Seasonal variation of phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity of methanolic extract of Melilotus indicus and its sub-fractions in different solvents

In the present work, seasonal variations of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activities of methanolic extract of Melilotus indicus and its sub-fractions in different solvents have been evaluated. The study was conducted on plant samples collected in February and April which are its flowering and fruiting seasons respectively. Both phenolic and flavonoid contents were higher in methanolic extract of the plant collected in April than in February. Free radical scavenging activity measured through DPPH method was low in methanolic extracts of both the samples, although it decreased as we go from February to April. Ethyl acetate fractions showed highest % inhibition. Total antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts measured through phosphomolybdate assay remained almost same. Chloroform fraction showed the highest value in both the seasons with value in April higher than in February, 57.24 and 46.44 µg of ascorbic acid equivalents per mg of the dried mass, respectively.  The methanolic extract of April sample showed higher FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) value than that of February. In February, ethyl acetate fraction showed highest FRAP value, while in April, chloroform exhibited the highest value. Methanolic extracts and fractions in all solvents showed remarkable ability to inhibit peroxidation in linoleic acid. After 72 hours, all samples were much more effective than the standard BHA. Seasonal variations affect biosynthesis of different types of antioxidant and free radical scavenging compounds in Melilotus indicus. Thus, the medicinal and nutritional value of the plant will depend on harvesting season

A Study of Ballota limbata as an Alternative Medicine for Eye Diseases

Ballota limbata BTH. (syn. Otostegia limbata (BTH.) BOISS (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal herb used in folk medicine to cure a number of ailments. An aqueous extract of the herb is locally used for the treatment of eye inflammations and infections. To explore the possible cause of this application of the herb, we studied mineral elements present in it, as well as its antimicrobial effect against Bacillus subtilis. The leaves of B. limbata contain considerable amounts of zinc (4.6 mg/100g) and copper (0.847 mg/100g) which are known for their role in eye health. The quantity of iron (52.7 mg/100g) and calcium (1972 mg/100g) is also good, and the ratio of K (393.4 mg/100g) to Na (45 mg/100g) is extraordinarily high. This peculiarity of the herb may make it a very good remedy for hypertension. The leaves extracts also showed antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterium, which may explain the use of the herb against eye infections

Study of anti-diabetic, beta-carotene-bleaching inhibiting and iron chelating properties of Carissa opaca root extracts

Degenerative diseases diabetes and oxidative stress constitute a major health concern worldwide. Medicinal plants are expected to provide effective and affordable remedies. The present research explored antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of extracts of Carissa opaca roots. Methanolic extract (ME) was prepared through maceration. Its fractions were obtained, sequentially, in hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. An aqueous decoction (AD) of the finely ground roots was obtained by boiling in distilled water. The leftover biomass with methanol was boiled in water to obtain biomass aqueous decoction (BAD). The extracts and fractions showed considerable porcine pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory activity with IC50 in the range of 5.38-7.12 mg/mL while acarbose had 0.31 mg/mL. The iron chelating activity in terms of EC50 was 0.2939, 0.3429, 0.1876, and 0.1099 mg/mL for AD, BAD, ME, and EDTA, respectively. The EC50 of beta-carotene bleaching activity for AD, BAD, ME, and standard BHA were 4.10, 4.71, 3.48, and 2.79 mg/mL, respectively. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of AD and BAD were also considerable. In general, ethyl acetate fraction proved to be the most potent. Thus, the C. opaca roots had excellent antioxidant activity while having moderate α-amylase inhibitory potential

Growth Performance, Physicochemical Properties of Meat of Broiler Chicken’s Supplemented with Bacillus pumilus

This study examined that the efficiency of Bacillus pumilus (BP) on growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of day old 240 male broiler chicks were purchased from local hatchery Hyderabad. The chicks were allocated into four groups with six replicates of 10 birds in each replicate. Four diets were prepared for experiment, which included control as basal diet, BP- 0.1 (CONT + 0.1% BP), BP-0.2 (CONT + 0.2% BP) and AGP (CONT + zinc bacitracin 20 ppm) as antibiotic growth promotor. The results showed that live body weight (LBW), average daily gain was recorded higher (P<0.01) in birds fed diet with BP-0.1 than control and BP0.2 groups, as well as ADFI also increased in BP-0.1 than control group. BP-0.1 supplementation significantly reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR) than other groups(P<0.01). Both moisture and crude protein (CP) content influenced by supplementation of BP-0.1 than other groups. However, birds fed diet with BP-0.1 had least fat content in breast meat compared with the other groups (P<0.01). In addition, BP-0.1probiotic- fed birds had the lowest (P<0.01) pH, cooking loss (CL) and drip loss (DL) as compared to control, BP-0.2 and AGP groups. The water holding capacity (WHC) were found higher in BP-0.1 as compared to other groups (P<0.01). In conclusion, Bacillus pumilus probiotic supplementation is a promising approach for substitution of antibiotics in broiler diet for enhancement of growth performance and physiochemical properties of meat

