Establishment of Hand Rearing Protocols with Respect to Feeding, Physiological and Behavioral Aspects in Abandoned Lion Cubs at Safari Zoo Lahore

African lion (Panthera leo) being most attractive but vulnerable exhibit of zoos and safaris; need particular attention to breeding plans. At captive sites, lioness neglects newborns commonly; at that stage, hand rearing is preferred. This study will highlight the best practices for hand-rearing lion cubs, including knowledge of early medical issues along with their treatment during the first 4 months of growth. 34 lions (08Male: 17Females: 9Cubs) were housed on 15 acres during 2019-21 at Safari Zoo Lahore. A total of 04 lionesses were found entirely abandoned to 05 newborns (03 males & 02 females). The hand-rearing period was divided into four phases based on age and feeding protocol and every cub was offered formula milk with or without meat depending upon age. The average weight gain of all the cubs was recorded along with problems/ conditions faced during process. The male cub 3 was found highest in weight gain but statistically no age wise or sex wise difference in growth was observed. The major problems faced were constipation, diarrhea, hyperthermia, eye blindness, and hind quarter weakness in 100 %, 100 %, 40 %, 20 %, and 40 % animals, respectively. All five successfully hand-reared cubs were shifted to 03 sub- adult lion’s enclosures. The behavioral changes of all the lion cubs were also recorded concerning aggression while feeding and pacing in the enclosure, etc. The study outcomes the protocol for hand rearing abandoned lion cubs, which would ultimately be helpful to the zoo keepers and wildlife conservationists

Feeding Ecology of Reintroduced Blackbucks in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur

The study was conducted in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur, in June 2021. This study aimed to explore the food habits and dry matter intake of reintroduced blackbuck in Lal Suhanra. The critical methods employed in this study were the direct observation of food, bite rate, and fecal output of blackbuck aided with binoculars (8 × 50). A total of 3840 bites in the RD 65 enclosure and 3929 edges in the RD 65 enclosure were recorded, accounting for the average bite rates of 43.5 bites/min in RD 25 and 44.03 bites/min in RD 65. The average dry weight of the bite was 0.067 g in the enclosure RD 25 and 0.081g in RD 65. Total dry matter intake for an adult blackbuck was 1.07 kg/day in RD 25 and 1.09 kg/day in RD 65. The average daily defecation rate was 7.34 times and 7.89 times in both enclosures. Daily fecal output in average dry weight was 362g for RD 25 and 340 g for RD 65. Dry matter digestibility was, on average, 66.32 % for RD 25 and 68.97 % for RD 65. The blackbuck at RD 65 are more healthy, with a high birth rate and less mortality. The blackbuck preferred 8 plant species and 10 plant species for feeding at RD 25 and RD 65 respectively. For their long-term survival in LSNP, control of diseases, cultivation of seasonal food, plantation of edible plants, habitat extension, and proper management should be considered

Propofol Plus Midazolam Versus Propofol alone Sedation in Therapeutic Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography (ERCP)

Background: To compare Endoscopic RetrogradeCholangio Pancreatography (ERCP) sedationreceiving propofol alone and with midazolam interms of mean propofol dosage and mean recoverytime.Methods: In this comparative study, patientsundergoing therapeutic ERCP were divided intoGroup A (Propofol alone) and Group B (Propofolplus Midazolam). Mean propofol dose adjusted toweight and duration of procedure and mean recoverytime was compared between the two groups.Results: There were 40 patients in each group;46.3% (n=37) males and 53.8% (n=43) females.According to ASA class stratification, 43% (n=34)patients were in ASA class I, 41% (n=33) patients inASA class II and 16% (n=13) patients in ASA classIII. The mean dose of propofol was not significantlydifferent between the two groups; 276 ± 124 mg(Group A) vs. 290 ± 115 mg (Group B), p=0.58). Themean adjusted dose when adjusted to weight andduration of procedure also did not significantlydiffer; 0.08 ± 0.04 (Group A) vs. 0.07 ± 0.03 (Group B),p= 0.38). The recovery time was significantly betterwith propofol monotherapy; 12 ± 7 min (Group A)vs. 44 ± 13 min (Group B), p=0.0001).Conclusion: In comparison to sedation withpropofol and midazolam in ERCP, recovery timefrom sedation is shorter with propofol monotherapywith no additional propofol dose requirement

Analysis of Geometric Properties of Ternary Four-Point Rational Interpolating Subdivision Scheme

Shape preservation has been the heart of subdivision schemes (SSs) almost from its origin, and several analyses of SSs have been established. Shape preservation properties are commonly used in SSs and various ways have been discovered to connect smooth curves/surfaces generated by SSs to applied geometry. With an eye on connecting the link between SSs and applied geometry, this paper analyzes the geometric properties of a ternary four-point rational interpolating subdivision scheme. These geometric properties include monotonicity-preservation, convexity-preservation, and curvature of the limit curve. Necessary conditions are derived on parameter and initial control points to ensure monotonicity and convexity preservation of the limit curve of the scheme. Furthermore, we analyze the curvature of the limit curve of the scheme for various choices of the parameter. To support our findings, we also present some examples and their graphical representation

