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The effect of solvent polarity on extraction yield and antioxidant properties of phytochemical compounds in bean seeds was studied. Seed flour of three varieties of bean was extracted in a series of organic solvents with increasing polarity (n-hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, acetone and water). Preliminary screening of phytochemicals showed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthocyanins, terpenoids, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and reducing compounds in all extracts. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of results showed that extraction yield, phytochemical content and antioxidant properties were significantly influenced (p<0.05) by the polarity of extracting solvents. The regression analysis of data showed polarity-dependent second order polynomial variations in the extraction yield, phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity, reducing properties and free radical scavenging activity of each variety. Extraction in highly polar solvents resulted in high extract yield but low phenolic and flavonoid content as compared to non-polar ones. The polarity-dependent increase in total antioxidant activity and reducing properties indicates the extraction of strong antioxidant compounds in polar solvents. The study suggests the use of a combination of polar and nonpolar solvents to increase the extraction efficiency of phytochemicals with good antioxidant quality from the bean and other legume seeds.

Cereals are the major contributors to global food supply, accounting for more than half of the total human calorie requirements. Sustainable availability of quality cereal grains is an important step to address the high-priority issue of food security. High concentrations of heavy metals specifically lead (Pb) in the soil negatively affect biochemical and physiological processes regulating grain quality in cereals. The dietary intake of Pb more than desirable quantity via food chain is a major concern for humans, as it can predispose individuals to chronic health issues. In plant systems, high Pb concentrations can disrupt several key metabolic processes such as electron transport chain, cellular organelles integrity, membrane stability index, PSII connectivity, mineral metabolism, oxygen-evolving complex, and enzymatic activity. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been recommended as an inexpensive strategy for remediating Pb-contaminated soils. A diverse group of Ascomycetes fungi, i.e., dark septate endophytes is successfully used for this purpose. A symbiotic relationship between endophytes and host cereal induces Pb tolerance by immobilizing Pb ions. Molecular and cellular modifications in plants under Pb-stressed environments are explained by transcription factor families such as bZIP, ERF, and GARP as a regulator. The role of metal tolerance protein (MTP), natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP), and heavy metal ATPase in decreasing Pb toxicity is well known. In the present review, we provided the contemporary synthesis of existing data regarding the effects of Pb toxicity on morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of major cereal crops. We also highlighted the mechanism/s of Pb uptake and translocation in plants, critically discussed the possible management strategies and way forward to overcome the menace of Pb toxicity in cereals.

Increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and associated climatic variability is primarily responsible for inducing heat waves, flooding and drought stress. Among these, water scarcity is a major limitation to crop productivity. Water stress can severely reduce crop yield and both the severity and duration of the stress are critical. Water availability is a key driver for sustainable cotton production and its limitations can adversely affect physiological and biochemical processes of plants, leading towards lint yield reduction. Adaptation of crop husbandry techniques suitable for cotton crop requires a sound understanding of environmental factors, influencing cotton lint yield and fiber quality. Various defense mechanisms e.g. maintenance of membrane stability, carbon fixation rate, hormone regulation, generation of antioxidants and induction of stress proteins have been found play a vital role in plant survival under moisture stress. Plant molecular breeding plays a functional role to ascertain superior genes for important traits and can offer breeder ready markers for developing ideotypes. This review highlights drought-induced damage to cotton plants at structural, physiological and molecular levels. It also discusses the opportunities for increasing drought tolerance in cotton either through modern gene editing technology like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR/Cas9), zinc finger nuclease, molecular breeding as well as through crop management, such as use of appropriate fertilization, growth regulator application and soil amendments.

Background Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are extensively used in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. While these medications offer glycemic control and cardiovascular benefits, the risks have increased because of their potential impact on cancer risk, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between GLP-1 RAs and CRC risk in patients receiving GLP-1 RAs. Methods This study was conducted the PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from inception to December 2024. The inclusion criteria encompassed Studies analyzing the effects of GLP-1 RA on CRC risk in patients with T2DM. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for the quality assessment of the included cohort studies. Random-effects models were employed for the pooled analysis, and heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 statistic. Results Seven retrospective cohort studies involving 5,066,681 patients were included. The pooled analysis revealed a significantly increased risk of CRC among patients receiving GLP-1 RAs (RR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.82–2.93; I2 = 36%; p  < 0.0001). However, the incidence of CRC was not significantly associated with GLP-1 RA use compared with other drugs (OR, 1.73; 95% CI: 0.21–14.18, p  = 0.61; I2 = 100%). Quality assessment indicated a low-to-moderate risk of bias across the included studies. Conclusion Overall, this study suggests a significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer associated with GLP-1 RA use in patients receiving GLP-1 RAs. However, the incidence of CRC is not considerably high. These findings highlight the need for further long-term, large-scale clinical trials to elucidate the relationship between GLP-1 RAs and cancer risk. Clinicians should consider these results when prescribing GLP-1 RAs, particularly in patients with CRC risk factors. Graphical Abstract

