Background and Aim: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an infectious disease of cloven-hoofed animals, including buffalo, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, causing major economic losses to the local farmers and, overall, to the national economy of the country. This study aimed to detect FMDV serotypes in year-round FMD outbreaks, hematological and biochemical changes, and oxidative stress in FMDV-infected cattle and buffaloes in the district of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, and the socioeconomic impact of FMD outbreaks on farmers. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the district of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, where FMD virus (FMDV) serotypes were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematological, biochemical, and oxidative analyses were performed by analyzing the blood of FMDV-infected and non-infected animals. Information on the associated risk factors was obtained through a structured questionnaire by interviewing farmers in each FMD-affected farm. Results: Thirty-four out of 38 farms (89%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 75%–97%) were positive for FMD by ELISA. Higher FMD infection was detected in farms with a herd size of 100 animals (32%, 11/34) and 51–100 animals (18%, 6/34). Fifty-seven percent (114/200, 95% CI: 50%-64%) of animals were positive for FMD. Of these, 61% (69/114) were cattle and 39% (45/114) were buffalo. FMD positivity was higher in females (86%, 98/114) than in males (14%, 16/114) and higher in animals older than 2 years of age (52%, 59/114). On average, farmers lose U.S. dollars 3000 annually due to FMD outbreaks. Animals infected with FMDV had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) white blood cell counts and significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower hemoglobin and total protein concentrations in buffalo and cattle, whereas infected cattle showed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower albumin levels. Globulin levels were lower in buffaloes infected. Alanine aminotransferase levels were lower in infected cattle (p ≤ 0.05). Creatinine levels were higher in infected buffalo (p ≤ 0.05). Urea and phosphorus concentrations were higher in FMDV-infected cattle and buffalo (p ≤ 0.05). Calcium levels were lower in infected cattle and buffalo (p ≤ 0.05). Catalase enzyme activity in infected cattle and buffaloes was significantly lower (p < 0.05). Lipid peroxidation was significantly higher in FMDV-infected cattle and buffalo (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: This study confirmed serotype O circulation among cattle and buffalo in year-long FMD outbreaks in the Quetta District of Balochistan. Blood analysis identified a parameter deviated from the normal level due to FMDV infection. In addition, the outbreak of FMD has a significant negative economic impact on livestock farmers. Keywords: buffalo, cattle, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, foot-and-mouth disease, Quetta, serotype.

The study was aimed to analyse the effects of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), Oxytetracycline di-hydrate and Tylosin phosphate on the intestinal microflora in broiler chicken. The AGPs were provided in different concentrations solely or in combinations for 42 days of rearing. Faecal samples were collected from the intestine (duodenum, jejunum and caeca) of broiler chicken on 14^th, 28^th and 42^nd days of trial. Samples were cultured on different selective medium and bacterial identification was performed by different biochemical and molecular diagnostic tools. Results showed a significant effect of AGPs on the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens in the intestine. Interestingly, an impaired growth was observed for both bacterium showing a significant effect (P<0.05) of AGPs on E. coli and C. perfringens on day 14^th, 28^th, and 42^nd. This effect was observed solely and in combination while using AGPs. Data further showed that the effect was more prominent in combination and with an increase concentration of AGPs. Remarkably, no impairment was seen on the growth of L. reuteri at different sites of intestine and duration (14^th, 28^th, and 42^nd days). The results showed that the use of AGPs in diet has no harmful effect on beneficial bacteria, however, an impaired growth was seen on the harmful bacteria. It is suggested that a combination of AGPs (OXY-1.0+TP-0.5) is economical and have no harmful effect on the broiler chicken. The use of AGPs in a recommended dose and for a specific period of time are safe to use in poultry both as growth promoter and for the prevention of diseases.

