Background: Leishmaniasis is a complex disease with diverse clinical manifestations and remains a significant public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), being the most prevalent type, causes significant morbidity and social stigmatization. District Mohmand, an arid mountainous region in the KPK province of Pakistan, has an increased burden of CL with no prior molecular study reported on it in this region of Pakistan. Methods: The current study investigated CL using molecular techniques to detect and evaluate the risk factors associated with this disease in the affected population of District Mohmand. The study was conducted at Tehsil Head Quarter Hospital Mamad Gat, District Mohmand. Results: Out of 150 samples, 106 were found to be positive and 44 turned out to be negative under microscopy, while 122 were positive and 28 were negative using PCR analysis. Statistical analysis revealed that children between the ages of 1 and 10 years are frequently affected. Similarly, male gender is affected to a greater degree as compared to the female gender. Furthermore, the proportion of facial lesions was 62%, followed by upper limbs (17%), lower limbs (17%), and lesions on multiple sites (4%). These numbers are associated with various factors, such as the presence of domestic animals, lack of bed net usage, migration, and the type of wall and roof. Conclusion: The study concluded that children are more prone to infection. The PCR method was found to be more reliable for diagnosing CL as compared to microscopy.

Background Fish is an important source of protein and vitamins, such as vitamin D and B2 (riboflavin) for human beings. However, they are plagued with a variety of disease-causing pathogens, resulting in significant economic losses. Among these pathogens, Escherichia (E.) coli are prominent, worldwide. This study aimed to conduct epidemiological surveillance and identification of E. coli strains isolated from diseased fish in District Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan. Methodology A total of fifty (50) diseased fish samples were collected from various fish farms in the district. The isolation process involved enriching the samples in nutrient broth and incubating them at 37°C for 24 hours. After enrichment, the samples were inoculated on MacConkey agar and incubated again at 37°C for 24 hours. Following incubation, Gram staining was performed to identify E. coli and confirm its presence. These isolates were subjected to PCR using the uspA gene for confirmation. Results Among fish diseases, Hemorrhagic septicemia was reported to have the highest prevalence (22%), while 12% of fish samples were infected with abdominal dropsy and fin rot. In total, six (06) E. coli isolates were obtained from five different diseased fish samples and confirmed by PCR-based detection of uspA gene. Conclusion The current study found a link between disease-affected fish and naturally occurring E. coli, with molecular confirmation using the uspA gene. Effective management of soil, stock, water, nutrition, and environment is crucial to control losses caused by E. coli as opportunistic fish pathogens and spoilage agents.

The high incidence of diseases, such as diarrhoea, typhoid fever, cholera, and bacillary dysentery among the populace, especially in remote and developing areas, has been traced to the domestic use of contaminated water. This study aimed to isolate enteric bacteria in major drinking water sources situated within the Kalgo metropolis, Nigeria. Three water samples were aseptically collected in triplicates from three different areas of the city. After serial dilution, the samples were inoculated on nutrient agar and each sample's total viable bacterial count was taken. The enteric bacteria were isolated and identified using standard protocols. The isolates were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. The inhibition zones were measured in millimeters(mm). Seven (7) different species of bacteria were isolated from the collected water samples.The isolated organisms included Shigella spp., Serratia spp., Klebsiella spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., Yersinia spp., and Salmonella spp. Among these bacterial isolates, E. coli and Salmonella spp.were found to have the highest frequency of 29.63% and 25.93%, respectively. While, Serratia spp.had the lowest frequency of 3.9%. The sensitivity profile showed that E. coli, Salmonella spp.,Klebsiella spp., Shigella spp., and Serratia spp. were resistant to ampicillin. In contrast, Proteus spp. and Yersinia spp. showed high and intermediate susceptibility, respectively.The presence of multidrug-resistant enteric bacteria in water samples suggests the need to improve water quality through its assessment and treatment before use.

