Luteolin Alleviates AflatoxinB-Induced Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress in the Liver of Mice through Activation of Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.

Aflatoxin B (AFB), a threatening mycotoxin, usually provokes oxidative stress and causes hepatotoxicity in animals and humans. Luteolin (LUTN), well-known as an active phytochemical agent, acts as a strong antioxidant. This research was designed to investigate whether LUTN exerts protective effects against AFB-induced hepatotoxicity and explore the possible molecular mechanism in mice.

Helminth protection against type-1 diabetes: an insight into immunomodulatory effect of helminth-induced infection.

Helminths are the old dirty friends of humans from decades and may live undetected by the immune system for years in the tissues. They have evolved as good experts at subverting the immune system. Despite of their pathogenicity, they provide protection to their host against certain inflammatory diseases such as diabetes by modulating the immune mechanisms.

Pollution characterization and source identification of nitrogen-containing species in fine particulates: A case study in Hefei city, East China.

To identify the nitrogen sources in atmospheric particulate matter, the stable isotope technique has been proven as an effective method. In this study, PM samples at different pollution levels were collected from March 2018 to February 2019 in Hefei to analyze and compare the chemical composition. The results showed that the concentrations of PM, total nitrogen (TN) and nitrogenous species, as well as the total nitrogen isotopic composition (δN) increased with the aggravation of pollution.

Characterization of Vascular plant One-Zinc finger (VOZ) in soybean (Glycine max and Glycine soja) and their expression analyses under drought condition.

Vascular plant one-zinc-finger (VOZ) transcription factors regulate plant growth and development under drought conditions. Six VOZ transcription factors encoding genes exist in soybean genome (both in Glycine max and Glycine soja). Herein, GmVOZs and GsVOZs were identified through in silico analysis and characterized with different bioinformatics tools and expression analysis.

Integrated Analyses of the Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Permeability, and Serum Metabolome Phenotype in Rats with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.

The etiology of alcohol dependence is not completely understood. Increasing evidence reveals that gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with certain psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism, through the "microbiota-gut-brain" axis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of alcohol abuse on the gut microbiota, intestinal permeability and serum metabolic profile and to determine whether alcohol-induced alterations in gut microbiota are correlated with gut permeability and serum metabolic phenotype changes.

Factors Determining Consumer Acceptance of Biofortified Food: Case of Zinc-Fortified Wheat in Pakistan's Punjab Province.

Zinc (Zn) is a fundamental micronutrient required by all living organisms. Zn deficiency among children under 5 years, pregnant, and child-bearing women has been identified in developing countries such as Pakistan. Biofortified crops can increase micronutrient levels and decrease deficiencies.

Development and Exploitation of KASP Assays for Genes Underpinning Drought Tolerance Among Wheat Cultivars From Pakistan.

High-throughput genotyping for functional markers offers an excellent opportunity to effectively practice marker-assisted selection (MAS) while breeding cultivars. We developed kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) assays for genes conferring drought tolerance in common wheat ( L.).

Lipoic Acid Combined with Melatonin Mitigates Oxidative Stress and Promotes Root Formation and Growth in Salt-Stressed Canola Seedlings ( L.).

Lipoic acid (LA) and melatonin (MT) are pleiotropic molecules participating in plant stress resistance by modulating cellular biochemical changes, ion homeostasis, and antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the combined role of these two molecules in counteracting the detrimental impacts of salinity stress is still unknown. In the present study, we determined the effects of exogenous LA (0.

Genome Wide Analysis of Heat Shock Proteins.

Background: Plant and animal cells possess a ubiquitous protein known as heat shock proteins (HSPs). Hsps were originally described in relation to heat shock and against abiotic and biotic stresses. Heat shock protein was classified in other crops on the bases of single classes or all classes but in Hsps groups, classes, subfamilies and members were not classified and characterized up to our knowledge.

Role of nitrogen and magnesium for growth, yield and nutritional quality of radish.

Nitrogen (N) affects all levels of plant function from metabolism to resource allocation, growth, and development and Magnesium (Mg) is a macronutrient that is necessary to both plant growth and health. Radish (vus L.) occupies an important position in the production and consumption of vegetables globally, but there are still many problems and challenges in its nutrient management.

Zoonotic potential of Newcastle disease virus: Old and novel perspectives related to public health.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has a worldwide distribution, causing lethal infection in a wide range of avian species. Affected birds develop respiratory, digestive and neurologic symptoms with profound immunosuppression. Mild systemic Newcastle disease (ND) infection restricted to the respiratory and neurological systems can be observed in humans and other non-avian hosts.

Efficiency of different types of biochars to mitigate Cd stress and growth of sunflower (; L.) in wastewater irrigated agricultural soil.

