Exogenous application of salicylic acid ameliorates salinity stress in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a significant cereal crop belonging to Poaceae that is essential for human food and animal feeding. The production of barley grains was around 142.37 million tons in 2017/2018. However, the growth of barley was influenced by salinity which was enhanced by applying a foliar spray of salicylic acid. The current study investigated to evaluated the potential effect of SA on the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants under salinity stress and its possible effects on physiological, biochemical, and growth responses. The experiment was conducted at Postgraduate Research Station (PARS), University of Agriculture; Faisalabad to assess the influence of salicylic acid on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under highly saline conditions. The experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replicates. In plastic pots containing 8 kg of properly cleaned sand, two different types of barley (Sultan and Jau-17) were planted. The plants were then watered with a half-strength solution of Hoagland's nutritional solution. After the establishment of seedlings, two salt treatments (0 mM and 120 mM NaCl) were applied in combining three levels of exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA) (0, 0.5, and 1 mg L-1). Data about morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes was recorded using standard procedure after three weeks of treatment. The morpho-physiological fresh weight of the shoot and root (48%), the dry mass of the shoot and root (66%), the plant height (18%), the chlorophyll a (30%), the chlorophyll b (22%), and the carotenoids (22%), all showed significant decreases. Salinity also decreased yield parameters and the chl. ratio (both at 29% and 26% of the total chl. leaf area index). Compared to the control parameters, the following data was recorded under salt stress: spike length, number of spikes, number of spikelets, number of tillers, biological yield, and harvest index. Salicylic acid was used as a foliar spray to lessen the effects of salinity stress, and 1 mg L-1 of salicylic acid proved more effective than 0.5 mg L-1. Both varieties show better growth by applying salicylic acid (0 mg L-1) as a control, showing normal growth. By increasing its level to (0.5 mg L-1), it shows better growth but maximized growth occurred at a higher level (1 mg L-1). Barley sultan (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the best variety as compared to Jau-17 performs more growth to mitigate salt stress (0mM and 120mM NaCl) by improving morpho-physiological parameters by enhancing plan height, Root and shoot fresh and dry weights, as well as root and shoot lengths, photosynthetic pigments, area of the leaves and their index, and yield attributes and reduce sodium ions.

Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 delta-variant in a preterm infant.

BACKGROUND: As SARS-CoV-2 continues to be relevant and cause illnesses, the effect of emerging virus variants on perinatal health remains to be elucidated. It was demonstrated that vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a relatively rare event in the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. However, very few reports describe vertical transmission related to the delta-variant. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a preterm male neonate born to a mother with positive SARS-CoV-2 and mild respiratory complications. The neonate was born by cesarean section due to fetal distress. The rupture of the amniotic membrane was at delivery. The neonate had expected prematurity-related complications. His nasopharyngeal swabs for RT-PCR were positive from birth till three weeks of age. RT-ddPCR of the Placenta showed a high load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with subgenomic viral RNA. RNAscope technique demonstrated both the positive strand of the S gene and the orf1ab negative strand. Detection of subgenomic RNA and the orf1ab negative strand indicats active viral replication in the placenta. CONCLUSIONS: Our report demonstrates active viral replication of the SARS-CoV-2 delta-variant in the placenta associated with vertical transmission in a preterm infant.

Development of an ELISA for the detection of fowl adenovirus serotype -4 utilizing fiber protein.

Hydropericardium syndrome (HPS), caused by the Fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4) has led to significant financial losses for the poultry industry globally, including Pakistan over the past few years. Conventional serological methods are time consuming, laborious and less sensitive therefore, a rapid and sensitive ELISA kit is required for the reliable detection of FAdV-4 infection. In the current research, fiber proteins (1 &2) of FAdV-4 were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using metal affinity chromatography. Using these proteins as antigens, an indirect ELISA for detecting FAdV-4 infection was developed. The developed ELISA showed superior performances upon comparison with Serum neutralization test (SNT). This ELISA also showed reliable detection of FAdV specific antibodies in experimentally infected and vaccinated chickens. This assay produced good correlation on the samples collected from the field with SNT and found essential for large scale serology of the FAdV. No cross reactivity was observed in the ELISA following the testing of the serum samples of different other avian pathogens which showed that this ELISA is specific in detecting the FAdV infection. In conclusion, the developed Fiber protein ELISA is highly sensitive and specific in the detecting the FAdV infection and can be utilized for large scale sero-epidemiology of the disease.

Synthesis and Characterization of Short α and ß-Mixed Peptides with Excellent Anti-Lipase Activities.

Obesity is a source of significant pathologies and deadly diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. One of the most intriguing strategies in the hunt for new anti-obesity medications is the inhibition of pancreatic lipase (PL). This study presents a novel application of short α and ß-mixed peptides as pancreatic lipase inhibitors. These peptides were synthesized in the solution phase and characterized using FTIR and 1H-NMR. L-proline is present in a high percentage of natural anti-lipase peptides and was used as a ß-amino acid in this study to enhance anti-lipase activity and proteolytic stability. Moreover, L-α-proline was converted to ß-amino acid derivatives using the Arndt-Eistert method with the advantage of stereo control at the α-carbon. The synthesized peptides with anti-lipase activity are N-Boc-ß-Pro-Gly-OBz (93%), N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-ß-Pro-ß-Pro-Gly-OBz (92%), N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-ß-Pro-COOH (91%), N-Boc-Phe-ß-Pro-OCH3 (90%), and N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-ß-Pro-OCH3 (89%). These peptides may function as lead molecules for further modification to more significant molecules, which can help control obesity.

Teat morphology across five buffalo breeds: a multi-country collaborative study.

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a species of worldwide importance, raised to produce milk, meat, and hides, and often used as a working animal in rural contexts with low access to hi-tech solutions. In the present study, 100 lactating buffaloes (50 primiparous and 50 pluriparous) of five popular breeds were recruited to characterize and compare teat morphology. In particular, the focus was put on the Nili Ravi, Mediterranean, Egyptian, Bulgarian Murrah, and Azeri buffaloes raised in Pakistan, Italy, Egypt, Bulgaria, and Iran, respectively. In all countries, a longitudinal cross-section ultrasound was obtained before the milking to measure teat parameters at individual level: overall, teat canal length (TCL) averaged 24.13 mm, teat diameter (TD) 30.46 mm, cisternal diameter (CD) 17.80 mm, and teat wall (TW) 7.12 mm. The most variable trait across breeds was TCL which was positively correlated with CD and TD and negatively with TW, regardless of the teat position (front/rear or left/right). A strong negative correlation was found between TW and CD (- 0.43). The analysis of variance revealed that the fixed effect of breed significantly affected all the traits except TD. In fact, Bulgarian Murrah, Azeri, and Egyptian buffaloes presented the greatest estimate of TCL, whereas NR the smallest (14.70 mm). The TW was maximum in Nili Ravi, Egyptian, and Mediterranean buffaloes, with estimates equal to 8.19, 7.59, and 8.74 mm, respectively. Nili Ravi also showed the greatest TL (82.39 mm). In terms of CD, the lowest least square mean was that of Mediterranean buffaloes (12.14 mm). Primiparous and pluriparous buffaloes differed in terms of TD, TW, and TL, with older animals presenting the highest least square mean. In terms of position, instead, significant differences were observed for TD, CD, and TL when comparing front and rear teats, as left and right teats did not differ. Teat anatomy includes a set of heritable morphological features and is therefore breed-dependent. Differences presented in this study could be attributed to the divergent breeding objective and selective pressure across the five breeds; e.g., in some cases such as Mediterranean buffalo, selection for decades was oriented to improve milk production and milkability and achieve optimal conformation for mechanical milking. A better understanding of the mammary gland anatomical descriptors can be informative of the history of a breed and could provide useful insights to guide possible selection.

Synergistic neuroprotection by phytocompounds of Bacopa monnieri in scopolamine-induced Alzheimer's disease mice model.

BACKGROUND: Millions of people around the globe are affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). This crippling condition has no treatment despite intensive studies. Some phytocompounds have been shown to protect against Alzheimer's in recent studies. METHODS: Thus, this work aimed to examine Bacopa monnieri phytocompounds' synergistic effects on neurodegeneration, antioxidant activity, and cognition in the scopolamine-induced AD mice model. The toxicity study of two phytocompounds: quercetin and bacopaside X revealed an LD50 of more than 2000 mg/kg since no deaths occurred. RESULTS: The neuroprotection experiment consists of 6 groups i.e., control (saline), scopolamine (1 mg/kg), donepezil (5 mg/kg), Q (25 mg/kg), BX (20 mg/kg), and Q + BX (25 mg/kg + 20 mg/kg). Visual behavioral assessment using the Morris water maze showed that animals in the diseased model group (scopolamine) moved more slowly toward the platform and exhibited greater thigmotaxis behavior than the treatment and control groups. Likewise, the concentration of biochemical NO, GSH, and MDA improved in treatment groups concerning the diseased group. mRNA levels of different marker genes including ChAT, IL-1α, IL-1 ß, TNF α, tau, and ß secretase (BACE1) improved in treatment groups with respect to the disease group. CONCLUSION: Both bacopaside X and quercetin synergistically have shown promising results in neuroprotection. Therefore, it is suggested that Q and BX may work synergistically due to their antioxidant and neuroprotective property.

