Primary drug resistance against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Karachi

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the primary drug resistance of new culture positive cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Karachi. METHODS: All new suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients were recruited initially. They were instructed to produce three-sputum samples for smear examination and on one of the specimen\u27s culture was applied. Bronchoscopy and bronchial wash was done in patients who were not expectorating. Bronchial wash was then applied for both smear and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. RESULTS: Out of 79 cases recruited initially, 52 were able to produce sputum while bronchoscopy was performed in the remaining. AFB direct smear was positive in 32/52 sputum and 12/27 bronchial wash samples. Later, 02 sputums and 04 bronchial washes became culture positive which were initially smear negative. All cultures were of Mycobacterium tuberculosis species. These fifty culture positive cases were then included in the final analysis. Pyrazinamide was the most sensitive drug i.e. 49 isolates (98%). The resistance pattern is as follows: Streptomycin 13(26%), Isoniazid 08 (16%), Ethambutol 08 (16%), Rifampicin 04 (08%) and Pyrazinamide one (02%). Multi-Drug Resistant tuberculosis was observed in 02 (04%) patients. CONCLUSION: In this small study, the high prevalence of primary resistance against streptomycin, INH and Ethambutol raises an urgent need of a proper nationwide survey to evaluate the true picture of primary resistance

Defense strategies of cotton against whitefly transmitted CLCuV and Begomoviruses

Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) is economically important monopartite Geminivirus which is transmitted by whitefly in persistent circulative manner. In Pakistan, CLCuV causes severe damage to Gossypium hirsutum whereas G. arboreum is resistant to this virus. A total of 86 articles were included in this study that were searched through web of knowledge, web of science and google scholar by using the keywords of cotton, CLCuV, waxes, Begomoviruses and transgenic techniques used against Begomoviruses in plants. Various transgenic strategies i.e., pathogen derived resistance (with and without protein expression) and non - pathogen derived resistance have been adopted to control this virus or its vector. Beside these, some natural defense mechanisms of plant also protect it against the vector. The cuticular waxes make the insects’ attachment difficult to plant surfaces and act as a physical barrier. The cuticular waxes in G. arboreum act as first line of defense against whiteflies and thus CLCuV. Some other defense strategies may involve hindering the insect movements or depriving it from food due to thick waxy layer. Biotechnological strategies against various Begomoviruses including CLCuV were found successful in some crops except cotton. Whereas, the natural defense strategies in G. arboreum i.e., long trichome or presence of inorganic salts with increased concentration of waxes, provide good defense strategy against whiteflies, CLCuV and other pathogens

Efecto inmunomodulador de Pimpinella anisum L. (anís) en pollos de engorde contra la Enfermedad de Newcastle y la enfermedad viral de la Bursitis infecciosa)

Pimpinella anisum L. (Anís) se utiliza principalmente como un estimulante inmunológico, promotor del crecimiento, antifúngico, y antibacteriano, en muchos países durante siglos. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el efecto inmunomodulador de anís contra la enfermedad de Newcastle (ND) y la enfermedad de la bursitis infecciosa (IBD). El efecto inmunomodulador de anís contra los virus ND y e IBD se determinaron mediante la modificación del ensayo de inhibición de la migración de células del bazo y recuento diferencial de leucocitos de la inmunidad celular. La inhibición de la hemaglutinación y hemaglutinación indirecta se utilizaron para la medición de la respuesta inmune humoral contra el virus de ND e IBD, respectivamente. El presente estudio sugiere que la adición de anís a la dieta basal a la tasa de 0,5 g/kg y 1 g/kg de alimentación tuvo una mejor actividad inmunomoduladora tanto para las respuestas inmunes humorales como celulares. Sin embargo, a dosis más altas de anís tuvo efectos adversos. El anís posee una importante actividad inmunomoduladora cuando se añade en dosis más bajas, es decir, 0,5 g/kg y 1 g/kg

Anticoccidial Effect of Cinnamomum verum Essential Oil and Its Impact on Hematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters in Broilers

Background: There are various synthetic anticoccidial drugs available in the market for the control and treatment of coccidiosis in broilers. However, their extensive usage has resulted in the development of drug resistance as well as the presence of drug residues in meat, thus urging scientists to find alternatives for coccidiosis control. Hence, the current research was aimed at the evaluation of the anticoccidial potential of Cinnamomum verum essential oil through the application of both the in-vitro and in-vivo methods.Methods: The bark of C. verum procured from the market was subjected to hydro-distillation procedure for extraction of the essential oil. The extracted essential oil was subjected to in-vitro evaluation in terms of percent sporulation and oocysts damage at six different concentrations (0.31, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10% v/v). Similarly, for the in-vivo trial, 72 broiler chicks were randomly divided into six equal groups (A, B, C, D, E and F). The first five groups were infected with oocysts of mixed Eimeria species while the sixth group was kept as non-infected. When the chicks were 14 days old, the infected groups were orally given 55000 oocysts per bird. On the same day 14, the groups A, B and C were given C. verum essential oil at concentrations of 1, 2 and 3% respectively in feed whereas groups D, E and F served as positive control (Toltrazuril® treated), negative control and the normal control respectively.Result: The results revealed C. verum oil to have an effect on the percent sporulation and oocysts damage. The oil also improved the FCR, lesion score, oocysts score, fecal score and serum biochemical parameters in the treated broilers. However, it had no significant positive effect on the hematological parameters like Hb, PCV and blood cells count, and the weight of internal organs in broilers. For most of the parameters, C. verum essential oil showed a dose-dependent effect.Conclusion: In nutshell, C. verum essential oil possesses significant anticoccidial potential as demonstrated by the results of both the in-vitro and the in-vivo experiments. However, further studies are required for its validation and commercialization in the poultry sector

