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Biodiesel has attracted considerable interest as an alternative biofuel due to its many advantages over conventional petroleum diesel such as inherent lubricity, low toxicity, renewable raw materials, biodegradability, superior flash point, and low carbon footprint. However, high production costs, poor low temperature operability, variability of fuel quality from different feedstocks, and low storage stability negatively impact more widespread adoption. In order to reduce production costs, inexpensive inedible oilseed alternatives are needed for biodiesel production. This study utilized inedible tamarind (Tamarind indica) seed oil as an alternative biodiesel feedstock, which contained linoleic (31.8%), oleic (17.1%), and lauric (12.0%) acids as the primary fatty acids. A simple and cost-effective high vacuum fractional distillation (HVFD) methodology was used to separate the oil into three fractions (F1, F2, and F3). Subsequent transesterification utilizing basic, acidic, and enzymatic catalysis produced biodiesel of consistent quality and overcame the problem of low temperature biodiesel performance. The most desirable biodiesel with regard to low temperature operability was produced from fractions F2 and F3, which were enriched in unsaturated fatty acids relative to tamarind seed oil. Other properties such as density and cetane number were within the limits specified in the American and European biodiesel standards.

Biodiesel offers an advantage only if it can be used as a direct replacement for ordinary diesel. There are many reasons to promote biodiesel. However, biodiesel cannot get wide acceptance until its drawbacks have been overcome including poor low temperature flow properties, variation in the quality of biodiesel produced from different feedstocks and fuel filter blocking. In the present study, a much cheaper and simpler method called high vacuum fractional distillation (HVFD) has been used as an alternative to produce high-quality refined biodiesel and to improve on the abovementioned drawbacks of biodiesel. The results of the present study showed that none of biodiesel sample produced from crude Azadirachta indica (neem) oil met standard biodiesel cetane number requirements. The high vacuum fractional distillation (HVFD) process improved the cetane number of produced biodiesels which ranged from 44–87.3. Similarly, biodiesel produced from fractionated Azadirachta indica oil has shown lower iodine values (91.2) and much better cloud (−2.6 °C) and pour point (−4.9 °C) than pure Azadirachta indica oil. In conclusion, the crude oil needs to be vacuum fractioned for superior biodiesel production for direct utilization in engine and consistent quality production.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious infection of cattle caused by a virus of the Poxviridae family, genus Capripoxvirus. In Pakistan, recent outbreaks have resulted in significant nationwide mortality and economic losses. A 20-day prospective cohort study was performed on sixty infected cattle with the aim to evaluate LSD-induced oxidative stress’s genotoxic role and to determine the ameliorative effect of antioxidant therapy using principal component analysis (PCA) and a multivariable ordinal logistic regression model. LSDV was identified from scab samples and nodular lesions using RPO30-specific gene primers. The infected cattle were divided into control and treated groups. The animals were observed initially and finally on day 20 to evaluate the homeostatic, oxidative, and genotoxic changes. The animals in the treated group were administered a combination of selenium (Se) and vitamin E at the standard dose rate for five consecutive days. A substantial (p < 0.05) improvement in the hematological indices was observed in the treated group. The treated group also showed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in levels of serum nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) post-therapy. The PCA at the final sampling data of the treated group showed that Principal Component (PC1 eigenvalue 1.429) was influenced by superoxide dismutase (SOD; 0.3632), catalase (CAT; 0.2906), and glutathione (GSH; 0.0816) and PC2 (eigenvalue 1.200) was influenced by CAT (0.4362), MDA (0.2056), and NO (0.0693). A significant correlation between serum NO (76%) and MDA levels (80%) was observed with genetic damage index (GDI) scores. The ordinal logistic regression model regarding the use of antioxidant therapy revealed 73.95-times (95%CI; 17.36–314.96) improvement in the GDI in treated animals. The multivariable ordinal logistic regression showed that each unit increase in NO and MDA resulted in a 13% increase in genotoxicity in infected individuals. In conclusion, our study revealed that LSD-induced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation product causes genotoxicity in affected animals. Furthermore, the combined Se and vitamin E therapy significantly alleviated oxidative stress and genotoxicity in LSD-affected cattle.

