Search

Simple Summary: Livestock herding is an essential and time-honored practice in Balochistan, playing a pivotal role in the region's economy, culture, and way of life. The livestock sector is of utmost important in the province, catering to nearly 20% of the national stock. Over centuries, large predators and their prey species, including livestock, have coexisted in these mountainous landscapes. Consequently, large carnivores are more likely to interact with humans due to their extensive home ranges. This research aims to explore the impact of livestock depredation by large predators on livelihoods and conservation efforts in two districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. A human–carnivore conflict survey was conducted from July to September 2019, gathering data from 311 residents in the selected study area. Large predators in the region preyed on a total of 876 livestock over a year, comprising 560 goats, 292 sheep, 19 cows, and 5 donkeys. The gray wolf emerged as the primary predator, accounting for 66.3% of livestock depredation, which was followed by the caracal (24.3%), Asiatic jackal (8.9%), and striped hyena (0.6%). The economic loss totaled USD 78,694. Notably, 80% of respondents held negative perceptions toward wolves compared to 24.4% for caracals. Only 20.6% of respondents were aware of the importance of conserving carnivores. Livestock depredation by carnivores has fostered negative perceptions among locals toward these animals. There exists a lack of awareness regarding the significance of conserving carnivore species and their ecological roles. It is crucial to raise awareness among communities about the ecological importance of predators like the gray wolf, caracal, Asiatic jackal, striped hyena, and Balochistan black bear through community meetings and educational seminars. Furthermore, providing basic education to herders on effective livestock guarding practices is recommended to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts and promote coexistence between wildlife and local communities in Balochistan. Livestock herding is a vital practice in Balochistan, contributing to the economy and culture. The livestock sector is significant in Balochistan, providing 20% of the national stock. Large predators and their prey species, including livestock, have coexisted in these mountainous landscapes for centuries. The aim of the present research is to investigate the impacts of livestock depredation by large predators on livelihoods and predator conservation in two districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. A human–carnivore conflict survey was conducted from July to September 2019, collecting data from 311 residents in a selected study area. Large predators in the study area preyed on a total of 876 livestock during a one-year period, including 560 goats, 292 sheep, 19 cows, and 5 donkeys. The gray wolf is the leading predator, responsible for 66.3% of livestock depredation, followed by the caracal (24.3%), Asiatic jackal (8.9%), and striped hyena (0.6%). The total economic loss was USD 78,694. Overall, 80% of respondents had a negative perception of wolves compared to 24.4% for caracals. Only 20.6% of respondents knew about the importance of conserving carnivores. Livestock depredation by carnivores in the study area created a negative perception of these animals among people. There is a lack of awareness about the importance of conserving carnivore species and their role in the ecosystem. This lack of understanding has ultimately led to detrimental effects on predator populations. It is imperative to raise awareness among people about the ecological significance of carnivores through community meetings, seminars in educational institutions, and providing basic education to herders about effective livestock guarding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diclofenac sodium was extensively used for treating arthritis, osteoarthritis and skeletal muscular injuries, which ultimately caused troubles for aquatic organisms as well as human beings. In this study, homogeneous catalytic advanced oxidation processes, including Fe2+/persulfate, Fe2+/peroxymonosulfate and Fe2+/H2O2, were used for the degradation of diclofenac sodium in water, without using UV-C light. About 89, 82 and 54% DCF sodium was decomposed by Fe2+/persulfate, Fe2+/peroxymonosulfate and Fe2+/H2O2, respectively, in 60 min. The degradation of diclofenac sodium followed the pseudo first-order kinetics, in all cases. The degradation efficiency of diclofenac sodium was significantly affected in the presence of various anions, such as NO3−, HCO3− and SO42−. The mineralization studies revealed 62, 45 and 32% total carbon removal by Fe2+/persulfate, Fe2+/peroxymonosulfate and Fe2+/H2O2, respectively, in 60 min. In addition, the degradation byproducts of diclofenac