Synchronous bilateral ovarian torsion followed by recurrent unilateral torsion in a patient undergoing fertility treatment: A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian torsion (OT) is a gynaecological emergency and requires prompt recognition and treatment in order to prevent the loss of ovarian function. Patients who are undergoing fertility treatment are at an increased risk of developing OT. OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of OT in patients undergoing fertility treatment can be challenging as they often present with abdominal pain and other non-specific symptoms. We highlight the importance of early diagnosis of suspected torsion and performed a literature review on cases of bilateral OT to review its presentation, investigation, and subsequent management. CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old nulliparous woman who was undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation presented with lower abdominal pain and was initially managed as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Her pain did not subside following conservative management and she proceeded to have a laparoscopy which demonstrated synchronous bilateral ovarian torsion (SBOT), both ovaries were detorted. Eight months later, she was preparing for her frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle, patient again presented with significant right sided abdominal pain and was found to have a recurrent torsion of the right ovary which was again detorted successfully. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should have a low-threshold to investigate and rule out OT in patients who present with lower abdominal pain, especially in those with additional risk factors for torsion. Patients with confirmed torsion can be successfully managed with detorsion of the ovaries. Further research is needed to determine the best management option for patients with recurrent torsion episodes.

Impact of Exogenous Xylanase and Phytase, Individually or in Combination, on Performance, Digesta Viscosity and Carcass Characteristics in Broiler Birds Fed Wheat-Based Diets.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of stored wheat-based diet (1.5 and 2.5 years stored wheat) with and without the supplementation of xylanase and phytase enzymes in combination or individually on performance parameters, digestibility, digesta viscosity and carcass characteristics of broilers. For this purpose, a total of 640-day-old male broilers were randomly distributed to the 64 pens, and each pen had 10 birds. Two basal isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets contained 1.5 and 2.5 years stored wheat were formulated in this experiment. In the current study, experimental feeds were prepared by supplementing exogenous enzymes in both basal diets with xylanase (500 XU), phytase (500 FTU) alone or in a combination of phytase and xylanase. Performance parameters data represents that both in starter phase and finisher phase, inclusion of exogenous enzymes xylanase and phytase in both basal diets alone or in combination enhance the feed intake, and body weight gain (p < 0.05) and improve the feed conversion ratio in overall phase (p < 0.05). Similarly, supplementation of exogenous xylanase and phytase alone or in combination enhance the nutrient digestibility and reduce the digesta viscosity (p < 0.05). Based on the results of this experiment, it is concluded that supplementation of exogenous xylanase and phytase enzymes alone or in combination in wheat-based diets (stored wheat 1.5 and 2.5 years) enhance and improves the performance of birds.

A rare case of postmenopausal hyperandrogenism due to ovarian hyperthecosis and hilus cell hyperplasia.

Postmenopausal hyperandrogenism is rare, and without consensus on specific investigative indices, diagnosis is challenging. A 77-year-old woman had a three-year history of hirsutism, male-pattern baldness and increased libido alongside elevated androstenedione, total testosterone and free androgen index levels. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed bilateral ovarian lesions, suggesting ovarian hyperthecosis. Histopathology obtained after a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy confirmed ovarian hyperthecosis and hilus cell hyperplasia. We believe it's the first time they have been reported to occur in combination. The symptoms resolved within a month of surgery. This case highlights the difficulties of diagnosis alongside demonstrating the importance of management by a multidisciplinary team.

Nickel tolerance and phytoremediation potential of quinoa are modulated under salinity: multivariate comparison of physiological and biochemical attributes.

