Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 24 in total

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  1. Towards smart sustainable cities: Does technological innovation mitigate G7 CO2 emissions? Fresh evidence from CS-ARDL
    Chatti W, Khan Z
    Sci Total Environ, 2024 Feb 25;913:169723.
    PMID: 38169197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169723
    Sustainable cities are considered paradigmatic to achieve COP27 targets, but scant literature has analyzed the association with CO2 emission (CE) mitigation policies, especially for the G7 economies. This study traces the impacts of urbanization, innovation, income, and energy consumption on CE for the G7 countries from 1995 to 2019. The time period is important due to the rapid increase in urbanization, globalization, and, at the same time, technology diffusion. The study is focused on novel and relevant panel data econometric methods that tackle cross-section dependence, non-normality of data, and heterogeneity in slope coefficients. The empirical outcome first confirms the long-run cointegrating relationship among the variables in the presence of structural breaks by employing the advanced panel cointegration test. Technologies related to environmental management and energy consumption are positively linked with CE. However, the role of income per capita is found to be inverse with CE. In contrast, the effect of urbanization in different models is mixed for CE. Innovation and its interaction with urbanization are crucial for limiting CE and promoting sustainable cities in G7 economies. This indicates that urbanization with environment-friendly innovation can help G7 countries foster sustainable cities and achieve COP27 targets in general, specifically the Sustainable Development Goal of sustainable cities. The results were tested for the multiplicative effect of different variables with urbanization and innovation. Regarding policy insights, the study recommends focusing on smart and sustainable cities with environment-related innovations and transitioning towards cleaner energy from conventional energy consumption.
  2. Fulltext Coronavirus outbreaks: prevention and management recommendations
    Khan Z, Muhammad K, Ahmed A, Rahman H
    Drugs Ther Perspect, 2020 Mar 07.
    PMID: 32218651 DOI: 10.1007/s40267-020-00717-x
  3. Fulltext Evaluation of Deep Neural Networks for Semantic Segmentation of Prostate in T2W MRI
    Khan Z, Yahya N, Alsaih K, Ali SSA, Meriaudeau F
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Jun 03;20(11).
    PMID: 32503330 DOI: 10.3390/s20113183
    In this paper, we present an evaluation of four encoder-decoder CNNs in the segmentation of the prostate gland in T2W magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image. The four selected CNNs are FCN, SegNet, U-Net, and DeepLabV3+, which was originally proposed for the segmentation of road scene, biomedical, and natural images. Segmentation of prostate in T2W MRI images is an important step in the automatic diagnosis of prostate cancer to enable better lesion detection and staging of prostate cancer. Therefore, many research efforts have been conducted to improve the segmentation of the prostate gland in MRI images. The main challenges of prostate gland segmentation are blurry prostate boundary and variability in prostate anatomical structure. In this work, we investigated the performance of encoder-decoder CNNs for segmentation of prostate gland in T2W MRI. Image pre-processing techniques including image resizing, center-cropping and intensity normalization are applied to address the issues of inter-patient and inter-scanner variability as well as the issue of dominating background pixels over prostate pixels. In addition, to enrich the network with more data, to increase data variation, and to improve its accuracy, patch extraction and data augmentation are applied prior to training the networks. Furthermore, class weight balancing is used to avoid having biased networks since the number of background pixels is much higher than the prostate pixels. The class imbalance problem is solved by utilizing weighted cross-entropy loss function during the training of the CNN model. The performance of the CNNs is evaluated in terms of the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and our experimental results show that patch-wise DeepLabV3+ gives the best performance with DSC equal to 92 . 8 % . This value is the highest DSC score compared to the FCN, SegNet, and U-Net that also competed the recently published state-of-the-art method of prostate segmentation.
  4. Knowledge, attitude, practice and barriers towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting among healthcare professionals in Turkey: a systematic review
    Khan Z, Karatas Y, Martins MAP, Jamshed S, Rahman H
    Curr Med Res Opin, 2022 01;38(1):145-154.
    PMID: 34694167 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2021.1997287
    BACKGROUND: Globally, pharmacovigilance (PV) is crucial for the patient's safety and proper use of drugs. Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a professional obligation of every healthcare professionals (HCPs). The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the existing literature about the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) level of HCPs regarding PV and ADRs reporting in Turkey.

