Background: Lactoferrin (Lf ) has been shown to have antiviral action against a variety of animal and human viruses, particularly deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses. This review aims to summarize the pharmacological activities that lead to the influential role of Lf against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: An all-inclusive search of published articles was carried out to focus on publications related to Lf and its biological/pharmacological activities using various literature databases, including the scientific databases Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Google, EMBASE, and Scientific Information (SID). Results: By acting on cell targets, Lf prevents viral attachment, surface accumulation on the host cell, and virus penetration. Lf has shown high antiviral effectiveness across a broad spectrum of viruses, suggesting that it might be used to cure and prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Lf can also attach to viral particles directly, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), and steer them away from certain sites. LF has a powerful attraction for iron, with a constant of approximately 10 20 . Lf capacity to link iron relies on the existence of (minute amounts of ) bicarbonate. The bacteriostatic effect of Lf is due to its capability to come together with free iron, which is one of the ingredients necessary for bacterial development. Lf located in neutrophil secondary granules is essential for host defense. Conclusion: Researchers confirmed that Lf activates natural killer (NK) cells in a study. Lf has been shown in certain studies to prevent patronization in pseudovirus severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases that leads to attenuation of SARS-CoV-2. Lf may decrease inflammation induced by microbial exposure and directly reduce bacterial growth. It is concluded that Lf possesses antibacterial, immunomodulatory, anticancer, antiviral, cytoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities, which ultimately act as an antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 via various mechanisms.

Chemical quality and extent of pollution in effluent-contaminated irrigation water collected from two sectors (X and Y) of peri-urban southern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, were investigated. Various physico-chemical parameters like pH, EC, TS, TSS, TDS, TH, cations (Na, K, Li, Ca, Mg), anions (Cl, F, HCO, NO, SO), and heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) were determined. The data indicated wide ranges of variation in all the parameters. Concentration of physico-chemical properties such as EC, TS, TSS, TH, Li, Ca, Mg, and HCO and heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Cu, and Cd) exceeded WHO permissible limits. The distribution of heavy metals in two sampling areas followed the increasing order as Fe > Cr > Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn. The Piper diagram showed that water in the region was of alkaline type. Strong positive correlations were observed among most of the parameters; however, pH was negatively correlated with most of the parameters. According to principle component analysis, parameters causing variations in water quality were mainly EC, TDS, TS, TSS, TH, Na, K, Ca, Mg, F, NO, SO, Cr, Fe, Cu, and Zn. Linear regression analysis revealed that heavy metals like Cr, Fe, and Cu concentrations were strongly correlated having an R value of 0.92 at P ≤ 0.001 with pH. Overall, the results suggested that irrigation water of the area was not fit for irrigation purposes and might cause serious threats for safe, healthy food and feed production. Proper monitoring of water of the said area should be carried out, and quality of irrigation water should be checked from time to time.

Today one of the most compelling challenges facing Pakistan is the problem of poverty. In the quest for solutions to the country's development challenge and poverty alleviation, microfinance is becoming one of the most admired options as credit has been identified as a barrier facing the poor, especially the rural poor. The overall aim of this paper is to explore the impact of microfinance on alleviating poverty. Pakistan's poverty reduction strategy has yielded handsome result in the shape of sharp reduction in headcount poverty from 2000-01 to 2005-06. Although, poverty has declined but the fact remains that 22.3 per cent people of Pakistan are still living below the poverty line (Economic Survey of Pakistan 2007-08). Macroeconomic strength is a precondition for the economic growth that fetch the poverty reduction and growing living standards. But macroeconomic stability is not sufficient. Rather, it is the foundation on which to build a flourishing economy. Successfully targeted microfinance programs are also the key to permanent and sustained reduction in poverty. Microfinance institutions can contribute to this by building financial regulation and providing guidance to the borrowers. Operating on these grounds, microfinance institutions can make a big difference in alleviating poverty in Pakistan.

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