Seed priming with zinc oxide nanoparticles downplayed ultrastructural damage and improved photosynthetic apparatus in maize under cobalt stress.

It is widely known that cobalt (Co) stress adversely affects plant growth and biomass accumulation, posing serious threats to crop production and food security. Nanotechnology is an emerging field in crop sciences for its potential in improving crop production and mitigating various stresses. Although there have been several studies reporting the toxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on different crops, their role in ameliorating heavy metal toxicity are still poorly understood.

Amelioration of AsV toxicity by concurrent application of ZnO-NPs and Se-NPs is associated with differential regulation of photosynthetic indexes, antioxidant pool and osmolytes content in soybean seedling.

Arsenic is a significant food safety and environmental concern due to its mutagenic and carcinogenic effect on living organism. Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) is a global staple crop grown intensively in arsenic-contaminated regions of the world (e.

Evidence of chikungunya virus infections among febrile patients at three secondary health facilities in the Ashanti and the Bono Regions of Ghana.

Background: Chikungunya is now of public health concern globally due to its re-emergence in endemic areas and introduction into new areas of the world. Worldwide, the vectors for transmission of the chikungunya virus are Aedes mosquitoes and these are prevalent in Ghana. Despite its global significance, the true burden of chikungunya virus infection in Ghana is largely unknown and the threat of outbreak remains high owing to international travel.

Formulation and In-Vitro Characterisation of Cross-Linked Amphiphilic Guar Gum Nanocarriers for Percutaneous Delivery of Arbutin.

Nano-colloidal systems formulated from amphiphilically-modified polysaccharides (degree of modification 16.6%) are focus of prominent study due to their potential to augment active penetration across the skin. Here we report the synthesis of amphiphilically-modified guar gum (GBE-GG) prepared by grafting with glycidol butyl ether (GBE), which were subsequently formed into nanocarriers and loaded with α-arbutin (22.

Forecasting the impact of environmental stresses on the frequent waves of COVID19.

A novel approach to link the environmental stresses with the COVID-19 cases is adopted during this research. The time-dependent data are extracted from the online repositories that are freely available for knowledge and research. Since the time series data analysis is desired for the COVID-19 time-dependent frequent waves, here in this manuscript, we have developed a time series model with the aid of "nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX)" approach.

Vasoactive pharmacologic therapy in cardiogenic shock: a critical review.

Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is an acute complex condition leading to morbidity and mortality. Vasoactive medications, such as vasopressors and inotropes are considered the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment of CS to improve end-organ perfusion by increasing cardiac output (CO) and blood pressure (BP), thus preventing multiorgan failure.

Objective: A critical review was conducted to analyze the currently available randomized studies of vasoactive agents in CS to determine the indications of each agent and to critically appraise the methodological quality of the studies.

Ethnobotany of the Aegadian Islands: safeguarding biocultural refugia in the Mediterranean.

Background: The Aegadian Islands are located west of Trapani, Sicily. Once the site of bountiful tuna fisheries and fruit orchards (plums, peaches, apricots), grapevines, prickly pears, and grains, the local economy is now based on tourism, and many traditional agricultural and maritime practices have been abandoned. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the state of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning the use of wild and cultivated plants and fungi for human health, food, maritime, and agricultural purposes on the islands of Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo and compare present-day practices with those documented in the past.

Clinical Characteristics, Molecular Background, and Survival of Egyptian Patients With Gaucher Disease Over a 20-Year Follow-up.

This study analyzes the general disease characteristics, impact of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), and overall survival (OS) of 156 Egyptian patients with Gaucher disease (GD) enrolled on hormone replacement from 1998 to 2017. The mean age at diagnosis was 32.46±12.

Salicylic acid underpins silicon in ameliorating chromium toxicity in rice by modulating antioxidant defense, ion homeostasis and cellular ultrastructure.

Chromium (Cr) phytotoxicity affirmed the need of mitigation strategies to remediate polluted soils and restricts its accumulation in the food chains. Salicylic acid (SA) and silicon (Si) play pivotal roles in stimulating the plant performance and stress resilience. So far, their interactive effects against Cr-phytotoxicities are less known.

Castaneroxy A From the Leaves of Inhibits Virulence in .

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) represents one of the most serious infectious disease concerns worldwide, with the CDC labeling it a "serious threat" in 2019. The current arsenal of antibiotics works by targeting bacterial growth and survival, which exerts great selective pressure for the development of resistance. The development of novel anti-infectives that inhibit quorum sensing and thus virulence in MRSA has been recurrently proposed as a promising therapeutic approach.

Time to reconsider the role of ribavirin in Lassa fever.

Ribavirin is the only available Lassa fever treatment. The rationale for using ribavirin is based on one clinical study conducted in the early 1980s. However, reanalysis of previous unpublished data reveals that ribavirin may actually be harmful in some Lassa fever patients.

Multi-Substance Use Behaviors: Prevalence and Correlates of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Use among University Students in Finland.