Synthesis, biomedical applications, and toxicity of CuO nanoparticles.

Versatile nature of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) has made them an imperative nanomaterial being employed in nanomedicine. Various physical, chemical, and biological methodologies are in use for the preparation of CuO NPs. The physicochemical and biological properties of CuO NPs are primarily affected by their method of fabrication; therefore, selectivity of a synthetic technique is immensely important that makes these NPs appropriate for a specific biomedical application. The deliberate use of CuO NPs in biomedicine questions their biocompatible nature. For this reason, the present review has been designed to focus on the approaches employed for the synthesis of CuO NPs; their biomedical applications highlighting antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant studies; and most importantly, the in vitro and in vivo toxicity associated with these NPs. This comprehensive overview of CuO NPs is unique and novel as it emphasizes on biomedical applications of CuO NPs along with its toxicological assessments which would be useful in providing core knowledge to researchers working in these domains for planning and conducting futuristic studies. KEY POINTS: • The recent methods for fabrication of CuO nanoparticles have been discussed with emphasis on green synthesis methods for different biomedical approaches. • Antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, and antiviral properties of CuO nanoparticles have been explained. • In vitro and in vivo toxicological studies of CuO nanoparticles exploited along with their respective mechanisms.

Transcriptional and biochemical analyses of Planomicrobium strain AX6 from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, reveal hydrogen peroxide scavenging potential.

BACKGROUND: The bacterial mechanisms responsible for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging have been well-reported, yet little is known about how bacteria isolated from cold-environments respond to H2O2 stress. Therefore, we investigated the transcriptional profiling of the Planomicrobium strain AX6 strain isolated from the cold-desert ecosystem in the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, in response to H2O2 stress aiming to uncover the molecular mechanisms associated with H2O2 scavenging potential. METHODS: We investigated the H2O2-scavenging potential of the bacterial Planomicrobium strain AX6 isolated from the cold-desert ecosystem in the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Furthermore, we used high-throughput RNA-sequencing to unravel the molecular aspects associated with the H2O2 scavenging potential of the Planomicrobium strain AX6 isolate. RESULTS: In total, 3,427 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Planomicrobium strain AX6 isolate in response to 4 h of H2O2 (1.5 mM) exposure. Besides, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and Gene Ontology analyses revealed the down- and/or up-regulated pathways following H2O2 treatment. Our study not only identified the H2O2 scavenging capability of the strain nevertheless also a range of mechanisms to cope with the toxic effect of H2O2 through genes involved in oxidative stress response. Compared to control, several genes coding for antioxidant proteins, including glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Coproporphyrinogen III oxidase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were relatively up-regulated in Planomicrobium strain AX6, when exposed to H2O2. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results suggest that the up-regulated genes responsible for antioxidant defense pathways serve as essential regulatory mechanisms for removing H2O2 in Planomicrobium strain AX6. The DEGs identified here could provide a competitive advantage for the existence of Planomicrobium strain AX6 in H2O2-polluted environments.

Characterization of proteome wide antigenic epitopes to design proteins specific and proteome-wide ensemble vaccines against heartland virus using structural vaccinology and immune simulation approaches.