Saxitoxin (STX) belongs to the family of marine biological toxins, which are major contaminants in seafood. The reference methods for STX detection are mouse bioassay and chromatographic analysis, which are time-consuming, high costs, and requirement of sophisticated operation. Therefore, the development of alternative methods for STX analysis is urgent. Electrochemical analysis is a fast, low-cost, and sensitive method for biomolecules analysis. Thus, in this study, an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor based on aptamer-modified two-dimensional layered Ti3C2Tx nanosheets was developed for STX detection. The high surface area and rich functional groups of MXene benefited the modification of aptamer, which had specific interactions with STX. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and constant-capacitance (ConCap) measurement results indicated that the aptasensor was able to detect STX with high sensitivity and good specificity. The detection range was 1.0 nM to 200 nM and detection limit was as low as 0.03 nM. Moreover, the aptasensor was found to have a good selectivity and two-week stability. The mussel tissue extraction test suggested the potential application of this biosensor in detecting STX in real samples. This method provides a convenient approach for low-cost, rapid, and label-free detection of marine biological toxins.

A COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been declared a global pandemic by WHO. It first appeared in China at the end of 2019 and quickly spread throughout the world. During the third layer, it became more critical. COVID-19 spread is extremely difficult to control, and a huge number of suspected cases must be screened for a cure as soon as possible. COVID-19 laboratory testing takes time and can result in significant false negatives. To combat COVID-19, reliable, accurate and fast methods are urgently needed. The commonly used Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction has a low sensitivity of approximately 60% to 70%, and sometimes even produces negative results. Computer Tomography (CT) has been observed to be a subtle approach to detecting COVID-19, and it may be the best screening method. The scanned image's quality, which is impacted by motion-induced Poisson or Impulse noise, is vital. In order to improve the quality of the acquired image for post segmentation, a novel Impulse and Poisson noise reduction method employing boundary division max/min intensities elimination along with an adaptive window size mechanism is proposed. In the second phase, a number of CNN techniques are explored for detecting COVID-19 from CT images and an Assessment Fusion Based model is proposed to predict the result. The AFM combines the results for cutting-edge CNN architectures and generates a final prediction based on choices. The empirical results demonstrate that our proposed method performs extensively and is extremely useful in actual diagnostic situations.

Soil salinity is a major factor affecting rice growth and productivity worldwide especially at seedling stage. Many genes for salt tolerance have been identified and applied to rice breeding, but the actual mechanism of salt tolerance remains unclear. In this study, seedlings of 664 cultivated rice varieties from the 3000 Rice Genome Project (3K-RG) were cultivated by hydroponic culture with 0.9% salt solution for trait identification. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of salt tolerance was performed using different models of analysis. Twenty-one QTLs were identified and two candidate genes named OsSTL1 ( Oryza sativa salt tolerance level 1) and OsSTL2 ( Oryza sativa salt tolerance level 2) were confirmed using sequence analysis. Haplotype and sequence analysis revealed that gene OsSTL1 was a homolog of salt tolerance gene SRP1 (Stress associated RNA-binding protein 1) in Arabidopsis. The hap1 of OsSTL1 was identified as the superior haplotype and a non-synonymous SNP was most likely to be the functional site. We also determined that the level of salt tolerance was improved by combining haplotypes of different genes. Our study provides a foundation for molecular breeding and functional analysis of salt tolerance in rice seedlings.

