👤 Muhammad Ijaz

To synthesise existing research on the impact of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on fetal neural development and subsequent cognitive function in offspring. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from January 1964 to October 2024. Studies comparing offspring of mothers with GDM to those without were included. Quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings suggest that GDM is linked to subtle yet significant neurodevelopmental modifications, encompassing delays in communication and language proficiency, behavioural dysregulation, as well as heightened susceptibility to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Electrophysiological investigations revealed alterations in cortical activity and extended auditory responses, while neuroimaging studies documented structural variations, including changes in the dimensions of the corpus callosum, ventricular size, and sulcal maturation. Molecular investigations uncovered dysregulated microRNAs that play a role in neurogenesis. Numerous studies emphasised the dose-dependent effects of maternal glucose concentrations and the protective impact of effective glycemic control. Maternal GDM is associated with alterations in fetal brain structure and function, which may predispose offspring to neurodevelopmental risks. While not all deficits persist, these findings highlight the potential value of early glycemic control and postnatal monitoring for at-risk infants. Further longitudinal research is needed to distinguish causal GDM effects from environmental confounders. Show less

High apolipoprotein B-containing (apoB-containing) low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and low apoA1-containing high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. In search of a molecular regulator that could simultaneously and reciprocally control both LDL and HDL levels, we screened a microRNA (miR) library using human hepatoma Huh-7 cells. We identified miR-541-3p that both significantly decreases apoB and increases apoA1 expression by inducing mRNA degradation of 2 different transcription factors, Znf101 and Casz1. We found that Znf101 enhances apoB expression, while Casz1 represses apoA1 expression. The hepatic knockdown of Casz1 in mice increased plasma apoA1, HDL, and cholesterol efflux capacity. The hepatic knockdown of Zfp961, an ortholog of Znf101, reduced lipogenesis and production of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and atherosclerosis, without causing hepatic lipid accumulation. This study identifies hepatic Znf101/Zfp961 and Casz1 as potential therapeutic targets to alter plasma lipoproteins and reduce atherosclerosis without causing liver steatosis. Show less

Colon cancer is reported as third most prevalent malignancy worldwide, while sericin being an antioxidant, is now used in biomedical applications due to its biochemical characteristics and has shown potential efficacy to treat colon cancer. Sericin was isolated by the degumming process followed by the characterization by using FTIR, UV, XRD, and SEM techniques to confirm the successful synthesis of SAgNPs and SChiAgNPs. The male Balb C mice were then divided into 13 groups. Group 1: Control, Group 2: DMH (20 mg/kg) (injected (IP) thrice a week for 14 weeks). Groups 3,4,5: Sericin (S) (100 mg/kg), Sericin silver nanoparticles (SAgNPs) (100 mg/kg), and Sericin Chitosan silver nanoparticles (SChiAgNPs) (100 mg/kg) were given orally for 14 weeks respectively. Groups 6,7,8,9 were considered as preventive groups and were given DMH (IP) + 5-FU (IP), DMH(IP) + S (orally), DMH (IP) + SAgNPs (orally), DMH (IP) + SChiAgNPs (orally) respectively for the period of 14 weeks Groups 10,11,12,13 were considered as treatment groups and were given 5-FU (5 mg/kg) (IP), (S) (100 mg/kg) (orally), (SAgNPs) (100 mg/kg) (orally), (SChiAgNPs) (100 mg/kg) (orally) for a period of first 7 weeks after 7 weeks of DMH administration (IP). After 14 weeks period study, blood samples and colon tissue were used for the analysis of biochemical markers i.e., CEA, CA19-9, TIMP-1, and IL-6, IL-8, IL-27, SOD, CAT, GR, GSH, GST, MDA and MMP-7 via ELISA and histopathological analysis. The UV absorption peaks obtained at 435 and 463 nm indicated the formation of SAgNPs and SChiAgNPs formation respectively. FTIR spectra peaks obtained, indicate NH stretching of primary and secondary amine group), (NH stretching of amine salt) (N=C=S stretching of thiocyanate compound), (CC stretching of alkene), (NO stretching of nitro compound), (SO stretching of sulfonyl chloride), (CN stretching of amine) and (C-O-O stretching) for sericin, SAgNPs, and SChiAgNPs, confirming, the presence of theses functional groups. The XRD pattern revealed that SAgNPs and SChiAgNPs had structure crystalline structures. EDX characterization peaks for SAgNPs indicated the presence of silver along with other elements including; calcium, oxygen carbon, while EDX characterization peaks for SChiAgNPs indicated the presence of silver along with other elements including; oxygen, carbon, sodium, phosphorus, Sulphur and chlorine. SEM analysis showed that SAgNPs are of spherical shape, while the SChiAgNPs displayed the rectangular shape. The results for biomarker analysis indicated significantly elevated levels of CEA, CA19-9, TIMP-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-27, MDA, and MMP-7 in DMH treated group (p ≤ 0.001) which were decreased significantly in SChiAg(T) (p ≤ 0.001). In contrast, levels of SOD, GR, GSH, CAT and GST were reduced significantly in DMH treated group, which were increased significantly in SChiAg(T) (p ≤ 0.001). The histopathological analysis of proximal and distal parts of colon tissue of the DMH-treated group showed low-grade dysplasia (LGD), and high-grade dysplasia (HGD) while SChiAgNPs improved the histopathological changes induced by DMH. The findings suggest that Sericin Chitosan conjugated silver nanoparticles showed their efficacy against DMH-induced colon cancer, making a potential future in the anticancer research field. Show less

