Muhammad Kabir Shuaib - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Muhammad Kabir Shuaib

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences

Objective: To review the results of surgical correction of partial atrioventricular septal defect... more Objective: To review the results of surgical correction of partial atrioventricular septal defect and associated cardiac comorbidities. Methods: Retrospective case analysis of electronic database of department of paediatrics cardiac surgery, CPEIC, Multan was done. Forty consecutive patients operated for partial atrioventricular septal defect repair from September 2011 to October 2016 were included. Mean age was 14.67±7.96 years. 60% (24) patients were male. Regarding echocardiographic findings, pre-operatively 40% (n=16) had mild, 47.5% (19) had moderate and 12.5% (n=5) had severe mitral valve regurgitation. There were 25% (n=10) patients having moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. Pulmonary hypertension was moderate in 57.5% (n=23) cases and severe in 7.5% (n=3) cases. Among other associated lesions 10% (n=4) patients had secundum ASD, pulmonary artery stenosis was seen in 5% (n=2) patients. Another 5.0% (n=2) patients had bilateral SVCS. While one patient had PDA and one patient had associated common atrium. Results: Post-operatively there were 19 cases (47.5%) having no mitral valve regurgitation while 18 (45%) patients showed mild and 7.5% (n=3) had moderate mitral valve regurgitation. Only one case had moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation post-operatively, while 22.5% (n=9) cases had mild tricuspid regurgitation. Complete heart block and left sided brain infarct developed in one case.There was no mortality, reoperation, residual atrial shunt or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Conclusion: Repair of partial AV canal carries good overall results with minimal mortality however earlier repair is suggested to reduce post-operative morbidity further.

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017

Background: As aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contains phytochemicals like flavonoids and tanni... more Background: As aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contains phytochemicals like flavonoids and tannins. And whereas flavonoids and tannins have antioxidant and antipyretic activity, hence, current work is carried out to screen crude methanolic extract of aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius (Ru.Cr) and crude flavonoids rich extract of Rubus ulmifolius (Ru.F) for possible antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Ru.Cr and Ru.F are also tested for brine shrimps lethality bioassay. Ru.F is tested for the first time for possible antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening of Ru.Cr and Ru.F was performed as it provides rapid finger printing for targeting a pharmacological activity. Acute toxicity and Brine shrimps' cytotoxicity studies of Ru.Cr and Ru.F were performed to determine its safe dose range. Antioxidant and antipyretic studies were also performed as per reported procedures. Results: Ru.Cr tested positive for presence of tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids. Ru.Cr is safe up to 6 g/kg following oral doses for acute toxicity study. Ru.Cr is safe up to 75 μg/kg (p.o), LC 50 for Ru.Cr and Ru.F are 16.7 ± 1.4 μg/ml 10.6 ± 1.8 μg/ml, respectively (n = 3). Both Ru.Cr and Ru.F demonstrated comparable antioxidant activity using vitamin C as standard (p ≤ 0.05). In test dose of 300 mg of Ru.Cr, rectal temperature was reduced by 74% (p ≤ 0.05) on 4 th hour of the administration. More, Ru.F produced 72% reduction in pyrexia (p ≤ 0.05) on 4 th hour of administration of paracetamol in Westar rats. Conclusions: The current work confirms that aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contain flavonoids that are safe up to 6 g/kg (p.o). Crude methanolic extract and flavonoids rich fraction of Rubus ulmifolius have significant antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Further work is required to isolate the pharmacologically active substances for relatively safe and effective antipyretics and antioxidants.

