Unravelling the potential plant growth activity of halotolerant Bacillus licheniformis NJ04 isolated from soil and its possible use as a green bioinoculant on Solanum lycopersicum L.

Immensely expanding world population and narrowing arable land for agriculture is a mighty concern faced by the planet at present. One of the major reasons for decline in arable lands is the increased soil salinity, making it unfavourable for crop cultivation. Utilisation of these saline land for agriculture is possible with suitable invention for improving the soil quality. Biofertizers manufactured out of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria is one such innovation. In the present study, Bacillus licheniformis NJ04 strain was isolated and studied for its halotolerance and other effective plant growth promoting traits. The NJ04 strain was able to tolerate salt up to 10% and highlighted remarkable antifungal activity against common fungal phytopathogens. The preliminary seed germination test in Solanum lycopersicum seeds revealed a significant increase in root length (16.29 ± 0.91 cm) and shoot length (9.66 ± 0.11 cm) of treated plants as compared with the control plants and thereby shows its possible use as a green bioinoculant in agriculture and an ideal candidate to compete with salt stress.

Role of chicken fat waste and hydrogen energy ratio as the potential alternate fuel with nano-additives: Insights into resources and atmospheric remediation process.

The main focus of the study was to witness the effects of chicken waste-based biodiesel blends along with constant hydrogen injection in a modified diesel engine. Furthermore, the nanoparticle multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) effects on the engine efficiency were also examined. A series of tests was conducted in the single cylinder, water cooled engine fuelled with diesel, CB100N, CB10N, CB30N, and CB50N. Throughout the entire run, constant hydrogen injection of 5 LPM has been maintained. The parameters such as brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, heat release rate and the emissions of different pollutants were determined for a variety of engine speeds. ASTM standards were applied to measure the viscosity, density and calorific value. From the reported findings, it was clear that the addition of the chicken waste biodiesel could be a sustainable substitute for the existing fossil fuels. Although the emission of the pollutants was dropped significantly, there was a massive drop in the BTE values. To compensate such shortage of power, the biodiesel was dispersed with MWCNT at the concentration of 80 ppm. Compared to the regular biodiesel, MWCNT inclusion increased the BTE by 14%. Further, the consumption of the fuel was also reduced marginally. Considering the pollutants, the catalytic activity of the MWCNT reduced the emissions of CO, NOx, and HC at various engine speeds. Besides, 10% reduction in NOx had been reported at lower engine speeds and was reduced to 8% at higher speed regimes. Compiling all together, increasing the concentration of the biodiesel blends obviously reduced the performance values and however, there was a great advantage in terms of the emission magnitudes irrespective of the engine operating conditions.

Prognostic and clinicopathological insights of phosphodiesterase 9A gene as novel biomarker in human colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: PDE9A (Phosphodiesterase 9A) plays an important role in proliferation of cells, their differentiation and apoptosis via intracellular cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) signaling. The expression pattern of PDE9A is associated with diverse tumors and carcinomas. Therefore, PDE9A could be a prospective candidate as a therapeutic target in different types of carcinoma. The study presented here was designed to carry out the prognostic value as a biomarker of PDE9A in Colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study integrated several cancer databases with in-silico techniques to evaluate the cancer prognosis of CRC. RESULTS: The analyses suggested that the expression of PDE9A was significantly down-regulated in CRC tissues than in normal tissues. Moreover, methylation in the DNA promoter region might also manipulate PDE9A gene expression. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that high level of expression of PDE9A gene was associated to higher survival in OS, RFS, and DSS in CRC patients. PDE9A demonstrated the highest positive correlation for rectal cancer recurrence with a marker gene CEACAM7. Furtheremore, PDE9A shared consolidated pathways with MAPK14 to induce survival autophagy in CRC cells and showed interaction with GUCY1A2 to drive CRPC. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the prognostic value of PDE9A gene could be used as a potential tumor biomarker for CRC.

5-O-Demethylnobiletin Alleviates CCl4-Induced Acute Liver Injury by Equilibrating ROS-Mediated Apoptosis and Autophagy Induction.

