Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder and most common disease worldwide. In Asia more than 99% population suffered from type-2 diabetes. The occurrence and consequences of diabetes type 2 in children are also increasing with its complications. In the present study, the effect of Guaiacum officinale in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats in male albino rats was observed. For determining the anti-diabetic effect of bark extract of Guaiacum officinale, we developed type 2 diabetic rat model in albino rats by the use of streptozotocin at 30 mg /kg dose by intraperitoneal route. Initially OGTT was performed for the confirmation the development of type 2 diabetic model and the estimation of serum insulin by ELIZA technique. To determine the anti-diabetic activity of Guaiacum officinale, we selected male albino (Wistar) rats, weight 200±20 gms, acclimatized in uniform environment and conditions. Animals were divided in to four groups. Control group, streptozotocin induced diabetic group (positive control) Glibenclamide (Standard) group and Guaiacum officinale (treated) group. Streptozotocin administered at a dose 30 mg/ kg, I/P, single dose. Glibenclamide at 0.5 mg/kg dose by oral route for 28 days and Guaiacum officinale at 500mg/kg dose, orally for 28 days. After treatment of 28 days, we drawn blood samples by cardiac puncture technique for estimation of blood glucose, serum insulin, pancreatic enzymes, liver enzymes, bilirubin, kidney functions and electrolytes. Histo pathological studies were also performed by H&E staining and scanning electron microscopy. Animals were sacrificed by cervical decapitation, dissected and isolate the vital organs (pancreas, kidney and liver) to observe the histological changes in all 2 groups. Blood glucose was determined by glucometer and the data was analyzed by ANOVA SPSS version 20. Expressed in (Mean±SEM). The results of blood glucose level of treated group (G.O) showed highly significant results as compare to control group. The serum insulin level was performed by ELIZA rat kit. 144 animals were selected, results were expressed in (Mean± SEM) showed that the treated group found highly significant results equivalent to control group. The estimation of pancreatic enzymes (Amylase and Lipase) were performed, 144 male albino wistar strain weight 200±20 gms were selected, results were presented in (Mean±SEM) showed that the amylase level of treated (G.O) group was found highly significant and the level of pancreatic lipase of treated group was found highly significant. In the present study, determine the effect of Guaiacum officinale on liver enzymes, selected 144 albino rats, divided in to four groups, treated group treat with extract and standard group treated with Glibenclamide for 28 days. Blood was collected in a vacutainer containing gel tubes, centrifuged at 3000 rpm; serum was separated for estimation of liver enzymes. Data was analyzed by ANOVA SPSS version 20 and expressed in (Mean ± SEM). The results of serum Aspartate transaminase (AST/SGOT) showed that Guaiacum officinale (treated) group was found highly significant results as compare to control. The Gamma glutamyl transferase (γ- GT) level of treated albino rats with G. officinale for 28 days showed insignificant results were expressed in (Mean± SEM). The results of Alanine transaminase (ALT/SGPT) with compare to control, expressed in (Mean ± SEM) showed that the level of ALT/SGPT in treated albino rats was found insignificant. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of treated group (methanolic extract of Guaiacum officinale) at 500 mg /kg dose for 28 days by oral route. Results were expressed in (Mean±SEM) and compare with control, the treated group was found highly significant. The effect of G. officinale on bilirubin (Direct and indirect) was estimated in male albino Wistar rats, weight 200±20 gms, acclimatized under control conditions, divided in four groups. Treated group treated with (G. officinale) and standard group treated with GLB for 28 days. The results expressed in (Mean ± SEM) showed direct and indirect bilirubin was found insignificant.The effect of Guaiacum officinale was determined at 500 mg / kg dose on total lipids of male albino rats. The animals were treated with bark extract orally for 28 days. The level of cholesterol and triglycerides compare with control group expressed in (Mean ± SEM) was showed that the treated group (G. officinale) group was found to be highly significant. The level of triglycerides of male albino rats by the treatment with bark extract of G. officinale expressed in (Mean±SEM) showed significant results as compare to control.The effect of extract on high density lipoprotein (HDL) of albino rats estimated by ANOVA SPSS , expressed in (Mean± SEM) showed insignificant results with compare to control, while the results of low density lipoprotein (LDL) was showed highly significant and the value of VLDL showed insignificant result with compare to control. The effect of G. officinale at 500mg/kg dose on kidney functions (Urea and Creatinine) in male albino rats. The results were expressed in (Mean ± SEM) by ANOVA. The results of both urea and creatinine were found highly significant with respect to control.In present study, the effect of Guaiacum officinale on electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium) were observed in male albino rats at 500 mg/kg dose orally route for 28 days. Animals (144) were selected, weight 200±20 gms, divided in to four groups. Data expressed in (Mean± SEM) showed serum sodium of G. officinale treated group was found highly significant and serum potassium level was found to be insignificant with compare to control. The histo-pathological effects of Guaiacum officinale on tissues (pancreas, kidney and liver) of male albino rats were observed by H &E staining. The observations through microscopic examination proved that the bark extract of G. officinale showed highly significant with respect to control and supported by biochemical and hematological results. The histological studies of Guaiacum officinale on tissues (pancreas, liver and kidney) of male albino rats by scanning electron microscopy. The observations through electron microscope at different magnification showed that the bark extract of G. officinale protect the vital organs from diabetes and its disasters.
This report is principally intended to ascertain out the result of the lunar calendar with special focus on the holy month of Ramadan on the operation of Islamic mutual funds in Pakistan. Economic activity in Pakistan demands a different turn due to observation of fast and short working hours in the country in the month of Ramadan. This work utilizes the logit model to investigate the impact of lunar calendar generally and the holy month of Ramadan, specifically along the net asset values of the mutual fund. This study confirms lower expected growth of net asset value in the month of Ramadan and the other stages of the religious sentiment. Economic activity regains pace after Ramadan and Zulhajjah as evident from the probable increase of net asset value of the Islamic mutual funds in the month of Shawwal & Moharram following months of the Ramadan and Zulhajjah respectively.
Attached growth processes for wastewater treatment have been significantly improved during recent years. Their application can be extended to sustainable municipal wastewater treatment in remote locations and in developing countries for the purpose of organic matter (BOD) removal and pathogenic decontamination. The formation of specific biofilm on support media is the essential part of attached growth processes, having peculiar mechanisms of pollutants removal. The present research work aimed to monitor the successive biofilm development and its physiological activities on polystyrene, tyre derived rubber, polypropylene and stone media, under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These filter media were artificially colonized with biofilm by incubating it with activated sludge at 30°C±2 for nine weeks. Biofilm formation was monitored by gravimetric weight analysis, spectrophometric absorbance technique, heterotrophic plate count and scanning electron microscopy. The wet weight of polystyrene media biofilm was significantly increased from 1st till 9th week of incubation (0.56 to 1.59 g under aerobic condition). While, in case of other tested media weight of the biofilms increased till 7th week during succession and then started reduction. Relatively less growth was recorded under anaerobic condition as compared to aerobic conditions. Selected pathogenic indicators (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) monitored by HPC/mL considerably declined (90-99%) in the biofilms of all the media under both conditions, signifying microbial reallocation from pathogenic to beneficial microbial community. The MPN index of fecal coliforms and E. coli in the sludge also showed considerable reduction. Correspondingly the decreasing levels of COD and BOD5 (69.9─74.9%) showed signs of sludge digestion by biofilms on selected media types under both the environments. Further, changes in pH and nutrients (nitrites, nitrates, phosphates and sulphates) indicated the other key-organisms with efficient nutrient consuming capabilities in the biofilms. The surface analysis of media by SEM revealed emergence of profound bacterial growth on all media and emergence of cracks on tyre derived rubber media surface and slight deformation was further confirmed by FTIR. Further the microbial community composition in the biofilms of different packing materials was investigated using high-throughput pyrosequencing technology. Sequences of 16S rRNA gene fragments were recovered from biofilm samples of 12 laboratory scale reactors operated at different temperatures i.e., 10, 20 and 30°C for two weeks. Analysis of pyrosequencing and water physico-chemical data showed that substrate type (media vs. biofilm) and temperature conditions influence bacterial community structure and composition in experimental reactors. Greater bacterial diversity was observed in each sample (3142 operational taxonomic units), primarily due to the large number (22029) of sequences available for analysis and the identification of rare species.The number of classified sequences per sample ranged from 1016 to 2919.The results showed that there were 12 phyla and the relative abundance of phylum Proteobacteria was highest (54.06%) followed by Bacteroidetes (28.97%), Firmicutes (5.30%), Actinobacteria (3.88%) etc. in all the samples. The data set illustrated 23 genera of bacterial populations to be commonly shared by all samples, including, Rheinheimera, Rhodococcus, Aquabacterium, Trichococcus, Acidovorax, Flavobacterium, Roseateles, Aeromonas, Sediminibacterium, Hydrogenophaga, Aquimonas, etc., indicating core microbial community in the microbial populations of reactors. In the next step, study was carried out to assess selected packing media for locally designed and lab scale trickling biofilters systems and to develop a simplified model for describing the capacity of BOD removal in trickling biofilter systems. Trickling biofilters with four different media were investigated at two temperature ranges of 5-15°C and 25-35°C. The average removal of both COD and BOD5 was higher than 80% and 90% at temperature ranges of 5-15 and 25-35°C respectively. The geometric mean of fecal coliforms reduction was achieved up to4.0 log10 with polypropylene media at low temperature range of 5-15°C. While at higher temperatures range of 25-35°C reduction up to 3.97 log10 was observed with polystyrene media. A simplified model was developed and used to estimate the optimal BOD loading rates (Bvd) for designing robust trickling biofilter systems, with appropriate filter media which can be capable of treating organic loading rates of higher than 3kg BOD/m3.day. Finally, a simple, robust and a low-cost pilot scale stone media trickling biofilter system for municipal wastewater treatment was establishment at Quaid-i-Azam University, campus. The wastewater treatment efficiency of this locally designed prototype pilot scale stone media trickling biofilter was tested at 20-40.5°C for the removal of different pollution indicators (COD, BOD5, NH4-N, and pathogens). Simultaneously, the biofilms were sampled from the top and deeper layers of stone bed of the reactor for characterization. The Nitrosonoma sp. and Nitrobacter sp. were identified in the deeper layers while, 13 bacterial strains viz., Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus epidermitus, Streptococcus lactis and Corynebacterium xerosis were identified in the top layer of the stone media bed. The results signify the COD and BOD elimination efficiency from wastewater considerably increased with passage of time from Day 1 to day 40 of operation (62.4- 98.1%; COD and 56.4 - 98.6% BOD) at flow rate of 1.2 L/min and average BOD5 loading rate of 0.063 kg BOD/m3.day.The average NH4-N levels of the influent were low (0.0024 kg NH4-N/m3.day). However, the result indicated an excellent correlation of the average consumption of 7.55 mg/L of alkalinity per mg of NH4-N removal during 40 days of reactor operation. Moreover, a significant connection between nitrification efficiency and decrease in the average pH range (7.52 to 6.62) was observed, indicating the process of nitrification. The removal of pathogenic indicators from wastewater was evaluated and an average reduction of 88.8% in the MPN index of fecal coliforms in the effluent was recorded. Overall, a significant correlation of COD, BOD5, NH4 ̄N, and pathogenic indicators removal efficiency were noticed with increase in seasonal temperature from 20 to 40.5°C.The overall results proved that pilot scale trickling biofilter has a great potential to be transferred to field scale for treating sewage for small communities in developing countries even at low temperature conditions. It will not only help to improve the public health in terms of removal of wastes and pathogens from wastewater but also treated water could be used for agriculture purposes without any hesitation.