CONCLUSION: This study concluded that tuberculin testing can be used in conjunction with ELISA to screen animals for paratuberculosis in countries with scarce resources, such as Pakistan. The efficacy of disease diagnosis can be improved by combining multiple tests.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that HR-HPV cervical infections may increase the risk of oral transmission, especially during orogenital sexual practices. Thus, it is important to recognize that HPV infections may be linked in both areas. We emphasize the importance of comprehensive cervical and oral examinations and HPV vaccination in young women irrespective of their sexual practices.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that 38% SDF is highly effective in halting active dental caries lesions in children.

Background/Objectives Pit and fissure caries constitute a predominant portion, approximately 90% in permanent posterior teeth and 44% in primary teeth among children and adolescents. Among various preventive modalities, pit and fissure sealants play a pivotal role in safeguarding these vulnerable areas. Categorized by materials such as glass ionomer, composites, and polyacid-modified glass ionomers, these sealants offer effective protection. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of glass...

Programmed DNA double-strand break (DSB) formation is a crucial feature of meiosis in most organisms. DSBs initiate recombination-mediated linking of homologous chromosomes, which enables correct chromosome segregation in meiosis. DSBs are generated on chromosome axes by heterooligomeric focal clusters of DSB-factors. Whereas DNA-driven protein condensation is thought to assemble the DSB-machinery, its targeting to chromosome axes is poorly understood. We uncover in mice that efficient...

Conduct disorder (CD) is characterised by persistent antisocial and aggressive behaviour and typically emerges in childhood or adolescence. Although several authors have proposed that CD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, very little evidence is available about brain development in this condition. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, and some indirect evidence for delayed brain maturation has been reported. However, no detailed analysis of age-related changes in brain structure...

CONCLUSION: Both drugs are generally safe for treating ACS patients with HBR at baseline, although a higher risk of MI was observed with the use of clopidogrel. Nevertheless, drug choice should factor in regional variations, patient-specific characteristics, cost, accessibility, and potential drug interactions.

Application of machine learning in plant breeding is a recent concept, that has to be optimized for precise utilization in the breeding program of high yielding crop plants. Identification and efficient utilization of heterotic grouping pattern aided with machine learning approaches is of utmost importance in hybrid cultivar breeding as it can save time and resources required to breed a new plant hybrid/variety. In the present study, 109 genotypes of sunflower were investigated at morphological,...

Veterinary drugs used in animal husbandry raise public health concerns due to their residues in the bodies of animals. This study employs a simple and quick sample preparation technique, in-tube solid phase extraction, to extract drug residues from foodstuffs, including eggs, honey, and water. This technique utilizes the synergy of graphitic-based materials and polyurethane sponges (PU) combined through dip coating method to make reusable sorbents for extracting drugs, including amoxicillin,...

CONCLUSION: Histopathologically, moderately differentiated OSCC was the most frequently encountered grade, and surgery emerged as the predominant treatment modality. The majority of patients studied had a survival period of three years or less, emphasizing the need for further exploration of factors influencing prognosis and treatment outcomes in OSCC.

This study used an organophoto-oxidative material to degrade the toxic azo dye, methylene blue (MB), due to its hazardous effects on aquatic life and humans. MB is traditionally degraded using metal-based catalysts, resulting in high costs. Several organic acids were screened for organo-photooxidative applications against various azo dyes, and ascorbic acid (AA), also known as vitamin C, was found to be best for degradation due to its high photooxidative activity. It is an eco-friendly, edible,...

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a powerful non-invasive method for studying brain function by analyzing blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals. These signals arise from intricate interplays of deterministic and stochastic biological elements. Quantifying the stochastic part is challenging due to its reliance on assumptions about the deterministic segment. We present a methodological framework to estimate intrinsic stochastic brain dynamics in fMRI data without assuming...

CONCLUSION: The current study found that the combination of VR and RPT proved to be the most effective treatment method for improving balance, motor function, and activities of daily living in patients with Parkinson's disease when compared to MI + RPT or RPT alone.