Soils salinization along with heavy metals contamination is among the serious environmental menaces. The present experiment was conducted to study the combined influence of salinity and nickel (Ni) on growth and physiological attributes of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). Thirty-day-old healthy and uniform seedlings of quinoa genotype A7 were exposed to different concentrations of Ni (0, 100, 200, 400 µM), NaCl (0, 150, 300 mM) and their combinations for three weeks. Results indicated that plant growth, pigments and stomatal conductance decreased with increasing Ni concentrations in nutrient solution. Combining lower level of salt (150 mM NaCl) with Ni resulted in improvement in growth and physiological attributes of quinoa. However, the combined application of higher level of salt (300 mM NaCl) with Ni was more detrimental for plant growth and caused more oxidative stress (H2O2 and TBARS) than the alone treatments. The oxidative stress was mitigated by 5.5-fold, 5-fold and 15-fold increase in the activities of SOD, CAT and APX, respectively. The concentration of Na was increased, while K and Ni decreased under the combined treatment of Ni and salinity. Multivariate analysis revealed that a moderate level of salinity had positive effects on growth and Ni phytoremediation potential of quinoa. The higher tolerance index, bioconcentration factor and lower translocation factor depicted that quinoa genotype A7 can be cultivated for phytostabilization of Ni under salinity stress. It was concluded that NaCl salinity level of 150 mM is promising for increasing growth of quinoa on Ni contaminated soils.

Sugar Reduction Initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aims to identify and characterize existing national sugar reduction initiatives and strategies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. For this purpose, a systematic review of published and grey literature was performed. A comprehensive list of search terms in the title/abstract/keyword fields was used to cover the four following concepts (1) sugar, (2) reduction OR intake, (3) policy and (4) EMR countries. A total of 162 peer-reviewed documents were identified, until the 2nd of August 2022. The key characteristics of the identified national strategies/initiatives included the average sugar intake of each country's population; sugar levels in food products/beverages; implementation strategies (taxation; elimination of subsidies; marketing regulation; reformulation; consumer education; labeling; interventions in public institution settings), as well as monitoring and evaluation of program impact. Twenty-one countries (95%) implemented at least one type of sugar reduction initiatives, the most common of which was consumer education (71%). The implemented fiscal policies included sugar subsidies' elimination (fourteen countries; 67%) and taxation (thirteen countries 62%). Thirteen countries (62%) have implemented interventions in public institution settings, compared to twelve and ten countries that implemented food product reformulation and marketing regulation initiatives, respectively. Food labeling was the least implemented sugar reduction initiative (nine countries). Monitoring activities were conducted by four countries only and impact evaluations were identified in only Iran and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Further action is needed to ensure that countries of the region strengthen their regulatory capacities and compliance monitoring of sugar reduction policy actions.

Ectopic Pregnancy in a Levonogestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Device User: A Case Report.

Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices are considered to be a reliable contraceptive option with a low failure rate. The risk of ectopic pregnancy, however, if an unintended pregnancy occurs is significantly higher. In this study, we present a case of a tubal ectopic pregnancy in a woman with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device in situ for one year. Our case emphasises the importance of having a high index of suspicion in women who have an intrauterine device in situ, presenting with a positive pregnancy test. We also discuss the importance of timely ultrasound examination and the management considerations of similar cases. The importance of urgent review and investigation of women with positive pregnancy test and intrauterine contraceptive device in situ, given the higher possibility of ectopic pregnancy, is highlighted by this case.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage in pregnancy after in vitro fertilisation with egg donation: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a rare case of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with egg donation complicated by a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Haemostatic changes related to IVF are known to increase risk of venous thrombosis; however, less is known regarding the risk of arterial events such as cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). Matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) upregulated in IVF patients may have a role in arterial aneurysm formation, which is the most common cause of SAH. Further research is required to assess the benefit of screening for risk of CVA and the best way to manage this in the IVF population. This may have implications for the ethics of offering certain procedures such as egg donation to women with pre-existing risk factors.

Electrochemical process for simultaneous removal of chemical and biological contaminants from drinking water.

Simultaneous management of chemical and biological contaminants in drinking water has been presented through modification in conventional electrocoagulation (EC) process. Traditional EC process using iron and aluminum electrodes removed metals but did not affect microbiological contaminants to a greater extent. Iron anode composition was amended by addition of zinc for desired antimicrobial output. To evaluate the efficiency of this system, samples were spiked with multiple element standard and microbial cultures to human unsafe contamination level. Modified EC process removed both types of contaminants making water safe for human consumption within the prescribed regulatory guidelines set by WHO/NSDWQ within 4 min. This setup removed chemical contaminants up to 100% including nitrates, fluoride, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, copper, mercury, vanadium, zinc, nickel, phosphorus, and lead. A substantial removal in cadmium (89.8%), cobalt (75.7%), and selenium (46.7%) was computed. The treatment could not prove good results for removal of boron, barium, lithium, and strontium from the spiked sample. The compositional analysis of flocs screened after spiked sample treatment confirmed the physical adsorption of metals at floc surface. Treatment technique comprehensively proved equally efficient for disinfection of most common microbiological contaminations including E. Coli, fecal coliforms, total coliforms, total plate count, Staphylococcus auseous, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa within 5 min. In EC process 220V voltage was applied through rectifier at electrodes having 15.6 cm2 surface area and 15 mm apart in 1-L water sample batches, where current varied from 0.8 to 1.6 ampere. The outcomes of the current experiment are of novel significance regarding simultaneous removal of metals and microbiological contaminants from drinking water which is not reported in previous treatment studies.

