Enhancement of sweetpotato tolerance to chromium stress through melatonin and glutathione: Insights into photosynthetic efficiency, oxidative defense, and growth parameters.

Melatonin (MT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) roles in mitigating chromium (Cr) toxicity in sweetpotato were explored. Plants, pre-treated with varying MT and GSH doses, were exposed to Cr (40 µM). Cr severely hampered growth by disrupting leaf photosynthesis, root system, and oxidative processes and increased Cr absorption. However, the exogenous application of 1 µM of MT and 2 mM of GSH substantially improved growth parameters by enhancing chlorophyll content, gas exchange (Pn, Tr, Gs, and Ci), and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm, ETR, qP, and Y(II)). Furthermore, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide ion (O2•-), electrolyte leakage (EL), and Cr uptake by roots (21.6 and 27.3%) and its translocation to shoots were markedly reduced by MT and GSH application, protecting the cell membrane from oxidative damage of Cr-toxicity. Microscopic analysis demonstrated that MT and GSH maintained chloroplast structure and integrity of mesophyll cells; they also enhanced stomatal length, width, and density, strengthening the photosynthetic system and plant growth and biomass. MT and GSH improved osmo-protectants (proline and soluble sugars), gene expression, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities, mitigating osmotic stress and strengthening plant defenses under Cr stress. Importantly, the efficiency of GSH pre-treatment in reducing Cr-toxicity surpassed that of MT. The findings indicate that MT and GSH alleviate Cr detrimental effects by enhancing photosynthetic organ stability, component accumulation, and resistance to oxidative stress. This study is a valuable resource for plants confronting Cr stress in contaminated soils, but further field validation and detailed molecular exploration are necessary.

Photoactive and Intrinsically Fuel Sensing Metal-Organic Framework Motors for Tailoring Collective Behaviors of Active-Passive Colloids.

Microorganisms display nonequilibrium predator-prey behaviors, such as chasing-escaping and schooling via chemotactic interactions. Even though artificial systems have revealed such biomimetic behaviors, switching between them by control over chemotactic interactions is rare. Here, a spindle-like iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) colloidal motor which self-propels in glucose and H2 O2 , triggered by UV light is reported. These motors display intrinsic UV light-triggered fuel-dependent chemotactic interactions, which are used to tailor the collective dynamics of active-passive colloidal mixtures. In particular, the mixtures of active MOF motors with passive colloids exhibit distinctive "chasing-escaping" or "schooling" behaviors, depending on glucose or hydrogen peroxide being used as the fuel. The transition in the collective behaviors is attributed to an alteration in the sign of ionic diffusiophoretic interactions, resulting from a change in the ionic clouds produced. This study offers a new strategy on tuning the communication between active and passive colloids, which holds substantial potentials for fundamental research in active matter and practical applications in cargo delivery, chemical sensing, and particle segregation.

A novel de novo variant in the PHF21A causes craniofacial abnormalities, intellectual disability and skeletal manifestations.

IDDBCS is a heterogeneous genetic syndrome with diverse clinical features including Intellectual disability and epilepsy. Using WES, Sanger sequencing, we identified a novel nonsense variant in the PHF21A gene responsible for IDDBCS syndrome. The patient has diverse and overlapping clinical phenotypes. The identified variant leads to abnormal secondary and tertiary structure of the protein and, consequently, affects its function.

High biocompatible nitrogen and sulfur Co-doped carbon dots for Hg(II) detection and their long-term biological stability in living cells.

