Catalase can decompose hydrogen peroxide in plants under controlled and stressed condi-tions. In a stressed environment, the increase in hydrogen peroxide production makes catalase activity a major defense system for plant growth. The current study was conducted to evaluate the catalase activity of pre-isolated and identified bacterial strains Bacillus aryabhattai (AN30), Bacillus megaterium (AN24), Bacillus megaterium (AN31) and Bacillus megaterium (AN35) and their potential for rice seedlings growth promotion. These strains were characterized for quantita-tive catalase, urease, siderophores, and exopolysaccharides production using LB media. Sub-sequently, the effectiveness of these strains was checked by quantifying the catalase activity in the rhizosphere of rice seedlings. Furthermore, the catalase activity was quantified in the roots and shoots of rice seedlings. Plant growth parameters were also studied in a growth room trial. The strain AN24 showed the maximum catalase activity (1.36 mol cm-1), urease ac-tivity (1.35 mol cm 1), exopolysaccharides (4.20 µg mL-1), and siderophores (2.32%) production in LB media. All tested strains showed significantly higher catalase activity in soil compared to control. Among sole application, strain AN24 showed better results; however, consortium application of strains AN24+AN30+AN35+AN31 showed the maximum increase in catalase ac-tivity in the rhizosphere of rice seedlings. Moreover, consortium application of AN24+AN30+AN31+AN35 resulted in the highest increase in catalase activity, dry biomass of shoots and roots, shoot and root length of rice seedlings. The results showed that a consortium of these Bacillus strains with catalase activity has greater potential to enhance an antioxidant defense system and growth promotion of rice seedlings. However, further experimentation under natural conditions is required before using these strains as potential bioinoculants for improving the rice growth and yield.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) poses public health challenges, and this has led to a continuous search for effective novel antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to isolate marine actinomycetes from South Africa, evaluate their in vitro antimicrobial activity against Listeria and STEC, and characterize their mechanisms of action. Marine actinoymcetes were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the chemical constituents of bioactive actinomycetes secondary metabolites. Antibacterial activity of the secondary metabolites was assessed by the broth microdilution method and their mode of actions were predicted using computational docking. While five strains showed antibacterial activity during primary screening, only Nocardiopsis dassonvillei strain SOD(B)ST2SA2 exhibited activity during secondary screening for antibacterial activity. GC-MS identified five major bioactive compounds: 1-octadecene, diethyl phthalate, pentadecanoic acid, 6-octadecenoic acid, and tri-fluoroacetoxy hexadecane. SOD(B)ST2SA2`s extract demonstrated the minimum inhibitory con-centration and minimum bactericidal concentration ranging from 0.78–25 mg/ml and 3.13 to > 25 mg/ml, respectively. Diethyl phthalate displayed the lowest bacterial protein binding energies (kcal/mol): −7.2, dihydrofolate reductase; −6.0, DNA gyrase B, and −5.8, D-alanine:D-alanine lig-ase. Thus, marine N. dassonvillei SOD(B)ST2SA2 is a potentially good source of antibacterial compounds that can be used to control STEC and Listeria monocytogenes.

In this study, considering the peroxidase-like activity of the SiO₂@AuNPs nanocomposite, their biochemical properties including, pH stability, cycling stability, shelf stability, and kinetic parameters were investigated. The results revealed that the as-mentioned SiO₂@AuNPs nanocomposite reveal its maximal activity at pH=4.0 along with saving 83.3% of its maximal activity at pH=5.0. Besides, the reusability and shelf-storage studies exhibited that the SiO₂@AuNPs nanocomposite retained 90% and 100% of its initial activity after 5 operational cycles and 30 days of storage, in order. The kinetic parameters of the as-prepared nanozymes were calculated using Menten kinetic model, revealing a V_max of 1.35 µM min^-1 and a K_m as low as 0.06 mM for the SiO₂@AuNPs nanocomposite. Based on the results of this work, the as-prepared SiO₂@AuNPs nanocomposite with intrinsic peroxidase-like activity shows high substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency along with excellent cycling- and shelf-stability, making them suitable for application in peroxidase-mediated reactions instead of the native enzyme.

The current study is to examine the disparities in physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and stress levels in Korean adolescents concerning changes in their perception of family socio-economic status (SES) during COVID-19. Among a total of 6144 Korean adolescents aged 12 to 18, the participants were categorized into two groups based on their responses regarding changes in their family SES during COVID-19: Lower SES (n = 3072) and Non-changed SES (n = 3072), with matching in terms of age, gender, and BMI. All variables were assessed using the 16th year (2020) of the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 version, employing independent t-tests to examine anthropometrics’ differences and multinominal logistic regression to predict the impact of perception of family SES on PA, SB, and stress while comparing the two groups. The significance level was set at α = 0.05. Adolescents in the Lower SES group were less likely to engage in vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) and muscular strength activities compared to those in the Non-changed SES group (p < 0.001) and were 2.3 times more likely to experience a very-severe stress level than the Non-changed SES group (p < 0.001). These results shed light on the importance of promoting VPA and muscular strength activities in adolescents for their physical and mental well-being, particularly during potential future pandemics. Understanding the impact of perceived SES changes on health behaviors can inform targeted interventions and support strategies to improve the health outcomes of adolescents during challenging times.

Coffee is not only a delicious beverage but also an important dietary source of natural antioxidants. We live in an oxidative world where it is impossible to avoid pollution, stress, food additives, radiation, and other sources of oxidants that eventually lead to severe health disorders. Fortunately, there are chemicals in our diet that counteract the hazards posed by the reactive species that trigger oxidative stress. They are usually referred to as antioxidants; some of them can be versatile compounds that exert such a role in various ways. This review summarizes, from a chemical point of view, the antioxidant effects of relevant molecules found in coffee. Their ways of action and trends in activity are analyzed, considering the data gathered so far from both theory and experiments. The influence of the media and pH in aqueous solution, and structure-activity relationships are discussed. The protective role of the explored compounds is examined. A particular section is devoted to derivatives of some coffee components, and another one to their bioactivity. The data used in the analysis come from theoretical anc computational protocols, which have been proven to be very usefull in this context. Hopefully, the information provided here will promote further investigations into the amazing chemistry contained in our morning cup.

Coffee is not only a delicious beverage but also an important dietary source of natural antioxidants. We live in an oxidative world where it is impossible to avoid pollution, stress, food additives, radiation, and other sources of oxidants that eventually lead to severe health disorders. Fortunately, there are chemicals in our diet that counteract the hazards posed by the reactive species that trigger oxidative stress. They are usually referred to as antioxidants; some of them can be versatile compounds that exert such a role in various ways. This review summarizes, from a chemical point of view, the antioxidant effects of relevant molecules found in coffee. Their ways of action and trends in activity are analyzed, considering the data gathered so far from both theory and experiments. The influence of the media and pH in aqueous solution, and structure-activity relationships are discussed. The protective role of the explored compounds is examined. A particular section is devoted to derivatives of some coffee components, and another one to their bioactivity. Hopefully, the information provided here will promote further investigations into the amazing chemistry contained in our morning cup.

Environmental psychology plays an important role in the overall development of human mental health. Student activism and health concerns also arose about the human health costs associated with a healthy built environment. This research focuses on recent design "trends", active design, and their relationship to environmental psychology and campus health. This study investigates how an active design approach can improve the environmental psychology of universities to achieve a healthy campus for students to be healthy. The total student participants are 428, 176 male (41.2%) and 251 female (58.8%), from ten university campuses. The methodology is a questionnaire survey including an active design approach based on physical activity categories with SPSS analyses. The results of this study revealed that only 19.7% of students were active on campus, 74.6% active off campus, and 5.7% active on and off campus. Students are more interested in social activity than in mental and physical activity. In addition, the ob-stacles to students' physical inactivity are lack of time, opportunities on campus and the psychological feeling of anxiety, depression and tension due to social activity and work performance in universities. In conclusion, a model is designed to demonstrate the relationship between environmental psychology and active design variables

In this contribution, unmodified silver nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized for their size and morphological properties. Thereafter, their peroxidase-like activity as the common catalytic property of silver nanoparticles was investigated by catalyzing the oxidation of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethyl-benzidine (TMB) as peroxidase substrate, exhibiting, a specific activity as high as 5.4 µM min^-1 for the as-prepared unmodified silver nanoparticles. The stability of the catalytic activity of the as-prepared nanozymes was also checked upon their storage at ambient temperature within 7 days at different storage conditions. The results revealed that the peroxidase-like activity of unmodified silver nanoparticles was approximately retained at about 75%, and 63% after 7 days exposing daylight and air oxygen, in order. The shelf-life (storage stability) of the as-prepared nanozymes was also investigated at usual storage conditions (i.e., 4 ℃ under dark), revealed that the nanozymes saved their activity about 96% of their initial activity after 10 days of storage at 4 ℃ under dark conditions.

The response of boreal vegetation to global warming has shown a weakening trend over the last three decades. However, in previous studies, models of vegetation activity responses to temperature change have often only considered changes in mean daily temperature (Tmean), with the diurnal temperature range (DTR) being neglected. The goal of this study is to evaluate the temporal trends of the relationships between two temperature factors (Tmean and DTR) and vegetation activity across the boreal regions on both annual and seasonal timescales, by simultaneously employing satellite and climate datasets. We found that the interannual partial correlation between growing season (GS) NDVI and Tmean (RNDVI−Tmean) showed a significant decreasing trend over the last 34 years. At the seasonal scale, RNDVI−Tmean shows a significant upward trend in the spring, while in the summer and autumn, RNDVI−Tmean exhibits a significant downward trend. The temporal trend characteristics of the partial correlation between NDVI and DTR (RNDVI−DTR), at both the GS and seasonal scales, are fully consistent with RNDVI−Tmean. The area with a significant decrease in GS RNDVI−Tmean and RNDVI−DTR accounted for approximately 44.40% and 41.21% of the boreal region with the 17-year moving window, respectively. In stark contrast, the area exhibiting a significant increasing trend in GS RNDVI−Tmean and RNDVI−DTR accounted for only approximately 14.65% and 13.59% of the boreal region with the 17-year moving window, respectively. With respect to the seasonal patterns of RNDVI−Tmean and RNDVI−DTR, the area with a significant upward trend in spring was greater than that with a significant downward trend. Nevertheless, more areas had a significant downward trend of RNDVI−Tmean and RNDVI−DTR in summer and autumn than had a significant upward trend. Overall, our research reveals a weakening trend in the impact of temperature on vegetation activity in the boreal regions, and contributes to a deeper understanding of the vegetation response to global warming.

In the current study, the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of this fermented wheat Hamoun were described in detail, as well as the soil properties where this type of wheat was stored. The results showed that the Hamoum had concentrations of the lactic acid of 0.25 g ± 0.03 for the Simeto variety (nine years of storage), as well as 0.13 g ± 0.02 and 0.17 g±0.06 for the Ofanto variety following three and six months, respectively, of storage. The water content varied between 8.3 - 9.7 % for grain and between 10.8- 11.5 % for flour. The ash content of grain and flour of 1.43 ± 0.02 and 1.63 ± 0.26, respectively, was above the normal standards. According to these results, fermented wheat is appropriate for human consumption. The results also showed that the soil where the wheat was stored comprised mainly clay and had an alkaline pH of 8.2. The isolation and identification of fermentable germs showed the presence of lactic acid bacteria belonging to the genera Lactobacillus (59 %), Pediococcus (18 %), Leuconostoc (17 %), and Streptococcus (6 %). The antibacterial activities of isolated acid bacteria against pathogenic germs Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027), Bacillus cereus (ATCC 14579), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300) reflected the presence of strong antibacterial activity, with 62.5 % positive interactions and 100 % pathogenic bacteria inhibited by Lactobacillus.

Methyl Salicylate (MS), the principal constituent of Wintergreen oil (WO) was obtained from acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) by sequential transesterification-esterification reaction promoted by NbCl5for the first time. The reagents were added simultaneously, and the reaction process involved the transesterification and esterification reactions, which were accompanied by thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The conversion rate via GC was 100%, and the MS yield was 94%. A cytotoxicity of 50% and 64% for cultured S. aureus and metastatic melanoma cells, respectively, was observed for a concentration of 0.6 mg/mL, whereas no cytotoxicity for non-tumor cells was observed for this concentration, and it is considered to be the optimum concentration.

The liver performs a fundamental role in the regulation of diverse physiological processes. Despite enormous advances in modern medicine, there are no completely effective drugs that stimulate hepatic function, offer complete protection to the organ, or aid in regenerating hepatic cells. Thus, it is necessary to identify alternative plant-origin pharmaceuticals more effective and less toxic for the treatment of hepatic diseases. The aim of this research was to establish the chemical composition of the American cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus) leaves extract and its aminoacids preparations as well as their hepatoprotective activity. 19 phenolic compounds (8 flavonoids (flavones and flavonols), 4 anthocyanins, 2 catechins, and 3 hydroxycinnamic acids) and main amino acids (valine, arginine, glycine, histidine, aspartic acid, and taurine) were identified and quantified in the American cranberry (O. macrocarpus) leaves extract and its 7 aminoacids preparations. The therapeutic and prophylactic consumption of the American cranberry leaves extracts led to a decrease in the intensity of the lipid peroxidation process compared to the control pathology group in the experiment of acute toxic damage to the liver by tetrachloromethane on rats. The most pronounced hepatoprotective activity was established for the American cranberry leaves extracts’ preparations with arginine and valine.

From the merge of arts and crafts towards a practice for mass production of desirability, consumption and product development in a capitalist economy of scale, design has lost its natural ability of problem comprehension and tension alleviation. The modern world needs the creativity, flexibility, and responsiveness embedded into design practices, mostly when a behavioural change, either individual or organizational, is intended. Still, the informality nature of the field is creating a gap between the study, research, and industrial design practice. Here it is presented the Biology of Creativity Model (BoC) which is a design-by-analogy method that promotes an empowered design practice through analysis of mostly biology reference texts for enhanced creativity and innovation performance in a diverse array of contexts.

Cyber-physical security is vital for protecting key computing infrastructure against cyber attacks. Individuals, corporations, and society can all suffer considerable digital asset losses due to cyber attacks, including Data loss, theft, financial loss, reputation harm, company interruption, infrastructure damage, ransomware attacks, and espionage. A cyber-physical attack harms both digital and physical assets. Cyber-physical system security is more challenging than software-level cyber security because it requires physical inspection and monitoring. This paper proposes an innovative and effective algorithm to strengthen Cyber-Physical Security (CPS) with minimal human intervention. It is a Human Activity Recognition (HAR)-based approach where a GoogleNet-BiLSTM network hybridization has been used to recognize suspicious activities in cyber-physical infrastructure perimeter. The proposed HAR-CPS algorithm classifies suspicious activities from real-time video surveillance with an average accuracy of 73.15%. It incorporates Machine Vision at the IoT Edge (Mez) technology to make the system latency tolerant. Dual-layer security has been ensured by operating the proposed algorithm and GoogleNet-BiLSTM hybrid network from a cloud server, which ensures the security of the proposed security system. The innovative optimization scheme makes it possible to strengthen cyber-physical security with $4.29 per month only.

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. Our objectives were to evaluate human studies addressing dietary intake/nutritional status, and the quantity/types of physical activity related to OSA. The search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted to examine relevant articles published from inception to the end of December 2022, utilizing the MeSH strings in the search strategy. Only studies published in English and conducted in humans (≥18 years) without chronic conditions (cancers, kidney/liver disease) or pregnancy, were used. Book chapters, abstracts-only, and studies in which participants did not have all three body composition components measured to identify OSA, or when body composition components could not be related to the independent/exposure variables were excluded. A total of n = 1020 articles were retrieved from all three databases and eight more from the reference lists. After exclusion of duplicates and other unsuitable articles, n = 23 studies were evaluated. Among those, eleven were from epidemiological or cross-sectional studies relating nutrients/dietary intake or nutritional status with OSA. Another four examined the relationship between serum biomarkers (vitamin D and ferritin) with OSA, while eight articles presented the results of the interventional studies with resistance training. Overall, higher protein, calcium, potassium, and vitamins D and C intakes emerged as nutrients positively modifying OSA, along with diet higher in fruits and low-fat dairy foods. Higher serum vitamin D and ferritin were respectively positively and negatively related to OSA. Resistance training was a safe intervention yielding several beneficial outcomes for the OSA syndrome in older women.

This article aims to systematically review the available evidence concerning the relationship between basal metabolism (BM), body composition (BC), and physical activity (PA) with central obesity. The search strategy was carried out using Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and SciELO following the PRISMA guidelines. The STROBE checklist and the Jadad scale for quality assessment were also used. A total of 1382 studies were initially identified being 25 publications eligible for systematic data extraction. Individual studies showed that adults with waist circumference (WC) above 88 cm in women and above 102 in men had a higher risk of metabolic alterations related to high absolute energy expenditure and less maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Participants with central obesity presented a high percentage of body fat (BF%) between 30.6% and 41.6%. Most of the PA intervention studies reported reductions in WC between 1.3 and 5.8 cm. In conclusion, there is a direct relationship between the components of BM with central obesity and a direct association between central obesity and BF%. PA is a protective factor that needs to be promoted to reduce WC and control central obesity as a public health problem. PROSPERO ID registration: CRD42021232917.

This study explored the development of neuromuscular fatigue responses during progressive cycling exercise. The sample comprised 32 participants aged 22.0 ± 0.54 years who were assigned into three groups: endurance-trained group (END, triathletes, n = 10), strength-trained group (STR, body-builders, n = 10), and control group (CON, recreationally active students, n = 12). The incremental cycling exercise was performed using a progressive protocol starting with a 3 min resting measurement and then 50 W workload with subsequent constant increments of 50 W every 3 minutes until 200 W. Surface electromyography (SEMG) of rectus femoris muscles was recorded during the final 30 s of each of the four workloads. During the final 15 s of each workload, participants rated their overall perception of effort using the 20-point RPE scale. Post-hoc Tukey’s HSD testing showed significant differences between END and STR groups in MF and MPF across all workloads (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Athletes from END group had significantly lower AEMG responses than those from STR (p = 0.0093) and CON group (p = 0.0006). Increasing RPE points from 50 to 200 W were significantly higher in STR than in END group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, there is a significant variation in neuromuscular fatigue profiles between athletes with different training backgrounds when a cycling exercise is applied. The approximately linear trend of the SEMG and RPE values of both groups of athletes with increasing workload support the increased skeletal muscle recruitment with perceived exertion or fatiguing effect.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia affecting children under the age of 15 years old in Malaysia. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for cancer, which involves the intake of chemotherapeutic drugs to kill cancer cells. Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of ALL. Although dexamethasone is highly effective, it is also associated with adverse effects such as bone fractures and organ toxicity. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new anticancer drug which milder side effects and better efficacy. Organometallic compounds such as organotin have a high potential to be developed as an antineoplastic agent and show high specificity towards cancer cells compared to normal cells. This study is done to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of diphenyltin(IV) diisopropyl dithiocarbamate (DPDT) against leukemic cells CCL-119 using the Trypan Blue exclusion (TBE) method at the intervals of 24, 48 and 72 h. Dexamethasone was used as a positive control. The cell’s morphological changes were observed at 12, 24 and 48 h using the IC₅₀ values obtained using TBE assay. Results show that DPDT has a lower IC₅₀ value than dexamethasone against CCL-119 cells at 24 h with a value of 4.16 ± 0.44µM and a selectivity index of 2.02. Dexamethasone exhibited cytotoxic effects against CCL-119 but only IC₂₅ and IC₁₀ values were obtained. Cytotoxicity testing has shown that DPDT is toxic on CCL-119 cells with IC₅₀ values of less than 10µM. Morphological changes in cells show characteristics of apoptosis such as cell shrinkage, blebbing and formation of apoptotic bodies. In conclusion, DPDT has the potential to be made into an antineoplastic agent but requires a more detailed study involving the molecular pathway of DPDT leading to cell death.

In several mammalian species including humans, complex stimulation patterns such as cognitive challenge and physical exercise lead to improvements in organ function, organism health and performance, as well as possibly longer lifespans. The hypothesis is presented here that activity-dependent transcriptional programs, induced by these environmental stimuli, temporarily and lightly de-differentiate somatic cells such as neurons and muscle cells into a state that resembles functionally younger cells to allow cellular remodeling and adaptation of the organism to environmental change. This cellular adaptation program targets several process classes that are heavily implicated in aging, such as mitochondrial metabolism, cell-cell communication, intracellular signaling and epigenetic information processing and leads to functional improvements in these areas. I reverse engineer these activity-dependent gene programs, identify critical molecular nexus points such as CREB, MEF2 and cFos and speculate as to how one might leverage them to prevent and attenuate human aging-related decline of body function, enhance human performance and restore more youthful levels of function and morphology. The findings presented here can serve as a basis for the study and development of effective longevity efforts as the underlying gene programs could be used as markers for treatment success and as targets for therapy development.

Smart devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, etc. are promising platforms that are being used for automatic recognition of human activities. However, it is difficult to accurately monitor complex human activities due to inter-class pattern similarity, which occurs when different human activities exhibit similar signal patterns or characteristics. Current smartphone-based recognition systems depend on the traditional sensors such as accelerometer and gyroscope, which are inbuilt in these devices. Therefore, apart from using information from the traditional sensors, these systems lack contextual information to support automatic activity recognition. In this article, we explore environment contexts such as illumination(light conditions) and noise level to support sensory data obtained from the traditional sensors using a hybrid of Convolutional Neural Networks and Long Short Time Memory(CNN_LSTM) learning models. The models performed sensor fusion by augmenting the low-level sensor signals with rich contextual data to improve recognition and generalisation ability of the proposed solution. Two sets of experiments were performed to validate the proposed solution. The first set of experiments used inertial sensing data whilst the second set of extensive experiments combined inertial signals with contextual information from environment sensing data. Obtained results demonstrate that contextual information such as environment noise level and illumination using hybrid deep learning models achieved better recognition accuracy than the traditional activity recognition models without contextual information.

This review article seeks to provide relevant information about the applicability of cell-based assays in assessing cytotoxicity of phytochemicals in light of several traditional methods available. Phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals are significant resources for drug discovery and development, thus underlining the enormous potentials of plant-derived natural products for the prevention and management of oxidative stress associated with cancer and other diseases. These effects have been linked to the content of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and their antioxidant properties. The abundance and complexity of these bio-constituents highlight the need for well-defined methods for the in vitro characterization and quantification of extracts and/or preparations that can translate to in vivo effects. Cell culture systems provide a useful model for basic research and a wide range of clinical in vitro studies and physiological processes as well as assessing the toxicity and therapeutic potential of compounds including plant extracts with potential medicinal benefits. Their use in cancer research provide a useful insight into possible therapeutic properties of phytochemicals at the cellular level. This approach has been instrumental in the initial stages of developing chemotherapeutic agents where human cancer cell lines are used as experimental models. These models have continued to contribute to elucidating specific requirements for certain biochemical events associated with proliferation, metabolism, loss of cell viability/apoptosis. Cell culture systems remain a promising tool in natural product development.

Physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including the world’s major non-communicable diseases, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers, shortening life expectancy. There are minimal medical care and personal trainers’ methods to monitor a patient’s actual physical activity types. To improve activity monitoring, we propose an artificial-intelligence-based approach to classify the physical movement activity patterns. In more detail, we employ two deep learning (DL) methods, namely a deep feed-forward neural network (DNN) and a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) for this purpose. We evaluate the proposed models on two physical movement datasets collected from several volunteers who carried tri-axial accelerometer sensors. The first dataset is from the UCI machine learning repository, which contains 14 different activities-of-daily-life (ADL) and is collected from 16 volunteers who carried a single wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer. The second dataset includes ten other ADLs and is gathered from 8 volunteers who placed the sensors on their hips. Our experiment results show that the RNN model provides the accuracy performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods in classifying the fundamental movement patterns with an overall accuracy of 84.89% and an overall F1-score of 82.56%. Our results indicate that the proposed method will provide the medical doctors and trainers a promising way to precisely track and understand a patient’s physical activities for better treatment.

Enhance®Fitness (EF) is an evidence-based exercise program recommended for management of osteoarthritis (OA). However, access to EF is limited in rural areas. Accordingly, we evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of remotely delivered EF in rural, community-dwelling older adults with symptomatic knee OA. A single arm pilot trial of remotely delivered EF classes was conducted. Videoconferencing was used to livestream the instructor-led, 1-hour EF classes 3 days/week for 12 weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. A total of 15 participants were enrolled with a median age of 70 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 67-75) and 14 (93%) were women. Median EF class attendance rate was 91% (IQR: 85-94%). Knee pain, as measured by the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), improved significantly from baseline to 12-week endpoint (mean difference=-11.4 [95% CI:-20.9, -2.0); P=0.02). In addition, participants’ self-reported knee function improved significantly (mean difference in KOOS Function score=-11.8 [95% CI:-18.4, -5.2]; P&lt;0.01) as well as their physical capacity (mean difference in Timed Up and Go test time=1.8 seconds [95% CI: 0.2, 3.4]; P=0.03). All participants (100%) were very satisfied with remotely delivered EF classes and there were no serious adverse events. Findings from this pilot trial indicate that remotely delivered EF is feasible and acceptable in rural older adults with knee OA.

In this study, we examined the effect of salinity and alkalinity on the metabolic potential and taxonomic composition of microbiota inhabiting the sodic soils at different plant communities. The soil samples were collected in the Pannonian steppe (Hungary, Central Europe) under extreme dry and wet weather conditions. The metabolic profiles of microorganisms were analysed by MicroResp method, the bacterial diversity was assessed by cultivation and next generation amplicon sequencing based on the 16S rRNA gene. Catabolic profiles of microbial communities varied primarily according to the alkali vegetation types. Most members of the strain collection were identified as plant associated and halophilic/alkaliphilic species of Micrococcus, Nesterenkonia, Nocardiopsis, Streptomyces (Actinobacteria) and Bacillus, Paenibacillus (Firmicutes) genera. Based on the pyrosequencing data, the relative abundance of phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and Bacteroidetes changed also mainly with the sample types, indicating distinctions within the compositions of bacterial communities according to the sodic soil alkalinity-salinity gradient. The effect of weather extremes was the most pronounced in the relative abundance of phyla Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria. The type of alkali vegetation caused greater shifts in both the diversity and activity of sodic soil microbial communities than the extreme aridity and moisture.

Among the agricultural practices promoted by the Common Agricultural Policy to increase soil functions, the use of cover crops is a recommended tool to improve the sustainability of Mediter-ranean woody crops such as olive orchards. However, there is a broad range of cover crop ty-pologies in relation to its implementation, control and species composition. In that sense, the in-fluence of different plant species on soil quality indicators in olive orchards remains unknown yet. This study describes the effects of four treatments based on the implementation of different ground covers (CC-NAT, CC-GRA and CC-MIX) and conventional tillage (TILL) on soil erosion, soil physicochemical and biological properties, and soil microbial communities after 8 years of cover crop establishment. Our results have demonstrated that the presence of a temporary cover crop (CC), compared to a soil under tillage (TILL), can reduce soil losses and maintain good soil physicochemical properties and modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial com-munities and its functioning. The presence of a homogeneous CC of gramineous (Lolium rigidum or Lolilum multiflorum) (CC-GR) for 8 years significantly increased the functional properties of the soil as compared to TILL; although the most significant change was a modification on the bacte-rial community composition that was clearly different from the rest of treatments. On the other hand, the use of a mixture of plant species (CC-MIX) as a CC for only two years although did not modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities compared to the TILL soil, induced significant changes on the functional properties of the soil, and reverted those properties to a level similar to that of an undisturbed soil that had maintained a natural cover of spontaneous vegetation for decades (CC-NAT).