Molecular Cell, 2016

Highlights d CENP-A nucleosomal ends are highly flexible in solution d Dynamic CENP-A nucleosomal... more Highlights d CENP-A nucleosomal ends are highly flexible in solution d Dynamic CENP-A nucleosomal ends prevent H1 recruitment d Flexibility of DNA ends allows active kinetochore complex assembly d Open CENP-A nucleosomal structure is essential for its mitotic function

Advances in Economics and Business, 2014

Exchange rates have main role that affect the macroeconomics performance of any leading country. ... more Exchange rates have main role that affect the macroeconomics performance of any leading country. The objective of this research was to investigate whether uncertainty or fluctuations in exchange rate affects the macroeconomic in Pakistan. This Study was based on secondary and time series data. For this purpose 32 years old data of Exchange rate and FDI for the period of 1982 to 2013 was used and was collected from the website of State Bank of Pakistan. The tests of Correlation and regression analysis were applied through SPSS software to check the relationship between Exchange rate and FDI. The correlation results showed that there is positive significant relationship between Exchange rate and Foreign Direct Investment while in regression analysis the value of R-square = 0.679 which shows that the independent variable Exchange has 67% impact on dependent variable Foreign Direct Investment and research model is accurate. This research will help the mangers, related organization and future researchers to make or revise the further economic decisions.

Demography, 1997

The Preceding Birth Technique (PBT) has been proposed as a method suitable for ascertaining the p... more The Preceding Birth Technique (PBT) has been proposed as a method suitable for ascertaining the prevailing level of under-2 mortality in countries without full vital registration. It is a monitoring tool rather than a method that will replace other established approaches to measuring childhood mortality levels and differentials that other demographers have developed over the last 30 years. The principle obstacle to the wider adoption of the PBT is the low proportion of women who give birth in maternity clinics and hospitals. A larger proportion ofmothers. however, visit clinics and hospitals for antenatal care and to vaccinate their newborn. We used data from the Matlab surveillance system to test the accuracy of mortality estimates derived using the PBT with data obtained from mothers at antenatal visits and at the vaccination of their youngest children. The study shows that the PBT estimates under-3 rather than under-2 mortality in Bangladesh due to the long birth intervals. The data. when used to simulate the collection of the information at antenatal or postnatal visits, nonetheless provide an accurate description ofunder-3 mortality trends and differences for the two periods examined-before 1984 and before 1989.

The Canadian veterinary journal. La revue vétérinaire canadienne, 2010

Disease associated with Maedi-Visna infection results in substantial economic losses in affected ... more Disease associated with Maedi-Visna infection results in substantial economic losses in affected sheep producing areas of the world. A survey was conducted to estimate herd and individual seroprevalence in the province of Manitoba and evaluate risk factors for seropositive herds. Of 2207 sheep sampled from 77 selected sheep flocks, the animal level seroprevalence was 2.47% and herd level seroprevalence was 25.10%. The herd-level factors of presence of clinical skin disease, herd size of > 70, history of musculoskeletal/lameness abnormalities, and the purchase of new stock (> 50) in the last 1 to 5 y, showed significant associations with seropositive herd status. The study documented a remarkable stability of low seroprevalence in the province over a 20-year period in the absence of a systematic disease control program.

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 1969

Objectives: To report on six independent and isolated cases demonstrating thumb aplasia as an ess... more Objectives: To report on six independent and isolated cases demonstrating thumb aplasia as an essentially limb-specific phenotype. Methods: The subjects were ascertained during 2011-2013 from six different geographic regions of Pakistan, and underwent detailed clinical and phenotypic examination. Results: The affected arms of patients had complete absence of first digital rays, medial inclinations of second and fifth fingers, narrowing of palms, missing carpals, and shortening of zeugopod. All the subjects were presented with isolated and sporadic limb deficiencies, and five had no family history of limb or any other malformation. Parental consanguinity was denied in majority of the cases. We present detailed phenotypic manifestation of thumb apalsia in these subjects. Conclusion: Thumb aplasia markedly impairs the normal function of affected hand. Surgical procedures like pollicisation of the index finger should be employed to improve the quality of life of these subjects. There is so far no specific genetic factor known for isolated thumb aplasia, compromising an accurate genetic counseling. Collection of patients with similar phenotypic presentations could be useful in further molecular genetic investigations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

