Attributable risk of Capillaria species in domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica)

ABSTRACT Fecal samples were collected from 120 domestic pigeons to determine the Attributable risk of Capillaria spp. The Capillaria spp. was observed in 64 out of 120 (51%) pigeons (70 males and 50 females) under this study. A total of 64 (39 males and 25 females) were found naturally infected with Capillaria spp. with infection percentage of 51% and 50% in males and females respectively. Qualitative examinations include the direct microscopy and faecal floatation while quantitative examination includes McMaster technique (worms load was calculated per gram of the faeces). Month wise Attributable risk showed that eggs of the worms were found to be abundant in the month of July during the present study (60% to 73%) because of high humidity. Very high and very low temperature is not suitable for the proper development of the eggs. Qualitative and quantitative examination revealed that Capillaria spp. was more prevalent in males (51%) than females (50%) but overall there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the male and female because both individuals invest equal amount of energy in search of food and incubating the eggs. Different breeds of pigeons gave different Attributable risk in different months during the study. Groups of pigeons from different locations showed different variable Attributable risk. Areas with high humidity were more suitable for the development of eggs, which is the reason why higher Attributable risk was observed in Shahdara (75%) area of Lahore, Pakistan

Corporate social responsibility and zero leverage

This paper aims to investigate the link between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Zero Leverage (ZL) policy of firms. We use panel logistic multivariate regression to determine the socially responsible behavior of ZL firms and their levered counterparts. Our proxies for CSR are corporate social responsibility disclosure and corporate tax contribution against the proxies of ZL and almost zero-leverage (AZL). The sample firm-year observations of Pakistani listed firms from 2009-2018 are further divided in subsamples for short term ZL and long term ZL firms. We also test the constraints hypothesis for our sample firms. We found that CSR and ZL policy complement each other, adding to the firm’s financial and social sustainability. The positive relationship between CSR and ZL is more significant in dividend-paying firms. Further, results support that financially unconstrained socially responsible firms have more probability to choose ZL or AZL policy. This study provides initial evidence regarding the relationship between CSR behavior and ZL policy of firms. Further, this study is the pioneer to introduce tax contribution as a proxy of CSR

Assessment of Health Risks in Wheat Crop Irrigated by Manka Canal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan

Background. Manka canal’s metal concentration rises from human activities’ garbage. Untreated water from the canal is used by farmers for local crop irrigation. Immediate action is crucial to assess heavy metal levels and ensure soil suitability for agriculture as metal pollution persists. Purpose. The current study was conducted to assess the health risks associated with metal pollution at Manka Canal, Dera Ghazi Khan. Methods. A total of eighty-four wastewater, soil, and wheat samples were collected from study areas. The collected samples were analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). Results. The significant findings of the study revealed that the concentration of heavy metals in most of the collected samples of soil, water, and wheat was above the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were at relatively higher concentrations, i.e., 4.88, 22.03, 38.2, 89.2, 19.62, and 67.9 mg/kg, respectively, in collected wheat samples. The soil and irrigation water quality metrics had values that exceeded the acceptable thresholds, rendering them unfit for agricultural use. The local community faces an elevated health risk index for both children and adults due to the consumption of wheat crop as HRI is greater than 1 for nonessential elements like Cd and Pb. Conclusion. The study suggested that wastewater irrigation leads to the accumulation of heavy metals in foodstuffs, causing potential health risks to consumers. The gradual accumulation of these contaminants in biological systems finally gives rise to severe health-related issues. Therefore, it is crucial to implement robust wastewater treatment processes and stringent quality control measures to minimize health risks associated with the consumption of crops grown using reclaimed water. Prior to irrigating crops like wheat and vegetables, it is strongly advised to treat municipal wastewater to prevent soil and dietary toxicity from heavy metals

Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL)-Genetic Determinants in Gram-Negative Fecal-Microbiota of Wild Birds and Chicken Originated at Trimmu Barrage

