Taxonomic identification and prevalence of hard ticks on different breeds of sheep from district Quetta in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Ticks, being ectoparasites, are vectors for the transmission of various pathogens that can infect animals and can also pose a significant threat to human health. Due to hot and humid climatic conditions across different agro-ecological regions of Pakistan, ticks are widespread and infest a diverse range of animal species. This study aimed for taxonomic identification and prevalence determination of ticks in sheep collected from four different marketplaces in the Quetta district of Balochistan.

A Rare Case of Linear Phlebolith: Foreign Body Discovered in the Femoral Vein.

Phlebolith is a term that refers to round-shaped calcified thrombi commonly located in the pelvic region. The occurrence of dense, linear calcifications or phlebolith-like formations within the soft tissues of the lower extremities, particularly in the superficial femoral, greater saphenous, or popliteal veins, is rare. This study presents the case of a 73-year-old woman who was being evaluated for postmenopausal bleeding.

Double extreme-cum-median ranked set sampling.

Extreme-cum-median ranked set sampling has been developed to address the problem of heterogeneity and outliers / extreme values. Double ranked set sampling has been suggested to obtain more reliable samples using the concept of degree of distinguishability. Dealing with heterogeneous and non-normal populations seems to be an area with a dearth of research.

Flammability and Thermoregulation Performance of Multilayer Protective Clothing Incorporated with Phase Change Materials.

Firefighters need personal protection equipment and protective clothing to be safe and protected when responding to fire incidents. At present, firefighters' suits are developed by using inherently thermal-resistant fibers but pose serious problems related to comfort. In the present research, multilayered fire-fighting fabrics were developed with different fiber blends.

Frequency of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in a Tertiary Care Center in Pakistan.

Background: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a significant cause of vision loss in men aged 20 to 60, characterized by serous detachment of the neurosensory retina from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). This study aims to assess the frequency of CSC among patients at a tertiary care center in Pakistan, offering insights into its epidemiology and management within this setting.

Methodology: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the ophthalmology department of a tertiary care center from January 2019 to December 2023.

Endothelial Cell Changes After Pars Plana Vitrectomy: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Center.

Background: A wide variety of vitreoretinal diseases have been majorly treated by the use of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) as the most commonly practiced treatment option. Despite the fact that it is the most feasible treatment modality, the probability of corneal endothelial cell damage following the treatment remains a matter of great concern. The study aims to inquire about the aftermath of PPV on endothelial cell density (ECD) and spans a time period of six months after the surgery has been performed.

Effects of a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) small-molecule peptide mimetic in an in vitro and in vivo model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder.

Background: Mutations in the X-linked CDKL5 gene underlie a severe epileptic encephalopathy, CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD), characterized by gross motor impairment, autistic features and intellectual disability. Absence of Cdkl5 negatively impacts neuronal proliferation, survival, and maturation in in vitro and in vivo models, resulting in behavioral deficits in the Cdkl5 KO mouse. While there is no targeted therapy for CDD, several studies showed that treatments enabling an increase in brain BDNF levels give rise to structural and behavioral improvements in Cdkl5 KO mice.

TFAP2C is a key regulator of intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion and deep hemochorial placentation.

Transcription factor AP-2 gamma ( ) has been identified as a key regulator of the trophoblast cell lineage and hemochorial placentation. The rat possesses deep placentation characterized by extensive intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion, which resembles human placentation. expressed in multiple trophoblast cell lineages, including invasive trophoblast cells situated within the uterine-placental interface of the rat placentation site.

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair and Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Approaches for Managing Aortic Pathologies: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

: Since thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) are increasingly utilized, examining their outcomes and safety in real-world scenarios is crucial. This study investigated the management and outcomes of TEVAR and EVAR as alternatives to traditional open surgical repair for managing aortic pathologies. : This was a retrospective cohort study.

NOTUM-mediated WNT silencing drives extravillous trophoblast cell lineage development.

Trophoblast stem (TS) cells have the unique capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types, including extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells. EVT cells invade into and transform the uterus where they act to remodel the vasculature facilitating the redirection of maternal nutrients to the developing fetus. Disruptions in EVT cell development and function are at the core of pregnancy-related disease.

Attention-aware with stacked embedding for sentiment analysis of student feedback through deep learning techniques.

