Muhammad Sohail Afzal

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Management and Technology

Background/Objective: Early-onset diabetes (EOD), diagnosed at ≤35 years, is a growing public health crisis in low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan. Identifying modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors is critical for developing effective prevention strategies. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with EOD i...

Background: Lumpy skin disease (LSD), caused by the LSDV virus, affects cattle and water buffalo, resulting in skin nodes, weight loss, and reduced milk production. It is a poxvirus and it has already been registered in Pakistan. Cases have also been recorded from Pakistan, which has an effect on the livestock farms in Karachi. Methods: A cross-se...

Flavivirids are single stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that belong to family Flaviviridae. Being responsible for ever evolving diseases and various health problems, flavivirids are big threat to world's health. Plant secondary metabolites as drug candidates may interfere flavivirids' replication. This study is an effort to computationally anal...

The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) system, a set of highly polymorphic genes, has been found to play an effective role in the disease resistance and disease susceptibility. In this study, prevalence of class-I alleles of HLA was characterized at HLAA,- B and -C loci in the 216 individuals randomly selected population at different regions of Punjab p...

Background Snails play an important role as an intermediate host in various parasitic diseases, which are referred to as snail-borne parasitic diseases (SBPDs). The prevalence of the SBPDs, schistosomiasis and fascioliasis is low in Pakistan compared to other countries. The present study investigated knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to t...

A wide range of novelties and significant developments in the field of veterinary science to treat helminth parasites by using natural plant products have been assessed in recent years. To the best of our knowledge, to date, there has not been such a comprehensive review of 19 years of articles on the anthelmintic potential of plants against variou...

A low temperature alkali (LTA) pretreatment method was used to treat wheat straw. In order to obtain good results, different factors like temperature, incubation time, NaOH concentration and solid to liquid ratio for the pretreatment process were optimized. Wheat straw is a potential biomass for the production of monomeric sugars. The objective of...

Background: Chronic diseases are considered as added risk of severity of COVID-19 infection. This study was planned to assess practices and fears of patients with chronic diseases during COVID-19 pandemic. Participants and Methods: An online questionnaire was developed and shared with potential participants using the snowball technique. The questio...

Tuberculosis, being one of the top 10 death causing diseases worldwide, is still widespread in developing countries. Pakistan is currently ranked fifth among the high tuberculosis burden countries and 5 % of the total patients worldwide are from this country. The study was conducted on 633 tuberculosis patients involving both pulmonary and extrapul...

Background Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a neglected zoonotic disease. Prevalence of AE in humans is reported in Pakistan as a result of poor economic and sanitary conditions, close proximity to wildlife and limited knowledge of AE. Studies on the prevalence and transmission of AE have been limited, especially for rural Pakistan. The study...

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, results in congenital disorders and miscarriages among livestock and humans worldwide. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in sheep and goats in Pakistan from 2000 to 2020. We searched the PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, an...

Bovine brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic infection of ruminants in Pakistan with detrimental impacts on livestock economy. The major losses caused by brucellosis in animals include abortions, week calves, infertility, and reduced milk production. Regardless of the prevalence of the disease, limited data is available about brucellosis in Pakistan....

Fascioliasis is a parasitic infection that affects both livestock and humans. Understanding the distribution of Fasciola spp. can help the development of preventive measures to control fascioliasis. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the status of fascioliasis among livestock and humans in Pakistan between 2000 and 2020. Bas...

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular obligate parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic infection that affects warm-blooded animals and humans worldwide. To comprehensively characterize the disease condition in Pakistan for future reference, we ascertained the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection and predisposing factors in the Pakistani popula...

TULP3 is involved in cell regulation pathways including transcription and signal transduction. In some pathological states like in cancers, increased level of TULP3 has been observed so it can serve as a potential target to hamper the activation of those pathways. We propose a novel idea of inhibiting nuclear localization signal (NLS) to interrupt...

Background: Ticks are ectoparasites that transmit a variety of pathogens that cause many diseases in livestock which can result in skin damage, weight loss, anemia, reduced production of meat and milk, and mortality. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify tick species and the distribution on livestock hosts (sheep, goat, dairy cattle, and buffa...