The study of interactions between polyelectrolytes (PE) and surfactants is of great interest for both fundamental and applied research. These mixtures can represent, for example, models of self-assembly and molecular organization in biological systems, but they are also relevant in industrial applications. Amphiphilic block polyelectrolytes represent an interesting class of PE, but their interactions with surfactants have not been extensively explored so far, most studies being restricted to non-associating PE. In this work, interactions between an anionic amphiphilic triblock polyelectrolyte and different types of surfactants bearing respectively negative, positive and no charge, are investigated via surface tension and solution rheology measurements for the first time. It is evidenced that the surfactants have different effects on viscosity and surface tension, depending on their charge type. Micellization of the surfactant is affected by the presence of the polymer in all cases; shear viscosity of polymer solutions decreases in presence of same charge or nonionic surfactants, while the opposite charge surfactant cause precipitation. This study highlights the importance of the charge type, and the role of the associating hydrophobic block in the PE structure, on the solution behavior of the mixtures. Moreover, a possible interaction model is proposed, based on the obtained data.

This study examined the effect of an educational hybrid physical education (PE) intervention on cognitive performance and academic achievement in adolescents. A 9-month group-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 150 participants (age: 14.63 ± 1.38) allocated into control group (CG, n = 37) and experimental group (EG, n = 113). Inhibition, verbal fluency, planning and academic achievement were assessed. Significant differences were observed in the post-test for cognitive inhibition, verbal fluency in animals, and the average from verbal fluency in favour of the EG. With regard to the intervention, verbal fluency in animals, verbal fluency in vegetables, the average of verbal fluency, cognitive inhibition, language, the average of all subjects, the average of all subjects except PE, and the average from the core subjects) increased significantly in the EG. The last five variables (the academic ones and cognitive inhibition) also increased in the CG, in addition to mathematics. This study contributes to the knowledge by suggesting that both methodologies produced improvements in the measured variables, but the use of a hybrid program based on TPSR and gamification strategies produce improvements in cognitive performance, specifically through the cognitive inhibition and verbal fluency.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) resulted in lockdowns and social distancing measures enforced by governments. Using a cross-sectional design, this study aimed to identify changes in adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA) and associations with personality, during lockdown in Qatar. A sample of 543 participants was recruited online between April and May 2020. Results showed a reduction in Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence during lockdown (5.9 ± 0.08) compared to before lockdown (6.1 ± 0.08) (p ˂ 0.001). Although there was an increase in the percentage of participants who consumed ≥4 tablespoons olive oil per day (9% vs 12%; p ˂ 0.001), vegetables (54.3% vs 58.7%; p = 0.005), legumes (11.8% vs 15.3%; p = 0.007) and sofrito (70.9% vs 77.3%; p ˂ 0.001), there was also a significant decrease in the percentage of participants who consumed fresh fruit (39.4% vs 15.8%; p ˂ 0.001) and fish/seafood (5.9% vs 3.9%; p = 0.035) and an increase in saturated fat consumption (45.9% vs 53.8%; p ˂ 0.001), during lockdown compared to before lockdown. Participants who scored high in the extraversion personality dimension had a higher MD adherence (B = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.04, 1.64; p = 0.039) before lockdown compared to participants who scored high in the agreeableness personality dimension, although this difference did not reach statistical significance during lockdown. Those who scored high in openness had the lowest change in MD adherence score (B = -0.31; 95% CI = -0.58, -0.04; p = 0.026). Total PA (B = -506.26; 95% CI = -678.60, -333.92; p ˂ 0.001), vigorous activity (B = -155.95; 95% CI = -274.64, - 38.21; p = 0.010), moderate activity (B = -93.04; 95% CI = -148.07, -38.01; p = 0.010) and walking (B = -257.27; 95% CI = -337.87, -176.67; p ˂ 0.001) were decreased during lockdown, while sitting was increased compared to before lockdown (B = 940.91, 95% CI = 831.9, 1049.90; p ˂ 0.001). Openness was positively associated with all PA (B = 562.2; 95% CI = 62.7, 106.7; p = 0.027), including walking (B = 241.7; 95 % CI = 29.4, 454.0; p = 0.026) and negatively associated with sitting (B= -303.4; 95% CI = -590.0; -16.8; p = 0.038) when compared to those with high agreeableness scores, before lockdown. During lockdown, the time spent sitting was lower in those with high scores on neuroticism when compared to those with high agreeableness scores (B= -619.5; 95 % CI = -1215,-23.9; p = 0.042). Differential changes in lifestyle habits by personality dimensions during lockdown, suggest the need to tailor lifestyle interventions based on people’s personality types, for more effective lifestyle change.

The versatile one-pot green synthesis of a highly concentrated and stable colloidal dispersion of AgNPs was carried out using the self-assembled tannic acid without using any other hazardous chemicals. Tannic acid (Plant-based polyphenol) was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent for silver nitrate in a mild alkaline condition. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized for their concentration, capping, size distribution, and shape. The experimental results confirmed the successful synthesis of nearly spherical and highly concentrated (2281 ppm) AgNPs, capped with poly-tannic acid (AgNPs-PTA). The average particle size of AgNPs-PTA was found 9.90 ± 1.60 nm. The colloidal dispersion of synthesized nanoparticles was observed stable for more than 15 months in the ambient environment (25 oC, 65 % relative humidity). The synthesized AgNPs-PTA showed an effective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus Aureus Escherichia coli. Ag-PTA also exhibited enhanced catalytic properties. It reduces 4-nitrophenol into 4-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4 with a normalized rate constant (Knor = K/m) of 615.04 mL·s-1·mg-1. Furthermore, AgNPs-PTA were stable for more than 15 months under ambient conditions. The unique core-shell structure and ease of synthesis render the synthesized nanoparticles superior to others, with potential for large-scale applications, especially in the field of catalysis and biomedical.

Mate choice that is based on behavioural traits is a common feature in the animal kingdom. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species with mutual mate choice, we investigated whether males use female swimming activity – a behavioural trait known to differ consistently among individuals in many species – as a trait relevant for their mate choice. In a first experiment, we assessed male and female activity in an open field test alone (two repeated measures) and afterwards in heterosexual pairs (two repeated measures). In these pairs, we simultaneously assessed males’ mating efforts by counting number of sexual behaviours (courtship displays and copulation). Male and female guppies showed consistent individual differences in their swimming activity when tested both alone and in a pair, and these differences were maintained across both test situations. When controlling for male swimming behaviour and both male and female body size, males performed more courtship displays towards females with higher swimming activity. In a second experiment, we tested for a directional male preference for swimming activity by presenting males video animations of low and high active females in a dichotomous choice test. In congruence with experiment 1, we found males to spend significantly more time in association with the high active female stimulus. Both experiments thus point towards a directional male preference for higher activity levels in females. We discuss the adaptive significance of this preference as activity patterns might indicate individual female quality, health or reproductive state while, mechanistically, females that are more active might be more detectable to males as well.

Obesity is a serious problem of our society. A long-term positive trend in body weight gain continues to persist. Paediatric obesity arises from a changed lifestyle of children, characterised by an important restriction of their spontaneous physical activity. A lack of physical activity is one of the most important causes of paediatric obesity associated with a number of serious disorders. The paper evaluates the effect of physical activity on obesity in second stage pupils of elementary schools in the region of Ústí nad Labem. In their research survey, the authors determine the incidence of obesity and overweight as well as the relationship between physical activity and obesity in second stage pupils of elementary schools in the region of Ústí nad Labem. The data collection was based on questions of the CAV 2001 questionnaire and BMI-for-age. As revealed by the research survey, problems with obesity and overweight are present particularly in boys. Only a third of boys and girls engage in sufficient physical activity. At the same time, differences were shown in the study group where groups with higher BMI values had lower values of physical activity. Subsequently, a relationship was shown between those who use their bicycle as a means of transport and spend their leisure time bicycling at the same time. More than two thirds of the study subjects reported using a bicycle as a means of transport and using their bicycle in their leisure time as a means of being active; 93% of these subjects had normal body weight. Our results confirm the continued pandemic prevalence of obesity and indicate that appropriate physical activity should be included in the everyday life of children both at school and outside of school.

Solidago virgaurea L. (European goldenrod, Woundwort), Asteraceae, is a familiar medicinal plant in Europe and other parts of the world, widely used and among the most researched species from its genus. The aerial parts of European goldenrod have long been used for urinary tract conditions and as an anti-inflammatory agent in the traditional medicine of different peoples. Its main chemical constituents are flavonoids (mainly derived from quercetin and kaempferol), C6-C1 and C6-C3 compounds, terpenes (mostly from the essential oil), and a large number of saponin molecules (mainly virgaureasaponins and solidagosaponins). Published research on its potential activities is critically reviewed here: antioxidant, antiinflammatory, analgesic, spasmolitic, antihypertensive, diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasite, cytotoxic and antitumor, antimutagenic, antiadipogenic, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, and antisenescence. The evidence concerning its potential benefits is mainly derived from non-clinical studies, some effects are rather modest, whereas others are more promising, but need more confirmation in both non-clinical models and clinical trials.

In many developed countries, mental health disorders have become problematic, and the economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work is immeasurable. Therefore, we developed a method to assess individuals’ mental health using emotional components contained in their voice. We propose two indices of mental health: vitality, a short-term index, and mental activity, a long-term index capturing the trends in vitality. To evaluate our method, we used the voices of healthy individuals (n = 14) and patients with major depression (n = 30). The patients were also assessed by specialists using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). A significant negative correlation existed between the vitality extracted from the voices and HAM-D scores (r = -0.33, p &lt; .05). We could discriminate the voice data of healthy individuals and patients having depression with a high accuracy using the vitality (p = .0085, area under the curve = 0.76). Further, we developed a method to estimate stress through emotion instead of analyzing stress directly from voice data. By daily monitoring of vitality using smartphones, we can encourage hospital visits for people before they become depressed or during the early stages of depression, to prevent adverse consequences of depression.

Low levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentarism are associated with the onset of different pathologies and health problems. Regular physical activity has been linked with being beneficial to the health of the general population. Within this framework of analysis, the aim of the present study is to analyse the existing association between the time spent doing physical activity and the expressed motives for doing so, from which the first innovative aspect of the paper emerges: the use of the time spent doing PA as a study variable of the phenomenon. The data analysed come from the latest special Eurobarometer survey about the sport and physical activity done in Europe. Using an exploratory factorial analysis and a structural equations model, we were able to find a six-dimensional factorial model that explains the reasons for doing PA, demonstrating that there is no relationship between the reasons for and time spent doing PA. Therefore, motivation is not a variable that explains the time spent doing PA and another type of variable must be used to explain the phenomenon if PA is to be incentivised.

Different products from a unique Propolis extract, Propolis (bee glue), an of resinous consistency produced by bees, has been used as indigenous medicine for the treatment of several diseases in some contrary. Safety assessment of propoils extracts with respect to antimicrobial activity against three bacterial isolates, Proteus Mirabilis , Klebsiella Pneumonia and Staphylococcus Qureus.The result showed that the main composition of the extract was Anthraquinone, the last one was responsible for the biological activity of the extract. FT-IR, UV results showed more than eight peaks for represent the main fine composition of the extract. The present study also showed that the extract has antibacterial activity against three bacterial isolates

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the end of 2019, the clinical presentation of the disease showed a great heterogeneity with a diverse impact between different subpopulations. Emerging evidence from different parts of the world showed significantly poor outcome among males compared to female patients. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind this difference might be a fundamental step for a more effective and targeted response to the outbreak. For that reason, here we try to investigate the molecular basis of the gender variations in mortality rates related to COVID-19 infection. To achieve this, we used our in-house pipeline to process publicly available lung transcriptomic data from 141 females compared to 286 males. After excluding Y specific genes, our results showed a shortlist of 73 genes that are differentially expressed between the two groups. Our results showed downregulation of a group of genes that are involved in the regulation of hydrolase activity including (AGTR1, CHM, DDX3X, FGFR3, SFRP2, and NLRP2), which is also believed to be essential for lung immune response and antimicrobial activity in the lung tissues in males compared to females. In contrast, our results showed an upregulation of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1), a member of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that plays a role in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity modulation. Interestingly, recent reports and experimental animal models highlight an important role of this receptor in SARS-Coronavirus lung damage as well as pulmonary edema, suggesting a possible role of its blockers like losartan and olmesartan as potential therapeutic options for COVID-19 infection. Finally, our results also showed a differential expression of different genes that are involved in the immune response including the NLRP2 and PTGDR2, further supporting the notion of the sex-based immunological differences. Taken together, our results provide an initial evidence of the molecular mechanisms that might be involved in the differential outcomes observed between both genders during the COVID-19 outbreak. This might be essential for the discovery of new targets and more precise therapeutic options to treat COVID-19 patients from different clinical and epidemiological characteristics with the aim of improving their outcome.

The incidence of cancer in organ transplant patients is higher than in the non-transplanted population. The incidence increases with increasing age. The use of Fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) is sensitive and specific to detect PTLD LD compared with conventional CT imaging. We analyzed the medical data of 127 patients aged over 60 years, who underwent heart transplantation in the above period, who have been practicing early CT-PET for diagnostic purposes between February 2007 and October 2018. Of 127 consecutive patients who underwent CT-PET, SUVs up than 4, were found in 84 patients of which 20 were affected by PTLDs, seven patients were affected by chronic non neoplastic inflammatory diseases, the remainder were affected by other neoplasms. The favorable effect of physical activity programs on cardiorespiratory and psychomotor function occur in all patients. In conclusion, CT-PET at the first doubts about the possibility of the development of neoplasms has allowed a diagnosis and then a treatment more quickly. Education in behavioral norms that improve the patient's quality of life is necessary.

The major stress-inducible Hsp70 (HSPA1A) is overexpressed in highly aggressive tumor cells including glioblastoma multiforme and presented on their plasma membrane. Ionizing irradiation increases cytosolic and membrane-bound Hsp70 (mHsp70) on tumor cells. Depending on its intracellular or membrane localization, Hsp70 either promotes tumor growth or serves as a target for the innate immune system. To define the optimal window for a therapy with Hsp70-tageting NK cells the kinetics of the mHsp70 density on the plasma membrane of human glioma cells (U87) has been studied after radiotherapy by multiparameter flow cytometry. Cell cycle dependent alterations in the mHsp70 expression were excluded by seeding different cell numbers on day 0. Low dose irradiation (2 Gy) results in a slow upregulation of the mHsp70 density in U87 cells which peaks on day 4 and starts to decline from day 7 onwards. In contrast, higher radiation doses (4 Gy, 6 Gy) resulted in a faster upregulation of mHsp70 expression on days 2 and 1, respectively, followed by a decline from day 5 onwards. Functionally, elevated mHsp70 densities correlate with an improved lysis by Hsp70-targeting NK cells. In summary, the kinetics of changes in the mHsp70 density upon irradiation on tumor cells is time and dose-dependent.