sodium were determined by FTIR analysis. The results revealed that the Fe2+/oxidant system, particularly Fe2+/persulfate, was a promising technology for the elimination of toxic pharmaceuticals, such as diclofenac sodium, from the water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of water pollutants by photocatalysis is a promising technique, mainly due to its environmentally friendly and sustainable nature. In this study, the degradation of a recalcitrant organic pollutant, malachite green (MG), was investigated in water by a microstructured silver oxide photocatalyst. The silver oxide (Ag2O) microparticles (MPs) were synthesized by a low-cost, green method, mediated by green tea leaves extract. The surface, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized Ag2O MPs were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectrophotometry. The synthesized Ag2O MPs showed good photoactivity, represented by 83% degradation of malachite green (MG) ([C]0 = 0.4 mM, Ag2O loading = 0.1 g L−1) at neutral pH, in 3 h. Persulfate ions (PS) showed a strong synergistic effect on the efficiency of solar/Ag2O photocatalysis, represented by complete MG removal in 15 min, in the presence of 1.6 mM PS. The results revealed that solar/Ag2O, particularly solar/Ag2O/PS photocatalysis is a promising method for the elimination of toxic organic pollutants, such as malachite green, from the water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Helicobacter pylori have ancestral relation with the family of Proteobacteria, order Campylobacterales, family Helicobacteraceae. It is the first and most important cause of gastric carcinoma along with peptic ulcer and dyspepsia carcinoma. H. pylori is also responsible for mucosa associated with lymphoid tissue (MALT) and Known Hodgkin Lymphoma. It is assessed that patients having H. pylori are a 30% to 40% possibility of evolving gastric ulcer and a 10% to 20% possibility of developing distal gastric cancer. It causes chronic inflammation and significantly increases the risk of duodenal, gastric ulcer, and cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. In the current study, a total of 210 gastric biopsy specimens were collected from the patient with a history of gastritis from Chughtai Lab in 10% NBF. All tissue size was measured and gross examined these samples were processed in an automated tissue processor Tissue-Tek VIP VI (Japan). After processing, the embedding of tissues was done in paraffin wax at Tissue-Tek TEC. 2- 3 µm sections were prepared using rotary microtome Leica 201 USA. A comparison was carried out between H&E and IHC. Helicobacter pylori were detected in 88 cases out of 200 while 09 samples were either poorly preserved or autolyzed that's why further processing and diagnosis were not possible. One case was diagnosed as poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma; the sample was collected from a female patient of 56 years. Out of 88 positive cases, 66 (75%) were initially screened as positive for H.pyloriby H&E staining due to the presence of mild or moderate colonization while the remaining 25% cases were negative by H&E staining but with suspicion of neutrophils and lymphoid aggregates. All 88 cases were further confirmed by IHC. Our findings confirmed that IHC is a batter reliable and more accurate method in the diagnosis of H.pylori and it should be considered the gold standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian squash (Praecitrullus fistulosus) crop faces heat and drought during its growth that is considered the most important abiotic stress in semi-arid areas. Seed priming with growth regulators enhances stress tolerance; hence, mitigates the adverse effects of unpredictable stresses due to adverse weather conditions. This two-year (2019 and 2020) study was conducted to infer the role of seed priming in improving heat tolerance of Indian squash (cultivar Sahavi) through improvement in physiological and antioxidant defense systems. Six treatments that included no priming (control), hydropriming, priming with indole acetic acid (IAA) at 100 mg L-1, salicylic acid (SA) at 50 mg L-1, ascorbic acid (AA) at 100 mg L-1 and thiourea at 500 mg L-1 each for 06 hours) were included in the study. Results revealed that priming with AA and SA significantly (P ≤ 0.05) enhanced germination (39 and 47%), germination index (57 and 58%), plant height (23 and 22%), vine length (15 and 14%), number of fruits per plant (62%), fruit weight per plant (66 and 67%), economic yield (32%), photosynthesis rate (18 and 17%), protein content (10%), proline (23%), glycine betaine (3%), malondialdehyde content (11 and 10%) and catalase activity (24%) compared to control treatment. Furthermore, seed priming with AA and SA significantly (P ≤ 0.05) shortened the mean germination time (25 and 28%) compared to the control. The