Polymethoxyflavanoids (PMFs) have exhibited a vast array of therapeutic biological properties. 5-O-Demethylnobiletin (5-DN) is one such PMF having anti-inflammatory activity, yet its role in hepatoprotection has not been studied before. Results from in vitro study revealed that 5-DN did not exert a high level of cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells at 40 µM, and it was able to rescue HepG2 cell death induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Subsequently, we investigated acute liver injury on BALB/c mice induced by CCl4 through the intraperitoneal injection of 1 mL/kg CCl4 and co-administration of 5-DN at (1 and 2 mg/kg) by oral gavage for 15 days. The results illustrated that treatment with 5-DN attenuated CCl4-induced elevated serum aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio and significantly ameliorated severe hepatic damage such as inflammation and fibrosis evidenced through lesser aberrations in the liver histology of 5-DN dose groups. Additionally, 5-DN efficiently counteracted and equilibrated the production of ROS accelerated by CCl4 and dramatically downregulated the expression of CYP2E1 vitally involved in converting CCl4 to toxic free radicals and also enhanced the antioxidant enzymes. 5-DN treatment also inhibited cell proliferation and inflammatory pathway abnormally regulated by CCl4 treatment. Furthermore, the apoptotic response induced by CCl4 treatment was remarkably reduced by enhanced Bcl-2 expression and noticeable reduction in Bax, Bid, cleaved caspase 3, caspase 9, and apaf-1 expression. 5-DN treatment also induced the conversion of LC3 and promoted the autophagic flux. Conclusively, 5-DN exhibited hepatoprotective effects in vitro and in vivo and prevented liver fibrosis induced by CCl4.

Production of Verbascoside, Isoverbascoside and Phenolic Acids in Callus, Suspension, and Bioreactor Cultures of Verbena officinalis and Biological Properties of Biomass Extracts.

Callus, suspension and bioreactor cultures of Verbena officinalis were established, and optimized for biomass growth and production of phenylpropanoid glycosides, phenolic acids, flavonoids and iridoids. All types of cultures were maintained on/in the Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with 1 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L NAA. The inoculum sizes were optimized in callus and suspension cultures. Moreover, the growth of the culture in two different types of bioreactors-a balloon bioreactor (BB) and a stirred-tank bioreactor (STB) was tested. In methanolic extracts from biomass of all types of in vitro cultures the presence of the same metabolites-verbascoside, isoverbascoside, and six phenolic acids: protocatechuic, chlorogenic, vanillic, caffeic, ferulic and rosmarinic acids was confirmed and quantified by the HPLC-DAD method. In the extracts from lyophilized culture media, no metabolites were found. The main metabolites in biomass extracts were verbascoside and isoverbascoside. Their maximum amounts in g/100 g DW (dry weight) in the tested types of cultures were as follow: 7.25 and 0.61 (callus), 7.06 and 0.48 (suspension), 7.69 and 0.31 (BB), 9.18 and 0.34 (STB). The amounts of phenolic acids were many times lower, max. total content reached of 26.90, 50.72, 19.88, and 36.78 mg/100 g DW, respectively. The highest content of verbascoside and also a high content of isoverbascoside obtained in STB (stirred-tank bioreactor) were 5.3 and 7.8 times higher than in extracts from overground parts of the parent plant. In the extracts from parent plant two iridoids-verbenalin and hastatoside, were also abundant. All investigated biomass extracts and the extracts from parent plant showed the antiproliferative, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The strongest activities were documented for the cultures maintained in STB. We propose extracts from in vitro cultured biomass of vervain, especially from STB, as a rich source of bioactive metabolites with antiproliferative, antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Evaluation of cadmium tolerance and remediated efficacy of wild and mutated Enterobacter species isolated from potassium nitrate (KNO3) processing unit contaminated soil.

The purpose of this study was to find the most cadmium (Cd2+) tolerant and remediated bacteria isolate from KNO3 processing unit contaminated soil. One isolate out of 19 isolates possessed excellent Cd2+ tolerance than others, which was recognized as Enterobacter hormaechei SFC3 through molecular characterization (16S rRNA sequencing). The identified E. hormaechei SFC3 contained 55% and 45% of GC and AT content, respectively. The wild and acridine orange mutated E. hormaechei SFC3 exhibited excellent resistance to Cd2+ up to the concentration of 1500 µg mL-1. Furthermore, the wild E. hormaechei SFC3 and mutated E. hormaechei SFC3 showed 82.47% and 90.21% of Cd2+ remediation on 6th days of treatment respectively. Similarly, the Cd2+ tolerant wild and mutated E. hormaechei SFC3 showed considerable resistance to all the tested antibiotics. The findings indicate that E. hormaechei SFC3 isolated from KNO3 processing unit contaminated soil is a promising candidate for microbial remediation of Cd2+ contamination.

