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The current study focused on the exploration of bacterial community in heavy metal contaminated soil using culture dependent and independent approaches that might be applied to the bioremediation process. A total of 150 bacterial colonies were examined from the heavy metal-contaminated soil at initial level, and 25 isolates were chosen for further examination. Finally, twelve strains were chosen for future research based on their high levels of heavy metal resistance. The 10 bacterial strains i.e.,1K-10K were then characterized on the basis of their morphology and microscopic analysis. The morphological and biochemical characteristic relied on the basis of Bergey's manual of bacterial classification that 1K as Pseudomonas sp., 2K as Enterobacter sp., 3K as Streptococcus sp., 4K as Staphylococcus sp.,5K as Staphylococcus sp., 6K as Pseudomonas sp., 7K as Micrococcus sp., 8K as Staphylococcus sp., 9K as Staphylococcus sp. & 10K as Staphylococcus sp. In metagenomics analysis, the most prevalent bacteria present in samples were "Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Pseudomonas Cyanobacteria, Bacteriodes, and Sphingomonas. Among the 29 identified phyla, Chloroflexi and Tenericutes were the most dominant phyla and their relative abundance ranged from 0.75-1.00. While, on the genera level, the most abundant genera were Blautia, Rhodoplanes followed by Prevotella and Arenimonas. The relative abundance of these genera ranged from 0.75% to 1.00%. Depending on the relative abundance of taxons, the results of this study showed Proteobacteria, Synergistetes and Bacteriodes were most abundant phylum while the least abundant phylum present in heavy metal contaminated soil was Chlamydia and Tenericutes. Screening of soil-based libraries using functional and sequence-based specifications, which has disclosed information on soil microbial communities, has made it possible to identify new microbial communities. Thus, the culture dependent and independent approaches revealed that even heavy metal contaminated soil compose of diverse group of bacterial community that could be explored for bioremediation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ciprofloxacin (CPX), is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic widely used to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. In recent years, ecological problems caused by the disposal of CPX-waste product have attracted increasing attention. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of different bacteria to remove CPX from water. The ability of five bacterial strains namely; Acenitobacter sp., Acenitobacter lwofii, Bacillus. pumilus, Burkholderia phytofirmans, and Mesorihizobium sp. were examined in this study. Tests were performed on Luria Bertani (LB) as well as on Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar at different CPX concentrations (20-100 mg L-1). All five tested bacterial strains showed growth on LB as well as on MH agar plates at all concentrations between 20 to 100 mg L-1 CPX. Three bacterial species: Acenitobacter lwofii, Bacillus pumilus, and Mesorihizobium sp. were reported more resistant to CPX of the five strains tested. In a shake flask study, the strain B. pumilus initially showed higher degradation rate (75.53%) followed by Acenitobacter lwofii (72.3%), Mesorihizobium sp. (70.32), Burkholderia phytofirmans (67.10%), and Acenitobacter sp. (63.2%) at low CPX concentration (5 mg L-1) in minimal saline media. However, Mesorihizobium sp. showed higher degradation efficiency (76.32%) at a higher CPX concentration (10 mg L-1). A group of three bacterial strains, A. lowfi, B. pumilus, and Mesorihizobium sp. showed good CPX degradation rate (95.4%), and achieved higher degradation efficiency than the single strains at 20 mg L-1 CPX concentration. Overall, the results suggest that using a combination of bacteria may be a useful tool for the remediation of antibiotic pollution. In addition, this study reveals the ability of previously isolated bacteria to biodegrade CPX as a sole source of carbon, providing new insights into the biodegradation of CPX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased prevalence of diseases in Tibetan pigs and yaks has significantly hampered the cultivation industry, leading to substantial socioeconomic losses and adversely affecting both Tibetan pig production and the livelihoods of surrounding nomads. To conduct a comprehensive analysis, relevant articles on epidemics affecting Tibetan pigs and yaks from 1990 to 2023 were collected from five databases: CNKI, Google, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The study findings, covering the period 1990 to 2023, revealed that Tibetan pigs faced primarily challenges from the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), Swine flu, Cysticercus tenuicollis, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) and Enterococci. Zoonotic diseases such as Trichinosis, Swine flu, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Toxoplasma gondii, Cystic echinococcosis (CE), and Japanese encephalitis virus were prevalent in the Tibetan pig area. Meanwhile, the yaks experienced severe outbreaks caused by bovine coronavirus (BCoV), bovine rotavirus A (BRVA), Echinococcus granulosus, Neosporosis IgM, Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp., significantly impacting their quality of life. Primary risk factors