Chromium (Cr), widely used in leather tanning industries, is a potent toxic metal which can accumulate in the animal body and adversely affect functioning of various body systems including the reproductive organs. District Kasur, Pakistan, is famous for having leather tanneries industry where more than 270 individual tanneries are working at the moment. As a result of tanning activity, chromium is directly discharged untreated into the surrounding environment, adjoining water nullahs (a small canal or drain carrying polluted water from tanneries to the main streams outside), causing contamination of the habitat. Resultantly, wildlife species, reliant on these water sources, are exposed to chromium toxicity; whereby chromium is taken up into the animal body through drinking water and food chain. The current study investigated the toxic effects of chromium uptake from environment on the gonadal tissues (testes and ovaries) of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) inhabiting the tannery area. The sludge and waste water were sampled from the study area for estimation of chromium levels in the environment. Moreover, adult animal specimens (mongooses) were live trapped from the experimental area to collect blood and gonadal tissues (male and female) along with kidney and liver samples for quantification of chromium concentration through atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Blood samples of the animals were centrifuged to collect plasma for estimating the concentrations of reproductive hormones (testosterone, estradiol and progesterone) as well as gonadotropins (Luteinizing hormone, LH and Follicle stimulating hormone, FSH). The testes and the ovary samples of mongooses were processed for standard histological procedure to investigate any cellular alterations in the reproductive organs. Average chromium concentrations, in experimental area soil and water, and the blood and tissue samples of the mongooses, were found significantly higher (p ˂ 0.0001) when compared to control samples. Blood plasma testosterone and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) levels were significantly reduced (p ˂ 0.0001) male mongooses from the study area. The concentrations of Progesterone and Estradiol were found significantly decreased and the concentrations of FSH and LH significantly elevated (p ˂ 0.0001) in female mongooses from the study area. Average body weights of animal specimens, and also the weights of testes and ovaries of experimental animals were found significantly (p ˂ 0.0001) reduced while compared to the control animal samples. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) in the male small Indian mongooses were found significantly elevated (p < 0.001) but in females it was found decreased while the Hepatosomatic index (HSI) in both male and female mongooses were found significantly high (p < 0.001) as compared to control. Histological analysis revealed disorganization of seminiferous tubules inside the testes of the chromium exposed animals, along with depleted germ cells and hyperplasia of the Leydig cells. Sperm counts inside seminiferous tubules were found significantly reduced (p ˂ 0.0001) and the spaces among the seminiferous tubules significantly increased. The H&E stained sections of ovaries of mongooses showed significantly reduced numbers of follicles at all follicular stages; vacuolization and depletion in cell contents were noticeable along with abnormal follicle and ovum growth. The study concludes that chromium being discharged from tanneries into the environment of the Kasur District, is up taken by the small Indian mongooses naturally inhabiting the study area; leading to chromium deposition in their body tissues, significantly reduced concentrations of the reproductive hormones, and altered cellular morphology of the testes and ovaries, and posing a serious potential threat to reproductive functioning of the species.
Plagiarism is a cheating in form of stealing the ideas or language of others, which is morally and ethically crime and it's also an offense. In the field of education plagiarism is an academic fraud, therefore it is considered a theft. In material world the things which belong to us are considered our property; same is the case in academic world ideas, concepts words and work which belong to us are known as "intellectual property". Thus, we cannot use or cite others’ academic work without permission. Islam is the only religion that advocates for knowledge seeking and sharing with others. So sharing useful knowledge is Sadqa-e-Jāriyia. But this does not mean to attain knowledge and overlook the real source of knowledge. In this connection individual has to give credit whenever one uses the work of others anywhere. Hence, if we are using the work of others and do not cite the source and acknowledge the real author, we indulge ourselves in "Plagiarism" or in academic fraud. So in this scenario, academic world copyright or authorship is important. In recent terminology these are known as "intellectual property rights". In present era deceiving and harming of others has become common. In academia, "intellectual frauds" are more common nowadays. The objective of this article is to highlight the Islamic perspective in the avoidances of plagiarism. In this regard, Qur᾽ānic verses and Ahādīth have been used for exploring how Islam has indicated the avoidances of plagiarism. The main theme of this paper is to highlight and explore the Islamic vision regarding the academic theft and current preventive practices in Pakistan. It is suggested & concluded that in Islam plagiarism is prohibited. It also indicates the terms & conditions for the use of academic work of other scholars. There is dire need that the Muslim experts should also revive new Islamic copyright rules and regulation for honest academic writing.
In recent years, an enormous progress has been made in human genetics which has resulted in the identification of genes and gene variants associated with inherited single-gene disorders (i.e. Mendelian traits) in man. Techniques have been developed for the identification, functional analysis and manipulation of normal and mutant genes. Many of these achievements are very important in medicine and they have led to an improved diagnosis as well as understanding of the basic mechanisms behind different traits. Efficient identification of novel genes and gene variants behind single gene traits benefit from consanguineous marriages and large family sizes. For these reasons, Pakistan is a suitable country for the study of Mendelian disorders. The aim of this thesis has been to identify genes and allele variants involved in the pathogenesis of some inherited disorders of the ectoderm and its appendages (skin, nails, teeth, sweat glands and hair). Generalized anhidrosis (GA) is a congenital or acquired disease characterized by heat intolerance and loss of sweating. The condition is most often recognized in systemic diseases such as ectodermal dysplasia, diabetes mellitus or polyneuropathies. Isolated congenital generalized anhidrosis (CGA) is a chronic and very rare condition with a stationary clinical picture over time. Two large consanguineous families with isolated congenital generalized anhidrosis (CGA) were investigated. Skin biopsies from affected individuals revealed altered eccrine sweat gland morphology with hypoplastic excretory ducts and disorganized structure of secretory cells. Thermoregulatory test at 45°C disclosed inability to down regulate body temperature in affected individuals when compared to controls. In family A the CGA locus was mapped to chromosomal region 12p12.1-p11.2 and a maximum two point LOD score (Zmax) of 3.42 was obtained at marker locus D12S68 (Ө=0.00). The candidate gene region was restricted to 5.8 Mb using a set of highly polymorphic markers. The flanking markers spans 23 genes and expressed sequence tags. In family B the CGA locus was mapped to chromosomal region 13q32.1 and a maximum two point LOD score (Zmax) of 5.04 was obtained at marker locus D13S1280 (Ө=0.00). The candidate gene region spans 1.5 Mb of DNA and five genes.