    METHODS: A systematic and comprehensive articles search strategy was carried out in different seven electronic databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, Goggle Scholar, Ovid-SP, MEDLINE, Wiley Online Library, DergiPark) from 2010 to 2020. We searched to identify existing literature about cross-sectional observational studies investigating the KAP of HCPs regarding PV and ADRs reporting in different geographical regions of Turkey. Quality assessment and risk of bias were assessed among included studies.

    RESULTS: Fifteen studies were chosen for full-text analysis. Finally, according to inclusion criteria, seven research articles were selected for systematic review. Overall, the KAP of HCPs varies across the studies. The lack of a standardized validated measuring tool to evaluate the KAP and differences in questionnaire items were the main limitations in included studies. Around, 69.1% (range: 54.6-100%) of HCPs were not aware of the national pharmacovigilance center in Turkey. About, 37.5% (range: 7.1-75.7%) of HCPs believed that reporting of ADRs is not important and 87.5% (range: 69.3-100%) stated that they never reported ADR previously during their practice. The most frequently highlighted barriers to PV were lack of time, uncertainty and did not know where to report.

    CONCLUSION: This systematic review revealed a major KAP gap in Turkey towards PV activities. Low ADR reporting practice of HCPs was a major identified issue. The creation of a mandatory unified PV education intervention for future HCPs to rationally report ADR of drugs are crucial for a better healthcare system.

