Effect of Spirulina platensis extract on growth potential of in vitro culture pear

Pears are among the most economically important fruits in the world that are grown in all temperate zones. ‘Le-Cont’ rootstock pear is one of the gene sources used to improve fruit productivity, rootstock resistance, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Traditional propagation of pear. Pear is time-consuming and limited by a short growing season and hard winter conditions. Therefore, in vitro propagation is a suitable alternative method. Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) and spirulina platensis extract at 5,10 and 20 % supplemented with different concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l) of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and kinetin (Kin), individually or in combination with them. Treatments were used for in vitro shoot proliferation. Nodal segments were used as explants. MS medium augmented was 3mg/l 6-benzyladenine (BA) plus 20 % Spirulina platensis extraction then used for shootlets proliferation of micro-shoots. A combination of 3 mg/l BA and 20 % Spirulina platensis as a growth media resulted in a significant improvement in shoot proliferation. This combination produced the highest number of shoots (2.8 per explant) and leaves (6.3 per explant) similar with those containing MS media plus 20% extraction (2.9 per explant) and leaves (6.8 per explant). The longest shoots (2.97 cm) were obtained in each previous treatment. However, these shoots were similar with those produced from classical multiplication by MS according to ISSR analysis which scored 89.1 % of mono morphism percentage and 10.1 % polymorphism. The ISSR analysis shows the highest similarity index percentage for P5-P9 0.986301

Wound healing and antioxidant properties of <i>Launaea procumbens</i> supported by metabolomic profiling and molecular docking

Wounds adversely affect people’s quality of life and have psychological, social, and economic impacts. Herbal remedies of Launaea procumbens (LP) are used to treat wounds. In an excision wound model, topical application of LP significantly promoted wound closure (on day 14, LP-treated animals had the highest percentages of wound closure in comparison with the other groups, as the wound was entirely closed with a closure percentage of 100%, p < 0.05). Histological analysis revealed a considerable rise in the number of fibroblasts, the amount of collagen, and its cross-linking in LP-treated wounds. Gene expression patterns showed significant elevation of TGF-β levels (2.1-fold change after 7 days treatment and 2.7-fold change in 14 days treatment) and downregulation of the inflammatory TNF-α and IL-1β levels in LP-treated wounds. Regarding in vitro antioxidant activity, LP extract significantly diminished the formation of H(2)O(2) radical (IC(50) = 171.6 μg/mL) and scavenged the superoxide radical (IC(50) of 286.7 µg/mL), indicating antioxidant potential in a dose-dependent manner. Dereplication of the secondary metabolites using LC-HRMS resulted in the annotation of 16 metabolites. The identified compounds were docked against important wound-healing targets, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), collagen α-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Among dereplicated compounds, luteolin 8-C-glucoside (orientin) demonstrated binding potential to four investigated targets (VEGF, interleukin 1β, TNF-α, and collagen α-1). To conclude, Launaea procumbens extract could be regarded as a promising topical therapy to promote wound healing in excisional wounds, and luteolin 8-C-glucoside (orientin), one of its constituents, is a potential wound-healing drug lead

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Effect of

Pears are among the most economically important fruits in the world that are grown in all temperate zones. ‘Le-Cont’ rootstock pear is one of the gene sources used to improve fruit productivity, rootstock resistance, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Traditional propagation of pear. Pear is time-consuming and limited by a short growing season and hard winter conditions. Therefore, in vitro propagation is a suitable alternative method. Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) and spirulina platensis extract at 5,10 and 20 % supplemented with different concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l) of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and kinetin (Kin), individually or in combination with them. Treatments were used for in vitro shoot proliferation. Nodal segments were used as explants. MS medium augmented was 3mg/l 6-benzyladenine (BA) plus 20 % Spirulina platensis extraction then used for shootlets proliferation of micro-shoots. A combination of 3 mg/l BA and 20 % Spirulina platensis as a growth media resulted in a significant improvement in shoot proliferation. This combination produced the highest number of shoots (2.8 per explant) and leaves (6.3 per explant) similar with those containing MS media plus 20% extraction (2.9 per explant) and leaves (6.8 per explant). The longest shoots (2.97 cm) were obtained in each previous treatment. However, these shoots were similar with those produced from classical multiplication by MS according to ISSR analysis which scored 89.1 % of mono morphism percentage and 10.1 % polymorphism. The ISSR analysis shows the highest similarity index percentage for P5-P9 0.986301

On the Stability of Convection in a Non-Newtonian Vertical Fluid Layer in the Presence of Gold Nanoparticles: Drug Agent for Thermotherapy

