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This study evaluates factors influencing pregnancy rates per artificial insemination (P/AI) and pregnancy loss in Lohi ewes undergoing laparoscopic AI with frozen-thawed semen under sub-tropical conditions. Data from three experiments comprising ewes (n = 358) of mixed parity (nulliparous; NP and parous; P), various body condition score (BCS) and assigned to long-term (LTP, 11 days) and short-term (STP, 5 days) oestrus synchronization regimen across high breeding season (HBS) and low breeding season (LBS) were analysed. Laparoscopic insemination was conducted 54 h post-sponge removal. Pregnancy diagnosis and loss were evaluated on days 35 and 90 post-insemination via ultrasonography. Results showed parity significantly influenced P/AI, with nulliparous ewes achieving higher pregnancy ratios than parous ewes (p = .001). BCS significantly influenced P/AI (p < .05), with a quadratic relationship observed between BCS and season (BCS*BCS*Season; p = .07). Progestin treatment did not significantly influence the ratio of pregnant ewes (p = .07). Pregnancy losses were significantly higher during LBS than HBS (p < .05), irrespective of progestin treatment. In conclusion, parity and BCS significantly influenced P/AI, with BCS demonstrating a quadratic association with season. Ewes bred during LBS experienced higher pregnancy losses than HBS, irrespective of progestin treatment.
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Criopreservación , Sincronización del Estro , Inseminación Artificial , Laparoscopía , Índice de Embarazo , Estaciones del Año , Preservación de Semen , Animales , Femenino , Embarazo , Inseminación Artificial/veterinaria , Preservación de Semen/veterinaria , Laparoscopía/veterinaria , Masculino , Criopreservación/veterinaria , Aborto Veterinario , Oveja Doméstica , Paridad , OvinosRESUMEN
This study determined the individual and combined effects of extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and quercetin (QUE) on the quality of post-thawed sperm and the fertilization potential of Lohi rams. In experiment 1, semen samples from four Lohi rams were pooled and extended with different concentrations of ATP or QUE (control; no ATP or QUE, 1 or 2 mM ATP and 10 or 20 µM QUE). In experiment 2, pooled semen samples were extended with various combinations of ATP and QUE (control; no ATP and QUE, 1 mM ATP + 10 µM QUE, 1 mM ATP + 20 µM QUE, 2 mM ATP + 10 µM QUE and 2 mM ATP + 20 µM QUE). All samples in both experiments were cryopreserved and analyzed for post-thawed sperm quality. In experiment 3, the best combination of ATP and QUE from experiment 2 was to extend semen, which was then used for laparoscopic insemination in estrus-synchronized ewes (n = 83). The results of experiment 1 showed that 1 mM ATP and 20 µM QUE treatments resulted in higher total motility, progressive motility, viability, plasma membrane intactness (PMI), and motion kinetics (VCL, VSL, VAP, LIN, and STR) compared to other treatments (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, the 1 mM ATP +10 µM QUE-treated group exhibited significantly higher total and progressive motility, PMI, and motion kinetics (VSL, VCL, VAP, STR, and BCF) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In experiment 3, the fertilizing potential of sperms treated with 1 mM ATP +10 µM QUE was greater than that of untreated controls (58.1% vs. 27.5%, respectively, p-value = 0.012). In conclusion, the quality of post-thawed ram semen is enhanced when the extender is supplemented with extracellular 1 mM ATP and 20 µM QUE, whether used separately or in combination with 1 mM ATP and 10 µM QUE. Furthermore, the inclusion of 1 mM ATP and 10 µM QUE together in the extender significantly improves in vivo fertility in Lohi ram.