BCG vaccination is associated with decreased severity of tuberculosis in Pakistan

Vaccination with Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) is given at birth to protect against tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan. The country ranks 6th amongst high-burden countries worldwide and has an incidence of 231/100,000 pyopulation. This was a cross-sectional multi-center hospital-based study. TB patients (n = 218) with pulmonary (PTB, n = 120) or extrapulmonary (ETB, 98) were recruited, and the presence of a BCG vaccination scar was documented. Cases were further classified into minimal, moderate and advanced PTB or less severe (L-ETB) or severe disseminated (D-ETB) disease. The association of age, gender and severity of TB infections with BCG vaccination of the individual TB cases was investigated. No difference was found of the BCG vaccination status of PTB and ETB cases, or in relation to age or gender. Patients under 29 years of age comprised the largest group. There were more females with ETB than PTB. The largest group within ETB comprised those with tuberculous lymphadenitis (LNTB, 39%). A significantly greater number of LNTB cases had received BCG vaccinations than had those with pleural (unilateral) TB (p = 0.004), and tuberculous meningitis (p = 0.027) groups. Also, there were more immunized patients with pulmonary as compared with pleural disease (p = 0.001). LNTB represents localized granulomatous disease and the observation of higher vaccination rates in this group suggests that BCG has protected against more severe forms of TB in this high-burden region

Biosynthesis of antioxidative enzymes and polyphenolics content in calli cultures of Prunella vulgaris L. in response to auxins and cytokinins

AbstractPrunella vulgaris L. is one of the therapeutic herbs containing various polyphenolics, which is used for multiple medicinal purposes. In this study, plant growth regulators (PGRs)-induced calli cultures from seed-derived leaf explants were exploited for the production of stress enzymes and polyphenolics. A growth curve was plotted for each PGR for 49 days period, which showed a distinct lag, log and decline phases. Here, the combination of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzyleadenine (BA; 0.5 and 2.0 mg l−1) produced maximum fresh (6.32 FW-g/100 ml) and dry biomass (0.75 DW-g/100 ml) in contrast to control. The maximum synthesis of SOD (0.0154 FW-nM/min/mg) was detected on media comprising mixture of NAA and BA (1.5 mg l−1), while POD enzyme (0.366 FW-nM/min/mg) was higher at 0.5 mg l−1 NAA and 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid. Further, NAA and BA (1.5 and 2.0 mg l−1) boosted up the synthesis of phenolics (18.83 GAE-mg/g-DW) and flavonoids content (18.05 RE-mg/g-DW) than control. Moreover, NAA of 1.0 and 2.0 mg l−1 were found supportive for maximum antioxidant activity (87.4%) and total protein (716 µg BSAE/mg-DW). This study will contribute in the development of cell culture in fermenter and synthesis of antioxidant secondary metabolites for commercial uses

In Vitro Biofilm-Mediated Biodegradation of Pesticides and Dye-Contaminated Effluents Using Bacterial Biofilms

Overuse of pesticides in agricultural soil and dye-polluted effluents severely contaminates the environment and is toxic to animals and humans making their removal from the environment essential. The present study aimed to assess the biodegradation of pesticides (cypermethrin (CYP) and imidacloprid (IMI)), and dyes (malachite green (MG) and Congo red (CR)) using biofilms of bacteria isolated from pesticide-contaminated soil and dye effluents. Biofilms of indigenous bacteria, i.e., Bacillus thuringiensis 2A (OP554568), Enterobacter hormaechei 4A (OP723332), Bacillus sp. 5A (OP586601), and Bacillus cereus 6B (OP586602) individually and in mixed culture were tested against CYP and IMI. Biofilms of indigenous bacteria i.e., Lysinibacillus sphaericus AF1 (OP589134), Bacillus sp. CF3 (OP589135) and Bacillus sp. DF4 (OP589136) individually and in mixed culture were tested for their ability to degrade dyes. The biofilm of a mixed culture of B. thuringiensis + Bacillus sp. (P7) showed 46.2% degradation of CYP compared to the biofilm of a mixed culture of B. thuringiensis + E. hormaechei + Bacillus sp. + B. cereus (P11), which showed significantly high degradation (70.0%) of IMI. Regarding dye biodegradation, a mixed culture biofilm of Bacillus sp. + Bacillus sp. (D6) showed 86.76% degradation of MG, which was significantly high compared to a mixed culture biofilm of L. sphaericus + Bacillus sp. (D4) that degraded only 30.78% of CR. UV–VIS spectroscopy revealed major peaks at 224 nm, 263 nm, 581 nm and 436 nm for CYP, IMI, MG and CR, respectively, which completely disappeared after treatment with bacterial biofilms. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed the appearance of new peaks in degraded metabolites and disappearance of a peak in the control spectrum after biofilm treatment. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis also confirmed the degradation of CYP, IMI, MG and CR into several metabolites compared to the control. The present study demonstrates the biodegradation potential of biofilm-forming bacteria isolated from pesticide-polluted soil and dye effluents against pesticides and dyes. This is the first report demonstrating biofilm-mediated bio-degradation of CYP, IMI, MG and CR utilizing soil and effluent bacterial flora from Multan and Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan