[en] Objective: To present clinicopathological analysis of benign tumours of the vulva. Patients and Methods: Thirty cases of benign tumours of vulva were studied during 2 years research period. Detailed history along with complete local and general physical examination followed by all necessary pre-operative investigations were carried out. Excision surgery was the treatment of choice in majority of cases while marsupialization was done for Bartholin's cyst. Histopathology of tumours specimen was also collected. Results: A total of 30 cases were studied. Twenty-two were cystic and 8 were solid tumours. Aggressive angiomyxoma was 10% of solid tumours and Bartholin's cyst was 46.6% of cystic tumours. Most of the patients were multipara and between 21-30 years of age. The main site of tumour was labium majus. Excision surgery for all cases and marsupialization for Bartholin's cyst was treatment of choice. Conclusion: Aggressive angiomyxoma is the commonest solid benign vulval tumour. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of vulval mass in women of reproductive age. (author)

[en] Abiotic stresses are more often to occur because of poor drainage system resulting in agricultural land contaminations. Salt stress is one of the abiotic stresses which highly effects the growth and yield of cereal crops especially maize (Zea mays L.). The current experiment following completely randomized design (CRD) along with three replicates of each treatment was performed in the Botanic Garden, Government College University, Faisalabad to evaluate the effect of salt (70 mM NaCl) stress on maize (Zea mays L.) plants raised from seeds treated with riboflavin (RF). The temperature range in whole experiment was 30°C - 43°C. This study appraised riboflavin (0, 50 and 75 ppm) role in stress effect mitigation by enhancing growth, enzymatic (SOD, POD, CAT, APX and GPX) and non-enzymatic (flavonoids, phenolics and anthocyanin) antioxidant activities, and by scavenging ROS (MDA, H/sub 2/O/sub 2/) effect and maintaining osmotic level. Salt (70 mM NaCl) subjected plants showed reduced growth and photosynthetic rate, while increased ROS production (more in Sadaf compared to Pearl). Riboflavin is a novel vitamin which can be used to treat the salinity stress effected plants. Seed priming with RF (vitamin B2) significantly reduced salt stress effects by enhancing growth rate, photosynthesis, increased osmolytes accumulation and improved antioxidant defense system, while decreasing oxidative stress (MDA and hydrogen peroxides). Plants raised from seeds treated with riboflavin showed a significant increase in total leaf area, total free proteins and total soluble sugars than plants without riboflavin application. Gradual increase in RF concentration showed more improved growth under salt stress. (author)

[en] Before sowing, the seeds of two wheat cultivars, S-24 and MH-97, were treated with three levels [(0 (water), 10 and 20 mu M)] of triacontanol (TRIA) for 12 h. TRIA-treated seeds were grown in full strength nutrient solution for 24 days in a greenhouse, after which time, they were supplied with two salt treatments (0 and 150 mM NaCl ). After 21 days of salt application, changes in the malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ and total soluble proteins contents as well as activities of some key antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POD and SOD) were measured. Salinity stress of 150 mM NaCl significantly decreased the activity of SOD, while increased that of CAT, and enhanced the levels of MDA and H/sub 2/O/sub 2/contents in both cultivars under salt stress conditions. The outcome of salt stress was non-significant on soluble proteins and activity of POD. The effect of pre-sowing application of TRIA was non-significant on all measured attributes except that it significantly increased the activity of POD under non-saline conditions. The cultivar difference with respect to the different attributes measured in the present investigation was non-significant. (author)

[en] A pot experiment was performed to assess the effect of thiourea (TU) as pre-sowing seed treatment to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under drought stressed conditions. Seeds of wheat variety named Galaxy-2013 were soaked in various TU levels such as non-soaking (control), water-soaking, 0.1 mM and 1.0 mM thiourea for 12 hours. Drought stress treatments i.e., non stress (100 % field capacity), moderate drought stress (70% FC) and severe drought stress (50% FC) were applied to one week old wheat seedlings. Data of different growth and physicochemical parameters was taken of seven-week-old wheat plants whereas yield was taken at the maturity stage. Drought stress considerably reduced shoot fresh weight, dry weight of shoot, fresh weight of root, shoot length, root length, grain yield plant-1, 100-grain weight, number of grains plant- 1, total phenolics and total flavonoid contents, while increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), proline and glycinebetaine contents. Pre-sowing seed treatment with varying levels of thiourea showed differential effect under drought stress or non stress conditions e.g., under moderate drought stress (70% FC) both 0.1 mM and 1.0 mM TU increased shoot dry weight and decreased total phenolic contents. Furthermore, 0.1 mM TU enhanced root dry weight, while 1.0 mM TU increased proline contents. In conclusion, hydro-priming proved more effective in increasing shoot and root fresh and dry weights, shoot length, total leaf area plant-1, grain yield and number of grains plant-1 in wheat var. Galaxy-2013 plants under drought stress or non stress conditions. (author)

[en] Paper is a cleaner biomass and has been converted into useful products by its pyrolytic and oxidative cracking. Its oxidative cracking was an attempt for the product selective cracking. It is a hydrothermal cracking at high temperature that stabilizes the violent radical reaction with promising product selective results. The GC/MS analysis of both the pyrolytic and oxidative cracking reveals that the both pyrolysates contain furans, furanones, carbonyl compounds, anhydro-sugars and carboxylic acids. (author)

[en] Background: Gastrointestinal duplication is a rare developmental anomaly that can be present anywhere along the GI tract, most often being found in ileum. The purpose of this study is to share our experience in evaluation of the presentation, investigations, management challenges and complications of patients with this very rare condition. Methods: This descriptive case series was conducted at the Department of Paediatric Surgery, National Institute of Child Health Karachi, Pakistan, from April 2018 to October 2019. Data was analysed with regard to age, clinical presentation, investigations, surgical procedures, site and type of lesion, histopathology, complications and outcomes. Results: A total of five patients were managed in one and half year. The patients’ ages ranged from antenatally diagnosed foetus to 12 years old child. New-born who presented with antenatal diagnosis of abdominal cyst turned out to have duodenal duplication cyst. Among other four were thoracoabdominal duplication cyst, gastric duplication, jejunal duplication and ileal duplication, last two presented with perforation. Other presentations were abdominal pain, swelling and vomiting. Diagnosis was made on clinical ground, x-ray of abdomen, ultrasound and computed tomography. All cysts were resected successfully and patients remained asymptomatic till one year follow up except one patient who expired postoperatively due to liver failure. Conclusion: Enteric duplication can present in variety of ways depending on anatomical location. Prompt diagnosis and complete excision of cyst is the aim of treatment. However, these rare types of duplication are a challenge to operating surgeons. (author)

[en] Metals contamination is a persistent problem at many contaminated sites. In the U.S., the most commonly occurring metals at Superfund sites are lead, chromium, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, copper and mercury. The presence of metals in surface and ground waters, and soils can pose a significant threat to human health and ecological systems. Surface water and groundwater many be contaminated with metals from wastewater discharges or by direct contact with metals contaminated soils, sludges, mining wastes and debris. Due to use of sewage water and industrial effluents for agriculture in NWFP, there is a great threat to the human and animal health. In a survey of sewage water from three channels, it was found that 10 out of 18 samples ha lead content above the safe limits, while two in cadmium and 8 in chromium. While in soils irrigated with these channels, all the 18 samples were high in Cu and Pb, and 6 in Mn. As regards plants growing on these soils, samples of garlic, 4 of wheat and 3 of berseem were high in Pb. Cd content was high in 5 garlic samples, 5 wheat and 3 berseem. Effluents from two industries were high in Pb and four in Ni. In another study, all the nine water samples were high in Cu, 3 in Cd, and 6 in Pb. A survey of 20 Industries in Industrial Estate Hattar showed that all the effluent samples collected from these Industries were above the safe limits in Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr. From these studies, it seems that use of sewage water and industrial effluents for longer period can create heavy metals hazard in agriculture in NWFP. (author)

[en] A pot experiment was performed to assess the effect of proline as seed treatment on maize (Zea mays L.) under salt stress. Seeds of maize cultivar (cv.) Safaid Afgoi were soaked in different proline solutions (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mM) for 12 hours. Salt treatment (0 and 75 mM NaCl) was applied to one week old maize seedlings. Data was taken of 21 day old maize plants for the determination of different growth and physiochemical parameters. Salt stress inhibited most of the growth attributes and decreased ratio of chlorophyll a to chl. b, while increased chl. b and total soluble proteins and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in maize plants. Seed treatment with proline increased shoot length significantly and chlorophyll a non-significantly, while all other attributes remained unaffected of maize plants under salt stress. In conclusion, proline show differential response in increasing growth by regulating different physiochemical parameters not only in different plant species but also under diverse environmental conditions. (author)

[en] Foliar application of three triacontanol (TRIA) levels i.e., 0, 1.0 and 0.1 µM was performed on two linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) accessions (20888 and 22186) at week 6 and 9 from date of sowing under water deficit stress (50% field capacity). Data of growth and physiochemical parameters was determined after two weeks of foliar treatment of TRIA, while yield was obtained at maturity. Results of current study revealed that growth and yield significantly decreased in two linseed accessions under water deficit stress. However, foliar application of TRIA significantly increased shoot and root fresh and dry weight, shoot and root length, seed weight per plant, total number of seeds per plant, 1000-seed weight and number of capsules per plant, chlorophyll a, and b contents, activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase), anthocyanin contents, total soluble proteins, free amino acids and total phenolics while decreased relative water content (%), carotenoids, hydrogen peroxide (H/sub 2/O/sub 2/) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in both linseed accessions. Overall, foliar application of 1.0 µM TRIA proved more effective in increasing growth and yield of two linseed accessions under drought stress. Of the two linseed accessions 20888 exhibited high growth and yield than linseed 22186 under drought stress or non-stress conditions. (author)

[en] In the present study, we assessed the effect of foliar application of triacontanol (TRIA) on various growth and physiochemical parameters of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars (cv. MMRI-Yellow and cv. Hybrid S-515) under different irrigation levels i.e., normal watering (control) and watering at 60% of the field capacity (drought). Seeds of the two maize cultivars were sown in plastic pots filled with sandy loam soil (2 kg in each). Foliar application of TRIA (0, 2 and 5 micro M) was performed after two weeks of drought stress to 28-day-old plants. Data of 58-day-old maize plants was collected for analysis of various growth and physiochemical attributes. Drought stress significantly decreased growth and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity while increased the activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) and the contents of total phenolics, total soluble proteins, glycinebetaine (GB) and free proline. Foliar treatment with TRIA further increased CAT and POD activities whereas decreased the contents of hydrogen peroxide (H/sub 2/O/sub 2/), malondialdehyde (MDA), total phenolics and GB in the maize plants when under drought stress. Of the two maize cultivars, cv. MMRI-Yellow excelled the growth under both normal and drought stress (60% of the field capacity). Overall, TRIA (5 micro M) was much more effective in modulating various growth and physiochemical attributes, and thus improving drought tolerance in maize plants. (author)