Virtually no studies appraised the co-use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) among Finn undergraduates. We assessed the associations between sociodemographic, health, academic, policy, and lifestyle characteristics (independent variables); and individual, multiple and increasing ATOD use (dependent variables) using regression analyses. Data were collected by online questionnaire at the University of Turku, Finland (1177 students).

Role of trans-radial band protocols in radial artery occlusion: Randomized trial.

Background: Radial artery occlusion is a common complication of coronary angiography via radial artery, attributed to the prolonged use of trans-radial band post procedure. Literature suggests there is no standard protocol for radial band deflation, and it varies across institutions. However, the protocol suggested by Cohen and Alfonso is widely used globally.

Potential health risks due to in-car aerosol exposure across ten global cities.

Car microenvironments significantly contribute to the daily pollution exposure of commuters, yet health and socioeconomic studies focused on in-car exposure are rare. This study aims to assess the relationship between air pollution levels and socioeconomic indicators (fuel prices, city-specific GDP, road density, the value of statistical life (VSL), health burden and economic losses resulting from exposure to fine particulate matter ≤2.5 µm; PM) during car journeys in ten cities: Dhaka (Bangladesh); Chennai (India); Guangzhou (China); Medellín (Colombia); São Paulo (Brazil); Cairo (Egypt); Sulaymaniyah (Iraq); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Blantyre (Malawi); and Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania).

Deep sclerectomy after DSAEK: A cautionary tale.

A 78-year-old pseudophakic women with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma and 6-year history of prior Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) underwent deep sclerectomy for a poorly controlled glaucoma. Exposure of the trabeculo-Descemet's window (TDW), showed a very poor drainage. An attempt to dissect the fibrous tissue off the TDW resulted in perforation of the window needing peripheral iridectomy, followed by a white fibrous band which had to be excised to prevent blockade of the filtration channel.

Factors affecting delay in diagnosis of colorectal cancer: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is increasing in our region. There is no specific CRC control programme or national cancer registry in Pakistan. Previously, no data have been published on presentation delay and diagnosis delay of CRC in our region.

Safety and effectiveness of ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks: Audit at tertiary care hospital.

Objective: To assess the safety and effectiveness of peripheral nerve blocks using ultrasound.

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of all patients who received peripheral nerve blocks as part of anaesthesia care between January 2015 and January 2017. The data included outcomes of peripheral nerve block effectiveness, complications and limb conditions after the block.

Quality of systematic reviews supporting the 2017 ACC/AHA and 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines for the management of hypertension.

Objective: To assess the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews (SRs) that informed recommendations in the recent American and European hypertension guidelines.

Design And Settings: Meta-epidemiological study. We identified SRs that were cited for class I recommendations based on Level of Evidence-A in the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension (ESC/ESH) hypertension guidelines.

Cryptolepine inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth through inhibiting interleukin-6/STAT3 signalling.

Background: Diverse signalling pathways are involved in carcinogenesis and one of such pathways implicated in many cancers is the interleukin 6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL-6/STAT3) signalling pathway. Therefore, inhibition of this pathway is targeted as an anti-cancer intervention. This study aimed to establish the effect of cryptolepine, which is the main bioactive alkaloid in the medicinal plant Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, on the IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway.

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization- an emerging trend for soft tissue dysfunction.

Musculoskeletal disorders are common conditions involving joints, muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons. These disorders affect normal activities and cause discomfort. These discomforts are managed by different types of interventions, including exercise, acupuncture, soft tissue release and manual therapy, as conservative modes of management.

When technology precedes regulation: the challenges and opportunities of e-pharmacy in low-income and middle-income countries.

The recent growth of medicine sales online represents a major disruption to pharmacy markets, with COVID-19 encouraging this trend further. While e-pharmacy businesses were initially the preserve of high-income countries, in the past decade they have been growing rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Public health concerns associated with e-pharmacy include the sale of prescription-only medicines without a prescription and the sale of substandard and falsified medicines.

Detection of active mycobacterium tuberculosis at 6th month exit among declared successfully treated cases in Pakistan.

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health concern, and the basis of successful anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) rests on the complete eradication of live bacilli from a patient. This study was conducted to detect the live TB bacilli in Lowenstein Jensen culture media among exit cases of TB who were declared successfully treated, either cured or treatment completed.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted across Pakistan.

Promising phytochemicals of traditional Himalayan medicinal plants against putative replication and transmission targets of SARS-CoV-2 by computational investigation.

Background: Identification and repurposing of therapeutic and preventive strategies against COVID-19 are rapidly undergoing. Several medicinal plants from the Himalayan region have been traditionally used to treat various human disorders. Thus, in our current study, we intended to explore the potential ability of Himalayan medicinal plant (HMP) bioactives against COVID-19 using computational investigations.

Mental health research on scheduled tribes in India.

Background: The burden of mental illness among the scheduled tribe (ST) population in India is not known clearly.

Aim: The aim was to identify and appraise mental health research studies on ST population in India and collate such data to inform future research.

Materials And Methods: Studies published between January 1980 and December 2018 on STs by following exclusion and inclusion criteria were selected for analysis.