Designing indenothiophene-based acceptor materials with efficient photovoltaic parameters for fullerene-free organic solar cells.

Non-fullerene small molecular acceptors (NFSMAs) exhibit promising photovoltaic performance which promoted the rapid progress of organic solar cells (OSCs). In this study, an attempt is done to explore indenothiophene-based high-performance small molecular electron acceptors for organic solar cells. We have designed five acceptor molecules (M1-M5) with strong donor moiety indenothiophene linked to five different end-capped group acceptor moieties: diflouro-2-methylene-3-oxo-2,3-dihydroindene-1-ylidene)malononitrile (A1), 1-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methylene-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-5,6-dicarbonitrile (A2), methyl-6-cyano-3-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methylene-1-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-5-carboylate (A3), 2-(6-cyano-5-fluoro-2-methylene-3-oxo-2,3 dihydro-1H-indene-1-ylidene)malononitrile (A4), and (Z)-methyl 3-(benzo [c][1,2,5]thiadiazol-4-yl)-2-cyanoacrylate (A5) respectively. The structure-property relationship was studied and effects of structural modification on the optoelectronic properties of these acceptors (M1-M5) were determined systematically by comparing it with reference molecule R, which is recently reported as excellent non-fullerene-based small acceptor molecule. Among all designed molecules, M5 is proven as a suitable candidate for organic solar cell applications due to better photovoltaic properties including narrow HOMO-LUMO energy gap (2.11 eV), smallest electron mobility (λe = 0.0038 eV), highest λmax values (702.82 nm in gas) and (663.09 nm in chloroform solvent) and highest open-circuit voltage (Voc = 1.49 V) with respect to HOMOPTB7-Th-LUMOacceptor. Our results indicate that introducing more end-capped electron-accepting units is a simple and effective alternative strategy for the design of promising NFSMAs. This theoretical framework also proves that the conceptualized NFSMAs are superior and thus are recommended for the future construction of high-performance organic solar cell devices. Graphical abstract.

Effect of salinity on physiological, biochemical and photostabilizing attributes of two genotypes of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) exposed to arsenic stress.

Soil salinity and arsenic (As) contamination are serious environmental problems. To investigate the effects of salinity on As uptake and physiological and biochemical attributes of quinoa (Chenopodiumquinoa Willd.), a hydroponic experiment was performed. One-month old healthy plants of two quinoa genotypes; Vikinga and A7 were transplanted in plastic tubs containing half strength Hoagland's nutrient solution. Plants were exposed to different levels of As (0, 150 and 300 µM), salinity (0, 150 and 300 mM) and their combinations (150 µM As + 300 mM NaCl; 300 µM As + 300 mM NaCl) for five weeks. Results revealed that combined application of salinity and As caused more pronounced reduction in growth, chlorophyll contents and caused more oxidative damage in both quinoa genotypes. Under combined application of salinity and As, Na+ concentration was increased whereas As content was decreased in plant tissues. Quinoa genotype A7 was more tolerant than Vikinga against salinity, As and their combination perhaps because of less uptake of toxic ions and higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, POD). Bioconcentration factor (BCF), translocation factor (TF) and tolerance index (TI) indicated that genotype A7 can be successfully employed for phytostabilization of As contaminated saline soils.

A new biochar from cotton stalks for As (V) removal from aqueous solutions: its improvement with H3PO4 and KOH.