The β-xylanase gene (DCE06_04615) with 1041 bp cloned from Thermotoga naphthophila was expressed into E. coli BL21 DE3. The cloned β-xylanase was covalently bound to iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles coated with silica utilizing carbodiimide. The size of the immobilized MNPs (50 nm) and their binding with β-xylanase were characterized by Fourier-tr...

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a worldwide-distributed parasitic zoonotic disease, which represents a threat for both human and animals. The current study aimed at estimating the prevalence of human CE in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. Clinical records from four major hospitals in this region were reviewed for CE human cases du...

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a worldwide-distributed parasitic zoonotic disease, which represents a threat for both human and animals. The current study aimed at estimating the prevalence of human CE in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. Clinical records from four major hospitals in this region were reviewed for CE human cases du...

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato that causes economic losses by affecting livestock and also poses a public health threat worldwide. The present study is the first retrospective report on the seroprevalence of anti-E. granulosus antibodies in humans in Pakistan....

Introduction: The present study was conducted to investigate prevalence of intestinal parasites and the risk factors related to socio-demographic characteristics of patients admitted in pathology ward, General Hospital, Gujranwala. Methodology: 318 stool samples were collected from patients and examined under light microscope by using wet mount tec...

Ectoparasites, including lice, ticks, and mites, inhabit the host skin and depend on their host for sustenance, maturation, and multiplication. Among these, ticks are more prevalent in various regions of Pakistan because of favorable climatic conditions, lack of awareness of livestock keepers' regarding ectoparasite infestation rate, insufficient v...

Background: Loose bowels is a clinical sign of gastrointestinal transport channel proteins, channels, and physical and chemical boundaries being harmed, prompting issues of water and electrolyte transport in the intestinal system. It is still considered as a major reason for emergency visits to hospitals in low-middle income countries. Zinc is a su...

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan that infects warm-blooded animals and humans. Approximately one third of the global population is infected by T. gondii. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the risk factors and One Health knowledge of toxoplasmosis in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. From Ju...

Background The significance of investigation for diagnosing and managing thyroid dysfunction in pregnant females has been extensively documented in the medical literature. This study aimed to determine trimester-specific reference ranges for thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH), free T 3 (FT 3 ), and free T 4 (FT 4 ) in apparently healthy pregnant wo...

KDM5A over-expression mediates cancer cell proliferation and promotes resistance towards chemotherapy through epigenetic modifications. As its complete mechanism of action is still unknown, there is no KDM5A specific drug available at clinical level. In the current study, lead compounds for KDM5A were determined through pharmacophore modeling and h...

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato tapeworms, continues to be a public health problem in many endemic countries, including Pakistan. Patient level data, including age, sex, and cyst(s) location for surgically managed CE patients for the years 2013-2016 from hospitals located in Punjab and Kh...

Vitamin D is an important nutrient for bone health, and vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of various diseases. Gilgit Baltistan, the northern-most area of Pakistan, has a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, despite many nutritional and food safety programmes. The present study aimed to find how knowledge, attitudes and practices associat...

Background: Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites and transmit various types of protozoal, bacterial, and viral diseases in a wild as well as domestic animals and humans globally. Only a few published reports are available on the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in sheep and goats in Pakistan. Aim and objectives: The aim of this systematic review...

Background: The parasitic disease, cystic echinococcosis (CE), is a serious health problem in Pakistan. Risk of disease transmission is increased by economic and political instability, poor living conditions, and limited awareness of hygienic practices. The current study aimed to investigate the community perception and awareness regarding the risk...

Exceptional precautionary measures have been adopted to stop the transmission and control of COVID-19 through the world and Pakistan is facing lockdown in this scenario. Public loyalty to precautionary measures is affected by their knowledge, attitude, risk factors and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19. The present study was conducted among the Paki...

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus tapeworms. These parasites have a worldwide geographic distribution and threaten human health and the livestock industry in endemic areas. CE is widely distributed in Pakistan. However, very few reports are available related to the regio...

The article's abstract is not available.

