Point Prevalence of Toxocara vitulorum in Large Ruminants Slaughtered at Multan Abattoir

The present study was conducted to determine the point prevalence of Toxocara (T.) vitulorum in buffalo and cattle slaughtered at Multan abattoir. Gastro-intestinal tracts of 94 buffaloes and 48 cattle were examined for T. vitulorum. Prevalence of T. vitulorum was 63.83 and 37.50% in buffaloes and cattle, respectively. Sex wise prevalence of T. vitulorum was recorded as 39.46% (30/76) in male and 72.72% (48/66) in female

Harnessing the power of metal-organic frameworks to develop microplastic fouling resistant forward osmosis membranes

With the gradual increase of microplastics (MPs) in water and wastewater streams, it is imperative to investigate their removal using tertiary treatment systems to minimize and preferably prevent their entrance into aquatic environments. Forward osmosis (FO) is a non-pressurized membrane process with potential applications in MPs removal from wastewater. However, efficient application of FO systems relies on developing high-performance FO membranes with low fouling tendency. MPs are proven as emerging foulants in membrane systems, diminishing their performance and lifetime and this highlights the need to consider MP fouling in developing sustainable membranes. The current study focuses on a novel modification of thin film composite (TFC) FO membranes by MIL-53(Fe) as a water-stable and hydrophilic metal-organic framework. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimized FO membrane (0.2 wt% MIL-53(Fe)) achieved a significantly higher water flux (90% increase) with a 23% less reverse salt flux. The modified membrane also had significantly less flux decline in fouling experiments and higher flux recovery after physical cleaning compared to the control membrane affirming its higher antifouling efficiency. MIL-53(Fe) integration in the FO substrate proved to be a practical method for developing high-performance TFC FO membranes with improved antifouling properties against MPs and organic foulants

MIL-53(Fe) derived magnetic CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 composite for catalytic oxidation of sulfamethoxazole via peroxymonsulfate activation

Design of metal–organic framework (MOF) derived metal oxides is an effective approach for environmental remediation. The current study describes the fabrication of MIL-53-derived perforated CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 using a facile, one-step, post-thermal solid-state approach by varying Cu/Fe ratios. Herein, the release of CO2 and H2O during the thermal treatment facilitates the incorporation of Cu2+ onto the Fe2O3 structure, forming a perforated hollow CuFe2O4/Fe2O3 composite via an in-situ ion-exchange mechanism. The optimised catalyst CF-0.5 displays a high degradation efficiency for the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by heterogeneous activation of peroxymonsulfate (PMS), ascribing to the better textural, morphological, and elemental properties of the novel catalyst. Important reaction parameters such as pH, catalyst loading, PMS dosage, pollutant kind and concentration, and reaction temperature are further optimised to develop a cost-effective catalytic system. The magnetically recoverable catalyst outlines a high stability rate, and only a 9 % efficiency loss is observed even after the fourth cycle. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are identified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and their roles are determined by performing quenching experiments. In the end, a detailed study of the mineralisation ability and reaction intermediates is performed and possible pathways for the degradation mechanism are proposed. This study not only introduces a facile approach for the fabrication of MOF-driven nanomaterials but provides insights into the removal of emerging contaminants such as SMX

Anti-nociceptive activities of medicinal plants: A Review

Medicinal plants are traditionally used in worldwide as analgesic and for treatment of inflammatory disorders. In the present review, the antinociceptive effects of plants have been discussed. Medicinal plants are gaining popularity among population due to low cost and best efficacy. Pain is symptom of various illnesses and drugs that relive pain is a subject of pharmaceutical research. Objective of this article is to document the plants having anti-nociceptive activities. Material for this review was taken mostly from textbooks & electronic journal Up to date. To collect publication PubMed, google scholars and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews was used. Some other relevant references were collected from personal database of papers on antinociceptive. A total of 76 reports on plants have been found to report such activities. While 7 reports were explained in detail, 69 plants were mentioned having activities. This review will summarize medicinal plants or their constituents with analgesic-like activity from the chemical and pharmacological perspectives. The data show that these medicinal plants have potential to treat pain and may be helpful for therapeutic purposes

The interactive impact of straw mulch and biochar application positively enhanced the growth indexes of maize (Zea mays L.) crop

A two-year experiment was carried out at Shenyang Agricultural University’s research field area in China to evaluate the impact of the combined application of straw mulch (0 and 8 t ha−1) and biochar (0, 4, 12, and 36 t ha−1) on the morphological traits and grain development of rainfed maize during 2018 and 2019. The results showed that straw mulch and different biochar application rates significantly impacted the maize growth index. Compared to non-biochar-treated soils, the introduction of straw mulch improved plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index (LAI), leaves, stem, root, and crop growth rate (CGR), and dry weight of rainfed maize crop. The highest plant height, stem diameter, LAI, leaves, stem, root growth rate, CGR, and dry weight of rainfed maize crop were reported when soil was treated with a higher rate of biochar (36 t ha−1). Biochar increased grain filling rate while decreasing grain filling duration in rainfed maize crops. Our results indicate that straw mulch and biochar-based soil management strategies can improve the rainfed maize growth with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. However, due to the wide range of biochar properties, the interactions between straw mulch and biochar should be given special consideration in the maize cropping system

Heterogeneous activation of persulfate by macroscopic nitrogen-doped graphene oxide cubes for the degradation of antibiotic contaminants in water

