Histopathological Effects and Element Concentration Of Body Tissues Of Ranid Frog Inhabiting Polluted Water Sites

Freshwater or wetlands are being polluted on regular basis due to the release of domestic sewage and most importantly industrial effluents that include chemicals, organic pollutants and heavy metals, and run-off from land-based activities containing leached fertilizers. Pollutants are such substances that reduce quality of water that effect directly and indirectly. The present study was carried out on Korang River Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Two different locations were selected along the Korang River. The data were collected two times during the current study period; March 2012, and October 2012. Ranid frogs (n=10) were captured from all selected sites, which were dissected to collect blood and body tissue samples. During the month of March and October the concentration of heavy metals in water samples increase and decrease significantly at both sites of Korang River. The continuous leaching of contaminants may cause abnormal tissue damage in amphibians making them more vulnerable to predation and competition and also decreased reproductive success

Immature rat seminal vesicles show histomorphological and ultrastructural alterations following treatment with kisspeptin-10

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Degenerative effects of critical regulators of reproduction, the kisspeptin peptides, on cellular aspects of sexually immature male gonads are known but similar information on accessory sex glands remain elusive.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Prepubertal laboratory rats were injected kisspeptin-10 at three different dosage concentrations (10 pg, 1 ng and 1 microgram) for a period of continuous 12 days at the rate of two doses per day. Control rats were maintained in parallel. The day following the end of the experimental period, seminal vesicles were removed and processed for light and electron microscopic examination using the standard methods. DNA damage was estimated by DNA ladder assay and DNA fragmentation assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results demonstrated cellular degeneration. Epithelial cell height of seminal vesicles decreased significantly at all doses (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Marked decrease in epithelial folds was readily noticeable, while the lumen was dilated. Ultrastructural changes were characterized by dilatation of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex, heterochromatization of nuclei, invagination of nuclear membranes and a decreased number of secretory granules. Percent DNA damage to the seminal vesicle was 19.54 +/- 1.98, 38.06 +/- 2.09 and 58.18 +/- 2.59 at 10 pg, 1 ng and 1 microgram doses respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study reveals that continuous administration of kisspeptin does not lead to an early maturation but instead severe degeneration of sexually immature seminal vesicles.</p

Passive immunization using purified IgYs against infectious bursal disease of chickens in Pakistan

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute and highly contagious disease of young chickens caused by Birnavirus. Mortality of infected birds can be best prevented if injected with antibodies. The present study was an attempt to raise specific hyper-immune polyclonal antibodies against IBD virus in Pakistan. Commercial layers divided into four groups were injected with IBD vaccine subcutaneously according to four different treatment regimens. Eggs were collected daily and antibodies were purified from yolk with dextran sulphate. Titers of antibodies in serum and yolk were evaluated with enzyme linked immunosorbant assay and agar gel precipitation test. Antibody titers were significantly higher in yolk than serum. Eggs collected at 28 days post-vaccination had maximum antibody titers. Of treatment regimens, T3 was found to be most effective for hyperimmunization. Lyophilized antibodies stored at 4℃ did not lose their activity till the end of experiment. IBD virus infected birds were injected with purified antibodies which induced 92% recovery as compared to control birds. The study implicates that the purified antibodies may be useful as a therapeutic agent to cure IBD infected birds

Association of gene polymorphism with serum levels of inflammatory and angiogenic factors in Pakistani patients with age-related macular degeneration

Purpose: To study the association of serum levels of inflammatory mediators and angiogenic factors with genetic polymorphism in Pakistani age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients

Effects of fractions of Melia azedarach (L.) fruit extracts on some biochemical parameters in rabbits

This study aimed to investigate the effects of n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions of the methanolic extract of Melia azedarach fruits on serum glucose, lipid profile, GPT, ALP and creatinine of normal rabbits. Each fraction at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight was orally administered to normal rabbits for 40 days and the serum biochemical parameters were estimated on days 20 and 40 after treatment. All of the extracts significantly decreased serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL concentrations, however, their administration caused elevation of serum HDL levels. All except the aqueous extract, caused a significant rise in the serum levels of GPT, ALP and creatinine. The present study demonstrates that all of the extracts possess hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and HDL boosting properties. Of the tested extracts, only the aqueous fraction was found safe, as it caused no significant alterations in the serum levels of GPT, ALP and creatinine

Abbreviations list and description of various acoustic parameters and categorical call variables measured for each vocal category.

<p>Abbreviations list and description of various acoustic parameters and categorical call variables measured for each vocal category.</p

The descriptive statistics of acoustic parameters measured for all six vocal categories.

<p>The descriptive statistics of acoustic parameters measured for all six vocal categories.</p

Spectrograms of different vocal categories of the adult male Asian koel.

<p>Two consecutive <i>type 1 cooee calls</i> (A), two consecutive <i>type 2 cooee calls</i> (B), two consecutive <i>type 1 coegh calls</i> (C), two connective <i>type 2 coegh calls</i> (D), a bout of <i>wurroo calls</i> (E), two consecutive <i>coe calls</i> (F). Spectrograms were constructed in Praat using the Fast Fourier Transform method (FFT), Gaussian window shape, window length of 0.012 s, frequency view range of 700–24000 Hz, pitch floor of 75–700 Hz, dynamic range of 70 dB, intensity range of 30–100 dB, 0.5 s zooming level.</p

Vocalizations of adult male Asian koels (<i>Eudynamys scolopacea</i>) in the breeding season

<div><p>Defining the vocal repertoire provides a basis for understanding the role of acoustic signals in sexual and social interactions of an animal. The Asian koel (<i>Eudynamys scolopacea</i>) is a migratory bird which spends its summer breeding season in the plains of Pakistan. The bird is typically wary and secretive but produces loud and distinct calls, making it easily detected when unseen. Like the other birds in the wild, presumably Asian koels use their calls for social cohesion and coordination of different behaviors. To date, the description of vocal repertoire of the male Asian koel has been lacking. Presently we analyzed and described for the first time the vocalizations of the adult male Asian koel, recorded in two consecutive breeding seasons. Using 10 call parameters, we categorized the vocalization type into six different categories on the basis of spectrogram and statistical analyses, namely the; “<i>type 1 cooee call</i>”, “<i>type 2 cooee call</i>”, “<i>type 1 coegh call</i>”, “<i>type 2 coegh call</i>”, “<i>wurroo call</i>” and “<i>coe call</i>”. These names were assigned not on the basis of functional analysis and were therefore onomatopoeic. Stepwise cross validated discriminant function analysis classified the vocalization correctly (100%) into the predicted vocal categories that we initially classified on the basis of spectrographic examination. Our findings enrich the biological knowledge about vocalizations of the adult male Asian koel and provide a foundation for future acoustic monitoring of the species, as well as for comparative studies with vocalizations of other bird species of the cuckoo family. Further studies on the vocalizations of the Asian koel are required to unravel their functions in sexual selection and individual recognition.</p></div