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We detected Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infections in 4 provinces of Pakistan during 2017-2018. Overall, seroprevalence was 2.7% in humans and 36.2% in domestic livestock. Antibody prevalence in humans was highest in rural areas, where increased contact with animals is likely.

Introduction Acute chest pain is a frequently encountered symptom in the emergency department. Despite the availability of various chest pain risk scores, their effectiveness in identifying low-risk patients suitable for safe and early discharge is inadequate. Moreover, clinical data collected at the initial stage, which has valuable discriminatory ability, is often underutilized. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Symptoms, history of Vascular disease, ECG, Age, and Troponin I (SVEAT) score in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in acute-onset chest pain, compared with the pre-existing History, ECG, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin I (HEART) and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) scores. Methodology This prospective study utilizing non-probability convenience sampling was conducted in the emergency medicine department of a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, for a period of five months from July 2022 to November 2022. The study included patients aged >45 years who presented primarily with chest pain lasting for at least five minutes but less than 24 hours and with a lack of acute ECG changes indicative of ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS). Patients who were hemodynamically unstable were excluded. All patients were assessed for the calculation of SVEAT, TIMI, and HEART scores. All patients were followed for a period of 30 days to assess the incidence of MACE. Results A total of 60 patients were included. The mean age was 61.5±9.1 years while 31 (51.7%) patients were females. Diabetes was the most prevalent comorbidity (n=32; 53.3%). Regarding MACE, nine (15%) patients developed ACS and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Two patients (3.3%) experienced heart failure. Six (10%) patients also underwent PCI in the absence of ACS while two (3.3%) patients developed sudden cardiac death. Area-under-curve (AUC) values were determined for SVEAT (0.843; 95%CI: 0.74-0.94), TIMI (0.742; 95%CI: 0.62-0.86), and HEART scores (0.840; 95%CI: 0.74-0.94). A cut-off level of 3.5 SVEAT points obtained a sensitivity of 63.2% and specificity of 75.6% in predicting 30-day MACE. Conclusion SVEAT score potentially lacks the appropriate sensitivity level to predict a significant number of major adverse cardiovascular events compared to contemporary risk stratification scores. Therefore, the SVEAT criteria need re-evaluation as a screening tool for risk assessment in acute chest pain.

Objective The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of the clinical spectrum of diseases in patients with macrocytosis and to summarize the diagnostic evaluation of patients found to have macrocytosis on laboratory testing. Background This was a cross-sectional study that took place at the Department of Medicine in Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January to June 2023. Methodology One hundred and five patients with macrocytosis with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values > 100 fL (80 to 100 fL) were inducted as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Complete blood counts (CBC), peripheral blood film, serum vitamin B12 levels, serum folate levels, renal function tests (RFTs), liver function tests (LFTs), and thyroid function tests (TFTs) were performed during the assessment. Results The commonest cause of macrocytosis was vitamin B12 deficiency followed by folate deficiency, combined vitamin B12 and folate deficiency, and other causes were also found in a few cases. Conclusion Serum vitamin B12 and folate deficiency are the most common preventable causes of macrocytosis.

Background and objectives In comparison to real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, blood-related parameters including absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) carry an indeterminate potential in the assessment of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our main objective was to assess their efficacy in timely identification of COVID-19 patients and to determine whether these biomarkers can be employed as an early diagnostic tool in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan from November 2020 to March 2021. Patients suspected to have COVID-19 on a clinical basis (fever, cough or shortness of breath) were selected by using convenience non-probability sampling. RT-PCR was used to diagnose COVID-19 after evaluating NLR and ALC of the sample population. An NLR = 3.5 and ALC < 1 x 10 cells/mm was considered as the cut-off value. Statistical analysis was conducted via SPSS 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Chi-square and independent t-tests were used to correlate various data variables, while p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results Out of the 172 subjects included in the study, the mean age was 40.6 ± 10.0 years, while 51% of individuals were males. Fever was found to be the most prevalent complaint (94%). Double RT-PCR testing showed that 51.2% of the population was RT-PCR positive, having a mean ALC of 1.4 ± 0.9 x 10 /mm , significantly lower than RT-PCR negative cases (p < 0.001). In addition, NLR was drastically elevated for RT-PCR-positive individuals (p < 0.001) while it also had a distinctly high specificity of 91.7% among COVID-19 patients. Additionally, NLR did not correlate with any of the baseline patient-related parameters (presenting complaint, age, and gender). Conclusion NLR and ALC are potentially efficacious measures for an early diagnosis of COVID-19, and can be possibly utilized for an early diagnosis of COVID-19 suspects.

