A novel approach for reducing water stress on sunflower plants by using medicinal plant extracts rather than artificial growth regulators

    One of the most significant physiological stressors that negatively impact plants in numerous vital areas of their growth and metabolism is water stress. This study estimates the effects of natural bio-stimulants (Origanum majorana, Nigella sativa and Curcurma longa) extracts for the first time, on water stress of sunflower plant in comparison with synthetic growth regulators (glycein betaine, proline, indole acetic acid, benzyl adenine and ascorbic acid). Water stress appeared to decrease of lengths, fresh and dry weights of shoot and root. Also caused a significant drop in chlorophylls and carotenoids. Foliar application of these synthetic and natural growth regulators significantly decreased the negative effects of drought stress on all studied morphological parameters and pigment contents of sunflower. HPLC analysis of bio-stimulants appeared six phenolic acids, one phenol and two flavonoids were found in all natural extracts. Gallic, rosmarinic, caffeic, syringic acids and kaempferol are the major phenolic compounds (more than 1000 µg/g) detected in Origanum majorana. While gallic acid, hesperetin and ferulic acid are the major phenolic compounds (more than 1000 µg/g) present in Curcurma longa. Chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, catechin, pyro catechol, coffeic acid and rutin are the dominant phenolic compounds present in Nigella sativa. The Nigella sativa treatment showed the highest decrease in proline levels. This may be due to the high concentration of caffeic acid (2406.97 g/g). The Origanum majorana treatment had the highest levels of chl. a and carotenoid contents, which rose by about 32% and 72%, respectively, compared to the stress-treated plant. The highly decrease in catalase activity, which is considered as most important indicator to water stress, appeared in Origanum majorana treatment. We suggest the use of these natural extracts as an alternative way, which appeared a significant increase in growth and biochemical near to synthetic regulators in the treatment of water stress due to the fact that these extracts contain many important phenolic compounds that have a role in the treatment of water stress

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Characterization of Thermophilic Bacteria Isolated from Two Hot Springs in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

The capability of thermophilic microorganisms to flourish at high temperatures makes their enzyme systems ideal for various biotechnological applications. Based on the proteolytic and amylolytic activities, two thermophilic bacteria were isolated from hot springs in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The antibiotic and heavy metals susceptibility patterns of the bacterial isolates were performed. According to the metabolic fingerprint, the bacterial isolates were identified as Brevibacterium linens and Bacillus subtilis. Moreover, the impact of temperature, substrate concentration, and some metal ions on the production of proteases and amylases from the bacterial strains was investigated. The maximum protease production was achieved at 50°C while the greatest amylase production was recorded at 30°C for both strains at a constant pH of 7.5. The highest enzyme production was recorded at 5% skimmed milk for protease of B. linens and 10% for B. subtilis while 0.6% starch was the optimum substrate concentration of amylase production of the two strains. Furthermore, Ca2+ showed a simulative influence on protease production from the two strains whereas Mg2+ and Mn2+ demonstrated minor effect. On the other hand, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Mn2+ demonstrated a positive effect on the amylase production from both strains

GC-MS analysis and antibacterial activities of some plants belonging to the genus Euphorbia on selected bacterial isolates

Plant extracts have always been used as an alternative source of antimicrobial compounds. The recent spread of multi-drug-resistant bacteria and their increased treatment costs necessitated the study of alternative, cheap sources. The family Euphorbiaceae has over 300 genera and is widely used in traditional medicine. Euphorbia triaculeata, E. fractiflexa, and E. inarticulata were selected to study the antibacterial activity of the methanolic extract against 13 Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus strains (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus) and 2 Gram-negative isolates, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, by the Kirby Bauer Disc diffusion test. Paper discs with different concentrations of the extracts (100, 50, and 25 µg mL−1) were prepared, along with the methanol control and standard antibiotic control. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was done to study the phytochemical components present in the plant methanolic extracts. A total of 50 different phytochemical compounds with antibacterial activity were detected by GC/MS analysis of the plants. Twenty-five compounds were detected in E. inarticulata, 24 in E. triaculeata, and 21 in E. fractiflexa. Out of 37 compounds found in E. inarticulata and E. triaculeata, 12 (32.43%) were common to both. Eleven (22%) compounds were unique to E. inarticulata, while 9 (18%) compounds were unique to E. triaculeata, and 13 (26%) compounds were unique to E. fractiflexa. E. fractiflexa showed the best antibacterial activity against MRSA and Gram-negative bacteria. It also showed higher unique compounds with antibacterial activity (26%), followed by E. inarticulata (11, 22%). This is the first GC/MS analysis and antimicrobial activity report of E. triaculeata and E. fractiflexa