for diseases in Tibetan pigs and yaks included age, housing conditions, frequency of deworming and vaccinations, and environmental factors on the plateaus. This review aims to improve regional breeding practices for Tibetan pigs and yaks by addressing these risk factors, thus reducing the prevalence of various diseases in the future. Achieving these objectives will not only elevate the local socioeconomic status, but also establish the Tibetan pig and yak industry as an independent and flourishing sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans. On December 31st 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of a cluster of cases with pneumonia of unknown origin from Wuhan City, Hubei province of China. The WHO announced in February 2020 that COVID-19 is the official name of the coronavirus diseases. A total of 519,899 confirmed cases with 23,592 deaths linked to this pathogen as on March 27, 2020 have been reported. Due to increasing number of infected people across the continents and huge loss to human life, the WHO has declared the novel COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. A pandemic is defined as the "worldwide spread" of a new disease. Currently, no COVID-19 specific treatments have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). However, the current treatment options include hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, remdesivir, lopinavir-ritonavir (Kaletra®), and nitazoxanide. In recent past, some natural herbal compounds have demonstrated encouraging anti-viral properties. This article attempted to summarize available information on the reported anti- viral activity of some natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between acute heat stress and relevant histopathology and biochemical parameters of kidney function. A total of 80 healthy Arbor Acer (AA) broiler chickens were randomly divided into two groups: CT (Control Temperature; 22±1°C) group and HT (High Temperature; 38±1°C) group. Histopathological images revealed alteration in kidney (renal tubular lumen dilation with tubular necrosis, especially after 10h of heat stress) of broiler chickens in HT group leading to disturbance of acid base balance. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) as serum markers of renal dysfunction were elevated significantly (p<0.05) after 5h, and especially, after 10h of heat stress (p<0.01) as compared with CT group. These results indicated that the evaluation of morphological and functional parameters in kidney is required, in order to monitor broiler chickens exposed to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted for evaluating a natural source to treat inflammation and pain, to avoid the severe side effects of currently used agents for these ailments. Thuja Orientalis (More Pankh) is commonly used for the treatment of pain and inflammatory disorders in traditional medicine. Carrageenan induced inflammatory model, acetic acid induced writhing test and hot plate methods were used to evaluate anti-inflammatory, peripheral and central analgesic properties of aqueous methanolic extract of Thuja Orientalis fruit (To-Cr) in albino rats. Completely randomized design (CRD) was constructed for the study and one way ANOVA was applied to compare means. The results showed that TO-Cr has significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxin, one of the most important phytohormones enhances the root architecture, nutrient acquisition and plant growth. Present study provides the screening, characterization and optimization of auxin producing bacteria from wheat rhizosphere. Effects of auxin producing isolates on seed germination and growth of T. aestivum were also evaluated. The Bacillus megaterium, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Bacillus marinus (AUX36, AUX53, AUX137 and AUX142 respectively) were selected by salkowski reagent as auxin producers. Colorimetric analysis showed that all selected isolates produced maximum auxin in the presence of tryptophan at 37 °C and pH 7 after 72 hours of incubation. AUX36 and AUX137 produced maximum auxin at 0.98% (w/v) NaCl concentration, while AUX53 and AUX142 at 2% NaCl. Glucose supplementation enhanced the auxin in the culture filtrate of AUX53 and AUX137, while addition of sucrose in the growth medium enhanced the auxin production for all isolates except AUX142. The AUX36, AUX53 and AUX137, produced highest concentration of auxin at 0.1% peptone. Seed germination experiments using surface sterilized seeds of T. aestivum revealed that all isolates could increase root length of seedlings as compared to control. Comparison of various growth parameters after 15 days of growth showed that plant growth was significantly improved by bacterial treatments. All isolates had significant effect on root and shoot length of T. aestivum. It is concluded that Bacillus megaterium AUX36, Escherichia coli AUX53, Klebsiella pneumonia AUX137 and Bacillus marinus AUX142 may be used to develop indigenous biofertilizers in future after further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the commercial poultry growers use antibiotics for growth promotion and to many disadvantages like higher rearing cost, adverse side effects on health of birds, prolonged withdrawal period and residual effects. Some plants and their extracts improve feed intake and enzymatic activity of the birds. A few of these herbs have antimicrobial, Coccidiostatic or anthelmintic