Maintenance of plant physiological functions under drought stress is normally considered a positive feature as it indicates sustained plant health and growth. This study was conducted to investigate whether plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Bacillus subtilis HAS31 has potential to maintain potato growth and yield under drought stress. We analyzed trends of chlorophyll concentration, photosynthesis process, relative water content, osmolytes, antioxidants enzymes and oxidative stress, relative growth rate, tuber and aboveground biomass production in two potato varieties, Santae (drought-tolerant) and PRI-Red (drought-sensitive). Plants of both genotypes were treated with 100 g of HAS31 inoculant at 10 days after germination and exposed to different soil relative water contents (SRWC), including 80 ± 5% (well watered), 60 ± 5% (moderate stress) and 40 ± 5% SRWC (severe stress) for 7 days at tuber initiation stage (30 days after germination). The drought stress reduced plant relative growth rate, biomass production, leaf area, number of leaves and tubers, tuber weight, and final yield. The drought-stressed plants showed decline in chlorophyll contents, membrane stability, leaf relative water contents and photosynthetic rate. Under drought stress, enzymatic activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), contents of total soluble sugars, soluble proteins and proline increased. The application of PGPR reduced the impact of drought and maintained higher growth and physio-chemical traits of the plants. The plants with PGPR application showed higher relative growth rate, dry matter production, leaf area, number of tubers, tuber weight and yield as compared to plants without PGPR. The PGPR-HAS31 treated plants maintained higher photosynthetic process, contents of chlorophyll, soluble proteins, total soluble sugars, and enzymatic activities of CAT, POD and SOD as compared to plants without PGPR. The results of the study suggest that plant growth regulators have ability to sustain growth and yield of potato under drought stress by maintaining physiological functions of the plants.

Information regarding the germination and seedling growth behavior of a potential weed species is an important tool to manage weeds without the use of agricultural chemicals that cause harmful effects on human health and the environment. A series of experiments were directed to investigate the influence of different environmental factors (temperature, pH, NaCl, moisture stress, and seed burial depth) on germination and seedling emergence of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) under controlled conditions. Results suggested that 25 °C is the optimum temperature for maximum germination (95%) and seedling growth of perennial ryegrass, however, a quick decline was observed at 35 °C. Seed germination was unaffected by pH levels ranging from 5 to 10. The 92% seed germination was recorded where no salt stress was applied and germination was reduced by 87% at 250 mMNaCl concentration. Seed germination was unaffected by osmotic potential ranges from 0 to − 0.4 MPa thereafter declined and completely inhibited at − 0.8 or − 1.0 MPa. No seed emerged at the soil surface or a soil depth of 6 or 7 cm and 90% emergence occurred at 1 cmsoil depth. The germination and seedlings parameters like time to initial germination, mean germination time, time taken to 50% germination and germination index, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry weight of root and shoot are significantly affected with the environmental factors. The information obtained in this study will be helpful to develop better management strategies for germination and the emergence of perennial ryegrass in areas where it has the ability to rapidly colonize.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the important factors which help explain consumer intention and use behavior in mobile banking (m-banking) adoption. All constructs of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 are studied. Non-monetary value is studied through perceived value. Trust and perceived risk are also included to predict intention. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was utilized to evaluate customer responses on a five-point Likert scale. A convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from a sample of 490 respondents in Pakistan. The data were analyzed using AMOS and SPSS for Cronbach’s α, CR, CMV, AVE, Harmon’s single factor test, correlation and structural equation modeling. Findings The results of the study show that most of the predictors of intention, including perceived value, performance expectancy, habit, social influence, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation (except for facilitating condition), perceived risk and trust, are significant. All predictors of usage behavior are significant. Research limitations/implications A cross-sectional study was conducted due to time constraints. Practical implications Bank managers must focus on improving customers’ intentions to use m-banking as well as on providing facilitating conditions to increase its actual use. To boost mobile banking, banks’ management must consider the customers’ habits while designing their m-banking products. Originality/value The findings of this paper are not only interesting in terms of boosting m-banking diffusion rate, but also in terms of financial inclusion of the vast majority of mobile users. Further the impact of intention, facilitating condition and habit were checked on actual use behavior since people tend not always to act upon their intentions.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency and source-dependent Zn fertilization to achieve optimum Zn levels in rice and wheat grains remain global concern for human nutrition, especially in developing countries. To-date, little is known about the effectiveness of bioactive Zn-coated urea (BAZU) to enhance the concentration, uptake, and recovery of Zn in relation to agronomic efficiency in paddy and wheat grains. Field experiments were carried out during 2020-21 on the rice-wheat system at Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Multan, Punjab, Pakistan using four treatments viz.T1 (Urea 46% N @ 185 kg ha-1 + zero Zn), T2 (Urea 46% N @ 185 kg ha-1 + ZnSO4 33% Zn @ 15 kg ha-1), T3 (BAZU 42% N @ 103 kg ha-1 + Urea 46% N @ 62 kg ha-1 + 1% bioactive Zn @ 1.03 kg ha-1) and T4 (BAZU 42% N @ 125 kg ha-1 + Urea 46% N @ 62 kg ha-1 + 1% bioactive Zn @ 1.25 kg ha-1) in quadruplicate under Randomized Complete Block Design. Paddy yield was increased by 13, 11, 12, and 11% whereas wheat grain yield was enhanced by 12, 11, 11, and 10% under T4 at Multan, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Lahore, respectively, compared to T1. Similarly, paddy Zn concentration was increased by 58, 67, 65 and 77% (32.4, 30.7, 31.1, and 34.1 mg kg-1) in rice whereas grain Zn concentration was increased by 90, 87, 96 and 97% (46.2, 43.9, 46.7 and 44.9 mg kg-1) in wheat by the application of BAZU (T4) at Multan, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Lahore, respectively, in comparison to T1. Zinc recovery was about 9-fold and 11-fold higher in paddy and wheat grains, respectively, under BAZU (T4) treatment relative to T2 while, the agronomic efficiency was enhanced up to 130% and 141% in rice and wheat respectively as compared to T2. Thus, T4 application at the rate of 125 kg ha-1 could prove effective in enhancing the rice paddy and wheat grain yield along with their Zn biofortification (∼34 mg kg-1 and ∼47 mg kg-1, respectively) through increased agronomic and Zn recovery efficiencies, the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms of which can be further explored in future.