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Preservación de Semen , Semen , Ovinos , Animales , Masculino , Femenino , Quercetina/farmacología , Preservación de Semen/veterinaria , Preservación de Semen/métodos , Criopreservación/métodos , Espermatozoides , Fertilización , Oveja Doméstica , Adenosina Trifosfato , Motilidad EspermáticaRESUMEN
The study was designed to evaluate the effect of different extenders and storage times on sperm quality parameters of extended Kail ram semen. Semen was collected from five adult Kail rams using an artificial vagina. Semen samples with >70% total sperm motility were pooled, diluted with Tris (TR), sodium citrate (SC), and skim milk (SM)-based extenders, and stored at 5 °C. Sperm motility and kinematics, viability, and plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity were assessed every 24 hrs for 120 hrs. Sperm longevity was estimated by placing semen in a water bath at 37°C to assess sperm kinematics. Storage time as the main effect had a negative (P < 0.05) impact on sperm quality parameters. The percentages of total motile (TM), progressive motile (PM), rapid, and medium progressive (MP) motile sperm were similar at 24 hrs of storage for the three extenders. However, semen extended in TR had a higher (P < 0.05) percentage of TM, PM, rapid, and MP sperm compared to SM and SC extenders at 48 hrs of storage. The sperm kinematics (VCL, VSL, VAP, and ALH) of progressive sperm were similar for all three extenders up to 72 hrs of storage. In addition, semen extended in TR had a higher (P < 0.05) percentage of sperm with intact plasma and acrosomal membranes at a storage time of 48 hrs. At 37 °C, the percentage of TM and PM sperm was higher (P < 0.05) in the TR extender than in the SM and SC extenders at 60 minutes and beyond. In conclusion, the Kail ram sperm extended in TR and stored at 5 °C maintained better quality after 48 hrs storage than sperm extended in SM and SC extenders. At 37 °C, sperm extended in TR also retained better quality parameters at 60 min and afterward than sperm extended in SM and SC.
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Brassica , Preservación de Semen , Masculino , Ovinos , Animales , Motilidad Espermática , Preservación de Semen/veterinaria , Semillas , Espermatozoides , Oveja Doméstica , Citrato de SodioRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The availability of a variety of e-cigarettes flavors is one of the frequently cited reasons for their adoption. An active stream of discussion about flavoring can be observed online. Analyzing these real-time conversations offers nuanced insights into key factors related to the adoption of flavors, subsequently supporting public health interventions. METHODS: Google's BERT, a state-of-the-art deep learning method was employed to model the first sentiment corpus on JUUL flavors. BERT, which is pre-trained with the complete English Wikipedia was fine-tuned by integrating a classification model, with human labeled Tweets, as training data. A collection of 30 075 Tweets about JUUL flavors was classified into positive and negative sentiments. Finally, using topic models, we identify and grouped thematic areas into positive and negative Tweets. RESULTS: With an average of 89% cross-validation precision for classifying Tweets, the fine-tuned BERT model classified 24 114 Tweets as positive and 5961 Tweets as negative. Through the topic modeling approach 10 thematic topics were identified from the predicted positive and negative sentiments expressed in the Tweets. CONCLUSIONS: JUUL flavors, notably mango, mint, and cucumber, provoke overwhelmingly positive sentiments indicating a strong likeness due to favorable taste and odor. Negative discourse about JUUL flavors revolve around addictiveness, high nicotine content, and youth targeted marketing. IMPLICATIONS: Limiting the content related to flavors and positive perceptions on social media is necessary to minimize exposure to youth. The novel methodology used in this study may be adopted to monitor e-cigarette discourse periodically, as well as other critical public health phenomena online.
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Sistemas Electrónicos de Liberación de Nicotina , Medios de Comunicación Sociales , Adolescente , Aromatizantes , Humanos , Aprendizaje Automático , GustoRESUMEN
In this study, an accurate, simple, economical, precise and reproducible reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the estimation of fusidic acid and hydrocortisone acetate, according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines, in a cream formulation. Chromatographic separation was achieved by isocratic elution, on a Shimadzu reversed-phased high-pressure liquid chromatography instrument, equipped with a C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) and UV detector at 225 nm wavelength, using acetonitrile and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid (60:40), as a mobile phase and diluent, at flow rate 2 ml/min and an injection volume of 20 µl. The calibration curves were acquired with concentration range 80-120% and mean percentage recoveries for hydrocortisone acetate and fusidic acid were 100.14 and 100.81%, respectively. The limits of detection was obtained as 6.0667 and 6.807 µm ml-1 and the limits of quantification were 20.204 and 20.628 µm ml-1 for hydrocortisone acetate and fusidic acid, respectively. All of the validation parameters were within the acceptance criteria, as per International Conference on Harmonization requirements, for hydrocortisone acetate and fusidic acid. This method was found to be validated, simple, rapid and applicable for the simultaneous estimation of hydrocortisone acetate and fusidic acid by reversed-phased high-pressure liquid chromatography, for routine analytical testing in quality control, with a run time of 8 min.