Background: Breast cancer is a major global health burden, with hereditary factors such as BRCA1/2 mutations significantly increasing the lifetime risk. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the outcomes of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), tamoxifen, and raloxifene as chemopreventive agents for breast cancer risk reduction in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE databases were searched for relevant studies published between 2000 and 2024. Case-control studies and observational cohort studies examining the use of tamoxifen/raloxifene in BRCA1/2 carriers were included. Data on the incidence and risk ratios of breast cancer were also extracted. Quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager (version 5.4.0). Results: Nine studies (13,676 women) were included. Two studies had low risk, and the remaining seven studies had moderate risk, as assessed by the NOS checklist. Pooled analysis showed tamoxifen/raloxifene decreased breast cancer risk compared to controls (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72–0.88, p  = 0.04). The risk ratio of breast cancer incidence among BRCA1/2 carriers was reduced after tamoxifen use (RR 1.82, 95% CI 1.48–2.23, p  < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis revealed reduced breast cancer risk with SERM use in both BRCA1 (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.48–1.51) and BRCA2 carriers (RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.40–1.58). The heterogeneity ranged from 51 to 85%, representing high significance and variation in true effect sizes underlying the different included studies. Whereas the heterogeneity among subgroups BRCA1 and BRCA2 was 98%, and the difference was 0%, showing no difference in response to SERM for risk reduction of breast cancer. Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides evidence that tamoxifen and raloxifene significantly reduce the breast cancer risk in women with BRCA1/2 mutations. Chemoprevention efficacy was similar for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. Further research is needed to validate these findings and to optimize their use in high-risk populations.

Skin cancer is a growing global health concern, marked by high incidence and significant mortality, particularly in aggressive melanoma subtypes. In this study, we employed an integrative network pharmacology and molecular docking approach to evaluate the anticancer potential of Nigella sativa (black seed) against skin cancer. Initially, 13 active compounds were identified from N. sativa based on stringent pharmacokinetic criteria. Target prediction using SwissTargetPrediction, integrated with 9697 skin cancer-associated genes from GeneCards and DisGeNET, revealed 303 overlapping targets implicated in critical oncogenic processes. Subsequent Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses via the DAVID database identified 780 biological processes, 87 cellular components, and 278 molecular functions. Enriched pathways included the positive regulation of the MAPK cascade, EGFR signaling, angiogenesis, and several other pathways central to skin cancer pathogenesis. The compound-target network further underscored the polypharmacological nature of N. sativa, highlighting hub genes. Molecular docking studies were conducted to validate the interactions of select bioactive compounds with key receptors (AR, CDK4, EGFR, MAPK1, and MAPK3). Among the compounds, Gramisterol (CID: 5283640) demonstrated the strongest binding affinities, with energies of − 9.1 kcal/mol for both EGFR and MAPK3, − 9.0 kcal/mol for CDK4, − 8.2 kcal/mol for MAPK1, and − 7.4 kcal/mol for AR. Cycloeucalenol (CID: 101690), Obtusifoliol (CID: 65225) and Lophenol (CID: 160482) also exhibited potent interactions, particularly with EGFR, MAPK1, MAPK3 and CDK4, supporting their potential to disrupt tumor proliferation and survival signaling. Collectively, these findings indicate that N. sativa ’s bioactive compounds can modulate multiple cancer-related pathways, offering a promising multi-target strategy for skin cancer therapy. This computational study lays a robust foundation for subsequent in vitro and in vivo validations and paves the way for the development of novel, less toxic therapeutic regimens against skin cancer. Although the computational discoveries offer a solid conceptual foundation, evidence of their clinical significance is still pending. The next crucial stage of this investigation is to conduct extensive in vitro and in vivo verification investigations in order to close this gap. These initiatives will be crucial to converting our research into practical skin cancer treatment plans.

PurposeSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important contributor to emerging countries’ economic growth. However, SMEs have been struggling to sustain their performance in a highly competitive environment. Thus, this study aims to re-examine the effect of SMEs’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on firms’ performance during the COVID-19. This study has also studied the moderating role of social media usage and the mediating role of marketing capabilities and social media usage.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a structured questionnaire for data collection, where the unit of analysis was the manager or owner of SMEs. The data were analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings show that an EO has a significant and positive effect on an SME’s performance, but the outcomes are conditional on the role of social media and marketing capabilities. The empirical results reveal that marketing capabilities significantly mediate the relationship between EO and SME performance. In addition, social media usage moderates the relationship between EO and SME performance and it also partially mediates the EO-performance nexus of SMEs. Finally, this study discovers that the EO-Performance nexus of SMEs is serially mediated by social media usage and marketing capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has important implications for SMEs that are seeking to gain a competitive advantage. For example, an SME should deploy market activities through social media channels. In situations such as a pandemic and uncertainty, this could be the most effective tool.Originality/valueThis study builds a theory-based mediation-moderation model to explain the link between EO and SME performance. In explaining mediation-moderation effects, the current study provides insight into EO-performance relationships. Moreover, the current model facilitates exploring whether serial mediation passes through social media usage and market capabilities. Therefore, with new findings, the study extends the literature on serial mediation in the EO-performance of SMEs. Additionally, this study extends the literature on the moderating role of social media on SMEs in Indonesia, which has not been investigated. Besides, the current study adds new insight into the EO-performance of SME in COVID-19 condition.