Hepatitis C virus infection in garbage pickers of different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a significant health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Medical municipal waste pickers are at higher risk of exposure to infectious viral diseases. The current study aimed to explore HCV infection in different waste collectors. The objective of the current study was to investigate the incidence of HCV infection and associated risks among the waste collectors of five districts of Malakand Divisions and Bajaur district (old Bajaur agency) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. During the study period (May-December 2017), blood samples were collected from 300 waste handlers and tested for anti-HCV antibodies using the ICT method. The results obtained from the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 20 version. In this study, we included 300 males aged 9 to 76 years, which means 27.31 ± 11.9 years. The prevalence of HCV was 3.3% (10/300). Among the positive cases, HCV infection was slightly higher in married persons than in unmarried (3% vs. 0.33%, %, PV < 0.01, odds ratio 4.73, 95% CI =2.2-9.8). A high infection rate was reported in waste scavengers from the district Swat, followed by those in the Bajaur district. Needle prick injuries and barehanded practices were the significant risk factors for infected cases. Our findings highlight the need for personal protective equipment. It is suggested that all garbage collectors should be trained in handling waste to reduce infection.

Can Honey Improve the Quality of Cryopreserved Cross Bred Ram Semen Added to Tris Egg Yolk Extender?

BACKGROUND: Honey can improve the quality of cryopreserved ram semen because of its multinutrient and cryoprotective nature added to standard tris egg yolk extender. OBJECTIVE: Different concentrations of honey were added to the standard tris egg yolk extender to improve the post-thaw quality of crossbred ram semen. METHOD: Thirty six (36) ejaculates from eight healthy cross bred rams were pooled and divided into four aliquots. Standard tris egg yolk extender without any alteration acted as Control (C) and was supplemented with different concentrations of honey, viz. T1 (honey 1.5%), T2 (2.5%), and T3 (3.5%). RESULTS: The percent (mean ± S. E. M) sperm motility at pre-freeze was significantly (P<;0.05) higher in Group T2 and at post-thaw in Group T3 in comparison to T1 and C treatment groups. The percent (mean ± S. E. M) HOST reacted spermatozoa at post-thaw was significantly (P< 0.05) higher in Group C and at pre-freeze the value was significantly (P< 0.05) higher in the same treatment group than Group T1. The mean MDA level (mean ± S. E. M) at post thaw was significantly (P<0.05) low er in Group T3 than the treatment groups C and Group T1. CONCLUSION: From this study it is concluded that the addition of 3.5% honey to the standard tris egg yolk extender provides better protection to ram semen than the addition of 1.5% honey (i. e., Control).

Can honey improve the quality of cryopreserved cross bred ram semen added to tris egg yolk extender?

BACKGROUND

Honey can improve the quality of cryopreserved ram semen because of its multinutrient and cryoprotective nature added to standard tris egg yolk extender.

OBJECTIVE

Different concentrations of honey were added to the standard tris egg yolk extender to improve the post-thaw quality of crossbred ram semen.

METHOD

Thirty six (36) ejaculates from eight healthy cross bred rams were pooled and divided into four aliquots. Standard tris egg yolk extender without any alteration acted as Control (C) and was supplemented with different concentrations of honey, viz. T1 (honey 1.5%), T2 (2.5%), and T3 (3.5%).

RESULTS

The percent (mean ± S.E.M) sperm motility at pre-freeze was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group T2 and at post-thaw in Group T3 in comparison to T1 and C treatment groups. The percent (mean ± S.E.M) HOST reacted spermatozoa at post-thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group C and at pre-freeze the value was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the same treatment group than Group T1. The mean MDA level (mean ± S.E.M) at post thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in Group T3 than the treatment groups C and Group T1.

CONCLUSION

From this study it is concluded that the addition of 3.5% honey to the standard tris egg yolk extender provides better protection to ram semen than the addition of 1.5% honey (i.e., Control). doi.org/10.54680/fr22610110212.

