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In this study, dry sand impact and linear polarization resistance (LPR) monitoring techniques were used to study the detrimental effects of the sand size on surface morphology of the mild steel. An electrochemical mechanism was developed to measure the resistance of the metal coupons rotating in a slurry of 4 wt% NaCl and 5 wt% sand. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and hardness testing of the eroded coupons were conducted to elaborate their surface topography. In-depth analysis revealed that not only the larger particles but smaller particles as well caused significant erosion-corrosion of the steel coupons. It was noticed that hardness and density of the erodent particles were reasonably high to induce the plastic deformation and micro-structures at the metal surface. The LPR measurements revealed high coupon resistance in the fine sand slurry than in the coarse sand slurry. The localized corrosion and erosion-corrosion attacks on the metal surface were also supplemented with the stirring rate and the presence of NaCl in the solution. The corrosion rate was sharply increased with an increase in stirring rate above 500 rpm.

Magnetically separable rGO/MgFe2O4 nanocomposites having favorable photocatalytic activity were prepared by one step hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and raman analysis confirmed the spinel structure of magnesium ferrite nanoparticles. The UV–visible measurements indicated that the rGO/MgFe2O4 photocatalyst exhibits the strong visible absorption. Two probe electrical conductivity (I-V) measurements exhibited the higher conductivity of rGO/MgFe2O4 nanocomposite relative to MgFe2O4 nanoparticles. The magnetic measurements showed that the rGO/MgFe2O4 nanocomposite could be collected from water when an external magnetic field is applied. The photocatalytic studies were carried out by taking methylene blue as model organic compound under visible light irradiation. The photo-electrochemical (PEC) water splitting properties of the rGO/MgFe2O4 nanocomposite exhibited higher PEC performance compared to MgFe2O4 nanoparticles owing to the suppression of charge recombination. The results showed that nanocomposite can be used as photocatalysts for degradation of organic compounds in the polluted water.

Background: A number of life threatening infections due to various bacterial pathogens are major cause of death in Pakistan. In a situation like the other developing countries, there is a general increase in the drug resistance due to the irrational use of the antibiotics. The present study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence and development of resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae against commonly used antibiotics. Methods and Materials: A total of 200 samples from different wards of the hospitals were received by the pathology laboratory of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, which comprised of urine 65, blood 50 and other miscellaneous samples from various sources. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated and characterized using morphological, cultural, and biochemical methods and were further confirmed by using commercially available API 20E kit. The isolates were subjected to culture sensitivity test using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: The organism was found to be the most prevalent Gram-negative bacilli. K. pneumoniae showed highest resistance against coamoxiclav and cephalosporins. Conclusion: The study revealed that ESBL producing strains were resistant to most of the beta-lactam antibiotics. This trend therefore has become a significant problem and can be controlled with continued surveillance or monitoring for rationally improved antibiotics usage, in order to prevent the drug resistance and re-emergence of infection.

Royleanumioside (1), a new lupane type triterpenoid, was secluded from the CHCl3 soluble fraction of Teucrium royleanum. The structure of royleanumioside (1) was ascertained by spectral studies including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and by the assessment with the reported data in literature. This new identified compound 1 was further tested for its phytotoxic activity against lettuce seedlings. Interestingly royleanumioside (1) had shown moderate phytotoxic activity.

A suitable combination of window and absorber layers plays a vital role in the fabrication of an efficient solar cell system. Here, we report the investigations concerning tin antimony sulfide, SnSb4S7 (TAS) thin film as an n-type window layer, prepared on the cleaned glass substrate via thermal evaporation technique. The obtained 150 nm thin films were annealed at 150, 200, 250, and 300 °C in an argon atmosphere, and then analyzed to get insight about its potential in a solar cell as an n-type window layer. The resistance of the films, determined via Van der Pauw technique, is found to be decreased (76–52 MΩ) with increasing annealing temperature. XRD analysis showed that the calculated crystallite size of the sample annealed at 300 °C was around 16 ± 0.5 nm, which is consistent with the characteristic range of window layer. Moreover, the calculated band gap (2.3–2.85 eV), low absorbance, and high transmittance values in the visible range also endorse the potential of TAS thin film for window layer.

