Search

Recently, the researchers are focused on the biotherapeutic properties of medicinal as well as edible plants. Inflammation, fever, and pain are common symptoms associated with various diseases, necessitating effective therapeutic potentials for relief and healing. This study aimed to assess the therapeutic impact and mechanisms of action of the methanolic fruit extract of Carica papaya for anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic activities via in-vivo and in-vitro approaches. For inducing inflammation, pain, and fever in albino rats, carrageenan, acetic acid dilution in distilled water, and yeast dilution in saline were used. The four different concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) of methanolic extract of C. papaya fruit were used to prevent inflammation, pain, and fever. Diclofenac and paracetamol were used as standard drugs in this study. The methanolic extract of C. papaya fruit showed efficient antipyretic and anti-inflammatory inhibition (90 and 80%, respectively), but less efficient analgesic inhibition (36%). Similarly, the in-silico study used fruit bioactive compounds such as quercetin as ligand molecules, and proteins for anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities were 1bp4 and 4x37, respectively. The docking process was done using ligand and protein molecules. The results of the in-silico study were the same as those of the in-vivo study; anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activity binding energy values were more efficient than those of an analgesic. In conclusion, the methanolic extract of C. papaya fruit in in-silico and in-vivo studies proved less efficient against pain and more efficient against inflammation and fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dengue virus (DENV), primarily spread by Aedes aegypti and also by Aedes albopictus in some regions, poses significant global health risks. Alternative techniques are urgently needed because the current control mechanisms are insufficient to reduce the transmission of DENV. Introducing Wolbachia pipientis into Ae. aegypti inhibits DENV transmission, however, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Innate immune effector upregulation, the regulation of autophagy, and intracellular competition between Wolbachia and DENV for lipids are among the theories for the mechanism of inhibition. Furthermore, mainly three immune pathways Toll, IMD, and JAK/STAT are involved in the host for the suppression of the virus. These pathways are activated by Wolbachia and DENV in the host and are responsible for the upregulation and downregulation of many genes in mosquitoes, which ultimately reduces the titer of the DENV in the host. The functioning of these immune pathways depends upon the Wolbachia, host, and virus interaction. Here, we summarize the current understanding of DENV recognition by the Ae. aegypti's immune system, aiming to create a comprehensive picture of our knowledge. Additionally, we investigated how Wolbachia regulates the activation of multiple genes associated with immune priming for the reduction of DENV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purtscher Retinopathy (PR) is also known as traumatic retinal angiopathy or lymphorrhagia retinae or retinal teletraumatism. It presents as occlusive retinal microvasculopathy distinguished by the presence of multiple retinal white lesions surrounding the optic nerve head and fovea, accompanied by perivascular clearing, often coinciding with intraretinal haemorrhages. Correlated conditions comprise of acute pancreatitis, crush injuries, severe head trauma, chest compression, long bone fractures, orthopaedic surgical procedures, Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome and battered baby syndrome. PR is a rare microvasculopathy, which is occlusive in nature and causes sudden and painless diminution of vision following serious trauma but might also be associated with non-traumatic aetiologies as well. The term Purtscher-like retinopathy is used when it occurs due to non-traumatic causes. Here, the authors present a case of a 25-year-old female, admitted to the hospital for severe abdominal pain, persistent nausea and multiple episodes of vomiting since two days. Her laboratory findings and radiological investigations revealed findings suggestive of acute pancreatitis. On day 2 of admission, she reported a bilateral diminution of vision. The ophthalmic evaluation revealed visual impairment and characteristic retinal findings of Purtscher flecken, cotton wool spots and few intraretinal haemorrhages mainly in the posterior pole. This case highlights the association between Purtscher-like retinopathy and acute pancreatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating challenge of malaria control necessitates innovative approaches that extend beyond traditional control strategies. This review explores the incorporation of traditional vector control techniques with emerging Wolbachia-based interventions. Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacteria, offers a novel approach for combatting vector-borne diseases, including malaria, by reducing the mosquitoes’ ability to transmit these diseases. The study explores the rationale for this integration, presenting various case studies and pilot projects that have exhibited significant success. Employing a multidimensional approach that includes community mobilization, environmental modifications, and new biological methods, the paper posits that integrated efforts could mark a turning point in the struggle against malaria. Our findings indicate that incorporating Wolbachia-based strategies into existing vector management programs not only is feasible but also heightens the efficacy of malaria control initiatives in different countries especially in Pakistan. The paper concludes that continued research and international collaboration are imperative for translating these promising methods from the laboratory to the field, thereby offering a more sustainable and effective malaria control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE:Increasing misuse and irrational prescribing of antibiotics by physicians has led to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) posing a major global threat. Furthermore, only a few studies have been conducted to evaluate this domain in Pakistan. The objective of this study is to assess the general public's knowledge, attitude, and perception towards antibiotic use and its resistance, and to determine positive associations between the various socio-demographic variables. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to March 2023. A convenient sampling technique was employed, selecting participants = 18 years of age (n= 339). Structured questionnaires were distributed on different study sites and random participants were asked to respond immediately. RESULTS: Results showed that assessing antibiotics use among these 342 participants in the last year, it was determined that the majority of them had only used antibiotics once 108(31.6%). A closer number of individuals had used antibiotics more than thrice 101(29.5%) shows no significant association between rural and urban with a p-value=0.941>0.05. The majority were also aware of fatal allergic reactions produced by some antibiotics and agreed to stop antibiotic use if any adverse reaction were to occur 277(81.0%)p-value=0.674>0.05. No significance was observed, although some near-significant values of importance were noted and discussed. CONCLUSION:Antibiotic usage is commonly observed among all individuals; however, views contain many deviations. Constraints, including sample bias, Lahore's urban dominance, and the omission of doctor-prescribing evaluations, highlight the study's limitations and have further skewed our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening is first step in prevention of diabetic retinopathy related ocular morbidity. The aim of the study was to assess the gaps in the knowledge and awareness and evaluate its effects on the attitude and practice in known diabetic patients and to assess any anticipated barriers and its association with knowledge, attitude and practices. Material and methods. A closed-ended questionnaire was given to 112 diabetics who met the inclusion criteria and visited a tertiary eye hospital in western Maharashtra. The purpose of the questionnaire was to assess knowledge, attitude and practices and perceived barriers to the study of DR. The statistical analysis was done on SPSS software. Results. In our study, 73.4% did not know about DR, suggesting poor awareness about the disease, 59.5% did not feel the need for regular eye checkup. 67 (61.1%) had no knowledge about blood sugar control level and lipid control for effective control of DR, 89 (79.5%) of participants did not know about effective treatment options. Moreover, 74 (66.1%) participants were advised for DR screening by physician, while 60 (53.5%) were willing to get screened, negative attitude was not getting screened when vision is good seen in 87 (79.1%) participants. Furthermore, 84 (75%) patient think eye checkup are expensive, 66% people believe availability of doctor is an issue. 60 (54.5%) think that eye checkups are time consuming. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated, that Spearman's correlation coefficient between knowledge and awareness and based on attitude and practice, is 0.54, and that this is statistically significant (p<0.01). Our study has shown poor awareness and knowledge about the disease thus affecting attitude and practices, eye screening is considered expensive has been pointed out a major barrier in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraorbital cavernous hemangiomas are the most known benign vascular tumors of the orbit in adults, however, multiple lesions diagnosed as cavernous hemangiomas in the orbits are very rarely reported. The most common presenting complaints are slowly progressive painless proptosis. They rarely present with vision impairment. Multiple cavernous hemangiomas, although rare, systemic evaluation of the patients should be done in these cases to rule out multi-centric lesions. Complete excision of the tumors should be done surgically, and the patients need to be followed on a long-term to monitor for recurrence. Here, we report a case of multiple unilateral cavernous hemangiomas in a 44-year-old male patient, who was treated as a case of neurofibroma clinically based on radiological investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent article in the Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth discusses the use of simulation-based training for cataract surgeries. The training program lasts for six days and involves trainees using a simulator that provides a realistic tactile experience. Trainees are guided through each step of the surgery and are evaluated based on predetermined criteria. The article reports that this type of training has led to a significant improvement in surgical skills and a reduction in errors during live surgeries. The authors suggest that more emphasis should be placed on providing simulation-based training to improve the quality of cataract surgery and reduce complications. [Extracted from the article]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world's most important cereal crop in terms of cultivated area and quantity of grain produced. It is the most communal staple food in Pakistan, followed by rice and maize. Wheat is susceptible to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stressors, which can lead to severe yield reductions. Rusts are economically the most significant biotic factor of wheat crop. Leaf rust, commonly known as brown rust, is a severe wheat disease in Pakistan that results in production losses ranging from 10% to 40%. In the present study, the experiment was conducted in MNS-University of agriculture Multan, in which screening of wheat breeding lines against the natural inoculum of brown rust and the relationship of leaf rust with different environmental parameters was done in two years of data. The disease severity (DS), Coefficient of infection (CI) and average coefficient of infection (ACI) was recorded by using Modified Cobb's scale. During 2020-2021, among 100 breeding lines, 16 breeding lines revealed an immune response, 14 exhibited moderately resistant response, 5 showed a susceptible response and the remaining were moderately resistant-moderately susceptible response. In season 2021-22, 19 breeding lines were immune, 19 showed a moderately resistant response, 4 breeding lines were susceptible and the remaining were moderately resistant-moderately susceptible. Correlation clearly demonstrated the response of disease development to environmental factors. Maximum temperature, minimum temperature, wind speed and sunshine hours showed a positive relationship with leaf rust severity while a negative relationship was evident in relative humidity and disease severity during both year study. This study provided evidence that there is a strong relationship between environmental factors and leaf rust severity. The environmental conditions were not ideal during the early stage of the host plant that help them to withstand the building inoculum during March-April. Therefore, the breeding lines exhibiting immune and moderately resistant response could be utilized in future breeding programs to develop leaf rust resistant varieties/cultivars to combat this