Cu-nanoparticles enhance the sustainable growth and yield of drought-subjected wheat through physiological progress.

Drought stress (DS) is a significant abiotic stress that limits agricultural productivity worldwide. In semi-arid climates, one potential solution to alleviate the deleterious effects of drought is the use of soil amendments such as nanoparticles. The current research was conducted out to probe the sway of drought at critical growth stages (CGS) of wheat crop (D0: Control, D1: Drought at tillering stage, and D2: Drought at anthesis stage) and the application of Cu-nanoparticles (T0: 0 mg L-1, T1: 300 mg L-1, T2: 700 mg L-1, and T3: 950 mg L-1) in order to improve drought resilience. Results of the study revealed that DS considerably decreased the wheat growth and yield during CGS. However, Cu-nanoparticles application alleviated the detrimental backlash of DS and led to improvements in various aspects of wheat growth and yield, including plant height, spike length, 1000 grain weight, stomatal conductance, leaf chlorophyll content, water use efficiency, leaf turgor potential, relative water content, and ultimately the grain yield. The use of principal component analysis allowed us to integrate and interpret the diverse findings of our study, elucidating the impact of Cu-nanoparticle treatment on wheat growth and yield under drought. Overall, the study concluded that DS during the anthesis stage had the most significant negative impact on crop yield. However, applying Cu-nanoparticles at the rate of 300 mg L-1 proved to be an effective strategy for improving crop productivity by reducing the harmful effects of drought.

Liming potential and characteristics of biochar produced from woody and non-woody biomass at different pyrolysis temperatures.

Large amount of wastes are burnt or left to decompose on site or at landfills where they cause air pollution and nutrient leaching to groundwater. Waste management strategies that return these food wastes to agricultural soils recover the carbon and nutrients that would otherwise have been lost, enrich soils and improve crop productivity. The incorporation of liming materials can neutralize the protons released, hence reducing soil acidity and its adverse impacts to the soil environment, food security, and human health. Biochar derived from organic residues is becoming a source of carbon input to soil and provides multifunctional values. Biochar can be alkaline in nature, with the level of alkalinity dependent upon the feedstock and processing conditions. This study conducted a characterization of biochar derived from the pyrolysis process of eggplant and Acacia nilotica bark at temperatures of 300 °C and 600 °C. An analysis was conducted on the biochar kinds to determine their pH, phosphorus (P), as well as other elemental composition. The proximate analysis was conducted by the ASTM standard 1762-84, while the surface morphological features were measured using a scanning electron microscope. The biochar derived from Acacia nilotica bark exhibited a greater yield and higher level of fixed carbon while possessing a lower content of ash and volatile components compared to biochar derived from eggplant. The eggplant biochar exhibits a higher liming ability at 600 °C compared to the acacia nilotica bark-derived biochar. The calcium carbonate equivalent, pH, potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) levels in eggplant biochars increased as the pyrolysis temperature increased. The results suggest that biochar derived from eggplant could be a beneficial resource for storing carbon in the soil, as well as for addressing soil acidity and enhancing nutrients availability, particularly potassium and phosphorus in acidic soils.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) cultivated in domestic wastewater and lake water irrigated soils.

Irrigation of crops with domestic wastewater (DW) is a common practice in developing countries like India. However, domestic wastewater irrigation poses a risk of migration of toxic heavy metals to edible parts of crops, which requires serious measures to prevent their uptake. In this study, the effect of DW irrigation in comparison with Sarbal Lake water (SLW) and borewell water (BW) on soil characteristics and cultivated saffron (Crocus sativus L.) was investigated. For this purpose, samples of water, soil, and saffron (corm, petal, and stigma) were collected from the suburban area of Pampore, Srinagar district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The results showed that DW irrigation had the maximum significant (p < 0.05) influence on the physico-chemical and nutrient characteristics of the soil, followed by SLW and BW irrigation, respectively. The growth and yield parameters of saffron were also significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the case of DW irrigation as compared to SLW and BW. The quality ranking of the cultivated saffron was found to be in accordance with the ISO standard (III: BW and II: DW and SLW). On the other hand, DW irrigation showed a significant increase in heavy metal contents (mg/kg) of saffron plant parts such as As (0.21-0.40), Cd (0.04-0.09), Cr (0.16-0.41), Cu (7.31-14. 75), Fe (142.38-303.15), Pb (0.18-0.31), Mn (15.26-22.81), Hg (0.18-0.25), Ni (0.74-1.18), Se (0.13-0.22), and Zn (3.44-4.59), followed by SLW and BW. However, the levels of heavy metals did not exceed the FAO/WHO safe limits. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF), dietary intake modeling (DIM<0.006496), health risk assessment (HRI<0.028571), and target hazard quotient (THQ<1) analyses showed no potential health hazard associated with the consumption of saffron irrigated with DW and SLW. Therefore, the results of this study provide valuable insights into the optimization of irrigation sources for saffron cultivation.

Effects of agro based organic amendments on growth and cadmium uptake in wheat and rice crops irrigated with raw city effluents: Three years field study.

Cadmium (Cd) accumulates in the vegetative tissues of rice and wheat crops, posing a serious threat in the food chain. A long-term field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rice husk biochar (RHB), farm manure (FM), press mud (PrM), and poultry manure (PM) on the growth, yield, and economics of wheat and rice crops grown with sewage water. The results showed that RHB increased wheat plant height (27%, 66%, 70%), spike-length (33%, 99%, 56%), straw yield (21%, 51%, 49%), and grain yield (42%, 63%, 65%) in year-1, year-2, and year-3, than respective controls. For rice crop, RHB showed the maximum increase in plant height (64%, 92%, 96%), spike length (55%, 95%, 90%), straw yield (34%, 53%, 55%), and grain yield (46%, 66%, 69%) each year (2019-2021), compared to their respective controls. The Cd immobilization was increased by the application of RHB while other treatments followed FM > PrM > PM > control in each year of wheat and rice crops. For year-1, benefit-cost ratio remained maximum with the application of FM while for the 2nd and 3rd years in sequence, RHB proved more economical than other treatments and consistently produced wheat and rice with lower Cd concentration than FM, PrM, and PM in grains. This long-term experiment suggested that the application of organic amendments consistently increased biomass of rice and wheat and decreased the Cd concentration in tissues. The RHB remained more effective compared with FM, PrM, and PM in terms of yield, low Cd accumulation and economics of rice and wheat crops.

Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) through Ammonia volatilization mitigation and nitrogen management approaches.

Management of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is a critical factor that can improve maize (Zea mays L.) production. On the other hand, high volatilization losses of N also pollute the air. A field experiment was established using a silt clay soil to examine the effect of sulfur-coated urea and sulfur from gypsum on ammonia (NH3) emission, N use efficiency (NUE), and the productivity of maize crop under alkaline calcareous soil. The experimental design was a randomized complete block (RCBD) with seven treatments in three replicates: control with no N, urea150 alone (150 kg N ha-1), urea200 alone (200 kg N ha-1), urea150 + S (60 kg ha-1 S from gypsum), urea200 + S, SCU150 (sulfur-coated urea) and SCU200. The results showed that the urea150 + S and urea200 + S significantly reduced the total NH3 by (58 and 42%) as compared with the sole application urea200. The NH3 emission reduced further in the treatment with SCU150 and SCU200 by 74 and 65%, respectively, compared to the treatment with urea200. The maize plant biomass, grain yield, and total N uptake enhanced by 5-14%, 4-17%, and 7-13, respectively, in the treatments with urea150 + s and urea200 + S, relative to the treatment with urea200 alone. Biomass, grain yield, and total N uptake further increased significantly by 22-30%, 25-28%, and 26-31%, respectively, in the treatments with SCU150 and SCU200, relative to the treatment with urea200 alone. The applications of SCU150 enhanced the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by (72%) and SCU200 by (62%) respectively, compared with the sole application of urea200 alone. In conclusion, applying S-coated urea at a lower rate of 150 kg N ha-1 compared with a higher rate of 200 kg N ha-1 may be an effective way to reduce N fertilizer application rate and mitigate NH3 emission, improve NUE, and increase maize yield. More investigations are suggested under different soil textures and climatic conditions to declare S-coated urea at 150 kg N ha-1 as the best application rate for maize to enhance maize growth and yield.