Genetic effects of Calotropis procera CpTIP1 gene on fiber quality in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Background: The importance of cotton crop (Gossypium hirsutum) in textile industry is based on its fiber quality. A number of fiber-specific genes play important role in the development of cotton fiber. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of genes that are responsible for metabolic functions and their involvement in cotton fiber development.Methods: This study was focused at successful Agrobacterium mediated stable transformation of the fiber gene CpTIP1, isolated from the wild plant Calotropis procera, into cotton variety NIAB-846 for one generation. Results: Transformation efficiency was calculated to be 1.01% for the target gene. Different molecular techniques such as PCR were used for confirmation and Real-Time PCR was used to check the level of quantitative expression of fiber expansin gene in putative transgenic cotton plants. On the base of molecular analysis, results showed higher expression level of fiber gene (CpTIP1) in transgenic plants as compared to the control plants.Conclusion: The results of this study support the idea of improved cotton fiber through genetic modification especially the cotton fiber strength

Efecto promotor del crecimiento de Pimpinella anisum (semilla de anis) en pollos broiler

Se realizó el presente estudio para evaluar el efecto promotor del crecimiento de Pimpinella anisum L. (anís) en pollos de  engorde en términos de ganancia de peso corporal, peso de los órganos, el consumo de alimento y conversión alimenticia (FCR). Para este  propósito, cuatro niveles (0,5, 1,0, 1,5 y 2,0 gramos por kg de alimento) de anís en polvo se administraron en el pienso desde el día 0 hasta  el final del experimento (42 días de edad). La ganancia de peso corporal, consumo de alimento y FCR fueron registrados en forma semanal.  Las aves mostraron un buen rendimiento (mejor ganancia de peso, un mejor consumo de alimento y FCR) cuando el anís se alimentó en  dosis más bajas, sin embargo, las aves mostraron malos resultados en los niveles más altos de anís. Del mismo modo, se observó casi el  mismo patrón de peso de los órganos. Este estudio sugiere que el buen efecto del anís en el rendimiento de pollos de engorde en dosis más  bajas que sugiere la necesidad adicional de experimentos de la serie para conocer los niveles de seguridad mínimos de anís que se  incorporarán en la ración de pollos de engorde para obtener los resultados deseados

Human Teeth Is Useful Even after Its SHED! So, Why Discard It?

A few decades ago, if one underwent a knee injury that makes walking painful or had an atrophied kidney, then, he/she was condemned to a life hooked on to machines, or on constant medications. However, in today’s era, teeth can be grown in a Petri dish; heart and liver replacements are possible with no risk of rejection because the organs are made of the patient’s own cells. This is the promise of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The entire idea of regenerative medicine is based on the presence of stem cells in the body or the ability to introduce stem cells into the body without causing harm. These can be obtained from a variety of body and dental tissues. Deciduous teeth often discarded as biological waste is proven to possess Stem cells (SHED) that have promising applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Hence, their contribution toward the field of regenerative medicine and dentistry is immense. This chapter summarizes SHED’s regenerative potentials and therapeutic applications; and also focuses on its potential future scope in regenerative dentistry. Furthermore, procedures involved in SHED-induced therapy, from SHED collection to SHED banking, have also been explained

Predictors of Fake News Sharing on Social Media during COVID-19 in South Asia: Evidence from Pakistan

Spread of fake news has been rapidly increased in recent months and the determinants that lead the sharing of misleading information is not well studied. Henceforth, this study analyzes the result of a Pakistani sample (n=385) regarding proliferation of fake news regarding COVID-19. This phenomenon was studied by using uses and gratification framework it was extended by the altruistic motivation. An explanatory research design was followed, data was collected through questionnaire based on prior studies and respondents were approached through different social media websites and answers were collected through Google forms by following convenient sampling technique. Acquired responses were analyzed through regression model to investigate the magnitude of effects among the six categories of study on the result of fake news sharing. Findings showed that altruistic motivation was the main predictor of fake news sharing of COVID-19. Furthermore, other predictors i.e. motivation for information sharing, socialization gratification, motivation for seeking information and passing time were contributing in sharing fake news about COVID-19, while no relationship was found between entertainment motivation. This research suggested some theoretical and practical implications