The role of the mitotic phosphorylation of the amino (NH 2) terminus of Centromere Protein A (CEN... more The role of the mitotic phosphorylation of the amino (NH 2) terminus of Centromere Protein A (CENP-A), the histone variant epigenetic centromeric marker, remains elusive. Here, we show that the NH 2 terminus of human CENP-A is essential for mitotic progression and that localization of CENP-C, another key centromeric protein, requires only phosphorylation of the CENP-A NH 2 terminus, and is independent of the CENP-A NH 2 terminus length and amino acid sequence. Mitotic CENP-A nucleosomal complexes contain CENP-C and phosphobinding 14-3-3 proteins. In contrast, mitotic nucleosomal complexes carrying nonphosphorylatable CENP-A-S7A contained only low levels of CENP-C and no detectable 14-3-3 proteins. Direct interactions between the phosphorylated form of CENP-A and 14-3-3 proteins as well as between 14-3-3 proteins and CENP-C were demonstrated. Taken together, our results reveal that 14-3-3 proteins could act as specific mitotic "bridges," linking phosphorylated CENP-A and CENP-C, which are necessary for the platform function of CENP-A centromeric chromatin in the assembly and maintenance of active kinetochores.

Proceedings of the …, 2010

The human histone H3 variant, CENP-A, replaces the conventional histone H3 in centromeric chromat... more The human histone H3 variant, CENP-A, replaces the conventional histone H3 in centromeric chromatin and, together with centromere-specific DNA-binding factors, directs the assembly of the kinetochore. We purified the prenucelosomal e-CENP-A complex. We ...

Demography, 1997

for their help with coinputer work and data analysis; and to Patricia David for colnmcnts on the ... more for their help with coinputer work and data analysis; and to Patricia David for colnmcnts on the tcxt.

… Journal for Equity in …, 2011

Background: Although the Republic of Vanuatu has improved maternal indicators, more needs to be d... more Background: Although the Republic of Vanuatu has improved maternal indicators, more needs to be done to improve equity among the poorest in the use of reproductive health services to expedite the progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 5(MDG 5) target. While large developing country studies provide evidence of a rich-poor gap in reproductive health services utilization, not much is written in terms of Pacific Islands. Thus, this study aims to examine the degree of inequality in utilization of reproductive health services in a nationally representative sample of Vanuatu households. Methods: This paper used data from the 2007 Vanuatu Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). The analyses were based on responses from 615 ever married women, living with at least one child below two years of age. Outcomes included antenatal care (ANC) and use of birth attendants at delivery, place of delivery, and counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression methods were employed in the analysis. Results: Findings revealed that the economic well-being status of the household to which women belong, played a crucial role in explaining the variation in service utilization. Inequality in utilization was found to be more pronounced between the poorest and richest groups within the wealth quintiles. In adjusted models, mothers in the richest bands of wealth were 5.50 (95% confidence interval [

Ceramics International, 2014

This paper presents a novel die-pressing technique for the fabrication of 1-3 piezoceramic/polyme... more This paper presents a novel die-pressing technique for the fabrication of 1-3 piezoceramic/polymer composites. Piezoceramic (Ba 0.95 Pb 0.05) (Ti 0.99 Co 0.01)O 3 (BT) powder having particle size $0.4 μm was synthesized by a solid state reaction method. Key properties of sintered and poled BT samples were ε r ¼1100, d 33 ¼136 pC/N, g 33 ¼14 Â 10 À 3 V m/N and tan δ¼ 0.005. The 1-3 connectivity BT/monothane-A70 samples with variable BT contents (11-31 vol%) were fabricated by a die-pressing technique. The dielectric, elastic and resonant characteristics were investigated by using standard equipments. Results revealed that the composites possess moderate dielectric constant ɛ r (140-349), higher thickness mode electromechanical coupling coefficient k t (44%) and higher figure of merit FOM (1896-7169 fm 2 /N) compared to monolithic BT ceramic. The fabricated composites also possess favorable properties such as lower acoustic impedance Z (8-13 Mrayl) and lower elastic stiffness C 33 D (36-65 GPa) compared to single phase BT ceramic. These results indicate that BT/monothane-A70 composites have the potential to be used as transducer in various applications.

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 2012

Chromatin is a highly dynamic nucleoprotein structure, which orchestrates all nuclear process fro... more Chromatin is a highly dynamic nucleoprotein structure, which orchestrates all nuclear process from DNA replication to DNA repair, from transcription to recombination. The proper in vivo assembly of nucleosome, the basic repeating unit of chromatin, requires the deposition of two H3-H4 dimer pairs followed by the addition of two dimers of H2A and H2B. Histone chaperones are responsible for delivery of histones to the site of chromatin assembly and histone deposition onto DNA, histone exchange and removal. Distinct factors have been found associated with different histone H3 variants, which facilitate their deposition. Unraveling the mechanism of histone deposition by specific chaperones is of key importance to epigenetic regulation. In this review, we focus on histone H3 variants and their deposition mechanisms. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled:Histone chaperones and Chromatin assembly.

The comparative organogenesis of Brassica napus L cultivars Cyclone, Star and Westar was studied.... more The comparative organogenesis of Brassica napus L cultivars Cyclone, Star and Westar was studied. The cotyledonary explants gave a higher response to all the combinations of 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and BAP (0.5, 1.0,1.5 and 2.0 mg/L} used for optimizing the conditions for callus induction. The best mean weight and mean length of callus was obtained at 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and 1.5mg/L BAP for Star cotyledonary explants. For the complete plant regeneration the new method of exposing the explants culture to Growth regulator free medium was performed. The method was applicable to both hypocotyl and cotyledonary explants. The Shoot Induction Frequency for hypocotyl (6-34%) in the three cultivars is higher than the cotyledonary explants (3-23 %.). The method is speedy and almost all of the shoots and some unshooted calli (78%) form roots on the same media without prior transfer to rooting medium. The Analysis of variance (P<0.05) showed that the data is significantly different and all the variation is due to the different groups/sources in the experiments. Thus it is recommended to use separate explants of each variety for gene transformation specially hypocotyl explants of westar.

African Journal of …, 2010

Inqulab-91 and Rawal-87 were evaluated for analysis of variability in seed storage proteins by us... more Inqulab-91 and Rawal-87 were evaluated for analysis of variability in seed storage proteins by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Electrophorogram for each variety were scored and presence or absence of each band noted and was entered in a binary data matrix. Based on the data of SDS-PAGE gels cluster analysis was performed to check the variations among varieties. The overall result shows low degree of heterogeneity however different varieties reveal differential protein banding pattern. It is concluded that SDS-PAGE analysis of wheat endosperm protein is useful for evaluation of genetic variability and cultivars identification that help in wheat breeding program.

Journal of Health, …, 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the prevalence of exclusiv... more The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and morbidity (diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infection) in infants aged 0-3 month(s) using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2003 data from ...

Genes & …, 2010

The histone variant H3.3 marks active chromatin by replacing the conventional histone H3.1. In th... more The histone variant H3.3 marks active chromatin by replacing the conventional histone H3.1. In this study, we investigate the detailed mechanism of H3.3 replication-independent deposition. We found that the death domainassociated protein DAXX and the chromatin remodeling factor ATRX (a-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome protein) are specifically associated with the H3.3 deposition machinery. Bacterially expressed DAXX has a marked binding preference for H3.3 and assists the deposition of (H3.3-H4) 2 tetramers on naked DNA, thus showing that DAXX is a H3.3 histone chaperone. In DAXX-depleted cells, a fraction of H3.3 was found associated with the replication-dependent machinery of deposition, suggesting that cells adapt to the depletion. The reintroduced DAXX in these cells colocalizes with H3.3 into the promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) bodies. Moreover, DAXX associates with pericentric DNA repeats, and modulates the transcription from these repeats through assembly of H3.3 nucleosomes. These findings establish a new link between the PML bodies and the regulation of pericentric DNA repeat chromatin structure. Taken together, our data demonstrate that DAXX functions as a bona fide histone chaperone involved in the replication-independent deposition of H3.3.

Injury Prevention, 2010

AimTo evaluate the implementation and acceptability of the PRECISE child injury project in Bangla... more AimTo evaluate the implementation and acceptability of the PRECISE child injury project in Bangladesh.BackgroundEach year in Bangladesh, 30 000 children die from unintentional injuries; drowning is the single leading cause of death in children aged 1–17 years. PRECISE is a community-based project with many interrelated components, including Community crche and SwimSafe programmes, tailored to the Bangladesh environment.MethodsThe intervention has been

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences

Objective: To review the results of surgical correction of partial atrioventricular septal defect... more Objective: To review the results of surgical correction of partial atrioventricular septal defect and associated cardiac comorbidities. Methods: Retrospective case analysis of electronic database of department of paediatrics cardiac surgery, CPEIC, Multan was done. Forty consecutive patients operated for partial atrioventricular septal defect repair from September 2011 to October 2016 were included. Mean age was 14.67±7.96 years. 60% (24) patients were male. Regarding echocardiographic findings, pre-operatively 40% (n=16) had mild, 47.5% (19) had moderate and 12.5% (n=5) had severe mitral valve regurgitation. There were 25% (n=10) patients having moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. Pulmonary hypertension was moderate in 57.5% (n=23) cases and severe in 7.5% (n=3) cases. Among other associated lesions 10% (n=4) patients had secundum ASD, pulmonary artery stenosis was seen in 5% (n=2) patients. Another 5.0% (n=2) patients had bilateral SVCS. While one patient had PDA and one patient had associated common atrium. Results: Post-operatively there were 19 cases (47.5%) having no mitral valve regurgitation while 18 (45%) patients showed mild and 7.5% (n=3) had moderate mitral valve regurgitation. Only one case had moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation post-operatively, while 22.5% (n=9) cases had mild tricuspid regurgitation. Complete heart block and left sided brain infarct developed in one case.There was no mortality, reoperation, residual atrial shunt or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Conclusion: Repair of partial AV canal carries good overall results with minimal mortality however earlier repair is suggested to reduce post-operative morbidity further.

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017

Background: As aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contains phytochemicals like flavonoids and tanni... more Background: As aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contains phytochemicals like flavonoids and tannins. And whereas flavonoids and tannins have antioxidant and antipyretic activity, hence, current work is carried out to screen crude methanolic extract of aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius (Ru.Cr) and crude flavonoids rich extract of Rubus ulmifolius (Ru.F) for possible antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Ru.Cr and Ru.F are also tested for brine shrimps lethality bioassay. Ru.F is tested for the first time for possible antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening of Ru.Cr and Ru.F was performed as it provides rapid finger printing for targeting a pharmacological activity. Acute toxicity and Brine shrimps' cytotoxicity studies of Ru.Cr and Ru.F were performed to determine its safe dose range. Antioxidant and antipyretic studies were also performed as per reported procedures. Results: Ru.Cr tested positive for presence of tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids. Ru.Cr is safe up to 6 g/kg following oral doses for acute toxicity study. Ru.Cr is safe up to 75 μg/kg (p.o), LC 50 for Ru.Cr and Ru.F are 16.7 ± 1.4 μg/ml 10.6 ± 1.8 μg/ml, respectively (n = 3). Both Ru.Cr and Ru.F demonstrated comparable antioxidant activity using vitamin C as standard (p ≤ 0.05). In test dose of 300 mg of Ru.Cr, rectal temperature was reduced by 74% (p ≤ 0.05) on 4 th hour of the administration. More, Ru.F produced 72% reduction in pyrexia (p ≤ 0.05) on 4 th hour of administration of paracetamol in Westar rats. Conclusions: The current work confirms that aerial parts of Rubus ulmifolius contain flavonoids that are safe up to 6 g/kg (p.o). Crude methanolic extract and flavonoids rich fraction of Rubus ulmifolius have significant antioxidant and antipyretic activity. Further work is required to isolate the pharmacologically active substances for relatively safe and effective antipyretics and antioxidants.

Molecular Cell, 2016

Highlights d CENP-A nucleosomal ends are highly flexible in solution d Dynamic CENP-A nucleosomal... more Highlights d CENP-A nucleosomal ends are highly flexible in solution d Dynamic CENP-A nucleosomal ends prevent H1 recruitment d Flexibility of DNA ends allows active kinetochore complex assembly d Open CENP-A nucleosomal structure is essential for its mitotic function

Advances in Economics and Business, 2014

Exchange rates have main role that affect the macroeconomics performance of any leading country. ... more Exchange rates have main role that affect the macroeconomics performance of any leading country. The objective of this research was to investigate whether uncertainty or fluctuations in exchange rate affects the macroeconomic in Pakistan. This Study was based on secondary and time series data. For this purpose 32 years old data of Exchange rate and FDI for the period of 1982 to 2013 was used and was collected from the website of State Bank of Pakistan. The tests of Correlation and regression analysis were applied through SPSS software to check the relationship between Exchange rate and FDI. The correlation results showed that there is positive significant relationship between Exchange rate and Foreign Direct Investment while in regression analysis the value of R-square = 0.679 which shows that the independent variable Exchange has 67% impact on dependent variable Foreign Direct Investment and research model is accurate. This research will help the mangers, related organization and future researchers to make or revise the further economic decisions.

Demography, 1997

The Preceding Birth Technique (PBT) has been proposed as a method suitable for ascertaining the p... more The Preceding Birth Technique (PBT) has been proposed as a method suitable for ascertaining the prevailing level of under-2 mortality in countries without full vital registration. It is a monitoring tool rather than a method that will replace other established approaches to measuring childhood mortality levels and differentials that other demographers have developed over the last 30 years. The principle obstacle to the wider adoption of the PBT is the low proportion of women who give birth in maternity clinics and hospitals. A larger proportion ofmothers. however, visit clinics and hospitals for antenatal care and to vaccinate their newborn. We used data from the Matlab surveillance system to test the accuracy of mortality estimates derived using the PBT with data obtained from mothers at antenatal visits and at the vaccination of their youngest children. The study shows that the PBT estimates under-3 rather than under-2 mortality in Bangladesh due to the long birth intervals. The data. when used to simulate the collection of the information at antenatal or postnatal visits, nonetheless provide an accurate description ofunder-3 mortality trends and differences for the two periods examined-before 1984 and before 1989.

The Canadian veterinary journal. La revue vétérinaire canadienne, 2010

Disease associated with Maedi-Visna infection results in substantial economic losses in affected ... more Disease associated with Maedi-Visna infection results in substantial economic losses in affected sheep producing areas of the world. A survey was conducted to estimate herd and individual seroprevalence in the province of Manitoba and evaluate risk factors for seropositive herds. Of 2207 sheep sampled from 77 selected sheep flocks, the animal level seroprevalence was 2.47% and herd level seroprevalence was 25.10%. The herd-level factors of presence of clinical skin disease, herd size of > 70, history of musculoskeletal/lameness abnormalities, and the purchase of new stock (> 50) in the last 1 to 5 y, showed significant associations with seropositive herd status. The study documented a remarkable stability of low seroprevalence in the province over a 20-year period in the absence of a systematic disease control program.

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 1969

Objectives: To report on six independent and isolated cases demonstrating thumb aplasia as an ess... more Objectives: To report on six independent and isolated cases demonstrating thumb aplasia as an essentially limb-specific phenotype. Methods: The subjects were ascertained during 2011-2013 from six different geographic regions of Pakistan, and underwent detailed clinical and phenotypic examination. Results: The affected arms of patients had complete absence of first digital rays, medial inclinations of second and fifth fingers, narrowing of palms, missing carpals, and shortening of zeugopod. All the subjects were presented with isolated and sporadic limb deficiencies, and five had no family history of limb or any other malformation. Parental consanguinity was denied in majority of the cases. We present detailed phenotypic manifestation of thumb apalsia in these subjects. Conclusion: Thumb aplasia markedly impairs the normal function of affected hand. Surgical procedures like pollicisation of the index finger should be employed to improve the quality of life of these subjects. There is so far no specific genetic factor known for isolated thumb aplasia, compromising an accurate genetic counseling. Collection of patients with similar phenotypic presentations could be useful in further molecular genetic investigations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

The role of the mitotic phosphorylation of the amino (NH 2) terminus of Centromere Protein A (CEN... more The role of the mitotic phosphorylation of the amino (NH 2) terminus of Centromere Protein A (CENP-A), the histone variant epigenetic centromeric marker, remains elusive. Here, we show that the NH 2 terminus of human CENP-A is essential for mitotic progression and that localization of CENP-C, another key centromeric protein, requires only phosphorylation of the CENP-A NH 2 terminus, and is independent of the CENP-A NH 2 terminus length and amino acid sequence. Mitotic CENP-A nucleosomal complexes contain CENP-C and phosphobinding 14-3-3 proteins. In contrast, mitotic nucleosomal complexes carrying nonphosphorylatable CENP-A-S7A contained only low levels of CENP-C and no detectable 14-3-3 proteins. Direct interactions between the phosphorylated form of CENP-A and 14-3-3 proteins as well as between 14-3-3 proteins and CENP-C were demonstrated. Taken together, our results reveal that 14-3-3 proteins could act as specific mitotic "bridges," linking phosphorylated CENP-A and CENP-C, which are necessary for the platform function of CENP-A centromeric chromatin in the assembly and maintenance of active kinetochores.

Proceedings of the …, 2010

The human histone H3 variant, CENP-A, replaces the conventional histone H3 in centromeric chromat... more The human histone H3 variant, CENP-A, replaces the conventional histone H3 in centromeric chromatin and, together with centromere-specific DNA-binding factors, directs the assembly of the kinetochore. We purified the prenucelosomal e-CENP-A complex. We ...

Demography, 1997

for their help with coinputer work and data analysis; and to Patricia David for colnmcnts on the ... more for their help with coinputer work and data analysis; and to Patricia David for colnmcnts on the tcxt.

… Journal for Equity in …, 2011

Background: Although the Republic of Vanuatu has improved maternal indicators, more needs to be d... more Background: Although the Republic of Vanuatu has improved maternal indicators, more needs to be done to improve equity among the poorest in the use of reproductive health services to expedite the progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 5(MDG 5) target. While large developing country studies provide evidence of a rich-poor gap in reproductive health services utilization, not much is written in terms of Pacific Islands. Thus, this study aims to examine the degree of inequality in utilization of reproductive health services in a nationally representative sample of Vanuatu households. Methods: This paper used data from the 2007 Vanuatu Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). The analyses were based on responses from 615 ever married women, living with at least one child below two years of age. Outcomes included antenatal care (ANC) and use of birth attendants at delivery, place of delivery, and counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression methods were employed in the analysis. Results: Findings revealed that the economic well-being status of the household to which women belong, played a crucial role in explaining the variation in service utilization. Inequality in utilization was found to be more pronounced between the poorest and richest groups within the wealth quintiles. In adjusted models, mothers in the richest bands of wealth were 5.50 (95% confidence interval [

Ceramics International, 2014

This paper presents a novel die-pressing technique for the fabrication of 1-3 piezoceramic/polyme... more This paper presents a novel die-pressing technique for the fabrication of 1-3 piezoceramic/polymer composites. Piezoceramic (Ba 0.95 Pb 0.05) (Ti 0.99 Co 0.01)O 3 (BT) powder having particle size $0.4 μm was synthesized by a solid state reaction method. Key properties of sintered and poled BT samples were ε r ¼1100, d 33 ¼136 pC/N, g 33 ¼14 Â 10 À 3 V m/N and tan δ¼ 0.005. The 1-3 connectivity BT/monothane-A70 samples with variable BT contents (11-31 vol%) were fabricated by a die-pressing technique. The dielectric, elastic and resonant characteristics were investigated by using standard equipments. Results revealed that the composites possess moderate dielectric constant ɛ r (140-349), higher thickness mode electromechanical coupling coefficient k t (44%) and higher figure of merit FOM (1896-7169 fm 2 /N) compared to monolithic BT ceramic. The fabricated composites also possess favorable properties such as lower acoustic impedance Z (8-13 Mrayl) and lower elastic stiffness C 33 D (36-65 GPa) compared to single phase BT ceramic. These results indicate that BT/monothane-A70 composites have the potential to be used as transducer in various applications.