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Cromatografía de Fase Inversa/métodos , Ácido Fusídico/análisis , Hidrocortisona/análogos & derivados , Crema para la Piel/química , Cromatografía Líquida de Alta Presión/métodos , Hidrocortisona/análisis , Límite de Detección , Modelos Lineales , Reproducibilidad de los ResultadosRESUMEN
Climate Change (CC) adaptation and mitigation policy coherence (PC) across sectors is essential to effectively address CC challenges and support synergies. Pakistan is highly vulnerable to CC. In this paper, the extent to which Pakistan's national and provincial water, agriculture, and energy sector policies, development plans and strategies are aligned in a CC policy coherent manner is established. In this context, a qualitative content document analysis with associated scoring is used to assess government documents. Furthermore, implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Initiative (CPEC; 2017-2030), the biggest infrastructure investment program ever in Pakistan, are discussed. An important result is that sectoral policies are found to have different degrees of PC. Better coherence is found at federal than at provincial levels. Furthermore, CC policies are found to be more coherently addressed in water and agriculture policies than in energy policies. It is suggested that to achieve higher levels of CC PC, federal and provincial governments should establish mechanisms of intergovernmental consultation for policy-making and cross-sectoral planning, especially in the energy sector. Our findings can help the Government of Pakistan to transform CPEC into a model green Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the region. In this context, there are important implications with regards to e.g., reducing coal-based energy projects and environmentally damaging infrastructure activities in sensitive ecosystems. With this paper, the authors want to raise awareness of the key importance of CC PC, particular in context of the BRI. Many countries participating in the initiative have carbon reduction targets in place.
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Cambio Climático , Ecosistema , China , Pakistán , PolíticasRESUMEN
The objective of the current review was to summarize the protocols used for estrous synchronization in ewes during the last two decades. Progesterone (P4) is a major hormone used in most protocols. P4 in the form of a controlled internal drug releasing (CIDR) device, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP), and fluorogestone acetates (FGA) has been used for estrous synchronization. Also, gonadotropins such as equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) are often administered at the end of P4-based protocols to improve fertility. Moreover, the administration of prostaglandins (PG) and ram effects have been used for estrus induction and synchronization of ewes. The findings of previous studies indicate that the outcome of administering various synthetics P4 analogues (CIDR, MAP, and FGA) in ewes is comparable in terms of estrous synchronization/induction. The supplementation of P4-based protocols with eCG, however, improves the estrus response and pregnancy rate during breeding and non-breeding season. On the other hand, PG is effective for successful estrous synchronization during the breeding season only. Often, two injections of PG are administered either 11 or 14 days apart along with P4-based protocols to lyse ovine corpus luteum (CL) when it is receptive to PG i.e., 3 days post-ovulation. Alternatively, the "ram effect" has been shown to improve the efficacy of P4-based protocols and can be used as an alternative to eCG in ewes. The current review describes the methods of synchronization and their outcomes during breeding and a non-breeding season in ewes.