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) give rise to resistance against penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics in multiple bacterial species. The present study was conducted to map genetic determinants and related attributes of ESBL-producing bacteria in three wild aquatic bird species and chickens at the “Trimmu Barrage” in district Jhang, Punjab province, Pakistan. To study the prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria, a total of 280 representative samples were collected from wild bird species; cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis), little egrets (Egretta garzetta) and common teals (Anas crecca) as well as from indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) originating from a local wet market. The isolates were confirmed as ESBL producers using a double disc synergy test (DDST) and bacterial species were identified using API-20E and 20NE strips. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect ESBL genetic determinants and for genus identification via 16S rRNA gene amplification. A phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for ESBL-producing isolates against 12 clinically relevant antibiotics using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test. A phylogenetic tree was constructed for the sequence data obtained in this study and comparative sequence data obtained from GenBank. The overall prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria was 34.64% (97/280). The highest percentage (44.28%; 31/70) of ESBL-producing bacteria was recovered from chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), followed by little egrets (Egretta garzetta) (41.43%; 29/70), common teal (Anas crecca) (28.57%; 20/70) and cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) (24.28%; 17/70). Five different ESBL-producing bacteria were identified biochemically and confirmed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which included Escherichia coli (72; 74.23%), Enterobacter cloacae (11; 11.34%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8; 8.25%), Salmonella enterica (4; 4.12%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2; 2.06%). Based on PCR, the frequency of obtained ESBL genes in 97 isolates was blaCTX-M (51.55%), blaTEM (20.62%), blaOXA (6.18%) and blaSHV (2.06%). In addition, gene combinations blaCTX-M + blaTEM, blaTEM + blaOXA and blaCTX-M + blaSHV were also detected in 16.49%, 2.06% and 1.03% of isolates, respectively. The ESBL gene variation was significant (p = 0.02) in different bacterial species while non-significant in relation to different bird species (p = 0.85). Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequence data confirmed the existence of CTX-M-15 and TEM betalactamases. The average susceptibility of the antibiotics panel used was lowest for both Klebsiella pneumoniae (62.5% ± 24.42) and Salmonella enterica (62.5% ± 31.08) as compared to Enterobacter cloacae (65.90% ± 21.62), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (70.83% ± 33.42) and Escherichia coli (73.83% ± 26.19). This study provides insight into the role of aquatic wild birds as reservoirs of ESBL-producing bacteria at Trimmu Barrage, Punjab, Pakistan. Hence, active bio-surveillance and environment preservation actions are necessitated to curb antimicrobial resistance

Characterizing stomatal attributes and photosynthetic induction in relation to biochemical changes in Coriandrum sativum L. by foliar-applied zinc oxide nanoparticles under drought conditions

Abiotic stress, particularly drought, will remain an alarming challenge for sustainable agriculture. New approaches have been opted, such as nanoparticles (NPs), to reduce the negative impact of drought stress and lessen the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that are an inevitable problem these days. The application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has been recognized as an effective strategy to enhance plant growth and crop production during abiotic stress. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of ZnO NPs in drought stress management of drought-susceptible Coriandrum sativum L. (C. sativum) in two consecutive seasons. Drought regimes (moderate drought regime—MDR and intensive drought regime—IDR) were developed based on replenishment method with respect to 50% field capacity of fully irrigated (control) plants. The results showed that foliar application of 100 ppm ZnO NPs improved the net photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (C), and transpiration rate (E) and boosted up the photosynthetic capacity associated with photosynthetic active radiation in MDR. Similarly, 48% to 30% improvement of chlorophyll b content was observed in MDR and onefold to 41% in IDR during both seasons in ZnO NP-supplemented plants. The amount of abscisic acid in leaves showed a decreasing trend in MDR and IDR in the first season (40% and 30%) and the second season (49% and 33%) compared with untreated ZnO NP plants. The ZnO NP-treated plants showed an increment in total soluble sugars, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content in both drought regimes, whereas the abaxial surface showed high stomatal density and stomatal index than the adaxial surface in foliar-supplied NP plants. Furthermore, ZnO NPs improve the magnitude of stomata ultrastructures like stomatal length, stomatal width, and pore length for better adaptation against drought. Principal component analysis revealed the efficacy of ZnO NPs in inducing drought tolerance in moderate and intensive stress regimes. These results suggest that 100 ppm ZnO NPs can be used to ameliorate drought tolerance in C. sativum plants

A Systematic Framework to Rapidly Obtain Data on Patients with Cancer and COVID-19: CCC19 Governance, Protocol, and Quality Assurance

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, formal frameworks to collect data about affected patients were lacking. The COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) was formed to collect granular data on patients with cancer and COVID-19 at scale and as rapidly as possible. CCC19 has grown from five initial institutions to 125 institutions with >400 collaborators. More than 5,000 cases with complete baseline data have been accrued. Future directions include increased electronic health record integration for direct data ingestion, expansion to additional domestic and international sites, more intentional patient involvement, and granular analyses of still-unanswered questions related to cancer subtypes and treatments. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, formal frameworks to collect data about affected patients were lacking. The COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) was formed to collect granular data on patients with cancer and COVID-19 at scale and as rapidly as possible. CCC19 has grown from five initial institutions to 125 institutions with >400 collaborators. More than 5,000 cases with complete baseline data have been accrued. Future directions include increased electronic health record integration for direct data ingestion, expansion to additional domestic and international sites, more intentional patient involvement, and granular analyses of still-unanswered questions related to cancer subtypes and treatments