Background and Objectives: Dermatological disorders are highly prevalent among children in Pakistan. The present cross-sectional study aims to identify the spectrum of dermatological conditions among children and adolescents in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A total of 582 patients (50.9% males; 49.1% females) were included in the study based on their age (5.7 ± 4.1 years), dermatological condition, and epidemiology. The youngest patient was aged ten days, whereas the eldest was seventeen. Age criteria were further stratified into three categories: infants and toddlers (≤5 years), children (≥5 to Results: Scabies was the highest reported skin condition with 281 (45.55%) patients, followed by 114 (19.6%) with eczema, 60 (10.3%) with dermatitis, 33 (5.7%) with tinea capitis, 17 (2.9%) with tinea corporis, 16 (2.7%) with impetigo, and 15 (2.6%) with folliculitis. Other conditions include urticaria, burns, infections, pediculosis, tinea inguinalis, tinea faciei, nappy rashes, alopecia, warts, tinea incognito, tinea cruris, and acne vulgaris. The chi-squared test showed a high prevalence of tinea corporis and acne among adolescents (12–17 years), whereas eczema, dermatitis, and impetigo were more prevalent among infants and toddlers. Conclusions: Pets or livestock and poor hygiene were found to be highly reported risk factors for many dermatological conditions like scabies and fungal infections. Dermatological conditions are common in younger individuals, but unfortunately, many children do not receive the desired medical assistance.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected billions of lives and is expected to impose a significant burden on the economy worldwide. Vaccination is the only way to prevent the infection. However, convincing people to get themselves vaccinated is challenging in developing countries such as Pakistan. Therefore, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted (n = 982 participants) all over Pakistan to evaluate the perception, knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of the general public towards the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, in general, and a booster dose of SARS-CoV-2, in particular. The highest number of participants were from the province of Punjab (84.5%), followed by Islamabad (3.8%), Sindh (3.7%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2.7%), Baluchistan (2.6%), Gilgit Baltistan (1.4%), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (1.4%). A total of 915 participants were vaccinated against COVID-19, out of which 62.2% received one booster dose, followed by double booster doses (25.5%) and single vaccine shots (12.3%). The highest number of vaccinated participants were from Punjab (85.8%), followed by Islamabad (3.9%), Sindh (2.8%); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2.6%); Baluchistan (2.3%); Gilgit-Baltistan (1.3%); and Azad, Jammu, and Kashmir (1.2%). Among the vaccinated individuals, 71.4% were unemployed, 27.4% were employed (653), and 1.2% were retired from service. However, no significant association was observed among genders and educational levels in regard to acceptance of the booster vaccine. The outcomes of the study revealed that the increased acceptance of booster doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines among the public was associated with the intent of personal and family protection. Moreover, individuals with low socioeconomic status and pregnant females showed the least acceptance towards the vaccine inoculation. The study also revealed a decline trend of accepting SARS-CoV-2 vaccine among children.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly infectious disease of cattle caused by a virus of the Poxviridae family, genus Capripoxvirus. The present study was designed to determine the prognostic ability of serum IL-6 in LSD using a binary logistic regression model at baseline sampling. A 17-day cohort study was conducted on a recent outbreak of LSD among cattle in the Lodhran District of Punjab, Pakistan. Infected cattle were divided into two categories based on their clinical status on day 17 as recovered (n = 33) or unrecovered (n = 17). Nodular lesions and scab specimens (n = 50) were used for the isolation of the lumpy skin disease virus and were confirmed by PCR. In recovered animals, hematological results showed marked leukocytosis, eosinophilia, lymphocytosis, neutrophilia, and monocytopenia. However, marked erythrocytosis, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia were observed in the unrecovered animals at the final sampling point of the study. Serum levels of total protein, albumin, and glucose were significantly higher in the recovered animals. Meanwhile, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine phosphokinase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin were found considerably higher in the unrecovered group. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis for serum IL-6 at baseline predicts the extended clinical conditions at the cut-off value of 85.16 pg/mL (55% specificity, 94% sensitivity, area under the curve 0.8039, respectively). In conclusion, the disease-induced hematological and biochemical alterations were significantly ameliorated in the recovered animals. In addition, the study revealed that serum IL-6 can be used as a valid marker for predicting the clinical worsening of LSD in cattle.