Edible coating gels developed from the Aloe vera plant have been used as a traditional medicine for about 3000 years. Aloe vera contains 110 potentially active constituents from six different classes: chromone and its glycoside derivatives; anthraquinone and its glycoside derivatives; flavonoids; phenylpropanoids and coumarins; phenylpyrone and phenol derivatives; and phytosterols and others. Apart from medicinal uses, Aloe gels have an important role in food preservation as edible coatings. They provide an edible barrier for atmospheric gases and moisture, and help to reduce the respiration and transpiration of fresh produce, which helps to preserve its postharvest quality. To date, numerous studies have been conducted on the postharvest use of Aloe vera gel. The present review article summarizes and discusses existing available information about the chemical constituents, antimicrobial activity, and food preservative characteristics of Aloe vera.

Water stress (WS) and heat stress (HS) have a negative effect on soybean plant growth and crop productivity. During WS, soybean plants opt for survival through ion homeostasis and the conformations of proteins are disconcerted as plant cells lose water while HS leads to difficulties in flowering and fruiting. Some of these changes include oxidative stress leading to the destruction of photosynthetic apparatus, macromolecules within cells and the onset of complex signaling cascades. Changes in the physiological characteristics, proteome, and certain metabolites investigated on molecular and cellular functions were studied in two soybean cultivars exposed to different heat and water stress conditions independently and in combination. Leaf protein composition was studied using 2-DE and complemented with MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. While two cultivars displayed genetic variation in response to water and heat stress, thirty-nine proteins were significantly altered in their relative abundance in response to WS, HS and combined WS+HS in both cultivars; a majority of them involved in metabolism, response to heat and photosynthesis showing significant cross-tolerance mechanisms. Functional analysis revealing a majority of heat responsive-proteins were more abundant during HS and combined stress (WS+HS) whereas these proteins were low to WS in cultivar PI 471938 and heat shock proteins were in low abundance to water, heat and combined stresses in cultivar R95-1705. Most protein abundances were not correlated with their expression at mRNA levels in PI cultivar, however, in cultivar R 95, the expression levels of transcript follow their relative abundance in proteins. Our systems bioinformatics analyses revealed that MED37C, a probable mediator of RNA polymerase transcription II protein showed potential interacting partners in Arabidopsis and our studies signifies the marked impact of this protein in PI cultivar. Elevated activities in antioxidant enzymes indicate that the PI-371938 cultivar has the ability to restore the oxidation levels and sustain the plant during the stress. Our study hypothesizes the plant’s development of cross-stress tolerance which will help foster the ongoing ventures in genetic modifications in stress tolerance.

Pomegranate peel is a natural source of phenolics, claimed to possess healing properties, among which antioxidant and antidiabetic. In line with this evidence, the ethyl acetate PGE extract, obtained by Soxhlet from the peel of Dente di cavallo DC2 variety and characterized by a 4% amount of ellagic acid, has been studied for its hypoglycemic, antiglycation and antioxidative cytoprotective properties, in order to support a possible further nutraceutical interest. The α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition, interference with advanced glycation end-products (AGE) formation and metal chelating abilities were evaluated as hypoglycemic mechanisms. Also, considering that oxidative stress is associated with hyperglycemia complications, PGE antioxidant cytoprotective properties under hyperglycemic conditions were assayed. Phenolic profile was characterized by integrated chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods. Under our experimental conditions, PGE strongly inhibited the tested enzymes, especially α-glucosidase, and exerted chelating and antiglycation properties. Also, it reduced both ROS and GSH levels under hyperglycemic conditions, thus suggesting its ability to support cell functions by counteracting intracellular oxidative stress. Along with ellagic acid, rutin was the major identified flavonoid (about 4 %) of PGE. Present results suggest PGE to be a possible remedy for hyperglycemia management and encourage further studies to exploit its promising properties.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of tea polyphenol （TP） on serum hormone, serum enzyme activity, antioxidant-related and immune-related gene expression of laying hens under heat stress. A total of 288 Chinese yellow chicken (186 days old) were randomly distributed among two treatments, each of which included 6 replicates of 24 hens. Dietary treatments were that the basal diet was supplemented with 200 mg / kg tea polyphenol. The study lasted for 7 weeks, including 1 week of adaptation and 6 weeks of the formal test. The content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and total protein (TP) in serum significantly decreased by dietary supplementation with tea polyphenol. Dietary tea polyphenol supplementation improved serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activity and decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content in treatments compared to the control. However, supplementation of tea polyphenol did not affect the activity of serum catalase (CAT). The results indicated that long-term feeding of tea polyphenols help to increase the amount of hormones (FSH, E2) associated with reproduction in laying hens and thus improve egg production. It also improved the immune function of laying hens in high temperature environments. Adding tea polyphenols to the diet can significantly increase the serum IgG, IgM content of the laying hens and can upregulate the IgA content. Dietary supplementation of tea polyphenols in the laying hens significantly increased the expression of antioxidant enzyme-related genes (SOD, CAT and GPX1) in the liver. Moreover, the addition of tea polyphenols significantly increased the expression of immune-related genes (Interferon-γ (INF-γ), Interleukin 2 (IL-2) and Interleukin 4 (IL-4)) in the spleen. It is concluded that addition of tea polyphenols has a positive effect on antioxidant activity and immune function of laying hens.

This research focussed on utilisation of salmon protein and lipid to manipulate pasta glycaemic index and protein digestibility. Salmon fish (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) powder (SFP) supplemented pasta flour at the from 5% to 20% (w/w). Inclusion of SFP lead to a significant reduction in starch digestibility and hence the potential glycaemic values of pasta (experimental pasta being up to 143% lower than control values). SFP addition to pasta increased the release of phenolic compounds from pasta during both a gastric digestion (179%) and pancreatic digestion ( 133%) in comparison to the control sample. At the same time, the antioxidant activity of the digested pasta was increased by up to 263% (gastric) and 190% (pancreatic) in comparison to durum wheat pasta alone. Interestingly, although protein levels increased with incorporation of SFP, the digestibility values of the protein decreased from 86.41% for the control pasta to 81.95% for 20% SFP pasta. This may indicate that there are interactions between phenolic and protein in the pasta samples which affect overall protein digestibility levels.

As part of the ongoing screening research for local edible plants in Thailand, Petroselinum crispum fruit oil was considered as a potential bioinsecticide with proven antimosquito activity against both the pyrethroid susceptible and resistant strains of Aedes aegypti. Due to the comparative mosquitocidal efficacy on these mosquitoes, this plant oil is promoted as a natural alternative and attractive candidate for further study in monitoring resistance of mosquito vectors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of P. crispum oil on the biochemical characteristics of the target mosquito larvae of Ae. aegypti, by determining quantitative changes of key enzymes responsible for xenobiotic detoxification, including glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), α- and β-esterases (α-/β-ESTs), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), acid and alkaline phosphatases (ACP and ALP) and mixed-function oxidases (MFO). Three populations of Ae. aegypti, comprising the pyrethroid susceptible Muang Chiang Mai-susceptible (MCM-S) strain and the pyrethroid resistant Pang Mai Dang-resistant (PMD-R) and Upakut-resistant (UPK-R) strains, were used as test organisms. Biochemical study of Ae. aegypti larvae prior to treatment with P. crispum oil revealed that apart from AChE, the baseline activity of most defensive enzymes, such as GSTs, α-/β-ESTs, ACP, ALP and MFO, in resistant UPK-R or PMD-R, was higher than that determined in susceptible MCM-S. However, after 24-h exposure to P. crispum oil, the pyrethroid susceptible and resistant Ae. aegypti showed similarity in biochemical features, with alterations of enzyme activity in the treated larvae, as compared to the controls. A significant increase in the activity levels of GSTs, α-/β-ESTs, ACP and ALP was recorded in all strains of P. crispum oil-treated Ae. aegypti larvae, whereas MFO and AChE activity in these mosquitoes was decreased. The recognizable larvicidal capability on pyrethroid resistant Ae. aegypti, and the inhibitory effect on AChE and MFO, emphasized the potential of P. crispum oil as an attractive alternative application for management of mosquito resistance in current and future control programs.

Complex human behavior, including interlimb and interpersonal coordination, has been studied from a dynamical system perspective. We review the applications of a dynamical system approach to a sporting activity, which includes continuous, discrete, and switching dynamics. Continuous dynamics identified switching between in- and anti-phase synchronization, controlled by an interpersonal distance of 0.1 m during expert kendo matches, using a relative phase analysis. As discrete dynamics, return map analysis was applied to the time series of movements during kendo matches, and six coordination patterns were classified. Furthermore, state transition probabilities were calculated based on the two states, which clarified the coordination patterns and switching behavior. We introduced switching dynamics with temporal inputs to clarify the simple rules underlying the complex behavior corresponding to switching inputs in a striking action as a non-autonomous system. As a result, we determined that the time evolution of the striking action was characterized as fractal-like movement patterns generated by a simple Cantor set rule with rotation. Finally, we propose a switching hybrid dynamics to understand both court-net sports, as strongly coupled interpersonal competition, and weakly coupled sports, such as martial arts.

Iron Doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (Fe-TiO₂) were synthesized and photocatalitically investigated under high and low fluence values of UV-radiation. The Fe-TiO₂ physical characterization was performed using X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The XPS evidenced that ferric ion (Fe³⁺) was in the lattice of TiO₂ and co-dopants no intentionally added were also present due to the precursors of the synthetic method. The Fe³⁺ concentration played a key role in the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and estriol (E3) degradation. Fe-TiO₂ materials accomplished E3 degradation, and it was found that the catalyst with 0.3 at. % content of Fe (0.3 Fe-TiO₂) enhanced the photocatalytic activity under low UV-irradiation compared with no intentionally Fe-added TiO₂ (zero-iron TiO₂) and Aeroxide^® TiO₂ P25. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 0.3 Fe-TiO₂ under low UV-irradiation may have applications when radiation intensity must be controlled, as in medical applications, or when strong UV absorbing species are present in water.

Polydopamine (PDA) deposition, obtained from the oxidation of dopamine and other catecholamines is an universal way to coat all known materials with a conformal coating which can subsequently be functionalyzed at will. The structural analogies between polydopamine and eumelanin, the black-brown pigment of the skin, incited to produce stable polydopamine nanoparticles in solution instead of amorphous precipitates obtained from the oxidation of dopamine. Herein, we demonstrate that size controlled and colloidally stable PDA based nanoparticles can be obtained in acidic conditions, where spontaneous auto-oxidation of dopamine is suppressed, using sodium periodate as the oxidant and a protein like alkaline phosphatase as a templating agent. The size of the PDA@Alp nanoparticles depends on the dopamine/enzyme ratio and the obtained particles display the enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase with an activity extending up to two weeks after particle synthesis. The PDA@ alkaline phosphatase (Alp) nanoparticles can be engineered in polyelectrolyte multilayered films to potentially design model biosensors.

Abstract: This study evaluates the effect of paravertebral spinal injection (PSI), utilizing both subjective and objective assessments in chronic low back pain (LBP) associated with facet joint arthrosis over a one-month duration. Subjective questionnaires included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, Oswestry Disability Index, Health Survey SF-12, and the short Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I). Objective assessments included in-clinic gait and timed-up-and-go (TUG) tests using wearable sensors, as well as 48-hour daily physical activity (DPA) monitored using a chest-worn tri-axial accelerometer. Subjective and objective measures were performed prior to treatment, immediately after the treatment, and one-month afterthe treatment. Eight LBP patients were recruited for this study (mean age = 54±13 years, body mass index = 31.41±6.52 kg/m2, 50% males). Results show significant decrease in pain (~55%, p<0.05) and disability (Oswestry scores, ~21%, p<0.05). In-clinic gait and TUG were also significantly improved (~16% and ~18% faster walking and shorter TUG, p<0.05); however, DPA (including percentage of physical activities (walking and standing) and the number of steps) showed no significant change after PSI (p>0.25; effect size≤0.44). We hypothesize that DPA may continue to be truncated by conditioned fear-avoidance, a psychological state that may prevent increase in daily physical activity to avoid pain.

Arthrospira platensis is the widely available source of spirulina and contains distinctive natural pigments including carotenoids and C-phycocyanin (C-PC). In this study, the major carotenoid and C-PC contents were determined in seven commercially available spirulina powder products and laboratory-prepared A. platensis trichomes (AP-1) by an LC-DAD method and a UV-Visible spectrometry, respectively. The correlation of these two pigment content levels with Hunter color coordinates and antioxidant activity was also evaluated. The L* value failed to show a significant correlation with pigment content, but a positive correlation was observed between a* values and the contents of total carotenoid and C-PC. As b* values decreased, the total carotenoid and C-PC contents increased. AP-1 exhibited the highest content of total carotenoids, chlorophyll a and C-PC, and antioxidant activities among the samples. This observation could be related to degradation of these pigments during the mass production process. The carotenoid profiles suggested that the commercial spirulina powders originated from two different sources, A. platensis and A. maxima. Total carotenoid and C-PC content exhibited positive significant correlations with antioxidant activities measured by DPPH and ABTS assays. These results provide a strong scientific foundation for the establishment of standards for the commercial distribution of quality spirulina products.

Kummerowia striata is a traditional medicine used for the therapy of inflammation-related diseases. Herein, we investigated the anti-melanogenic and antioxidant activities of an ethanolic extract of K. striata (EKS) using a number of in vitro and cell culture model systems. The anti-melanogenic effect was assessed in B16F10 melanoma cells based on melanin synthesis and in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity and the anti-oxidant activity assays were performed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2ʹ-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS); EKS exhibited strong anti-oxidant activities in both the assays. The expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein 1, tyrosinase-related protein 2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor was decreased in a dose-dependent manner at mRNA and protein levels upon treatment with EKS. Notably, EKS did not affect the cell viability at all the EKS concentrations used in this study, indicating that EKS-mediated inhibition of melanin synthesis is not accompanied with cytotoxicity. Collectively, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that EKS possesses anti-melanogenic and anti-oxidant activities, and suggest that further evaluation and development of EKS as a functional supplement or cosmetic might be useful for skin whitening and for reduction wrinkles.

