhotic state and knowledge about HCV prevalence in general population of Pakistan(Elsevier, 2016) Muhammad Sohail AfzalItem DFT study of structural, electronic, thermo-elastic properties and plausible origin of superconductivity due to quantum degenerate states in latio3(World Scientific, 2016) Nadeem Sohail; Saad Tariq |Ejaz AhmadIn this paper, computations based on generalized gradient approximations were carried out to investigate the structural, electronic and thermo-elastic properties of LaTiO3 within the frame work of Density Functional Theory. In structural properties, the ground state structural parameters have been found to be in good agreement with those cited in recent literature. For electronic properties, in-depth analysis of quantum degenerate electronic states of LaTiO3 have been explained on the grounds of Projected Density of States. Elastic properties corresponds to anisotropy, elastic moduli's, phase stability, elastic wave velocities, thermal stability and Debye temperature were calculated and elaborated that has not yet been found in literature. In this observation, LaTiO3 exhibited ductile nature and physically stable indirect bandgap semiconductor behavior with quasi metallic nature near Fermi level due to La-Ti degenerate states. Moreover, longitudinal mode of vibration is observed to be maximum along [100] direction than transverse mode of vibration. A plausible reason of superconductivity may arise in LaTiO3 below Debye temperature.Item Analysis of gyra mutations in local TB patients of Lahore Pakistan(2017) Iram AfzalTuberculosis is a slowly progressive, debilitating disease that kills about 1.5 million people world-wide. Pakistan ranked 4th in global TB burden. In this research work, male-female ratio showed that the rate of TB is 32 times higher in women as compared to men. The patients suffering from pulmonary TB were 94% and only 6% were recorded as extra pulmonary TB. All the extra pulmonary TB cases were found in females. There were about 72% cases which were positive for MDR-TB. Out of these72% MDR-TB cases,all were previously treated. The differentiation between M. bovis and M. tuberculosis reflects that none of the sample belonged to M. bovis. All the isolates were belonged to M. tuberculosis, but 6% samples had extra-pulmonary TB. It shows that M. tuberculosis not only affects the lungs, but also the other parts of the human body. GyrA mutations were investigated by using newly designed primers, at codons 90, 91, and 94. Results showed that out of all samples there were mutations in 60% samples. There were mutations in 30% samples at codon 90, 6% samples were mutated at codon 91 and 24% were mutated at codon 94.Item Identification of serum uric acid level as biomarker of kidney disease(2016) Mustafa AzeemBackground: High serum uric acid (SUA) level can cause serious health problems including renal insufficiency. High SUA level is associated with many diseases including Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity. Objective of the present study was to evaluate serum uric acid as biomarker like blood urea and serum creatinine biomarkers of kidney diseases. Methods: Hundred subjects were randomly enrolled in this study, having kidney diseases such as renal failure, kidney stone, hematuria and proteinuria. Results: Serum uric acid level was elevated in 55 patients while blood urea and serum creatinine level was found raise in 72 and 83 patients respectively. High serum uric acid value was observed significant in 70.73% females (p=0.0003) and 44.07% males (p=0.2692). Conclusion: Serum Uric Acid is raised up to abnormal level in patients with impaired renal function significantly in females. Increased levels of serum uric acid were not significantly associated with serum creatinine and blood urea level in male patients. It is identified that SUA level can be used as biomarker of kidney disease in women. Keywords: Serum uric acid, blood urea, serum creatinine, renal failure, biomarkers, kidney diseasesItem Detection of dry bloodstains on different fabrics after washing with commercially available detergents(Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2015) Samreen Mushtaq; Nouman Rasool; Sehrish FiriyalBlood is significant evidence that can help an investigator solve a crime. It can link a suspect to a crime and also help in reconstructing the crime scene. Criminals often attempt to eliminate bloodstained evidence at a scene by washing it. These attempts can result in alteration, or partial or complete removal of stained areas. Many presumptive tests are used to detect the bloodstains on clothes. In this study, bloodstained fabrics were washed with commercially available and frequently used detergents. Kastle-Meyer (KM), Leucomalachite green (LMG), Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and Hemastix tests were used to detect the presence of blood on these washed fabrics. The Hemastix test was found to be the most sensitive to detecting the washed stains on all cloths. The Leucomalachite green test was found to be the least sensitive. The ability of a fabric to retain blood after washing depends not only upon the chemistry and manufacturing of the fabric but also on the type of detergent. The time of immersion of the fabric with detergent also affects the removal of stains from fabrics. Ariel showed the best results in removing bloodstains from all fabrics. Cotton polyester and khaddar showed the maximum retention of blood after washing with either of the detergents, whereas silk polyester had the minimum ability to hold bloodstains.Item Screening of Ranunculus sceleratus for enzyme inhibition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities(A Journal of the Bangladesh Pharmacological Society (BDPS), 2015) Sammia Shahid; Tauheda Riaz; Muhammad Nadeem AsgharEnzyme inhibition potential of various fractions of Ranunculus sceleratus was checked against α-glucosidase, butyrylcholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase and lipoxygenase enzymes. n-Butanol fraction showed very good activity (77.5 ± 1.0% inhibition at 0.1 mg/mL) against α-glucosidase. Its IC50 value was 35.7 ± 1.0 μg/mL comparable to quercetin (IC50 value 16.5 ± 0.4 μg/mL). Antibacterial activity was checked against five bacterial strains by 96-wells microplate assay using ciprofloxacin, a standard antibiotic. Chloroform, ethyl acetate, nbutanol and aqueous fractions showed excellent activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (MIC at 7.1, 7.8, 5.6 and 5.3 respectively), which is greater than standard antibiotic ciprofloxacin (MIC 10.0). The antioxidant potential of all the fractions was evaluated. Ethyl acetate soluble fraction exhibited highest percent inhibition of DPPH radical as compared to other fractions. It showed 80.9 ± 1.2% inhibition of DPPH radical at a concentration of 30 μg/mL. These results suggest that R. sceleratus is a valuable herb, which inhibits the oxidative stress mechanism that lead to degenerative diseases.Item Synthesis of N-(Un)Substituted-N-(2-Methoxyphenyl/Phenyl)-4-Chlorobenzenesulfonamides as Potent Antibacterial Derivatives(Asian Journal of Chemistry, 2014) Aziz-ur-Rehman; Athar Abbasi, Muhammad; Sohail Nadeem; Tahir Rasheed; Naeem Ahmad; Misbah Irshad; Kaniz RubabSulfonamides belong to a biologically dynamic class of compounds with considerable importance for organic synthetic chemists. In the presented work, a benign series of chlorinated sulfonamides, 3a-b, was synthesized by coupling alkoxy (un) substituted anilines, 2a-b, with 4-chlorobenzenesulfonyl chloride (1) under basic pH control in an aqueous medium. The sulfonamides, 3a-b, were geared up with alkyl/aralkyl halides, 4-6, in a basic aprotic solvent to yield the target molecules, 7a-b, 8a-b and 9a-b. The structures of all the derivatives were furnished by 1H NMR, IR and EI-MS spectral analysis. All the synthesized compounds were screened for -chemotrypsin and antibacterial activities.