Parental depressive symptoms, children’s emotional and behavioural problems, and parents’ expressed emotion - Critical and positive comments

This longitudinal study examined whether mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms predict, independently and interactively, children's emotional and behavioural problems. It also examined bi-directional associations between parents' expressed emotion constituents (parents' child-directed positive and critical comments) and children's emotional and behavioural problems. At time 1, the sample consisted of 160 families in which 50 mothers and 40 fathers had depression according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Children's mean age at Time 1 was 3.9 years (SD = 0.8). Families (n = 106) were followed up approximately 16 months later (Time 2). Expressed emotion constituents were assessed using the Preschool Five Minute Speech Sample. In total, 144 mothers and 158 fathers at Time 1 and 93 mothers and 105 fathers at Time 2 provided speech samples. Fathers' depressive symptoms were concurrently associated with more child emotional problems when mothers had higher levels of depressive symptoms. When controlling for important confounders (children's gender, baseline problems, mothers' depressive symptoms and parents' education and age), fathers' depressive symptoms independently predicted higher levels of emotional and behavioural problems in their children over time. There was limited evidence for a bi-directional relationship between fathers' positive comments and change in children's behavioural problems over time. Unexpectedly, there were no bi-directional associations between parents' critical comments and children's outcomes. We conclude that the study provides evidence to support a whole family approach to prevention and intervention strategies for children's mental health and parental depression

Babesia bovis in Large Ruminants in Pakistan - Molecular Detection and Haemato-Biochemical Alterations

Background: Babesiosis is endemic in Pakistan and is one of the most important bovine diseases that causes huge economic losses and high mortality in young animals. A hematobiochemical study was conducted to unveil the difference between diseased and healthy animals in selected districts i.e., Faisalabad (31° 25' 7.3740'' N and 73° 4' 44.7924'' E), Toba Tek Singh (30° 58' 9.7392'' N and 72° 27' 40.7484'' E) and Jhang (31° 16' 40.9656'' N and 72° 18' 42.3360'' E) of Punjab, Pakistan. Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 518 (Cattle = 360, Buffalo = 158) blood samples were collected. The samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting apocytochrome b-gene (Babesia bovis-gene) (CYTb) followed by haemato-biochemical analysis. Chi-square test for univariate analysis was used to analyze the data. In summer the PCR-based prevalence was 29.4 (53/180) and 24.05% (19/79) in cows and buffaloes, respectively. On the other hand, in winter results showed that 12.7 (23/180), 13.92 % (11/79) samples positive for Babesia genus from cows and buffaloes, respectively. The positive samples were further investigated for hematological and biochemical analysis. The results revealed that, the mean value of hematological parameters like RBCs, Hb, PCV, MCV and MCHC was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in infected animals (cows and buffaloes) as compared to the non-infected ones. While the biochemical parameters like Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholesterol and Lactate dehydrogenase were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in infected animals as compared to healthy animals. This study is the first molecular and hematobiochemical evidence of Babesia bovis in dairy herds of Punjab province, Pakistan. Discussion: Bovine babesiosis is one of the important tick-borne diseases (TBD) affecting dairy industry. In bovines, among 3 Babesia species that cause the disease B. bovis is more pathogenic with high mortality and morbidity. Pakistan is situated in tropical and sub-tropical region where the humidity is high in some part of countries. This high humidity mostly favors the reproduction of the ticks thus higher prevalence of TBDs in this region. Initially the babesiosis was diagnosed by light microscopy using thin blood smear stained with Giemsa stain. Many studies verified that PCR is a more specific and sensitive tool than conventional techniques for the detection of carrier / asymptomatic ruminants. The haemato-biochemical profile is another valuable footprint to track the disease. Keeping in view the above-mentioned fact the present project has been planned to evaluate the haemato-biochemical alteration between health and Babesia infected cattle along with the molecular detection of Babesia species involved in bovine babesiosis. The mean values of haemato-biochemical parameters in clinically ill and healthy animals revealed that the mean values of hematological parameters like RBCs, Hb, PCV, and HCT were significantly decreased in diseased animals as compared to the healthy ones. All these might be due the fact that the parasite is intra-erythrocytic in nature and destruction of red blood cells results in significant (P < 0.05) decrease level of all the hematological parameters. The mean value of ALT in babesiosis infected cattle was significantly higher as compared to healthy cattle. The mean values of AST and LDH in babesiosis infected cows was significantly higher as compared to that in healthy cows. The elevation in liver enzymes in babesiosis may be due to the hepatic damage and lesions induced by the parasite during its multiplication in the blood followed by disturbed liver function. These enzymes are present in high concentrations in the muscles and liver. High level of these enzymes in the blood is indicator of organ necrosis or damage. Keywords: bovines, buffaloes, tick-borne diseases, babesiosis, liver enzymes, PCR