Optimistic influence of multi-metal tolerant Bacillus species on phytoremediation potential of Chrysopogon zizanioides on metal contaminated soil.

The current study investigated the plant growth promoting (PGP) characteristics of multi-metal-tolerant Bacillus cereus and their positive effect on the physiology, biomolecule substance, and phytoremediation ability of Chrysopogon zizanioides in metal-contaminated soil. The test soil sample was detrimentally contaminated by metals including Cd (31 mg kg-1), Zn (7696 mg kg-1), Pb (326 mg kg-1), Mn (2519 mg kg-1) and Cr (302 mg kg-1) that exceeded Indian standards. The multi-metal-tolerant B. cereus seemed to have superb PGP activities including fabrication of hydrogen cyanide, siderophore, Indole Acetic Acid, N2 fixation, as well as P solubilisation. Such multi-metal-tolerant B. cereus attributes can dramatically reduce or decontaminate metals in contaminated soils, and their PGP attributes significantly improve plant growth in contaminated soils. Hence, without (study I) and with (study II) the blending of B. cereus, this strain vastly enhances the growth and phytoremediation potency of C. zizanioides on metal contaminated soil. The results revealed that the physiological data, biomolecule components, and phytoremediation efficiency of C. zizanioides (Cr: 7.74, Cd: 12.15, Zn: 16.72, Pb: 11.47, and Mn: 14.52 mg g-1) seem to have been greatly effective in study II due to the metal solubilizing and PGP characteristics of B. cereus. This is a one-of-a-kind report on the effect of B. cereus's multi-metal tolerance and PGP characteristics on the development and phytoextraction effectiveness of C. zizanioides in metal-polluted soil.

Unraveling the tripartite interaction of volatile compounds of Streptomyces rochei with grain mold pathogens infecting sorghum.

Sorghum is a major grain crop used in traditional meals and health drinks, and as an efficient fuel. However, its productivity, value, germination, and usability are affected by grain mold, which is a severe problem in sorghum production systems, which reduces the yield of harvested grains for consumer use. The organic approach to the management of the disease is essential and will increase consumer demand. Bioactive molecules like mVOC (volatile organic compound) identification are used to unravel the molecules responsible for antifungal activity. The Streptomyces rochei strain (ASH) has been reported to be a potential antagonist to many pathogens, with high levels of VOCs. The present study aimed to study the inhibitory effect of S. rochei on sorghum grain mold pathogens using a dual culture technique and via the production of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs). mVOCs inhibited the mycelial growth of Fusarium moniliforme by 63.75 and Curvularia lunata by 68.52%. mVOCs suppressed mycelial growth and inhibited the production of spores by altering the structure of mycelia in tripartite plate assay. About 45 mVOCs were profiled when Streptomyces rochei interacted with these two pathogens. In the present study, several compounds were upregulated or downregulated by S. rochei, including 2-methyl-1-butanol, methanoazulene, and cedrene. S. rochei emitted novel terpenoid compounds with peak areas, such as myrcene (1.14%), cymene (6.41%), and ç-terpinene (7.32%) upon interaction with F. moniliforme and C. lunata. The peak area of some of the compounds, including furan 2-methyl (0.70%), benzene (1.84%), 1-butanol, 2-methyl-(8.25%), and myrcene (1.12)%, was increased during tripartite interaction with F. moniliforme and C. lunata, which resulted in furan 2-methyl (6.60%), benzene (4.43%), butanol, 2-methyl (18.67%), and myrcene (1.14%). These metabolites were implicated in the sesquiterpenoid and alkane biosynthetic pathways and the oxalic acid degradation pathway. The present study shows how S. rochei exhibits hyperparasitism, competition, and antibiosis via mVOCs. In addition to their antimicrobial functions, these metabolites could also enhance plant growth.

Machine Learning Approach for Cardiovascular Risk and Coronary Artery Calcification Score.

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) could assist in the discovery of new risk elements for coronary artery disorder. CAC evaluation, on the other hand, is difficult due to the wide range of CAC in the populations. As a reason, evaluating and analysing data among research have become complicated. In the Research of Inherited Risk Factors for Coronary Atherosclerosis, we used CAC information to test the effects of different analytical methodologies on the correlation with recognized cardiovascular risk elements in asymptomatic patients. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is also seeing an increase in examinations, and machine learning (ML) could assist with the growing amount of extracted data. Furthermore, there are other sectors in cardiac CT where machine learning could be crucial, including coronary calcium scoring, perfusion, and CT angiography. The establishment of risk evaluation algorithms based on information from CAC utilizing machine learning could assist in the categorization of patients undergoing cardiovascular into distinct risk groups and effectively adapt their treatments to their unique situations. Our findings imply that for forecasting CVD occurrences in asymptomatic people, age-sex segmentation by CAC percentile rank is as effective as absolute CAC scoring. Longitudinal population-based investigations are currently underway and would offer further definitive findings. While machine learning is a strong technology with a lot of possibilities, its implementations in the domain of cardiac CAC are generally in the early stages of development and are not currently commonly accessible in medical practise because of the requirement for substantial verification. Enhanced machine learning will, however, have a significant effect on cardiovascular and coronary artery calcification in the upcoming years.

The Impact of Seeding Density and Nitrogen Rates on Forage Yield and Quality of Avena sativa L.

Green forage is an excellent feed source for livestock. It is an integral part of livestock production to accomplish the demands for butter, milk, and other derivatives for human utilization. Livestock contributes 11.39% towards the gross domestic product of Pakistan and 58.33% in agricultural farming. Livestock face shortage or insufficient supply of green fodder during the winter season, which ultimately reduces milk yield. Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a major forage crop in the winter season; however, several biotic and abiotic factors negatively affect its yields. Low soil fertility, particularly nitrogen deficiency, is regarded as one of the few reasons responsible for the low forage yield of oat. Low organic matter content in the soil, suboptimal agronomic practices, and harsh climatic conditions are the other major reasons for low oat yield. Seed rate and different nitrogen rates significantly alter green forage yield and quality of oat. This study assessed the impact of different seeding densities and nitrogen (N) doses on the forage yield of oat. Three seeding densities (70, 80, and 90 kg ha-1) and five N doses (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg ha-1) were included in the study. The interactive effect of seeding density and N doses significantly altered green forage yield and quality attributes of oat. The highest green forage yield (54.67 t ha-1) was noted for the interaction among 90 kg seed rate ha-1 and 160 kg N ha-1. Similarly, the highest germination count (140 m-2), number of tillers (5.97 m-2), plant height (122.97 cm), number of leaves per plant (24.50 m-2), leaf area per tiller (123.18 cm2), fresh weight (5.47 kg m-2), dry weight (1692 g m-2), dry matter yield (20.90 t ha-1), crude protein (10.54%), crude fiber (31.62%), and total ash (9.39%) were recorded for the interactive effect of 90 kg seed rate ha-1 and 160 kg N ha-1. Economic analysis revealed that interaction between 90 kg seed rate ha-1 with 120 and 160 kg N ha-1 was superior to others with higher benefit: cost ratio and net economic returns. It is recommended that the oat seed rate of forage oat crop must be kept at 90 kg ha-1 and it should be supplied 120 kg N ha-1 for higher yield, better quality, and more economic returns.

Evaluation of seedling age and nutrient sources on phenology, yield and agrometeorological indices for sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata L.).

The field experiment was conducted during Kharif season of 2020 at Agronomy farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura, SKUAST-K to study the influence of age of seedling and sources of nutrients on phenology, yield and agrometeorological indices for sweet corn. The experiment included two factors viz. age of seedlings (12, 22 and 32 days old seedling) and sources of nutrients (control, RDF, 50 percent RDF + FYM @ 12 t ha-1, 50 percent RDF + vermi-compost @ 4 t ha-1 and 50 percent RDF + poultry manure @ 2 t ha-1) tested in RCBD with three replications. Transplanting 12 days old seedlings required maximum number of days to attain different phenological stages, thereby accumulated maximum heat units followed by 22 days old seedlings. While as transplanting 22 days old seedling recorded significantly highest HUE, HTUE, PTUE and HyTUE and consequently resulted in the highest green cob and biological yield compared to other ages of seedlings. Among various sources of nutrients, application of 50 per cent RDF + poultry manure @ 2 t ha-1 took maximum number of days to attain various phenophases thereby accumulated maximum heat units and registered highest HUE, HTUE, PTUE and HyTUE followed by application of 100 per cent RDF.

