Bioassimilation of lead and zinc in rabbits fed on spinach grown on contaminated soil.

Accumulation of heavy metals in the environment can pose a potential risk to living organisms. Ingestion of leafy vegetables, containing heavy metals, is one of the main routes through which these elements enter the human body. The present study was conducted to assess the accumulation of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in spinach grown on metal contaminated soil, and to examine the bioassimilation of these metals in spinach-fed rabbits. Spinach grown in the fields spiked with Pb (1000 mg kg-1 soil) and Zn (150 mg kg-1 soil), was fed to the rabbits for 14 days. Concentrations of Pb and Zn in the leaves of spinach were 39.1 and 113 mg kg-1, respectively. For the assessment of Pb and Zn concentration, blood samples were collected after 24 h, 7 days and 14 days of feeding, while the essential organs, i.e. liver and kidneys of rabbits were collected at the end of feeding trials. Concentrations (mg L-1) of Pb (3.28) and Zn (7.10) increased in blood after 24 h compared to control treatment and then decreased (Pb 1.12; Zn 3.32) to a steady state with the passage of time after 7 days. A significant increase in the concentrations of Pb (1.20%, 3.95% and 5.58%) and Zn (10.7%, 6.89% and 18.4%) as compared to control treatment was also found in liver, kidney and bones of the rabbits, respectively, which was further confirmed by multivariate analysis. The highest significant values of correlation coefficient (r) were observed for blood and bones, i.e. 0.992 followed by blood and liver, i.e. 0.989. The bioassimilation of Pb in the body of rabbits was in the order of bone > kidney > liver > blood, while for Zn the order was bone > liver > kidney > blood. The bioassimilation of Pb and Zn in the blood, essential organs and bones depicted the serious health risks associated by consuming the metal contaminated vegetable.

Prevalence and diagnostic of head and neck cancer in Pakistan.

Head and Neck (HN) cancer is the most frequently identified cancer across the globe and is considered as 8-10 % of all cancers in Southeast Asia. The social and cultural habits are the main cause of the remarkable increase in HN cancer in Pakistan. HN cancers are more prevalent in men as compared to women. The HN cancer in Pakistan is mainly attributed to discrete demographic profile, risk elements, eating patterns and family history. The foremost factors of risk are linked with cigarette smoking, alcoholic drinks and tobacco chewing like paan, gutka, etc. The actual burden of HN cancer in Pakistan is 18.74% of all new cancer cases recorded during 2004 -2014. The data is collected from HN cancer patients who are diagnosed from September 2011 till May 2012 in the Institute of Nuclear medicine and Oncology, Lahore Pakistan. In order to diagnose risk factors of HN cancer, the Logistic Regression (LR) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) are used as analytical tools. The findings of using these both tools concluded that gender, age, occupation, socioeconomic status, family history, chewing habits, smoking habit, worked in the chemical or dust place, alcohol use are main causes for HN cancer. The main aim of this study is to develop the awareness about HN cancer, its causes and early diagnosis.

Spatial Prediction and Optimized Sampling Design for Sodium Concentration in Groundwater.

Sodium is an integral part of water, and its excessive amount in drinking water causes high blood pressure and hypertension. In the present paper, spatial distribution of sodium concentration in drinking water is modeled and optimized sampling designs for selecting sampling locations is calculated for three divisions in Punjab, Pakistan. Universal kriging and Bayesian universal kriging are used to predict the sodium concentrations. Spatial simulated annealing is used to generate optimized sampling designs. Different estimation methods (i.e., maximum likelihood, restricted maximum likelihood, ordinary least squares, and weighted least squares) are used to estimate the parameters of the variogram model (i.e, exponential, Gaussian, spherical and cubic). It is concluded that Bayesian universal kriging fits better than universal kriging. It is also observed that the universal kriging predictor provides minimum mean universal kriging variance for both adding and deleting locations during sampling design.

Lysine fortification of wheat flour improves selected indices of the nutritional status of predominantly cereal-eating families in Pakistan.

Wheat provides more than 50% of the protein and calorie intake of the population of Pakistan. Legumes and animal protein that could complement the amino acid pattern of wheat, in which lysine is the first limiting amino acid for utilization of protein, are not affordable by members of lower socioeconomic groups in developing countries. The purpose of the study was to determine whether lysine fortification of wheat flour would have a positive impact on populations consuming a predominantly wheat-based diet. A double-blind study was carried out for three months on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan. Forty families received wheat flour fortified with lysine, and 40 families received wheat flour without lysine. Wheat provided 59% of the protein for men, 65% for women, and 58% for children. The weight and height of the children in both groups increased during the study, but the increase was significantly greater in the lysine group. Hemoglobin increased significantly in the women receiving lysine-fortified flour. Transferrin levels increased significantly in men, women, and children in the lysine group as compared with those in the control group. Prealbumin increased significantly in adults receiving additional lysine but decreased in children. Men, women, and children in the lysine-supplemented families had significant increases in CD4, CD8, and complement C3 as compared with controls. These results indicate that lysine fortification of wheat flour can significantly improve sensitive indicators of nutritional status in a population consuming a diet in which 58% to 65% of the protein, depending on age and sex, is supplied by wheat.