Assessment of the botanical origin of Saudi Arabian honey samples to identify pollen with chromatographic tools and packing and storage.

The increasing demand for honey purification and authentication necessitates the global utilization of advanced processing tools. Common honey processing techniques, such as chromatography, are commonly used to assess the quality and quantity of valuable honey. In this study, 15 honey samples were authenticated using HPLC and GC-MS chromatographic methods to analyze their pollen spectrum. Various monofloral honey samples were collected, including Acacia, Hypoestes, Lavandula, Tamarix, Trifolium, and Ziziphus species, based on accurate identification by apiarists in 2023 from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Honey analysis revealed the extraction of pollen from 20 different honeybee floral species. Pollen identified from honey samples using advanced chromatographic tools revealed dominant vegetation resources: Ziziphus species (23%), Acacia species (25%), Tamarix species (34%), Lavandula species (26%), Hypoestes species (34%), and Trifolium species (31%). This study uses HPLC to extract phenolic compounds, revealing dominant protocatechuic acid (4.71 mg g-1), and GC-MS to analyze organic compounds in honey pollen. Specifically, 2-dodecanone was detected with a retention time of 7.34 min. The utilization of chromatographic tools in assessing honey samples for pollen identification provides a reliable and efficient method for determining their botanical origins, thereby contributing to the quality control and authentication of honey products.

Biocontrol of Rice Seed-Associated Fungal Pathogens Using Green Synthesis Approaches.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a major cereal crop that balances the food demand of the worldwide population. The crop quality drops daily due to their exposure to biotic and abiotic stresses, especially pathogens. It needs to be improved to maintain the consumption level to cope with increasing population demands for food. The current study was designed to analyze the comparison of the effects of green synthesis approaches on pathogens associated with rice seeds. In this study, essential oils were extracted from Cymbopogon citratus, Thymus vulgaris, and Origanum vulgaris medicinal plants and used as fungicides on fungal strains of Aspergillus spp. T. vulgaris effectively controlled the growth of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus terreus as compared with O. vulgaris and Cymbopogon. Further, silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were synthesized from rice husk to evaluate their antifungal activities. SiNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy with a broad peak at 281.62 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum confirms the presence of Si-H, Si-OH, and Si-O-Si bonds functional groups, and SiO4 tetrahedral coordination unit. X-ray diffraction pattern describes the crystalline structure with a sharp peak at 2θ = 22°. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the spherical shape, size 70-115 nm, and elemental composition with pure silica contents. SiNPs showed no significant antifungal activity against Aspergillus strains. Moreover, Trichoderma was isolated from the rhizosphere of rice fields and showed a surprising antifungal effect against A. terreus, A. niger, and A. flavus. The current study successfully revealed environment-friendly and cost-effective green synthesizing approaches for analyzing biocontrol potential against rice seed-related Aspergillus spp. They will also help to improve pathogen control strategies in other cereals.

Mycoremediation of the novel fungicide ametoctradin by different agricultural soils and accelerated degradation utilizing selected fungal strains.

Accelerating safety assessments for novel agrochemicals is imperative, advocating for in vitro setups to present pesticide biodegradation by soil microbiota before field studies. This approach enables metabolic profile generation in a controlled laboratory environment eliminating extrinsic factors. In the current study, ten different soil samples were utilized to check their capability to degrade Ametoctradin by their microbiota. Furthermore, five different fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, and Penicillium chrysogenum) were utilized to degrade Ametoctradin in aqueous media. A degradation pathway was established using the metabolic patterns created during the biodegradation of Ametoctradin. In contrast to 47% degradation (T1/2 of 34 days) when Ametoctradin was left in the soil samples, the fungal strain Aspergillus fumigatus demonstrated 71% degradation of parent Ametoctradin with a half-life (T1/2) of 16 days. In conclusion, soil rich in microorganisms effectively cleans Ametoctradin-contaminated areas while Fungi have also been shown to be an effective, affordable, and promising way to remove Ametoctradin from the environment.

Utilizing hydrothermal time models to assess the effects of temperature and osmotic stress on maize (Zea mays L.) germination and physiological responses.