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Sincronización del Estro , Estro , Animales , Femenino , Acetato de Fluorogestona , Gonadotropinas Equinas , Caballos , Inseminación Artificial/veterinaria , Masculino , Embarazo , Progesterona , OvinosRESUMEN
This study compares the factors associated with variable interval to oestrus and ovulation between early versus late ovulating goats following PGF2α administration. The time of ovulation in Beetal goats (n = 38) was monitored through transrectal ultrasound at every 6 hr following a single dose of PGF2α (experiment 1). Variations in oestrus and ovulation times were further explored through the changes in follicular dynamics, endocrine profiles and behaviour in another set of goats (n = 13) following single PGF2α given randomly during the luteal phase (experiment 2). The ovulation time varied between 60 and 96 hr, and 57% of ovulations occurred by 72 hr following PGF2α (experiment 1). Accordingly, the goats (n = 13) in the second experiment were retrospectively divided either into early and/or late ovulating, that is, ≤72 and/or ≥84 hr following PGF2α . The onset of oestrus, peak estradiol-17ß concentration and LH surge after PGF2α was first observed in early than late ovulating goats (p < 0.05). The goats ovulating early had larger follicle and smaller CL in diameter at the time of PGF2α administration than those ovulating late (5.4 ± 0.2 vs. 4.3 ± 0.2 mm and 10 ± 0.6 vs. 11.8 ± 0.3 mm, respectively; p < 0.05). Likewise, plasma progesterone concentration tended to be lower (p = 0.087) in early than late ovulating goats. In conclusion, the size of dominant follicle and CL at the time of PGF2a determines the interval to ovulation following a single dose of PGF2a during the luteal phase.
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Dinoprost/farmacología , Sincronización del Estro/efectos de los fármacos , Cabras/fisiología , Ovulación/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Estradiol/sangre , Femenino , Fertilidad , Cabras/sangre , Hormona Luteinizante/sangre , Folículo Ovárico/efectos de los fármacos , Folículo Ovárico/metabolismo , Progesterona/sangre , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
The world water resources are contaminated due to discharge of a large number of pollutants from industrial and domestic sources. A variety of a single and multiple units of physical, chemical, and biological processes are employed for pollutants removal from wastewater. Adsorption is the most widely utilized process due to high efficiency, simple procedure and cost effectiveness. This paper reviews the research work carried out on the use of geopolymer materials for the adsorption of heavy metals and dyes. Geopolymers possess good surface properties, heterogeneous microstructure and amorphous structure. The performance of geopolymers in the removal of heavy metals and dyes is reported comparable to other materials. The pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models mostly fit to the adsorption data suggesting homogeneous distribution of adsorption sites with the formation of monolayer adsorbate on the surface of geopolymers. Adsorption of heavy metals and dyes onto geopolymers is spontaneous, endothermic and entropy driven process. Future research should focus on the enhancement of geopolymer performance, testing on pollutants other than heavy metals and dyes, and verification on real wastewater in continuous operation.
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Colorantes/aislamiento & purificación , Metales Pesados/aislamiento & purificación , Adsorción , Colorantes/química , Cinética , Metales Pesados/química , Aguas Residuales , Contaminantes Químicos del AguaRESUMEN
The present study was undertaken to find out the safety levels of fenbendazole in common peafowl. This bird, raised on aviaries and zoos, can be severely parasitized with Ascaridia galli (enteric worms) and Syngamus trachea (gapeworm) along with other parasitic worms. Fenbendazole is a highly effective benzimidazole-class anthelmintic in animals. The objective of this work was to provide target animal safety data in young peafowl and to demonstrate reproductive safety in adult birds. During the experimental study, diets containing fenbendazole at 0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm were fed for 21 days (three times the normal treatment duration). Data for feed consumption, feed conversion rate, and body weights were recorded for each bird in each group. Drug concentrations in different tissues of birds were determined to correlate concentrations with clinical observations, clinical pathology, and histologic findings. There were no morbidities or mortalities after study day 21. Additionally, there were no statistically significant treatment-related differences among above mentioned parameters. Analysis of fenbendazole concentrations in kidney, liver, leg/thigh, and breast muscle and skin with associated fat revealed that, even at the highest dose level used and with no feed withdrawal, fenbendazole concentrations were relatively low in these tissues. These findings indicate that fenbendazole has a relatively wide margin of safety in young peafowl and that the proposed dose of 100 ppm in the feed for 7 consecutive days is well within the margin of safety. In the reproductive safety study, five breeder peafowl farms fed fendbendazole at 100ppm for 7 days and collected data on hatching percentage of peahen eggs before and after treatment. Reproductive performance in peahen was not adversely affected.
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Ascaridia/efectos de los fármacos , Ascaridiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Ascaridiasis/veterinaria , Enfermedades de las Aves/tratamiento farmacológico , Fenbendazol/uso terapéutico , Galliformes/parasitología , Alimentación Animal , Animales , Ascaridia/aislamiento & purificación , Peso Corporal/efectos de los fármacos , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Fenbendazol/administración & dosificación , Fenbendazol/efectos adversos , Fenbendazol/farmacocinética , Distribución TisularRESUMEN
The aim of the present study was to determine a set of reference genes in granulosa cells of dominant follicles that are suitable for relative gene expression analyses during maternal and follicular aging. Granulosa cells of growing and preovulatory dominant follicles were collected from aged and young cows (maternal aging study) and from FSH-stimulated follicles developing under different durations of FSH treatment (follicular aging study). The mRNA levels of the two commonly used reference genes (GAPDH, ACTB) and four novel genes (UBE2D2, EIF2B2, SF3A1, RNF20) were analysed using cycle threshold values. Results revealed that mRNA levels of GAPDH, ACTB, EIF2B2, RNF20, SF3A1 and UBE2D2 were similar (P>0.05) between dominant follicle type, age and among follicles obtained after FSH-stimulation, but differed (P=0.005) due to mRNA processing (i.e. with versus without amplification). The stability of reference genes was analysed using GeNorm, DeltaCT and NormFinder programs and comprehensive ranking order was determined using RefFinder. The mRNA levels of GAPDH and ACTB were less stable than those of UBE2D2 and EIF2B2. The geometric mean of multiple genes (UBE2D2, EIF2B2, GAPDH and SF3A1) is a more appropriate reference control than the use of a single reference gene to compare relative gene expression among dominant and FSH-stimulated follicles during maternal and/or follicular aging studies.
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Envejecimiento , Hormona Folículo Estimulante/metabolismo , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Células de la Granulosa/metabolismo , Oogénesis , Folículo Ovárico/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Algoritmos , Animales , Animales Endogámicos , Bovinos , Factor 2B Eucariótico de Iniciación/genética , Factor 2B Eucariótico de Iniciación/metabolismo , Femenino , Fármacos para la Fertilidad Femenina/farmacología , Hormona Folículo Estimulante/farmacología , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Células de la Granulosa/citología , Células de la Granulosa/efectos de los fármacos , Oogénesis/efectos de los fármacos , Folículo Ovárico/citología , Folículo Ovárico/efectos de los fármacos , Folículo Ovárico/crecimiento & desarrollo , Ovulación/efectos de los fármacos , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Factores de Empalme de ARN/genética , Factores de Empalme de ARN/metabolismo , Estabilidad del ARN/efectos de los fármacos , Ribonucleoproteína Nuclear Pequeña U2/genética , Ribonucleoproteína Nuclear Pequeña U2/metabolismo , Saskatchewan , Enzimas Ubiquitina-Conjugadoras/genética , Enzimas Ubiquitina-Conjugadoras/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas/metabolismoRESUMEN
The ash of C. polygonoides (locally called balanza) was collected from Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and was utilized as biosorbent for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. The ash was used as biosorbent without any physical or chemical treatment. The biosorbent was characterized by using various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The particle size and surface area were measured using particle size analyzer and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation (BET), respectively. The SEM and BET results expressed that the adsorbent has porous nature. Effects of various conditions such as initial concentration of methylene blue (MB), initial pH, contact time, dosage of biosorbent, and stirring rate were also investigated for the adsorption process. The rate of the adsorption of MB on biomass sample was fast, and equilibrium has been achieved within 1 hour. The kinetics of MB adsorption on biosorbent was studied by pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the pseudo-second-order has better mathematical fit with correlation coefficient value (R (2)) of 0.999. The study revealed that C. polygonoides ash proved to be an effective, alternative, inexpensive, and environmentally benign biosorbent for MB removal from aqueous solution.
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Azul de Metileno/aislamiento & purificación , Polygonaceae/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/aislamiento & purificación , Purificación del Agua/métodos , Absorción Fisicoquímica , Cinética , Azul de Metileno/química , Azul de Metileno/metabolismo , Microscopía Electrónica de Rastreo , Tamaño de la Partícula , Espectroscopía Infrarroja por Transformada de Fourier , Termogravimetría , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismoRESUMEN
The removal of dyes from the aquatic ecosystem is necessary being a major threat to life. For enhanced remediation of methylene blue (MB) dye, a new ternary biopolymer-geopolymer-surfactant composite adsorbent is synthesized by combining phosphoric acid geopolymer (PAGP), calcium alginate (Alg), and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). During the synthesis of the composites, PAGP and SLS were mixed with the alginate matrix, producing porous hybrid beads. The PAGP-SLS-alginate (PSA) beads prepared were characterized using different analytical tools, i.e., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), surface area and porosimetery (SAP), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To ascertain the ideal conditions for the adsorption process, a batch reactor procedure was used to investigate the effects of several parameters on MB adsorption, including pH (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), PSA adsorbent dosage (0.06-0.12 g), MB concentration (50-500 mg/L), contact time (15 to 300 min), and temperature (25, 35, and 45 °C). The SEM investigation indicated that ~ 1860 µm-sized PSA beads with 6-8 µm voids are generated. Based on XRD, FTIR, and SAP examinations, the material is amorphous, having numerous functional groups and an average pore size of 6.42 nm. Variation of pH has a little effect on the adsorption process, and the pH of 7.44 was found to be the pHpzc of the PSA beads. According to the findings of the batch study, equilibrium adsorption was obtained in 270-300 min, showing that the adsorption process was moderately slow-moving and effective. The dye adsorption linearly increased with initial dye concentration over concentration range of 50-500 mg/L and reciprocally decreased with rise in temperature. 0.06 g adsorbent dose, 25 °C, pH10, and 270 min were found to be the better conditions for adsorption experiments. Langmuir isotherm fitted well compared to Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) isotherm models on the experimental data, and the maximum adsorption capacity(qmax) calculated was 1666.6 mg. g-1. Pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetics model and multi steps (two) intra particle diffusion (IPD) model fitted well on the adsorption kinetics data. The system's entropy, Gibbs free energy, and change in enthalpy were measured and found to be -109.171 J. mol-1. K-1, - 8.198 to - 6.014 kJ. mol-1, and - 40.747 kJ. mol-1. Thermodynamics study revealed that adsorption process is exothermic, energetically favorable and resulting in the decrease in randomness. Chemisorption is found to be the dominant mechanism as confirmed by pH effect, Langmuir isotherm, PSO kinetics, IPD model, and thermodynamics parameters. PSA beads were successfully regenerated using ethanol in a course of 120 min and re-used for five times. To sum up, the PSA adsorbent's impressive adsorption capability of 1666.66 mg/g highlights its potential as a successful solution for methylene blue removal. The results of this study add to the expanding corpus of information on sophisticated adsorption materials and demonstrate PSA's potential for real-world uses in wastewater treatment and environmental clean-up.
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We present an 11-year-old girl with sudden, severe, sequential optic neuropathy. Investigations revealed severe vitamin B12 deficiency, and identified a novel mitochondrial ND5 variant. She was treated with steroids followed by plasma exchange, but the vision continued to deteriorate to eventual bilateral blindness over the next few months. Vitamin B12 deficiency can rarely cause severe irreversible visual loss secondary to optic neuropathy. The significance of the concurrent mitochondrial ND5 variant remains undetermined.
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ADN Mitocondrial/genética , Atrofia Óptica Hereditaria de Leber/complicaciones , Baja Visión/etiología , Deficiencia de Vitamina B 12/complicaciones , Niño , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Femenino , HumanosRESUMEN
Economic and social development, the state of the environment and a propensity for disasters are closely intertwined. Therefore, environmental policy integration (EPI) across development and disaster management (DM) policies and plans is important. Pakistan as a country is highly vulnerable to climate-induced environmental changes and associated disasters. In this paper, the extent to which its national environment and climate change policy, disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy as well as disaster management (DM) plans are aligned is established, based on a review of government documents and expert opinions. In this context, a particular emphasis is put on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that led the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Plan (CPEC; 2017-2030). While environmental assessment (EA) is currently not conducted for any DM policies and plans, DM and EA are well integrated into provincial environmental protection acts, in national as well as most provincial DM plans. It is concluded that a regulatory framework to guide EPI in DM for BRI and CPEC projects is needed.
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Planificación en Desastres , Desastres , Política Ambiental , Pakistán , Desastres/prevención & control , ChinaRESUMEN
Thalassemia is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders worldwide. The present study aimed to explore the mutational spectrum of all hemoglobin (HB) encoding genes and to identify the potentially damaging and pathogenic variants in the beta (ß)-thalassemia major patients and thalassemia minor carriers of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 49 ß-thalassemia major patients and 49 carrier samples were screened for the identification of HBA1, HBA2, HBB, HBD, HBE1, HBG1 and HBG2 variants by NGS. PCR was performed for the amplification of HB encoding genes and the amplified product of 13 patients and 7 carrier samples were processed for the Sanger sequencing. Various bioinformatics tools and databases were employed to reveal the functional impact and pathogenicity potential of the observed variants. Results depicted a total of 20 variants of HB-related genes by NGS and 5 by Sanger sequencing in thalassemia patients. While 20 variants by NGS and 3 by Sanger were detected in carriers. Few known genetic variants of HB-encoding genes are being reported for the first time in Pakistani thalassemia patients and carriers. However, two novel HBB variants c.375A>C (p.P125P) and c.*61T>G and a novel variant of HBE1 (c.37A>T (p.T13S)) were also documented. Pathogenicity analysis predicted the pathogenic potential of HBB variants (c.47G>A (p.W16*), c.27-28insG (p. S10fs), and c.92+5G>C) for ß thalassemia. The study of functional impact indicated that these HBB variants result in the premature termination of translation leading to the loss of functional ß-globin protein. It is therefore suggested that the pathogenic HBB variants, identified during present study, can be employed for the diagnosis, carrier screening, and planning therapy of thalassemia.
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Talasemia , Talasemia beta , Humanos , Talasemia beta/genética , Talasemia beta/diagnóstico , Pakistán , Hemoglobinas/genética , Mutación , Globinas beta/genética , GenotipoRESUMEN
Surgically induced necrotizing scleritis (SINS) is recognized as a rare and vision-threatening complication of ocular surgery. In adults, it has been mostly described after multiple ocular surgical procedures such as pterygium excision, glaucoma, and retinal detachment in the same eye. SINS is relatively less likely with single ocular surgery. It has been postulated that multiple surgeries may result in exposure of an antigen that leads to hypersensitivity reaction. Interestingly, it has also been reported after single strabismus surgery in adults. We present a case of unilateral surgically induced scleral necrosis resulting in complete loss of left inferior rectus muscle and muscle sheath in a child 2 weeks after uneventful bilateral strabismus surgery for hypertropia.
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Pterigion , Escleritis , Estrabismo , Adulto , Niño , Humanos , Músculos Oculomotores , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Oftalmológicos/efectos adversos , Pterigion/cirugía , Escleritis/diagnóstico , Escleritis/etiología , Estrabismo/complicaciones , Estrabismo/cirugíaRESUMEN
Estimating genetic parameters for growth traits is crucial to plan breeding strategies for improving meat production in indigenous sheep breeds. The study first tested the effects of environmental and maternal effects on five growth traits, including birth weight (BWT), weight at 120 days (WT120), weight at 180 days (WT180), weight at 270 days (WT270) and weight at 365 days of age (WT365) and then estimated genetic parameters for these traits using data obtained in 1215 Lohi sheep. The effects of factors, including year (YOB), season (SOB) and type of birth (TOB), age of dam (AOD) and sex on growth traits of Lohi sheep, were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in R software. Sex, TOB and YOB significantly affected all studied traits. The estimates of direct and maternal heritability for BWT and WT120 were 0.15 ± 0.08 and 0.20 ± 0.06, and 0.45 ± 0.16, 0.21 ± 0.08, respectively. The direct heritability estimates for WT180, WT270 and WT365 were 0.20 ± 0.07, 0.21 ± 0.07 and 0.19 ± 0.08, respectively. Due to the high heritability estimate obtained for WT120 compared to other studied traits, and its strong genetic correlation (>0.9) with post-weaning growth traits, it is recommended that selection must be practiced on WT120 to improve the growth performance of Lohi sheep. The results could be used for the development of genetic/genomic selection programs aiming to improve the production performance of the Lohi sheep.
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The development of the energy sector has played a major role in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution. The situation thus necessitates rigorous actions for climate compatible development (CCD). The energy sector is context-dependent, due to which response strategies for CCD are quite challenging particularly in the context of energy crises and the actors' capacity issue in developing countries. This study was aimed at exploring the role of government actors involved in governing the energy sector, with the objective to assess their capacity using a set of principles, criteria, and indicators (PCIs). The study attempted to answer the question: is the capacity of the line departments involved in energy governance adequate to achieve the targets set under SDG-7 and SDG-13? For this purpose, the study employed a combination of "Rules-based" and "Rights-based" governance approaches at all tiers of governance, i.e., federal, provincial, and district levels. Actors' capacity was assessed by developing a governance index based on the scoring of PCIs. Three hundred forty key informant interviews (KIIs) and 17 focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted at federal, provincial, and district levels where respondents were asked to score each of the indicators. Responses were then statistically analyzed and validated. The findings revealed that departments at the federal level are playing an effective role and are adequately equipped to align SDG-7 and SDG-13 with energy sector development. However, departments at the provincial and district levels are still lagging behind to achieve the desired objectives, which demonstrate the need to enhance the capacities of provincial and district line departments.
Asunto(s)
Atención a la Salud , Gases de Efecto Invernadero , Gobierno , Servicios de SaludRESUMEN
Background In lower-middle-income countries such as Pakistan, public hospitals provide free healthcare but suffer from poor management and misgovernance, negatively impacting service provision. One aspect of this is operating theater time (OTT) utilization. In a 1,600-bed hospital with a 22 million catchment population, we noticed significant delays and inadequate OTT efficiency at the neurosurgery department of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. This audit aimed to analyze the neurosurgical OTT utilization, identify delays, and highlight managerial deficiencies and areas for improvement while comparing our workflow with contemporary international literature. Materials and Methods We prospectively audited OTT utilization at the neurosurgical department. All elective surgeries from January to April 2021 were included to identify delays concerning patient transfer, anesthesia team arrival, preparation and intubation time, operative time, and anesthesia extubation time. Results Fifty-six per cent of OTT was utilized operating. Sources of delay included the delayed arrival of anesthesia team (4.7%) and the delay in transferring patients to OT (9.7%). Anesthesia intubation and preparation time accounted for 23% of OT utilization and was significantly longer than the comparable international studies. Extubation time accounted for 5.7% of OT utilization. The issues surrounding transfer delays and prolonged anesthesia time were discussed, with strategies to address them developed with close vital input from our anesthesia colleagues and ward staff. Conclusion Gross delays relatively simple in nature were identified due to poor management and less than ideal interspecialty coordination. Most delays were avoidable and can be addressed by proper planning, optimization of patient transfer and resources, and, most importantly, improved communication between surgeons, anesthetists, and ward staff. This can ensure optimal use of theater time and benefit all specialties, including ancillary staff, and, most importantly, the patient. A reaudit is warranted to assess the impact of interventions on OTT utilization.