We consider the effect of gold nanoparticles on the stability properties of convection in a vertical fluid layer saturated by a Jeffreys fluid. The vertical boundaries are rigid and hold at uniform but different temperatures. Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis effects are considered. Due to numerous applications in the biomedical industry, such a study is essential. The linear stability is investigated through the normal mode disturbances. The resulting stability problem is an eighth-order ordinary differential complex eigenvalue problem that is solved numerically using the Chebyshev collection method. Its solution provides the neutral stability curves, defining the threshold of linear instability, and the critical parameters at the onset of instability are determined for various values of control parameters. The results for Newtonian fluid and second-grade fluid are delineated as particular cases from the present study. It is shown that the Newtonian fluid has a more stabilizing effect than the second-grade and the Jeffreys fluids in the presence of gold nanoparticles and, Jeffreys fluid is the least stable

Novel Antiviral and Antibacterial Durable Polyester Fabrics Printed with Selenium Nanoparticles (SeNPs)

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown the importance of developing advanced protective equipment, and new antiviral fabrics for the protection and prevention of life-threatening viral diseases are needed. In this study, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were combined with polyester fabrics using printing technique to obtain multifunctional properties, including combined antiviral and antibacterial activities as well as coloring. The properties of the printed polyester fabrics with SeNPs were estimated, including tensile strength and color fastness. Characterization of the SeNPs was carried out using TEM and SEM. The results of the analysis showed good uniformity and stability of the particles with sizes range from 40&ndash;60 nm and 40&ndash;80 nm for SeNPs 25 mM and 50 mM, respectively, as well as uniform coating of the SeNPs on the fabric. In addition, the SeNPs&mdash;printed polyester fabric exhibited high disinfection activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an inhibition percentage of 87.5%. Moreover, a toxicity test of the resulting printed fabric revealed low cytotoxicity against the HFB4 cell line. In contrast, the treated fabric under study showed excellent killing potentiality against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Escherichia coli). This multifunctional fabric has high potential for use in protective clothing applications by providing passive and active protection pathways

Photosensitization of TiO2 microspheres by novel Quinazoline-derivative as visible-light-harvesting antenna for enhanced Rhodamine B photodegradation

Abstract Water pollution is one of the global threats severely affecting our planet and human health. Organic textile dyes are one of the common organic water pollutants that are presentient to degradation by traditional physical methods. Semiconductor-assisted photocatalysis is considered a green, efficient, and sustainable technology for wastewater treatment. To maximize the efficient utilization of solar radiation, it is of pivotal significance to explore novel organic molecules to be employed as efficient dye sensitizers for wide-bandgap semiconductors to extend their performance to the Visible-light region. Hence, in this work, we are proposing the design and synthesis of novel structures of QAD molecule as a dye photosensitizer with extended visible light absorptivity due to the extended π–π/n–π conjugations, to promote the performance of TiO2 nanoparticles to the visible-light region and enhance the charge separation. The physicochemical characterizations confirmed the successful synthesis of QAD, TiO2, and QAD/TiO2 samples with the proposed structures. The anchoring of QAD molecules on the surface of TiO2 caused a substantial improvement in the optical characteristics of TiO2 as well as overcoming its common drawbacks by decreasing its bandgap energy to 2.6 eV, a remarkable reduction of PL intensity indicating reducing the e–h recombination and enhancing the charge separation, and creation of efficient visible light-harvesting antenna in the range of 400–600 nm. Besides, the QAD/TiO2 sample achieved a 3-fold enhancement in the observed rate constant of the photodegradation of Rhodamine B dye compared to the bare TiO2. The parameters affecting the photodegradation process were optimized and the sample displayed outstanding stability after 4 consecutive cycles. Finally, the effect of the scavengers was investigated and $${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{\cdot -}$$ O 2 · - was proposed to be the most reactive species and the mechanism of the enhancement was suggested based on the electron injection from the QAD’s HOMO level to the TiO2’s CB. Finally, this work opens the door for various studies for the investigation of the proposed structures or similar structures in various photocatalytic/biomedical applications

Moringa extract reverses pilocarpine-induced hippocampal sclerosis in rats with temporal lobe epilepsy

The horseradish tree “Moringa oleifera” is the most nutritious terrestrial plant around the globe. Although native to India, its fast growth and drought resistance ability enabled the plant to be cultivated worldwide. In the current study, we report on the isolation of a new phenolic methyl ester namely moringinine A (1) along with four other known compounds viz. caffeic acid (2), ferulic acid (3), 4-hydroxybenzonitrile (4), and 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid (5) from Moringa seeds. The later compound was first to be isolated from family Moringaceae. Compounds identification was guided by interplay of NMR and HR-ESI-MS analysis. Anti-epileptic studies conducted in vivo showed that the extract attenuates convulsions by suppressing stress–induced pro-inflammatory markers TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-ɣ whereas upregulating the anti-inflammatory markers TGF-β and IL-10 in the hippocampal tissues of epileptic rats. The isolated compounds were subjected to computational studies through docking on lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), where all showed binding modes and interaction energies comparable to those of the reference drug diazepam. ADME investigation revealed good pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties. These results show that Moringa oleifera seeds could potentially be used as adjuvant in the management of epilepsy