There is a great interest in finding antioxidants and products with antimicrobial activities from natural sources. The aim of this study was to obtain and identify the phenolic components and organic acids from Camellia oleifera cake. In addition, their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were also investigated. The purity of phenolic components and organic acids obtained were 94.1 ± 0.5% w/w and 96.0 ± 0.3% w/w, respectively. There are 15 phenolic components have been detected and identified by HPLC-ESI-MS. Oxalic, citric, acetic, malic, and succinic acids are found to be major organic acids. The phenolic components and organic acids both had good antioxidant capacity, evaluated by 4 antioxidant activity assays (hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition). In addition, the phenolic components and organic acids exhibited significant inhibitory activity against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and fungi Mucor racemosus, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus stolonifer. The phenolic components and organic acids from C. oleifera cake both showed good antioxidant capacity and exhibited antimicrobial activities. These results may be useful for the future use of phenolic components and organic acids from C. oleifera cake.

Male obesity secondary hypogonadism (MOSH) impairs fertility, sexual function, bone mineralization, fat metabolism, cognitive function, deteriorates muscle mass and alters body composition. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of dietary intervention and physical activity on the MOSH patient’s hormonal profile after a 10% weight loss compared to baseline. Fourteen male patients were enrolled. Hormonal, lipid, glycemic profiles and body composition were determined at baseline and after a 10% weight loss. Aging Male Symptoms Scale (AMS) and Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) were administered to patients in order to investigate hypogonadal symptoms and food addiction. Compared to baseline, a significant increase of Total Testosterone (TT) (300.2 ± 79.5 ng/dl vs 408.3 ± 125.9, p = 0.002, 95% CI 26.8; 167.7) and a reduction of 17-Beta Estradiol level (48.3 ± 14.9 pg/mL vs 39.2 ± 15.2, p = 0.049, 95% CI 3.1; 0.0) were observed. Total Fat Mass (FM) percentage, android and gynoid fat mass percentage (39.2 ± 6.4% vs 36.2 ± 5.8%, p = 0.0001, 95% CI 22.5; 62.3; 51.5 ± 6.8% vs 47.6 ± 6.8%, p = 0.001, 95% CI 0.6; 1.8, vs 39.2 ± 6.2% vs 36.5 ± 6.3% p= 0.0001, 95% CI 0.9; 2.0 respectively) were significantly decreased after nutritional intervention. In addition, total Fat Free Mass (FFM) in kg was significantly reduced after 10% weight loss (62.3± 2.8 kg vs 60.3± 7.7 kg, p = 0.002, 95% CI 45.0; 93.0). Lifestyle changes, specifically dietotherapy and physical activity, induce positive effects on hypogonadism due to obesity.

Arthropod-borne flaviviruses represent human pathogens of global medical importance, against which no effective small molecule-based antiviral therapy is currently available. Arbidol (umifenovir) is a broad spectrum antiviral compound approved in Russia and China for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza. This compound showed activity against numerous DNA and RNA viruses. Its mode of action is based predominantly on the impairment of critical steps of virus-cell interaction. Here we demonstrate that arbidol possesses a micromolar inhibition activity (EC50 values ranging from 10.57 ± 0.74 to 19.16 ± 0.29 µM) in Vero cells infected with Zika virus, West Nile virus, and tick-borne encephalitis virus, three medically important representatives of arthropod-borne flaviviruses. Interestingly, no antiviral effect of arbidol is observed in porcine stable kidney cells (PS), human neuroblastoma cells (UKF-NB-6), human hepatoma cells (Huh-7 cells) indicating that the antiviral effect of arbidol is strongly cell-type dependent. Arbidol presents a significant increasing in cytotoxicity profiles when tested in various cell lines in the order: Huh-7 < HBCA < PS < UKF-NB-6 < Vero with CC50 values ranging from 18.69 ± 0.1 to 89.72 ± 0.19 µM. Antiviral activity and acceptable cytotoxicity profiles suggest that arbidol could be a promising candidate for further investigation as a potential therapeutic agent in treating flaviviral infections.

This study investigated the effect of protein bread fortification with 2, 4 and 6% of cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and caraway (Carum carvi) whole seeds and by-products flour, respectively. Fortified protein bread samples were compared to control protein bread and evaluated for their sensory, color, moisture, hardness properties as well as their nutritional values. Total phenolic contents and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity were also analyzed. Results indicated that bread fortification shows significant effects on bread properties depending on fortification level. A higher acceptability was observed specially for bread fortified with by-products flour. Increased tendencies of color darkness, moisture content, bread hardness, nutritional values as well as total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity compared to control bread were observed as the percentage of fortification increased in both cases. The overall results showed that addition of cumin and caraway seeds and by-products flour can improve the antioxidant potential and overall quality of protein bread.

Passiflora cincinnata Mast is a plant popularly used in traditional medicine in northeastern Brazil. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-lipoperoxidative and anti-α-amylase properties, and cytotoxicity of an extract and fraction of passion fruit leaves (P. cincinnata Mast), as well as the antihyperglecemiant activity of the fraction rich in glycosylated flavonoids and showing low cytotoxicity in rats with a postprandial hyperglycaemia condition. The ethyl acetate fraction (F.ACT) of the P. cincinnata leaves presented the best anti-lipoperoxide properties with TBARs 81.49%, 95.48% and 75.62% lower than AAPH, FeSO₄ and H₂O₂ induced controls, respectively, at 200 μg.mL-1. In addition, it presented an anti-α-amylase potential, with a better ability to inhibit the α-amylase enzyme in comparison to the acarbose control (IC₅₀ 6.49 ± 0.11 and 12.01 ± 0.4 μg.mL-1, respectively). The hydroalcoholic extract of P. cincinnata (ExEt) presented high content of total tannins, flavonoids and flavonols. However, F.ACT had the highest concentration of flavonoids among the fractions studied. HPLC analysis of this fraction revealed the presence of the flavonoids isovitexin, orientin and isoorientin. F.ACT showed low to no cytotoxicity below 150 μg.mL-1. Regarding the post-prandial antihyperglycaemic activity of F.ACT, it was observed at 50 and 100 mg.kg-1.

Gut dysbiosis and an inflamed bowel are growing concerns in mammals, including dogs. Probiotic supplements have been used to restore the natural microbial community and improve gastrointestinal health. Biofilm formation, antimicrobial activities, and immunological responses of probiotics are crucial to improving gut health. Thus, we tested a commercial probiotic blend (LabMAX-3), a canine kibble additive comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lacticasibacillus casei, and Enterococcus faecium for their ability to inactivate common enteric pathogens; their ability to form biofilms, epithelial cell adhesion and anti-inflammatory response on Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell line. Probiotic LabMAX-3 blend, or individual isolates, showed a strong inhibitory effect against Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter jejuni. LabMAX-3 formed biofilms comparable to Staphylococcus aureus. LabMAX-3 adhesion to the MDCK cell line (with or without lipopolysaccharide, LPS) pretreatment showed comparable adhesion and biofilm formation (p < 0.05) to L. casei ATCC 334 used as a control. LabMAX-3 had no cytotoxic effects on the MDCK cell line during 1 h exposure. The IL-10 and TNFα ratio of LabMAX-3, compared to the L. casei control, showed a significant increase (p < 0.05), indicating a more pronounced anti-inflammatory response. The data show that LabMAX-3, a canine kibble supplement, can improve gastrointestinal health.

Microplastics, pervasive in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, have emerged as significant contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). This review synthesizes recent studies from 2019 to 2024, revealing the complex mechanisms through which microplastics influence GHG production. These mechanisms include the adsorption of nutrients and pollutants onto microplastic surfaces and their role as substrates for microbial colonization. The impacts of microplastics vary significantly across different environments, such as agricultural soils and marine sediments. The review underscores the urgent need for standardized methodologies and long-term field studies to accurately assess the ecological consequences of microplastics. Notably, the role of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent GHG with a global warming potential nearly 300 times that of CO2, remains underexplored in the context of microplastic interactions, highlighting a critical research gap. Additionally, the synergistic effects of microplastics with other pollutants require further investigation to fully understand their cumulative impact on GHG emissions. This review calls for a coordinated effort among researchers and policymakers to advance our understanding of microplastics' role in global GHG budgets and to develop effective strategies for mitigating their environmental and climatic impacts.

Background/Objectives Gastroparesis, a chronic digestive disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying, often results from diabetes, post-surgical complications, autoimmune diseases, and neurological disorders. In approximately 50% of cases, the cause is idiopathic gastroparesis (IGD). Recent studies suggest a link between chronic enteroviral infections and persistent gas-trointestinal symptoms, including delayed gastric emptying. This study investigates the effects of a silydianin-rich extract from Silybum marianum seeds on enteroviral infections in vitro and the mitigation of delayed gastric emptying in mice. Silydianin, a key bioactive compound known for its liver-protective and antioxidant properties, has not been extensively studied for its impact on enteroviral infections and gastroparesis; Methods NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, and DEPT) identi-fied silydianin as the primary compound, with minor flavonolignans and trace amounts of an oxidation product. The study assessed the cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of the extract at various stages of the viral life cycle, including virucidal activity, cell protection, and post-infection effects, using neutral red assays in RD cells, with results confirmed by real-time PCR. The viruses studied included Coxsackievirus B2, Coxsackievirus A10, Poliovirus SL-1, and Enterovirus EV71. The impact on delayed gastric emptying was evaluated in a mouse model of gastroparesis using doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg compared to a control; Results: The silydianin-rich extract exhibited con-sistent antiviral activity, with the highest selectivity index (SI) for EV71 (4.08) during virucidal activity. It provided moderate cell protection, with EC50 values ranging from 120.88 to 186.10 µg/mL and SI values from 2.20 to 3.39. Post-infection treatment showed varying efficacy, with Coxsackie A10 demonstrating the highest SI (3.90). In vivo, the extract at 200 mg/kg significantly improved gastric emptying to 96.47% and slightly increased gastrointestinal transit from 50.33% to 61.46%; Conclusions These results suggest that silydianin may be effective in treating enteroviral infections and enhancing intestinal function, making it a promising candidate for gastroparesis treatment and warranting further research.

(1) Background: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) accounts for 70% of dementia cases and with no effective pharmacological treatments, new rehabilitation methods are needed. Motor activities and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown promise in stabilizing and enhancing cognitive functions. Objective: We want to investigate the effects of combined motor or cognitive activity with tDCS on cognitive functions in AD patients. (2) Methods: Patients with mild or moderate AD were randomized into four groups: motor activity or cognitive activity associated with anodic or sham tDCS (MotA, MotS, CogA, CogS). They received two weeks of treatment (45 minutes, 5 days/week), with the first 15 minutes using 2mA tDCS on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Cognitive assessments were conducted pre-treatment (T0), post-treatment (T1), and one week after (T2). (3) Results: Twenty patients were included. Mann-Whitney test showed significant improvements in anodic groups (MotA+CogA) in the global cognitive status (p=.042), in selective attention (p=.012), and sustained attention (p=.012) at T1, but not at T2. In addition, MotA improved in the Picture Recognition Test (p=.027) and in sustained attention (p=.047) at T2. (4) Conclusion: Combined motor or cognitive activity with anodic tDCS could slow cognitive decline in AD patients, with notable improvements in global cognitive state and attention at T1.

Keywords: Response surface methodology; Ultrasonication; marigold flower; polyphenols, microcapsules; antimicrobial activity.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in blood cancer treatment despite their multiple adverse effects. Biological response to GCs is mediated by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by transactivation (TA), associated with side effects, and transrepression (TR), mediating anticancer effects. Selective GR agonists (SEGRAs) preferentially activating GR TR could be better option for cancer treatment. One of well-characterized SEGRAs is 2-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-chloro-N-methylethylammonium-chloride (CpdA), demonstrated anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo, however its translational potential is limited due to chemical instability. CpdA derivatives CpdA-01-08 were designed by two synthetic strategies. Derivative CpdA-03 demonstrated superior GR affinity and stability compared to CpdA. Analysis of CpdA-03 ligand properties in lymphoma Granta and leukemia CEM cell lines revealed its SEGRA profile: it induced GR TR without triggering GR TA, as evidenced by changes in expression of GR target genes. Effects of CpdA-03 on cell viability, growth, and apoptosis were similar to reference GR ligand, dexamethasone (Dex), and the proto-type compound CpdA. In vivo testing of CpdA-03 anti-lymphoma activity in transplantable P388 murine lymphoma model showed that CpdA-03 reduced tumor volume threefold, outperforming Dex and CpdA. In conclusion, this work introduces CpdA-03 as promising new SEGRA with potential for further development as anti-lymphoma drug with fewer side effects.

Hyperuricemia (HU), characterized by elevated uric acid (UA) levels in the blood, represents a global health concern associated with various conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, gout, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, renal dysfunction, and neurodegenerative diseases. This review offers a contemporary analysis of HU, encompassing its causes, associated health risks, diagnosis, treatment, and future outlook. Recent studies have underscored the multifaceted origin of HU, implicating genetic predisposition, dietary patterns, lifestyle choices, and environmental influences. Genetic variations affecting enzymes and transporters involved in purine metabolism and UA excretion have been identified, laying the groundwork for personalized treatment strategies. Advances in diagnostic imaging and omics technologies provide enhanced precision in the detection and evaluation of risks. While pharmacological interventions remain central to managing HU, persistent challenges such as treatment resistance prompt exploration of novel drug targets and lifestyle modifications. Chinese herbal medicines offer a potentially alternative approach with fewer side effects. Emerging research on the impact of gut microbiota on UA metabolism opens new therapeutic avenues. Despite progress, challenges such as optimizing treatment duration and understanding long-term effects persist. Collaborative efforts are crucial to address these challenges and advance our comprehension of HU. The integration of precision medicine and holistic patient care approaches holds promise for improving outcomes and enhancing quality of life for individuals with HU.

