Jabbar, Abdul
Iqbal, Zafar
Saddiqi, Hafiz Abubaker
Babar, Wasim
Saeed, Muhammad
This paper presents the first report of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in dairy goats in a desert (Pakistan). Three breeds of dairy goats, i.e. Dera Din Pariah, Pak Angora and Beetal, kept at Government Livestock Farm, Rakh Khairewala, district Jhang/Layya, Pakistan, were surveyed for gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) resistant to commonly used three anthelmintics, i.e. benzimidazole, levamisole and ivermectin. Sixty animals of each breed were selected randomly on the basis of their weight and egg count. Three commonly used anthelmintics, viz., oxfendazole (three different preparations of oxfendazole: fendamex, oxazole, systamex), levamisole and ivermectin, were given at the recommended dose to five groups while one untreated group was kept as control for each breed. Faecal egg counts, faecal egg count reduction test, postmortem worm count and copro-culture were performed to assess the efficacy of selected anthelmintics. The prevalent species of GINs exhibited resistance against all three preparations of oxfendazole. Levamisole in two breeds and ivermectin in all the breeds led to reduction (P <= 0.05) of prevalent species of GINs in both flocks. Haemonchus controtus and Trichostrongylus species exhibited the presence of resistance against oxfendazole preparations which exhibited low efficacy (P >= 0.05). The farm management practices along with the results of the present study revealed the presence of multiple anthelmintic resistant GINs of dairy goats kept in a desolated tract.
Shires, Adam L.
Green, Thomas M.
Owen, Haley L. P.
Hansen, Thomas N.
Iqbal, Zafar
Markan, Sandeep
Lilly, R. Eric
Pagel, Paul S.
Slinger, Peter D.
DeRose, Joseph J., Jr.
Sievens-Figueroa, Lucas
Bhakay, Anagha
Jerez-Rozo, Jackeline I.
Pandya, Natasha
Romanach, Rodolfo J.
Michniak-Kohn, Bozena
Iqbal, Zafar
Bilgili, Ecevit
Dave, Rajesh N.
The design and feasibility of a simple process of incorporating stable nanoparticles into edible polymer films is demonstrated with the goal of enhancing the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. Nanosuspensions produced from wet stirred media milling (WSMM) were transformed into polymer films containing drug nanoparticles by mixing with a low molecular weight hydroxylpropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC E15LV) solution containing glycerin followed by film casting and drying. Three different BCS Class II drugs, naproxen (NPX), fenofibrate (FNB) and griseofulvin (GF) were studied. The influence of the drug molecule on the film properties was also investigated. It was shown that film processing methodology employed has no effect on the drug crystallinity according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Differences in aggregation behavior of APIs in films were observed through SEM and NIR chemical imaging analysis. NPX exhibited the strongest aggregation compared to the other drugs. The aggregation had a direct effect on drug content uniformity in the film. Mechanical properties of the film were also affected depending on the drug-polymer interaction. Due to strong hydrogen bonding with the polymer, NPX exhibited an increase in Young's Modulus (YM) of approximately 200%, among other mechanical properties, compared to GF films. A synergistic effect between surfactant/polymer and drug/polymer interactions in the FNB film resulted in an increase of more than 600% in YM compared to the GF film. The enhancement in drug dissolution rate of films due to the large surface area and smaller drug particle size was also demonstrated. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Iqbal, Zafar
Muneer, Majid
Farooq, Saima
Ahamd, Zahoor
Basit, Muhammad Abdul
Ashiq, Muhammad Naeem
Gohar, Ruqiya Sehrish
Najam-ul-Haq, Muhammad
Ehsan, Muhammad Fahad
Maschmann, Matthew R.
Amama, Placidus B.
Goyal, Amit
Iqbal, Zafar
Fisher, Timothy S.
Freestanding single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been synthesized in a vertical direction, perpendicular to the growth substrate, using applied DC substrate bias in a microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) synthesis process. The degree of alignment and spatial density of SWCNTs demonstrate a strong dependence on the magnitude of applied bias, with increased alignment and decreased density with increased bias. The unique synthesis environment created by the application of a negative substrate bias in PECVD aligns SWCNTs along electric field lines and decreases SWCNT density due to bombardment by positively charged hydrogen ions. Multi-excitation wavelength Raman spectroscopy reveals shifts in dominant RBM peaks with the application of dc bias. Use of this technique to orient SWCNTs in the vertical direction may allow for three-dimensional SWCNT-based device architectures. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ceragenins/cationic steroid antimicrobials (CSAs) are a group of cholic acid derivatives with many properties that make them favourable for application as anti-infective agents. CSA-107 is also a member of this group that was labelled with Tc-99m by using SnCl2 center dot 2H(2)O as reducing agent and Na-K tartrate as transchelating agent. Labelling efficiency was optimized by varying the amount of reducing agent, pH, and time of incubation. Labelling efficiency and the stability of Tc-99m-CSA-107 in human serum was determined by paper and thin layer chromatography, which were > 95 and > 90 % respectively. In vitro binding of Tc-99m-CSA-107 was > 95 % determined by using Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Gilani, Anwarul H.
Rasheed, Huma
Khan, Abdullah
Iqbal, Zafar
Ismail, Muhammad
Saeed, Sheikh A.
Janssen, Luke J.