Fluorescent carbon dots have been highly reported nanomaterials in recent times because of their excellent physio-chemical properties and various field of applications. Herein, a one-step hydrothermal approach was used to synthesize high biocompatible nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots, and examined their chemical sensing (Hg2+) and biological imaging properties. The N,S-CDs exhibited blue light, demonstrating a high quantum yield of up to 44.5% and excitation-independent fluorescent characteristics. Cytotoxicity was observed by CCK-8 assay using T-ca cells as a target source. Cell viability was recorded over 80% even after 7 days of treatment with a concentration up to 400 µg/mL, indicating low-toxicity of N,S-CDs. Notably, the bright blue fluorescence of N,S-CDs was quenched by introducing toxic Hg2+ ions into the solution. The detection limit was calculated to be about ∼3.5 nM, which is quite impressive compared to previous reports. Because of their low-toxicity, nano-size, and environment friendly properties, N,S-CDs could be excellent fluorescent agents for bio-imaging applications. The biological stability of fluorescent N,S-CDs was tested over time, and the findings were significant even after 8 days of incubation with T-ca cells. Because of good biocompatibility and bright fluorescence, N,S-CDs were suitable for in vivo imaging.

Genetic overview of postaxial polydactyly: Updated classification.

Polydactyly or polydactylism, also known as a hyperdactyly, is a congenital limb defect with various morphologic phenotypes. Apart from physical and functional impairments, the presence of polydactyly is an indication of an underlying syndrome in the newborn. Usually, it follows as an autosomal dominant/recessive inheritance pattern with defects in the limb development's anteroposterior patterning. Although mutations in several genes have been associated with polydactyly; however, the exact underlying cause, pathways, and disease mechanisms are still unexplored, thus making it of multi-factorial origin. Polydactyly is divided into three subtypes; radial, ulnar, and central polydactyly. So far, 11 loci (PAPA1-PAPA11) and seven human genes have been reported to cause non-syndromic postaxial polydactyly in humans, including the ZNF141, GLI3, IQCE, GLI1, FAM92A1, KIAA0825, and DACH1. In this review, we discuss emerging evidences of clinical and molecular characterization of polydactyly types in term of the involvement of newly associated genes and loci for non-syndromic postaxial polydactyly, and how these might impact our understanding of the genetic mechanisms and molecular etiology involved in the cause of polydactyly.

Heavy Metal (Arsenic) Induced Antibiotic Resistance among Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase (ESBL) Producing Bacteria of Nosocomial Origin.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a leading cause of treatment failure for many infectious diseases worldwide. Improper overdosing and the misuse of antibiotics contributes significantly to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. The co-contamination of heavy metals and antibiotic compounds existing in the environment might also be involved in the spread of AMR. The current study was designed to test the efficacy of heavy metals (arsenic) induced AMR patterns in clinically isolated extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria. A total of 300 clinically isolated ESBL-producing bacteria were collected from a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, with the demographic characteristics of patients. After the collection of bacterial isolates, these were reinoculated on agar media for reidentification purposes. Direct antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) for bacterial isolates by disk diffusion methods was used to determine the AST patterns with and without heavy metal. The heavy metal was concentrated in dilutions of 1.25 g/mL. The collected bacterial isolates were isolated from wounds (n = 63, 21%), urine (n = 112, 37.3%), blood (n = 43, 14.3%), pus (n = 49, 16.3%), and aspirate (n = 33, 11%) samples. From the total 300 bacterial isolates, n = 172 were Escherichia coli (57.3%), 57 were Klebsiella spp. (19%), 32 were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.6%), 21 were Proteus mirabilis (7%) and 18 were Enterobacter spp. (6%). Most of the antibiotic drugs were found resistant to tested bacteria. Colistin and Polymyxin-B showed the highest sensitivity against all tested bacteria, but when tested with heavy metals, these antibiotics were also found to be significantly resistant. We found that heavy metals induced the resistance capability in bacterial isolates, which leads to higher AMR patterns as compared to without heavy metal tested isolates. The results of the current study explored the heavy metal as an inducer of AMR and may contribute to the formation and spread of AMR in settings that are contaminated with heavy metals.

Comparison of Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Various Solvent Extracts Obtained from Millettia speciosa Stem Powder.