Interfacial coupling of CuFe2O4 induced hotspots over self-assembled g-C3N4 nanosheets as an efficient photocatalytic bacterial disinfectant.

Most bacterial disinfectants contain high levels of extremely toxic and environmental hazardous chemicals, which pose a significant threat to the ecosystem. Semiconductor photocatalysis exhibits attractive prospects as an emerging greener technology for waste water disinfection. However, the fast recombination of charge carriers limits its practical application. Herein, self-assembled polymeric feather-like g-C3N4 (GCN) nanosheets modified with ferromagnetic CuFe2O4 (CFO) nanospheres were successfully applied as a reusable visible light photocatalytic disinfectant. As expected, the g-C3N4/CuFe2O4 (GCF) nanohybrid displayed superior photocatalytic inactivation efficiency of 0.157log within 120 min towards Escherichia coli DH5α (E. coli) compared with pristine GCN and CFO. The characterization results revealed the synergistic heterostructure interfaces, high surface area, and the transformative self-assembly of GCN to feather-like structure providing a rich active site for improved charge separation efficiency, and wide spectral response, therefore the superior performance of GCF. The radical trapping assay proclaimed that both O2•- and •OH radical played major role in the photocatalytic inactivation among the other reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, the chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein estimation, and DNA estimation assay results validated the cell damage caused by the photocatalyst. Besides that, GCN showed applicability in real-time wastewater samples with improved efficiency than in the saline solution. The excellent magnetic characteristics facilitated the recycling of the catalyst with insignificant leaching, magnetic induction, and distinguished separation. The results of this work signify the well-designed GCF as a high-performance and reusable photocatalyst for real-world pathogenic bacterial disinfection operations.

The local medicinal plant knowledge in Kashmir Western Himalaya: a way to foster ecological transition via community-centred health seeking strategies.

BACKGROUND: The mountainous region of Kashmir is a biodiversity hotspot, with diverse local communities and a rich cultural history linked to nature. Mountain ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study emphasises the need to record the indigenous ethnoecological knowledge of wild plants used for the treatment of various ailments at higher elevations in remote areas where globalisation poses a threat to this traditional knowledge. METHODS: The field survey was carried out in 2020-2022, to collect data on wild medicinal plants. Informants were selected randomly to collect indigenous medicinal knowledge using semi-structured interviews and group discussions. Various quantitative indices were employed to evaluate ethnomedicinal data. RESULTS: A total of 110 medicinal plants belonging to 49 families were recorded in the study area. These medicinal plants are extensively used by local communities for the treatment of 20 major disease categories. Asteraceae was the dominant family contributing (9.09%) to medicinal plants, followed by Polygonaceae (8.18%), Apiaceae (7.27%), Lamiaceae (5.45%), and Ranunculaceae (5.45%). We observed 166 remedies were used for the treatment of various diseases in humans, and 9 remedies were used for animals. The most frequently used medicinal remedy was tea or decoction (30.91%). Among the medicinal plants, herbs (85.5%) were most frequently used by the local populations of Kashmir, whereas leaves (10.26%) were used for the treatment of various ailments. Out of 110 species, 31 were endemic, 15 of which are endemic to the Kashmir region and 16 to the Western Himalaya. The highest RFC value was reported for Allium humile (0.77), the highest UV value for Fritillaria cirrhosa (1.33), and the highest ICF value for gastro-intestinal/digestive disorders (0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Local communities still rely on wild medicinal plants for primary healthcare. These communities retained valuable indigenous knowledge, which needs to be preserved for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources. Further field exploration is required to fully explore indigenous knowledge in the mountainous regions of Kashmir, and this knowledge has the potential to support the ongoing ecological transition.

Phylogeny and functional diversity of halophilic microbial communities from a thalasso environment.

The El-Rawda solar saltern, located in North Sinai, Egypt, is formed through the process of water evaporation from the Bradawil lagoon. This evaporation leads to the precipitation of gypsum, halite minerals, and salt flats, which subsequently cover the southern and eastern areas of the lagoon. This study employed the shotgun metagenomic approach, the illumine platform, and bioinformatic tools to investigate the taxonomic composition and functional diversity of halophilic microbial communities in solar saltern. The metagenomic reads obtained from the brine sample exhibited a greater count compared to those from the sediment sample. Notably, the brine sample was primarily characterized by an abundance of archaea, while the sediment sample displayed a dominant abundance of bacteria. Both samples exhibited a relatively low abundance of eukaryotes, while viruses were only found in the brine sample. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of functional pathways showed many important processes related to central metabolism and protein processing in brine and sediment samples. In brief, this research makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of very halophilic ecosystems in Egypt, providing insights into their microbial biodiversity and functional processes.

ABO, Rh, and Kell Blood Group Antigen Frequencies in Blood Donors of Taif City, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The ABO, Rh, and Kell blood group antigens are clinically significant. Knowledge of antigen frequencies is important to assess the risk of alloimmunization and to guide the probability of finding antigen-negative donor blood. Patients that lack such antigens may produce antibodies that may cause transfusion reaction. The frequencies of ABO, Rh, and Kell antigens in Taif city, Saudi Arabia have not yet been determined. This study aims to assess the frequencies of ABO, Rh, and Kell blood group antigens among Saudi donors in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 2,073 Saudi blood donors of both genders from May 2016 to May 2019. The data were collected, and calculations were done to determine the frequencies of ABO, Rh, and Kell blood group antigens. RESULTS: Of the 2,073 donors, the ABO blood groups of the donors were O (53.8%), A (24.9%), B (16.4%), and AB (4.6%). Rh-positive samples were (87.8%) and (12.1%) were Rh-negative. The most common Rh antigen was e (95.8%), followed by the c and C antigens (81.7% and 62.3%, respectively). The lowest Rh antigen frequency was E (31.3%). DCce was the most prevalent phenotype (29.5%). The KEL1 (K) antigen was determined in (22.1%) of the donors. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study conducted in Taif city to assess the frequency of ABO, Rh, and Kell antigens among Saudi blood donors. This study provides the first step to create a regional donor database to obtain negative antigen blood units for patients with unexpected antibodies and to offer compatible bloods for multi-transfused cases by designing red cell panels.

Artificial Intelligence Based COVID-19 Detection and Classification Model on Chest X-ray Images.

Diagnostic and predictive models of disease have been growing rapidly due to developments in the field of healthcare. Accurate and early diagnosis of COVID-19 is an underlying process for controlling the spread of this deadly disease and its death rates. The chest radiology (CT) scan is an effective device for the diagnosis and earlier management of COVID-19, meanwhile, the virus mainly targets the respiratory system. Chest X-ray (CXR) images are extremely helpful in the effective diagnosis of COVID-19 due to their rapid outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and availability. Although the radiological image-based diagnosis method seems faster and accomplishes a better recognition rate in the early phase of the epidemic, it requires healthcare experts to interpret the images. Thus, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, such as the deep learning (DL) model, play an integral part in developing automated diagnosis process using CXR images. Therefore, this study designs a sine cosine optimization with DL-based disease detection and classification (SCODL-DDC) for COVID-19 on CXR images. The proposed SCODL-DDC technique examines the CXR images to identify and classify the occurrence of COVID-19. In particular, the SCODL-DDC technique uses the EfficientNet model for feature vector generation, and its hyperparameters can be adjusted by the SCO algorithm. Furthermore, the quantum neural network (QNN) model can be employed for an accurate COVID-19 classification process. Finally, the equilibrium optimizer (EO) is exploited for optimum parameter selection of the QNN model, showing the novelty of the work. The experimental results of the SCODL-DDC method exhibit the superior performance of the SCODL-DDC technique over other approaches.

Potential application of melatonin in reducing boron toxicity in rice seedlings through improved growth, cell wall composition, proline, and defense mechanisms.

Melatonin (MT) has been demonstrated to provide defense against both biotic and abiotic stressors. Boron toxicity (BT) can significantly limit the growth and production of plants. However, few studies have been conducted on whether MT is effective in attenuating B toxicity in different plants. In order to evaluate the efficacy of exogenous MT treatment in reducing the negative impact of BT on rice seedlings, this study examined the influence of MT on growth, antioxidant capacity, cell wall composition, and proline metabolism in rice seedlings under hydroponics. Four treatments were established: MT (50 µM), MT + BT (50 µM MT + 800 µM B), BT (800 µM), and CK (control) in a completely randomized design. The results indicate that BT had a significant detrimental effect on the shoot length, root length, and root and shoot fresh weights of rice seedlings by 11.96%, 27.77%, 25.69%, and 18.67%, respectively as compared to the control treatment. However, exogenous MT application increased these parameters and reduced B accumulation in aboveground parts (14.05%) of the plant. Exogenous MT also increased the endogenous melatonin content and antioxidant enzyme activities (64.45%, 71.61%, 237.64%, and 55.42% increase in superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidase activities, respectively), while decreasing reactive oxygen species levels and oxidized forms of glutathione and ascorbic acid. Additionally, MT enhanced the biosynthesis of proline by decreasing proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) and increasing the GSH (glutathione) and ASA (ascorbic acid) contents. Exogenous MT also increased cell wall components that can increase B adsorption to the cell wall. Overall, these findings suggest that MT application can be a potential solution for strengthening the stress tolerance of rice seedlings, particularly under conditions of B toxicity. In regions where soil contains high levels of boron, the use of MT could enhance rice crop yields and quality.

Assessing the Perceptions and Practices Toward Eye Injuries First Aid Among General Population in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim  The eye is a vital and extraordinarily perceptive part of the human body. A wide spectrum of possible outcomes from eye injuries, from temporary vision loss to permanent blindness. There is a lack of information about how to handle an eye injury. Education and raising awareness are the best way to prevent severe complications and eventual loss of vision. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate and assess general population knowledge and first aid practices regarding eye injuries in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia, focusing on the importance of early management. Methodology A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered among residents of western Saudi Arabia using a validated questionnaire. One thousand two hundred seventy-nine adults of both genders were randomly chosen to represent the sample. In December 2022, we used a web-based survey to gather our data. Result This study analyzed data from 1279 responses on the online platform. Results showed that good knowledge was significantly higher among females than males, those without a history of eye injury than their peers with injuries, and those with higher educational levels than those with lower educational levels. Additionally, good knowledge was predicted by the female gender (OR = 1.6, 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.1, p < 0.001). Conclusion The study found that public awareness of eye injury first aid was good in the western region. The role of physicians should be expanded and health education campaigns and social media are recommended to achieve the goal of reduction and limiting the most crucial damage to the most sensitive organ in the body.

A rare cause of dysphagia and simultaneous hoarseness of voice in the octogenarian: a Killian-Jamieson diverticulum, management, and review of literature.