Background/Objective: This study evaluated the antidiabetic and antihypercholesterolemic potential of the botanical metabolite troxerutin (TRX) and compared it with that of metformin in high-fat diet-fed streptozotocin-induced diabetic male Wistar rats. Methods: The rats (n = 48) were divided into six groups. Diabetes was induced in the treatment groups, and different doses of troxerutin (TRX)—25 mg/kg/day (TRX25-D), 50 mg/kg/day (TRX50-D), and 75 mg/kg/day (TRX75-D)—or the standard drug (10 mg/kg/day; MET10-D) were administered for a period of 7 weeks, compared to the negative (non-diabetic control, NDC) and positive (diabetic control, DC) control groups. At the end of the trial period, serum was collected to determine the lipid profile (high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)) and the concentrations of hepatic (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase), renal (urea and creatinine), and oxidative stress (catalase and malondialdehyde) markers. Adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver tissue samples were collected to determine mRNA expression, of pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and genes involved in lipid metabolism [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c)]. Results: The results showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), VLDL, and LDL levels, along with hepatic, renal, and stress markers, in the rats treated with a higher concentration of troxerutin (TRX75-D) compared to diabetic control rats. Moreover, troxerutin significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated the expression of PPARα and PPARγ, while the expression of FAS, SREBP-1c, TNF-α, and IL-6 genes were significantly (p < 0.05) downregulated simultaneously in the adipose tissue, skeletal muscles, and liver in a dose-dependent manner, compared to diabetic ct control rats. Conclusion: Troxerutin has considerable antidiabetic and antihypercholesterolemic potential and thus could be safely used as an alternative therapeutic compound to the standard antidiabetic drug metformin.

Reactive oxygen species at supra-physiological levels trigger oxidative stress during cryopreservation, which can be neutralised by incorporating suitable antioxidants into the semen extender medium. This study was intended to explore the effect of ...

The determination of the live body weight of camels (required for their successful breeding) is a rather difficult task due to the problems with handling and restraining these animals. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to predict the ABW of eight indigenous camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds of Pakistan (Bravhi, Kachi, Kharani, Kohi, Lassi, Makrani, Pishin, and Rodbari). Selected productive (hair production, milk yield per lactation, and lactation length) and reproductive (age of puberty, age at first breeding, gestation period, dry period, and calving interval) traits served as the predictors. Six data mining methods [classification and regression trees (CARTs), chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), exhaustive CHAID (EXCHAID), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARSs), MLP, and RBF] were applied for ABW prediction. Additionally, hierarchical cluster analysis with Euclidean distance was performed for the phenotypic characterization of the camel breeds. The highest Pearson correlation coefficient between the observed and predicted values (0.84, p < 0.05) was obtained for MLP, which was also characterized by the lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE) (20.86 kg), standard deviation ratio (SD_ratio) (0.54), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) (2.44%), and mean absolute deviation (MAD) (16.45 kg). The most influential predictor for all the models was the camel breed. The applied methods allowed for the moderately accurate prediction of ABW (average R² equal to 65.0%) and the identification of the most important productive and reproductive traits affecting its value. However, one important limitation of the present study is its relatively small dataset, especially for training the ANN (MLP and RBF). Hence, the obtained preliminary results should be validated on larger datasets in the future.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, is a metabolic disorder responsible for disturbance in carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism. The objective of current study was to evaluate the effect of Quercetin and Metformin on serum lipid profile and gene expression involved in lipid metabolism. Methods: Sixty-four (64) Wistar rats in a range of live body weight 196.75-198.19 grams, were divided in eight (8) groups (n=8 each); CONTROL, DIABETIC, DIAB+MET, DIAB+25Q, DIAB+50Q, NONDIAB+MET, NONDIAB+25Q and NONDIAB+50Q. A single dose of Streptozotocin drug @ 35 mg per kg was used for the induction of diabetes. The particular doses of Metformin and Quercetin were given by gavage on daily basis in their respective groups till the end of 14-week trial. Result: In case of FAS gene expression in liver, DIAB+MET (1.26±0.03), DIAB+25Q (1.31±0.02) and DIAB+50Q (1.19±0.04), suppresses the elevated expression compared to Diabetic group, while in case of SREBP-1c, both DIAB+MET (1.31±0.05) and DIAB+50Q (1.38±0.04) showed predominant results compared to DIAB+25Q. Moreover, for PPAR-α, DIAB+MET (0.87±0.06) exhibited considerable upregulation in comparison with DIAB+25Q (0.65±0.03) and DIAB+50Q (0.76±0.04). In adipose, FAS gene was significantly downregulated in DIAB+50Q (1.28±0.03) group as compared to other two diabetic treatment groups, however, for PPAR-γ gene, in term of significance both DIAB+MET (0.84±0.05) and DIAB+50Q (0.88±0.06) displayed statistically similar level of upregulation. In muscles, PPAR-α expression was best observed in DIAB+50Q (0.80±0.03) and DIAB+MET (0.76±0.02) compared to DIAB+25Q (0.59±0.03). Moreover, serum lipid profile (TC, HDL, TG, LDL and VLDL) was also significantly improved in Metformin and Quercetin treatment groups. In non-diabetic treatment groups, a non-significant difference was observed when compared to CONTROL group.