The present study is the first attempt to evaluate the potential of acid and base activated biochar derived from cotton stalks (CSB) for the removal of As from contaminated water. The CSB was treated with 0.5 M KOH (BCSB) and H3PO4 (ACSB) separately to change its surface properties. The CSB, ACSB and BSCB were characterized using BET, FTIR, and SEM analysis to check the effectiveness and insight of the main mechanisms involved in the removal of As. A series of batch experiments was performed using As-contaminated synthetic water and groundwater samples. The effects of initial concentration of As, contact time, dose of the biochars, solution pH, type of the biochar and coexisting ions on the removal of As were investigated. Results revealed that BCSB efficiently removed As (90-99.5%) from contaminated water as compared with ACSB (84-98%) and CSB (81-98%) due to improved surface properties when As concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 mg/L. The experimental data were best fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm as compared with Langmuir, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. However, kinetic data were well explained with pseudo-second-order kinetic model rather than pseudo-first-order, intra-particle diffusion and Elovich models. The sorption energy indicated that physical adsorption was involved in the removal of As. The comparison of adsorption results with other biochars and their modified forms suggests that activation of CSB with base can be used effectively (4.48 mg/g) as a low-cost adsorbent for maximum removal of As from contaminated aqueous systems.

Principal Component Analysis of Categorized Polytomous Variable-Based Classification of Diabetes and Other Chronic Diseases.

A chronic disease diabetes mellitus is assuming pestilence proportion worldwide. Therefore prevalence is important in all aspects. Researchers have introduced various methods, but still, the improvement is a need for classification techniques. This paper considers data mining approach and principal component analysis (PCA) techniques, on a single platform to approaches on the polytomous variable-based classification of diabetes mellitus and some selected chronic diseases. The PCA result shows eigenvalues, and the total variance is explained for the principal components (PCs) solution. Total of twelve attributes was analyzed with the intention to precise the pattern of the correlation with minimum factors as possible. Usually, factors with large eigenvalues retained. The first five components have their eigenvalues large enough to be retained. Their variances are 18.9%, 14.0%, 13.6%, 10.3%, and 8.6%, respectively. That explains ~65.3% of the total variance. We further applied K-means clustering with the aid of the first two PCs. As well, correlation results between diabetes mellitus and selected diseases; it has revealed that diabetes patients are more likely to have kidney and hypertension. Therefore, the study validates the proposed polytomous method for classification techniques. Such a study is important in better assessment on low socio-economic status zone regions around the globe.

Fungal empyema in complicated chronic pancreatitis: A rare possibility.

INTRODUCTION: Fungal empyema a rare cause of empyema thoracis is commonly associated with nosocomial infection or gastrointestinal disease with very high mortality. Its association with chronic pancreatitis is rarely been described. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of young male known alcoholic with chronic pancreatitis and cystgastrostomy who presented with dyspnea and fever. Thorough workup showed left sided amylase rich loculated pleural effusion. Culture grew candida albicans. Esophagogram carried out for any esophageal rupture turned out to be negative. Histopathology was negative for malignancy. Intraoperative left sided yellowish colour fluid was drained, Loculation broken and rind removed. No pleuro-peritoneal fistula could be identified. Postoperatively patient remained well and discharged on antifungal. CONCLUSION: No obvious cause of fungal empyema could be found except for pancreatico-pleural spread as suggested by amylase rich pleural effusion along with growth of candida spp. Hence in patient with chronic pancreatitis and cystgastrostomy pleural effusion should be evaluated for fungal infection to avoid morbidity and mortality and commence early treatment.

Effect of salinity on cadmium tolerance, ionic homeostasis and oxidative stress responses in conocarpus exposed to cadmium stress: Implications for phytoremediation.

Contamination of soil with salinity and Cd negatively affects growth and productivity of plants. The proposed study has been planned to explore the effects of salinity on Cd uptake, tolerance and phytoremediation potential of conocarpus (Conocarpus erectus L.). One-month-old uniform plants of conocarpus were exposed to 0, 8.9, 44.5, 89 and 178 µM Cd alone or in combination with 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl in Hoagland's nutrient solution. Results revealed that shoot and root biomasses, leaf water content and pigment content decreased more in response to combination of Cd and salinity compared to Cd alone. The Na+ and Cl- concentrations in shoot and root were not affected by Cd alone, but increased in Cd + salinity treatments. The K+ concentration decreased by Cd alone as well as Cd combination with salinity. Plant Cd uptake increased in the presence of salinity but its translocation from root to shoot remained unaffected. Exposure of plants to Cd alone and Cd + salinity caused oxidative stress via overproduction of H2O2 and inducing lipid peroxidation. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, POD and APX increased to mitigate this oxidative stress. It is concluded that the tolerance of conocarpus against Cd stress is decreased in the presence of salinity due to increased uptake of toxic ions and intensification of oxidative stress. Moreover, the Cd uptake behavior of this tree indicates its suitability for phytostabilization of Cd contaminated saline and non-saline soils.

