Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an emerging, highly contagious transboundary disease of bovines caused by the Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), responsible for substantial economic losses to the dairy, meat, and leather industries in Pakistan as well as various countries around the world. Epidemiological information on LSD is scarce in Punjab, Pakistan. Therefore, a molecular epidemiological study was conducted in two agro-ecologically diverse districts (Bhakkar and Jhang) of Punjab, Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis 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 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 ( = 200) and sheep ( = 200) from the Jhang and Dera Ghazi Khan districts from January 2021 to February, 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing incidence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing (.) in backyard chicken farming in Pakistan is of serious concern. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance patterns and risk factors associated with ESBL avian pathogenic (APEC) isolated from backyard chickens in the Jhang district, Punjab, Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review examines various aspects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its potential role as a causative agent for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the veteran population. The pituitary glands and the hypothalamus, both housed in the intracranial space, are the most important structures for the homeostatic regulation of almost every hormone in the human body. As such, TBI not only causes psychological and cognitive impairments but can also disrupt the endocrine system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTheileriosis and anaplasmosis are important tick-borne hemoparasites of bovines. The first surveillance study aimed to assess the suitability of duplex PCR for simultaneous detection of Theileria annulata and Anaplasma marginale field infections in Jhang and Rawalpindi districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Cattle blood samples (n = 480) were collected from selected union councils of all tehsils using a multistage sampling technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review highlights the diagnostic methods used, the control strategies adopted, and the global epidemiological status of canine cyclic thrombocytopenia and granulocytic anaplasmosis at the animal-human interface. Canine anaplasmosis is an important worldwide disease, mainly caused by and with zoonotic implications. chiefly infects platelets in canids, while is the most common zoonotic pathogen infecting neutrophils of various vertebrate hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D deficiency (D) alters morphology and outcomes after a stroke. We investigated the interaction of D following post-stroke systemic inflammation and evaluated whether administration of progesterone (P) or vitamin D (D) will improve outcomes. D rats underwent stroke with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-stroke systemic inflammation, due to the injury itself and exacerbated by in-hospital infections, can increase morbidity and mortality in stroke patients. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory effects of progesterone (P4) alone and in combination with vitamin D hormone (VDH) on acute phase post-stroke peripheral immune dysfunction and functional/behavioral deficits. Adult rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (tMCAO) and delayed systemic inflammation was induced by injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) beginning 24 h post-stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome inhibition and autophagy induction attenuate inflammation and improve outcome in rodent models of cerebral ischemia. However, the impact of chronic stress on NLRP3 inflammasome and autophagic response to ischemia remains unknown. Progesterone (PROG), a neuroprotective steroid, shows promise in reducing excessive inflammation associated with poor outcome in ischemic brain injury patients with comorbid conditions, including elevated stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite improved therapeutic methods, CNS toxicity resulting from cancer treatment remains a major cause of post-treatment morbidity. More than half of adult patients with cranial irradiation for brain cancer develop neurobehavioral/cognitive deficits that severely impact quality of life. We examined the neuroprotective effects of the neurosteroid progesterone (PROG) against ionizing radiation (IR)-induced neurobehavioral/cognitive deficits in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the fact that stress is associated with increased risk of stroke and worsened outcome, most preclinical studies have ignored this comorbid factor, especially in the context of testing neuroprotective treatments. Preclinical research suggests that stress primes microglia, resulting in an enhanced reactivity to a subsequent insult and potentially increasing vulnerability to stroke. Ischemia-induced activated microglia can be polarized into a harmful phenotype, M1, which produces pro-inflammatory cytokines, or a protective phenotype, M2, which releases anti-inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the effect of progesterone (P4) treatment on diabetes/hyperglycemia-induced pathological changes in brain, spinal cord and sciatic nerve tissue in male rats. Animals were rendered hyperglycemic by a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ). P4 treatment was started after hyperglycemia was confirmed and body weight and blood glucose levels were monitored once/week for 5weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the neuroprotective effects of progesterone (P4) treatment in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) given 60-min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). The treatment groups were: (1) Wistar-Kyoto (normotensive sham), (2) SHRSP (hypertensive sham), (3) tMCAO SHRSPs (SHRSP+tMCAO), and (4) SHRSP+tMCAO+P4. P4 (8mg/kg) was administered 1h after occlusion and then daily for 14days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeonatal stroke is among the top ten causes of childhood death and permanent disability in survivors, but no safe and effective acute treatments exist. To advance understanding of its neuroprotective mechanisms, we examined the effects of progesterone (PROG) on local and systemic inflammation (IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα), brain derived neurotrophic factor/Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (BDNF/TrkB) signaling, vascular damage (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)), acute behavioral seizures and brain infarction size following neonatal arterial ischemic stroke in mice. CD1 mouse pups (postnatal day 12, mixed gender) received permanent unilateral right common carotid ligation (pUCCL) or sham surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Anaplasma species are important globally distributed tick-transmitted bacteria of veterinary and public health importance. These pathogens, cause anaplasmosis in domestic and wild animal species including humans. Rhipicephalus, Ixodes, Dermacentor and Amblyomma genera of ticks are the important vectors of Anaplasma.
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