Millettia speciosa is a plant extensively used as an important component in Chinese herbal medicine and food-based medicines. The present study was carried out to determine the total flavonoid content (TFC), volatile phytoconstituents, and pharmacological activities, i.e., antityrosinase, sunscreen, and anticancer activity, of different fractions of M. speciosa stem. Different organic solvents of increasing polarity, i.e., petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and methanol (MeOH), were used for extraction. The highest total flavonoid content, i.e., 48.30 ± 0.90%, was reported for PE extract. Various important phytocomponents were revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis. Based on abundance, the major compounds were n-hexadecanoic acid (16.654%), n-hexadecanoic acid (14.808%), and beta-sitosterol (6.298%) for PE, EtOAc, and MeOH extract, respectively. The significant antityrosinase activity, i.e., 70.97 ± 0.66%, with an IC50 value of 4.58 mg/mL was noted for PE extract followed by EtOAc extract, i.e., 59.84 ± 0.67%, with IC50 value of 6.10 mg/mL. The maximum sunscreen activity was reported for PE extract exhibiting the maximum absorbance value (0.633 ± 0.06) in the ultraviolet (UV) region, i.e., UVC, while EtOAc extract showed the second highest level of absorbance in the UVB range, i.e., 0.632 ± 0.07. The strongest anticancer activity (49.73 ± 0.49% cell viability) towards MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was reported for PE extract with IC50 197.51 µg/mL. Our results confirmed the presence of potential therapeutic components for each extract with significant biological functions, showing the importance of the M. speciosa stem as a source of biomedicine. To our knowledge, this is the first report on M. speciosa stem extending comprehensive research about its phytochemical profile and various significant pharmacological activities.

Self-Medication as an Important Risk Factor for Antibiotic Resistance: A Multi-Institutional Survey among Students.

Self-medication is an important issue, especially in developing countries. Self-medication is the concept in which individuals use medicine to ease and manage their minor illnesses. The current survey was designed to conduct interviews at different universities based on the availability of the students from August 2021 to October 2021 in Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Overall, 1250 questionnaires were distributed to students from various departments. Students of microbiology (n = 305, 24.4%) and agriculture 236 (n = 18.8%) were the most elevated members in this study, while other participants were from medical lab technology (n = 118, 9.4%), chemistry (n = 103, 8.2%), food science (n = 92, 7.3%), business administration (n = 83, 6.6%), sociology (n = 78, 6.2%), math/physics (n = 6, 14.8%), Pak study (n = 58, 4.6%), English (n = 47, 3.7%), and psychology (n = 19, 1.5%). Students working towards their Bachelor numbered (n = 913, 73.0%), Master (minor) numbered (n = 80, 6.4%), Master (major) numbered (n = 221, 17.6%), and Doctorate numbered (n = 36, 2.8%). The age group of participants was majorly 20-25 years (61.0%), while others belonged to the age groups 25-30 years (20.6%), 30-35 years (9.8%), and 35-40 years (8.4%). The mean and standard deviation of daily practices of self-medication were observed (M = 416.667, SD = 1,026,108.667) and p = 0.002. The mean and standard deviation of daily practices of antibiotic knowledge was (M = 431.5, SD = 1,615,917) and p = 0.002. Antimicrobial agents were leading over others with 631 (50.4%), followed by anti-inflammatory with 331 (26.4%), multivitamins with 142 (11.3%), gynecological purpose with 59 (4.7%), and analgesic with 72 (5.7%), while the lowest frequency rate was observed against herbal remedies with 15 (1.2%). The results of the current study concluded that students practiced self-medication for reasons such as convenience to obtain these medications from cheap sources and to avoid the fee of a physician. They searched for the medicine on social media platforms and purchased it blindly from the pharmacy without any prescription from a physician.

Synergistic Effect of Au-PdO Modified Cu-Doped K2W4O13 Nanowires for Dual Selectivity High Performance Gas Sensing.

Both 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and triethylamine are highly toxic and harmful to human health, and their chronic inhalation can cause respiratory diseases, eye lesions, dermatitis, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and even fatality. Developing sensors for detecting such toxic gases with low power consumption, high response with superselectivity, and stability is crucial for healthcare and environmental monitoring. This study presents a typical gas sensor fabricated based on AuPdO modified Cu-doped K2W4O13 nanowires, which can selectively detect 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and triethylamine at 120 and 200 °C, respectively. The sensor displays excellent sensing performance at reduced operating temperature, high selectivity, fast response/recovery, and stability, which can be attributed to a synergistic effect of Cu dopants and AuPdO nanoparticles on the K2W4O13 host. The enhanced sensing response and selectivity could be attributed to the oxygen vacancies/defects, bandgap excitation, the electronic sensitization, the reversible redox reaction of PdO and Cu, the cocatalytic activity of AuPdO, and Schottky barrier contacts at the interface of tungsten oxide and Au. The significant variations in the activation capacities of Cu-doped K2W4O13, Pd/PdO, and Au nanoparticles toward 3H-2B and TEA, and the diffusion depth of the two gases in the coated sensing layer may cause dual selectivity. The designed gas sensor materials can serve as a sensitive target for detecting toxic biomarkers and hold broad application prospects in food and environmental safety inspection.

Evaluation of Hematological, Biochemical Profiles and Molecular Detection of Envelope Gene (gp-41) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Newly Diagnosed Patients.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a highly morphic, retrovirus that rapidly evolves through mutation as well as recombination. Because of the immunocompromised status in HIV patients, there is often a higher chance of acquiring different secondary infections followed by liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B & C, and HIV-associated nephropathy. The current study was conducted to see the prevalence of secondary infections, hematological and biochemical markers for liver and renal associated diseases, and to detect the envelope gene (GP41) in newly diagnosed HIV patients. A total of 37 samples were collected from HIV-positive patients registered in different hospital settings under the National AIDS control program. The collected samples were processed for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hematological analysis, and biochemical analysis. To identify the envelope gene in newly diagnosed HIV patients, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using four gene-specific primers. The HIV infections were seen more in male as compared to females. A significant decrease in complete blood count was observed in HIV patients when compared to healthy individuals. There was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine observed in HIV patients. No significant difference was observed in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, and albumin levels when compared to healthy control. Anemia was observed in 59.4% of HIV patients. A total of three (8.1%) patients were found to be co-infected with hepatitis B and one (2.7 %) was co-infected with hepatitis C. Out of these 37 tested samples, a total of four showed the successful amplification of the envelope gene. This study provides platform for the health care facilitators to regularly monitor the signs, symptoms and clinical biomarkers of HIV-associated infections to prevent toxicity at an early stage to improve the quality of life (QoL) and minimize the mortality rate in HIV patients. Envelope gene mutating frequently results in drug resistance, and thus future research on polymorphism analysis will reveal points of substitutions to improve drug designing.

Factors associated with the compliance of standard precaution; review article.

Compliance with standard precautions is very important for healthcare workers because studies have shown that it helps in minimising the transmission of infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections which is directly proportional to the patient cost and stay of the patient in hospitals. As healthcare associated infections increase, the cost and the stay of the patient will increase. Researchers suggest that all healthcare workers need to follow the standard precautions guideline and it can be possible with the help of health education, training, provision of equipment and supervision by the management. Barriers to the compliance identified are lack of education, heavy workload, unavailability of equipment, lack of resources and lack of access to supplies. The lack of education and heavy workload are the major factors faced by the nurses.

Association of dowry practices with perceived marital life and intimate partner violence.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the perceptions of women about the influence of dowry customs on their marital life and on intimate partner violence. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi between 2008 to 2010, and comprised married women of reproductive age. Data was collected through a valid World Health Organisation questionnaire which was validated for the local context after translation into Urdu. Data was analysed using SPSS 10. RESULTS: Of the 810 women approached, 759(93.7%) formed the final sample. Of them, 447(59%) women and 307(40.4%) of the husbands were aged 25-35 years. Women in arranged marriages involving dowry transaction reported more positive marital outcomes (adjusted odds ratio: 11.5). Consenting to a marriage was positively associated with positive marital life (adjusted odds ratio: 36.8), and the same was the case when the marriage was contingent on dowry transaction (adjusted odds ratio: 10.4). Provision of a dowry, however, was not protective from physical (adjusted odds ratio: 3.7), sexual (adjusted odds ratio: 3.7) or psychological violence (adjusted odds ratio: 8.9). CONCLUSIONS: Dowry practices exist in Pakistani culture despite the fact that dowry wives were found to have no protection against intimate partner violence. However, women perceived that the provision of dowry to groom's family had a positive impact on marital life.