Exogenous menadione sodium bisulphite alleviates detrimental effects of alkaline stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Menadione sodium bisulphite (MSB) is known to augment plant defense responses against abiotic and biotic stresses. Wheat is an essential cereal with significant sensitivity to alkaline stress. The present study investigated the effects of MSB seed priming (5 and 10 mM) in alleviating the damaging effects of alkaline stress on hydroponically grown wheat cultivars (salt-sensitive cv. MH-97 and salt-tolerant cv. Millat-2011). Our findings revealed a significant reduction in growth, chlorophyll contents, total soluble proteins, free amino acids, K+, Ca2+, P, and K+/Na+ in wheat cultivars under alkaline stress. In contrast, a noteworthy accretion in lipid peroxidation, H2O2 production, proline levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, soluble sugars, antioxidant compounds, and Na+ levels was noticed in wheat plants grown in alkaline hydroponic medium. MSB priming significantly lowered chlorophyll degradation, Na+ levels, and osmolyte accumulation. Further, K+/Na+ ratio, antioxidant compounds, and antioxidant enzyme activities were higher in plants primed with MSB. Therefore, seed priming eminently protected plants by regulating osmotic adjustment and strengthening oxidative defense under alkaline stress. Plants administered 5 mM MSB as seed priming manifested better tolerance to alkaline stress.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01250-z.

Investigating the role of different maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars by studying morpho-physiological attributes in chromium-stressed environment

Because of global land surface warming, heavy metal toxicity is expected to occur more often and more intensely, affecting the growth and development of the major cereal crops such as maize (Zea mays L.) in several ways, thus affecting the production component of food security. Hence, it is important to know the best cultivars of Z. mays in abiotic stress environment to fulfill the market demand of this staple food. For this purpose, we investigate the present study to find the best Z. mays cultivar to be grown in chromium (Cr)-contaminated sand (200 µM). In this experiment, we have studied 10 cultivars (Malka, Sadaf, Pearl, CZP, YY, YH, MMRI-yellow, Sahiwal, EV-20, and EV-77) of Z. mays grown in plastic pots for 4 weeks (in addition with seed germination) under Cr - (0 µM) and Cr + (200 µM) in sand medium. Based on the findings of the current experiment, we illustrated that Cr toxicity induced a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in shoot length, root length, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight and root dry weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content and induced oxidative damage to membrane-bounded organelles by increasing the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide which were manifested by flavonoid and phenolic contents. Moreover, Cr uptake was also higher in the plants grown in the Cr-contaminated sand compared to the plants grown without the Cr-contaminated sand. We also noticed that Pearl, CZP, and Sahiwal cultivars are suggested to be Cr-tolerant cultivars as showed better growth and development in Cr-contaminated sand while Sadaf, MMRI, and EV-77 showed lower growth and composition in Cr-contaminated sand. The overall pattern of Z. mays cultivars grown in Cr-contaminated sand is as follows: Pearl > CZP > Sahiwal > YY > YH > EV-20 > Malka > EV-77 > MMRI-yellow > Sadaf. Conclusively, it can be identified that when grown in Cr-contaminated sand, Pearl, CZP, and Sahiwal have greater ability to grow in polluted soils. Overall, Z. mays cultivars showed better growth in Cr-stressed environment due to defense mechanism but further experiments needed to be conducted on molecular level.