  5. Fulltext Analyzing the nexus between environmental sustainability and clean energy for the USA
    Dogan E, Mohammed KS, Khan Z, Binsaeed RH
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Apr;31(19):27789-27803.
    PMID: 38517628 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32765-5
    Environmental sustainability is a key target to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, achieving these targets needs tools to pave the way for achieving SDGs and COP28 targets. Therefore, the primary objective of the present study is to examine the significance of clean energy, research and development spending, technological innovation, income, and human capital in achieving environmental sustainability in the USA from 1990 to 2022. The study employed time series econometric methods to estimate the empirical results. The study confirmed the long-run cointegrating relationship among CO2 emissions, human capital, income, R&D, technological innovation, and clean energy. The results are statistically significant in the short run except for R&D expenditures. In the long run, the study found that income and human capital contribute to further aggravating the environment via increasing CO2 emissions. However, R&D expenditures, technological innovation, and clean energy help to promote environmental sustainability by limiting carbon emissions. The study recommends investment in technological innovation, clean energy, and increasing R&D expenditures to achieve environmental sustainability in the USA.
  6. Fulltext Reconfigurable ring filter with controllable frequency response
    Ab Wahab N, Mohd Salleh MK, Ismail Khan Z, Abd Rashid NE
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:671369.
    PMID: 25121132 DOI: 10.1155/2014/671369
    Reconfigurable ring filter based on single-side-access ring topology is presented. Using capacitive tuning elements, the electrical length of the ring can be manipulated to shift the nominal center frequency to a desired position. A synthesis is developed to determine the values of the capacitive elements. To show the advantage of the synthesis, it is applied to the reconfigurable filter design using RF lumped capacitors. The concept is further explored by introducing varactor-diodes to continuously tune the center frequency of the ring filter. For demonstration, two prototypes of reconfigurable ring filters are realized using microstrip technology, simulated, and measured to validate the proposed concept. The reconfigured filter using lumped elements is successfully reconfigured from 2 GHz to 984.4 MHz and miniaturized by 71% compared to the filter directly designed at the same reconfigured frequency, while, for the filter using varactor-diodes, the frequency is chosen from 1.10 GHz to 1.38 GHz spreading over 280 MHz frequency range. Both designs are found to be compact with acceptable insertion loss and high selectivity.
  7. Synthesis and α-glucosidase inhibition studies of norfloxacin-acetanilide hybrids
    Walayat K, Ahmad M, Ali Ashfaq U, Ali Khan Z, Sultan S
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2021 Sep;34(5(Supplementary)):1909-1915.
    PMID: 34836859
    α-Glucosidase inhibitors occupy a prominent position among the various treatments of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). In this study, a series of new norfloxacin-acetanilide hybrid molecules were synthesized and screened for α-glucosidase inhibition activity. The synthetic methodology involves the synthesis of a series of α-bromoacetanilides by condensing bromoacetyl bromide with various substituted anilines. These α-bromoacetanilides were coupled with norfloxacin in DMF to get the titled hybrids. The structure elucidation of synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and LC-MS. Finally, the compounds were screened for their α-glucosidase inhibition activity using acarbose as a reference drug (IC50 =58 μM). Among the tested compounds, 3i and 3j displayed potent α-glucosidase inhibition activity with IC50 values of 7.81±0.038 and 5.55±0.012 μM respectively. In-addition, 3m, 3f and 3k were demonstrated moderate alpha-glucosidase inhibition activities with IC50 values of 52.905±0.041, 23.79± 0.087 and 23.06±0.026 μM respectively. The structure-activity relationship was established with the help of molecular docking by using Molecular Operating Environment software (MOE 2014).
  8. Effectiveness of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Health-Related Quality of Life in Coronary Artery Disease Patients in Low and Middle-Income Countries
    Hisam A, Haq ZU, Khan Z, Masood S, Pell JP, Doherty P
    J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 2025 Feb;35(2):221-228.
    PMID: 39936202 DOI: 10.29271/jcpsp.2025.02.221
    This meta-analysis of published studies was conducted to determine the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in post-coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Eighteen studies were identified from six countries (Malaysia, Iran, Brazil, Turkiye, China, and Pakistan) totalling 2,620 study participants with a mean age of 57.43 ± 7.9 years. Significantly higher mean physical (13.48, 95% CI: 7.75 to 19.21, p <0.001) and mental (11.52, 95% CI: 4.44 to 18.60, p <0.001) component scores were observed in the CR group compared to the usual group. The myocardial infarction- specific MacNew QLMI domains also showed significant mean differences (1.59, 95% CI: 0.97 to 2.21, p <0.001). This systematic review and meta-analysis showed significant improvements in physical and mental HRQoL in the CR group compared to the control group among post-CAD patients in LMIC. Furthermore, the myocardial infarction-specific MacNew QLMI global domain shows significant improvement in the CR group compared to the usual care group. Key Words: Acute coronary syndrome, Cardiac rehabilitation, Quality of life, Short-form 36, MacNew quality of life after myocardial infarction.
  9. Fulltext Novel derivative of aminobenzenesulfonamide (3c) induces apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells through ROS generation and inhibits cell migration
    Al-Khayal K, Alafeefy A, Vaali-Mohammed MA, Mahmood A, Zubaidi A, Al-Obeed O, et al.
    BMC Cancer, 2017 01 03;17(1):4.
    PMID: 28049506 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-3005-7
    BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3(rd) most common type of cancer worldwide. New anti-cancer agents are needed for treating late stage colorectal cancer as most of the deaths occur due to cancer metastasis. A recently developed compound, 3c has shown to have potent antitumor effect; however the mechanism underlying the antitumor effect remains unknown.

    METHODS: 3c-induced inhibition of proliferation was measured in the absence and presence NAC using MTT in HT-29 and SW620 cells and xCELLigence RTCA DP instrument. 3c-induced apoptotic studies were performed using flow cytometry. 3c-induced redox alterations were measured by ROS production using fluorescence plate reader and flow cytometry and mitochondrial membrane potential by flow cytometry; NADPH and GSH levels were determined by colorimetric assays. Bcl2 family protein expression and cytochrome c release and PARP activation was done by western blotting. Caspase activation was measured by ELISA. Cell migration assay was done using the real time xCELLigence RTCA DP system in SW620 cells and wound healing assay in HT-29.