An 82-year-old male presented with progressive dysphagia and simultaneous hoarseness of voice for the past 6 months. He had mitral valve repair and a permanent pacemaker for a heart block 5 years ago. A computed tomographic scan of the neck demonstrated a cervical esophageal diverticulum. Oral Gastrogrifin contrast study confirmed esophageal diverticulum in Killian-Jamieson space. Open surgical diverticulectomy was performed safely. Patient's dysphagia resolved immediately, and he regained his normal voice after 6 weeks. Introduction: Killian-Jamieson's esophageal diverticulum is a rare form of pulsion diverticulum which originate through a muscular gap in the anterolateral wall of the esophagus, inferior to the cricopharyngeus muscle and superior to the circular and longitudinal muscle of the esophagus. Killian-Jamieson defined this area where the recurrent laryngeal nerve enters the pharynx, called Killian-Jamieson triangle. Ekberg and Nylander, in 1983, described an esophageal diverticulum in Killian-Jamieson space. The most common clinical manifestations in such patients are dysphagia, cough, epigastric pain, recurrent respiratory tract infections, and rarely hoarseness of voice. In symptomatic patients, surgical or endoscopic resection of the diverticulum is mandatory. We report this case in line with SCARE (Surgical CAse REport) criteria. Case Report: An 82-year-old male presented to our outpatient clinic with a history of progressive dysphagia for solid food and hoarseness of voice for the last 6 months. He denied gastroesophageal reflux, cough, and shortness of breath. On examination of the neck, there was swelling on the left side but no tenderness or lymphadenopathy. Basic blood investigations, including complete blood count, liver, and renal panels, were normal. An echocardiogram showed mild impairment of left ventricle function and normally functioning mitral valve. Chest X-ray showed a pacemaker in position. Computed tomography scan of the neck showed esophageal diverticulum. Gastrogrifin contrast study showed esophageal Killian-Jamieson diverticulum (KJD). Discussion: The acquired esophageal diverticulum is categorized into three types based on its anatomical location. Zenker's and Killian-Jamieson (pulsion diverticulum) in the proximal part, traction diverticulum in the middle part, due to pulling from fibrous adhesions following the lymph node infection and epiphanic pulsion type in the distal esophagus. Although the KJD and Zenker's diverticulum (ZD) arise close to each other in the pharyngoesophageal area, they are anatomically distinct. Although ZD and KJD have the same demographic features, they are more commonly found in older men (60-80 years) and women, respectively. The incidence of ZD is 0.01-0.11%, and KJD is 0.025% of the population. Rubesin et al. reported radiographic findings in 16 KJD cases. They found the majority of them were on the left side (72%), followed by 20% on the right side and 8% bilateral. Conclusion: In conclusion, we report a rare case of dysphagia and simultaneous hoarseness of voice in an octogenarian due to KJD, who was treated with open diverticulectomy, and dysphagia resolved; he regained his voice back after 6 weeks. In our opinion, endoscopic surgery in such a patient with KJD can put recurrent laryngeal at risk of injury since an endoscopic approach operator cannot visualize and dissect away the recurrent laryngeal nerve, particularly when KJD already compresses it.

A Machine Learning Approach for Monitoring and Classifying Healthcare Data-A Case of Emergency Department of KSA Hospitals.

The Emergency Departments (EDs), in hospitals located in a few important areas in Saudi Arabia, experience a heavy inflow of patients due to viral illnesses, pandemics, and even on a few special occasions events such as Hajj or Umrah, when pilgrims travel from one region to another with severe disease conditions. Apart from the EDs, it is critical to monitor the movements of patients from EDs to other wards inside the hospital or in the region. This is to track the spread of viral illnesses that require more attention. In this scenario, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms can be used to classify the data into many classes and track the target audience. The current research article presents a Machine Learning-based Medical Data Monitoring and Classification Model for the EDs of the KSA hospitals and is named MLMDMC-ED technique. The most important aim of the proposed MLMDMC-ED technique is to monitor and track the patient's visits to the EDs, the treatment given to them based on the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), and their Length Of Stay (LOS) in the hospital, based on their treatment requirements. A patient's clinical history is crucial in terms of making decisions during health emergencies or pandemics. So, the data should be processed so that it can be classified and visualized in different formats using the ML technique. The current research work aims at extracting the textual features from the patients' data using the metaheuristic Non-Defeatable Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II). The data, collected from the hospitals, are classified using the Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) model. Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) is exploited for fine-tuning the parameters to optimize the performance of the GCN model. The proposed MLMDMC-ED technique was experimentally validated on the healthcare data and the outcomes indicated the improvements of the MLMDMC-ED technique over other models with a maximum accuracy of 91.87%.