results indicated that AA and SA had significant potential to mitigate adverse effects of heat stress in Indian squash. Findings from this study showed that seed priming with AA and SA promoted heat-stress tolerance and enhanced growth and productivity of Indian squash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interferon/Ribavirin therapy has been replaced by Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) due to emergence of Resistance Associated Variants (RAVs) and decrease Sustain Virologic Response (SVR). Current study investigated treatment response of Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin in chronic HCV patients. Total 256 HCV patients with genotype 1a, 2 and 3a received sofosbuvir/ribavirin according to international standards. HCV RNA presence in serum was used as marker for end treatment response (ETR) and sustain virologic response after 24 weeks of treatment (SVR24) in each case. Response to treatment with SOF + RBV was found statistically significant among different HCV genotypes (GT) as out of 47 HCV GT1 patients 42(89.36%) resulted into good ETR but 4(9.52%) of these relapsed and 5(10.63%) led into virologic failure. 5(100%) HCV GT2 patients resulted into SVR24 whereas, out of 204 HCV GT3 patients 194(95.69%) achieved good ETR however, 8(4.12%) of these relapsed and 10(4.90%) resulted in to virologic failure. Efficacy of therapy was found non-significant in treatment naïve and treatment experienced patients as in this study out of 145 treatment naïve patients 139(95.86%) achieved good ETR where 4(2.87%) relapsed while 6(4.13%) led into virologic break through on the other hand among 111 treatment experienced patients 102(91.89%) resulted into good ETR but 8(7.84%) relapsed whereas 9(8.10%) lead into virologic failure. Current study also propose that various liver and spleen complications/liver cirrhosis are related to response of HCV patients to SOF + RBV therapy whereas, variables like old age, gender is not compromising treatment response to DAAs therapy. Various mild side effects encountered by patients during treatment were fatigue, insomnia, headache, nausea, burning body, diarrhea, cough. Overall, this study reported 89.45% efficacy of SOF + RBV regime in chronic HCV Pakistani patients. Current study suggests hunting for possible reasons of resistance so that SOF + RBV therapy may not share the same fortune as previous therapies in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics are the most common pharmaceutical compounds, and they have been extensively used for the prevention and treatment of bacterial diseases for more than 50 years. However, merely a small fraction of antibiotics is metabolized in the body, while the rest is discharged into the environment through excretion, which can cause potential ecological problems and human health risks. In this study, the elimination of seventeen antibiotics from real livestock wastewater effluents was investigated by UV/TiO2 advanced oxidation process. The effect of process parameters, such as TiO2 loadings, solution pHs, and antibiotic concentrations, on the efficiency of the UV/TiO2 process was assessed. The degradation efficiency was affected by the solution pH, and higher removal efficiency was observed at pH 5.8 and 9.9, while the catalyst loading had no significant effect on the degradation efficiency at these experimental conditions. UV photolysis showed a good removal efficiency of the antibiotics. However, the highest removal efficiency was shown by the UV/photocatalyst system due to their synergistic effects. The results showed that more than 90% of antibiotics were removed by UV/TiO2 system during the 60 min illumination, while the corresponding TOC and COD removal was only 10 and 13%, respectively. The results of the current study indicated that UV/TiO2 advanced oxidation process is a promising method for the elimination of various types of antibiotics from real livestock wastewater effluents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to present six cases of cervical lymphadenopathy, diagnosed as Kikuchi's disease and raise the index of suspicion for this disease. Study Design: Case Series. Setting: Histopathology and Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery Department at Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) Peshawar. Period: July 2016 to March 2021. Material & Methods: Records of patients for cases diagnosed as "histiocytic necrotising lymphadenitis" were retrieved, their corresponding patient files accessed from the archive, and case notes analyzed. Results: In this series, a total of six cases of Kikuchi's disease are presented. A female predominance is evident from the present data (2:1 female to male ratio). All patients presented with palpable lymph nodes in the neck, predominantly on the left (66.7%). Majority (66.7%) presented with neuralgic pain (on/off). Only one patient did not show weight loss and night sweating, the remaining had all the symptoms. All of the patients recovered spontaneously within 6 months (range 2 to 6 months) with symptomatic treatment for neuralgic pain. Conclusion: Kikuchi's disease should be kept in the differential diagnosis in young females with persistent neck masses, palpable lymph nodes and suspicious fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To account for the characteristic presentations, pathology and the post-operative complications of surgical treatment of retrosternal goitre. Study Design: Retrospective Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar. Period: July 2016 and December 2019. Material & Methods: All patients that underwent thyroidectomy during the study period were included in the study. The thyroid gland that did not have retrosternal extensions were excluded. Retrospective chart records of all these patients were analysed. Data obtained from the charts was recorded on Statistical package for social services version 23.0 and analysed for descriptive statistics. Results: 67 patients with goiters were at the tertiary care center of Peshawar, females (77.6%) and males (22.4%). 6 (8.9%) were retrosternal. The most common symptoms were neck swelling (83.3%) followed by shortness of breath (66.7%). Post-operative hypocalcaemia was the most common complication among retrosternal thyroidectomy patients (66.7%). Only one patient needed sternotomy. Conclusion: All patients with retrosternal goitre should be offered surgery. The post-operative complications are low and resolve uneventfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of Balochistan's population lives in rural areas. One of the primary goals of rural development interventions is to increase per capita earnings in order to improve community living conditions. According to multidimensional poverty index in Pakistan, almost 39 percent of population suffers from multi-dimensional poverty, with the uppermost rates of poverty in province of Balochistan. BRSP has assisted the poor and contributed to the improvement of living conditions and the abolition of poverty. There is proof that these initiatives and offerings have helped. There is some evidence that these activities and services have contributed to the progress of living standards as a result of the rise and strength of community groups. However, more research is required to determine the precise nature of the BRSP's influence on boosting the living conditions of households in the Balochistan districts of Zhob and Sherani. This study examines "The impact of microfinance on household living standards using data from the districts of Zhob and Sherani". To attain study objectives, quantitative methodologies are used in conjunction with research goals. To evaluate the study hypothesis, statistical analysis is performed on BRSP secondary data. The estimation is based on Madala's (1983) and Green's (2003) Treatment Effect Model (TEM) through consumption. Findings of the study revealed that the hypothesis are accepted and concluded that family income, family size, system, education are leading towards the achievement of consumption. The findings of study recommend that microfinance institution should focus on income-oriented financing to meet financial needs of the borrowers in the area. Study also suggests that microfinance institutions must grow their operations in remote areas of the districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bee is vital for pollination and ecological services, boosting crops productivity in terms of quality and quantity and production of colony products: wax, royal jelly, bee venom, honey, pollen and propolis. Honey bees are most important plant pollinators and almost one third of diet depends on bee's pollination, worth billions of dollars. Hence the role that honey bees have in environment and their economic importance in food production, their health is of dominant significance. Honey bees can be infected by various pathogens like: viruses, bacteria, fungi, or infested by parasitic mites. At least more than 20 viruses have been identified to infect honey bees worldwide, generally from Dicistroviridae as well as Iflaviridae families, like ABPV (Acute Bee Paralysis Virus), BQCV (Black Queen Cell Virus), KBV (Kashmir Bee Virus), SBV (Sacbrood Virus), CBPV (Chronic bee paralysis virus), SBPV (Slow Bee Paralysis Virus) along with IAPV (Israeli acute paralysis virus), and DWV (Deformed Wing Virus) are prominent and cause infections harmful for honey bee colonies health. This issue about honey bee viruses demonstrates remarkably how diverse this field is, and considerable work has to be done to get a comprehensive interpretation of the bee virology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]