Healthy hair samples from golden hamsters were examined for the presence of dermatophyte and non-dermatophyte using baiting technique and direct inoculation. Thirty four species and 2 varieties attributed to 17 genera were recovered. Paecilomyces variotii (isolated from 84.4% of the examined hair) and A. niger (81.3%) were more frequently on Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) without cycloheximide. Our results have clearly demonstrated that the hair of hamster was free from true dermatophyte. Using the dilution plate method many different fungal species were isolated from cage material (7 genera and 10 species + 1 variety); from faeces (10 genera and 17 species); from standard chow (3 genera and 6 species) of hamster on SDA without cycloheximide. P. variotii which was the most frequent fungus in the preceding 3 substrates; was completely absent in the presence of cycloheximide in SDA. The present study has demonstrated for the first time the isolation of Trichophyton rubrum from hamster faeces. Also several saprophytic and cycloheximide resistant fungi were isolated. In the air of hamster cage Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium chrysogenum, Alternaria alternata and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were the most dominant species on SDA with or without cycloheximide.
Using the agar diffusion method; Aloe sap, onion oil, garlic bulb extract and aqueous leaf extracts of Andropogon citratus, Euphorbia sp. and Ruta graveolens were tested for their antifungal activity on 10 Fungal species. It was observed that onion oil exhibited a high inhibitory effect against most of the tested fungi.

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Forty seven species of soil fungi were obtained from Fermentation Laboratory, Department of harmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Karachi.
The presence of lipids/fats in these fungi was investigated. The fungi were cultured by surface culture method using two different media, one reported by Preuss (1984), the other medium was modified during the present study in which sodium nitrate was used instead of ammonium nitrate and the amount of glucose was also doubled.
The presence of lipids/fats was confirmed in twelve species. The amount of lipid produced was also calculated. The capability of fungal species to produce lipids was: Aspergillus oxysporum 76.60%, A. solani 45.80%, A. ustus 38.00% and A. semitectum 37.80%.
From the results it is concluded that the local species of fungi has the potential to produce lipids in high quantity.
It is concluded further that a medium containing ammonium nitrate as nitrogen source and glucose as a carbon is the best for lipid synthesis.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic multi-system disease, causes many systemic manifestations, the most characteristic of which is the symmetrical involvement of peripheral articulations by inflammatory synovitis.
There is also a consideration that cellular immunity has some role in the genesis of the disease. Indeed, RA has been described as "T-Iymphocyte- macrophage immunoregulation disorder".
There is also a considerable amount of evidence indicating that Cu and Zn may contribute in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Some earlier studies indicated that metabolism of Cu and Zn is substantially altered in patients with RA, suggesting a potential role for Cu and Zn in the development of the disease.
In the present study we observed significantly higher serum Cu levels in patients with RA compared with those in normal control subjects (P<0.0001). Cu levels in active patients were somewhat higher compared to on active RA patients (P<0.005).
On the contrary the results for serum Zn levels patients with active RA had lower serum Zn levels when compared with normal control subjects (P<0.001). This difference was also statistically important between active and non-active patients (P<0.05).

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Concentrations of total calcium were analyzed in the seminal fluid of 20 fertile and 35 infertile men by the use of automated analyzer and commercial kit. Normozoospermic infertile men exhibited a significantly lower calcium level, compared to the fertile group. The lower calcium concentration determined in the oligo-azoospermic infertile men, was not significantly different when compared to the fertile men. In the subject and control groups, no significant correlations existed between seminal calcium and sperm density or percent motility. The data from our study strongly suggest that seminal calcium level has to be determined in normozoospermic infertile men, who also possess the asthenozoospermia problem.

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