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the adoption of social media platforms by tourists in Pakistan. Based on an adaptation of the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study assesses the factors that lead users to adopt these platforms.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to a convenience sample of 399 travelers who use social media in Pakistan. A Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS to evaluate convergent and discriminant validity as well as composite reliability. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the causal relationship among all proposed constructs.FindingsThe findings reveal that the perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEoU) of a social media platform positively impact the behavioral intention of its users. The proposed constructs of compatibility, enjoyment, user expertise and e-trust all demonstrated their crucial roles in the adoption of a social media platform for tourism-related activities by enhancing the platform's PEoU and usefulness.Originality/valueThis research validates the relationship between PEoU and PU of a social media platform in the hospitality industry. Interestingly, this study has expanded TAM by validating the addition of four more constructs, (1) compatibility, (2) enjoyment, (3) e-trust, and (4) expertise, to add worth to this model regarding the understanding of social media usage in this specific industry. The findings are valuable both for managers and policymakers in the tourism sector in Pakistan, as the latter can utilize the results to entice a larger segment of social media users to the tourism industry.

For the purpose of understanding, the governing system of partial differential equations for synovial fluid flow velocity and temperature distribution in the knee joint has been successfully solved for the first time. Therefore, such an article is shedding light on the convective diffusion of the viscous flow along the articular surfaces of the joints through the introduction of power-law fluids with different features of permeability, and stagnation point flow along a magnetic field. Henceforth, the frictional energy causes the knee joint’s temperature to increase. By way of filtration, heated synovial fluid reaches the articular cartilage and provides heat to the bone and cartilage. The lubricant in the joint cavity is properly mixed with this cooled fluid. A rectangular region flow and diffusion model is used to define the issue, thermal diffusion and flow inside the intra-articular gap, as well as flow and thermal diffusion within the porous matrix covering the approaching bones at the joint. Using the similarity solution approach, the linked mixed boundary value problem is addressed. The fluid has been shown to resist moving into or out of the cartilage in certain sick and/or aging synovial joints, causing the temperature to increase. By changing the values of the parameters from their usual levels, it is observed that the temperature did increase in aged and sick joints which impact cartilage and/or synovial fluid degradation.