Mohammad A. Tahir

Typing of DNA HLA-DQα Alleles Extracted from Human Nail Material Using Polymerase Chain Reaction

The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) typing of human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) DQ alpha from human fingernails is described. HLA-DQ alpha genotypes can be accurately determined from clipped fingernails. We have typed 26 nails accurately, while one did not give any type since that one sample did not amplify due to the low quantity of DNA. The cut off limit for the digested material to be amplified is approximately 9 mgs of nail material.

Typing of eight short tandem repeat (STR) loci in a Saudi Arabian population.

Allele frequency data for eight short tandem repeat (STR) loci, HUMF13A01, HUMFESFPS, HUMF13B, HUMLPL, HUMCSF1PO, HUMTPOX, HUMTHO1 and HUMvWA, were obtained for unrelated individuals in a Saudi Arabian population. All loci, except F13B (P = 0.037) and LPL (P = 0.035), meet Hardy-Weinberg expectations, based on the exact test. The most informative locus is HUMvWA (PD = 0.936) and the least discriminating is the HUMTPOX locus (PD = 0.820). There was only one observation of a departure from expectation from pairwise locus comparisons. These data can be used for estimating the frequency of STR profiles in a Saudi Arabian population.

DNA Typing of Samples for Polymarker, DQA1, and Nine STR Loci from a Human Body Exhumed After 27 Years

A body was exhumed from the ground after 27 years. Samples of femur bone, tooth, and a fingernail were collected and successfully subjected to DNA extraction, quantitation, amplification, and subsequently typed for DQA1, polymarker, and nine STR loci. All three types of samples were typed for D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S17, D7S820, and amelogenin using ABI Prism 377 DNA sequencer.

Allelic distribution of nine short tandem repeat (STR), HLA-DQA1, and polymarker loci in an Omani sample population

Allele frequency distributions of nine short tandem repeat (STR) loci, D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D7S820, and D13S317, HLA-DQA1 and polymarker (PM) loci were studied in a sample population from Sultanate of Oman, Middle East. Blood samples were collected from 162 unrelated individuals. For all STR, HLA-DQA1 and PM loci, no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, based on the exact test, were observed. The most discriminating loci were D18S51 (PD=0.966) and FGA (PD=0.964), while the least informative locus is GYPA (PD=0.585). The allele frequency data may be useful in forensic case work.

Erythrocyte acid phosphatase in human hair root sheaths.

Erythrocyte acid phosphatase (EAP) was observed in human hair root sheaths where hair sheaths and blood samples were collected from 150 donors. In each case, the hairs were typed first for EAP and then confirmed by typing the blood from the same donors. Of the 150 donors checked, EAP activity was found in 135 of the samples; the other 15 samples showed no activity because they contained no sheath cells. Of the 135 samples showing activity, 108 of those were typed accurately in EAP. The remaining 27 samples had EAP activity but with inconclusive findings. In this study, all six common phenotypes were encountered.

Distribution of HLA-DQA1, Polymarker, CSF1PO, vWA, TH01, TPOX, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, and D5S818 Alleles in East Bengali and West Punjabi Populations from Indo-Pak Subcontinent

Blood samples were collected from 115 individuals residing in the Pakistani state of West Punjab and 81 Bengali individuals residing in the state of East Bengal, India. These samples were analyzed for the loci HLA-DQA1, PM (LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, and GC) and eight short tandem repeats: CSF1PO, TPOX, THO1, vWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, and D5S818. Departures from Hardy-Weinberg (HWE) were observed in Punjabi population at LDLR, THO1, D13S317, D5S818, and D16S539 and at CSF1PO and THO1 in Bengali population.

Fatal Intoxications Due to Administration of Isosorbide Tablets Contaminated with Pyrimethamine

In January 2012, 664 cases of pyrimethamine toxicity and 151 deaths were reported among cardiac patients that had recently received free medicines from pharmacy of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Pakistan. These patients, ages ranged from 58 to 75 years, were prescribed simvastatin, clopidogrel, aspirin soluble, isosorbide mononitrate, and amlodipine. On examination of medications being given to them, it was found that a particular batch of isosorbide mononitrate tablets was contaminated with 50 mg pyrimethamine. Cardiac patients were taking isosorbide contaminated with pyrimethamine twice daily (100 mg pyrimethamine/day), whereas therapeutic dose of pyrimethamine for malaria is 25 mg/week. Postmortem urine, cardiac blood, and femoral blood specimens of three deceased males were submitted to authors laboratory for analysis. Postmortem toxicological analysis revealed that pyrimethamine concentration fell within the range of 1–10 μg/mL by liquid chromatography. Clinical, autopsy, histopathological, and toxicological findings strongly suggested toxicity due to pyrimethamine accumulation that resulted in deaths of these cardiac patients.

Distribution of HLA-DQα and Polymarker (LDLR, GC, GYPA, HBGG, and D7S8) Alleles in Arab and Pakistani Populations Living in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Randomly collected blood samples from 100 Arabs and 100 Pakistanis residing in Abu Dhabi were analyzed using the HLA-DQ alpha and polymarker (LDLR, GC, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8) PCR based reverse dot blot systems. Allelic frequencies for each allele and observed heterozygosity for each locus were calculated. Departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations (HWE) were determined using the unbiased estimate of the expected homozygote/ heterozygote frequencies, the likelihood ratio test and the exact test. No significant departures from HWE expectations were detected.

Sex Determination of Human Hairs by Cortical Cell Nuclei Sex Chromatin Staining

ABSTRACTAn attempt was made to determine sex from human hairs. The reliability and practicality of the procedure described by Nagamori and Takeda for the sex determination of human hairs was studied. Their method was not sufficiently practical or reliable for forensic science purposes.

Alternative Methods for Seminal Acid Phosphatase Electrophoresis

ABSTRACTThree different types of buffers are described for the identification of seminal acid phosphatase by electrophoresis. These buffers are Tris/Citrate pH 8.6, Tris/EDTA pH 8.6 and Tris/Tricine pH 8.6.