CONCLUSION: This study concludes that the efficacy of MTA as a reparative material in iatrogenic furcal perforations is remarkable and significant.

Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have limited mobility and are unable to actively participate in tasks that are part of their daily living. Thus, continuous therapeutic sessions are required to keep such individuals active and engaged in the environment. Due to the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns, rehabilitation for children with CP was inhibited which consequently put them at risk of losing their functional gains which were obtained through previous in-person therapies. In...

CONCLUSION: We believe that being able to estimate the uncertainty of a prediction, along with tools that can modulate the behavior of the network to a degree of confidence that the user is informed about (and comfortable with), can represent a crucial step in the direction of user compliance and easier integration of deep learning tools into everyday tasks currently performed by human operators.

CONCLUSION: The overall pooled TTRCA-AS prevalence was reported to be 13.3% in AS patients who underwent TAVR. Furthermore, transthyretin-associated CA was found to be associated with an increased risk of mortality and hospitalization. Large patient population studies are required to assess the safety and efficacy of TAVR in TTRCA-AS patients, as current research report data from small patient cohorts.

CONCLUSION: In this study, there is convincing evidence of COVID-19 under-testing and thus under-reporting. This study also suggests that fear-based interventions may be counterproductive; however, economic factors such as education, employment, and traveling are significant in guiding the behavior for infectious disease prevention and management.

CONCLUSION: Galectin 3 levels are raised in the saliva of schizophrenia patients and these levels are positively correlated with levels of galectin 3 in the serum of schizophrenia patients. Galectin 3 levels in the saliva can be an effective indicator in diagnostic confirmation of clinically suspected schizophrenia patients.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and Machine Learning (ML) methods have gained much attention in recent years for their ability to automatically detect patterns in data without being explicitly taught rules. Specific features characterise the ECGs of patients with Brugada Syndrome (BrS); however, there is still ambiguity regarding the correct diagnosis of BrS and its differentiation from other pathologies. This work presents an application of Echo State Networks (ESN) in the Recurrent...

Previous research on the neurobiological bases of resilience in youth has largely used categorical definitions of resilience and voxel-based morphometry methods that assess gray matter volume. However, it is important to consider brain structure more broadly as different cortical properties have distinct developmental trajectories. To address these limitations, we used surface-based morphometry and data-driven, continuous resilience scores to examine associations between resilience and cortical...

In this article, an attribute control chart is proposed when the lifetime of a product follows a Weibull distribution in two-stage sampling, which is based on the number of failures from a truncated life test. The coefficients of the proposed double sampling attribute control chart and the test duration are determined so that the average run length when the process is in control is close to the target value. An overview is reported on how double sampling np control charts work. Tables reporting...

Length of stay (LoS) prediction is deemed important for a medical institution's operational and logistical efficiency. Sound estimates of a patient's stay increase clinical preparedness and reduce aberrations. Various statistical methods and techniques are used to quantify and predict the LoS of a patient based on pre-operative clinical features. This study evaluates and compares the results of Bayesian (simple Bayesian regression and hierarchical Bayesian regression) models and machine learning...

High-throughput genome-wide sequencing has revealed high genomic variability of HPV16 in different geographic regions which is the most predominant genotype in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated malignancies. Analysis of the HPV16 by whole-genome sequence (WGS) is an advanced method for the identification of mutations in the genome. There is limited information about HPV16 diversity in Pakistan, especially at the genomic level. Till now, WGS for HPV16 has not been previously reported in...

Reactive response inhibition cancels impending actions to enable adaptive behavior in ever-changing environments and has wide neuropsychiatric implications. A canonical paradigm to measure the covert inhibition latency is the stop-signal task (SST). To probe the cortico-subcortical network underlying motor inhibition, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been applied over central nodes to modulate SST performance, especially to the right inferior frontal cortex and the presupplementary...

Axonal degeneration is a central pathological feature of multiple sclerosis and is closely associated with irreversible clinical disability. Current noninvasive methods to detect axonal damage in vivo are limited in their specificity and clinical applicability, and by the lack of proper validation. We aimed to validate an MRI framework based on multicompartment modeling of the diffusion signal (AxCaliber) in rats in the presence of axonal pathology, achieved through injection of a neurotoxin...