    RESULTS: Many anticancer therapeutics exert their effects by inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we demonstrate that 3c-induced inhibition of cell proliferation is reversed by the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, suggesting that 3c acts via increased production of ROS in HT-29 cells. This was confirmed by the direct measurement of ROS in 3c-treated colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, treatment with 3c resulted in decreased NADPH and glutathione levels in HT-29 cells. Further, investigation of the apoptotic pathway showed increased release of cytochrome c resulting in the activation of caspase-9, which in turn activated caspase-3 and -6. 3c also (i) increased p53 and Bax expression, (ii) decreased Bcl2 and BclxL expression and (iii) induced PARP cleavage in human colorectal cancer cells. Confirming our observations, NAC significantly inhibited induction of apoptosis, ROS production, cytochrome c release and PARP cleavage. The results further demonstrate that 3c inhibits cell migration by modulating EMT markers and inhibiting TGFβ-induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and Samd3.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings thus demonstrate that 3c disrupts redox balance in colorectal cancer cells and support the notion that this agent may be effective for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

  10. Role of topical spironolactone in the treatment of acne: A systematic review of clinical trials-Does this therapy open a path towards favorable outcomes?
    Rehan ST, Khan Z, Abbas S, Imran L, Munir S, Tahir MJ, et al.
    J Dermatol, 2023 Feb;50(2):166-174.
    PMID: 36412248 DOI: 10.1111/1346-8138.16637
    Acne vulgaris is the eighth most common disease worldwide and presents with inflammatory and noninflammatory skin lesions along with other dermal abnormalities. Oral spironolactone is used for treating acne vulgaris due to its antiandrogenic properties and inhibition of sebogenesis. Recent evidence shows that spironolactone in topical form has similar efficacy to its oral form with comparatively fewer adverse events associated with its use. However, to establish an evidence-based understanding, this systematic review aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of topical spironolactone in the treatment of acne vulgaris. PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar were comprehensively searched from the date of inception till March 18, 2022 All the clinical trials experimenting with the role of topical spironolactone in the treatment of acne were included. Articles examining the effects of oral spironolactone or other topical agents were excluded. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool (RoB 2.0, version 2019) was used to assess the risk of bias in each study. The study findings have been reported in line with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The literature search yielded 600 articles. Five clinical trials with 195 patients were included in this review. Out of the five trials, two showed a high risk of bias while three had overall some concerns. Patients treated with topical spironolactone showed a significant decrease in the number of papules (p = 0.004), closed comedones (p  0.05). Topical spironolactone yields better results than other first-line treatments for acne and displays fewer side effects. However, further large-scale clinical trials are required before spironolactone can be used as the preferred treatment in the clinical management of acne.
  11. A Critical Review on the Role of Probiotics in Lung Cancer Biology and Prognosis
    Ashique S, Mishra N, Garg A, Kumar N, Khan Z, Mohanto S, et al.
    Arch Bronconeumol, 2024 May 06.
    PMID: 38755052 DOI: 10.1016/j.arbres.2024.04.030
    Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), it ranks as the second most prevalent type of cancer globally. Recent findings have highlighted bidirectional gut-lung interactions, known as the gut-lung axis, in the pathophysiology of lung cancer. Probiotics are live microorganisms that boost host immunity when consumed adequately. The immunoregulatory mechanisms of probiotics are thought to operate through the generation of various metabolites that impact both the gut and distant organs (e.g., the lungs) through blood. Several randomized controlled trials have highlighted the pivotal role of probiotics in gut health especially for the prevention and treatment of malignancies, with a specific emphasis on lung cancer. Current research indicates that probiotic supplementation positively affects patients, leading to a suppression in cancer symptoms and a shortened disease course. While clinical trials validate the therapeutic benefits of probiotics, their precise mechanism of action remains unclear. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the present landscape of probiotics in the management of lung cancer.