menace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to determine the role of bacteria to mitigate the effect of fluoride on the growth, gas exchange characteristics, and productivity of the two wheat varieties (Galaxy-13, Chakwal-50). Experiment was conducted in the Botanical Garden (University of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan) according to the Design Expert software 11. Four concentrations of NaF (0 ppm, 150 ppm, 250 ppm, and 350 ppm) and three bacterial strains (ss5a, ss5b, and ss10a) were used. Growth parameters, gas exchange characteristics, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot, and productivity were measured. The results observed were less harmful in case of plants treated in combination with NaF+bacteria as compared to plants treated with NaF alone. Fluoride affected various parameters, chlorosis, leaf tip burn, leaf necrosis, growth, and productivity of the wheat plants. Galaxy-13 was least influenced by F compared to the Chakwal-50 variety. It was concluded that growth was increased with the application of beneficial fluoride resistant bacteria and proved helpful in minimizing the harmful effects of fluoride salt on wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple food for a significant portion of the world's population including Pakistan. Among all limiting biotic and abiotic factors, wheat rusts pose a substantial danger to production worldwide and can result in yield losses of over 90% in susceptible varieties or during epidemics. Yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici), one of several types of wheat rust, is particularly dangerous to wheat production in Pakistan and cause disease on 70% cultivated area of wheat. Keeping in view the devastating nature of yellow rust pathogen, two-year study 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 was conducted in order to screen out wheat breeding lines against yellow rust followed by its relationship with the environmental variables. In this study, one hundred wheat breeding lines were cultivated in the research area of MNS-University of Agriculture Multan and disease was observed in the months of January-April during 2020-21 and 2021-22. Very low level of disease severity (DS) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) recorded in all the breeding lines. Epidemiological variables play an important role in the disease progression. Hence, out of hundred breeding lines screened in 2020-2021, 88 breeding lines were supposed to be immune to all naturally occurring race(s) of yellow rust and 12 lines were categorized as moderately resistant to moderately susceptible. Similarly, 92 breeding lines were found immune and 8 showed moderately resistant to moderately susceptible response out of 100 breeding lines during 2021-2022. The findings showed that a high proportion of wheat breeding lines showed no response towards the disease and supposed to be immune. The results from the correlation and regression analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the maximum, minimum temperature with yellow rust severity (%). While, there was a negative correlation of humidity during 2020-2021 and positive during 2021-2022. Sunshine hours showed the positive relationship with the yellow rust severity (%) during 2020-2021 and negative during 2021-2022. Current study revealed that breeding lines and pathogen were present, which was responsible for the disease in few breeding lines, while epidemiological factors were non-favorable for the disease to develop and progress at large scale. The findings of the current research clearly showed the importance of epidemiological factor which leads toward less disease development. The analysis of natural conditions with yellow rust helps to predict yellow rust outbreak and appropriate management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is a significant source of environmental contamination and it has a variety of physical and chemical properties. Pollution has a wide range of effects on living creatures. It exists in varied quantities at various locations and levels in the atmosphere. Noise pollution, water pollution, chemical pollution and air pollution are all examples of environmental pollution. Air pollution has been researched in the indoor and outdoor atmospheres of the world. Over the last 40 years, many studies have studied of air particulates in different countries. This study also analyzed and reviewed various sample collection, pre-treatment and analytical methodologies used in SPM during the four decades. The findings revealed that traffic exhausts are the primary source of SPM. In Asian countries (China, Pakistan, India, Nepal) of traffic areas followed by urban regions and lowest in rural areas similarly in African countries (Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Mali), Western countries (UK, USA, Spain, Greece) a nd in Arabian countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia) were found SPM and heavy metals. During the period of (1980-2020), this study elucidates the sources, analytical techniques, for the SPM and related metallic components. The metallic elements for SPM were Fe, Mg, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mn, Cr, Cd found during the past ten years in Asian countries. Using powder techniques, clay minerals were discovered in examined articles (SPM, free fall dust, indoor, outdoor, and under carpet dust). The study is being carryout to examine the presence of heavy metals and SPM in various ecosystems around the world. This research paper provides a comprehensive overview of heavy metals and SPM. Previous research on this topic over the previous four decades was thoroughly examined, in order to conduct experimental research; various equipments for collecting SPM samples were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the effect of services quality and system losses on the electricity supply using data from eight electricity distribution utilities in Pakistan. One-step system GMM estimation results find a negative and statistically significant effect of services quality on electricity supply by the electricity distribution utilities. The results further confirm the existence of the non-linear relationship between system losses and electricity supply. The estimated threshold level of system losses is 7 percent which is below the current level of losses at 18 percent. Our results reinforce that services quality standards for distribution utilities at their current level are not being determined accurately by NEPRA. NEPRA is suggested to revise its required performance standards and use the threshold level of system losses as a benchmark to set the targeted losses for each utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]