Identification of avian Mycoplasma species in commercial broilers and layers with respiratory symptoms in Balochistan

Among many avian mycoplasmas, only the Mycoplasmas gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasmas synoviae (MS) are responsible for causing respiratory disease in commercial poultry. This study reported for the very first time the serological occurrence of M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae in blood samples (n = 600) from sixty flocks (n = 42 broiler and n = 18 layer flocks) with respiratory symptoms in Quetta, Pishin and Kuchlak districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. Sera were tested for MG and MS antibody responses by serum plate agglutination (SPA) test and by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) Synbiotics kit. It was found that M. gallisepticum antibodies in broiler flocks detected by SPA and by ELISA tests were 10.47 and 19.76%, whereas M. synoviae were 7.86 and 11.19%, respectively. In layer flocks the MG and MS antibodies detected by SPA and ELISA were 19.44, 31.66 and 8.8, 25%, respectively. The overall antibodies of MG and MS in both broiler and layer flocks tested by SPA and ELISA was found to be 13.16, 23.33 and 8.16, 15.33%, respectively. In broiler and layer flocks the presence of antibodies against both M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae were found in tested flocks with respiratory symptoms. Further studies on prevalence and diagnosis of both the M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae in causing respiratory disease in commercial broilers and layers in Balochistan are required.Key words: Mycoplasma, broilers, serum plate agglutination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Machine Learning Techniques for Differential Diagnosis of Vertigo and Dizziness: A Review.

Vertigo is a sensation of movement that results from disorders of the inner ear balance organs and their central connections, with aetiologies that are often benign and sometimes serious. An individual who develops vertigo can be effectively treated only after a correct diagnosis of the underlying vestibular disorder is reached. Recent advances in artificial intelligence promise novel strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this common symptom. Human analysts may experience difficulties manually extracting patterns from large clinical datasets. Machine learning techniques can be used to visualize, understand, and classify clinical data to create a computerized, faster, and more accurate evaluation of vertiginous disorders. Practitioners can also use them as a teaching tool to gain knowledge and valuable insights from medical data. This paper provides a review of the literatures from 1999 to 2021 using various feature extraction and machine learning techniques to diagnose vertigo disorders. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the work done thus far and to provide future directions for research into the use of machine learning in vertigo diagnosis

Detecting fake news and disinformation using artificial intelligence and machine learning to avoid supply chain disruptions

Fake news and disinformation (FNaD) are increasingly being circulated through various online and social networking platforms, causing widespread disruptions and influencing decision-making perceptions. Despite the growing importance of detecting fake news in politics, relatively limited research efforts have been made to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) oriented FNaD detection models suited to minimize supply chain disruptions (SCDs). Using a combination of AI and ML, and case studies based on data collected from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, we developed a FNaD detection model aimed at preventing SCDs. This model based on multiple data sources has shown evidence of its effectiveness in managerial decision-making. Our study further contributes to the supply chain and AI-ML literature, provides practical insights, and points to future research directions

Distribution of gastric carcinoma in an area with a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: South Asia is an enigma for gastric cancer (GC) because it is a low risk region with a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections. We evaluated the trend of GC clinical presentation and risk factors in patients with dyspeptic symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of patients, coded by the international classification of diseases (ICD-10-CM, 2015, Diagnosis Code C16.9) for malignancies of stomach diagnosed by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and histopathology, were studied. RESULTS: 394 GC cases with a mean age of 54±15 years, range of 18 to 88, were analyzed. 256 (65%) were male. Distal non-cardiac and cardiac tumors were 302 (77%) and 92 (23%) cases, respectively. The WHO classification of GC defined 222 (56%) cases as intestinal type adenocarcinoma, 68 (17%) cases as signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC), 62 (16%) cases as diffuse type and 42 (11%) cases as B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The co-morbid conditions associated with GC were H. pylori infection (positive in 246 (62%) cases), diabetes mellitus type 2 (in 90 (23%) cases), and cigarette smoking (in 94 (24%) cases). Of the male patients, 88 (34%) (p\u3c0.001) were smokers. Body mass index was abnormal in all age groups and in both sexes. Cardiac regions for GC were more common in the 46- to 60-year old age range and in males. Diffuse GC was seen in all age groups but there were significantly more common in the 18- to 45-year old age range. Gastric non-Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma was seen at an early age of 18-45 years in 14(12%) and a later of 61-88 years in 20 (15%). CONCLUSION: Intestinal type GC is common at all ages but SRC and diffuse GC are more common in patients less than 50 years old. SRC and diffuse GC were not specific to the elderly in our study population

SCREENING OF HERBICIDES FOR WEED MANAGEMENT IN TRANSPLANTED RICE

ABSTRACT (2005) . All of the herbicidal treatments did not differ significantly from hand weeding during both the years for this character. In terms of paddy yield, hand weeding gave the highest grain yield but remained statistically at par with certain herbicides. Welchlore and declore gave lower yield for the year 2004 and 2005, respectively. Control (weedy check) produced the lowest yield during both the years