Seventy-seven percent of Irish primary school children do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines [1]. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a primary school initiative designed to increase children’s PA output. This study evaluates TDM’s perceived effect on Irish primary school children’s health-related metrics. A mixed-methods study, comprising two data collection phases, used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate TDM [2]. Phase one involved teachers, principals and classroom assistants (n = 191) from TDM-registered schools completing a questionnaire. Two TDM-registered schools participated in phase two where, (i) interviews were conducted with each principal, (ii) a teacher sub-sample (n = 4) participated in a focus group and (iii) a child sub-sample (n = 14) participated in separate focus groups. TDM was perceived to positively impact markers of children’s health, including their PA behaviour, physical fitness and social wellbeing. Inclement weather (66.5%) and a lack of time (56.5%) were reported as the top-ranked implementation barriers. Moreover, TDM’s repetitive nature often left children feeling disinterested and resulted in some teachers modifying the initiative to maintain engagement levels. Maintaining the long-term implementation of TDM and its health benefits in primary schools may require bespoke amendments to the original format to preserve children’s engagement.

Self-administered pre-participation screening for physical activity (PA) requires an instrument that should be easily used and identify individuals at high risk. The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) has been used for many years. Its ease of use and ability to identify those not fit to undergo PA has not been assessed. This study was to determine the rates of the PAR-Q+ in identifying adults who may not be fit for moderate or intense PA and obtain feedback on the use of this tool. A public on-line voluntary survey on the PAR-Q+ was carried out obtaining participants’ bio-characteristics, them completing the PAR-Q+ form and providing feedback. With 1019 participants, about 57.8% engaged in at least 150 minutes of PA weekly. This decreased with increasing number of co-morbidities. Increasing age was associated with more co-morbidities. About 33.1% of the participants using the PARQ+ would have required further medical evaluation. Only 3 of the 7 main PAR-Q+ questions were easily understood. Difficulties were encountered with 39 of the 44 follow-up questions, especially amongst those with co-morbidities. The large number of technical terms was also a source of concern. The PAR-Q+ would need extensive simplification before it may be recommended for use.

This paper proposes a heuristic approach for managing complex construction projects. The tool incorporates with Primavera P6 EPPM and Synchro 4D, enabling proactively clash detection and resolution of spatial conflicts during concurrent tasks. Additionally, it performs resource verification for sufficient allocation before task initiation. This integrated approach facilitates the generation of conflict-free and feasible construction schedules. By adhering to project constraints and seamlessly integrating with existing industry tools, the proposed solution offers a comprehensive and robust approach for construction project management. This constitutes to our knowledge the first dynamic digital twin for the delivery of a complex project.

Many middle-aged and older adults (MAOA) do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA) despite its well-documented benefits for healthy aging. Existing PA interventions often fail to reach or engage the target population effectively. This study investigates MAOA's preferences for recruitment strategies to optimize the reach and uptake of PA interventions, thereby enhancing their impact on healthy aging and public health. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 39 MAOA participants (69% female, mean age = 69.46, SD = 7.07), guided by McGuire's Theory on Persuasive Communication. Factors related to the source, message content, channel, receiver characteristics, and target behavior of recruitment strategies were analyzed. Findings suggest a preference for trustworthy sources (e.g., healthcare professionals over commercial entities) and positive, non-ageist messaging. MAOA vary in channel preferences but emphasize the importance of personalization. Despite heterogeneity, MAOA commonly perceive themselves as sufficiently active, necessitating improving knowledge on what constitutes sufficient PA, and easy enrollment or trying-out interventions. Tailoring recruitment strategies to diverse MAOA segments, based on age, seems crucial for effective engagement. Future research could explore quantitative research into how communication factors relate to various target population characteristics.

To investigate the effects of organic fertilizer combined with reduced chemical fertilizer on radish yield, quality, and soil environment in high mountainous areas (elevation: 1800 m), and to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The field trial was conducted to study the effects of different fertilizer treatments. (Control:local fertilizer application rate: 375 kg·hm² reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T1:12% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer; T3:28% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer). Four different fertilizer ratios were studied to assess their impacts on radish quality, yield, and soil environment. The findings showed that T2 significantly increased radish yield by 12.92%. Moreover, it led to significant improvements in the content of vitamin C, soluble sugars, soluble solids, soluble proteins, titratable acidity, and glucosinolates, which increased by 10.62%, 2.15%, 50.00%, 26.90%, 43.90%, and 44.57%, respectively. Treatment T2 also significantly increased soil nutrient content, with a 7.69% and 14.29% increase in total nitrogen and total phosphorus content compared to the control (Control) treatment, and a significant reduction of 21.64% in soil bulk density . T2 treatment significantly enhanced soil urease activity, sucrase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and catalase activity, showing an improvement of 28.97%, 55.92%, 52.08%, and 17.47% compared to the control, respectively (p&lt;0.05). Moreover, treatment T2 resulted in a relative abundance increase of 12.25% and 10.43% in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria respectively. Thus, the combined application of T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer improved the quality and yield of radish while optimizing the soil environment. T2 effectively promoted radish growth, enhanced radish yield and quality, and improved the soil environment.

A new quinazolinone alkaloid, named peniquinazolinone A (1), as well as eleven known com-pounds, 2-(2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionamido)-N-methylbenzamide (2), viridicatin (3), viridicatol (4), (±)-cyclopeptin (5a/5b), dehydrocyclopeptin (6), cyclopenin (7), cyclopenol (8), methyl-indole-3-carboxylate (9), 2,5-dihydroxyphenyl acetate (10), methyl m-hydroxyphenylacetate (11), conidiogenone B (12), was isolated from the endophytic Penicillium sp. HJT-A-6. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. The absolute configuration at C-13 of peniquinazolinone A (1) was established by applying the modified Mosher’s method. Compounds 2, 3, and 7 exhibited an op-timal promoting effect on the seed germination of Rhodiola tibetica at a concentration of 0.01 mg/mL, while the optimal concentration for compounds 4 and 9 to promote Rhodiola tibetica seed germination was 0.001 mg/mL. Compound 12 showed optimal seed-germination-promoting activity at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL. Compared with the positive drug 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), compounds 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 12 could extend the seed-germination period of Rhodiola tibetica up to the 11th day.

Esterquats constitute a unique group of quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) that contain an ester bond in the structure of the cation. Despite the numerous advantages of this class of compounds, only two mini-reviews discuss the subject of esterquats: the first one (2007) briefly summarizes their types, synthesis, and structural elements required for a beneficial environmental profile and only briefly covers their applications whereas the second one only reviews the stability of selected betaine-type esterquats in aqueous solutions. The rationale for writing this review is to critically reevaluate the relevant literature and provide others with a “state-of-the-art” snapshot of choline-type esterquats and betaine-type esterquats. Hence, the first part of this survey thoroughly summarizes the most important scientific reports demonstrating effective synthesis routes leading to the formation of both types of esterquats. In the second section, the susceptibility of esterquats to hydrolysis is explained, and the influence of various factors, such as the pH, the degree of salinity or the temperature of the solution, was subjected to thorough analysis that includes quantitative components. The next two sections refer to various aspects associated with the ecotoxicity of esterquats. Consequently, their biodegradation and toxic effects on microorganisms are extensively analyzed as crucial factors that can affect their commercialization. Then, the reported applications of esterquats are briefly discussed, including functionalization of macromolecules, such as cotton fabric as well as their successful utilization on a commercial scale. The last section demonstrates the most essential conclusions and reported drawbacks that allow us to elucidate future recommendations regarding the development of these promising chemicals.

Zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs) open new opportunities for biomedical applications as a strategy against microbes and dye removal in an efficient way. The composite ZnNPs using Rhododendron arboreum (R. arboreum) stem bark were synthesized and characterized for UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The synthesized nanoparticles showed zones of inhibition of 23±0.09, 18±0.1 and 16±0.05 mm, against the Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values against K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and E. coli were found to be 34±0.21 and 72.71±0.47, 47±0.11 and 94.86±0.84 and 94±0.18 and 185.43±0.16 µg/mL, respectively. The biosynthesized ZnNPs resulted in significant eradication of the outer and inner membranes of the bacterial cells. Likewise, the synthesized ZnNPs showed time-dependent photocatalytic degradation activity and revealed 65% methyl orange dye degradation with an irradiation period of 6 hours. The findings of this study suggest the suitability of the novel R. arboreum stem bark-based ZnNPs as an effective ameliorant against bactericidal activities and photocatalysts for the removal of hazardous water contaminants.

Probiotics are microorganisms infused in products for health benefits including acceleration of nutrient digestion, however, it is also important to ensure the safety prior to incorporation. Here, we present evidence of the ability of two probiotic isolates,Lacticaseibacillus paracasei BCRC-16100 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei ZFM54, in the (1) enhancement of carbohydrate digestion, (2) tolerance to stress, and (3) antibiotic resistance. Approaches include whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis and bioactivity assays. WGS revealed genes suggesting the ability of the two isolates to promote carbohydrate digestion, tolerance to stress and antibiotic resistance. Carbohydrate digestive ability was confirmed through a biochemical assay where the two isolates cause glucose release from starch. The two isolates also showed versatility in a range of temperature and alcohol concentration. For antibiotic resistance particularly on vancomycin, there are three mechanisms namely transporter control, transcriptional regulation, and efflux pump. Furthermore, promoter and transposable element analysis showed that some of the active antibiotic resistant (AbR) genes can be laterally transferred. Altogether, we show the potential of two probiotic isolates to be incorporated in products for improved carbohydrate digestion and the need to address the removal of active and mobile antibiotic resistance genes that may compromise safety.

Based on screening in computational biology and biological in vitro assays, five natural products isolated from extracts of the herbal medicine toad skin, such as cinobufagin (CBFi), bufalin (BFi), arenobufagin (ABFi), telocinobufagin (TBFi), bufotalin (BFTi), were subjected to molecular docking calculations with the use of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (PDB 6LU7 and 7BTF) and top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes were obtained. The results showed that the binding energy of ABFi to the 3CL protein was -17.044kcal/mol, which was higher than CBFi and TBFi. However, the binding energy of ABFi to the RdRp protease was -23.250 kcal/mol, which was much lower than that of CBFi and TBFi, EVEN lower than that of ABFi to the 3CL protein. ABFi also has polar interactions with amino acids such as Glu811, Ser814, Ser681 and Thr680 of RdRp enzyme. The results revealed that ABFi had a moderate inhibitory effect on the cell proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, with an inhibition rate of 61.12%, even weaker than Remdesivir. This new discovery provides us with new ideas for in-depth studies on the development of natural products with this class of structural generalizations as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, and provides an experimental basis for the next step of mechanistic studies.

Background: Targeting Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in human is crucial due to its adverse. Herbal medicine has long been significant in this regard, with flavonoids demonstrating promising results. Hence, establishing a way of identifying flavonoids with anti-HBV activities is the aim of the present study. Methods: Flavonoid structures with anti-HBV activities were retrieved. A flavonol-based pharmacophore model was established using LigandScout v4.4. Screening was performed using the PharmIt server. A QSAR equation was developed and validated with independent sets of compounds. Applicability domain (AD) was defined using Euclidean distance calculations for model validation. Results: The best model, consisting of 57 features was generated. HTS using the flavonol-based model resulted in 509 unique hits. The model's sensitivity and specificity were 71% and 100%, respectively. The QSAR model with two predictors, x4a and qed, exhibited strong predictive performance with an adjusted-R² value of 0.85 and 0.90 of Q2. Conclusion: The QSAR model has been validated with two separate chemical sets, guaranteeing the model's reproducibility and usefulness for other flavonols by utilizing the predictive characteristics of X4A and qed. These results provide new possibilities for discovering future anti-HBV drugs by integrating modeling and experimental research.

How hands-on gardening impacts behaviors including healthy eating and physical activity during early childhood can be of critical importance for preventing early onsets of obesity. This research investigates how participating in hands-on gardening impacts preschoolers’ (3-5 years old) physical activity (measured by accelerometers) in childcare centers in the Semi-Arid Climate Zone. The research was conducted in eight licensed childcare centers located in West Texas with 149 children (n=149). Four childcare centers in the experimental group received hands-on garden interventions; the other four in the control group did not. In both experimental (intervention) and control (non-intervention) centers, children wore Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers continuously for 5 days before and for 5 days after intervention (a total of 10 days). Results show that the duration of sedentary behavior of children in the experimental (intervention) group significantly decreased compared to children in the control (non-intervention) group. The finding suggests that the positive effects of childcare hands-on gardening on physical activity extend to semi-arid climate zones where gardening is challenging due to high temperatures and lack of annual rainfall. The research emphasizes the critical need to incorporate hands-on gardening in childcare centers as an obesity prevention strategy nationally in the U.S. and beyond.

Antler is the fastest growing tissue. Because is based on proto-oncogenes, to avoid the risk of cancer, antlers evolved strong anticancer mechanisms, and thus its extract (DVA) is effective also against the few human tumours studied so far. We assessed whether DVA is a general anticancer compound testing direct effects in cells of different tumours: glioblastoma (GBM), colorectal and breast cancer, and leukaemia. DVA reduced viability of tumour but not healthy cells. Mobility decreased at least at the longest test (72 h). Intraperitoneal/oral 200 mg DVA/kg administration in GBM xenograft mice for 28 d reduced tumour weight 66.3% and 61.4% respectively, and also spleen weight. In addition, tumours treated with DVA showed symptoms of liquefactive necrosis. Serum cytokines showed DVA up-regulated factors related with tumour fighting and down-regulated those related with inducing immune tolerance to the tumour. DVA shows general anticancer effects in the lines tested and, in GBM mice, also strong indirect effects apparently mediated by the immune system.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical characterization and biological activities of chitosan (CH) based composite films with the incorporation of chestnut flower essential oil (CFEO). The composite films were prepared by casting method and characterized in terms of structural, morphological and mechanical properties via FT-IR, XRD, UV, SEM and TGA. The results proved the significantly increased water vapor permeability (WVP), heat resistance, antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities of CH-CFEO films. The incorporation of CH and CFEO enhanced the UV blocking, which made the film shield almost all UV light. Films with the tensile strength of 6.37 ± 0.41 MPa and elongation at break of 22.57 ± 0.35% were got with 6 mg mL-1 CFEO. Subsequently, the fruit preservation experiments also confirmed that the composite films could effectively extend the shelf life of bananas through their excellent water vapor and oxygen barrier. These desirable performances enable our newly developed composite films to be a remarkable packaging material to solve the fresh fruit preservation dilemma.