As a sustainable and green approach, carbocatalysis, a metal-free strategy, has shown exceptional results in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Nonetheless, the recovery of these catalysts has been a major shortcoming over the years. Herein, three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene macrostructures (3D-NGMs), in the form of macro cubes, were synthesised by a simple cross-linking and thermal annealing procedure, after which they were employed in the activation of peroxydisulfate (PS) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The catalytic cubes were loaded with different amounts of nitrogen precursor to investigate the role of nitrogen configuration in the sp2 hybridised carbon network on AOPs. NGC3 cubes with optimum N-loading exhibited outstanding performance for SMX degradation owing to their optimum N/C ratio. Various reaction parameters were studied to optimise the catalytic system. Comprehensive studies on the radical generation were done and illustrated the dominance of the non-radical pathway leading to the proposal of a possible reaction mechanism for SMX. This study not only suggests the role of nitrogen doping on graphene macrostructures but also provides novel insights into macro catalysis to overcome the recovery challenges posed by nano catalysis

Angiogenesis: Managing the Culprits behind Tumorigenesis and Metastasis

Deregulated angiogenesis has been identified as a key contributor in a number of pathological conditions including cancer. It is a complex process, which involves highly regulated interaction of multiple signalling molecules. The pro-angiogenic signalling molecule, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its cognate receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), which is often highly expressed in majority of human cancers, plays a central role in tumour angiogenesis. Owing to the importance of tumour vasculature in carcinogenesis, tumour blood vessels have emerged as an excellent therapeutic target. The anti-angiogenic therapies have been shown to arrest growth of solid tumours through multiple mechanisms, halting the expansion of tumour vasculature and transient normalization of tumour vasculature which help in the improvement of blood flow resulting in more uniform delivery of cytotoxic agents to the core of tumour mass. This also helps in reduction of hypoxia and interstitial pressure leading to reduced chemotherapy resistance and more uniform delivery of cytotoxic agents at the targeted site. Thus, complimentary combination of different agents that target multiple molecules in the angiogenic cascade may optimize inhibition of angiogenesis and improve clinical benefit in the cancer patients. This review provides an update on the current trend in exploitation of angiogenesis pathways as a strategy in the treatment of cancer.Ashwaq H. S. Yehya is funded by TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Italy). Chern Ein Oon is supported by L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science National Fellowship (304/CIPPM/650806/L117) and MAKNA Cancer Research Award (304/CIPPM/650859/M122)

Infekcija vrstom Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale u crvenolikih vivaka (Vanellus indicus) u Pakistanu - prikaz slučaja

Respiratory infections are of major concern in the poultry industry in Pakistan. Previously, wild birds have been reported to transmit respiratory infections. The Red Wattled Lapwing (RWL) is a wild bird prevalent in the Indus basin and the wetlands of Punjab, Pakistan. Out of total of eighteen RWL birds housed at Lahore Zoo, Pakistan, three birds died after showing signs of respiratory distress and paralysis, in August, 2014. Postmortem examination revealed air sacculitis and pneumonia. Microbiological examination revealed Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) as the causative agent, which was later confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The isolate was found to be susceptible to amoxicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline and enrofloxacin, and resistant to gentamycin, neomycin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. All the remaining birds were treated with long acting tetracycline, and diseased birds eventually recovered. No further mortality was declared. This is the first report of its kind which demonstrates ORT infection in RWL in Punjab, Pakistan.Dišne infekcije od velike su važnosti za peradarsku industriju u Pakistanu. Znano je da ih mogu prenositi divlje ptice. Crvenoliki vivak nastanjuje bazen Indus i močvarna područja Pendžaba u Pakistanu. Od ukupno 18 crvenolikih vivaka iz Zoološkog vrta Lahore, tri su uginula nakon pojave znakova dišnog poremećaja i paralize u kolovozu 2014. Razudbom je utvrđen sacculitis i pneumonija. Mikrobiološkom pretragom dokazan je Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale što je bilo potvrđeno lančanom reakcijom polimerazom. Izolat je bio osjetljiv na amoksicilin, eritromicin, tetraciklin i enrofloksacin, a otporan na gentamicin, neomicin i sulfametoksazol/trimetoprim. Sve preživjele ptice bile su liječene tetraciklinom s produženim djelovanjem i ozdravile. Novi slučajevi uginuća nisu bili primijećeni. Ovo je prvo izvješće o pojavi infekcije vrstom Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale u crvenolikog vivka u Pendžabu u Pakistan

Proteome Profiling in Murine Models of Multiple Sclerosis: Identification of Stage Specific Markers and Culprits for Tissue Damage

The identification of new biomarkers is of high interest for the prediction of the disease course and also for the identification of pathomechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS). To specify markers of the chronic disease phase, we performed proteome profiling during the later phase of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (MOG-EAE, day 35 after immunization) as a model disease mimicking many aspects of secondary progressive MS. In comparison to healthy controls, high resolution 2 dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed a number of regulated proteins, among them glial fibrilary acidic protein (GFAP). Phase specific up-regulation of GFAP in chronic EAE was confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Protein levels of GFAP were also increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients with specificity for the secondary progressive disease phase. In a next step, proteome profiling of an EAE model with enhanced degenerative mechanisms revealed regulation of alpha-internexin, syntaxin binding protein 1, annexin V and glutamate decarboxylase in the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) knockout mouse. The identification of these proteins implicate an increased apoptosis and enhanced axonal disintegration and correlate well the described pattern of tissue injury in CNTF −/− mice which involve oligodendrocyte (OL) apoptosis and axonal injury