The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Navy when required, and a tertiary role of providing strategic airlift capability to Pakistan. As of 2021, as per the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the PAF has more than 70,000 active-duty personnel and operates at least 970 aircraft. Its primary mandate and mission is "to provide, in synergy with other inter-services, the most efficient, assured and cost effective aerial defence of Pakistan." Since its establishment in 1947, the PAF has been involved in various combat operations, providing aerial support to the operations and relief efforts of the Pakistani military. Under Article 243, the Constitution of Pakistan appoints the President of Pakistan as the civilian Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), by statute a four-star air officer, is appointed by the President with the consultation and confirmation needed from the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder, or FC-1 Xiaolong, is a lightweight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). It was designed to replace the ageing A-5C, F-7P/PG, Mirage III, and Mirage V combat aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance. The Pakistani designation "JF-17" stands for "Joint Fighter-17", with the "-17" denoting that, in the PAF's vision, it is the successor to the F-16. The Chinese designation "FC-1" stands for "Fighter China-1".
Personal Ancestral File (PAF), as of 2013, is a discontinued free genealogy software provided by FamilySearch, a website operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It allowed users to enter names, dates, citations and source information into a database, and sort and search the genealogical data, print forms and charts, and share files with others in GEDCOM format. PAF also linked images and other media files to individual records.
The platelet-activating factor receptor(PAF-R) is a G-protein coupled receptor which binds platelet-activating factor. It is encoded in the human by the PTAFR gene.
AM-855 (part of the AM cannabinoid series) is an analgesic drug which is a cannabinoid agonist. It is a derivative of Δ8Tetrahydrocannabinol with a conformationally restricted side chain which has been bound into a fourth ring fused to the aromatic A-ring of the cannabinoid skeleton. AM-855 is an agonist at both CB1 and CB2 with moderate selectivity for CB1, with a Ki of 22.3 nM at CB1 and 58.6 nM at CB2.
AL-38022A is an indazole derivative drug which is one of a range of similar drugs developed for scientific research and with some possible clinical applications. It acts as a potent and selective agonist for the 5-HT2 family of serotonin receptors, with highest binding affinity for the 5-HT2C subtype and around 4x less affinity for 5-HT2A and 5-HT2B. In drug discrimination tests on animals, it fully substituted for both DOM and 5-MeO-DMT.
Ciclotizolam (WE-973) is a drug which is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative. It is a partial agonist for the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor, with similar binding affinity to related compounds like brotizolam, but a low efficacy.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army, the PAF is responsible for both defending the Philippine airspace, and conducting aerial operations throughout the Philippines, such as close air support operations, combat air patrols, aerial reconnaissance missions, airlift operations, helicopter tactical operations and aerial humanitarian operations. The PAF is headquartered at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay, and is headed by the Chief of the Air Force, who also serves as the branch's highest-ranking military officer.
Ro5-4864 (4'-chlorodiazepam) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative of diazepam. However unlike most benzodiazepine derivatives, Ro5-4864 lacks affinity for GABAA receptors and lacks typical benzodiazepine effects, instead being sedative yet also convulsant and anxiogenic in effects. Ro5-4864 was found to be a potent ligand for the "peripheral benzodiazepine receptor", later renamed to mitochondrial translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO). Despite its convulsant effects, at lower doses Ro5-4864 has proved to be neuroprotective and has become widely used for research into the role of the TSPO protein in neurotoxicity. In vitro studies and rodent models also suggest the possibility of analgesic, antidepressant, cardioprotective, and anti-cancer effects.
Ro60-0213 is a drug developed by Hoffmann–La Roche, which acts as a potent and selective agonist for the 5-HT2C serotonin receptor, with more than 100x selectivity over other closely related serotonin receptor subtypes, and little or no affinity at other receptors. It was developed as a potential antidepressant, but was discontinued from clinical development at an early stage due to toxicity concerns. However the high selectivity of Ro60-0213 for 5-HT2C makes it of continued interest for research into serotonin receptors.
Flubromazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative which was first synthesized in 1960, but was never marketed and did not receive any further attention or study until late 2012 when it appeared on the grey market as a novel designer drug.
Israpafant (Y-24180) is a drug which acts as a selective antagonist for the platelet-activating factor receptor, and was originally developed for the treatment of asthma. Its chemical structure is a thienotriazolodiazepine, closely related to the sedative benzodiazepine derivative etizolam. However israpafant binds far more tightly to the platelet-activating factor receptor, with an IC50 of 0.84nM for inhibiting PAF-induced human platelet aggregation (compared to etizolam's IC50 of 998nM at this target), while it binds only weakly to benzodiazepine receptors, with a Ki of 3680nM. Israpafant has been found to inhibit the activation of eosinophil cells, and consequently delays the development of immune responses. It has also been shown to have anti-nephrotoxic properties, and to mobilize calcium transport.
Trengestone, sold under the brand names Reteroid, Retroid, and Retrone, is a progestin medication which was formerly used to treat menstrual disorders but is now no longer marketed. It is taken by mouth.
A thienotriazolodiazepine is a heterocyclic compound containing a diazepine ring fused to thiophene and triazole rings. Thienotriazolodiazepine forms the central core of several pharmaceutical drugs including:
Fluclotizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative which was first synthesised in 1979, but was never marketed. It has subsequently been sold as a designer drug, first being definitively identified in 2017.
Ro09-9212 is a thienodiazepine derivative with sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Ro07-9749 is a benzodiazepine derivative with sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been used as an internal standard in the analysis of other benzodiazepines, and also sold as a designer drug.
Flubrotizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative with potent sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Fluetizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative with potent sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Apafant is a drug which acts as a potent and selective inhibitor of the phospholipid mediator platelet-activating factor (PAF). It was developed by structural modification of the thienotriazolodiazepine sedative drug brotizolam and demonstrated that PAF inhibitory actions could be separated from activity at the benzodiazepine receptor. Apafant was investigated for several applications involving inflammatory responses such as asthma and conjunctivitis but was never adopted for medical use, however it continues to be used in pharmacology research.