The objective of research work remained to study the effect of Selenium and Vit.E on Liver performance and efficiency in Rhode Island Red chicks to convert food into body mass. This research work was conducted to check the effects of selenium and Vitamin E on Liver function test in Rhode Island Red a day old chicks (n=96) which were set into four treatment groups. Group A was control group, Group B was administered with 1ml/10litre, Group C was administered with 1ml/7.5litre and Group D was given 1ml/5litre of Selenium and Vitamin E respectively. In Rhode Island Red chicks the amount of ALAT and ASAT decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) after administration of selenium and vitamin E in all treated groups. Samplings were carried out at regular intervals. The value of alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) on 1st sampling and increased significantly (p>0.05) on 2nd, 3rd and 4th sampling in all treated groups. The amount of Bilirubin decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) in all treated groups except group B and C where a slight increase was observed on 4th and 3rd sampling respectively. There was significant difference (p less than 0.05) in feed conversion ratio (FCR) between control group and treated groups. The research suggested that vitamin E acts as immune enhancer by increasing the resistance against diseases and has also a positive effect on the feed conversion ratio and liver function test of the desi layer birds (Rhode Island Red).

The present study was aimed to document detailed ethnopharmacological knowledge of medicinal plants against livestock infections of an unexplored remote region of Pakistan. Semistructured questionnaires were used for data collection. Total 43 plants belonging to 26 families were found to be used in ethnoveterinary practices. Seeds (29%) were found to be the most frequent plant part used followed by leaves (22%). Ethnoveterinary recipes were mostly prepared in the form of decoction and powdering. Informant consensus factor (Fic) results revealed high consensus for gastrointestinal (0.81), mastitis (0.82), and dermatological infections (0.80).Curcuma longaranked first with highest fidelity level (FL) value (66%) followed byTrachyspermum ammithat ranked second (58%). Preference ranking (PR) results showed thatZingiber officinale,Punica granatum,Triticum aestivum,Gossypium hirsutum, andWithania coagulanswere the most preferred species for the treatment of diarrhea. Direct matrix ranking (DMR) results showed thatMorus alba,Melia azedarach,Withania coagulans,Cassia fistula,Azadirachta indica, andTamarix aphyllawere the multipurpose species of the region. We invite the attention of pharmacologists and chemists for further exploration of plants having high Fic, FL, and PR values in the present study. Conservation strategies should be adopted for the protection of multipurpose plant species.

The present study deals with the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and functional group analysis ofHeliotropium bacciferumextracts. Disc diffusion susceptibility method was followed for antimicrobial assessment. Noteworthy antimicrobial activities were recorded by various plant extracts against antibiotic resistant microorganisms. Plant flower extracts antioxidant activity was investigated against 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical by ultraviolet spectrophotometer (517 nm). Plant extracts displayed noteworthy radical scavenging activities at all concentrations (25–225 μg/mL). Notable activities were recorded by crude, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts up to 88.27% at 225 μg/mL concentration. Compounds functional groups were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies. Alkanes, alkenes, alkyl halides, amines, carboxylic acids, amides, esters, alcohols, phenols, nitrocompounds, and aromatic compounds were identified by FTIR analysis. Thin layer chromatography bioautography was carried out for all plant extracts. Different bands were separated by various solvent systems. The results of the current study justify the use ofHeliotropium bacciferumin traditional remedial herbal medicines.

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep of seven different regions of District Dir (Lower), Pakistan. Lateral Flow Chromatographic Immunoassay (LFCI), Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) and Enzyme-Linked immunosorbentAssay (ELISA) were used for the detection of T.gondii infection in sheep.Out of 175 sheepsera samples analyzed, 72 (41.14%) were found positive for T. gondii antibodies. Overall prevalence in sheep indicated highest infection at Khall (48%), followed by Samarbagh (44%), LalQilla (44%), Adenzai (44%),Balambat (40%), Timergara (36%), and lowest in Munda (32%). The occurrence of T. gondii infection in older sheep was higher (48.42%) than younger ones (32.5%), indicating older sheep to be more susceptible to toxoplasmosis as compared to younger ones. The prevalence rate in female sheep was higher (42.4%) as compared to male sheep (38%). This study demonstrates that older female sheep have low immunity to toxoplasmosis. The present study showed that infected sheep might be a probable risk for human toxoplasmosis. Therefore, proper measures should be taken to control and avoid toxoplasmosis in sheep in this region.