High thermostability of the enzymes is one of the distinguishing characteristics that increase their industrial utility. In the current research work, rigidifying the flexible amino acid residues of a lysophospholipase (Pa-LPL) from Pyrococcus abyssi was used as a protein engineering approach to improve its thermostability. A truncated variant of Pa-LPL (t-LPL∆12) was constructed by trimming its 12 amino acid residues (50-61) through overlap extension PCR. The truncated enzyme worked optimally at 65°C and pH 6.5 with remarkable thermostability at 65°C-85°C. In comparison to wild-type Pa-LPL, 5.8 and 1.2-fold increase in half-life (t Show less

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is globally recognized as a prominent cause of dementia for which efficient treatment is still lacking. New candidate compounds that are biologically potent are regularly tested. We, therefore, hypothesized to study the neuroprotective potential of Zinc Ortho Methyl Carbonodithioate (thereafter called ZOMEC) against Scopolamine (SCOP) induced Alzheimer's disease (AD) model using adult albino mice. We post-administered ZOMEC (30 mg/Kg) into two group of mice for three weeks on daily basis that received either 0.9% saline or SCOP (1 mg/Kg) for initial two weeks. The other two groups of mice received 0.9% saline and SCOP (1 mg/Kg) respectively. After memory related behavioral analysis the brain homogenates were evaluated for the antioxidant potential of ZOMEC and multiple protein markers were examined through western blotting. Our results provide enough evidences that ZOMEC decrease oxidative stress by increasing catalase (CAT) and glutathione S transferase (GST) and decreasing the lipid peroxidation (LPO). The SIRT1 and pre and post synaptic marker proteins, synaptophysin (SYP) as well as post synaptic density protein (PSD-95) expression were also enhanced upon ZOMEC treatment. Furthermore, memory impairment was rescued and ZOMEC appreciably abrogated the Aβ accumulation, BACE1 expression C and the p-JNK pathway. The inflammatory protein markers, NF-kβ and IL-1β in ZOMEC treated mice were also comparable with control group. The predicted interaction of ZOMEC with SIRT1 was further confirmed by molecular docking. These findings thus provide initial reports on efficacy of ZOMEC in SCOP induced AD model. Show less

Chromium (Cr) is one of the most important environmental pollutants which are released into the environment due to their wide usage in numerous industries. The excess of Cr (VI) can induce hepatotoxicity, while the molecular mechanism that is involved in Cr (VI)-induced hepatotoxicity is unclear. We demonstrated the induction of chromium poisoning model in chickens to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and their functions were analyzed under different physiological and pathological conditions. Histopathological examination and transcriptome data for chromium-poisoned livers and control livers were annotated with Illumina® HiSeq 2000. The histopathological examination in chromium poisoning groups showed diapedesis, hemolysis, degeneration, nucleus pycnosis, and central phlebectasia in the liver. A total of 334 genes were upregulated and 509 genes were downregulated. The most strongly upregulated genes were HKDC1, DDX4, ACACA, FDFT1, CYYR1, PPP1R3C, and SLC16A14, while the most downregulated genes were MYBPC3, CCKAR, PCK1, and CPT1A. A Gene Ontology (GO) term with the highest enrichment of DEGs is small molecule metabolic process. In cell component domain, the term with the highest enrichment is extracellular matrix. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways showed that glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and protein metabolism were the most important metabolic pathways in the liver. The current study first time provides important clues and evidence for identifying the differentially expressed genes in livers due to Cr (VI)-induced liver injury in chickens. Show less