, a traditionally significant medicinal plant, has not been extensively explored before for its phytochemical and biological potential. The present study was conducted to evaluate the bioactive ...phytochemicals and in vitro biological activities of
, and perform in silico molecular docking validation of
. The bioactive phytochemicals were assessed by preliminary phytochemical testing, total bioactive contents, and GC-MS analysis. For biological evaluation, the antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and ABTS), antibacterial, thrombolytic, and enzyme inhibition (tyrosinase and cholinesterase enzymes) potential were determined. The highest level of total phenolic contents (92.72 ± 0.79 mg GAE/g extract) was found in the
-butanol fraction while the maximum total flavonoid content (110 ± 0.83 mg QE/g extract) was observed in methanolic extract. The results showed that
-butanol fraction exhibited very significant tyrosinase inhibition activity (73.46 ± 0.80) and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity (64.06 ± 2.65%) as compared to other fractions and comparable to the standard compounds (kojic acid and galantamine). The methanolic extract was considered to have moderate butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activity (50.97 ± 063) as compared to the standard compound galantamine (53.671 ± 0.97%). The GC-MS analysis of the
-hexane fraction resulted in the tentative identification of 120 bioactive phytochemicals. Furthermore, the major compounds as identified by GC-MS were analyzed using in silico molecular docking studies to determine the binding affinity between the ligands and the enzymes (tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes). The results of this study suggest that
has unquestionable pharmaceutical importance and it should be further explored for the isolation of secondary metabolites that can be employed for the treatment of different diseases.
The housefly, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), is capable of transmitting many pathogens that cause severe diseases in humans and animals. Mostly the management tactics rely on synthetic ...chemicals, but these chemicals creates lethal effects on biological ecosystem. For natural and safe options, bio-control strategy is one of the choice. The present study was a part of such effort to use this strategy and validate the biological performance of the potential pupal parasitoid Dirhinus giffardii (Silvestri) against house fly and provide alternative and safe control of filthy flies. This is the first report on parasitism potential and preference of D. giffardii against house fly. The D. giffardii, early reported as an effective pupal parasitoid of tephritid flies, here in the case presented, showed overall 70% reduction in the house fly population by parasitizing pupae. The parasitism efficiency and longevity of hymenopteran parasitoid was remarkably noted two-fold higher and one-fold more female production on house fly pupae as compared to primary hosts (Tephritids). Furthermore, sex ratio of the resultant progeny was also confirmed the dominancy of female by 74% as compared to males. Based on the novel findings we therefore conclude that D. giffardii is the best bio-control agent for controlling house flies.
Molecular characterization of fish muscle proteins are nowadays considered as a key component to understand the role of specific proteins involved in various physiological and metabolic processes ...including their up and down regulation in the organisms. Coldwater fish specimens including snow trouts hold different types of proteins which help them to survive in highly diversified temperatures fluctuating from 0 to 20 °C. So, in current study, the liquid chromatography mass spectrometry using label free quantification technique has been used to investigate the muscle proteome profile of Schizothorax labiatus. For proteomic study, two weight groups of S. labiatus were taken from river Sindh. The proteomic analysis of group 1 revealed that a total of 235 proteins in male and 238 in female fish were recorded. However, when male and female S. labiatus were compared with each other on the basis of spectral count and abundance of peptides by ProteinLynx Global Server software, a total of 14 down-regulated and 22 up-regulated proteins were noted in this group. The highly down-regulated ones included homeodomain protein HoxA2b, retinol-binding protein 4, MHC class II beta chain and proopiomelanocortin while as the highly expressed up-regulated proteins comprised of gonadotropin I beta subunit, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4, manganese superoxide dismutase, recombinase-activating protein 2, glycosyltransferase, chymotrypsin and cytochrome b. On the other hand, the proteomic characterisation of group 2 of S. labiatus revealed that a total of 227 proteins in male and 194 in female fish were recorded. When male and female S. labiatus were compared with each other by label free quantification, a total of 20 down-regulated and 18 up-regulated proteins were recorded. The down-regulated protein expression of group 2 comprised hepatic lipase, allograft inflammatory factor-1, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and myostatin 1 while the highly expressed up-regulated proteins included glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta variant 2, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta variant 5, cholecystokinin, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta variant 3 and cytochrome b. Significant (P < 0.05) difference in the expression of down-regulated and up-regulated proteins was also noted between the two sexes of S. labiatus in each group. According to MS analysis, the proteins primarily concerned with the growth, skeletal muscle development and metabolism were down-regulated in river Sindh, which indicates that growth of fish during the season of collection i.e., winter was slow owing to less food availability, gonad development and low metabolic activity. While, the proteins related to immune response of fish were also noted to be down-regulated thereby signifying that the ecosystem has less pollution loads, microbial, pathogenic and anthropogenic activities. It was also found that the proteins involved in glycogen metabolism, reproductive and metabolic processes, particularly lipid metabolism were up-regulated in S. labiatus. The significant expression of these proteins may be connected to pre-spawning, gonad development and use of stored food as source of energy. The information generated in this study can be applied to future research aimed at enhancing food traceability, food safety, risk management and authenticity analysis.
Microplastics (MPs) have recently been recognized as potential pollutants and carriers for pathogens in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. They can carry microbial pathogens, ...hydrophobic organic compounds, persistent organic pollutants, and heavy metals on the surface of these particles leading to unwanted effects on living organisms. Their harmful effects on aquatic and terrestrial organisms have been well established. This includes damage to cell membranes, tissues, and physiological processes. Further, being highly persistent in natural ecosystems, they can amass in various environments over long periods of time. Their accumulation of MPs substantially depends on plastic usage and its management policies around the world; therefore, a closer look at the potential hazards and build-up of MPs is timely. Also, it is crucial to understand the significance of currently established methods on their removal from the ecosystem including activated sludge treatment, coagulation and flocculation, and removal via membrane bioreactors. Among them, constructed wetlands are considered an environmentally friendly technology with ease in operation and low cost that could efficiently remove MPs from wastewater. This article specifically compiles existing literature on the current understanding of MPs in the environment, their role as environmental carriers, interactions in natural ecosystems, the recent developments in their research, and the way forward.
Objective: To assess porto pulmonary hypertension by echocardiography in patients with cirrhosis and chronic viral hepatitis.
Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of ...Study: Gastroenterology and Cardiology Departments Combined Military Hospital, Multan Pakistan, from Mar to Dec 2020.
Methodology: Fifty patients with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C, B/D, with Child-Turcotte-Pugh score>6, Model for End Stage Liver Disease–Sodium score>9, were compared to a Control-Group of 50 patients with chronic liver disease due to chronic hepatitis C, B/D; for the frequency of portopulmonary hypertension in the former group. In addition to pulmonary artery pressures, tricuspid regurgitation, right ventricle to left ventricle base ratio, and right ventricle tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were also assessed.
Results: Four patients (8%) with cirrhosis (irrespective of severity) had porto pulmonay hypertension, and none in the Control-Group. The median pulmonary artery pressure in the Patient-Group was 20 mmHg (15-46), and in the Control-Group was 17 mm Hg (15-20). The Child Turcotte Pugh, Model for End Stage Liver Disease–Sodium parameters, pulmonary artery pressure and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were deranged in the Patient-Group and showed statistical significance. The area under the ROC curve for pulmonary artery pressure in the Patient-Group was 0.803.
Conclusion: In patients with cirrhosis, 8% had portopulmonary hypertension. Echocardiography is an important screening method for the assessment of portopulmonary hypertension in this patient population.
Abstract
A 12‐week growth experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of
Azolla cristata
as a fish meal (FM) substitute in diets for
Cyprinus carpio
var
. communis
fingerlings. Six ...iso‐nitrogenous and isocaloric (16.17 kJ/g GE) diets were formulated to contain 42% crude protein and each treatment had three replicates. The mean initial weight of the fish was 3.4 ± 0.2 g. Graded levels of
A
.
cristata
0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% in the diets were fed to the fish in triplicate groups, respectively. No significant (
p
> 0.05) differences in growth performance of fish‐fed diets containing 10% and control (0%) inclusion levels were seen. However, further increase in
Azolla
meal (AM) supplementation resulted in gradual decline in growth performance of fish in terms of live weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio. All hematological parameters had a linear declining trend as the proportion of AM in diet was increased. Protein content of fish was found significantly (
p
< 0.05) reduced in fish‐fed higher inclusion of AM. Serum biochemical parameters were also noted to reduce with increasing inclusion of AM, except for glucose, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). On the basis of results obtained in the present study, it is recommended that 10%
Azolla
meal can be included in the practical diets for
C. carpio
var.
communis
fingerlings as partial replacement for fishmeal without affecting their growth, feed efficiency, and fish quality for the intensive culture of this fish species.
Abstract
Increasing demands for lightweight materials in various industries, such as aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing, have led to a growing interest in the development of advanced materials ...with enhanced mechanical properties. One promising avenue for achieving lightweight and high-performance materials is the fabrication of aluminum-based composites reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) and graphite (Gr) particles through stir casting. The current study examines the impact strength behavior of composites reinforced with AA6063 cast materials that contain different amounts of micron sized SiC particles and 5 weight percent graphite. By using liquid metallurgy, hybrid composites of AA6063, SiC, and Gr were created. The numerous created samples underwent the customary Charpy impact testing, and the impact strength was assessed. By reinforcing SiC and graphite to the aluminum matrix, a substantial increase in impact strength was observed. For the three test samples, the average impact strength of pure aluminum was found to be 7 Joule. Average Impact strength for aluminum with 10% silicon carbide was found to be 8 Joule, which is 14.28% greater than for pure aluminum. The average Impact strength for the composite of aluminum with 20% silicon carbide was 10 Joule, which represents a 42.85% increase in strength over pure aluminum.
In this paper, we explore the global dynamical characteristics, boundedness, and rate of convergence of certain higher-order discrete systems of difference equations. More precisely, it is proved ...that for all involved respective parameters, discrete systems have a trivial fixed point. We have studied local and global dynamical characteristics at trivial fixed point and proved that trivial fixed point of the discrete systems is globally stable under respective definite parametric conditions. We have also studied boundedness and rate of convergence for under consideration discrete systems. Finally, theoretical results are confirmed numerically. Our findings in this paper are considerably extended and improve existing results in the literature.
Liver disease is a serious health concern in today's world, posing a challenge to both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies. Most synthetic drugs and chemicals cause liver damage ...accounting for approximately 10% of acute hepatitis and 50% of acute liver failure.
The present study aimed to evaluate the hepato-protective activity of an extract of chicory formulation assisted by silver nanoparticles against carbon tetra chloride (CCl
)-induced hepatic damage in rat's liver.
Rats of the Wistar strain (Rattus norvegicus) were used to test the
hepato-protective efficacy at various doses. Rats were randomly divided into nine groups, each containing six rats. The groups were as follows: first group (control), second group (CCl
), third group, silymarin (20 mg/kg of body weight), fourth group (CCl
+chicory) (1.75 mg/kg of b. wt), fifth group (CCl
+ chicory at the dose of 2.35 mg/kg), sixth group (CCl
+ chicory of 3.25 mg/kg), seventh group (CCl
+AgNPs 1.75 mg/kg of b. wt.), eighth group (CCl
+ AgNPs 2.35 mg/kg of body weight), and ninth group (CCl
+ AgNPs 3.25 mg/kg of b. wt.). Blood samples were taken 24 h after the last administration (i.e., 30th day). The blood samples were analyzed for different serum enzymes such as ALP
, ALT (alanine transaminase), bilirubin (Blr), triglyceride, and cholesterol. Histology liver sections were performed.
Treatment with AgNPs and chicory extract showed significant hepato-protective activity in a dose-dependent manner. In three doses, the chicory extract at a rate of 3.25 mg/kg of body weight significantly reduced elevated levels of biochemical markers in comparison to CCl
-intoxicated rats. Histology of the liver sections from CCl
-treated rats revealed inflammation of hepatocytes, necrosis, cytoplasmic degeneration, vacuolization, and a deformed central vein. The chicory formulation extract exhibited a remarkable recovery percentage in the liver architecture that was higher than the drug (i.e., silymarin). While treatment with AgNPs also repaired the degenerative changes and restored the normal form of the liver, chicory formulation extract possessed more hepato-protective potential as compared to AgNPs by regulating biochemical and histo-pathological parameters.
This study can be used as confirmation of the hepato-protective potential of chicory compounds for possible use in the development programs of drugs to treat liver diseases.
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