Hematological and hematopoietic cells malignancies of the genes and hematopoietic cells are associated with the genetic mutation, often at the chromosomal level. The standard cytogenetic study is widely accepted as one of the main diagnostics and prognostic determinants in patients. Therefore, the current descriptive and cross-sectional study sough...

The increased and non-judicious use of pesticides and fertilizers has associated complications on the human, animal and plant health. They may accumulate in water and soil to reduce diversification of croplands, limit nutrients availability and diminish genetic diversity of the associated microbes, flora and fauna. Chemical pesticides and fertilize...

On January 30, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the International Public Health Emergency on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreak, which is caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐ CoV‐ 2).¹ This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is a zoonotic parasite that causes cystic echinococcosis (CE) in humans. However, E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.) is considered the predominant species in CE infections worldwide. According to the population genetic diversity and structure of E. granulosus s.l., gene flow can explain the parasite drift a...

The broader spectrum of interactions between autoimmune disorders and SARS‐CoV‐2 is uncertain; additionally, the mechanism underlying this relationship is still poorly understood. According to the EULAR COVID‐19 database, approximately 3590 patients with rheumatic diseases were infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 until December 1st, 2020, escalating rapidly....

Members of the genus Ebolavirus (family Filoviridae) are among the deadliest viral pathogens spread throughout the world with severe rate of mortality, at least 90% in some outbreaks. Their virions are filamentous and enveloped with enclosed negative-sense single-stranded RNA genome. The genome potentially expresses seven structural and nonstructur...

Recent articles have highlighted the impact of infectious diseases, and coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) 1‐3 in a developing country Pakistan,4‐6 and their drastic outcomes are still going on. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Correction for ‘Efficient biomass saccharification using a novel cellobiohydrolase from Clostridium clariflavum for utilization in biofuel industry’ by Asma Zafar et al. , RSC Adv. , 2021, 11 , 9246–9261, DOI: 10.1039/D1RA00545F.

The present study describes the cloning of the cellobiohydrolase gene from a thermophilic bacterium Clostridium clariflavum and its expression in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) utilizing the expression vector pET-21a(+). The optimization of various parameters (pH, temperature, isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentration, time of inductio...

Background: Urinary track infection (UTI) is a common infection in Pakistan. Poor knowledge about personal hygiene and lack of awareness are major reasons of this infection. All over the world and in Pakistan E. coli and K. pneumonia are main causative agents of UTI.Objectives:To analyze Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacterial strains isolat...

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, a heteroxenous parasite belonging to Cestodes. AE is currently considered an important public health issue, but epidemiological and notably molecular data from several endemic countries, including Pakistan, are sparse. Here we report the first detection of Echinococcu...

Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is swiftly increasing from the past few weeks. In Pakistan, an unprecedented resurgence of COVID‐19 has been observed, and the current count has reached over half a million, with more than 9 thousand deaths so far. Dreadfully, a variant of...

Background: The significance of investigation for diagnosing and managing thyroid dysfunction in pregnant females has been extensively documented in the medical literature. This study aimed to determine trimester-specific reference ranges for thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH), Free T3 (FT3), and free T4 (FT4) in apparently healthy pregnant women a...

Recent outbreaks of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) in Waziristan make the disease a public health concern in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, Pakistan. The awareness and behavior of local community towards the disease is an important factor towards effective control and management of CL in endemic areas of Pakistan. A cross-sectional community base...

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is considered a neglected tropical disease which in Pakistan can now be considered as a growing public health problem. The exact figures on the magnitude of the disease are lacking both at the national and regional level and only a few health centres are available for diagnosis of CL. The present study was designed to i...

Background and aims We sought to measure the effect of lockdown, implemented to contain COVID-19 infection, on routine living, the health of patients with chronic diseases and challenges faced by them. Methods A semi-structured online questionnaire was generated using “Google forms” and sent to the patients with chronic diseases using WhatsApp. Da...

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease that occurs in humans and ungulates due to infection with the larval stage of the taeniid cestode Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. It has been estimated that approximately one million people are infected annually, resulting in US$3 billion in human and livestock-associated direct and indirect loss...

The article's abstract is not available.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease that can result in human and animal health problems globally. Although the disease is known to be endemic in Asia and the Middle East, there are few epidemiological studies on CE in Pakistan. The purpose of the present study was to identify the Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato species and...

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global health emergency and has a huge impact on the health care workers, especially on their mental health. The dataset presented was an assessment of COVID-19 related knowledge, attitude, practices and its effects on the mental health of frontline healthcare workers in Pakistan. The data were collected using a...

The article's abstract is no available.

Recent articles have pointed the impact of co‐epidemics/co‐infections of COVID‐19 and other infectious diseases on an already overburdened healthcare infrastructure 1, 2. With the present toll of COVID‐19 cases reaching beyond 10,922,324 infected cases and claiming 523,011 lives ³. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We have read recent articles regarding co‐epidemics/co‐infections of COVID‐19 and other infectious diseases 1‐4, these reports highlights the impact of co‐infections on the health care system. The recent pandemic of COVID‐19 caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus ‐ SARS‐CoV‐2 has taken 378K lives and has spread worldwide in...

A recent report reviewed the polio epidemiology in Pakistan ¹. Pakistan is currently showing a very high number of COVID‐19 cases². The outbreak of COVID‐19 has been known to cause by SARS‐CoV‐2, a novel coronavirus that emerged by the end of December 2019. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Poliomyelitis is a central nervous system disease caused by poliovirus which effects the spinal cord and leads to paralysis. There are three types of Wild Polio Viruses (WPV) ‐1, 2 and 3 out of which type‐2 has been declared as eradicated from world in 2015.¹ Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are only three countries in world where polio status is...

We have read with great interests a recent article showing SARS‐CoV‐2 viral RNA in feces of children during their recovery period from the disease.¹ The study showed that even though no viral nucleic acid was detected in the throat swab specimens, the virus was identified in their feces samples. More recently, Li et al² and Liu et al.³ detected the...

Hepatitis B causes major deathly infections in developing countries. The surface antigen preS1, hepatocytes attachment site, plays a crucial role in development and progression of disease. The present study was, therefore, an effort to develop an efficient expression system for PreS1 gene in Esherishia coli. PreS1 gene was amplified and cloned in p...

The medicinal importance of honey has been known for many decades due to its antimicrobial properties against life-threatening bacteria. However, previous studies revealed that microorganisms are able to develop adaptations after continuous exposure to antimicrobial compounds. The present study was conducted to explore the impact of subinhibitory c...

The medicinal importance of honey has been known for many decades due to its antimicrobial properties against life‐threatening bacteria. However, previous studies revealed that microorganisms are able to develop adaptations after continuous exposure to antimicrobial compounds. The present study was conducted to explore the impact of subinhibitory c...

Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by a trematode blood fluke of the genus Schistosoma that belongs to the Schistosomatidae family. It is a neglected disease in different regions of Asia. In this review 218 articles (between 2000 and 2017) related to topic was collected from PubMed and Google scholar and reviewed. After thoroughl...

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a global zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus and it has been reported from both livestock and humans in Pakistan. The definitive host of E. granulosus is the dog, and the large number of stray dogs in Pakistan contributes to the spread of CE. However, there is li...

Introduction: Rabies is one of the most neglected tropical diseases in numerous regions of the world. Annually, 60,000 deaths have been reported, mostly in Asia and Africa. Dogs are responsible for approximately 99% of human deaths due to Rabies. Consequently, incidences of canine bites are increased yet Rabies continues to remain a neglected disea...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health concern globally, resulting in liver-related complications. Approximately 6% population of Pakistan is infected with HCV. HCV is error prone, due to which it is classified into 7 genotypes and 67 subtypes. HCV genotype determination is critical for treatment and therapy response. In this study, 3,539...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health concern globally, resulting in liver-related complications. Approximately 6% population of Pakistan is infected with HCV. HCV is error prone, due to which it is classified into 7 genotypes and 67 subtypes. HCV genotype determination is critical for treatment and therapy response. In this study, 3,539...

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most important zoonotic parasitic diseases in human, livestock, and wildlife globally. The prevalence of CE depends upon human behavioral risk factors, the diversity and ecology of animal host interactions and the genetic diversity within Echinococcus species which differ in their zoonotic potential and path...