Effect of different seed priming agents on chromium accumulation, oxidative defense, glyoxalase system and mineral nutrition in canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars

The present experiment was conducted to appraise the role of different seed priming agents in circumventing the negative impact of chromium (Cr) toxicity on canola plants. Chromium toxicity resulted in significant decline in photosynthetic pigments and growth attributes of two canola cultivars (Puriga and MS-007). Cr toxicity also resulted in higher oxidative stress mirrored as greater accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) superoxide radical (O₂^•‒), electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Further, lipoxygenase enzyme activity that catalyzes the peroxidation of membrane lipids was also enhanced due to Cr toxicity. Canola plants also manifested impaired methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification due to the downregulation of glyoxalase enzymes (GlyI and II) under Cr stress. Seed priming treatments viz. osmo-priming with calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and hormonal priming with salicylic acid (SA) remarkably improved growth and chlorophyll content in both canola cultivars under Cr toxicity as compared to other priming treatments such as hydro-priming, redox priming (H₂O₂) and chemical priming (Se; selenium). Moreover, CaCl₂ and SA seed priming also resulted in lower oxidative stress and improved enzymatic (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, GR, GST) and non-enzymatic (GSH, phenolics, flavonoids, proline) antioxidant system of both cultivars under Cr toxicity. Further, hormonal and osmo-priming strengthened glyoxalase and antioxidant systems, thus improving reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MG detoxification. In this background, the cultivar Puriga is considered Cr tolerant as it exhibited better growth and lesser oxidative stress in both seed priming and non-primed conditions under Cr toxicity than cv. MS-007.

A state of the art review on electrochemical technique for the remediation of pharmaceuticals containing wastewater

Pharmaceutical wastewater is a frequent kind of wastewater with high quantities of organic pollutants, although little research has been done in the area. Pharmaceutical wastewaters containing antibiotics and high salinity may impair traditional biological treatment, resulting in the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes. The potential for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to break down hazardous substances instead of present techniques that essentially transfer contaminants from wastewater to sludge, a membrane filter, or an adsorbent has attracted interest. Among a variety of AOPs, electrochemical systems are a feasible choice for treating pharmaceutical wastewater. Many electrochemical approaches exist now to remediate rivers polluted by refractory organic contaminants, like pharmaceutical micro-pollutants, which have become a severe environmental problem. The first part of this investigation provides the bibliometric analysis of the title search from 1970 to 2021 for keywords such as wastewater and electrochemical. We have provided information on relations between keywords, countries, and journals based on three fields plot, inter-country co-authorship network analysis, and co-occurrence network visualization. The second part introduces electrochemical water treatment approaches customized to these very distinct discarded flows, containing how processes, electrode materials, and operating conditions influence the results (with selective highlighting cathode reduction and anodic oxidation). This section looks at how electrochemistry may be utilized with typical treatment approaches to improve the integrated system's overall efficiency. We discuss how electrochemical cells might be beneficial and what compromises to consider when putting them into practice. We wrap up our analysis with a discussion of known technical obstacles and suggestions for further research.

Alleviation of cadmium toxicity in Zea mays L. through up-regulation of growth, antioxidant defense system and organic osmolytes under calcium supplementation

Calcium (Ca) is a macronutrient and works as a modulator to mitigate oxidative stress induced by heavy metals. In this study, we investigated the role of Ca to ameliorate the Cd toxicity in Zea mays L. by modulating the growth, physio-biochemical traits, and cellular antioxidant defense system. Maize genotype Sahiwal-2002 was grown under a controlled glasshouse environment with a day/night temperature of 24 ± 4°C/14 ± 2°C in a complete randomized design with three replications and two Cd levels as (0 and 150 μM) and six regimes of Ca (0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 mM). Maize seedlings exposed to Cd at 150 μM concentration showed a notable decrease in growth, biomass, anthocyanins, chlorophylls, and antioxidant enzymes activities. A higher level of Cd (150 μM) also caused an upsurge in oxidative damage observed as higher electrolyte leakage (increased membrane permeability), H2O2 production, and MDA accumulation. Supplementation of Ca notably improved growth traits, photosynthetic pigments, cellular antioxidants (APX, POD, and ascorbic acid), anthocyanins, and levels of osmolytes. The significant improvement in the osmolytes (proteins and amino acids), and enzymatic antioxidative defense system enhanced the membrane stability and mitigated the damaging effects of Cd. The present results concluded that exogenously applied Ca potentially improve growth by regulating antioxidants and enabling maize plants to withstand the Cd toxicity.