The current study was conducted to assess the concentration of heavy metals in rohu (Labeo rohita) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio). A total of three sites namely Rawal Lake Islamabad, Head Balloki, and a private fish farm in Muridke were selected. Fish were dissected and tissues from the liver, kidneys, gills, and muscles were separated. Chemical digestion of samples was carried out with aqua regia. Three metals namely chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) were detected by using atomic absorption spectroscopy in the labs of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PSCIR), Lahore, Pakistan. All metals were found at a higher level in different tissues of both the fish species. The overall trend of metals in the two fish species namely rohu and carp was recorded as Hg > Cd > Cr. It was observed that the level of Hg remained very high as compared to other metals. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and significant differences at p < 0.001 were noticed for the metals in different organs. While, independent sample t test showed non-significant differences at p > 0.483 between the two fish species. The liver was found to have the highest metal load, followed by the kidneys and gills. The metal load was above the permissible limit set by World Health Organization (WHO). However, the heavy metals concentration in muscles was below the permissible limit. It was noticed that heavy metal contamination was higher in Rawal Lake as compared to the private fish farm. It was concluded that contaminated water bodies are affecting the exposed organisms. So, there is a need to save them from pollutants for the best survival of aquatic life.

Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based techniques, namely machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have gained exceptional devotion in conducting the analysis of medical images because of their capacity to provide outstanding results that can compete with specialists. Despite the rise of artificial intelligence-based research on peptic ulcer diseases, limited reviews are available concerning this area. For this purpose, the researcher reviewed artificial intelligence techniques used for detecting and classifying gastrointestinal diseases in wireless capsule endoscopy images. Furthermore, this study investigates the tremendous potential for peptic ulcer disease that has been cited in the prior literature. The findings demonstrated the value of WCE picture analysis using machine learning and deep learning techniques. Additionally, further, limitations were found in the availability of datasets and assessment measures, which have an impact on the reproducibility of experiments.

Due to the shortage of poultry feed ingredients and the resultant continuous increase in their prices, researchers have been looking for their alternatives. Agricultural wastes and by-products (such as wheat bran, rice husk, sour cherry kernel, palm kernel, cassava pulp, rapeseed meal, and corn meal) are among such alternatives, although they cannot be used directly due to their high crude fiber content. Fermentation is an evolving process that converts complex substrates into simpler molecules using bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. It improves the nutrient content of feed ingredients. It is also used to ferment agricultural waste materials in order to improve their nutritional value, so they can be utilized as broiler feed. Moreover, it can provide an inexpensive feed source to poultry industry and convert waste materials into a useable product. Different bacterial and fungal strains are employed for fermentation. This review focuses on the use of fungal fermented agricultural waste-based feed and its effects on broiler chicken growth performance, gut morphology, and gastrointestinal tract microecology.

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring toxic metabolites produced by fungi in various food crops. The current study aims to determine the level of aflatoxins by using thin-layer chromatography in cattle feed samples and evaluates different methods including physical, chemical, and biological methods used for detoxification. A total of 80 samples including 40 fresh feed samples (20 wanda and 20 makai) and 40 dry feed samples (10 samples of dana, 10 samples of chokhar, 10 samples of toori, 3 samples of Khal, and 7 samples of makai dana) were collected from 22 areas of Lahore, Pakistan. Physical methods used for detoxification included washing and boiling, while chemical methods included detoxification with 10% citric acid, 10% acetic acid, 2% sodium hydroxide, and 2% hydrochloric acid. Finally, biological methods included detoxification with 0.15% mustard oil and 0.15% black seed oil. Among the samples, 9 wanda, 7 makai, 3 khal, 2 dana, and 2 chokhar samples were found to be contaminated. Only 6.25% of the samples exceeded the permissible limit of 20 parts per billion (ppb) set by the USFDA. A chemical method applied to khal samples achieved the highest reduction percentage at 63.64%. Meanwhile, physical and biological methods resulted in reduction percentages of 23.91% and 35.72%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of various approaches, particularly highlighting the significant reduction achieved with the chemical method in khal samples. Moreover, these findings contribute to the understanding of effective strategies for mitigating aflatoxin contamination in cattle feed.

The global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented a major threat to public health worldwide. The causal agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [a member of Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus] that was first isolated and identified in patients who were exposed at a seafood market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China on December 2019. The COVID-19 epidemic represents a substantial challenge for governments, individuals, and society as a whole.