  12. Fulltext Detecting fake news and disinformation using artificial intelligence and machine learning to avoid supply chain disruptions
    Akhtar P, Ghouri AM, Khan HUR, Amin Ul Haq M, Awan U, Zahoor N, et al.
    Ann Oper Res, 2022 Nov 01.
    PMID: 36338350 DOI: 10.1007/s10479-022-05015-5
    Fake news and disinformation (FNaD) are increasingly being circulated through various online and social networking platforms, causing widespread disruptions and influencing decision-making perceptions. Despite the growing importance of detecting fake news in politics, relatively limited research efforts have been made to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) oriented FNaD detection models suited to minimize supply chain disruptions (SCDs). Using a combination of AI and ML, and case studies based on data collected from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, we developed a FNaD detection model aimed at preventing SCDs. This model based on multiple data sources has shown evidence of its effectiveness in managerial decision-making. Our study further contributes to the supply chain and AI-ML literature, provides practical insights, and points to future research directions.
  13. Fulltext Exploring the role of technology in human trafficking in Pakistan: A qualitative study of lived experiences of victims
    Khan Z, Kamaluddin MR, Manap J, Rajaratnam S, Mohd M, Chong IM, et al.
    PLoS One, 2025;20(3):e0320088.
    PMID: 40131909 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320088
    With the ongoing digital transformation, the internet, mobile, social media and other computer technologies are being increasingly used in the targeting, recruitment, transportation and exploitation of human trafficking victims. The current study is the first of its kind which uses a qualitative method to comprehensively investigate the role of technology in the lived experiences of human trafficking victims in Pakistan. This qualitative study was carried out with a phenomenological approach in two provinces of Pakistan. Data was collected using in-depth interviews with 13 victims who were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The data was then analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach. The data analysis results were divided into four main themes and ten sub-themes. The main themes are: Recruitment approaches, transportation process, exploitation process, and mental health consequences. The analysis show that traffickers extensively use technology across all phases of human trafficking. This study aims to support a range of relevant institutional stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, legislative bodies, policymakers, civil society and SDG (2030) goals, in Pakistan and globally, in their efforts to address and enhance the learning and awareness level regarding related technologies in order to improve investigation in combating technological based human trafficking.
  14. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for biohydrogen production: Recent developments, challenges and perspectives
    Aslam M, Ahmad R, Yasin M, Khan AL, Shahid MK, Hossain S, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2018 Dec;269:452-464.
    PMID: 30145004 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.08.050
    Biohydrogen as one of the most appealing energy vector for the future represents attractive avenue in alternative energy research. Recently, variety of biohydrogen production pathways has been suggested to improve the key features of the process. Nevertheless, researches are still needed to overcome remaining barriers to practical applications such as low yields and production rates. Considering practicality aspects, this review emphasized on anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) for biological hydrogen production. Recent advances and emerging issues associated with biohydrogen generation in AnMBR technology are critically discussed. Several techniques are highlighted that are aimed at overcoming these barriers. Moreover, environmental and economical potentials along with future research perspectives are addressed to drive biohydrogen technology towards practicality and economical-feasibility.
  15. Fulltext Exploring Undergraduate Pharmacy Students Perspectives Towards Antibiotics Use, Antibiotic Resistance, and Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Along With the Pharmacy Teachers' Perspectives: A Mixed-Methods Study From Pakistan
    Khan FU, Khan A, Shah S, Hayat K, Usman A, Khan FU, et al.
    Front Pharmacol, 2021;12:754000.