Hydrogen sulphide alleviates cadmium stress in Trigonella foenum-graecum by modulating antioxidant enzymes and polyamine content

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity reduces growth and yield of crops grown in metal-polluted sites. Research was conducted to estimate the potential of hydrogen sulphide (H₂ S) to mitigate toxicity caused by Cd in fenugreek seedlings (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Different concentrations of CdCl₂ (Cd1-1 mM, Cd2-1.5 mM, Cd3-2mM) and H₂ S (HS1-100 µM, HS2-150 µM, HS3-200 µM) were assessed. Seeds of fenugreek were primed with sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS), as H₂ S donor. Seedlings growing in Cd-spiked media treated with H₂ S were harvested after 2 weeks. Cd stress affected growth of fenugreek seedlings. Cd toxicity decreased leaf relative water content (LRWC), intercellular CO₂ concentration, net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration. However, application of H₂ S significantly improved seedling morphological attributes by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, i.e. APX, CAT and SOD, in Cd-contaminated soil. H₂ S treatment also regulated phenolic and flavonoid content. H₂ S-induced biosynthesis of spermidine (Spd) and putrescine (Put) could account for the enhancement of growth and physiological performance of fenugreek seedlings under Cd stress. H₂ S treatment also reduced H₂ O₂ production (38%) and electrolyte leakage (EL, 51%) in seedlings grown in different concentrations of Cd. It is recommended to evaluate the efficacy of H₂ S in alleviating Cd toxicity in other crop plants.

Taurine modulates dynamics of oxidative defense, secondary metabolism, and nutrient relation to mitigate boron and chromium toxicity in Triticum aestivum L. plants

The present study was undertaken to appraise the efficacy of exogenous taurine in alleviating boron (B) and chromium (Cr) toxicity. Taurine protects cell membranes from lipid peroxidation due to its function as a ROS scavenger. However, there exists no report in the literature on the role of taurine in plants under abiotic stresses. The present investigation indicated the involvement of exogenous taurine in mediating plant defense responses under B and Cr toxicity. Wheat plants manifested a significant drop in growth, chlorophyll molecules, SPAD values, relative water content, nitrate reductase activity, and uptake of essential nutrients under B, Cr, and combined B-Cr toxicity. Plants showed significant oxidative damage due to enhanced cellular levels of superoxide radicals (O₂^•-), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), relative membrane permeability, and activity of lipoxygenase (LOX). Additionally, a significant negative correlation existed in B and Cr levels with the uptake of essential nutrients. Taurine substantially improved growth, photosynthetic pigments, and nutrient uptake by regulating ROS scavenging, secondary metabolism, and ions homeostasis under stress. Taurine protected plants from the detrimental effects of B and Cr by upregulating the production of nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide, glutathione, and phenolic compounds.

Hydrogen sulphide and nitric oxide mitigate the negative impacts of waterlogging stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂ S) are important gaseous signalling molecules that regulate key physiochemical mechanisms of plants under environmental stresses. A number of attempts have been made to improve waterlogging tolerance in plants, but with limited success. Having said that, NO and H₂ S are vital signalling molecules, but their role in mitigating waterlogging effects on crop plants is not well established. We investigated the efficacy of exogenous NO and H₂ S to alleviate waterlogging effects in two wheat cultivars (Galaxy-2013 and FSD-2008). Waterlogging produced a noticeable reduction in plant growth, yield, chlorophyll, soluble sugars and free amino acids. Besides, waterlogging induced severe oxidative damage seen as higher cellular TBARS and H₂ O₂ content. Antioxidant enzyme activity increased together with a notable rise in Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ content. Proline content was higher in waterlogged plants compared with non-waterlogged plants. In contrast, waterlogging caused a substantial decline in endogenous levels of essential nutrients (K⁺ , Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ). Waterlogged conditions led to Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ toxicity due to rapid reduction of Fe³⁺ and Mn³⁺ in the soil. Exogenous NO and H₂ S significantly protected plants from waterlogging effects by enhancing the oxidative defence and regulating nutritional status. Besides, the protective effects of exogenous NO were more prominent as compared with effects of H₂ S. Further, we did not study the effect of H₂ S and NO on photosynthetic attributes and expression of stress-related genes. Therefore, future studies should examine the effects of H₂ S and NO on wheat physiology and gene expression under waterlogging.