Heartland virus is a single-stranded negative-sense RNA virus that infects humans and causes lethargy, myalgia, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, arthralgia, loss of appetite, leukopenia, and easy bruising due thrombocytopenia. The unavailability of antiviral drugs for HRTV infection is a major obstacle to treat this infection, therefore supportive care management is adopted in the case of a severe ailment. In this scientific study, proteins specific and proteome-wide Helper T-cell (HTL), linear B cell, and cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) epitopes mapping joined together with suitable linkers to design multi-epitopes subunit vaccine (MEVC). The constructed four vaccines from nucleocapsid protein, replicase, glycoprotein and finally whole proteome-wide constructs demonstrated stronger antigenic and non-allergenic behavior. Physiochemical properties evaluation also reported easy and efficient expression and downstream analysis of the constructs. Molecular docking of these constructs with toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) revealed good binding and further validation based on MM/GBSA also demonstrated stronger interaction between the vaccine constructs and TLR7. Moreover, in silico cloning reported CAI value of 0.96 for each construct and excellent GC contents percentage required for experimental analysis. Furthermore, immune simulation-based immune response surveillance revealed that upon the injection of antigen the primary and secondary antibodies were produced between 5 and 15 days, and a more robust neutralization of the antigen by the proteome-wide vaccine construct was observed. This research could pave the way for the development of dynamic and efficient vaccines that contain a unique mix of numerous HRTV derived antigenic peptides to control HRTV infection.

High level expression and purification of recombinant 3ABC non-structural protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus using SUMO fusion system.

The detection of antibody to non-structural protein (NSP) of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the reliable diagnostic method for differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). For this purpose, the detection of antibodies to non-structural 3ABC protein is suitable for identification of virus activity in the animals exposed to FMDV infection. However, large-scale production of recombinant 3ABC protein is challenging due to the formation of inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli and low yield due to protein aggregation during in vitro refolding. In this study, 3ABC gene was fused with SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifiers) fusion system which significantly enhanced expression of recombinant 3ABC protein in E. coli. The solubility of the recombinant 6xHis-SUMO 3ABC fusion protein was improved by mild detergent treatment and purified through Ni-NTA chromatography under non-denaturing conditions which yielded 9 mg protein obtained from 1-L bacterial fermentation culture. The diagnostic potential of recombinant 3ABC protein was also tested by ELISA that provided reliable diagnostic performance (DSn = 92%, DSp = 94%) upon comparison with commercially available kit. The thermal stability of fusion protein was also tested which presented reliable performance at different temperatures. In conclusion, we presented SUMO fusion for the enhanced expression in E. coli and purification of active recombinant 3ABC protein using non-denaturing conditions without refolding steps. This protein can be used as a suitable diagnostic antigen to detect antibodies following FMDV infection.

An Ignored Contributing Factor of Vitamin-D Deficiency, despite the Strong Association with Breast Carcinoma among Women in Punjab, Pakistan.

Pakistani females are at elevated risk of breast cancer, hence there is a need to explore every possible potential contributing factor. The present study was performed to analyze the perception of women about their Vit-D levels in both urban and rural areas. Women included 154 clinically diagnosed breast cancer patients from different hospitals and 248 randomly selected females as control group were recruited from Punjab, Pakistan. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS to find the association of Vit-D deficiency with breast carcinoma in different age groups. Out of a total of 402 respondent, 51.5% were completely ignorant of their Vit-D level. Pearson's Chi- square test for those who had perception about Vit-D deficiency among the breast cancer patients and control group revealed asymptotic 2-sided significance of 0.004 while among different age groups, 41 to 50 years were most prone to deficiency with P = 0.003. Urban women were found to had 12% greater association of Vit-D deficiency as compared to women living in rural areas. It was concluded that Vit-D deficiency is a highly contributing factor for breast cancer so every female must be aware of the importance of Vit-D and should maintain a sufficient level of this crucially important vitamin.

An overview of genome-wide association mapping studies in Poaceae species (model crops: wheat and rice).

There is a significant interest while utilizing association mapping technique to determine the genes which are accountable for numerical dissimilarity of the more complex characteristics with agronomic and evolutionary significance. Recently improvements have been made in genomic technology, which motivates for the exploitation of natural diversity, and establishment of more vigorous and strong statistical analysis methods. It creates association mapping technique more demanding and reasonable to plant research programs. Genome-wide association mapping technique recognizes quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by studying the marker-trait associations which could be credited to the power of linkage disequilibrium between different molecular markers and functional polymorphisms through a pool of diversified germplasm. In this review, we will describe an overview of genetic mapping and the current status of association mapping studies in model cereal crops i.e., wheat and rice.

Structural and Functional Annotation of Napin-Like Protein from Momordica charantia to Explore its Medicinal Importance.

