Exploring the Prevalence of Long-Covid and its Factors among Post-Covid Survivors of Karachi

Long COVID or post-COVID problems are long-term effects of COVID-19 infection that certain people who have contracted the virus can experience. This may result in having persistent symptoms for 3 months or more, such as those who had tiredness, malaise, changed smell and taste, dyspnea, and cognitive deficits three or more months after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis. However, some people may still have inferior work performance and a lower quality of life due to the long COVID episodes. From October 2021 to April 2022, cross-sectional research was conducted in Karachi, utilizing an electronic questionnaire to record sociodemographic data, current comorbidities, and previous episodes of acute COVID-19, post-COVID symptoms, and job performance among COVID survivors. The study's findings revealed that more than 35% of individuals surveyed claimed to have had COVID symptoms for six weeks or more, with approximately 20% to 30% of those reporting frequent coughing and appetite loss. Planning prevention, rehabilitation, and clinical treatment need an awareness of long-term COVID and its related components in order to maximize recovery and long-term COVID-19 outcomes.   DOI: https: //doi. Org/10.59564/amrj/01.01/007

Enhancement of Drought Tolerance in Sunflower Helianthus Annuus L. by Exogenous Application of Abscisic Acid

Studies to assess the response of spring planted sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to exogenous application of abscisic acid following different irrigation schedules were carried out at the Agronomic Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan were conducted for two consecutive years; 2008 and 2009. In one experiment, three irrigation schedules viz. four irrigations (25 DAS, bud initiation, flower initiation and achene formation), three irrigations (25 DAS, flower initiation and achene formation) and three irrigations (25 DAS, bud initiation, and achene formation) were subjected to exogenous application of different concentrations (0, 5μm and 10μm) of ABA at bud initiation or at flower initiation. In the 2 nd experiment different irrigation and ABA application schedules i.e. four irrigations (25 DAS, at bud initiation, at flower initiation and at achene formation) and no ABA, three irrigations (25 DAS, at flower initiation and at achene formation) and no ABA, three irrigations (25 DAS, at flower initiation and at achene formation) and ABA spray at bud initiation, three irrigations (25 DAS, at bud initiation and at achene formation) and no ABA, three irrigations(25 DAS, at bud initiation and at achene formation) and ABA spray at flower initiation were tested for three hybrids (DK-4040, S-278 and SF-187). The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement and with three replications in each experiment. In the 1 st experiment exogenous application of 5μM ABA under drought at bud initiation stage significantly increased plant height, head diameter, number of achenes per head, 1000-achene weight, achene yield and oil yield over no ABA. It also improved water relations of sunflower by improving water potential and turgor pressure and decreased amount of compatible solutes which indicates that exogenous application of ABA was helpful in enhancing drought tolerance in sunflower. Foliar application of 5μM ABA at flower initiation under drought stress at this stage also increased plant height, head diameter, number of achenes per head, 1000-achene weight, achene yield and oil yield over no ABA but this increase was lesser than exogenous application of 5μM ABA at bud initiation after imposition of drought stress at this stage. In the 2 nd experiment exogenous application of ABA under drought at either stage (bud or flower initiation) was helpful in ameliorating drought stress in sunflower hybrids; however response was better when ABA was applied at bud initiation than at flower initiation. Sunflower hybrid DK-4040 showed better enhancement of drought tolerance by exogenous application of ABA than SF-187 and S-278 because it showed more improvement in agronomic parameters, growth, quality, water relations and compatible solutes.