effects. A study was conducted at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore to see the effects of neem (azadirachta indica) on the hepato-renal functions in broilers chickens. Experiment was conducted on 144 day old commercial broilers chickens for a period of 42 days. The birds were equally divided into three groups; A, B and C with 48 chicks in each group. Each group was further subdivided into four subgroups with 12 birds in each subgroup. Dry neem leaf powder was added in feed of birds @ 2 grams/kg (A1, A2, A3); 4grams/kg (B1, B2, B3) and 6 grams/kg (C1, C2, C3). Subgroups A1, B1and C1were treated from 0-42 days of their life; subgroups A2, B2and C2 were fed with the herb from14-42 days, whereas subgroups A3, B3and C3 were given neem leaves from 28-42 days. Birds of subgroups A4, B4 and C4 were kept as untreated controls. On 42nd day, significantly (p<0.05) decreased serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotranferase (AST) levels were recorded in birds of subgroups A1, B1, and C1 as compared to other subgroups within their respective main groups. Serum creatinine and especially serum uric acid values showed a decreasing trend with increased level of neem leaf meal. It was concluded that azadirachta indica at limited dose rate might be used as hepatoprotecter in commercial poultry without any toxic effects and it was also concluded that proteins in the diets were more effectively utilized in the neem treated birds. Key words: azadirachta indica, growth promoter, commercial poultry, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum creatinine and serum uric acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was designed to determine the hematological and biochemical changes in sheep following the experimental Clostridium perfringens type D infection. Mean leukocyte count was significantly higher (p < 0.05) between control and infected groups at 10 hours (11.2±0.3 vs 19.7±3.5), 20 hours (10.6±0.3 vs 16.9±0.2) and then started to decrease in infected group. A statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) was observed between the means within the infected for PCV at 30 hours. Mean blood glucose (74±6.7 vs 141±13.2), urea (26.3±3.5 vs 92.3±6.7) and serum creatinine 1.6±0.2 vs 7.5±1.4) levels were elevated significantly at 30 hours in group of experimentally infected animals as compared to control groups. The results of our study demonstrated that hematological values fluctuated after post experimental infection but almost remained within the normal range however, blood glucose, urea and serum creatinine levels increased significantly as the disease progressed and could be diagnostic under field conditions in animals suspected for type D enterotoxaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the penetration enhancing effect of two polysorbates polyoxyethylene 20 (POE-20) and polyoxyethylene 80 (POE-80)-on the in vitro percutaneous absorption of ascorbic acid (AA). Methods: For the permeation experiments, Franz diffusion cell covered with aluminum foil providing an effective diffusion area of 1.76 cm2 and hairless rabbit skin were used. A range of concentrations (1 – 5 %) of POE-20 and POE-80 was added to the ascorbic acid to determine their optimum enhancement concentration. Results: The cumulative amount of AA that diffused across the skin increased with increase in the concentration of the permeation enhancers. Without the enhancer, AA flux was 0.626 μg/cm2/h while mean permeability coefficient (Kp) was 2.09 × 10-6 cm/h. AA flux was 3.17 and 2.44 μg/cm2/h for POE-20 and POE-80, respectively, while mean permeability coefficient was 10.6 × 10-6 and 8.14 × 10-6 Kp, cm/h. Maximum flux (3.16 μg/cm /h) at POE-20 concentration of 5 % was obtained, with an enhancement ratio (ER) of 5.07 in relation to control (i.e., AA without enhancer). For POE-80 (5 %), maximum flux was 2.44 μg/cm2/h with an ER value of 3.89, compared to control. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that POE-20 and POE-80 exerted a penetration enhancing effect on the percutaneous absorption of L-ascorbic acid (AA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cubic shaped zinc stannate nanocatalyst (ZS-NC) with the average crystallite size of 32.58 nm was prepared by sol-gel method using ZnO and SnO2 as a precursors. The crystal structural composition was investigated through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The microstructure analysis was done over scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the optical property was studied by operating diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The rhodamine 6G was degraded in aqueous under the influence of solar light in the presence of ZS-NC and photocatalytic parameters were derived by using a set of equations. It has been observed almost the dye (99.38%) was mineralized in 330 min with degradation rate of 1.281 X 10-2/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally pomegranate is not similar to other fruit crops of temperate, tropical or subtropical fruits except that it behaves as deciduous in temperate but in tropical and subtropical regions it behaves as an evergreen or partially deciduous. Most of the trees are 5-6 branched per tree and the air temperature is one of the main causes of fruit cracking. The hermaphrodite flowers in different cultivars ranged from 19.67 to 49%. The chemical characters particularly total soluble solids, total sugars, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents play a major role in crop due to their essentiality in fruit quality and postharvest life of harvested produce. Besides affecting plant growth, the micro-nutrients play main role in disease and cracked incidence in cultivated crop species. Anar-butterfly and cracking incidence are the major limiting factors in cultivation and are mostly prevalent throughout the world. Foliar application of some micronutrients particularly Mn, Zn and B has received greater attention in the studies involving the use of inorganic fertilizer application. There is an evidence to indicate that number of exotic as well as indigenous cultivars give better yield and are economical as compared to other fruit crops. The predominant sugars present in pomegranate were fructose particularly glucose, sucrose and maltose contents were almost negligible. Novel approaches include use of superior cultivars having resistance to fruit cracking and anar-butterfly and genetic improvement regarding the traits. In view of the importance of different cultivars in today's world, it is felt that evaluation of horticultural crops particularly pomegranate crop will play a definite and major role in addressing the economy of the nations in coming years mostly in under developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterococci are considered as important opportunistic pathogens causing different infections in farm animals. The main aim of the experiment was to describe the prevalence of high-level aminoglycoside resistant (HLAR) Enterococci isolated from Tibetan pigs. In current study, 51 samples were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by testing the high level streptomycin resistance (HLSR) and high level gentamicin resistance (HLGR) by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AME) genes aac(6')-Ie-aph(2')-Ia, aph(2)-Ic, aph(3)-IIIa, ant(4)-Ia, ant(6')-Ia and ant(3')-(9) in Enterococci were detected by PCR. Results showed that the prevalence of HLSR, HLGR and HLGR + HLSR was found to be 68.6, 76.5, and 39.2% respectively; and ant (4')-Ia and aac(6')-Ie-aph(2')-Ia genes showed 62.7 and 70.6% prevalence, respectively; however, other AME genes were found all negative. In conclusion, the isolates of Enterococci from Tibetan pigs have produced high level resistance to aminoglycoside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, urinary tract infection (UTI) is considered a major public health concern and the second most common bacterial infection affecting individuals of different ages. Bacteria are responsible for about 95% of UTIs. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in uropathogens may lead to poor treatment outcomes in individuals with UTIs. The knowledge of the microorganism involves and antibiograms are important for the empirical treatment of UTIs. A cross-sectional study was carried out over 7 months (January to July 2019) with a focus on the identification of bacterial pathogens causing UTI and the evaluation of their antibiogram. In total, 804 urine samples were collected from individuals with suspected UTIs and inoculated on recommended media. Isolation and identification of the bacterial strains were performed using standard microbiological protocols. Antibiotic susceptibility was carried out following CLSI recommended guidelines. Among the tested specimens, 290 (36.1%) had significant bacterial growth and 147 (50.7%) of the strains were isolated from female patients. The frequently identified isolates were Escherichia coli (68.9%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (6.7%). The highest percentages of resistance have been observed against tested antibiotics. The majority of the isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers (85.2%) and multidrug-resistant (98.3%). We observed that Gram-negative bacteria were the main cause of UTIs where the predominant microorganism was E. coli ., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the role and expression of a novel angiogenic factor (angiopoietin-like 4, ANGPTL4) in tibial growth plates of broiler chickens exposed to high-altitude hypoxia. One-day-old healthy broiler chickens (n = 120) were transported from lowland to a high-altitude hypoxic region (nearly 3,000 m above sea level) and were reared under hypoxic- (natural lower oxygen content) and normoxic conditions (nearly 21% oxygen content) for 14 days. The effect of hypoxia on angiogenesis in the tibial growth plates and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and ANGPTL4 expressions were determined by histological examination, quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. The increase in vascular distribution to the hypertrophic chondrocyte zone of tibial growth plates contributed to promoting growth and development of the tibia under hypoxic conditions, which was highly correlated with the upregulation of ANGPTL4 at both the mRNA and protein levels together with activation of HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions. These findings demonstrate that angiogenic factor ANGPTL4 upregulation is involved in tibial growth plate angiogenesis to promote the development of the tibia in broiler chickens under hypoxic conditions. They also suggest that ANGPTL4 may serve as a new molecular therapeutic target for ameliorating tibial dyschondroplasia chicken bone vascularization., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)