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 2012

Chromatin is a highly dynamic nucleoprotein structure, which orchestrates all nuclear process fro... more Chromatin is a highly dynamic nucleoprotein structure, which orchestrates all nuclear process from DNA replication to DNA repair, from transcription to recombination. The proper in vivo assembly of nucleosome, the basic repeating unit of chromatin, requires the deposition of two H3-H4 dimer pairs followed by the addition of two dimers of H2A and H2B. Histone chaperones are responsible for delivery of histones to the site of chromatin assembly and histone deposition onto DNA, histone exchange and removal. Distinct factors have been found associated with different histone H3 variants, which facilitate their deposition. Unraveling the mechanism of histone deposition by specific chaperones is of key importance to epigenetic regulation. In this review, we focus on histone H3 variants and their deposition mechanisms. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled:Histone chaperones and Chromatin assembly.

The comparative organogenesis of Brassica napus L cultivars Cyclone, Star and Westar was studied.... more The comparative organogenesis of Brassica napus L cultivars Cyclone, Star and Westar was studied. The cotyledonary explants gave a higher response to all the combinations of 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and BAP (0.5, 1.0,1.5 and 2.0 mg/L} used for optimizing the conditions for callus induction. The best mean weight and mean length of callus was obtained at 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and 1.5mg/L BAP for Star cotyledonary explants. For the complete plant regeneration the new method of exposing the explants culture to Growth regulator free medium was performed. The method was applicable to both hypocotyl and cotyledonary explants. The Shoot Induction Frequency for hypocotyl (6-34%) in the three cultivars is higher than the cotyledonary explants (3-23 %.). The method is speedy and almost all of the shoots and some unshooted calli (78%) form roots on the same media without prior transfer to rooting medium. The Analysis of variance (P<0.05) showed that the data is significantly different and all the variation is due to the different groups/sources in the experiments. Thus it is recommended to use separate explants of each variety for gene transformation specially hypocotyl explants of westar.

African Journal of …, 2010

Inqulab-91 and Rawal-87 were evaluated for analysis of variability in seed storage proteins by us... more Inqulab-91 and Rawal-87 were evaluated for analysis of variability in seed storage proteins by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Electrophorogram for each variety were scored and presence or absence of each band noted and was entered in a binary data matrix. Based on the data of SDS-PAGE gels cluster analysis was performed to check the variations among varieties. The overall result shows low degree of heterogeneity however different varieties reveal differential protein banding pattern. It is concluded that SDS-PAGE analysis of wheat endosperm protein is useful for evaluation of genetic variability and cultivars identification that help in wheat breeding program.

Journal of Health, …, 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the prevalence of exclusiv... more The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and morbidity (diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infection) in infants aged 0-3 month(s) using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2003 data from ...

Genes & …, 2010

The histone variant H3.3 marks active chromatin by replacing the conventional histone H3.1. In th... more The histone variant H3.3 marks active chromatin by replacing the conventional histone H3.1. In this study, we investigate the detailed mechanism of H3.3 replication-independent deposition. We found that the death domainassociated protein DAXX and the chromatin remodeling factor ATRX (a-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome protein) are specifically associated with the H3.3 deposition machinery. Bacterially expressed DAXX has a marked binding preference for H3.3 and assists the deposition of (H3.3-H4) 2 tetramers on naked DNA, thus showing that DAXX is a H3.3 histone chaperone. In DAXX-depleted cells, a fraction of H3.3 was found associated with the replication-dependent machinery of deposition, suggesting that cells adapt to the depletion. The reintroduced DAXX in these cells colocalizes with H3.3 into the promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) bodies. Moreover, DAXX associates with pericentric DNA repeats, and modulates the transcription from these repeats through assembly of H3.3 nucleosomes. These findings establish a new link between the PML bodies and the regulation of pericentric DNA repeat chromatin structure. Taken together, our data demonstrate that DAXX functions as a bona fide histone chaperone involved in the replication-independent deposition of H3.3.

Injury Prevention, 2010

AimTo evaluate the implementation and acceptability of the PRECISE child injury project in Bangla... more AimTo evaluate the implementation and acceptability of the PRECISE child injury project in Bangladesh.BackgroundEach year in Bangladesh, 30 000 children die from unintentional injuries; drowning is the single leading cause of death in children aged 1–17 years. PRECISE is a community-based project with many interrelated components, including Community crche and SwimSafe programmes, tailored to the Bangladesh environment.MethodsThe intervention has been