Effect of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether on Growth and Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase activity of Zea mays

Abstract: This work was designed to investigate the phytotoxicity effect of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) to maize plants. One week old seedlings were exposed continuously for 7 days to 5 different MTBE concentrations in the nutrient medium (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 ml/L.). All growth parameters tested ( pigment content , leaf area , root and shoot growth ) were sensitive to MTBE, shoot length was more reduced in MTBE contaminated solution than was root length, which indicated that MTBE might be transported within the plant from the roots to the shoots.. The reduction in pigment content is related mainly to the reduction of Chl. a rather than Chl. b. A marked increase of PEP carboxylase activity was recorded only at concentrations 20 and 40 ml/L.MTBE, whereas the enzyme activity was strongly inhibited in plants subjected to the highest concentration (80ml/L. MTBE)

Student Attitudes and Interests in STEM in Qatar through the Lens of the Social Cognitive Theory

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has taken center stage as a priority policy agenda for Qatar’s leadership. At present, STEM stands as a fundamental catalyst for Qatar’s sustainable economic, environmental, human, and social development goals, as is outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the determinants of students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies and eventual careers in Qatar. This study used a survey involving a representative sample of a total of 425 students from public (government-funded) middle schools in the country. Data for this research were gathered using a survey distributed to students in grades 7, 8, and 9. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, a survey was implemented with a view to investigating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors likely to contribute to student STEM educational and career interest. Two main statistical tests were carried out: independent sample t-tests and one way ANOVA. Results derived from the study reveal that gender, nationality, and parental education and occupation served as predictors of student interest in a STEM degree or profession. The results derived from this study have important implications for STEM-related fields of study and career.This study was made possible by an NPRP-C # Subproject (NPRP12C-33955-SP-93), which is part of a cluster project (NPRP12C-0828-190023) from the Qatar national research fund (a member of the Qatar foundation). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Gut Dysbiosis and Diabetic Nephropathy Progression in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Case-Control Study

Objective: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). There is growing evidence that intestinal dysbiosis is associated with various disorders. This study aimed to investigate the associations between the human gut microbiome and the development of DN. Materials and methods: This case-control study was carried out on 75 subjects, both sexes, divided into 3 equal groups (n = 25): Group I consisted of healthy participants; Group II included individuals who had type 2 diabetes (T2D) but no nephropathy; and Group III was identified as having DN based on a urine albumin creatinine ratio of 30 mg/g or above. DNA extraction using PCR amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to analyze the fecal microbiota. Results: Twenty-five healthy controls (12 women and 13 men) had a mean age of 45 ± 8.77 years. Of the 25 patients with T2D, 11 were females, 14 were males, and the mean age was 45 ± 6.68 years. The average age of the 25 DN patients (10 females and 15 males) was 45 ± 6.68 years. Urinary albumin creatinine ratios were found to positively correlate with Escherichia-Shigella (r = 0.88, p-value < 0.002) and Alistipes (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001), respectively. A negative association (r = –0.77, p-value < 0.0001) was detected between the [Ruminococcus] torques group and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Conclusions: Unbalanced gut microbiota significantly correlates with clinical markers of renal function, cholesterol, blood albumin, and urine albumin creatinine ratio

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Effect of Ulva lactuca Aqueous Extract on Growth, Minerals, Chlorophyll Content, Rubisco Activity and Rubisco Activase in Zea mays Seedlings

The present study aimed to investigate the biological effects of different concentrations of Ulva lactuca aqueous extract (ULAE) on the growth parameters and biochemical characteristics of Zea mays. The ULAE was applied by foliar spray or directly added to the growth medium of maize plant cultivated in hydroponic system. The growth parameters (shoot length, root length, fresh weight, dry weight and seedling length), minerals, biochemical constituents (chlorophyll content, the activity of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco), and the detection of Rubisco activase (rca1) gene in seedlings of Zea mays hybrid line (M10) were determined. ULAE was characterized by high abundance of calcium (3255.86 ppm) followed by potassium (287.9 ppm). Among the different treatments, 0.5% and 1% concentration of ULAE as foliar spray exhibited significant effects on growth parameters and biochemical constitutions of the Zea mays seedlings. However, at the higher concentration of ULAE (5%), inhibitory effects were observed. Moreover, as a foliar spray, ULAE at 0.5% and 1% concentration showed a significant effect on seedling length

Student Attitudes and Interests in STEM in Qatar through the Lens of the Social Cognitive Theory

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has taken center stage as a priority policy agenda for Qatar’s leadership. At present, STEM stands as a fundamental catalyst for Qatar’s sustainable economic, environmental, human, and social development goals, as is outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the determinants of students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies and eventual careers in Qatar. This study used a survey involving a representative sample of a total of 425 students from public (government-funded) middle schools in the country. Data for this research were gathered using a survey distributed to students in grades 7, 8, and 9. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, a survey was implemented with a view to investigating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors likely to contribute to student STEM educational and career interest. Two main statistical tests were carried out: independent sample t-tests and one way ANOVA. Results derived from the study reveal that gender, nationality, and parental education and occupation served as predictors of student interest in a STEM degree or profession. The results derived from this study have important implications for STEM-related fields of study and career

Cadmium and zinc accumulation and tolerance in two Egyptian cultivars (S53 and V120) of <i>Helianthus annuus</i> L. as potential phytoremediator

One of the most important oil crops in the world, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), is recognized to help in soil phytoremediation. Heavy metal (HM) contamination is one of the most abiotic challenges that may affect the growth and productivity of such an important crop plant. We studied the influence of HM-contaminated soils on metal homeostasis and the potential hypertolerance mechanisms in two sunflower Egyptian cultivars (V120 and S53). Both cultivars accumulated significantly higher cadmium concentrations in their roots compared to their shoots during Cd and Zn/Cd treatments. Higher root concentrations of 121 mg g−1 dry weight (DW) and 125 mg g−1 DW were measured in V120 plants compared to relatively lower values of 111 mg g−1 DW and 105 mg g−1 DW in the roots of S53 plants, respectively. Cadmium contamination significantly upregulated the expression of heavy metal ATPases (HaHMA4) in the shoots of V120 plants. On the other hand, their roots displayed a notable expression of HaHMA3. This study indicates that V120 plants accumulated and sequestered Cd in their roots. Therefore, it is advised to cultivate the V120 cultivar in areas contaminated with heavy metals as it is a promising Cd phytoremediator. The current study confirms and provides new insights into the low Cd and Zn concentration responses of two cultivars of Helianthus annuus as potential HM phytoremediators. HMA3 and HMA4 mediated both root sequestration and reduced root-to-shoot translocation rates. Moreover, high CAT and POX activities may reduce oxidative damage and enhance plant tolerance. The V120 showed higher levels of Cd accumulation in its roots and could be a promising cultivar for the phytoremediation of this heavy metal. This work recalls that Cd tolerance is a trait that may vary among cultivars of the same species and should be taken into consideration in the phytomanagement of heavy metals in contaminated soils.</p