The influenza virus has been the primary cause of the pandemic, posing a constant threat to human society. Due to its genetic evolution and continuous outbreak, antiviral research currently focuses on exploring a novel lead agent. A comprehensive antiviral screening discovered a marine bacterium whose extract exerted excellent efficacy against influenza viruses. Parerythrobacter sp. M20A3S10, a novel strain under the family Erythrobacteraceae, could produce carotenoids exhibiting antiviral and anticancer activity by enhancing the cellular immune system. Post-treatment of M20A3S10 extract showed outstanding therapeutic indexes: against influenza virus A/PR8 (H1N1) [selectivity index (SI) = 24.0], A/Wisconsin/15/2009 (H3N2) (SI = 30.1) and B/Florida/78/2015 (SI = 38.2). Comparably, the effectiveness was demonstrated against Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) with an SI of 22.5 and 24.1, respectively, namely broad-spectrum activity. Of note, the antiviral responses resulted from the common replication mechanism between IAV, ZIKV, and DENV2. The stimulation of apoptosis-mediated cellular immunity prevented the viral release and protected the host, suggesting that switching from necroptosis to apoptosis is a novel antiviral target. Although the specific compound affecting the antiviral activity was not identified, its promising efficacy with broad activity will contribute to developing a strategy for preventing future pandemics.

Objective: The aim of this study was to optimize the fermentation process of Radix Ranunculi ternate via microbial fermentation and analyze the changes in the contents of the main components, the antioxidant and hypoglycemic capacities of the extract before and after fermentation. Methods: The solid-state fermentation process was optimized using single-factor tests and the response surface method, with the yield of the alcohol extract of R. ternate as an evaluation index. Results: The best fermentation process was optimized using solid-state endophytic fungus fermentation technology as follows: strain addition ratio of Chaetomium globosum/Fusarium equiseti =1:1, fermentation for 5 d, sieve size of 40 mesh, liquid/material ratio of 0.8:1 mL·g−1, fermentation temperature of 31 °C, and inoculation amount of 7.5%. Under the optimized conditions, the contents of the water-soluble extract and total polysaccharides decreased by 12.71% and 12.95%, respectively, in the fermentation, The contents of ethanol-soluble-extract, flavonoids, saponins, polyphenols, organic acids, and total amino acids of fermented R. ternate increased by 19.77%, 57.14%, 79.67%, 14.29%, 17.63% and 3.82%, respectively, and the scavenging rate for DPPH, ABTS+, ·OH free radicals and inhibitory rate for α-amylase also increased by 19.02%, 14.17%, 7.53% and 34.54%, respectively, compared with unfermented R. ternate. Conclusions: Solid-state fermentation opens new avenues for the development and application of R. ternate as natural antioxidant and hypoglycemic food.

P. palmata is a viable source of nutrients with bioactive properties. The present study determined the potential role of post-extraction ultrasonication on some compositional features and antioxidant properties of resulting extracts after sequential enzymatic/alkaline treatment. No significant difference was detected in terms of protein content and recovery as well as amino acid composition of the extracts. The nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor of 5 was found to be too high for the seaweed and its enzymatic/alkaline extracts. The extracts sonicated by bath for 10 minutes and not sonicated showed the highest and lowest total phenolic contents (p&lt;0.05), respectively. The highest radical scavenging and lowest metal chelating activities were observed for the non-sonicated sample, as evidenced by IC50 values. The extract sonicated by bath for 10 minutes showed the most favorable in vitro antioxidant properties since its radical scavenging was not significantly different from that of not sonicated sample (p&gt;0.05), whereas its metal chelating activity was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05). To conclude, post-extraction ultrasonication by an ultrasonic bath for 10 minutes is recommended to increase phenolic content and improve antioxidant properties of enzymatic-alkaline extracts from P. palmata.

Caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, parasites, fungi, among others, infectious diseases can spread directly or from one individual to another. According to the World Health Organization, these diseases are known to cause high mortality rates, severe burdens of disability and serious worldwide aftermaths. The inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans are the main origins of the development of drug-resistant pathogens, which reduce the efficacy of these therapies, thus accentuating the need to search for effective antimicrobials. Medicinal plants have served as starting material for the preparation of a number of antimicrobial agents. To this end, the present study highlights the green synthesis of Cocos nucifera-based nanomaterials and evaluation of the mechanistic basis of their antimicrobial action. Accordingly, Cocos nucifera extract was used to reduce different concentrations (5, 10 and 20 mM) of silver nitrate solution to afford silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These entities were further incorporated onto activated carbons (obtained by chemical activation using sulphuric acid as activation agent) to generate the nanocomposites. The antimicrobial activity of the as-prepared nanomaterials was evaluated using the broth microdilution method, while, the antioxidant activity was assessed through standard methods, such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. Cytotoxicity of potent nanomaterials was assessed on Vero cells by spectrophotometric method. As a result, nanoparticles were successfully synthesized as evidenced by the color change of the solution from transparent to dark brown. Further characterization was carried out by UV-visible spectroscopy that showed an intense absorption spectrum at 433 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the functional group moieties involved as a capping and reducing agent in the synthesis of AgNPs. The incubation of nanomaterials with selected bacterial and fungal strains led to significant inhibitory effects of these pathogens with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 7.813 to 250 μg/ml. In antioxidant assays, the nanocomposites presented scavenging activities comparable to that of ascorbic acid. Cytotoxicity experiment revealed no toxic effects on the human mammalian cells Vero (range of selectivity indices: from &gt;4 to &gt;128). These results provide evidence of the implication of Cocos nucifera-based nanomaterials in targeting bacterial or fungal systems that mediate free-radical damage or by inhibiting the oxidative damage caused by selected bacteria and fungi, the most susceptible being Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, respectively.

Purposes: Engaging in regular physical activity has been consistently linked to improved physical health and academic performance. Despite its known benefits, there is a concerning trend of decreased physical activity among children globally. The study primarily aims to investigate the level of physical activity among junior high school students in Taiyuan and analyze the main affecting factors from a socio-ecological perspective. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 650 junior high school students from 7 schools in Taiyuan, and 648 valid questionnaires were collected. Physical activity levels were assessed using the Children’s Leisure Activities Study Survey Questionnaire. Factors influencing physical activity were evaluated through the Student Perceived Factors Affecting Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: In this study, students from the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades participated in physical activities, averaging 214.5 minutes per week in moderate-intensity and 25 minutes in high-intensity activities, cumulatively averaging 280 minutes weekly. Notably, a significant disparity (p<0.05) was observed in the combined duration of moderate and high-intensity activities, with male students engaging more time compared to their female counterparts (307.500 vs 255.000 minutes). This variance extended across different grades, particularly evident in 8th graders who recorded the highest weekly high-intensity activity duration (31.000 minutes) and overall physical activity time (320.500 minutes), surpassing the 7th graders. Furthermore, an exploratory factor analysis of a 32-item questionnaire, designed to identify determinants of physical activity, revealed six principal components. These components were found to positively correlate with both moderate and high-intensity physical activities. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the necessity for educational institutions and community programmes to provide engaging physical activities, especially during weekends. It highlights the importance of tailoring physical education curricula to address gender and grade differences and investing in quality sports equipment and facilities by schools and local governments.

Shigellosis is a pathological condition that affects the digestive system to possibly cause diarrhoea. Shigella species, which are responsible for this disease, are highly contagious and spread through contaminated food and water. The increasing development of resistance by Shigella species necessitate the urgent need to search for new therapies against shigellosis causing diarrhoea. The scientific validation of medicinal plants, such as Diospyros gilletii, which is used for the traditional treatment of diarrhoeal conditions is worthwhile. The present study aims to investigate the antibacterial activity of extracts from D. gilletii against selected Shigella species. Extracts from D. gilletii stem bark were prepared by maceration using various solvents. An-tibacterial activity of D. gilletii extracts was evaluated on Shigella dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. boydii, and S. sonnei using a microdilution method, whereas cytotoxicity test was performed on Vero and Raw cells using resazurin-based colorimetric assay. Bacterial membrane permeability studies were evaluated using pro-pidium iodide (PI) and 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN) uptake assays, whereas inhibition and eradica-tion tests on bacterial biofilms were carried out by spectrophotometry. As a result, methanol, ethanol and hydroethanol extracts of D. gilletii inhibited the growth of S. boydii, S. flexneri and S. sonnei with MIC values ranging from 125 to 500 µg/mL, without toxicity to Vero and Raw cells. Time kill kinetics revealed bacteri-cidal orientation at 2MIC and 4MIC, and bacteriostatic outcome at 1/2MIC. The mechanistic basis of anti-bacterial action revealed that D. gilletii extracts inhibited and eradicated Shigella biofilms, and promoted the accumulation of NPN and PI within the inner and outer membrane of bacteria to increase membrane per-meability, thereby causing membrane damage. This novel contribution toward the antibacterial and mech-anisms of action of D. gilletii extracts against Shigella species substantiate the use of this plant in the tradi-tional treatment of infectious diarrhoea.

Healthcare-Associated infections (HAIs) affect more than 100 million patients each year worldwide. These infections are mainly caused by multi-resistant bacterial strains (MDR) such as Acinetobacter Baumanii which is responsible of high mortality rate in immunocompromised individuals. However, the treatment is further aggravated by the abuse of antibiotics, the lack of vaccine and the emergence of resistance posing a huge challenge for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs to overcome this nosocomial infection. In this context, antimicrobial peptides with potential antibacterial proprieties could be an alternative. In this research, we describe the synthesis and the bioactivity of dermaseptins and their derivatives against Acitenobacter baumanii. The cytotoxicity of these DS was investigated on the HEp-2 cell line by the MTT cell viability assay. Thereafter, we studied morphological alterations caused by the action of one of the active peptides on the bacterial membrane using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The cytotoxicity of dermaseptins was concentration-dependent at microgram concentrations. It was observed that all tested analogs exhibit antibacterial activity with MICs ranging from 3.125 to 12.5 μg/mL and MBCs ranging from 6.25 to 25 μg/mL. Microscopic images obtained by AFM revealed morphological changes on the surface of treated bacteria caused by K4S4(1-16), as well as significant surface alterations. Overall, these findings demonstrate that DS might constitute new lead structures for the development of potent antibacterial agents against Acinetobacter infections.

Cancer patients undergoing major interventions face numerous challenges, including the adverse effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Cancer rehabilitation is vital in ensuring cancer patients have the support they need to maximise treatment outcomes and minimise treatment-related side effects and symptoms. The Active Together service is a multi-modal rehabilitation service designed to address critical support gaps for cancer patients. The service is located and provided in Sheffield, UK, an area with higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than the national average. The service aligns with local and regional cancer care objectives and aims to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes of cancer patients by using lifestyle behaviour change techniques to address their physical, nutritional, and psychological needs. This paper describes the design and initial implementation of the Active Together service, highlighting its potential to support and benefit cancer patients.

Background: Breast cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Human MutT homolog 1 (MTH1) is found to be elevated in breast tumors and cancer cells are addicted to MTH1 for sur-vival. Pharmacological inhibition of MTH1 may be potentially beneficial in the treatment of breast cancer. Methods: MA-24 was screened by malachite green colorimetric assay from MTH1 inhibitors and the kinetic characteristics of MA-24 was assessed. Binding features of MA-24 with MTH1 was as-certained through molecular docking, and cytotoxic activity of MA-24 was validated in vitro and in vivo. Target engagement assays, comet assay and western blot confirmed that the intracellular target and mechanism of MA-24. Results: MA-24 with potent antitumor bioactivity both in vitro and in vivo. MA-24 competitively inhibited the MTH1 and further induce DNA strand breaks, leading to increased apoptosis of cancer cells depending on upregulation of cleaved-caspase 3 – cleaved-PARP axis. Especially, MA-24 exhibited a powerful efficacy and safety in vivo (tumor growth inhibition rate: 61.8%). Conclusions: MA-24 possesses a broad spectrum of breast cancer cytotoxicity and offered valuable insights for overcoming the challenges of chemotherapy-related toxicity, which holds great po-tential for further development MA-24 as an anti-cancer drug.

Streptococcus thermophilus is widely used as a starter culture in the dairy industry and has garnered attention as a beneficial bacterium owing to its health-promoting functionalities in humans. In this study, the probiotic potential of S. thermophilus MCC0200, isolated from a dairy product, was investigated through a combinatorial approach of in-vitro and in-silico studies. MCC0200 demonstrated the ability to survive harsh gastro-intestinal transit (GIT), adhere to intestinal mucosa and exert health-promoting traits in in-vitro studies. These findings were corroborated with in-silico evidence, wherein MCC0200 genome harboured genes associated with tolerance to GIT conditions, intestinal adhesion and colonization. Genome mapping also highlighted the ability of MCC0200 to produce compounds advantageous for host (folate, bacteriocins), to release enzymes that can reinforce the host ability (antioxidative enzymes), to metabolize food components that can be harmful to sensitive people (lactose). MCC0200 also demonstrated a positive effect on reducing cholesterol levels, proving to be a potential candidate for food and pharmaceutical applications. Absence of transmissible antibiotic resistance genes and virulence genes underscored the GRAS nature of MCC0200. This study explored the potential of Streptococcus thermophilus for its probable applications as a probiotic beyond the dairy industry.

The aim of this study was to study the effect of leisure identity, flow, satisfaction, and re-participate intention among outdoor leisure activity participants in South Korea. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a tendency to more frequently participate in outdoor leisure activities as opposed to indoor leisure activities. Leisure activities bestow various benefits. Therefore, this study was used to analyze the relationships amongst leisure identity, flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participate intention among various theories about leisure. The participants in this study were collected from amongst 369 people who were frequent participants in outdoor leisure activities. For the data analysis, the researchers used frequency, confirmatory analysis, reliability, correlation and structural equaling modeling. The findings were as follows: First, leisure identity had wielded an influence on leisure flow. Second, leisure identity had influence leisure satisfaction. did not have any significant influence on recreation specialization. Third, leisure identity had influence on re-participate intention. Fourth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. Fifth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. And finally, leisure satisfaction had an influence on re-participate intention. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new leisure identity has been formed, and it is believed to be a new study on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention. This study aims to provide basic data for constructing infrastructure to enable continued participation in outdoor sports in Korea.