    PMID: 34819859 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.754000
    Background: Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the major issues around the globe. Timely education and awareness of pharmacy students regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics, ABR, and antimicrobial stewardships are required. Methods: The present study was first conducted in 12 (public and private sector) universities among undergraduate pharmacy students (UGPS) (n = 414) irrespective of their study year through a validated questionnaire, and the insights of pharmacy teachers were taken through in-depth semi-structured interviews in the second phase. For the quantitative data, different statistical methods were used, and data were presented in tabulated form, whereas inductive thematic interpretation was used to categorize themes and derive conclusions from qualitative evidence. Results: The majority of the students were males (n = 223, 54%) with the mean age group 19-23 years, and 20 faculty members were interviewed with a mean duration of 15 min. Students have good knowledge about antibiotics use and the majority purchased antibiotics through prescription (n = 277, 66.9%) during the last month and strongly agreed to stop unnecessary household storage (n = 183 44.2%). Most of the students have heard the terminologies related to antimicrobial resistance through social media while unaware (n = 104, 25.1%) of a Pakistan national action plan against AMR (antimicrobial resistance). Overall, respondents have a somewhat good understanding of the ABR. Regular use of antibiotics without consultation of a physician can lead to ABR and some wrong answers were observed (162, 39.1%; p > 0.05). The majority of the students (n = 198, 47.8%) and teachers believe that the current pharmacy syllabus must be swiftly updated with the new subjects related to ABR and AMS (antimicrobial stewardship) in Pakistan. The UGPS have emphasized (n = 220, 53.1%; Median = 1, IQR = 2) establishing a link between academia and hospitals. The ABR issue has been highlighted by pharmacy faculty members, who have urged students to take practical efforts toward ABR and AMS knowledge. Conclusion: The UGPS knowledge related to ABR and AMS must be updated. Students at the undergraduate level must get training in order to encourage the sensible use of antibiotics. Courses on ABR and AMS should be included in present pharmacy curricula.
  16. Fulltext Exploring the therapeutic and anti-tumor properties of morusin: a review of recent advances
    Hafeez A, Khan Z, Armaghan M, Khan K, Sönmez Gürer E, Abdull Razis AF, et al.
    Front Mol Biosci, 2023;10:1168298.
    PMID: 37228582 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1168298
    Morusin is a natural product that has been isolated from the bark of Morus alba, a species of mulberry tree. It belongs to the flavonoid family of chemicals, which is abundantly present in the plant world and is recognized for its wide range of biological activities. Morusin has a number of biological characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, neuro-protective, and antioxidant capabilities. Morusin has exhibited anti-tumor properties in many different forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, gastric, hepatocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. Potential of morusin as an alternative treatment method for resistant malignancies needs to be explored in animal models in order to move toward clinical trials. In the recent years several novel findings regarding the therapeutic potential of morusin have been made. This aim of this review is to provide an overview of the present understanding of morusin's beneficial effects on human health as well as provide a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of morusin's anti-cancer properties with a special focus on in vitro and in vivo studies. This review will aid future research on the creation of polyphenolic medicines in the prenylflavone family, for the management and treatment of cancers.
  17. Odds of HIV among incarcerated drug users: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Asian countries
    Hussain HU, Kumar KA, Rehan ST, Khan Z, Hashmi MR, Khabir Y, et al.
    Ann Med Surg (Lond), 2023 Nov;85(11):5584-5592.
    PMID: 37915701 DOI: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000001242
    BACKGROUND: HIV makes up a large portion of infectious diseases globally. People injecting drugs in prisons are at high risk for contracting HIV infection. Prisons house ~10.2 million people globally, making them a high-risk setting for HIV transmission. This systematic review summarizes the available data on the odds of developing HIV infection among imprisoned people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Asian regions.