Automatic polarity prediction is a challenging assessment issue. Even though polarity assessment is a critical topic with many existing applications, it is probably not an easy challenge and faces several difficulties in natural language processing (NLP). Public polling data can give useful information, and polarity assessment or classification of comments on Twitter and Facebook may be an effective approach for gaining a better understanding of user sentiments.

Anticoagulant use before COVID-19 diagnosis prevent COVID-19 associated acute venous thromboembolism or not: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Coagulopathy and thromboembolic events are associated with poor outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. There is conflicting evidence on the effects of chronic anticoagulation on mortality and severity of COVID-19 disease.

Aim: To summarize the body of evidence on the effects of pre-hospital anticoagulation on outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

An optimal estimation approach in stratified random sampling utilizing two auxiliary attributes with application in agricultural, demography, finance, and education sectors.

In the contemporary era of information technology, copious amounts of data are ubiquitous, generated across various sectors on a daily basis. Analyzing every unit of data is impractical due to constraints such as limited resources in terms of time, labor, and cost. In such scenarios, survey sampling becomes a recommended approach for extracting information about population parameters.

A retrospective analysis of tuberculosis in livestock farmers in Lahore district, Pakistan.

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main cause of tuberculosis in humans, accounting for numerous illnesses and thousands of fatalities globally. Data regarding the association of various risk factors and TB in livestock farmers in Pakistan is scarce.

Methodology: A retrospective matched case-control study of TB cases was performed in Lahore, Pakistan to investigate the potential risk factors that lead to the development of TB in Pakistani livestock farmers.

Exploring mixture estimators in stratified random sampling.

Advancements in sensor technology have brought a revolution in data generation. Therefore, the study variable and several linearly related auxiliary variables are recorded due to cost-effectiveness and ease of recording. These auxiliary variables are commonly observed as quantitative and qualitative (attributes) variables and are jointly used to estimate the study variable's population mean using a mixture estimator.

EFFECTS OF ARYL HYDROCARBON RECEPTOR LIGAND TCDD ON HUMAN TROPHOBLAST CELL DEVELOPMENT.

Background: The primary interface between mother and fetus, the placenta, serves two critical functions: extraction of nutrients from the maternal compartment and facilitation of nutrient delivery to the developing fetus. This delivery system also serves as a barrier to environmental exposures. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor () is an important component of the barrier.

Development and Evaluation of Methotrexate and Baicalin-Loaded Nanolipid Carriers for Psoriasis Treatment.

Objectives: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory, T-lymphocyte immune-mediated skin disease. In this study, skin-permeating nanolipid carriers (NLCs) of Methotrexate (MTX) and Baicalin (BL) were formulated. This further gave formulation of nano-lipid encapsulated carriers for dual-drug delivery of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs through the liposomal gel.

An integrated vascular surgery residency program would increase interest among Saudi medical students in a career in vascular surgery.

Background And Objectives: Considering the absence of integrated vascular surgery residency programs in Saudi Arabia, and the need for planning training pathways, we aim to identify how many medical students are interested in vascular surgery, and the factors affecting students' opinions on pursuing vascular surgery.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire that was distributed to medical students nationwide via social media and email. Data were collected from 13 February 2022 to 1 March 2022.

Kharadar spontaneous quintuplets reached their adolescence life: A case report.

Quintuplet pregnancies are associated with significant perinatal morbidity and mortality. The spontaneous quintuplets are a rare occurrence, and the survival is extremely rare. The first quintuplets known to survive infancy to adulthood were the Dionne Quintuplets, born in 1934.

Leveraging chorionic villus biopsies for the derivation of patient-specific trophoblast stem cells.

Human trophoblast stem () cells are an informative in vitro model for the generation and testing of biologically meaningful hypotheses. The goal of this project was to derive patient-specific TS cell lines from clinically available chorionic villus sampling biopsies. Cell outgrowths were captured from human chorionic villus tissue specimens cultured in modified human TS cell medium.

Quality assurance for cancer patient safety: Clinical assessment for precise angles in linac during radiation therapy.

Purpose: Quality assurance for stereotactic body radiation treatment requires that isocentric verification be ensured during gantry rotation at various angles. This study examined statistical parameters on Winston-Lutz tests to distinguish the deviation of angles from isocenter during gantry rotation using machine learning.

Method: The Varian TrueBeam linac was aligned with the marked lines on the Ruby phantom.