Designing triazatruxene-based donor materials with promising photovoltaic parameters for organic solar cells.

To address the increasing demand of efficient photovoltaic compounds for modern hi-tech applications, efforts have been made herein to design and explore triazatruxene-based novel donor materials with greater efficiencies. Five new molecules, namely M1-M5, were designed by structural modification of acceptor moiety (rhodanine-3-acetic acid) of well known experimentally synthesized JY05 dye (reference R), and their optoelectronic properties are evaluated to be used as donor molecules in organic solar cells. In these molecules M1-M5, triazatruxene acts as a donor unit and benzene spaced different end-capped moieties including 2-(4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acid (A1), (E)-2-(4-(1-cyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethylidene)-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acid (A2), (Z)-2-(3'-ethyl-4'-oxo-2,2'-dithioxo-3',4'-dihydro-2'H,5H-[4,5'-bithiazolylidene]-3(2H)-yl)acetic acid (A3), (Z)-2-(4'-(dicyano-methylene)-3'-ethyl-2,2'-dithioxo-3',4'-dihydro-2'H,5H-[4,5'-bithiazol-ylidene]-3(2H)-yl)acetic acid (A4) and 2-((4Z,4'E)-4'-(1-cyano-2-methoxy-2-oxoethylidene)-3'-ethyl-2,2'-dithioxo-3',4'-dihydro-2'H,5H-[4,5'-bithiazolylidene]-3(2H)-yl)acetic acid (A5) respectively, as acceptor units. The electronic, photophysical and photovoltaic properties of the designed molecules M1-M5 have been compared with reference molecule R. All designed molecules exhibit reduced energy gap in the region of 1.464-2.008 eV as compared to reference molecule (2.509 eV). Frontier molecular orbital (FMO) surfaces confirm the transfer of charge from donor to acceptor units. All designed molecules M1-M5 exhibited an absorption spectrum in the visible region and they were broader as compared to that of reference R. Especially, M5 with highest λ max value 649.26 nm and lowest transition energy value 1.90 eV was accredited to the strong electron withdrawing end-capped acceptor moiety A5. The highest value of open circuit voltage (V oc) 1.02 eV with respect to HOMOdonor-LUMOBTP-4Cl was shown by M5 among all investigated molecules which was 0.15 V larger than reference molecule R. The designed molecule M5 is proven to be the best candidate for both electron and hole transport mobilities due to its smallest λ e (0.0212 eV) and λ h (0.0062 eV) values among all studied molecules.

Outcomes of cataract surgery in Microophthalmia.

OBJECTIVE: To find out outcomes of cataract surgery with Microophthalmia in children less than two years. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Al-Ibrahim Eye Hospital, Karachi from January 2016 to August 2017. It included thirty micro ophthalmic eyes of infants with visually significant cataract of age less than two years who had cataract surgery without intraocular lens implantation. Axial length of globe was 19 mm or less in all thirty eyes of seventeen infants. in which thirteen infants had bilateral cataract and four had unilateral cataract. RESULT: Thirty Simple Micro ophthalmic eyes from seventeen patients having visually significant congenital cataract were studied. Thirteen had bilateral cataract and four had unilateral cataract. Mean preoperative IOP was 9.0±1.2 mmHg and postoperative IOP after three months was 10.9±3.2 mmHg. Three patients had secondary capsular opacification 17.6%. Two patients had posterior synachae 11.8% after three months. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that cataract surgery in simple microophthalmia is safe procedure. Postoperative complications in this study were within acceptable limits. Long term study with intraocular lens is required to confirm our observation.