Highly selective self-condensation of cyclohexanone: the distinct catalytic behaviour of HRF5015.

HRF5015, a perfluorosulfonic acid resin catalyst with unique pore structures, was investigated in the catalytic self-condensation of cyclohexanone under mild conditions. The morphology of HRF5015 was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), and the reaction mechanism was studied by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The effects of reaction time and temperature on the yield of dimer were investigated under the nitrogen atmosphere. The results show that the reaction temperature is low, and especially, the selectivity of the dimer is close to 100%. The apparent activation energy for the dimer formation reaction is 54 kJ mol-1. Synergistic action of cluster structure formed by sulfonic groups and nanopores in HRF5015 may be the key factor of high-efficiency catalytic activity and high selectivity. In situ infrared spectra indicate that the intermediate is stable in the reaction process. HRF5015 is environmentally friendly and re-usable, which shows good potential in a future application.

Heavy metal adsorption using structurally preorganized adsorbent.

Heavy metal pollution is an essential environmental issue in the world. The current methods present limitations for the removal of low concentration divalent heavy metals from wastewater, such as high cost, unsatisfactory adsorption capacity, and poor reusability. Herein, we designed and prepared a novel chelating adsorbent. The adsorbent was prepared using chloromethyl polystyrene microsphere as a framework material modified by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) with two types of functional groups and six binding sites in one coordination unit. Each coordination unit of the adsorbent prepared provides two negative charges of two carboxyl groups to balance the two positive charges of the divalent heavy metal ion, and forms coordination bonds through its two nitrogen atoms and two amidic carbonyl groups. This synergistic adsorption effect produced by electrostatic interaction and chelation significantly improves the adsorption capacity. The adsorption of some environmental heavy metals was tested, and high adsorption capacity for Pb(ii) was obtained. The saturated adsorption capacity for Pb(ii) was as high as 352.1 mg g-1, and the effluent concentration of the column experiment was less than 0.20 ppm. Simultaneously, the presence of the amide group shows good anti-interference to alkali metals and alkali soil metals. The result is of considerable significance to the actual wastewater treatment.

Undergraduate students' perception and satisfaction regarding online learning system amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: During COVID-19 pandemic, to forestall the outspread of contagion, all academic activities where physical presence was mandatory were halted. This prompted the shifting of educational activities to the online learning system. Current investigation aimed to determine the perception of undergraduate students of various disciplines about online learning which has been implemented across all the universities of Pakistan in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted and data was collected from ten different medical, engineering and art universities of Pakistan. Utilizing Openepi, the calculated data sample size was 600. Students were asked 23 different questions including a validated and reliable scale (α=0.952) composed of 14 questions to determine the satisfaction level of students from e-learning. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, ANOVA and chi-square test were used to analyse data through SPSS. RESULTS: The most broadly embraced teaching methodology was online classes through Zoom Application. According to the developed scale, overall, 78% of students were dissatisfied from online learning. Students also raised concerns over assessment methods, student-instructor communication, fairness of examination and difficulty in understanding concepts. Majority of students preferred classroom teaching and 81% of respondents didn't want to continue with e-learning. CONCLUSION: Results have depicted that students are not satisfied with e-learning and they pointed out some critical defects in the system. HEC and rectors should treat this issue as top-priority for provision of good quality education and to save the future of undergraduate students of Pakistan.

Concentrations, dietary exposure, and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in market vegetables of Peshawar, Pakistan.