Cadmium contamination in croplands is recognized one of the major threat, seriously affecting soil health and sustainable agriculture around the globe. Cd mobility in wastewater irrigated soils can be curtailed through eco-friendly and cost effective organic soil amendments (biochars) that eventually minimizes its translocation from soil to plant. This study explored the possible effects of various types of plants straw biochar as soil amendments on cadmium (Cd) phytoavailability in wastewater degraded soil and its subsequent accumulation in sunflower tissues.

Prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks collected from Punjab province of Pakistan.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonotic disease of human that caused by CCHF virus. To study the epidemiological distribution of CCHFV, 2183 tick samples were collected from sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo of different livestock farms of ten districts of Punjab province of Pakistan. Detection of CCHFV was done using enzyme link immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after proper identification of tick samples.

Current Understandings on Magnesium Deficiency and Future Outlooks for Sustainable Agriculture.

The productivity of agricultural produce is fairly dependent on the availability of nutrients and efficient use. Magnesium (Mg) is an essential macronutrient of living cells and is the second most prevalent free divalent cation in plants. Mg plays a role in several physiological processes that support plant growth and development.

The protective effect of walnut oil on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute intestinal injury in mice.

Walnut oil (WO) is widely used in traditional medicine, and it has become a dietary supplement in many countries. We isolated walnut oil from and evaluated its protective effects on acute intestinal injury, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mice was studied. The results showed that the LPS + WO group significantly decreased serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β levels and increased the jejunum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels compared with the LPS group.

Reduced expression of CsPH8, a P-type ATPase gene, is the major factor leading to the low citrate accumulation in citrus leaves.

Citrate is an important intermediate product for the biosynthesis of several metabolites in plants. As two important organs of the citrus plant, fruits and leaves have their own metabolites characteristics; among them, citrate is normally high in fruit juice sacs (JS) and low in leaves. In this study, citrate content and transcript levels of citrate synthesis, transport, storage, and utilization related genes were compared between leaves and fruit JS of Citrus reticulata cv.

and management of (Kofoid and White) Chitwood and (Taub.) Butler in cotton using organic's.

Root-knot nematodes (Kofoid and White) Chitwood and (Taub.) Butler, fungus, are very dangerous root damaging pathogens. Present study was planned to establish a chemical control of these root deteriorating pathogens under lab conditions as well as in field.

Potential use of molecular and structural characterization of the gut bacterial community for postmortem interval estimation in Sprague Dawley rats.

Once the body dies, the indigenous microbes of the host begin to break down the body from the inside and play a key role thereafter. This study aimed to investigate the probable shift in the composition of the rectal microbiota at different time intervals up to 15 days after death and to explore bacterial taxa important for estimating the time since death. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes showed major shifts when checked at 11 different intervals and emerged at most of the postmortem intervals.

Comparative study of innovative blends prepared by fortification of date powder to alleviate child malnutrition.

Child malnutrition is one of the biggest problems in developing countries with higher level of food insecurity. Pakistan is 5th largest producer of date fruit; therefore, its processing and products should be explored in various dimensions. Being rich source of minerals and sugars, it can contribute in weaning foods in a good manner.

Effect of walnut (Juglans sigillata) oil on intestinal antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunity, and gut microbiota modulation in mice.

The study investigated the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunity, and gut microbiota modulation in mice (n = 60; 15 mice/group) after intragastric administration of walnut oil (WO; three groups (low (LD), medium (MD), and high doses (HD): 2.5, 5, and 10 ml/kg, respectively) and normal control (NC, saline). WO significantly increased the median villous height/crypt depth (VH/CD) ratio, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in intestinal mucosa.

Comparison of Growth Characteristics and Genomics of Two Canine Distemper Virus Strains Isolated From Minks in China.

Canine distemper (CD), caused by the CDV variant strain with H, has become an epidemic in fur-bearing animals in China since 2012. To well understand the genomic and replicated characteristics of the CDV variants, we determined the viral growth kinetics and completed the genome sequences of two CDV strains, namely SDZC(17)M2 and LNDL(17)M4, isolated from CDV-infected minks from Shandong and Liaoning province in China, in 2017. SDZC(17)M2 showed higher viral titers and extensive syncytia in BHK-minkSLAM (BMS) cells than LNDL(17)M4.

Genome-wide investigation and expression analysis of APETALA-2 transcription factor subfamily reveals its evolution, expansion and regulatory role in abiotic stress responses in Indica Rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica).

Rice is an important cereal crop that serves as staple food for more than half of the world population. Abiotic stresses resulting from changing climatic conditions are continuously threating its yield and production. Genes in APETALA-2 (AP2) family encode transcriptional regulators implicated during regulation of developmental processes and abiotic stress responses but their identification and characterization in indica rice was still missing.

A comparative phylogenomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 strains reported from non-human mammalian species and environmental samples.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect a wide range of domestic and wild mammals. These viruses have a potential and tendency to cross-species barriers and infect humans. Novel human coronavirus 2019-nCoV (hCoV-19) emerged from Wuhan, China, and has caused a global pandemic.