Design of Multicationic Copper-Bearing Layered Double Hydroxides for Catalytic Application in Biorefinery

Ethanol has been used as a renewable hydrogen-donor in the conversion of a lignin model molecule in subcritical conditions. Noble metal-free porous mixed oxides, obtained by activation of Cu-Ni-Al and Cu-Ni-Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors, have been used as heterogeneous catalysts for Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) hydrogen transfer and further hydrogenation by ethanol dehydrogenation products. Both the Cu/(Cu+Ni) ratio and the nature of the trivalent cation (Al or Fe) affect the activity of the catalysts, as well as the selectivity towards the different steps of the hydrogenation reactions and the cleavage of lignin-like phenylether bonds. Accounting for the peculiar behaviour of Cu2+ and M(III) cations in the synthesis of LDHs, the coprecipitation of the precursors has been monitored by titration experiments. Structural and textural properties of the catalysts are closely related to the composition of the LDH precursors

The prevalence of HBV infection in the cohort of IDPs of war against terrorism in Malakand Division of Northern Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis B is an important public health problem in the Pakistani population and is the major cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. High prevalence of HBV infections has been observed especially in areas of low economic status. In spite of effective immunization programs, no significant change has been observed in the epidemiology of HBV in the rural areas of Pakistan (~67.5% of the total population) mainly due to lack of interest from government authorities and poor hygienic measures. The current study was aimed at estimating the prevalence and risk factors associated with HBV infection within internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to war against terrorism in the Malakand Division of Northern Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples from 950 IDPs suspected with HBV infection (including both males and females) were collected and processed with commercial ELISA kits for HBsAg, Anti HBs, HBeAg, Anti HBe antibodies. The samples positive by ELISA were confirmed for HBV DNA by real-time PCR analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall prevalence of HBV observed was 21.05% of which 78.5% were males and 21.5% were females. Most confirmed HBV patients belong to the Malakand and Dir (lower) district. High-risk of infection was found in the older subjects 29.13% (46-60 years), while a lower incidence (11.97%) was observed in children aged <15 years. Lack of awareness, socioecomic conditions, sexual activities and sharing of razor blades, syringes and tattooing needles were the most common risk factors of HBV infection observed during the cohort of patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study, revealed for the first time a high degree of prevalence of HBV infection in rural areas of Northern Pakistan. The noticed prevalence is gender- and age-dependent that might be due to their high exposures to the common risk factors. To avoid the transmission of HBV infection proper awareness about the possible risk factors and extension of immunization to the rural areas are recommended.</p

A novel application of Lobatto iiia solver for numerical treatment of mixed convection nanofluidic model

The objective of the current investigation is to examine the influence of variable viscosity and transverse magnetic field on mixed convection fluid model through stretching sheet based on copper and silver nanoparticles by exploiting the strength of numerical computing via Lobatto IIIA solver. The nonlinear partial differential equations are changed into ordinary differential equations by means of similarity transformations procedure. A renewed finite difference based Lobatto IIIA method is incorporated to solve the fluidic system numerically. Vogel's model is considered to observe the influence of variable viscosity and applied oblique magnetic field with mixed convection along with temperature dependent viscosity. Graphical and numerical illustrations are presented to visualize the behavior of different sundry parameters of interest on velocity and temperature. Outcomes reflect that volumetric fraction of nanoparticles causes to increase the thermal conductivity of the fluid and the temperature enhances due to blade type copper nanoparticles. The convergence analysis on the accuracy to solve the problem is investigated viably though the residual errors with different tolerances to prove the worth of the solver. The temperature of the fluid accelerates due the blade type nanoparticles of copper and skin friction coefficient is reduced due to enhancement of Grashof Number

PREVALENCE OF MYCOPLASMA CAPRICOLUM SUBSPECIES CAPRICOLUM AND MYCOPLASMA PUTREFACIENS IN GOATS IN PISHIN DISTRICT OF BALOCHISTAN

Several Mycoplasma species cause serious and economically important diseases in goats world-wide. Forty goat flocks in the Pishin district of Balochistan province of Pakistan were examined for the clinical cases of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) during 2008. Thirty goats suspected for CCPP on the basis of respiratory symptoms were euthanized for post mortem examination, microbiological and molecular studies. Two types of Mycoplasma species were isolated and identified by biochemical and growth inhibition (GI) tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capricolum was isolated from 12(40%) of the nasal swabs and 12(40%) of the respective lung cultures, whereas 2(6.7%) Mycoplasma putrefaciens (Mp) isolates from nasal swab and lung cultures and 1(3.3%) from liver and intestine cultures were recovered. We report probably for the very first time the isolation and identification of Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capricolum (Mcc) and Mp from the nasal swabs and lungs of goats with respiratory problems in Pishin district of Balochistan. Experimental studies to reproduce pneumonia or pleuropneumonia by Mcc and Mp organisms in susceptible goats or other laboratory animal models are further needed