Para testicular or intra-scrotal Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are rare. The spindle cell variant of rhabdomyosarcoma is the least common variant among embryonal subtypes. They are mostly seen in childhood but rarely reported in adults. We present a case of a 56-year-old man who presented with a three-year history of painless left inguinoscrotal swelling, which he initially ignored and misinterpreted as an Inguinal hernia but later sought medical help upon a progressive increase in the size of the...

In this study, we introduce an innovative application of clustering algorithms to assess and appraise Italy's alignment with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on those related to climate change and the agrifood market. Specifically, we examined SDG 02: Zero Hunger, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Change, to evaluate Italy's performance in one of its most critical economic sectors. Beyond performance analysis, we administered a...

Malignant transformation is characterised by aberrant phospholipid metabolism of cancers, associated with the upregulation of choline kinase alpha (CHKα). Due to the metabolic instability of choline radiotracers and the increasing use of late-imaging protocols, we developed a more stable choline radiotracer, [^(18)F]fluoromethyl-[1,2-²H(4)]choline ([^(18)F]D4-FCH). [^(18)F]D4-FCH has improved protection against choline oxidase, the key choline catabolic enzyme, via a ¹H/²D isotope effect,...

TWIST1 is a transcription factor that is necessary for healthy neural crest migration, mesoderm development, and gastrulation. It functions as a key regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process by which cells lose their polarity and gain the ability to migrate. EMT is often reactivated in cancers, where it is strongly associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Early work on TWIST1 in adult tissues focused on its transcriptional targets and how EMT gave rise to...

CONCLUSIONS: This study reports results from the OSIPI-DCE challenge and highlights the high inter-software variability within K trans $$ {K}^{\mathrm{trans}} $$ estimation, providing a framework for ongoing benchmarking against the scores presented. Through this challenge, the participating teams were ranked based on the performance of their software tools in the particular setting of this challenge. In a real-world clinical setting, many of these tools may perform differently with...

The current study aimed to explore the anti-diabetic effect of aqueous extracts of Gymnema sylvestre, Trigonella foenum-graecum and mixture of both the plants in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits. A total of 30 rabbits were grouped into six equal groups as: normal control, diabetic control, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg body weight (bw) G. sylvestre, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw T. foenum-graecum, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw mixture of both the plants and diabetic treated with 500...

This study delves into the crucial aspect of network topology in artificial neural networks (NNs) and its impact on model performance. Addressing the need to comprehend how network structures influence learning capabilities, the research contrasts traditional multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) with models built on various complex topologies using novel network generation techniques. Drawing insights from synthetic datasets, the study reveals the remarkable accuracy of complex NNs, particularly in...

Programmed DNA double-strand break (DSB) formation is a unique meiotic feature that initiates recombination-mediated linking of homologous chromosomes, thereby enabling chromosome number halving in meiosis. DSBs are generated on chromosome axes by heterooligomeric focal clusters of DSB-factors. Whereas DNA-driven protein condensation is thought to assemble the DSB-machinery, its targeting to chromosome axes is poorly understood. We discovered in mice that efficient biogenesis of DSB-machinery...

PURPOSE: Pakistan has disproportionately high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of detailed, population-representative data to provide evidence for risk factors, morbidities and mortality among pregnant women and their newborns. The Pregnancy Risk, Infant Surveillance and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) is a multicountry open cohort that aims to collect high-dimensional, standardised data across five South Asian and African countries for estimating risk and developing...

CONCLUSIONS: The comorbidity burden of MCI relative to non-MCI is age-dependent. A model based on comorbidities alone predicted an MCI diagnosis with reasonable accuracy.

Introduction: Recent views posit that precise control of the interceptive timing can be achieved by combining on-line processing of visual information with predictions based on prior experience. Indeed, for interception of free-falling objects under gravity's effects, experimental evidence shows that time-to-contact predictions can be derived from an internal gravity representation in the vestibular cortex. However, whether the internal gravity model is fully engaged at the target motion outset...

CONCLUSIONS: Dual use is associated with an increased risk of MI than e-cigarette use only. Similarly, dual and solely e-cigarette consumption patterns of nicotine delivery are at a higher risk of MI than non-smokers.

Enzootic bovine leucosis is caused by bovine leukaemia virus (BLV), a Deltaretrovirus belonging to the family Retroviridae. BLV causes huge economic losses to the dairy industry in the form of decreased milk production, premature culling, and poor reproductive performance of the animals. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of BLV infection in buffalo in two districts of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 384 samples were collected and analysed using a commercial indirect...

Although inflammation is known to play a role in knee osteoarthritis (KOA), inflammation-specific imaging is not routinely performed. In this article, we evaluate the role of joint inflammation, measured using [ 11 C]-PBR28, a radioligand for the inflammatory marker 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), in KOA. Twenty-one KOA patients and 11 healthy controls (HC) underwent positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) knee imaging with the TSPO ligand [ 11 C]-PBR28....

The present study was aimed at measuring the concentration of aflatoxin M(1) (AFM(1)) in the milk of Holstein Friesian cows, its effect on the milk quality and seasonal trends, as well as to investigate the efficacy of a commercial clay-based toxin binder. For this purpose, milk samples from dairy cows (n = 72) were collected and assayed for AFM(1) before employing a clay-based toxin binder. The milk samples (n = 72) were collected from selected animals, revealing that 69.4% of the milk samples...

Illustrating the population structure and genetic diversity in selected germplasm resources (after three year multi locations trials) plays a key role which directly utilize the selection of lines in a population for accumulative trait breeding in crops. In order to further understand, the structure of population and genetic variability, we explored 100 selected lines, cultivated for three consecutive years (2016-2019) in swat, University of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan and Provinces of...

CONCLUSION: K(ep) and V(e) were time-dependent in brain tumors, so a longer scan time is needed to obtain reliable parameter values. K^(trans) was found to be time-independent, as it remains the same in all 6 acquisition times and is the only reliable parameter with short acquisition times.

CONCLUSIONS: SN-RPV may provide net-benefit in terms of earlier cancer diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that being MRD- is a more crucial prognostic factor for the 3-year PFS and OS than the presence of high-risk cytogenetic markers or undergoing maintenance treatment. The latter appears insufficient, particularly for MRD+ patients following ASCT in the second-line setting, suggesting that these patients may require a more intensive treatment approach.

Anaplasma (A.) ovis is the most important cause of anaplasmosis in small ruminants. The current study was planned to estimate the molecular prevalence, risk factors, and phylogenetic analysis of A. ovis infection in sheep and goats from different agro-climatic regions of Central and Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 400 jugular blood samples were collected from asymptomatic goats (n = 200) and sheep (n = 200) from the Jhang and Dera Ghazi Khan districts from January 2021 to February, 2023....

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a postinfectious sequela of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with some clinical features overlapping with Kawasaki disease (KD). Our research group and others have highlighted that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can trigger the activation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which in turn induces inflammatory and immune reactions, suggesting HERVs as contributing factors in COVID-19 immunopathology. With...

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. It is classically associated with structural and functional changes in the optic nerve head and retinal nerve fiber layer, but the damage is not limited to the eye. The involvement of the central visual pathways and disruption of brain network organization have been reported using advanced neuroimaging techniques. The brain structural changes at the level of the areas implied in processing visual information could justify the discrepancy...

CONCLUSION: Our causal approach allowed us to noninvasively evaluate directional interactions between fMRI BOLD signals from brainstem nuclei and cardiovagal outflow.

Process Capability Indices (PCIs) are very helpful to measure the manufacturing capability and production quality of the products in many manufacturing processes. These PCIs are calculated by using a relationship between process mean and standard deviation, provided that process follows a normal distribution. In case of non-normal processes many researchers recommended the use of robust PCIs by modifying the classical PCIs. In case of robust PCIs most of the work is reported on first- and...