Extraction and Optimization of Active Metabolites From Cluster Bean: An In Vitro Biological and Phytochemical Investigation

The current study aimed to explore active metabolites of locally recognized and high yielding cultivar cluster bean (BR-99) with a wide range of adaptability having antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic potential. Six solvents were used (crude methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and aqueous) with escalating polarity for colorimetric determination of antioxidants such as total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) by DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. Moreover, an antidiabetic and anticancer study was conducted by α-amylase inhibition and MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Biological investigations were carried out against the most commonly found infectious microbial strains. The significant results (P ≤ .001) of each activity were seen among six tested solvent extracts. The ethyl acetate and methanol extract have more antioxidant potential with the highest TPC (16.38 ± .13 mg GAE/g) and TFC (8.15 ± .24 mg CE/g), respectively. Similarly, methanol extract presented the highest free radical scavenging activity (46.31 ± .91%), followed by ethyl acetate, butanol, chloroform, aqueous, and n-hexane extract. However, the maximum α-amylase inhibition (62.54 ± 1.47%) and anticancer activity against human lung cancer cells were congregated (78.31 ± 1.46%) in butanol and chloroform, respectively. A positive correlation was seen between TPC with TFC (R²= .8356), FRSA (R²= .8381), and anti-diabetic activity (R²= .8082), which highlights the phenolic contents as strong anti-oxidant agents especially flavonoids. Each extract of cluster bean (BR-99) showed significant antimicrobial activities for all tested bacterial strains except B. cereus and E. coli. The profound results of maximum antibacterial activity were witnessed by chloroform extract while ethyl acetate extracts showed great antifungal potential against all tested fungal strains. The HPLC quantitative analysis results of cluster bean (BR-99) revealed the presence of active phytochemicals such as gallic acid, HB acid, vanillic acid, kaempferol, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, salicylic acid, coumarins, quercetin, rutin, p-coumaric acid, and catechin, and the variation in both phytochemical and biological spectrums envisioned the cluster bean (BR-99) used in future as a cheap, safer, and potent source of bioactive drugs.

Seed nano-priming with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles in rice mitigates drought and enhances agronomic profile

All cereal crops, particularly rice are perpetually affected due to drastic climatic changes which triggers different stressors resulting in food shortage scenarios across the globe. In modern era, application of nanotechnology holds the pledge in combating the climate change mediated environmental stressors through nanomaterials such as pesticides, nano-biosensors, nano-clays and nano-seed priming technologies. Current study is a part of experiment conducted to comprehend the behaviour of rice plants raised from Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) primed seeds under the water shortage environment. The seed priming treatment concentrations included 0, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 ppm. In the experimental results an increase in plant height, total chlorophyll contents, plant fresh and dry weights was obtained by use of seed priming with ZnONPs. The study results proved that seed priming with 25ppm of ZnONPs increased seed and straw yield with value of 85.333 and 123.333, respectively under water deficit environment. The analysis depicted that 25 ppm has been found more suitable for increasing the 1000 paddy weight of rice plants under both well irrigated and water shortage conditions. Seed priming with ZnONPs results in 53% reduction in MDA contents of water stressed rice plants Drought stress leads to reduction in plant height by 31%, plant fresh weight by 22% and plant dry weight by 28%. Seed priming treatments imparted in current study show significance increase in plant biomass. Priming with ZnONPs further enhances the levels of proline amino acid facilitating the plant to combat water shortage stress. A further elevation in activities of SOD, CAT and POD takes place in rice plants raised from ZnONPs primed seeds by 11%, 13% and 38%, respectively. An elevation in activities of antioxidant enzymes was found and the levels of oxidative stress indicators decreased upon seed priming with ZnONPs. Furthermore the yield characteristics such as panicle length, number of tillers, paddy yield and straw yield of the rice plants raised through ZnONPs primed seeds enhanced. The ZnONPs at concentration of 25 ppm proved optimum in alleviating drought induced damages. It can be inferred that seed pre conditioning with ZnONPs is helpful in increasing yield attributes under the water shortage environment.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Biosynthesis: Overview

Zinc (Zn) is plant micronutrient, which is involved in many physiological functions, and an inadequate supply will reduce crop yields. Its deficiency is the widest spread micronutrient deficiency problem; almost all crops and calcareous, sandy soils, as well as peat soils and soils with high phosphorus and silicon content are expected to be deficient. In addition, Zn is essential for growth in animals, human beings, and plants; it is vital to crop nutrition as it is required in various enzymatic reactions, metabolic processes, and oxidation reduction reactions. Finally, there is a lot of attention on the Zn nanoparticles (NPs) due to our understanding of different forms of Zn, as well as its uptake and integration in the plants, which could be the primary step toward the larger use of NPs of Zn in agriculture. Nanotechnology application in agriculture has been increasing over recent years and constitutes a valuable tool in reaching the goal of sustainable food production worldwide. A wide array of nanomaterials has been used to develop strategies of delivery of bioactive compounds aimed at boosting the production and protection of crops. ZnO-NPs, a multifunctional material with distinct properties and their doped counterparts, were widely being studied in different fields of science. However, its application in environmental waste treatment and many other managements, such as remediation, is starting to gain attention due to its low cost and high productivity. Nano-agrochemicals are a combination of nanotechnology with agrochemicals that have resulted in nano-fertilizers, nano-herbicides, nano-fungicides, nano-pesticides, and nano-insecticides being developed. They have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and optical capabilities. Green approaches using plants, fungi, bacteria, and algae have been implemented due to the high rate of harmful chemicals and severe situations used in the manufacturing of the NPs. This review summarizes the data on Zn interaction with plants and contributes towards the knowledge of Zn NPs and its impact on plants.

Ethnobotanical inventory and medicinal perspectives of herbal flora of Shiwalik mountainous range of District Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

The present study was carried out to document traditional ethnobotanical knowledge (TEK) of herbal flora of District Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan to explore medicinal potential of wild indigenous plants (WIPs) for drug discovery. The research data was conducted during years 2015-2017 using questionnaire proforma employing structured and semi-structured interview models. The informants belonged from indigenous communities comprising of both genders with age ranging from 35-105 years. The interviews were conducted using local translator or guide who knew the dialects of all local languages. The study produced ethnobotanical inventory of 173 herbal species belonging to 45 families and out of these Poaceae was dominant family with 27 species. It was explored that maximum herbal species depicted multi-usage especially food, fodder and fuel. Among 173 herbal plant species, 69% species were used as fodder, 72% species as fuel source, 9.8% as ethnoveterinary medicines, 16% for home construction, 12% for cosmetics, 5.2% as honeybee plants and 2.7% were used as fiber source by the local people. Many local plants have been in promulgation for cure of different diseases in traditional cultures such as for cure of stomach problems, cough, cancer, jaundice, kidney diseases, diabetes, snake biting and tooth problems. Different parts of plants such as leaf, root, stem bark, flower, seed and gums are used for the treatment of different diseases by the local people. The major aliments being cured are classified into 12 disease categories by using informant consensus factor (ICF) protocol. According to ICF, the highest numbers of plant species were used against wound healing, snake bite, skin diseases, eye diseases and asthma. Fidelity level (FL) was assessed to check the reliability and use consistency of herbal drugs by the indigenous communities of the study area. The use value index (UVI) of different herb species ranged from 0.29 to 0.57 while the highest value was calculated for Alternanthera pungens L. (UVI: 0.57). Relative frequency of citation (RFC) value was calculated on the bases of the response of the interviewees recorded during survey in correlation with authenticating of traditional data. The RFC values represented the relative popularity of individual species in study area according to their use values. The highest value was calculated for Alternanthera pungens L. (0.90) and followed by Achyranthes aspera L. (0.80. The study reveals that many species are known for commonly used in traditional ethnomedicines (TEMs). Due to different biotic and abiotic factors in conjunction with climatic changes many herbal flora of Shiwalik mountain range (SMR) of District Bhimber of AJK is under threat. The factors like habitat loss, overgrazing, construction of communication infrastructure, silviculture practices, shelter construction (houses) and other more domestic use of wild land by clearing wild lands are boosting towards plant biodiversity loss. There is dare need to work on comprehensive exploration of TEMs to discover neo drugs from wild indigenous plants and do work for conservation of wild flora of the area for future generations.

Banana bunchy top virus genetic diversity in Pakistan and association of diversity with recombination in its genomes

Banana Bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a multipartite circular single strand DNA virus that belongs to genus Babuvirus and family Nanoviridae. It causes significant crop losses worldwide and also in Pakistan. BBTV is present in Pakistan since 1988 however, till now only few (about twenty only) sequence of genomic components have been reported from the country. To have insights into current genetic diversity in Pakistan fifty-seven genomic components including five complete genomes (comprises of DNA-R, -U3, -S, -M, -C and -N components) were sequenced in this study. The genetic diversity analysis of populations from Pakistan showed that DNA-R is highly conserved followed by DNA-N, whereas DNA-U3 is highly diverse with the most diverse Common Region Stem-loop (CR-SL) in BBTV genome, a functional region, which previously been reported to have undergone recombination in Pakistani population. A Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis of entire genomes of isolates by using sequence of all the components concatenated together with the reported genomes around the world revealed deeper insights about the origin of the disease in Pakistan. A comparison of the genetic diversity of Pakistani and entire BBTV populations around the world indicates that there exists a correlation between genetic diversity and recombination. Population genetics analysis indicated that the degree of selection pressure differs depending on the area and genomic component. A detailed analysis of recombination across various components and functional regions suggested that recombination is closely associated with the functional parts of BBTV genome showing high genetic diversity. Both genetic diversity and recombination analyses suggest that the CR-SL is a recombination hotspot in all BBTV genomes and among the six components DNA-U3 is the only recombined component that has extensively undergone inter and intragenomic recombination. Diversity analysis of recombinant regions results on average one and half fold increase and, in some cases up to four-fold increase due to recombination. These results suggest that recombination is significantly contributing to the genetic diversity of BBTV populations around the world.

Study of impacts of brickkiln emanations on soil quality of agriculture lands in selected areas of District Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

The pollution is hot issue of current era in world and the current study was carried to explore impacts of brickkilns' emanations on physiochemical properties of agricultural lands from District Bhimber of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan. In this research, various edaphic characteristics: pH, soil organic matter, organic carbon, water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity and heavy metal contamination in soils nearby of brickkilns were determined. The pH of soil ranged from 5.55 to 7.50, soil organic matter was 0.35-0.90% and organic carbon content was 0.65-1.40%. The water holding capacity ranged from 2.10 to 3.20 mgL-1 and carbon exchange capacity was 1250 to 4202 meq/100g. The contamination profile of heavy metal depicted that Pb showed highest conc. 0.065 mg/g followed by Co (0.053 mg/g) and Ni with 0.52 mg/g in the soil. Pb and Cr had high conc. in soil samples around brickkilns due to burning of coal and rubber tyres as fuel. The conc. of sulphate and nitrate ranged from 0.90±0.50 mol L-1 to 4.25±0.65 mol L-1 and 2.30±0.50 mol L-1 to 6.55±0.25 mol L-1, respectively. The fertility of agriculture lands was depicted that edaphic properties were directly related while nutritive features were inversely commensurate to distance from brickkilns. The research proved that emanations of brickkilns causes severe impact on quality of agriculture land, plant growth and its yield. Hence, reclamation measures should be taken to mitigate and/or eradicate nuisance of brickkilns emanations by using environmental friendly strategies.

Variability in indigenous Pakistani tomato lines and worldwide reference collection for Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV) and Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) infection

Local and exotic germplasm of tomato remains a major source for genetic improvement. Assessment of such lines for biotic stresses particularly viral diseases are the most important criteria for selection in Pakistan, where Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) and Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV) are the major diseases/viruses. A set of 40 accessions (including indigenous Pakistani lines and exotic germplasm from Europe, the United States, and Asia) were evaluated for their resistance/infection response to ToMV with artificial inoculation under greenhouse conditions. Infection response was quantified through disease scoring and DAS-ELISA test (for ToMV). A subset of 24 lines, was further screened for TYLCV using disease scoring and TAS-ELISA. The tested lines showed significant variability for resistance to ToMV. Only one accession (Acc-17878) was resistant to the ToMV whereas seven accessions i.e. Acc-17890, AVR-261, CLN-312, AVR-321, EUR-333, CLN-352, and CLN-362 expressed resistance to TYLCV. Correlation between phenotypic evaluation was confirmed by the ELISA results in both diseases, although both tools complemented to assess the viral infection status. In future, tomato breeding programs must consider breeding for ToMV and TYLCV resistance (using identified germplasm in our study) so as to deliver virus resistant tomato varieties.

Sublethal toxicity of carbofuran in cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis coromandus): hematological, biochemical, and histopathological alterations

This study was aimed to investigate Carbofuran (CF)-induced pathological changes in cattle egret. Two hundred cattle egrets were reared and equally divided into four groups and given different CF concentrations (0.03 mg/L, 0.02 mg/L, 0.01 mg/L and 0 mg/L (control group)). Hematology, serum biochemistry, histopathology, and immunological markers were studied. Our results confirm that CF induces anemic conditions, leukocytosis, elevated liver enzymatic activity, and alterations in renal biomarkers. Moreover, specific microscopic lesions such as multifocal necrosis, pyknotic nuclei, hemorrhages, congestion, and inflammatory cell proliferation were observed in the liver, kidney, spleen, and thymus. These findings suggest that CF can induce harmful effects, so the application of this pesticide in the field must be strictly monitored to mitigate the possibility of exposure to non-target species.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Potential of Liver Aminotransferases and Alkaline Phosphatase in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Early diagnosis with the best diagnostic marker is highly desired for the prevention and timely treatment of CVDs. However, there is still a dearth of an ideal marker for the detection of CVDs. Objective To explore the diagnostic potential of liver aminotransferases (AST and ALT), and alkaline phosphatase for the diagnosis of CVDs without liver involvement. Method This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 200 adult patients with CVDs, who visited the cardiology and emergency units of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal. The study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2020. The baseline data on family history, anthropometry, baseline biochemical parameters, liver enzymes, and cardiac biomarkers were collected using standard and validated methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and MedCalc software 2021. Result The diagnostic sensitivity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were 53.7%, 52.6%, and 33.7% and specificity were 99%, 90%, and 90% respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of AST, ALT, and ALP were 0.78, 0.73, and 0.52 respectively. ROC curve indicated that serum AST and ALT activity was a better reliable marker than the serum ALP activities. Conclusion Our study suggests that serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase but not alkaline phosphatase could have some diagnostic potential to diagnose the risk of CVDs. However, they could not replace the currently adopted cardiac biomarkers such as cTnI and CK-MB.