Cancer is one of the foremost causes of death worldwide. Cancer develops because of mutation in genes that regulate normal cell cycle and cell division, thereby resulting in uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells. Various drugs have been used to treat cancer thus far; however, conventional chemotherapeutic drugs have lower bioavailability, rapid renal clearance, unequal delivery, and severe side effects. In the recent years, nanotechnology has flourished rapidly and has a multitude of applications in the biomedical field. Bio-mediated nanoparticles (NPs) are cost effective, safe, and biocompatible and have got substantial attention from researchers around the globe. Due to their safe profile and fewer side effects, these nanoscale materials offer a promising cure for cancer. Currently, various metallic NPs have been designed to cure or diagnose cancer; among these, silver (Ag), gold (Au), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are the leading anti-cancer NPs. The anticancer potential of these NPs is attributed to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cellular compartments that eventually leads to activation of autophagic, apoptotic and necrotic death pathways. In this review, we summarized the recent advancements in the biosynthesis of Ag, Au, Zn and Cu NPs with emphasis on their mechanism of action. Moreover, nanotoxicity, as well as the future prospects and opportunities of nano-therapeutics, are also highlighted.

Assistive Technology (AT) product use occurs within a socio-cultural setting.The growth internationally in the AT product market suggests that designers need to be aware of the influences that diverse cultures may have on the societal perception of an AT product through its semantic attributes. The study aimed to evaluate the visual interaction with an AT product by young adults from Pakistan, a collectivist society, and the United Kingdom (UK), an individualist society. A paper-based questionnaire survey was carried out with 281 first-year undergraduate students from the UK and Pakistan to evaluate their perception towards the visual representation of a generic conventional wheelchair image. A semantics differential (SD) scale method was used involving a seven-point bipolar SD scale incorporating sixteen pairs of adjectives defining functional, meaning, and usability attributes of the product. The mean (M) and standard deviation (sd) values were obtained for each pair of adjectives and compared between both groups by employing appropriate parametric tests. The results show that having a diverse cultural background did not appear to have overtly influenced the meanings ascribed to the generic manual wheelchair, which was unexpected. The University 'Internationalist' environment may have influenced the results. Some minor but critical differences were found for some pairs of adjectives (bulky-compact, heavy-light), having p-value less than 0.05 (p<0.05) that related to previous experience of wheelchairs and/or their use. Further studies are planned to investigate and validate outcomes with other student and non-student groups.

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Purpose Complex environments have a paucity of visual wayfinding information creating a strenuous situation for the new visitors. University campuses situated in the central urban areas with multi-storey structures and complex spatial layouts have poor environmental legibility. International students and visitors with diverse cultural backgrounds feel disoriented during wayfinding in these environments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cultural and individual differences affecting wayfinding behaviour. Design/methodology/approach An online wayfinding survey has been conducted through a questionnaire from 170 university students and visitors from Hong Kong and Pakistan. A five-point bipolar Likert scale has been used to evaluate wayfinding problems and ascribed behaviour. Findings The results enunciated a substantial influence of culture on the decision-making process and wayfinding behaviour. Critical differences have been documented based on the country of origin and native language. Individual-related differences (age, gender, spatial familiarity, education, etc.) were computed, where age and spatial familiarity being noted as key factors impacting the respondents’ opinion. Future exploration has been discussed for the pivotal elements regarding wayfinding information signage using computer simulations. Research limitations/implications The investigation can be further moved towards the other complex environments with fused facilities for a better understanding of wayfinding behaviour. Practical implications The findings can be instrumental for improved access to user facilities and can reinforce the user’s trust and dependence on the institutional facility management. Originality/value In the wayfinding study, no cross-cultural (individualists vs collectivists) study has been conducted in a university campus to investigate the wayfinding difficulty and ascribed behaviour, especially when the environment is unfamiliar.

Background: Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and early-life mortality worldwide, and previous data have reported the highest neonatal mortality rate in Pakistan. Purpose: The present study aimed to decipher the prevalence of group B Streptococcus (GBS)–associated sepsis, coinfections, and antibiotic susceptibility of isolated microbes in neonates. Methods: Blood samples of 100 cases of neonatal sepsis were subcultured on blood agar, GBS agar, and MacConkey agar for isolation of GBS and suspected microbes. Results: Of 100 neonatal blood samples, 85 blood samples were culture-positive, including mixed culture growth (n = 18), 25 samples as early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) and 60 as late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS). Staphylococcus aureus showed high percent positivity (31.4%), followed by Candida sp (16.5%), GBS (14.1%), Klebsiella (14.1%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (11.8%), Pseudomonas (9.4%), Acinetobacter (9.4%), Esherichia coli (8.2%), and Enterococcus (5.9%). GBS was isolated more frequently from EONS than from LONS with 50% coinfections. Mode of delivery, gender, and respiratory distress in neonates were significantly associated with culture-positive sepsis. GBS isolates were highly (91.7%) susceptible to vancomycin, cefotaxime, and chloramphenicol, followed by penicillin (83.3%), ampicillin, and tetracycline (75%). GBS isolates were resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, and linezolid. Implications for Practice: Our findings evidenced GBS-associated risk factors and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of neonatal sepsis, which will help clinicians in management, control, and treatment of neonatal sepsis. Implications for Research: The epidemiological evidence of GBS-associated neonatal sepsis, demographic characteristics, risk factor data analysis, and drug resistance pattern has disease prevention implications in neonates in low-income countries including Pakistan.