The objective of present study was to document and preserve ethnomedicinal knowledge use to treat different human ailments by traditional healers of Dera Ismail Khan region, Pakistan. Field work was conducted between February 2012 and January 2013 using semistructured questionnaires. Data was collected from 120 traditional healers through questionnaire survey. Traditional healers in the study area use 70 plant species mostly herbs (57%) for ethnomedicinal and other purposes. The highest FIC values (0.80) were obtained each for gastrointestinal and kidney problems followed by respiratory infections (0.72) and skin infections (0.73). There was a significant correlation (r (2) = 0.950; p0.01) between the age and traditional knowledge of respondent. Direct matrix ranking indicated Morus alba and Dalbergia sissoo as highly multipurpose and threatened species in the study area. The results showed high dependency of local inhabitants on medicinal plants in meeting their primary health care needs. Moreover, the traditional knowledge has been restricted to elder people. Protection measures should be taken in order to conserve precious multipurpose species that are facing overexploitation. Medicinal plants treating major ailments in the region may be subjected to phytochemical and pharmacological investigations for the identification of bioactive compounds.

Background: Veronia anthelmintica (Kaliziri) is a medicinally very important plant as being reported for remarkable therapeutic potential. The present research evaluates its antischistosomal activity.Methods and Materials: 54 buffaloes naturally infected with Schistosomiasis were used for anthelmintic trails. All animals for the study were tagged so as to distinguish from others. The animals were checked up on routine basis by a veterinary doctor. Preparation of samples of herbal drug and experiment was design according to available literature.Results: During present studies, buffalos naturally infected with Schistosomiasis were treated with Veronia anthelmintica (Kaliziri), with dose 75 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg and 225 mg/kg body weight respectively, and their impact on various parameters like eggs reduction, milk production, weight gain and feed intake was noted. Furthermore, their efficiency (%) was compared with standard drug “Praziquantel” (allopathic drug) at “10mg/Kg” body weight dose level. The effectiveness (%) of “Praziquantel” was noted as hundred after first dose, while the effectiveness for the herbal drug get to this level after injecting of second dose of “225mg/kg body weight”. Statistically significant (P

Background: Peganum harmala have many biological and pharmacological activities such as antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic and antiinflammatory. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antischistosomal activities of Peganum harmala with special reference to bovine schistosomiasis in naturally infected buffaloes. Methods and Materials: A total of 54 naturally infected buffaloes with “Schistosomiasis” of ages around five years were used for anthelmintic studies. All of the buffaloes were properly marked so as to make a distinction from one other. A doctor of veterinary was available for daily checkup. Samples prepared according to the available methods in literature. Results: In the present study, naturally infected buffaloes with Schistosoma bovis were treated with Peganum harmala (Harmal, seed), with dose 75 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg and 225 mg/kg body weight respectively, and their impact on various parameters like eggs reduction, milk production, weight gain and feed intake was noted. Furthermore, their efficiency (%) was evaluated with “Praziquantel” (allopathic drug) at “10mg/Kg body weight” dose level. After first dose of “Praziquantel” hundred percent effectiveness was noted, while the same result obtained for herbal drug after giving second dose of “225mg/kg body weight”. To evaluate the effect of herbal medicines on protein portions, sera of treated and control buffaloes were also investigated. Conclusion: From present findings, it is concluded that the herb Peganum harmala can easily replace Praziquantal (PZQ) with almost same efficiency (%). Furthermore, the herb is easily available at cheap price at local market and it will be good for the economy of Pakistan

Background: E. coli is the most common producer of extended spectrum beta lactamase enzyme (ESBL) which confers broad spectrum resistance to antibiotics like penicillin, cephalosporin and monobactum. Methods and Materials: The present study was carried out at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. The marked resistance was viewed against amoxicilline-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone and ceftazidime. The most effective drugs established were sulbactum-cefoparazone, amikacin, pepircillin-tazobactum. A total of 220 samples of wide range were selected, i.e., blood, urine, pus, sputum, etc. and were analyzed using various techniques of Gram staining and biochemical identification. Results: After performing antibiotic sensitivity tests, 83% samples came out to be ESBL positive and 17% were ESBL negative. Conclusion: It was concluded that to ensure adequate treatment of infections arising especially from urinary pathogens and controlling spread of bacterial resistant strains, the continuous monitoring by bacterial susceptibility testing is essential.

This study was carried out in order to investigate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats of seven different regions of District Dir (Lower), Pakistan. Lateral Flow Chromatographic Immunoassay (LFCI), Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were used for the detection of T. gondii infection in goats. A total of 175 blood samples were collected from goats. Out of which 70 (40%) were found positive for T. gondii. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis among goats in seven areas of District Dir (Lower) was found high at Samarbagh (48%), Balambat (44%) followed by khall (40%), Munda (40%), LalQilla (36%) and lowest in Adenzai and Timergara (36%). This study demonstrated that the prevalence in older goats was significantly (P< 0.05) higher (48.91%) than younger ones (30.12%). The seroprevalence in male and female goats were 16 (29%) and 54 (45%) respectively.

Pakistani Himalaya stretches over a wide range of altitudinal gradients and supports high diversity of medicinal plants that are an important source for rural livelihood. Altitudinal effects on ground vegetation have already been indicated but ground vegetation is also under severe threat of grazing and over collection. The present study investigated the effect of altitude on medicinal plants abundance in both old-growth and derived woodland forests. Each of the five line transects was selected in old-growth and derived woodland forests. Each line transect consisted of four plots distributed at four altitudinal levels (2200, 2300, 2400, and 2500 m asl). Species richness under derived woodland had shown strong negative correlation (r=-0.95) with altitude while it was found to be nonsignificant under old-growth. Cover of most of the species such asVeronica laxa(r=-0.95,P≤0.05) had shown significant negative correlation with altitude under derived woodland. Cover abundance of some species likeValeriana jatamansiand Violacanescenshas also shown significant negative correlation under old-growth forest. Derived woodland can decrease the cover abundance of valuable medicinal plants towards extension at higher altitudes. Thus, protection of the derived woodland could serve as a tool for the improvement of rural livelihood and ecological restoration.

The present study was aimed at documenting the detailed ethnomedicinal knowledge of an unexplored area of Pakistan. Semistructured interviews were taken with 55 informants randomly chosen regarding detailed ethnomedicinal and sociocultural information. The study exposed 67 medicinal plant species used to prepare 110 recipes and the major modes of herbal formulation were decoction and powdering (20% each). The disease categories with the highest Fic values were gastrointestinal and dermatological (0.87 each). The study determined 3 plant species, i.e.,Acacia modestaWall.,Caralluma tuberculataR.Br., andWithania somnifera(L.) Dunal with a FL of 100%. DMR results showed thatOlea ferruginea(Sol.) Steud. ranked first,Morus albaL. ranked second, andMelia azedarachL. ranked third. Among the 55 informants, the male concentration was high (61%) and most of them were over 40 years old while a leading quantity of respondents (45%) was uneducated. There is a dire need to take necessary steps for the conservation of important medicinal plants by inhibiting overgrazing and providing alternate fuel resources. Young generations should be educated regarding the importance of ethnomedicinal knowledge and plants with high Fic and FL values should be further checked chemically and pharmacologically for future exploration of modern medicine.

One new royleanumoate, a benzene ester (1), has been isolated fromT. royleanumWall. ex Benth along with two known compounds, namely, 3,4-dihydroxymethyl benzoate (2) and oleanolic acid (3). The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was established on two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques including heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), heteronuclear multiple quantum Coherence (HMQC), and correlation spectroscopy (COSY) experiment.

Fasciolosis is the burning problem of the livestock rearing community having huge morbidity, mortality, and economic losses to livestock industries in our country Pakistan. The faecal and liver biopsy samplings were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopy technique during the entire study. A total of 307 samples including 149 samples from Karak and 158 samples from Kohat abattoirs were examined by PCR method and overall prevalence of fasciolosis was 5.86% (18/307), amongst theses 8.05% (12/149) in liver biopsy and 3.79% (6/158) in feacal samples of cattle and Buffaloes were recorded. Similarly the microscopy based detection was 3.58% (11/307) including 4.61% (7/149) in liver biopsy and 2.5% (4/158) in faecal samples accordingly. Furthermore the areawise prevalence of fasciolosis in abattoirs by PCR method was found to be 7.59% (12/158) in Kohat and 4.02% (6/149) in Karak. A 618 pb DNA was amplified in 2% agarose gel electrophoreses. It is concluded from the study that prevalence of fasciolosis was higher in abattoir of district Kohat and PCR was a more sensitive method of diagnosis than microscopy.

The aims of the present study were (i) to document ethnoveterinary plants and their formulation techniques in an unexplored region of Pakistan and (ii) to select candidate medicinal plants with high consensus factor and fidelity value for furtherin vitroinvestigation. A total of 60 informants were interviewed using semistructured questionnaire. A total of 41 plants belonging to 30 families were used to treat livestock ailments in study area. Mostly leaves (47%) were used in recipes formulation mostly in the form of decoction. Gastrointestinal infections were found more common and majority of the plants were used against cow (31) and buffaloes (24) ailments. Recovery time of majority of the recipes was three to four days. Informant consensus factor (Fic) results have shown a high degree of consensus for gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive (0.95 each) ailments. Fidelity level (FL) results showed thatAsparagus gracilisranked first with FL value 93% followed byRumex hastatusranked second (91%) andTinospora cordifoliaranked third (90%). Aged farmers and nomads had more traditional knowledge as compared to younger ones. Plants with high Fic and FL values could be further investigatedin vitrofor the search of some novel bioactive compounds and young generation should be educated regarding ethnoveterinary practices.

The fruits of four wild plants, namely,Capparis decidua, Ficus carica, Syzygium cumini, andZiziphus jujuba, are separately used as traditional dietary and remedial agents in remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The results of our study on these four plants revealed that the examined fruits were a valuable source of nutraceuticals and exhibited good level of antimicrobial activity. The fruits of these four investigated plants are promising source of polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins. These four plants' fruits are good sources of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and chromium. It was also observed that these fruits are potential source of antioxidant agent and the possible reason could be that these samples had good amount of phytochemicals. Hence, the proper propagation, conservation, and chemical investigation are recommended so that these fruits should be incorporated for the eradication of food and health related problems.

Diuretics are used for different diseases and are taken without knowing their adverse/side effects. To create awareness, four popular diuretics, Lasix, Spiromide, Aldactone and Conium were investigated for their effect on body. These were experimented over four volunteers with single and double doses. The urine of these volunteers was collected for analysis of sodium and potassium. The obtained results showed that the effect of medicine remained up to 6 to 12 h. In this duration, the sodium excreted value went up for a certain period and then became almost normal and same was true for potassium. The increase in dosage increased the rate of excretion of the cations and also prolonged the time period of their effects. It is concluded that although Lasix, a potential diuretic but its effects over body were also severe in terms of excretion of ions etc. Similarly, Spiromide was also noted to be a reasonably effective diuretic and its effects are totally different from Lasix in terms of excretion of ions and body weight loss. The other two medicines (Aldactone and Conium) did not show much effect upon excretion etc. Key words: Urine, Lasix, Spiromide, Aldactone, Conium.

Heavy metals contents including Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cu, Cd and Ag and inorganic constituents like HCO3-, CO3-2, Ca+2, Mg+2, Cl-, Na+, K+, SO4-2, NO3-, Fe+2 and F- are quantitatively determined in Citrolus colocynthis, Opuntia monocantha, Gallium apparine, Foeniculum vulgare, Equisetum arvensis, Hypericum perforatum, Carthamus lanatus and Cichorium intybus collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are of Pakistan using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer techniques. The study showed that the level of Fe was found very high as compared to Zn and Ag. In case of the inorganic constituents, the level of the components was found high except florid and potassium with very low concentration. All the parameters were found below the maximum permissible level. These results obtained from the current study are of particular importance by providing a scientific data base which will be very helpful for pharmaceutical consumption and for the local practitioners using these herbs for different types of ailments. Key words: Medicinal plants, inorganic constituents, heavy metals, atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Schistosomosis is a disease of veterinary and medical importance caused by Schistosoma spp is characterized by frequent diarrhea with blood and mucous, weight loss and weakness in animals and causes significant morbidity, mortality and economic loss in cattle population. The study was designed to analyze/detect the schistosoma spp by coprological and serological examination (IHA) in cows and buffaloes of different areas of Punjab, Pakistan (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala and Sialkot) from March 2007- February 2008. Both the techniques (coprological and serological examination (IHA) for Schistosomosis in cows and buffaloes were compared. Overall prevelance of Schistosomosis in cows and buffaloes was noted 14.0% and 13.6% by coprological examination and 17% and 16.3% by indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), respectively. Statistical analysis showed non-significant difference in indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) and fecal examination. Similarly month, area, age and sex wise seroprevalence of Schistosomosis was noted higher by IHA test than coprological examination in cows and buffaloes. Sensitivity (%) and specificity (%) of IHA test was noted 100% and >97.0%, respectively. The study reveals that Schistosomosis is prevalent in the study areas and needed proper preventive measure to minimize its prevalence. Besides that it is found that IHA is a good diagnostic tool for detection of Schistosomosis.