Monodispersed NiO Nanoparticles into SBA-15: An Efficient Nanocatalyst to Produce Ketone-Alcohol (KA) Oil by the Oxidation of Cyclohexane in Mild Conditions

A simple and efficient approach to preparing highly efficient and reusable NiO@SBA-15 nanocatalysts for the oxidation of cyclohexane to produce ketone-alcohol (KA) oil was reported. These nanocatalysts were prepared by the dispersion of NiO NPs into SBA-15 using a coordination-assisted grafting method. In this approach, four commercially available nickel salts were immobilized into amino-functionalized SBA-15. After washing and calcination, four new nanocatalysts were obtained. The high dispersion of NiO NPs into SBA-15 was confirmed by HR-TEM and XRD. Different oxidants such as O2, H2O2, t-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP), and meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) were evaluated. However, m-CPBA exhibited the highest catalytic activity. Compared to different catalysts reported in the literature, for the first time, 75–99% of cyclohexane was converted to KA oil over NiO@SBA-15. In addition, the cyclohexane conversion and K/A ratio were affected by the reaction time, catalyst dose, Ni content, and NiO dispersion. Moreover, NiO@SBA-15 maintained a high catalytic activity during five successive cycles

Ameliorative Effect of Micro-Algal and Medicinal Plants on Some Biochemical Properties of Bean Plants under Salinity Stress

This study was conducted to examine the ameliorative effects of foliar application of some micro-algal (Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis) and some medicinal plant leaves (Salix alba, Psidium guajava, and Olea europaea) extracts on Phaseolus vulgaris (Bean) under salinity stress. On a loamy soil, a pots trial was carried out on bean plants grown under salinity stress. Growth characteristics, pigments, osmolytes, total phenol, and antioxidant enzyme contents were determined. S. platensis extract application showed the greatest improvement in shoot length and fresh weight of shoot, which rose 23.5% and 65.1%, respectively compared to the control. The utilized bio-stimulants, particularly S. platensis extracts, remarkably increased the chlorophyll content compared to the control under salinity stress. The photosynthetic pigment, soluble sugars, and soluble protein levels were strengthened by foliar application of bio-stimulant extract. Proline and antioxidant enzyme levels are significantly reduced using algal and plant extracts treatment. These findings support the treatment's increased contribution to reducing salt stress and their detrimental effects on bean plants.The findings of this study indicate that the use of these biostimulants, especially S. alba, P. guajava, and O. europaea leaf extracts can be considered as an unconventional, ecofriendly, and novel tool in the mitigation of salinity stress

Screening of Bioactive Compounds from Endophytic Marine-Derived Fungi in Saudi Arabia: Antimicrobial and Anticancer Potential

Nowadays, endophytic fungi represent a rich source of biological active compounds. In the current study, twelve endophytic fungal species were isolated from Avicennia marina leaves. From the isolates, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium rubens and Alternaria alternata recorded the highest isolation frequency (80%), relative density (12.5%) and antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial and anticancer activities of P. rubens were more effective than those of A. niger and A. alternata; therefore, its identification was confirmed via the ITS rRNA gene. Filtrate extracts of P. rubens, A. alternata and A. niger were analyzed using GC-MS and showed different detected constituents, such as acetic acid ethyl ester, N-(4,6-Dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)-4-(4-nitrobenzylideneamino) benzenesulfonamide, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid. Filtrate extract of P. rubens exhibited the presence of more compounds than A. alternata and A. niger. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus&nbsp;aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus were more inhibited by P. rubens extract than A. alternata or A. niger, with inhibition zones of 27.2 mm, 22.21 mm, 26.26 mm, 27.33 mm, 28.25 mm and 8.5 mm, respectively. We observed negligible cytotoxicity of P. rubens extract against normal cells of human lung fibroblasts (WI-38 cell line), unlike A. alternata and A. niger extracts. Proliferation of prostate cancer (PC-3) was inhibited using P. rubens extract, exhibiting mortality levels of 75.91% and 76.2% at 200 &micro;g/mL and 400 &micro;g/mL of the extract. Molecular docking studies against the crystal structures of C. albicans (6TZ6) and the cryo-EM structure of B. subtilis (7CKQ) showed significant interactions with benzenedicarboxylic acid and N-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)-4-(4-nitrobenzylideneamino) benzenesulfonamide as a constituent of P. rubens extract. N-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)-4-(4-nitrobenzylideneamino) benzenesulfonamide had the highest scores of &minus;6.04905 kcal/mol and &minus;6.590 kcal/mol towards (6tz6) and (7CKQ), respectively

Green biosynthesis of bimetallic ZnO@AuNPs with its formulation into cellulose derivative: biological and environmental applications

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) formulation in biopolymers is an attractive process for the researcher to decrease the disadvantages of NPs application alone. Bimetallic NPs are a promising formula of two NPs that usually act as synergetic phenomena. Zinc oxide and gold NPs (ZnO@AuNPs) biosynthesis as a bimetallic was prepared via the eco-friendly manner currently. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was employed for the formulation of ZnO@AuNPs as a nanocomposite via a green method. Physicochemical and topographical characterization was assigned to ZnO@AuNPs and nanocomposite features. The nanostructure of bimetallic NPs and nanocomposite were affirmed with sizes around 15 and 25 nm, respectively. Indeed, the DLS measurements affirmed the more reasonable size and stability of the prepared samples as 27 and 93 nm for bimetallic NPs and nanocomposite, respectively. The inhibitory potential of nanocomposite was more than ZnO@AuNPs against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Enterococcus faecalis, Mucor albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Mucor circinelloid. ZnO@AuNPs and nanocomposite exhibited antioxidant activity via DPPH with IC50 of 71.38 and 32.4 µg/mL, correspondingly. Excellent anti-diabetic potential of nanocomposite with IC50 of 7.4 µg/mL, and ZnO@AuNPs with IC50 of 9.7 µg/mL was reported compared with the standard acarbose with the IC50 of 50.93 µg/mL for amylase inhibition (%). Photocatalytic degradation of RR195 and RB dyes was performed by ZnO@AuNPs and nanocomposite, where maximum degradation was 85.7 ± 1.53 and 88.7 ± 0.58%, respectively using ZnO@AuNPs, 90.3 ± 0.28 and 91.8 ± 0.27%, respectively using nanocomposite at 100 min. Graphical Abstrac

Molecular Docking and Efficacy of Aloe vera Gel Based on Chitosan Nanoparticles against Helicobacter pylori and Its Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

The medicinal administration of Aloe vera gel has become promising in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications particularly with the development of the nanotechnology concept. Nowadays, effective H. pylori treatment is a global problem; therefore, the development of natural products with nanopolymers such as chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) could represent a novel strategy for the treatment of gastric infection of H. pylori. HPLC analysis of A. vera gel indicated the presence of chlorogenic acid as the main constituent (1637.09 &micro;g/mL) with other compounds pyrocatechol (1637.09 &micro;g/mL), catechin (1552.92 &micro;g/mL), naringenin (528.78 &micro;g/mL), rutin (194.39 &micro;g/mL), quercetin (295.25 &micro;g/mL), and cinnamic acid (37.50 &micro;g/mL). CSNPs and A. vera gel incorporated with CSNPs were examined via TEM, indicating mean sizes of 83.46 nm and 36.54 nm, respectively. FTIR spectra showed various and different functional groups in CSNPs, A. vera gel, and A. vera gel incorporated with CSNPs. Two strains of H. pylori were inhibited using A. vera gel with inhibition zones of 16 and 16.5 mm, while A. vera gel incorporated with CSNPs exhibited the highest inhibition zones of 28 and 30 nm with resistant and sensitive strains, respectively. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 15.62 and 3.9 &micro;g/mL, while the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 15.60 and 7.8 &micro;g/mL with MBC/MIC 1 and 2 indexes using A. vera gel and A. vera gel incorporated with CSNPs, respectively, against the resistance strain. DPPH Scavenging (%) of the antioxidant activity exhibited an IC50 of 138.82 &mu;g/mL using A.vera gel extract, and 81.7 &mu;g/mL when A.vera gel was incorporated with CSNPs. A.vera gel incorporated with CSNPs enhanced the hemolysis inhibition (%) compared to using A.vera gel alone. Molecular docking studies through the interaction of chlorogenic acid and pyrocatechol as the main components of A. vera gel and CSNPs with the crystal structure of the H. pylori (4HI0) protein supported the results of anti-H. pylori activity