Heterologous expression and characterization of glycoside hydrolase with its potential applications in hyperthermic environment.

With the progressive focus on renewable energy via biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass, cellulases are the key enzymes that play a fundamental role in this regard. This study aims to unravel the characteristics of Thermotoga maritima MSB8 (Tma) (a hyperthermophile from hot springs) thermostable glycoside hydrolase enzyme. Here, a glycoside hydrolase gene of Thermotoga maritima (Tma) was heterologously expressed and characterized. The gene was placed in the pQE-30 expression vector under the T5 promotor, and the construct pQE-30-Gh was then successfully integrated into Escherichia coli BL21 (DH5α) genome by transformation. Sequence of the glycoside hydrolase contained an open reading frame of 2.124 kbp, encoded a polypeptide of 721 amino acid residues. The molecular weight of the recombinant protein estimated was 79 kDa. The glycoside hydrolase was purified by Ni+2-NTA affinity chromatography and its enzymatic activity was investigated. The recombinant enzyme is highly stable within an extreme pH range (2.0-7.0) and highly thermostable at 80 °C for 72 h indicating its viability in hyperthermic environment and acidic nature. Moreover, the Ca2+ and Mn2+ introduction stimulated the residual activity of recombinant enzyme. Conclusively, the thermostable glycoside hydrolase possesses potential to be exploited for industrial applications at hyperthermic environment.

Dual Inoculation of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacillus endophyticus and Funneliformis mosseae Improves Plant Growth and Soil Properties in Ginger.

Co-inoculation with beneficial microbes has been suggested as a useful practice for the enhancement of plant growth, nutrient uptake, and soil nutrients. For the first time in Uzbekistan the role of plant-growth-promoting Bacillus endophyticus IGPEB 33 and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on plant growth, the physiological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale), and soil enzymatic activities was studied. Moreover, the coinoculation of B. endophyticus IGPEB 33 and AMF treatment significantly increased the plant height by 81%, leaf number by 70%, leaf length by 82%, and leaf width by 40% compared to the control. B. endophyticus IGPEB 33 individually increased plant height significantly by 51%, leaf number by 56%, leaf length by 67%, and leaf width by 27% as compared to the control treatment. Compared to the control, B. endophyticus IGPEB 33 and AMF individually significantly increased chlorophyll a by 81-58%, chlorophyll b by 68-37%, total chlorophyll by 74-53%, and carotenoid content by 67-55%. However, combination of B. endophyticus IGPEB 33 and AMF significantly increased chlorophyll a by 86%, chlorophyll b by 72%, total chlorophyll by 82%, and carotenoid content by 83% compared to the control. Additionally, plant-growth-promoting B. endophyticus IGPEB 33 and AMF inoculation improved soil nutrients and soil enzyme activities compared to the all treatments. Co-inoculation with plant-growth-promoting B. endophyticus and AMF could be an alternative for the production of ginger that is more beneficial to soil nutrient deficiencies. We suggest that a combination of plant-growth-promoting B. endophyticus and AMF inoculation could be a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach in a nutrient-deficient soil.

Co-inoculation of biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizae for growth promotion and nutrient fortification in soybean under drought conditions.

Drought is significant abiotic stress that affects the development and yield of many crops. The present study is to investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biochar on root morphological traits, growth, and physiological traits in soybean under water stress. Impact of AMF and biochar on development and root morphological traits in soybean and AMF spores number and the soil enzymes' activities were studied under drought conditions. After 40 days, plant growth parameters were measured. Drought stress negatively affected soybean growth, root parameters, physiological traits, microbial biomass, and soil enzyme activities. Biochar and AMF individually increase significantly plant growth (plant height, root dry weight, and nodule number), root parameters such as root diameter, root surface area, total root length, root volume, and projected area, total chlorophyll content, and nitrogen content in soybean over to control in water stress. In drought conditions, dual applications of AMF and biochar significantly enhanced shoot and root growth parameters, total chlorophyll, and nitrogen contents in soybean than control. Combined with biochar and AMF positively affects AMF spores number, microbial biomass, and soil enzyme activities in water stress conditions. In drought stress, dual applications of biochar and AMF increase microbial biomass by 28.3%, AMF spores number by 52.0%, alkaline phosphomonoesterase by 45.9%, dehydrogenase by 46.5%, and fluorescein diacetate by 52.2%, activities. The combined application of biochar and AMF enhance growth, root parameters in soybean and soil enzyme activities, and water stress tolerance. Dual applications with biochar and AMF benefit soybean cultivation under water stress conditions.

Study of impacts of brickkiln emanations on soil quality of agriculture lands in selected areas of District Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

The pollution is hot issue of current era in world and the current study was carried to explore impacts of brickkilns' emanations on physiochemical properties of agricultural lands from District Bhimber of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan. In this research, various edaphic characteristics: pH, soil organic matter, organic carbon, water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity and heavy metal contamination in soils nearby of brickkilns were determined. The pH of soil ranged from 5.55 to 7.50, soil organic matter was 0.35-0.90% and organic carbon content was 0.65-1.40%. The water holding capacity ranged from 2.10 to 3.20 mgL-1 and carbon exchange capacity was 1250 to 4202 meq/100g. The contamination profile of heavy metal depicted that Pb showed highest conc. 0.065 mg/g followed by Co (0.053 mg/g) and Ni with 0.52 mg/g in the soil. Pb and Cr had high conc. in soil samples around brickkilns due to burning of coal and rubber tyres as fuel. The conc. of sulphate and nitrate ranged from 0.90±0.50 mol L-1 to 4.25±0.65 mol L-1 and 2.30±0.50 mol L-1 to 6.55±0.25 mol L-1, respectively. The fertility of agriculture lands was depicted that edaphic properties were directly related while nutritive features were inversely commensurate to distance from brickkilns. The research proved that emanations of brickkilns causes severe impact on quality of agriculture land, plant growth and its yield. Hence, reclamation measures should be taken to mitigate and/or eradicate nuisance of brickkilns emanations by using environmental friendly strategies.

Genetic variability and phylogenetic analysis among strains of deformed wing virus infesting honey bees and other organisms.

Various viruses can infect honey bees, but deformed wing virus (DWV) is considered the most dangerous virus to them and has role in the sudden decline of bee colonies. This virus has different strains; however, there are no available studies to compare the characteristics of these strains utilizing bioinformatics. In this study, 27 strains of deformed wing virus were analyzed based on their sequences and their genetic relationships. Also, some primers were designed and tested to identify their ability to separate DWV strains. The percentages range from 28.99% to 29.63%, 22.28% to 22.78%, 15.73% to 16.28%, and 31.71% to 32.86% for nucleotides A, G, C, and T, respectively in all strains. The numbers of polymorphic sites as well as nucleotide diversity were highly similar in all strains. Statistical analyses generally showed the absence of high variations between sequences. Also, the phylogenetic tree classified strains into three groups. The network between strains of each group was established and discussed based on their geographical locations. Two groups contained strains from USA and Europe while one group contained strains from Asia. Rapid variations and mutations in the sequences of DWV were suggested. Notably, genetic studies on DWV are lacking in some geographical regions. The variations between strains detected in honey bees and other organisms were discussed. Four primers were designed and tested beside two reference primers. One of the designed primers showed the best results in binding with all DWV strains except one.

Phyllanthin Averts Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation in Cerebral Ischemic-Reperfusion Injury through Modulation of the NF-κB and AMPK/Nrf2 Pathways.