This study investigated how broader parental factors including parental happiness, parental play engagement, and parenting stress are related to Korean children’s happiness and weight status across three years via indirect pathways through the children’s energy-related behaviors of healthy and unhealthy food intake, physical activity, and screen time. Data from 1551 Korean parent pairs and 7-yaer-old children in the Panel Study on Korean Children were analyzed. Path analysis and gender-based structural equation modeling were conducted. Maternal happiness was negatively related to child screen time. Maternal play engagement showed positive concurrent associations with child healthy food intake and physical activity and negative associations with screen time. Maternal parenting stress was negatively related to child healthy eating. There was one significant finding related to fathers’ role on children’s energy-related behaviors, happiness, and weight status: the positive association between parental happiness and boys’ unhealthy food intake. Child screen time was positively related to child weight status and negatively to child happiness at each age. Broader maternal parenting factors can serve as a protective factor for childhood happiness and weight status in 7-to 9-year-olds through being associated with a reduction in child screen time.

Growing mushrooms is meeting challenges while aiming for sustainability and circularity. Wherever the producer is located, commercial strains are the same originating from several producers. Following the harvest, enormous quantities of spent mushroom substrate containing spores are disposed presenting a type of foreign material pressure on the ecosystem in the form of the loss of genetic diversity in wild mushroom populations. This challenge can be mitigated by bioprospecting local strains and using them to generate commercial inoculum. Accordingly, the mycoceutical potential of five polypore mushroom species from Serbia was evaluated: secondary metabolite composition, oxidative damage prevention, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) properties. The phenolic pattern was comparable in all samples, but the amounts of specific chemicals varied. Hydroxybenzoic acids were the primary components. All samples had varying quantities of ascorbic acid, carotene, and lycopene, and showed a pronounced inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPx) and ability to scavenge HO•. Extracts were more potent tyrosinase inhibitors but unsuccessful when faced with ACE. Fomitopsis pinicola had the strongest anti-tumor efficacy while Ganoderma lucidum demonstrated strong selectivity in anti-tumor effect in comparison to healthy cells. The evaluated species provided a solid foundation for commercial development while keeping the local ecology in mind.

To search for novel thermostable esterase for optimized industrial applications, esterase from a thermophilic eubacterium species, Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 was purified and characterised in this work. Sequence analysis of T. tengcongensis esterase with other homologous esterases of the same family revealed an apparent tail at the C-terminal that is not conserved across the esterase family. Hence, it was hypothesized that the tail is unlikely to have an essential structural or catalytic role. However, there is no documented report of any role for this tail region. We probed the role of the C-terminal domain on the catalytic activity and substrate preference of Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis esterase EstA3 with a view to see how it could be engineered for enhanced properties. To achieve this, we cloned, expressed, and purified the wild-type and the truncated version of the enzyme. In addition, a naturally occurring member of the family (from B. brevis) that lacks the C-terminal tail was also made. In vitro characterization of the purified enzymes showed that the C-terminal domain contributes significantly to the catalytic activity and distinct substrate preference of T. tengcongensis esterase EstA3. All the three recombinant enzymes showed highest preference to paranitrophenyl butyrate (pNPC4), which suggests they are true esterases, not lipases. kinetic data revealed that truncation had a slight effect on the substrate-binding affinity. Thus, the drop in preference towards long-chain substrates might not be a result of substrate binding affinity alone.

This review compiles research findings pertaining to Nuclear Distribution C (NudC) genes and their involvement in various cellular processes, including nuclear migration, intracellular transport, nuclear positioning and cell cycle progression. Structural and functional similarities of NudC pro-teins across diverse organisms highlight their evolutionary conserved nature and pivotal roles in upholding cellular functions. Special attention is given to the growing importance of NudC family members in plants, elucidating their contributions to plant growth, development and responses to environmental challenges. Within this framework, we spotlight two Arabidopsis NudC genes, BOB1 and NMig1, for their indispensable roles in embryo and postembryonic development, and involvement in stress responses and tolerance mechanisms. Furthermore, we accentuate the chaperone activity of plant NudC family members, a crucial function in mitigating the adverse effects of stress and bolstering plant resilience in the face of environmental challenges. These insights underscore the promising potential of NudC members as valuable targets for enhancing crop performance, particularly when directed towards optimizing plant morphology and fortifying en-vironmental resistance to enhance overall crop productivity.

Obesity and physical activity have opposing effects on cardiorespiratory fitness. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity measured by various anthropometric indicators and physical activity level on oxygen uptake and fat oxidation during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in adults. Forty-eight individuals were recruited. Various anthropometric indicators (i.e., body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)) were measured. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (a short version). Total oxygen uptake (VO2tot) and fat oxidation were recorded during 30-minute aerobic exercise at moderate intensity. There were no differences in oxygen uptake and fat oxidation between obese and non-obese groups. Based on obesity and physical activity, VO2tot was significantly different among groups classified by WHR. Inactive obesity had significantly lower VO2tot 28.1% compared to active obesity and 29.2 % compared to active non-obesity. The inactive obesity had a 3.8%, 27.4%, and 4.3% lower fat oxidation than the active non-obesity, as classified by WC, WHR, and WHtR, respectively. However, the differences were not statistically significant. We conclude that active obesity, as measured by WHR, exhibited higher oxygen uptake compared to inactive obesity. Moreover, inactive obesity showed poorer oxygen uptake than active non-obesity.

In Poland, the mountainous and hilly regions until recently were territories with unbalanced and poor diet quality, especially in early spring. Wild edible plants were or still are influential in supplementing a human diet. One of the earliest wild edible plants to appear in the growing season, characteristic of a broad swath of Europe from Ukraine to Germany, remains wild (bear) garlic (Allium ursinum L.). This paper assesses the impact of the vegetation site and preservation methods on selected parameters of the chemical composition of bear garlic. In addition, the connection between its genome pattern and chemical composition was assessed. The plants were collected in three locations in the Carpathian foothills, and the reference sample was plants collected in the lowlands. The site from which the raw material was harvested has a statistically significant effect on the chemical composition of the preserved leaves of bear garlic. The profiles of the analysed components differed in the material from a different site. Bear garlic leaves from mountainous areas had more analyzed components than those obtained from the lowland sites. Moreover, the material from the lowlands had a different genetic pattern from the leaves from the mountainous areas..

Protein–nanoparticle hybridization can ideally lead to novel biological entities characterized by emerging properties, which can sensibly differ from those of the parent components. Herein, the effect of ionic strength on the biological functions of recombinant, His-tagged spermine oxidase (i.e., SMOX) was studied for the first time. Moreover, SMOX was integrated to colloidal surface active maghemite nanoparticles (SAMNs) by direct self-assembly, leading to a biologically active nano-enzyme (i.e., SAMN@SMOX). The hybrid was subjected to an in-depth chemical-physical characterization highlighting that protein structure was perfectly preserved. The catalytic activity of the nanostructured hybrid (SAMN@SMOX) was assessed by extracting kinetics parameters using spermine as substrate and compared to the soluble enzyme as a function of ionic strength. Results revealed that the catalytic function was dominated by electrostatic interactions and that they were drastically modified upon hybridization with colloidal ɣ-Fe2O3. Noteworthy, the affinity of SMOX toward spermine was significantly higher for the nanohybrid at low salinity. The present study supports the vision of using protein–nanoparticle conjugation as a mean for modulating biological functions.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by pathogens, particularly E. coli, have spontaneously become resistant to antimicrobial drugs in recent years. Therefore, regular monitoring and alternative strategies for the antimicrobial agent are crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance and bacterial biofilms. Here, we report a new cobalt iron oxide-conjugated tin oxide nanocomposite that can kill bacteria and treat multidrug-resistant E. coli posing UTIs. Following the isolation and identification of E. coli, we tested 57/134 samples against sixteen commonly used antibiotics phenotypically using the disk diffusion method to determine their sensitivity pattern. Of the 57 E. coli isolates, 66% (38/57) were multidrug-resistant. The E. coli isolates were resistant to cephradine (70.17%), ceftriaxone (59.64%), and azithromycin (59.64%), followed by cefixime (54.38%), cefuroxime sodium (52.63%), and co-trimoxazole (50.87%). X-ray diffraction results showed the crystallite sizes were about 5.68 and 8.84 nm in pure SnO2 nanoparticles and 95% SnO2-5% CoFe2O4 nanocomposite, respectively. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared determined the fundamental structure of the nanocomposite, encompassing Co, Fe, Sn, and O. Moreover, FTIR measurements implied that the distinct functional groups in both SnO2 and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles existed in a 95% SnO2-5% CoFe2O4 nanocomposite. Field emission scanning electron microscope analysis uncovered that the SnO2-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite had a size of roughly 24 nm and was spherical. In addition, the biosynthesized SnO2 nanoparticles and SnO2-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. At a minimum 100 µg/mL concentration, SnO2 nanoparticles and SnO2-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite showed high antibacterial activity. The SnO2 nanoparticles and SnO2-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite demonstrated antibacterial activity on multidrug-resistant E. coli at 10 ± 0.7 and 16 ± 0.8 mm zone of inhibition, respectively. In conclusion, the new SnO2-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite might be a potential candidate for treating UTIs caused by drug-resistant E. coli in the foreseeable future.

The results of the most recent investigation of triterpenoid-based antiviral agents effective namely in the HIV-1 and HSV-1 treatment were reviewed and summarized. Several key historical achievements are included to stress consequences and continuity in this research. Most of the agents studied belong into a series of compound derived from betulin or betulinic acid, and their synthetic derivative called bevirimat. A termination of clinical trials of bevirimat in the Phase IIb initiated a search for more successful compounds partly derived from bevirimat or designed independently of bevirimat structure. Surprisingly, a majority of bevirimat mimics are derivatives of betulinic acid, while other plant triterpenoids, such as ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid or other miscellaneous triterpenoids, are relatively rarely involved in a search for novel antiviral agent. Therefore, this review article is divided into three parts based on the leading triterpenoid core structure.

The conventional phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae has been identified several significant virulence determinants against Caenorhabditis elegans, but their mechanisms of action remain elusive. Here, we report the nematicidal activity and action receptor of a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP03) of a wild-type P. syringae MB03 against C. elegans. Purified MCP03 exhibited significant nematicidal toxicity against C. elegans, with a half-lethal concentration of 124.4 μg mL1, and detrimental effects on the growth and brood size of C. elegans. Additionally, MCP03-treated worms showed severe pathological destruction of the intestine and ovary, and depressed wrinkles of the cuticle. Through yeast two-hybrid assays, we identified a subunit of a COP9 signalosome, namely CSN-5, functionated as an action receptor of MCP03. In vitro pull-down and in vivo co-localization assays verified the binding interaction between MCP03 and CSN-5. RNA interference assays confirmed that MCP03 acts on CSN-5 to adversely affect the brood size, growth, and cuticle integrity of C. elegans. Following MCP03 infection, the expression of several genes relative to reproduction, growth, and cuticle formation, such as kgb-1, unc-98, and col-117, were significantly downregulated, which implicated the pathological changes of MCP03-treated nematodes. Thus, this study demonstrates that MCP03 acted on the receptor protein CSN-5 causing lethality and detrimental effects on the fertility, growth, and morphogenesis of C. elegans, which will provide new insights into the signaling pathways and mechanism underlying the nematicidal action of MCP03 towards C. elegans.

Using the colloidal method, Au NP’s were deposited onto 6 different supports (TiO2,  and -Al2O3, HFeO2, CeO2, and C), and their catalytic activity and selectivity were compared in the alkylation of aniline by benzyl alcohol. Correlations were made between the nature of the support, the Au NP size and H-binding energy.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease is closely related to the estrogen receptor alpha subtype (ERα). Therefore, it is of great importance to develop effective inhibitors of ERα activity for the treatment of breast cancer. In this paper, we propose a novel ensemble machine learning model for quantitative structure-activity relationship of anti-breast cancer drugs, which can effectively predict drug activity in small samples with multiple characteristic variables. To avoid the problem of over-fitting caused by low-correlation independent variables, the scoring mechanism of random forest was improved by incorporating three relevance indicators, including the maximum mutual information number, Pearson correlation coefficient and distance correlation coefficient, and 20 optimal molecular descriptors were selected. The Bayesian hyperparameter optimization method was used to optimize the parameters of multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector regression (SVR), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), respectively. The AdaBoost strong learner was constructed by combining the weak learner with the weighted linear addition method. The results show that the proposed ensemble learning model has the best prediction performance compared to the three basic learner models and the CNN-LSTM combination prediction model. The root mean square error was reduced by 7.60%-26.51%. The mean relative error was reduced by 6.46%-30.92%. Goodness of fit increased by 9.57%-36.94%. Finally, the biological activities of 50 candidate compounds for ERα inhibitors were predicted, and it was found that 4-[2-benzyl-1-[4-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethoxy)phenyl]but-1-enyl]phenol had an excellent biological activity value pIC50, which had the potential to be an ERα inhibitor. The model proposed in this paper has good prediction accuracy, which can provide an effective reference for the discovery and development of anti-breast cancer drugs.

Scientific advancements in the food industry have resulted in the discovery of natural substances that can serve various functions in food. Essential oils, in particular, can act as food preservatives or flavoring agents due to their abundance of natural antioxidants, which possess preservative properties. In this study, the composition of Thymus vulgaris essential oil was determined using GC-MS and HS-SPME. The essential oil obtained from Thymus vulgaris L. through hydro-distillation yielded approximately 4%. GC/MS analysis of the essential oil identified 11 components, with a predominant presence of oxygenated monoterpenes (56.97%). Notably, carvacrol (37.63%) and thymol (17.35%) were present in significant amounts, accounting for 54.98% of the overall composition. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using three methods. The DPPH free radical scavenging test yielded an IC50 of 0.51±0.11 mg mL-1. The β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching test resulted in an IC50 of 2.58±0.10 mg mL-1. Finally, the ABTS assay indicated relatively lower antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid.