Vol.53, Iss. 1

Length-Weight Relationships, Condition Factor and Morphometric Characteristics of Schizothoracinae from Neelum and Jhelum Rivers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Tasleem Akhtar, Ghazanfar Ali, Nuzhat Shafi

The morphometrics, length-weight relationships and condition factor are presented for commercially important Schizothoracinae from Neelum and Jhelum rivers during 2015-2016. In the present study, four species of Schizothorax had been found, in which three spec…

Dual Targeting of Janus Kinase and Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase: A New Approach to Control the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Neelam Pery, Fatima Ijaz, Nayab Batool Rizvi, Munawar Ali Munawar, Muhammad Imtiaz Shafiq

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease with prevalence all over the world. Several therapeutics with different modes of action are available to deal with the disease but have failed to produce universal response leaving a large proportion of patients un…

Novel Quinolinyl – Sulphonamide Hybrid Schiff Bases as Potent Radical Scavengers to Combat Oxidative Stress

Rubina Munir, Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Makshoof Athar, Noman Javid, Ayesha Roohi, Syeda Fatima Razavi

Eight novel quinolinyl-sulphonamide based Schiff bases have been prepared by condensation of substituted 2-chloroquinoline-3-carbaldehydes with sulphonamide substituted benzoic acid hydrazides. Structures of the Schiff bases have been confirmed by spectral tec…

Assessing the Diversity of Cursorial Spiders using DNA Barcoding

Sehrish Ashraaf, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, Sajida Naseem

Spiders are natural predators of many insect pests and preferred as they are carnivores. In the present study we identified the cursorial spiders of different families using DNA barcoding as it is very helpful in identifying species where morphological identif…

Assessment of Patients with β-Thalassemia Major, Undergoing Tertiary Care at a Regional Thalassemia Center in Pakistan

Yasir Sharif, Saba Irshad, Ammara Muazzam, Muhammad Hamza Tariq, Ambreen Kanwal, Sana Rasheed et al.

To assess iron overload, disturbed liver and hematological profile and secondary complications in β thalassemia major (BTM) patients, the current study was carried on 408 subjects including 204 patients and 204 controls. For all 408 individuals; complete…

Blood Biochemical and Hair Mineral Profile of Camel Calves Reared under Different Management Systems

Asim Faraz

This study was conducted at Camel Breeding and Research Station (CBRS) Rakh Mahni to check the effect of management system on the blood biochemical and hair mineral profile of male and female camel calves. Eighteen Marecha camel calves of almost same weight an…

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An Optional Low-Cost Method of Extracting Environmental DNA of Macro-Organisms from Filter Membranes in Large Scale eDNA Surveys

Zhi Chen, Toshifumi Minamoto, Longshan Lin, Tianxiang Gao

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a powerful tool within ecology for the distribution or abundance study of aquatic species. DNA extracting was an indispensable process to employ this method. In eDNA extracting of macro-organisms, DNeasy Blood and Tissue Ki…

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Assessment of the Hydrochemical Regime and Safety of Fish in Water Bodies of Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan

Gulzhan Aubakirova, Zhanat Adilbekov, Assylkhan Inirbayev, Assel Zhamanova, Aibar Akhmetov

This article presents the results of a study of the hydrochemical regime of water bodies in the Karaganda region, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and assesses the safety of fish. It was established that the hydrochemical regime of the water bodies was within the p…

Steinernema kraussei and Moringa oleifera Extracts Can Suppress Meloidogyne incognita Infection on Tomato

Abida Parveen, Sajid Aleem Khan, Nazir Javed, Anam Moosa, Khushboo Javaid, Hina Safdar et al.

Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood (MI)is a potential threat to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production. In this study, the inhibitory effect of Moringa oleifera L. (MO) extracts and Steinernema kraussei Steiner (SK) as stand-alone treatment…

Fertility of Cryopreserved Buffalo Semen Can be Improved by Supplementation of Arachidic Acid in Extender

Rabea Ejaz, Saima Qadeer, Muhammad Sajjad Ansari, Bushra Allah Rakha, Shazia Shamas, Iram Maqsood et al.

The study aimed to evaluate in vivo fertility of cryopreserved buffalo spermatozoa by addition of arachidic acid in semen extender. For this purpose, semen was collected from 3 adult buffalo bulls (Bubalus bubalis) of same age by artificial vagina keeping temp…

Detection of Mutations in 81-bpRifampin Resistance Determining Region (RRDR) of rpoB gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using GeneXpert MTB/RIF in Clinical Specimens from Quetta, Pakistan

Muhammad Zahid Mengal, Hamida Ali, Raheela Asmat, Muhammad Naeem, Ferhat Abbas, Abdul Samad et al.

GeneXpert MTB/RIF has revolutionized the tuberculosis diagnosis by simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to RIF (rifampicin), a surrogate marker for multidrug-resistant TB in less than two hours. The RIF-resistance pattern in Balo…

Performance of Kivircik Sheep under Three Lambing Systems in Two Years

Mikail Arslan, Orhan Yilmaz, Bahattin Cak, Ahmet Fatih Demirel

This study was carried out to investigate reproductive traits of Kivircik ewes under three lambing systems in two years and their lambs’ survival and growth performances. A total of 200 Kivircik ewes and 15 Kivircik rams were used. Ewes were subjected to…

Detection of Altered Pattern of Antibiogram and Biofilm Character in Staphylococcus aureus Isolated From Dairy Milk

Muhammad Aamir Naseer, Amjad Islam Aqib, Ambreen Ashar, Muhammad Ijaz Saleem, Muhammad Shoaib, Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam Kulyar et al.

Dairy milk is overwhelming with biofilm producing Staphylococcus aureus (bpSA), whereas response to commonly used antibiotics is not only becoming worrisome in bpSA but also in non-biofilm producing S. aureus (nbpSA). Current study was planned to detect bpSA f…

Damages Done by Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Moji Game Reserve and its Surroundings, Leepa Valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan)

Babar Zahoor, Basharat Ahmad, Riaz Aziz Minhas, Muhammad Siddique Awan

The present study was conducted to investigate human-black bear (Ursus thibetanus) conflict in and around Moji Game Reserve (MGR) Leepa valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The main cause of human-black bear conflicts was damages in the form of livestock…

Dose Dependent Effect of Kisspeptin-10 Administration on Spermatogenesis and Hypothalamic Pituitary Gonadal Axis in Prepubertal Rats

Faiqah Ramzan, Irfan Zia Qureshi, Muhammad Haris Ramzan

Discovery of kisspeptin and its receptor has enhanced our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that govern the pituitary-gonadal-axis. However, in sexually immature male mammals, the maturation of gonads is not clear yet. The current study tested th…

Record of the Pronghorn Spiny Lobster, Panulirus penicillatus (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Palinuridae) off the South Coast of Oman

Mikhail Chesalin, Said Al-Shajibi, Nader Al-Abri3 

The present paper is the first confirmed finding of the pronghorn lobster, Panulirus penicillatus in the southern coastal waters of Oman of the Arabian Sea. A single specimen was captured using a bottom set gill net at a depth of 12 m on 26 March 2019. It was…

Vigilance of the Demoiselle Crane Antropoides virgo: The Effects of Group Size, Human Disturbance, and Predation Vulnerability

Feng Xu, Weikang Yang, Ming Ma, David A. Blank

Vigilance was defined as the behavior for increasing probability of detecting and recognizing a predator before being detected themselves. Group size, human disturbance, environment factors, body size of a prey and a predator, season, traits of species and num…

The Effect of Kanglaite Injection on Apoptosis of Colon Cancer SW480 Cells and Expression of Apoptosis-Related Factors

Yujun Zhao, Jianping Fan

The aim of our present study was to assess the effects of Kanglaite injection on apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related factors Bcl-2 and Bax protein and the activities of Caspase-3 and Caspase-8 in colon cancer SW480 cells were studied. Compared with t…

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Child Bearing Age Women in Dir Khyberpakhtunkhawa, Pakistan

Mushtaq Ahamd Khan, Ziaul Islam, Amin Ullah Jan, Kamran Khan, Abdullah Shah

Toxoplasmosis is the most prevalent parasitic zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii that infects a wide range of warm-blooded animals including humans. Congenital infection with T. gondii during pregnancy can result in severe abnormalities in infants su…

Identification of Chlamydophila abortus in Abomasum Content of Aborted Sheep and Goats by PCR

Zeki Aras, Gökçenur SanioÄŸlu Gölen, Zafer Sayin, Ali Evren Haydardedeoğlu

Chlamydophila abortus C. abortus cause placentitis, abortion, weak neonates and infertility in sheep and goats worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of C. abortus in abomasum content of aborted sheep and goat fetuses from provinces o…

Size at Sexual Maturity and Fecundity of the Blue Swimmer Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) along the Coast of Karachi, Pakistan

Shazia Rasheed, Javed Mustaquim, Khalil Hasni

In the present paper, size at sexual maturity was determined by relative growth (functional) as well as by examining the condition of gonads (physiological) in both sexes of Portunus pelagicus. During the study it was observed that the physiological and functi…

Maximum Sustainable Yield and Development Status of 24 Commercial Marine Fish Groups from Pakistani Waters

Kui Zhang, Ping Geng, Sher Khan Panhwar, Khadim Hussain Memon, Zuozhi Chen

Marine fisheries play an important role in the national economy of Pakistan, as reflected in the provision of animal protein, employment solutions, and foreign-exchange earnings through exports. However, stock assessments are available for few of the commercia…

Biogenic Copper Nanoparticles as a Nanoscale Solution to Address Multiple Drug Resistance in Bacteria

Ayesha Talib, Khanzadi Nazneen Manzoor, Wajahat Ali, Maria Saeed, Muhammad Asif Gondal, Malik Badshah et al.

Resistance towards a number of antibiotics in a variety of microorganisms is expanding at an alarming pace. There is a dire need to devise novel tactics to deal with these minute yet evolving ever clever microscopic entities. One of the possible ways to fight…

Comparison of Nonlinear Functions using Partial Growth Data at Different Lengths of Growth Period in Awassi Lambs

Nihat Tekel, Seyrani Koncagül, İlkay Baritci, Halit Deniz Şireli, Muhittin Tutkun, Ecevit Eyduran et al.

The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate some nonlinear functions i.e. Brody, Negative Exponential and Bertalanffy in order to describe the growth of Awassi male lambs (n=120) at the age of 10 months. The coefficient of determination values estimate…

Identification of Myomaker in Yellowfin Seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) (Hottuyn, 1782) and its Transcriptional Regulation by Two MyoDs

Kecheng Zhu, Peiying He, Baosuo Liu, Huayang Guo, Nan Zhang, Liang Guo et al.

Myomaker is a muscle-specific membrane protein that is essential for myoblast fusion. Myomaker is regulated by myoblast determination protein (MyoD), a muscle-specific basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor in higher vertebrates. However, the trans…

New Collection of Fossil Remains of Hyotherium pilgrimi (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Suidae), from Middle Miocene Rocks of Lower Siwaliks of Pakistan

Sadaf Aslam, Abdul Majid Khan, Muhammad Akhtar

The middle Miocene rocks of the Chinji Formation, Siwaliks Hills, Pakistan are well known for their rich and diverse vertebrate fossil assemblages. Here new suid fossil remains of the extinct species Hyotherium pilgrimi described. The known stratigraphic range…

Evaluation of Trichoderma harzianum and Azadirachta indica in the Management of Meloidogyne incognita in Tomato

Wajahat Azeem, Tariq Mukhtar, Tooba Hamid

Root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne badly affect crop production worldwide and cause huge yield losses. Among the known root-knot species, Meloidogyne incognita is by far the most destructive, widely distributed and the most dominant and prevalent. In…

Effects of Dietary Fish Oil Replacement by Soybean Meal on Performance and Physiology of Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Muhammad Awais Nazir, Khalid Mahmood Anjum, Junaid Naseer, Ahsan Anjum, Aneela Zameer Durrani, Saba Usman et al.

This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of replacement of fishmeal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) in diets of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A total of 600 rainbow trout, with an initial mean body weight of 15.92 ± 0.34 g, were distribut…

Trophic Associations of Ants with Aphid Partners and New Distribution Records of some Ants in Pothwar Region of Pakistan

Ammara Gull-E-Fareen, Imran Bodlah, Muhammad Tariq Rasheed, Yasir Niaz, Muhammad Adnan Bodlah, Muhammad Asif et al.