Seed storage proteins not just provide essential nutritional ingredients for growth of seedlings but also have their potential role in defense mechanisms of plants. Napin is a seed storage protein and belongs to 2S albumin family. Napin and napin-like protein have many biological defensive activities including antifungal, antimicrobial, trypsin inhibitor, and also act as antagonist of calmodulin. Napin protein possesses various isoforms with different biological activities. In this study, the protein sequence of napin from Momordica charantia was retrieved from GenPept database for characterization. A complete annotation of napin including its physicochemical properties was done. Three dimensional (3D) modeling and interactions of napin-like protein with other proteins were also predicted using various bioinformatics tools. A phylogram of napin-like protein from M. charantia with its homologs was also reconstructed to reveal its evolutionary relationships with napins and other 2S albumin proteins from various plants. The study has revealed the structural characterization, biological interactions, and evolutionary background which will play crucial role in exploring the medicinal and biological potentials of napin-like protein from M. charantia as well as worth of napin and napin-like protein has been disclosed.

Implementation of Omni-D Tele-Presence Robot Using Kalman Filter and Tricon Ultrasonic Sensors.

The tele-presence robot is designed to set forth an economic solution to facilitate day-to-day normal activities in almost every field. There are several solutions to design tele-presence robots, e.g., Skype and team viewer, but it is pretty inappropriate to use Skype and extra hardware. Therefore, in this article, we have presented a robust implementation of the tele-presence robot. Our proposed omnidirectional tele-presence robot consists of (i) Tricon ultrasonic sensors, (ii) Kalman filter implementation and control, and (iii) integration of our developed WebRTC-based application with the omnidirectional tele-presence robot for video transmission. We present a new algorithm to encounter the sensor noise with the least number of sensors for the estimation of Kalman filter. We have simulated the complete model of robot in Simulink and Matlab for the tough paths and critical hurdles. The robot successfully prevents the collision and reaches the destination. The mean errors for the estimation of position and velocity are 5.77% and 2.04%. To achieve efficient and reliable video transmission, the quality factors such as resolution, encoding, average delay and throughput are resolved using the WebRTC along with the integration of the communication protocols. To protect the data transmission, we have implemented the SSL protocol and installed it on the server. We tested three different cases of video resolutions (i.e., 320×280, 820×460 and 900×590) for the performance evaluation of the video transmission. For the highest resolution, our TPR takes 3.5 ms for the encoding, and the average delay is 2.70 ms with 900 × 590 pixels.

Rice Crop Counting Using Aerial Imagery and GIS for the Assessment of Soil Health to Increase Crop Yield.

Rice is one of the vital foods consumed in most countries throughout the world. To estimate the yield, crop counting is used to indicate improper growth, identification of loam land, and control of weeds. It is becoming necessary to grow crops healthy, precisely, and proficiently as the demand increases for food supplies. Traditional counting methods have numerous disadvantages, such as long delay times and high sensitivity, and they are easily disturbed by noise. In this research, the detection and counting of rice plants using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and aerial images with a geographic information system (GIS) are used. The technique is implemented in the area of forty acres of rice crop in Tando Adam, Sindh, Pakistan. To validate the performance of the proposed system, the obtained results are compared with the standard plant count techniques as well as approved by the agronomist after testing soil and monitoring the rice crop count in each acre of land of rice crops. From the results, it is found that the proposed system is precise and detects rice crops accurately, differentiates from other objects, and estimates the soil health based on plant counting data; however, in the case of clusters, the counting is performed in semi-automated mode.

PMMA/ABS/CoCl2 Composites for Pharmaceutical Applications: Thermal, Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Antioxidant Studies.

In this study, PMMA/ABS/CoCl2 ternary composite films were fabricated by the solution casting technique. The different weight ratios of cobalt chloride (≤10 wt) were incorporated into the PMMA/ABS blend (80:20). The chemical structure and thermal properties of the synthesized composites were assessed by FT-IR, TGA, and XRD. The biological properties of ternary composites, such as in vitro antibacterial activity and antioxidant capacity, were investigated. The enhanced thermal stability and promising antibacterial, selective antibiofilm, and potential antioxidant properties of PMMA/ABS/cobalt chloride composites demonstrated that they can be used for high-quality plastics and in many pharmaceutical applications.

Arsenic concentrations in soil, water, and rice grains of rice-growing areas of Punjab, Pakistan: multivariate statistical analysis.