Paeonia emodi (peony) is a well known plant used medicinally to treat hypertension, palpitations, and asthma. Despite its popularity, there are few reports in the scientific literature examining its use in such conditions. We prepared a 70% ethanolic extract of peony root (Pe.Cr) and applied it to segments of guinea pig atria and trachea and rat aorta suspended separately in tissue baths. Activity against arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation was measured in human platelet-rich plasma. Airway relaxant effect was evaluated against acetylcholine (ACh)-induced airway contraction in mouse lung slices loaded with fluo-4. Pe.Cr (0.3-10 mg/mL) showed an atropine-resistant negative inotropic effect in atria. In rat aorta, an endothelium-independent vasodilatory effect (0.3-10 mg/mL) was seen in phenylephrine- and high-K+-induced contractions. Pe.Cr (0.01-1 mg/mL) also inhibited AA-induced platelet aggregation. In isolated trachea, Pe.Cr (0.3-10 mg/mL) relaxed carbachol- and histamine-induced contractions independently of beta-adrenergic receptors. In mouse lung slices, Pe.Cr (0.3-1 mg/mL) inhibited ACh-induced airway narrowing and oscillations of intracellular Ca2+ in airway smooth muscle cells. The results showed cardiosuppressant, vasodilatory, antiplatelet, and tracheal and airway relaxant activities of peony, providing potential justification for its medicinal use in different hyperactive cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.
Gidlow, Christopher J.
Ellis, Naomi J.
Riley, Victoria
Chadborn, Tim
Bunten, Amanda
Iqbal, Zafar
Ahmed, Aliko
Fisher, Alistair
Sugden, David
Clark-Carter, David
Dilshad, Syed Muhammad Rehan
Najeeb-ur-Rehman
Iqbal, Zafar
Muhammad, Ghulam
Iqbal, Arshad
Ahmed, Nazir
Aim of the study: This study was conducted to document the ethnoveterinary practices (EVPs) used for the treatment and/or management of reproductive disorders of cattle and buffaloes. Materials and methods: The information was collected using rapid and participatory rural appraisal techniques through interviews and focused group discussions with 217 traditional veterinary healers (TVHs) over a period of 16 months. Results: The use of 66 plant species was documented for the treatment of reproductive disorders in the two dairy species. Most frequently reported (>= 20 times) plants represented Apiaceae, Poaceae, Pedaliaceae, Linaceae, Arecaceae, Brassicaceae, Malvaceae, Zingiberaceae, Rosaceae, Cannabaceae, Fabaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae and Mimosaceae families. All the documented plant species were indigenous to the study area. Genital prolapse, retention of fetal membranes, silent estrous/delayed puberty, anestrous, dystokia associated with incomplete cervical dilatation and retention of lochial discharge were the frequently reported reproductive disorders. Some of the plants were reported to be used in more than one condition. Materials other than plants used for the treatment of these disorders included camel milk, butter and butter fat, minerals, eggs, organic matters, chemical substances and meat preparations. These materials were used either alone or as adjunctive therapy. Conclusion: Richness of EVPs in the study area and extensive variation in the doses, methods of preparation, indications, and claims regarding efficacy of plants for various disorders merit controlled studies for their validation. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Naz, Muqaddas
Iqbal, Zafar
Javaid, Nadeem
Khan, Zahoor Ali
Abdul, Wadood
Almogren, Ahmad
Alamri, Atif
With the emergence of automated environments, energy demand by consumers is increasing rapidly. More than 80% of total electricity is being consumed in the residential sector. This brings a challenging task of maintaining the balance between demand and generation of electric power. In order to meet such challenges, a traditional grid is renovated by integrating two-way communication between the consumer and generation unit. To reduce electricity cost and peak load demand, demand side management (DSM) is modeled as an optimization problem, and the solution is obtained by applying meta-heuristic techniques with different pricing schemes. In this paper, an optimization technique, the hybrid gray wolf differential evolution (HGWDE), is proposed by merging enhanced differential evolution (EDE) and gray wolf optimization (GWO) scheme using real-time pricing (RTP) and critical peak pricing (CPP). Load shifting is performed from on-peak hours to off-peak hours depending on the electricity cost defined by the utility. However, there is a trade-off between user comfort and cost. To validate the performance of the proposed algorithm, simulations have been carried out in MATLAB. Results illustrate that using RTP, the peak to average ratio (PAR) is reduced to 53.02%, 29.02% and 26.55%, while the electricity bill is reduced to 12.81%, 12.012% and 12.95%, respectively, for the 15-, 30-and 60-min operational time interval (OTI). On the other hand, the PAR and electricity bill are reduced to 47.27%, 22.91%, 22% and 13.04%, 12%, 11.11% using the CPP tariff.
Peganum harmala (L) is a perennial plant which is native of eastern Iranian and west of India but also found in different regions of western USA. A number of ts-carboline compounds with therapeutic importance and different pharmacological effects, are present in this plant. Among other alkaloids, such as, harmine, harmalol and vasicine, isolated from various parts of the plant, harmaline is considered as most valuable with reference to its medicinal importance. Harmaline has been extensively studied in last decade and known to exert multiple pharmacological effects including antileishmanial, antimicrobial, antiplatelet, antiplasmodial, antitumoral, hypothermic and vasorelaxant activity. The proposed work is intended to highlight the recent pharmacological aspects of beta-carboline alkaloid "harmaline". (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,