Edible wild plant species used by different linguistic groups of Kohistan Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: The mountainous territory of Kohistan shelters diverse food plant species and is considered one of the important hotspots of local plant knowledge. In the era of globalization and food commodification, wild food plants (WFPs) play an important role in supporting local food systems and related local knowledge is one of the important pillars of food sustainability across the region. Since the area is populated by different cultural groups and each culture has retained particular knowledge on the local plant species, therefore, to make a cross-culturally comparison, the study was planned to record and compare the local plants knowledge among three linguistic groups viz Gujjar, Kohistani and Shina in order to not only protect the local knowledge but to determine the food cultural adaptations among these groups looking through the lens of their food ethnobotanies. METHODS: Field ethnobotanical survey was carried out in 2020-2021 to gather the data on wild food plants. We used semi-structured interviews. Use reports were counted, and the results were visualized through Venn diagrams. RESULTS: In total, 64 plant species belonging to 45 botanical families were documented. Among these Ajuga integrifolia, Barbarea verna, Clematis grata, Impatiens edgeworthii, Ranunculus laetus (vegetables), Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana (fruit), Indigofera tinctoria (flower), Juniperus excelsa, Primula elliptica, P. macrophylla (flavoring agent), Leontopodium himalayanum (Chewing gum), and Juniperus excelsa (snuff) were reported for the first time. The highest use reports (≥ 90) were recorded for Mentha longifolia, Amaranthus hybridus, Quercus semecarpifolia, Solanum miniatum, Oxalis corniculata, Ficus palmata, and Urtica dioica. Maximum number of wild food plant species (WFPs) were reported by Kohistani, followed by Shinaki and Gujjari linguistic groups. The percentage overlap of traditional knowledge on WFPs was highest among Kohistani and Shinaki (56.0%), followed by Shinaki and Gujjars (17.0%), and Kohistani and Gujjars (15.0%). Kohistani and Shinaki groups exhibited maximum homogeneity in traditional knowledge. However, Gujjars had more knowledge on WFPs compared to Kohistani and Shinaki. In addition, some dairy products viz. Bhorus, Bagora, Bak, Cholam, Kacha, Gurloo and Poyeen were reported also reported that are consumed orally and used in traditional cuisines. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that Kohistan is one of the important spots of biocultural diversity and could be recognized as biocultural refugia. WFPs have been an integral part of the traditional food systems among the studied groups, particularly the Gujjars have reported more distinct plant uses which could be referred to their distinctive ecological experiences among others. However, social change is one of the challenges that might lead to the erosion of local plant knowledge. Moreover, intercultural negotiations among the studied groups are also a matter of concern which could homogenize the local knowledge among them. Therefore, we suggest solid policy measures to protect the local knowledge and celebrate diversity across this mountain territory.

Solitary Scalp Metastases of Parotid Pleomorphic Adenoma: A Case Report.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of the parotid gland is considered one of the commonest benign salivary gland neoplasms in both adults and pediatrics. However, metastatic pleomorphic adenoma (MPA) is extremely rare. In the past three decades, multiple cases were reported in the literature of MPA, where the metastatic phase has been preceded by a local recurrence for the majority of the cases. Metastases to the lungs, liver, bone, head and neck were reported. This paper will discuss a rare case presentation of MPA that metastasised solely to the face and scalp subcutaneous tissue with no other sites of metastases in a male adult.

Self-propelled nanojets an interfacial Schottky junctions modulated oxygen vacancies enriched for enhanced photo-Fenton degradation of organic contaminant: Improving H2O2 generation, Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle and enhancing plant metabolism.