    METHODS: The authors electronically assessed published studies from January, 2000 to December, 2022, including studies that investigated the odds of HIV in imprisoned PWIDs. We extensively searched PubMed, ERIC, and Cochrane Central and Google Scholar with no constraints in language or time. All the observational studies evaluating the chances of HIV in Asian prisoners with an exposure group of PWIDs and a control group of non-injecting-drug users were included in our analysis.

    RESULTS: The databases search yielded 254 potential studies, 10 observational studies of which having a total of 17 333 participants were included. A low or moderate risk of bias was reported in all the studies except one case-control. The pooled analysis showed a significant association between PWIDs and the chances of contracting HIV infection (Odds ratio=6.40; 95% CI=3.89-10.52; P<0.00001; I2=53%).

    CONCLUSION: This study found a vital correlation between injecting-drug usage during imprisonment and HIV transmission speed. The results of this meta-analysis support the need to prevent HIV and conducting treatment programs in high-risk settings like prisons.

  18. Fulltext Potential Nutraceutical Benefits of In Vivo Grown Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) As Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Anticoagulant, and Antidepressant in Mice
    Khan A, Muhamad NA, Ismail H, Nasir A, Khalil AAK, Anwar Y, et al.
    Plants (Basel), 2020 Oct 22;9(11).
    PMID: 33105854 DOI: 10.3390/plants9111414
    Crocus sativus, a medicinally important herbaceous plant, has been traditionally used to cure coughs, colds, insomnia, cramps, asthma, and pain. Moreover, the therapeutic applications of saffron include its immunomodulatory and anticancer properties. The current experimental analysis was performed to explore the potential nutraceutical efficacy of corm, leaf, petal, and stigma of saffron ethanolic extracts as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antidepressant using hot plate, carrageenan-induced paw edema, capillary tube and forced swim test, respectively in mice. The results indicated that among all the extracts, stigma ethanolic extract (SEE) represented maximum latency activity (72.85%) and edema inhibition (77.33%) followed by petal ethanolic extract (PEE) with latency activity and edema inhibition of 64.06 and 70.50%, respectively. Corm ethanolic extract (CEE) and leaf ethanolic extract (LEE) displayed mild analgesic activity of 22.40% and 29.07%, respectively. Additionally, LEE (53.29%) and CEE (47.47%) exhibited mild to moderate response against inflammation. The coagulation time of SEE (101.66 s) was almost equivalent to the standard drug, aspirin (101.66 s), suggesting a strong anticoagulant effect followed by PEE (86.5 s). LEE (66.83 s) represented moderate inhibitory effect on coagulation activity while CEE (42.83 s) showed neutral effect. Additionally, PEE and SEE also expressed itself as potential antidepressants with immobility time ≤76.66 s, while CEE (96.50 s) and LEE (106.83 s) indicated moderate to mild antidepressant efficacy. Based on the in vivo activities, saffron extract, particularly SEE and PEE, can be used as a potential nutraceutical and therapeutic agent due to its significant pharmacological activities.
  19. Exploring the link between sex hormone-binding globulin levels and prostate cancer risk: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis
    Satapathy P, Gaidhane S, Bishoyi AK, Ganesan S, Jayabalan K, Mishra S, et al.
    Int Urol Nephrol, 2025 Jan 09.
    PMID: 39786704 DOI: 10.1007/s11255-025-04370-z
    BACKGROUND: Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) plays a critical role in regulating androgen bioavailability and has been hypothesized to influence prostate cancer risk, though existing evidence is inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between SHBG levels and prostate cancer risk.

    METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for studies published up to December 1, 2024. Observational studies assessing SHBG levels and prostate cancer risk were included. Effect sizes were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 statistic, and quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using R software version 4.4.

    RESULTS: Sixteen studies, including 720,298 participants and 90,799 prostate cancer cases, were analyzed. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for prostate cancer risk per unit increase in SHBG was 0.907 (95% CI 0.799-1.030), indicating no statistically significant association. Substantial heterogeneity was observed among the included studies (I2 = 79%; P 

  20. Fulltext Association Between SHBG Levels and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Malvi A, Shabil M, Khatib MN, R R, Kaur M, Srivastava M, et al.
    J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich), 2025 Jan;27(1):e14977.
    PMID: 39835844 DOI: 10.1111/jch.14977
    Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) regulates sex hormone availability and is influenced by metabolic factors. Variations in SHBG levels during pregnancy may affect the development of hypertensive disorders such as gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE). This systematic review and meta-analysis explores the potential of SHBG as a biomarker for predicting GH and PE. A search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted to identify studies evaluating the association between SHBG levels and the risk of HDP, including GH and PE. Inclusion criteria encompassed observational studies reporting quantitative risk estimates (risk ratios, odds ratios, or hazard ratios) for SHBG levels. Results were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis in R software (V 4.4), with the I2 statistic assessing heterogeneity. Eight studies were included in the systematic review from a total of 592 screened records. The association between SHBG levels and the risk of any HDP showed a pooled OR of 0.875 (95% CI: 0.772-0.993), for PE 0.890 (95% CI: 0.767-1.032), and for GH 0.729 (95% CI: 0.442-1.205), suggesting significant association between SHBG and HDP. Sensitivity analysis validated the robustness of the findings. This meta-analysis found potential significant association between higher SHBG levels and risk of HDP. Further high-quality research is required to better understand the role of SHBG in pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders. Future studies should consider larger sample sizes, more precise measurement techniques, and explore potential confounding factors to clarify the potential utility of SHBG as a biomarker for predicting GH and PE.
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