Arsenic (As), a class-A human carcinogen, is ubiquitously present in the earth's crust and soil and may enter the air, water, and surface environments through different natural and anthropogenic sources. In this experiment, soil, irrigation water, and rice grains were sampled from conventional rice-growing areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 15 cm surface soil of rice growing fields, and rice grains were collected from the same field at crop maturity. Irrigation water samples were collected from the source used to irrigate the respective rice fields. Coordinates of sampling locations were noted using a global positioning system, and a locations map was made using ArcGIS. Soil samples were digested in a microwave digester using aqua regia, and plant samples were block digested using nitric acid. Arsenic concentration was determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer coupled with an auto-sampler and integrated samples introduction system. The mean concentration of As in rice grains, soil, and water samples was found within the safe limit set by WHO except for a sample from Narowal (148.54 µg l-1) that exceeded the irrigation water standard limit, i.e., 100 µg l-1 for irrigation water. Principal component analysis was performed to reduce the multidimensional space of variables and samples. Through the calculations of estimated daily intake, it has been revealed that the As levels measured in this study would only contribute a small amount (less than 5%) of the total recommended daily intake allowance.

Isolation and characterization of novel antihypertensive bioactive peptides from brassica napus and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) inhibition potential.

Present study aimed to explore the antihypertensive potential of bioactive peptides isolated from Brassica napus protein as inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme. Protein was extracted and assessed for antihypertensive potential. The extracted protein showed 72% antihypertensive activity/potential with IC50 value of 24±5.60µg/mL. Thirty-one fractions of peptides were isolated by hydrolyzing protein at different time intervals, pH, temperature and enzyme/substrate ratio. The antihypertensive potential of all isolated fractions was measured. It was found that only one peptide fraction exhibited significantly high (75%) antihypertensive potential. This hydrolyzed fraction was characterized through Liquid-Chromatography-Electrospray-Ionization-Mass-Spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Eleven bioactive peptides were identified in hydrolyzate of Brassica napus which include Serine-Threonine, Methionine-Valine, Methionine-Leucine, Glutamine-Phenylalanine, Alanine-Threonine-Phenylalanine, Alanine-Leucine-Proline-Glycine, Valine-Alanine-Phenylalanine-Glycine, Aspartic acid-Proline-Methionine-Glutamine, Valine-Glutamine-Cysteine-Tyrosine, Methionine-Cysteine-Tyrosine-Tyrosine-Phenylalanine and Alanine-Leucine-Leucine-Alanine-Cysteine-Proline-Alanine. The current study showed that Brassica napus is an important food, having high amount of bioactive peptides with high antihypertensive potential, can control blood pressure very efficiently.

Antimicrobial, selective antibiofilm, and antioxidant properties of plasticized PMMA/PVC and zinc oxide nano filler for biomedical applications.

The PMMA/PVC/ZnO-nanocomposites with zinc oxide nanoparticle (particle size < 50nm) was synthesized by solution casting technique. Morphology of the synthesized nano composites have been investigated by FT-IR and XRD techniques. After characterization, synthesized composites were applied for antibacterial, selective antibiofilm and free radical scavenging screening. Antibacterial studies were measured against different bacterial strains. Antibiofilms activities were studied against those bacterial model pathogenic strains which showed highest and minimum sensitivity as a (~94 and ~88 at 160 µg/ml). Antioxidant activity of synthesized nanocomposites were measured by DPPH and showed scavenging capacity with IC50, 110 to > 200 µg/mL. Thus PMMA/PVC/ZnO nanocomposite showed promising antimicrobial activity and antioxidant activity that can be used for biomedical applications.

A rare case of permanent pacemaker-induced takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a male patient.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy that usually appears after a stressful event or in a woman and is rarely seen after pacemaker implantation (PMI). Herein, we present the case of a 65-year-old man with PMI because of a 2:1 atrioventricular nodal block who had a syncopal episode later in the day of the procedure. Echocardiography showed septal and apical hypokinesis with reduced ejection fraction suggestive of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Before PMI, echocardiography showed normal left ventricular function with no wall-motion abnormality. Coronary angiography showed no coronary artery stenosis. The patient was seen again in the clinic 1 month later, and repeat echocardiography showed improvement of ejection fraction to 55% with no wall-motion abnormality. Generally, the complication rate after PMI is very low and includes infection, hematoma, lead dislocation, or allergic reaction at the site. The clinicians must be aware of potentially rare complications that can occur after PMI, such as takotsubo cardiomyopathy.