The study reports an innovative approach on sunlit driven heterostructure photocatalytic generation of H2O2 and removal of cefixime. In the present work, we have fabricated Mn/Mg doped CoFe2O4 modified CaCr2O4 decorated by Ag3PO4 quantum dots (Ag3PO4 QDs), a p-n-p nano heterojunction. The study promotes the photocatalytic production of H2O2 and self-Fenton photocatalytic degradation of cefixime. Egg white-assisted synthesis of Mn-doped CoFe2O4 causes the lattice oxygen defect, which enhances the photocatalytic activity. Lattice oxygen defect enable the adsorption of O2, which enable the conversion of •O2 in the valence band of CoFe2O4 for the endogenous production of H2O2. The higher in the surface area enhance the photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. Mn-CoFe2O4-CaCr2O4-Ag3PO4 QDs enables the complete photocatalytic degradation of cefixime (99.9%) and the complete removal was determined by total organic carbon (TOC) removal and it was around 99.4%. Meanwhile the photocatalytic degradation pathway of cefixime was determined by LC-MS/MS. Reusability of the nano heterojunction was determined by six cycle test, and the reusability of the nano heterojunction was 99.8%. Further, the toxicity of the nanomaterial was studied in maize plant and the results shows that the nanoheterojunction enhances the maize growth. The study systematically reveals the robust activity of nano heterojunction for sustainable water treatment.

Sunlight promoted self-fenton photodegradation and pathway of doxycycline: Interactive effects of nanomaterial on bean plant and its genotoxicity against Allium cepa.

Photocatalytic induction of electron/hole recombination, surface property and light response ability effectively enhance the photocatalytic activity of nanomaterial. In this work, the effective charge carrier separating Sn/Mn-ZnFe2O4-CdFe2O4-Ag3PO4 Quantum dots (M/SZFO-CFO-AP QDs) was fabricated for photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline (doxy) antibiotic. The result showed enhanced photocatalytic activity of doxy and the degradation efficiency of doxy was about 98.8% in short span of time. The calculated WH plot and urbach energy of prepared photocatalyst exhibited evidence for the prevalence of point defects and its contribution to efficient charge separation and transferability. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal was found to be 98.9%, which depicts the complete mineralization of doxy. The synergetic charge transfer of n-p-n heterojunction enables the effective removal of doxy under visible light irradiation. Further, the genotoxicity study was determined by interacting the SZFO-CFO-AP QDs with Allium Cepa. The results depict that SZFO-CFO-AP QDs show lower toxicity level and there were no trace of defective mitotic phases and micro nuclei. Further, the progression and development of bean plant was determined after treating with prepared nanomaterials and the result showed the enhanced growth in SZFO-CFO-AP QDs treated bean plant compared to the counterparts. Therefore, the prepared SZFO-CFO-AP QDs was can be used as an environmental friendly photocatalyst for effective treatment of antibiotic present in the water bodies.

Prospect of herbal medication as prevention against COVID variants.

Personal immunity frolicked an essential role in combating COVID-19 impacts on human health individually and collectively in community. Literature represented the fact about food or nutritional supplements are certified to protect against diseases; this was the reason behind public trust on certain plants and other commercial products to boost up immunity against coronavirus disease. Present study was conducted to observe the attitude of common public towards natural herbs in treating various diseases and to assess the possible potential of herbal medication in prevention of negative impacts of different variants of COVID-19 on human health at herbal clinic named "Pakistan Matab". Results concluded that most of the patients (About 80%) avoided COVID-19 testing even on experiencing major symptoms and they preferred herbal medication. Patients who died by COVID-19 were also experiencing different diseases like liver and Kideny malfunctioning; old age was another significant factor in this case. About 90% of patients were COVID symptomatic and 10% were carrying other diseases during observational study period at herbal clinic. Study represented that patients who visited clinic, have a faith on herbal medication with about 60% of patients in favor of vaccine and allopathic medication in combination with herbal treatment. Study investigated that vaccine was only for one type of variant and use of herbal medicines could be better option to boost up immunity against various COVID variants.