The application of germination models in economic crop management makes them extremely useful for predicting seed germination. Hence, we examined the effect of varying water potentials (Ψs; 0. - 0.3, - 0.6, - 0.9, - 1.2 MPa) and temperatures (Ts; 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 °C) on maize germination and enzymatic antioxidant mechanism. We observed that varying Ts and Ψs significantly influenced germination percentage (GP) and germination rate (GR), and other germination parameters, including germination rate index (GRI), germination index (GI), mean germination index (MGI), mean germination time (MGT), coefficient of the velocity of germination (CVG), and germination energy (GE) (p ≤ 0.01). Maximum (87.60) and minimum (55.20) hydro-time constant (θH) were reported at 35 °C and 20 °C, respectively. In addition, base water potential at 50 percentiles was highest at 30 °C (15.84 MPa) and lowest at 20 °C (15.46 MPa). Furthermore, the optimal, low, and ceiling T (To, Tb and Tc, respectively) were determined as 30 °C, 20 °C and 40 °C, respectively. The highest θT1 and θT2 were reported at 40 °C (0 MPa) and 20 °C (- 0.9 MPa), respectively. HTT has a higher value (R2 = 0.43 at 40 °C) at sub-optimal than supra-optimal temperatures (R2 = 0.41 at 40 °C). Antioxidant enzymes, including peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), increased with decreasing Ψs. In contrast, CAT and POD were higher at 20 °C and 40 °C but declined at 25, 30, and 35 °C. The APX and GPX remained unchanged at 20, 25, 30, and 40 °C but declined at 35 °C. Thus, maintaining enzymatic activity is a protective mechanism against oxidative stress. A decline in germination characteristics may result from energy diverting to anti-stress tools (antioxidant enzymes) necessary for eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) to reduce salinity-induced oxidative damage. The parameters examined in this study are easily applicable to simulation models of Z. mays L. germination under extreme environmental conditions characterized by water deficits and temperature fluctuations.

Microbial detoxification of bifenthrin insecticide by selected fungal strains and optimizing conditions using response surface methodology for agricultural sustainability.

Bifenthrin is a type I broad spectrum pyrethroid insecticide widely employed in urban and agricultural settings with little knowledge about its biodegradation. Bifenthrin was subjected to a 35 days incubation period in which it was degraded by five fungal strains named as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. Penicillium chrysogenum was found to be extremely effective in degrading bifenthrin up to 85%. Furthermore, response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design is applied to optimize the degradation conditions with varying pH, temperature (°C), and incubation time (days). The p value < 0.05 in the response surface design and analysis of variance showed the significance of the reaction parameters. The ideal conditions for Penicillium chrysogenum to break down bifenthrin (10 mgL-1) were found to be 30 °C, pH 7, and a 24 days incubation period. In eutrophic conditions and a glucose-rich media, this fungus co-metabolized bifenthrin. By hydrolytically cleaving the carboxyl ester bond, the Penicillium chrysogenum breaks down bifenthrin, as shown by the chromatogram of four metabolites from GCMS. The biodegradation of bifenthrin by strain Penicillium chrysogenum and its use in agronomic situations are now well understood as per the findings of this study.

Phenotypic Assessment of Probiotic and Bacteriocinogenic Efficacy of Indigenous LAB Strains from Human Breast Milk.

Breast milk is the combination of bioactive compounds and microflora that promote newborn's proper growth, gut flora, and immunity. Thus, it is always considered the perfect food for newborns. Amongst their bioactives, probiotic communities-especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-are characterized from breast milk over the first month of parturition. In this study, seven LAB were characterized phenotypically and genotypically as Levilactobacillus brevis BDUMBT08 (MT673657), L. gastricus BDUMBT09 (MT774596), L. paracasei BDUMBT10 (MT775430), L. brevis BDUMBT11 (MW785062), L. casei BDUMBT12 (MW785063), L. casei BDUMBT13 (MW785178), and Brevibacillus brevis M2403 (MK371781) from human breast milk. Their tolerance to lysozyme, acid, bile, gastric juice, pancreatic juice, and NaCl and potential for mucoadhesion, auto-aggregation, and co-aggregation with pathogens are of great prominence in forecasting their gut colonizing ability. They proved their safety aspects as they were negative for virulence determinants such as hemolysis and biofilm production. Antibiogram of LAB showed their sensitivity to more than 90% of the antibiotics tested. Amongst seven LAB, three isolates (L. brevis BDUMBT08 and BDUMBT11, and L. gatricus BDUMBT09) proved their bacteriocin producing propensity. Although the seven LAB isolates differed in their behavior, their substantial probiotic properties with safety could be taken as promising probiotics for further studies to prove their in vivo effects, such as health benefits, in humans.

Exogenous production of cold-active cellulase from polar Nocardiopsis sp. with increased cellulose hydrolysis efficiency.

The present work was designed to isolate and characterise the actinobacteria in the Polar Front region of the Southern Ocean waters and species of Nocardiopsis and Streptomyces were identified. Among those, the psychrophilic actinobacterium, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei PSY13 was found to have good cellulolytic activity and it was further studied for the production and characterisation of cold-active cellulase enzyme. The latter was found to have a specific activity of 6.36 U/mg and a molar mass of 48 kDa with a 22.9-fold purification and 5% recovery at an optimum pH of 7.5 and a temperature of 10 °C. Given the importance of psychrophilic actinobacteria, N. dassonvillei PSY13 can be further exploited for its benefits, meaning that the Southern Ocean harbours biotechnologically important microorganisms that can be further explored for versatile biotechnological and industrial applications.

Study of genetic modifications of flower development and methylation status in phytoplasma infected Brassica (Brassica rapa L.).

BACKGROUND: The plants of B. rapa (syn. B. campestris) are the most important food crop of Pakistan for the production of cooking oil. Brassica plants infected by phytoplasma exhibit floral abnormalities including phyllody, virescence, hypertrophied sepal and aborted reproductive organs and affected flower developmental genes which reduces the yield manifold. METHODS AND RESULTS: The expression level of flower developmental genes in healthy and phytoplasma infected brassica were compared by using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and DNA hybridization. In infected brassica, LEAFY (LFY) gene, controlling the development and maintenance of floral organ, and directly involved in controlling the homeotic gene expression was affected, while APETALA2, regulate the production of sepals and petals, were not altered. Whereas the genes WUSCHEL, APETALA3 and AGAMOUS, were significantly down-regulated, that were responsible for the identity of shoot and central meristem, petals and stamens production, and stamens and carpels development, respectively. The GLUB gene, controlling the production of ß-1,3-glucanases enzyme, was highly up-regulated. According to DNA hybridization results, AGAMOUS and APETALA3 were restricted to floral organs territories in healthy and phytoplasma infected brassica, indicating that their expression was tissue-specific. These outcomes indicated that flower abnormalities of phytoplasma infected B. rapa are linked with DNA methylation in the expression of homeotic genes regulating flower development. CONCLUSIONS: Azacitidine act as a DNA demethylating reagent. By applying the foliar spray of azacitidine during the flower development, cells of Phytoplasma infected plants exhibits demethylation of DNA when treated with azacitidine chemical that incorporated as analogue of cytosine during the cell division stage. B. rapa showed the up-regulation of gene expression level significantly that restore the normal production of flowers, ultimately increase the oil production throughout the world.

CuO loaded ZnS nanoflower entrapped on PVA-chitosan matrix for boosted visible light photocatalysis for tetracycline degradation and anti-bacterial application.

Novel photocatalyst CuO loaded ZnS nanoflower supported on carbon frame work PVA/Chitosan was synthesized by co-precipitation and ultrasonic assisted method. The co-existence of ZnS and CuO and its crystallinity in nanohybrid was verified by XRD, SAED and HR-TEM analysis. The availability of defects in ZnS was identified by EPR. FTIR and TGA verified the presence of PVA and Chitosan. Defects mediated ZnS-CuO/PVA/chitosan heterojunction promote synergistic charge separation with type II interface. Zn-vacancy facilitates two-photon excitation that improves visible-light harvesting. The photocatalytic activity of ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan was 94.7% which is higher when compared to ZnS (40%) and CuO (60%). The photocatalytic mechanism was elucidated using scavenger test and both ·O2- and ·OH were found to play key role in tetracycline degradation. In addition, ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan demonstrated efficient anti-microbial effect against the both gram strains on comparing with individual ZnS and CuO. Thus, the multifunctional ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan is promising for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline and as an antimicrobial agent.

Polarity Directed Appraisal of Pharmacological Potential and HPLC-DAD Based Phytochemical Profiling of Polygonum glabrum Willd.

The present study was designed to evaluate polarity-dependent extraction efficiency and pharmacological profiling of Polygonum glabrum Willd. Crude extracts of leaves, roots, stems, and seeds, prepared from solvents of varying polarities, were subjected to phytochemical, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, and cytotoxicity assays. Maximum extraction yield (20.0% w/w) was observed in the case of an acetone:methanol (AC:M) root extract. Distilled water:methanol (W:M) leaves extract showed maximum phenolic contents. Maximum flavonoid content and free radical scavenging potential were found in methanolic (M) seed extract. HPLC-DAD quantification displayed the manifestation of substantial quantities of quercetin, rutin, gallic acid, quercetin, catechin, and kaempferol in various extracts. The highest ascorbic acid equivalent total antioxidant capacity and reducing power potential was found in distilled water roots and W:M leaf extracts, respectively. Chloroform (C) seeds extract produced a maximum zone of inhibition against Salmonella typhimurium. Promising protein kinase inhibition and antifungal activity against Mucor sp. were demonstrated by C leaf extract. AC:M leaves extract exhibited significant cytotoxic capability against brine shrimp larvae and α-amylase inhibition. Present results suggest that the nature of pharmacological responses depends upon the polarity of extraction solvents and parts of the plant used. P. glabrum can be considered as a potential candidate for the isolation of bioactive compounds with profound therapeutic importance.

Protective Effects of Green Tea Supplementation against Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity in Mice.

The use of natural products as therapeutic agents is rapidly growing recently. In the current study, we investigated the protective effects of green tea supplementation on lead-induced toxicity in mice. Forty albino mice were divided into four groups as follows: A: control group; B: green tea receiving group; C: lead-intoxicated group; and D: lead-intoxicated group supplemented with green tea. At the end of the experiment, the animals were tested for neurobehavioral and biochemical alterations. Green tea was analyzed through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. We found that supplementation with green tea ameliorated the lead-associated increase in body weight and blood glucose. Green tea supplementation also changed the blood picture that was affected due to lead toxicity and ameliorated lead-induced dyslipidemia. The group of mice that were supplemented with green tea has shown positive alterations in locomotory, anxiety, memory, and learning behaviors. The GC/MS analysis revealed many active ingredients among which the two most abundant were caffeine and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, mono(2-ethylhexyl) ester. We concluded that green tea supplementation has several positive effects on the lead-induced neurotoxicity in mice and that these effects may be attributed to its main two active ingredients.

Caralluma tuberculata N.E.Br Manifests Extraction Medium Reliant Disparity in Phytochemical and Pharmacological Analysis.

Solubility of phytoconstituents depends on the polarity of the extraction medium used, which might result in the different pharmacological responses of extracts. In line with this, ethnomedicinally important food plant (i.e., Caralluma tuberculata extracts) have been made in fourteen distinct solvent systems that were then analyzed phytochemically via total phenolic amount estimation, total flavonoid amount estimation, and HPLC detection and quantification of the selected polyphenols. Test extracts were then subjected to a battery of in vitro assays i.e., antioxidants (DDPH scavenging, antioxidant capacity, and reducing power estimation), antimicrobial (antibacterial, antifungal, and antileishmanial), cytotoxic (brine shrimps, THP-1 human leukemia cell lines and normal lymphocytes), and protein kinase inhibition assays. Maximum phenolic and flavonoid contents were computed in distilled water-acetone and acetone extracts (i.e., 16 ± 1 µg/mg extract and 8 ± 0.4/mg extract, respectively). HPLC-DAD quantified rutin (0.58 µg/mg extract) and gallic acid (0.4 µg/mg extract) in methanol-ethyl acetate and methanol extracts, respectively. Water-acetone extract exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging of 36 ± 1%. Total reducing potential of 76.0 ± 1 µg/mg extract was shown by ethanol chloroform while maximum total antioxidant capacity was depicted by the acetone extract (92.21 ± 0.70 µg/mg extract). Maximal antifungal effect against Mucor sp., antileishmanial, brine shrimp cytotoxicity, THP-1 cell line cytotoxicity, and protein kinase inhibitory activities were shown by ethyl acetate-methanol (MIC: 50 µg/disc), n-hexane (IC50: 120.8 ± 3.7 µg/mL), ethyl acetate (LD50: 29.94 ± 1.6 µg/mL), distilled water-acetone (IC50: 118 ± 3.4 µg/mL) and methanol-chloroform (ZOI: 19 ± 1 mm) extracts, respectively. Our findings show the dependency of phytochemicals and bioactivities on the polarity of the extraction solvent and our preliminary screening suggests the C. tuberculata extract formulations to be tested and used in different ailments, however, detailed studies remain necessary for corroboration with our results.

HPLC-DAD Based Polyphenolic Profiling and Evaluation of Pharmacological Attributes of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.

The current study was intended to explore the phytochemical profiling and therapeutic activities of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. Crude extracts of different plant parts were subjected to the determination of antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, and protein kinase inhibitory potential by using solvents of varying polarity ranges. Maximum phenolic content was notified in distilled water extracts of the stem (DW-S) and leaf (DW-L) while the highest flavonoid content was obtained in ethyl acetate leaf (EA-L) extract. HPLC-DAD analysis confirmed the presence of various polyphenols, quantified in the range of 0.02 ± 0.36 to 2.05 ± 0.18 µg/mg extract. Maximum DPPH scavenging activity was expressed by methanolic extract of the stem (MeOH-S). The highest antioxidant capacity and reducing power was shown by MeOH-S and leaf methanolic extract (MeOH-L), respectively. Proficient antibacterial activity was shown by EA-L extract against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Remarkable α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition potential was expressed by ethyl acetate fruit (EA-F) and n-Hexane leaf (nH-L) extracts, respectively. In case of brine shrimp lethality assay, 41.67% of the extracts (LC50 < 50 µg/mL) were considered as extremely cytotoxic. The test extracts also showed mild antifungal and protein kinase inhibition activities. The present study explores the therapeutic potential of P. roxburghii and calls for subsequent studies to isolate new bioactive leads through bioactivity-guided isolation.

Production of Terretonin N and Butyrolactone I by Thermophilic Aspergillus terreus TM8 Promoted Apoptosis and Cell Death in Human Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Cells.

The anticancer activity of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2), obtained from the thermophilic fungus Aspergillus terreus TM8, was intensively studied against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines. According to this study, both compounds showed potent cytotoxicity towards ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3) with IC50 1.2 and 0.6 µg/mL, respectively. With respect to metastatic prostate cells (PC-3), the two compounds 1 and 2 showed a significantly promising cytotoxicity effect with IC50 of 7.4 and 4.5 µg/mL, respectively. The tested fungal metabolites showed higher rates of early and late apoptosis with little or no necrotic apoptotic pathway in all treated prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines, respectively. The results reported in this study confirmed the promising biological properties of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2) as anticancer agents via the induction of cellular apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which cellular apoptosis is induced in cancer cells.

Revealing the intricate microcosm: Advancing invasive species pollen analysis through scanning microscopy of ultra sculpture.

Micromorphological visualization of plant surface peculiarities provides valuable characters for the precise identification of plant species. Invasive alien species, introduced outside their native range, pose significant ecological, and health challenges. This study focuses on micromorphological investigations of selected invasive plant species belonging to the families Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Moraceae, Crassulaceae, Cannabaceae, Fabaceae, Commelinaceae, and Oxalidaceae. The study employs scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the species micromorphology of pollen structure in depth to characterize the sculpturing patterns. Additionally, the study examines the pollen characteristics of these invasive plants, including shape, size, and fertility, along with exine sculpturing. The maximum polar diameter was observed for Senna tora (41.2 µm). The spines in Achillea fragrantissima were measured to have dimensions of approximately 1.91 µm in length and 2.11 µm in width. The findings shed light on the allergy-causing potential of these invasive species, providing crucial information for accurate identification and effective management strategies to safeguard the indigenous flora of the region. The study contributes to the knowledge base for botanists, taxonomists, policy makers, climate experts, and biodiversity specialists. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Integrating SEM to analyze the pollen of invasive species. Unveiling pollen micromorphology of invasive species. Exploring the microscopic realm of invasive pollen to accurately identify the species.

Isolation and characterization of PGPR obtained from different arsenic-contaminated soil samples and their effect on photosynthetic characters of maize grown under arsenic stress.

Contamination of the environment due to speedup of anthropogenic activities has become a serious threat to modern humanity. Among the contaminants, the new emerging concern is the heavy metal (HM) contamination in the environment. Because the persistence and harmfulness of heavy metals affect the ecosystem and the health of plants, animals, and humans, they are the most toxic substances in the environment. Among them, Arsenic (As) emerged as major environmental constraint leading to enormous negative effects on the plant, animal, and human health. Even in minute quantity, As is known to cause various critical diseases in humans and toxicity in plants. Research was performed to observe the capability of plant growth-promoting strains of bacteria in enhancing Zea mays (L.) growth in arsenic polluted soil. Total 30 bacterial strains were isolated from the polluted soils, screened for plant growth promotion potential and arsenic tolerance. Eighteen isolates showed resistance to different levels of sodium arsenate (ranging from 0 to 50 mM) in agar plate using LB media. Of 18 isolates, 83.3% produced IAA, methyl red, and hydrogen cyanide; 55.5% exhibited catalase activity; 61.1% showed siderophore production; 88.8% showed phosphate solubilization; and 44.4% showed oxidase, Voges proskauer activity, and KOH solubility. The most efficient isolates SR3, SD5, and MD3 with significant arsenic tolerance and plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity were examined via sequencing of amplified 16S rRNA gene. Isolates of bacteria, i.e., SR3, SD5, and MD3, showing multiple PGP-traits were identified as Bacillus pumilus (NCBI accession number: OR459628), Paenibacillus faecalis (NCBI accession number: OR461560), and Pseudochrobactrum asaccharolyticum (NCBI accession number: OR458922), respectively. Maize seeds treated with these PGPR strains were grown in pots contaminated with 50 ppm and 100 ppm sodium arsenate. Compared to untreated arsenic stressed plants, bacterial inoculation P. asaccharolyticum (MD3) resulted 20.54%, 18.55%, 33.45%, 45.08%, and 48.55% improvement of photosynthetic pigments (carotenoid content, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance (gs), substomatal CO2, and photosynthetic rate), respectively. Principal component analysis explained that first two components were more than 96% of the variability for each tested parameter. The results indicate that in comparison to other isolates, P. asaccharolyticum isolate can be used as efficient agent for improving maize growth under arsenic polluted soil.

Combined Effect of Red Wine and Mocha Pot Coffee in Mild Vascular Cognitive Impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Moderate daily mocha pot coffee intake has been associated with better mood and cognition in patients with mild vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Similarly, moderate red wine consumption has shown protective effects on cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The aim of this study was to explore the synergistic relation between red wine and coffee intake on mood and cognitive status in mild VCI patients at risk for dementia. METHODS: A total of 300 non-demented older patients with mild VCI were asked for coffee and red wine consumption and administered with the 17-items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test (Stroop T), as well as the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Instrumental ADL to measure their mood status, cognitive performance, and functional independence. Linear regression models were used to test the association between variables. RESULTS: Moderate wine drinkers tended to show the best Stroop T score at any level of coffee consumption; conversely, heavy wine consumers performed worse at the Stroop T, especially in patients reporting high coffee intake. Moderate drinkers of both coffee and wine showed the lowest HDRS scores. Finally, a progressive increase in MMSE score was evident with increasing coffee consumption, which peaks when combined with a moderate wine consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Daily mocha pot coffee and red wine intake seem to be synergistically associated with global cognition, executive functioning, and mood status in patients with mild VCI; the association was not linear, resulting in a protective direction for moderate intake and detrimental for heavy consumption. Future studies are needed to further corroborate the present findings and the potential long-term protective effects of these dietary compounds over time.

Scanning electron microscopic investigation on Chicory tribe (Compositae) botanical sources and their antimicrobial potential.

This study discusses the micro-level structural details of Cichorieae pollen sources elucidated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and explains their symmetry and morphometry. The in-depth knowledge from the electron ultrastructure of Asteraceae pollen has provided insights into enhanced pollen morphology, and the antimicrobial significance of species under study presents novel avenues for their natural defense mechanisms in the development of antimicrobial agents. In this research, both quantitative and qualitative features of pollen were examined. The pollen grains are prolate-spheroidal and oblate-spheroidal in shape, characterized by a maximum polar diameter of 55.6-61.0 µm and a maximum equatorial distance of 68.3-74.4 µm. SEM reveals various configurations such as echinate perforate-tectate, psilate, and echino-lophate perforate. The Cichorieae species have significant antimicrobial efficacy and are promising sources for the development of novel antimicrobial drugs with potential implications in pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. SEM analysis of Cichorieae pollens has provided remarkable insights into their unique structures, revealing diverse shapes and surface ornamentations, which can be used for accurate Asteraceae species identification. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: SEM provides unique pollen surface structures and patterns of Chicory pollen grains. Chemical composition of Chicory botanical sources provides valuable information on their potential as antimicrobial agents. SEM imaging reveals specialized fenestrate grain structures of taxonomic importance.

Prognostic model development and molecular subtypes identification in bladder urothelial cancer by oxidative stress signatures.

BACKGROUND: Mounting studies indicate that oxidative stress (OS) significantly contributes to tumor progression. Our study focused on bladder urothelial cancer (BLCA), an escalating malignancy worldwide that is growing rapidly. Our objective was to verify the predictive precision of genes associated with overall survival (OS) by constructing a model that forecasts outcomes for bladder cancer and evaluates the prognostic importance of these genetic markers. METHODS: Transcriptomic data were obtained from TCGA-BLCA and GSE31684, which are components of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), respectively. To delineate distinct molecular subtypes, we employed the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF)method. The significance of OS-associated genes in predicting outcomes was assessed using lasso regression, multivariate Cox analysis, and univariate Cox regression analysis. For external validation, we employed the GSE31684 dataset. CIBERSORT was utilized to examine the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). A nomogram was created and verified using calibration and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, which are based on risk signatures. We examined variations in clinical characteristics and tumor mutational burden (TMB) among groups classified as high-risk and low-risk. To evaluate the potential of immunotherapy, the immune phenomenon score (IPS) was computed based on the risk score. In the end, the pRRophetic algorithm was employed to forecast the IC50 values of chemotherapy medications. RESULTS: In our research, we examined the expression of 275 genes associated with OS in 19 healthy and 414 cancerous tissues of the bladder obtained from the TCGA database. As a result, a new risk signature was created that includes 4 genes associated with OS (RBPMS, CRYAB, P4HB, and PDGFRA). We found two separate groups, C1 and C2, that showed notable variations in immune cells and stromal score. According to the Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients classified as high-risk experienced a considerably reduced overall survival in comparison to those categorized as low-risk (P<0.001). The predictive capability of the model was indicated by the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve surpassing 0.6. Our model showed consistent distribution of samples from both the GEO database and TCGA data. Both the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses validated the importance of the risk score in relation to overall survival (P < 0.001). According to our research, patients with a lower risk profile may experience greater advantages from using a CTLA4 inhibitor, whereas patients with a higher risk profile demonstrated a higher level of responsiveness to Paclitaxel and Cisplatin. In addition, methotrexate exhibited a more positive outcome in patients with low risk compared to those with high risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our research introduces a novel model associated with OS gene signature in bladder cancer, which uncovers unique survival results. This model can assist in tailoring personalized treatment approaches and enhancing patient therapeutic effect in the management of bladder cancer.