The present study was carried out to assess heavy metal concentrations in ready-to-eat vegetables (RTEs) collected from open markets. Samples of RTEs including lettuce, coriander, and carrot were collected from five different local markets of Peshawar, Pakistan including Industrial estate, Board, Agriculture University, Firdos, and Hashtnaghri on four different dates, i.e., 21st March, 04th April, 19th April, and 05th May, 2016. The samples were analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer to see the amount of heavy metals present in them. The elements studied were cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb). Maximum Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb concentrations in samples collected from different markets were 0.68, 5.28, 12.31, 7.61, and 25.04 mg kg-1, respectively, whereas maximum Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb concentrations in RTEs collected at different dates were 0.59, 4.08, 14.85, 7.23, and 21.97 mg kg-1, respectively. The mean Cd, Cr, and Pb concentrations exceeded the permissible limits, while Cu and Ni were found within the limits set by FAO/WHO in all studied RTEs. The daily dietary intake and hazard quotient (HQ) showed great variations. The HQ was found > 1 for Pb in all studied vegetables, while it was < 1 for Cd, Cr, Cu, and Ni with few exceptions. It can be concluded from the study that heavy metal concentrations were above the permissible toxicity levels and their continuous consumption may cause several health issues.

Regression of right ventricular systolic pressure after successful percutaneous mitral commissurotomy in patients with isolated severe mitral stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To know the regression of right ventricular pressure after successful percutaneous transluminalmitral commissurotomy (PTMC) in patients with severe isolated mitral stenosis. METHODS: This descriptive study was performed in inpatient and outpatient department of National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease from 1st February 2016 to 31st August 2016. Echocardiography of all patients with successful PTMC were recorded 24 hours and 06 months following PTMC to see for Regression of right ventricular pressure along with other baseline echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients with severe isolated mitral stenosis who had undergone successful PTMC were studied. Females were 65(65.7%) and males 34(34.3%). Mean age was 27.44±6.26 years. TTE performed before and after PTMC showed significant difference in mean mitral valve area (0.89cm ±0.089cm2 vs. 1.68±0.128 cm2, p valve <0.001) and mean left atrial diameter (4.66± .82cm vs. 4.46± 0.65cm). Mean mitral valve gradient pre PTMC was significantly higher (16.38±2.51 mm of Hg) than that of post PTMC 24 hours (4.75±1.31 mm of Hg) and Post PTMC 06 months (5.22±1.21 mm of Hg), p valve <0.001. Mean right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) pre PTMC was significantly higher 62.3±10.91 mm of Hg than that of post PTMC 24 hour's 57.51±9.67 mm of Hg and post PTMC 06 moths 46.49±7.8mm of Hg, p value 0.001. Mean LVEF 50.14± 5.82. CONCLUSION: There was a significant regression of right ventricular pressure following successful PTMC in mid-term (06 months) follow up of severe isolated mitral stenosis patients.

Effect of Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3 or Niacin) on the lipid profile of diabetic and non - diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of nicotinic acid on the lipid profile of diabetic and non diabetic rats. METHODS: This was an experimental study done at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Pakistan between May 2010 to July 2010. Nicotinic acid was administered to a hypercholesterolemic group and a hypercholesterolemic + diabetic Group of Albino rats for 42 days and response to therapy was recorded on day 21 and day 42 of the experiment. Comparison among these two groups as well as three control groups was determined by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and differences were considered significant at (P<0.05). A total of 50 rats were included in the study. RESULTS: Lipid profile of the hypercholesterolemic group as well as hypercholesterolemic + diabetic group as compared with the control groups showed highly significant improvement on the day 21 and day 42 of the experiment. The values of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total lipids (TL) showed highly significant decrease whereas serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol showed highly significant increase. CONCLUSION: Nicotinic acid is the most effective agent available in increasing HDL cholesterol and lowering serum TC, triglycerides (TG), LDL cholesterol and TL in hypercholesterolemic Diabetic and hypercholesterolemic non-diabetic Albino rats.