The Potential Impact of Climate Extremes on Cotton and Wheat Crops in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

The assessment of climate extremes’ impact on crop yield is essential to improve our understanding of agricultural resilience. In the present study, we analyzed the potential impact of climate extremes on wheat and cotton production in Southern Punjab, Pakistan using 30-year observed data from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and the fifth-generation reanalysis data (ERA-5) from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Cotton is a Kharif season crop that is sown in May and harvested in October, and wheat is a Rabi season crop that is planted in November and harvested in April. The agricultural data (1985–2015) that contained the crop area and crop yield were obtained from the Bureau of Statistics, Punjab for six selected districts in Southern Punjab. Three precipitation indices, namely consecutive dry days (CDD), consecutive wet days (CWD) and total precipitation of wet days (PRCPTOT), and four temperature indices, namely warm days (TX90p), warm nights (TN90p), cool days (TX10p) and cool nights (TN10p), were selected to analyze the potential impacts of climate extremes on crop production. (1) We found a potential association of TX10p, TN10p, TX90p and TN90p with crop yield in those years for which the production area remained the same. (2) In a few districts of the study area, the wheat yield losses in the Rabi season were associated with an increase in warmer days and warmer nights. (3) The grain size was suppressed due to an increase in the frequency of TX90p and TN90p, which ultimately reduced the net crop production. (4) In some districts, we found strong positive correlations between extreme temperature indices and crop yield; however, other potential factors such as the use of advanced technology, fertilizer, seeds, etc., may lead to improved net production. This study can help in adaptation planning for resilient agricultural production under the stress of climate extreme events in Southern Punjab

Climate trends and extremes in the Indus River Basin, Pakistan: implications for agricultural production

ABSTRACT: Historical and future projected changes in climatic patterns over the largest irrigated basin in the world, the Indus River Basin (IRB), threaten agricultural production and food security in Pakistan, in particular for vulnerable farming communities. To build a more detailed understanding of the impacts of climate change on agricultures in the IRB, the present study analyzes (1) observed trends in average temperature, precipitation and related extreme indicators, as well as seasonal shifts over a recent historical period (1997-2016); and (2) statistically downscaled future projections (up to 2100) from a set of climate models in conjunction with crop-specific information for the four main crops of the IRB: wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane. Key findings show an increasing trend of about over 0.1ºC/year in observed minimum temperature across the study area over the historical period, but no significant trend in maximum temperature. Historical precipitation shows a positive annual increase driven mainly by changes in August and September. Future projections highlight continued warming resulting in critical heat thresholds for the four crops analyzed being increasingly exceeded into the future, in particular in the Kharif season. Concurrently, inter-annual rainfall variability is projected to increase up to 10-20% by the end of the 21st century, augmenting uncertainty of water availability in the basin. These findings provide insight into the nature of recent climatic shifts in the IRB and emphasize the importance of using climate impact assessments to develop targeted investments and efficient adaptation measures to ensure resilience of agriculture in Pakistan into the futur

A Cross-sectional Study of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes among Adults with Laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection with Omicron Variant

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has raised concerns due to its increased transmissibility and potential implications on clinical characteristics and outcomes in infected individuals. The aims of this report were to study the profile of SARS-CoV-2 infection with omicron variant, investigate the infection outcome, reinfection rates with associated factors, antibody levels, and explore the associations between biochemical markers and disease severity. This prospective cohort study was conducted in Duhok city in the Northern of Iraq. All volunteers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 RT–PCR and confirmed Omicron infection who were older than 18 years old and agreed to participate were recruited for this study. The study was carried out from January to April 2022. There were 234 cases of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 RT–PCR Omicron infection. The mean age was 48.12±17.3 years, 43.2% were vaccinated, and 40.2% were male. Among the recruited patients, 99.1% recovered and did not need hospitalization. In this study, (38.9%) had a history of previously confirmed COVID-19 infection. Reinfection was significantly higher in females than males (p=0.04; OR= 0.56). It was found that the IgG antibody levels were higher in patients who received Pfizer-BioNTech than in those who received other vaccines (p=0.001). The levels of IgG were also significantly higher in patients with mild infection (p=0.046), whereas the levels of D-dimer were significantly higher in patients with severe cases of the infection compared to those with mild or moderate cases (p=0.001). Additionally, the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were observed to be higher in individuals with moderate cases of infection than in mild and severe cases (0.001). Individuals who contracted the Omicron strain generally had positive outcomes. Reinfection with the Omicron variant was relatively high. IgG levels were higher in patients with mild disease, implying that they were associated with decreased disease severity. We found significant associations between D-dimer levels and the severity of the disease. Additional research is required to investigate the long-term effects of Omicron infection