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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key intercellular communication and pathogenesis mediators. Parasitic organisms' helminths, causewidespread infections with significant health impacts worldwide. Recent research has shed light on the role of EVs in the lifecycle, immune evasion, and disease progression of these parasitic organisms. These tiny membrane-bound organelles including microvesicles and exosomes, facilitate the transfer of proteins, lipids, mRNAs, and microRNAs between cells. EVs have been isolated from various bodily fluids, offering a potential diagnostic and therapeutic avenue for combating infectious agents. According to recent research, EVs from helminths hold great promise in the diagnosis of parasitic infections due to their specificity, early detection capabilities, accessibility, and the potential for staging and monitoring infections, promote intercellular communication, and are a viable therapeutic tool for the treatment of infectious agents. Exploring host-parasite interactions has identified promising new targets for diagnostic, therapy, and vaccine development against helminths. This literature review delves into EVS's origin, nature, biogenesis, and composition in these parasitic organisms. It also highlights the proteins and miRNAs involved in EV release, providing a comprehensive summary of the latest findings on the significance of EVs in the biology of helminths, promising targets for therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin 2 (IL-2) is produced by activated T cells and play important role in immune response against antigen. It acts in both autocrine and paracrine manner. It can stimulate B cells and various other phagocytic cells like monocytes, lymphokine-activated killer cells and natural killer cells. Acting in autocrine fashion, IL-2 protein plays a crucial role in proliferation of T cells. IL-2 triggers the release of pro and anti- inflammatory cytokines by activating several pathways. In present study, exon 1 of IL-2 gene of four local Pakistani breeds (Dera Din Panah, Beetal, Nachi and Kamori) was amplified by using reported ovine IL-2 primers. Amplified products of 4 breeds of goat were bidirectionally sequenced to decipher polymorphisms. Only a single substitution (T→A) was found in non-coding region of IL-2 gene. Comparison of IL-2 gene sequence of all four breeds with other goat breeds showed high similarity in sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of our local breeds with other mammals showed that IL-2 was highly variable. This high substitution rate could be due to changed selective pressure. These rapid changes may also lead to the changes in the functions of immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a pioneering study undertaken in Pakistan, urban men's sexual behaviors, perceptions and knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS were determined by employing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Focus group discussions were carried out initially and followed by a structured cross sectional survey that interviewed 2400 men in six cities. While most men (90%) had heard of the term HIV/AIDS however nearly a quarter of the respondents had misconceptions regarding its mode of transmission. HIV/AIDS was generally perceived as a disease acquired by indulging in "immoral" activities. Knowledge regarding other sexually transmitted infections was negligible. The results from this study point to the need for developing awareness campaigns in Pakistan that mitigate stigma and reduce vulnerability. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain. Although SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect everyone, the kind and degree of infection and sickness vary widely between individuals and populations. It has been crucial since reported disease loads and case fatality rates vary greatly among countries. However, there are still uncertainties about the severity of the illness in certain people and, in other cases, the aetiology of a more severe illness. Various chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory ailments, and immunodeficiency disorders, have been identified as significant risk factors for COVID-19. These comorbidities not only increase the susceptibility to contracting the virus but also exacerbate the severity of symptoms and the likelihood of adverse outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and mortality. The objective of this article is to point out the proliferation of COVID-19 in relation to different diseases affecting the clinical outcome of COVID-19. The study included 1500 patients with various diseases such as HCV, HBV, kidney disease, heart disease, asthma, T.B., arthritis, smokers, and vaccinated or unvaccinated. Results showed that 22% of diabetic patients, 40% of heart patients, 40% of asthma patients, 26% of kidney patients, 25% of T.B patients, and 41% of smokers had high corona positive. Coronavirus positivity was found in 34% of vaccinated patients and 72% of non-vaccinated patients, with an overall calculated p-value of 0.0001 by ANOVA statistical analysis. The overall outcome of the results showed that the severity of Corona disease increased in relation to different diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power transformer is an essential component of the electrical network that can be used to step up and step down voltage. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is the most reliable method for the identification of incipient faults in power transformers. Various DGA methods are used to observe the generated key gases after oil decomposition. The main gases included are hydrogen (H2), ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C2H2), methane (CH4), and ethane (C2H6). There is a lack of research that can compare the performance of various DGA methods in identification of faults in power transformer. In addition, it is also not clear which DGA method is optimal for identification of faults in power transformer. In this paper, the comparative performance study of seven DGA methods such as Roger's ratio, key gas, IEC ratio, the Doernenburg ratio, the Duval triangle, three-ratio method, and the relative percentage of four gases is carried out in order to identify the optimal technique for fault identification in transformer. The data of various power transformers installed in "RAWAT" NTDC grid station, Islamabad, and "UCH-II" power station, Balochistan, are considered for the comparative analysis. This analysis shows that the three-ratio method provides better performance than other DGA methods in accurately identifying the faults in power transformers. The three-ratio method has 90% accuracy in identifying the faults in power transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleft palates (CP) are the most common birth defect with highly complex etiology, involves both genetic and environmental risk factors. In the present study, we focused on TBX22 gene, which is a major gene determinant essential to human palatogenesis. We analyzed a total of 134 DNA samples including 51 CP clinically assessed patients and 83 healthy controls. Our preliminary results revealed two novel missense substitutions i.e. P180Q in T-box domain and S328I in C-terminal of TBX22, while unrelated healthy controls revealed no sequence variants in these locations. The present report is first of its kind in Pakistani population. The findings suggest that TBX22 polymorphisms may responsible for a significant proportion of non-syndromic CP cases in Pakistani population and confirming its importance as a frequent cause of non-syndromic CP across various populations. The robustness of the association between TBX22 and CP is worth further examination in the future across different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scrapie is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the accumulation of improperly folded forms of host-encoded cellular-prion protein (PrPc) in the central nervous system (CNS) and in some peripheral tissues in sheep and goats. Scrapie resistant/susceptibility have been associated with the presence of PRNP gene polymorphisms. We analyzed the polymorphisms in PRNP gene sequences in 49 wild Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis). Four novel amino acids polymorphisms (p.Q149E, p.Q155E, p.Y228L and p.L253F) were detected in PRNP gene. The urial was monomorphic at codon 149 and 155 and polymorphic at codon 228 and 253. These amino acid polymorphisms were combined in four alleles and six genotypes. Investigating the polymorphisms at codon 136, 154 and 171, the only genotype ARQ/ ARQ was detected in Punjab urial. The PRNP gene sequences in Punjab urial showed low variability and is resemble to previous findings for wild animals. Prevalence-estimate, transmissibility, distribution, and host-range of prion disease in wild-animals remain undetermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey from 2006–2007, the maternal mortality ratio in rural areas is 319 per 100,000 live births. Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal deaths in Pakistan. The objectives of the study were to document the feasibility of distribution of misoprostol tablets by community-based providers mainly traditional birth attendants and acceptability and use of misoprostol by women who gave birth at home. Methods A quasi-experimental design, comprising intervention and comparison areas, was used to document the acceptability of providing misoprostol tablets to pregnant women to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in the rural community setting in Pakistan. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to women before and after delivery at home and their birth attendants. Results Out of 770 women who delivered at home, 678 (88%) ingested misoprostol tablets and 647 (84%) ingested the tablets after the birth of the neonate but prior to the delivery of the placenta. The remaining women took misoprostol tablets after delivery of the placenta. Side effects were experienced by 40% of women and were transitory in nature. Among women who delivered at home, 80% said that they would use misoprostol tablets in the future and 74% were willing to purchase them in the future. Conclusions Self-administration of misoprostol in the home setting is feasible. Community-based providers, such as traditional birth attendants and community midwives with proper training and counseling, play an important role in reducing postpartum hemorrhage. Proper counseling and information exchange are helpful for introducing new practices in resource-constrained rural communities. Until such a time that skilled birth attendance is made more universally available in the rural setting, alternative strategies, such as training and using the services of traditional birth attendants to provide safe pregnancy care, must be considered.