Gaffar Zaman

By Gaffar Sarwar Zaman

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system erroneously acts against its own healthy tissues. It usually follows a chronic course and hence can also be termed as a chronic disease. It may involve only a single organ, but in its due course, it usually involves multiple organs of the body. There are various types of rashes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the butterfly‐like rash being the most famous. Up to now, many classifications of lupus have been given, but the classification into the discoid lupus and the disseminated lupus is being most widely accepted. From the time of Hippocrates, it was assumed to be present, and after many research studies, it is still a dreaded disease. Females are more affected than males by this disease. In the past, the survival rate of SLE was very poor. Now the survival rate has increased, thanks to the newer drugs and other strategies taken against this disease. The main causes of death from SLE were renal disease, neoplasm, CVD, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease and infection. It has been found that various genes cause the disease. In a small fraction of patients, the disease may be attributed to a single gene. But majority of the patients with this disease have multiple genes.

Part of the book: Lupus

By Gaffar Sarwar Zaman

Part of the book: Quality Control in Laboratory

By Gaffar Sarwar Zaman

Part of the book: Ultimate Guide to Insulin

By Gaffar S. Zaman

Insulin resistance is interpreted as being a normal or raised insulin level giving rise to a biological reaction which is attenuated in effect; classically this cites to the weakened sensitivity to the disposal of insulin arbitrate glucose. Compensatory hyperinsulinemia eventuates when the secretion of the β cells of pancreas gets elevated to sustain the level of blood glucose in normal levels. The term insulin resistance syndrome is used to refer to a group of abnormalities and interconnected physical consequences that eventuate in long-standing insulin-resistant persons. Under standard situations of insulin reactivity, the response of insulin triggers the intake of glucose into the body cells, for utilization as energy, and impedes the utilization of fat for energy, as a result of which, the concentration of glucose circulating in the blood decreases. There are a number of risk factors for insulin resistance. Four major metabolic abnormalities characterize type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): impaired insulin action, obesity, increased endogenous glucose output, and insulin secretory dysfunction. The evolution (and subsequent progression) of type 2 diabetes mellitus is delineated by a gradual deterioration of glucose tolerance over several years. Glucose tolerance testing, hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, modified insulin suppression test, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA), and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) method for insulin assessment are some of the methods by which insulin resistance can be measured. Moreover, longer-term effective researches as well are essential to preferably ascertain the significance of the glycemic index in the blood glucose regulation and to prevent the complications of diabetes, particularly in relations to insulin resistance risk factors. The possible role of insulin resistance in the glycemic index in depleting oxidative stress postprandially and related pro-inflammatory situations also merits further appraisal.

Part of the book: Cellular Metabolism and Related Disorders

By Gaffar Sarwar Zaman and Mesfer Al Shahrani

The coronavirus pandemic, known as COVID-19, is an evolving pandemic caused by a coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) notified this upsurge as an international emergency concerning public health. It was declared a pandemic later in March 2020. By May 12, 2021, 160,363,284 cases had been registered, and 3,332,762 deaths have been reported, caused by COVID-19, characterized as a horrific pandemic in the history of humankind. Scientists have reached a consensus about the origin of COVID-19, a zoonotic virus arising from bats or other animals in a natural habitat. The economic impact of this outbreak has left far-reaching repercussions on world business transactions, along with bond, commodity, and stock markets. One of the crucial incidents that popped up was the oil price war among OPEC countries. It caused plummeting oil prices and the collapse of stock markets globally in March 2020, as the OPEC agreement failed. However, COVID-19 plays a crucial role in the economic recession. The monetary deficit impact on the travel and trade industries is likely to be huge, in billions of pounds, increasing daily. Other sectors have also suffered significantly.

Part of the book: SARS-CoV-2 Origin and COVID-19 Pandemic Across the Globe