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR) is a common feature of ischemic stroke and is a major cause of disability and death among stroke patients worldwide. Phyllanthin, a lignin polyphenol, is known for its varied biological properties, although its protective effects against CIR have not been reported. We evaluated the neuroprotective property of phyllanthin against CIR as well as the involvement of the AMP-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (AMPK/Nrf2) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Experimental animals were divided into five groups: controls (sham-operated), CIR-induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and CIR-induced and administered phyllanthin at 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, respectively. We investigated neurological functions, various signaling genes, and inflammatory clues. The results of in vitro assays demonstrated that phyllanthin assertively improved cellular functions through abrogation of the Nrf2 pathway. In vivo, CIR rats demonstrated neurological function deficits, while ischemic severity was evidenced by the activation of neuroinflammatory cytokines and tissue oxidative stress. Moreover, the expression of apoptosis markers such as Bax, B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2), caspase-3, COX-2, PGE2, and LOX-1 abruptly increased. Phyllanthin prevented brain dysfunction and cerebral edema, and protected brain integrity. Conversely, it improved antioxidative enzyme activity, abrogated inflammatory cytokines, and increased IL-10 in chemokines. Also, phyllanthin significantly reduced Nrf2 and AMPK levels, with reduced expression of NF-κB indicating that cross-talk between the NF-kB and Nrf2 pathways is activated in CIR. Phyllanthin rescues the ischemic brain by regulating cellular signaling, which supports its use for complications like CIR and associated injury.

Influence of Compression Molding Process Parameters in Mechanical and Tribological Behavior of Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites.

In recent days, natural fibers are extremely influential in numerous applications such as automobile body building, boat construction, civil structure, and packing goods. Intensification of the properties of natural fibers is achieved by blending different natural fibers with resin in a proper mixing ratio. This investigation aims to synthesize a hybrid polymer matrix composite with the use of natural fibers of flax and loops of hemp in the epoxy matrix. The synthesized composites were characterized in terms of tribological and mechanical properties. The Taguchi L16 orthogonal array is employed in the preparation of composite samples as well as analysis and optimization of the synthesis parameters. The optimization of compression molding process parameters has enhanced the results of this investigation. The parameters chosen are percentage of reinforcement (20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%), molding temperature (150 °C, 160 °C, 170 °C, and 180 °C), molding pressure (1 MPa, 2 MPa, 3 MPa, and 4 MPa), and curing time (20 min, 25 min, 30 min, and 35 min). From the analysis, it was observed that the percentage of reinforcement is contributing more to altering the fatigue strength, and the curing time is influenced in the impact and wear analysis.

Spatio-temporal analysis of Egyptian flower mantis Blepharopsis mendica (order: mantodea), with notes of its future status under climate change.

Egyptian flower mantis Blepharopsis mendica (Order: Mantodea) is a widespread mantis species throughout the southwest Palearctic region. The ecological and geographical distribution of such interesting species is rarely known. So, through this work, habitat suitability models for its distribution through Egyptian territory were created using MaxEnt software from 90 occurrence records. One topographic (altitude) and eleven bioclimatic variables influencing the species distribution were selected to generate the models. The predicted distribution in Egypt was focused on the Delta, South Sinai, the north-eastern part of the country, and some areas in the west including Siwa Oasis. Temporal analysis between the two periods (1900-1961) and (1961-2017) show current reduction of this species distribution through Delta and its surrounding areas, may be due to urbanization. On the other hand, it increases in newly protected areas of South Sinai. Under the future climate change scenario, the MaxEnt model predicted the habitat gains for B. mendica in RCP 2.6 for 2070 and loss of habitat in RCP 8.5 for the same year. Our results can be used as a basis for conserving this species not only in Egypt, but also throughout the whole of its range, also, it show how the using of geo-information could help in studying animal ecology.

Blockage of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway in multiple myeloma by leelamine.

BACKGROUND: Leelamine (LEE) is a lipophilic diterpene amine phytochemical, which can be naturally extracted from pine's bark trees. It has been extensively studied recently for its promising chemopreventive and anti-cancer effects against various cancers such as that of prostate and breast. HYPOTHESIS: We examined the potential impact of LEE in affecting the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and promoting apoptosis in human multiple myeloma (MM) cells. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of LEE on STAT3 signaling pathway in MM cells by using Western blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Thereafter, apoptosis was evaluated using cell cycle analysis and Annexin V assay. RESULTS: We noted that LEE could attenuate the phosphorylation of STAT3 and other up-stream signaling molecules such as JAK1, JAK2, and Src activation in U266 and MM.1S cells. It also diminished STAT3 translocation into the nucleus and enhanced the expression of protein-tyrosine phosphatase epsilon (PTPε). Additionally, LEE caused cell cycle arrest and synergistically augmented the apoptotic actions of bortezomib against MM cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicates that LEE could block STAT3 signaling cascade linked to tumorigenesis and can be used in combination with approved anti-cancer agents in attenuating MM growth and survival.