Ants are the economically important and metropolitan insects on earth. They act as soil engineers, scavengers, decomposers, predators, pollinators and herbivores. The mutualistic relationship between ants and aphids is a very common and widespread phenomenon.…

Oral Supplementation of Bauhinia variegata affects the Behavior of Albino Mice in a Gender Specific Manner

Asmat Ullah, Shahid Iqbal, Furhan Iqbal

Present study was designed to investigate the effects of 300 mg/ml solvent/Kg of body weight of Bauhinia variegata’s leaf extract on selective aspects of albino mice behavior in a gender specific manner. Seven week old female and male albino mice were us…

Effect of Supplementation of Polyvinylpyrrolidone in Extender on Buffalo Semen Parameters

Bushra Ismail Khan, Shamim Akhter, Sanwal Aslam, Rabea Ejaz

The current study was planned to evaluate the supplementation of Polyvinylpyrrolidone in extender on cryopreservation of Nili-Ravi buffalo bull semen. The semen samples were collected from Nili-Ravi buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bull kept at SPU Qadirabad, Distric…

Distribution of Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Resistant Genes in Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Poultry in North West of Pakistan

Sher Bahadar Khan, Mumtaz Ali Khan, Hameed Ullah Khan, Sher Ali Khan, Shah Fahad, Faheem Ahmad Khan et al.

Campylobacter species are one of the most important food borne zoonotic pathogens. A total of 1260 poultry meat samples were collected from four different regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and processed for isolation of campylobacter species. A total of 1…

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Ovary and Testis in Noble Scallop (Chlamys nobilis)

Fan Sigang, Guo Yihui, Xu Youhou

Noble scallop (Chlamys nobilis) is an economically important cultured marine bivalve shellfish common in southern China. Investigation on the molecular regulatory mechanisms of gonadal maturation in scallop is critical in the aquacultural industry. Here, gonad…

Clinical Study on Ulinastatin Combined with Ambroxol in the Treatment of AECOPD Complicated with Type II Respiratory Failure

Xia Li, Xueliang Zhan, Xinjie Shi

The Objective of the present study was to observe and analyze the efficacy of ulinastatin combined with ambroxol in the treatment of AECOPD complicated with type II respiratory failure. A total of 180 patients treated in our hospital due to AECOPD complicated…

Prevalence of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Relation to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Faisalabad District

Rida Younas, Tamseela Mumtaz, Nabeela Roohi, Muhammad Amir Iqbal

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Evaluation of expressed of proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine as biomarker was obtained in moderate, severe and very severe COPD patients and estab…

Effect of Neuromedin S (NMS) on Growth Hormone and its Relationship with NMS Induced Testosterone Secretion in Male Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Shakeel Ahmed, Sarwat Jahan

Neuromedin S (NMS), an anorexigenic neuropeptide was first discovered in rat brain. It is a ligand for receptor FM4/TGR-1 which is also called as NMU receptor type II (NMU2R). Mainly it is expressed in SCN and involved in regulation of food intake and dark lig…

BMP4 and Rosiglitazone Improves Adipogenesis of Bovine Fetal Muscle Derived Progenitor Cells

Yahui Wang, Ling Ren, Yishen Xing, Xin Hu, Qian Li, Lingyang Xu et al.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is one of the most important factors determining beef quality and price. Intramuscular adipocytes develop from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in mesoderm. The mechanisms of preadipocytes differentiate into mature adipocytes to a…

Molecular Characterization of Plasmodium relictum in Four Common Bird Species in India

Gautam Patra, Ana Sahara, Sonjoy Kumar Borthakur, Parthasarathi Behera, Subhamoy Ghosh, Apurba Debbarma et al.

The increasing emergence of wildlife diseases with the possibility to ecological threats as well as domestic animals and human health has prompted the importance of understanding disease dynamics and associated risks in biological conservation. The present stu…

Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Blood Biochemistry and Immune Response of Japanese Quail Fed at Different Levels of Composted Poultry Waste

Muhammad Tahir Khan, Shahid Mehmood, Athar Mahmud, Khalid Javed, Jibran Hussain

A 4-week study was conducted to evaluate the effect of including compost in the diet on quails’ growth performance, carcass yields, blood biochemistry, and immune antibody response. A total of 1200 newly hatched quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica)…

Forensic and Genetic Characterization of mtDNA Lineages of Shin, a Unique Ethnic Group in Pakistan

Muhammad Umer Khan, Muhammad Farooq Sabar, Atif Amin Baig, Arif-un-Nisa Naqvi, Muhammad Usman Ghani

Mitochondrial DNA has been adopted as a versatile genetic marker all over the globe and provides a unique maternal ancestry portrait of a person’s genetic pin code. Overall knowledge of mtDNA profiles of worldwide populations can benefit population genet…

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling of Backfat in Anqingliubai and Yorkshire Pigs

Hong Hu, Li Qian, Yuanlang Wang, Chaodong Wu, Xiaodong Zhang, Yueyun Ding et al.

The present work aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms and candidate genes associated with fat metabolism in Anqingliubai (obese) and Yorkshire (lean) pigs. The transcriptome profiling of backfat between Anqingliubai and Yorkshire pigs was carried out by R…

Milk Production Potential of Marecha Camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Extensive and Semi-intensive Management Systems

Asim Faraz, Abdul Waheed, Ayman Balla Mustafa, Nasir Ali Tauqir, Riaz Hussain Mirza, Hafiz Muhammad Ishaq et al.

Camel is an integral part of livestock as Pakistan ranks 8th in the world regarding its population. Mainly the camel production is in remote areas as pastoral system in desert ecosystem of Pakistan. Due to the urbanization, this husbandry system is changed and…

Divergence in Morphology, Clinging Ability and Self-Righting Ability of Two Sympatric Box Turtles (Cuora)

Fanrong Xiao, Jichao Wang, Haitao Shi

Elucidating the relationships between morphology, performance and ecology is central to understand how morphology influences fitness. Previous work has already shown that two sympatric turtles, the Keeled box turtle Cuora mouhotii and the Flowerback box turtle…

Spermidine-Induced Autophagy Regulates the Survival of HeLa Cells

Yihong Tian, Yongmei Qi, Sajid Naeem, Ke Gao, Yingmei Zhang

Although the autophagic effect and mechanism of spermidine have been reported, the role of spermidine-induced autophay in cancer cell survival has not been fully elucidated yet. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effect and toxic mechanism of sper…

Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Pregnant Women of Lakki Marwat and Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Faryal Saad, Zia Ur Rahman, Aamir Khan, Rabia Noushin, Irfan Ullah, Farman Ullah Dawar et al.

 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common cause of both congenital and intrauterine infection in developing fetus and pregnant women respectively. Proper in-time diagnosis of CMV is the most effective way to control this disease. Lack of health…

Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) as a Bioindicator to Assess Pollution in an Agricultural Area

Turgay Şişman, Muhammet ÇaÄŸrı Keskin, Hatice Dane, Şeymanur Adil, Fatime Geyikoğlu, Suat Çolak et al.

In order to determine the effects of environmental contamination, nuclear abnormalities of peripheral erythrocytes and lung, liver, and kidney histopathologies were evaluated in marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) in agricultural areas. The most prominent histo…

Comparative Analysis of Muscle Development in Zebrafish with Different Intermuscular-Bo nes Patterns

Jian Yang, Guangxiang Tong, Zhipeng Sun, Xianhu Zheng, Weihua Lv, Dingchen Cao et al.

In this study, we used an intermuscular-bones (imbs) partial deletion zebrafish (Danio rerio) mutant to analyze the impact of imbs deficiency on adjacent muscle development and growth by examining expression of muscle-specific genes and muscle structure. Five…

Bovine and Caprine Brucellosis Detected by Milk Indirect ELISA and Milk Ring Test in Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan

Mudussar Nawaz, Iahtasham Khan, Muhammad Shakeell, Arfan Yousaf, Zahid Naseer, Munibullah et al.

Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis are important zoonotic pathogens. Brucellosis is an occupational hazard for veterinarians and animal handlers. The current work aimed to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in buffaloes and goats of Islamabad Capita…

DNA-Based Gender Identification of Punjab Urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) using Non-Invasive Sampling

Amna Arshad Bajwa, Saher Islam, Muhmmad Imran, Karman Ashraf, Arman Khan, Muhammad Farhan Khan et al.

Gender identification of wild ungulates is imperative and critical, particularly for juveniles. Accurate gender determination is important for studying ecology and conservation biology. Therefore, a simple molecular technique, that is precise with non-invasiv…

Molecular Characterization of Mercury Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Tannery Wastewater

Aatif Amin, Zakia Latif, Arslan Sarwar, Basit Zeshan, Mushtaq A. Saleem

Mercury resistant (HgR) bacteria were isolated from heavy metal polluted wastewater and soil, collected from the proximity of some tanneries from Kasur, Pakistan. Three out of 30 bacterial strains were screened out on the basis of resistance level against vari…

Anti-angiogenic Effect of Ginsenoside Rh2 by Downregulation of VEGF in a Zebrafish Model

MA Liman, QI Yongxiao, Wang Wenji, Zhong Qianyi

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is tightly regulated in the normal organism. Excessive angiogenesis can have detrimental consequences in various processes, including promoting uncontrolled tumor growth. Inhibiting angiogenesis using natural c…