Cadmium tolerance and phytoremediation potential of acacia (Acacia nilotica L.) under salinity stress.

In this study, we explored the effect of salinity on cadmium (Cd) tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Acacia nilotica. Two-month-old uniform plants of A. nilotica were grown in pots contaminated with various levels of Cd (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg kg-1), NaCl (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% (hereafter referred as salinity), and all possible combinations of Cd + salinity for a period of six months. Results showed that shoot and root growth, biomass, tissue water content and chlorophyll (chl a, chl b, and total chl a+b) contents decreased more in response to salinity and combination of Cd + salinity compared to Cd alone. Shoot and root K concentrations significantly decreased with increasing soil Cd levels, whereas Na and Cl concentrations were not affected significantly. Shoot and root Cd concentrations, bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) increased with increasing soil Cd and Cd + salinity levels. At low level of salinity (0.5%), shoot and root Cd uptake enhanced, while it decreased at high level of salinity (1.0%). Due to Cd tolerance, high shoot biomass and shoot Cd uptake, this tree species has some potential for phytoremediation of Cd from the metal contaminated saline and nonsaline soils.

QCM-D surpassing clinical standard for the dose administration of new oral anticoagulant in the patient of coagulation disorders.

The study focuses the dose administration of dabigatran to avoid the deaths due to hemorrhagic complications and thromboembolic stroke in clinics worldwide. To target the issue, a novel emerging acoustic technology, namely ''Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation'' (QCM-D) has been applied, while the acoustic assays namely ''activated Partial Thromboplastin Time'' (aPTT) and ''Prothrombinase complex-induced Clotting Test'' (PiCT) have been compared with the standard methods in parallel. Both techniques have been applied to 300 samples, including 220 plasma samples of patients suffering coagulation disorders and 80 plasma samples of non-patients. In comparison, the coagulation times of the acoustic aPTT and PiCT yielded an excellent correlation with the standard methods with in analytical standard deviation limits. Finally, the acoustic aPTT assay is the ''gold standard'' for a dose administration of the new oral anticoagulant, where the Δf/ΔΓ ratio of the acoustic assay demonstrates that dabigatran with FEIBA 50 combination could be a safe remedy to avoid the deaths in clinics.

Arsenic Uptake, Toxicity, Detoxification, and Speciation in Plants: Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Aspects.

Environmental contamination with arsenic (As) is a global environmental, agricultural and health issue due to the highly toxic and carcinogenic nature of As. Exposure of plants to As, even at very low concentration, can cause many morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes. The recent research on As in the soil-plant system indicates that As toxicity to plants varies with its speciation in plants (e.g., arsenite, As(III); arsenate, As(V)), with the type of plant species, and with other soil factors controlling As accumulation in plants. Various plant species have different mechanisms of As(III) or As(V) uptake, toxicity, and detoxification. This review briefly describes the sources and global extent of As contamination and As speciation in soil. We discuss different mechanisms responsible for As(III) and As(V) uptake, toxicity, and detoxification in plants, at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. This review highlights the importance of the As-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as their damaging impacts on plants at biochemical, genetic, and molecular levels. The role of different enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase) and non-enzymatic (salicylic acid, proline, phytochelatins, glutathione, nitric oxide, and phosphorous) substances under As(III/V) stress have been delineated via conceptual models showing As translocation and toxicity pathways in plant species. Significantly, this review addresses the current, albeit partially understood, emerging aspects on (i) As-induced physiological, biochemical, and genotoxic mechanisms and responses in plants and (ii) the roles of different molecules in modulation of As-induced toxicities in plants. We also provide insight on some important research gaps that need to be filled to advance our scientific understanding in this area of research on As in soil-plant systems.

Bergenin loaded gum xanthan stabilized silver nanoparticles suppress synovial inflammation through modulation of the immune response and oxidative stress in adjuvant induced arthritic rats.

Bergenin (BG) is a naturally occurring C-glycoside with demonstrated anti-arthritic potential. Its therapeutic efficacy is compromised due to its lower absorption and instability at neutral-basic pH. The present study reports fabrication of gum xanthan (GX) stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with BG for anti-arthritic activity in a CFA-induced arthritis model targeting ROS, cytokines and TLR expression. NPs were characterized through UV-vis, zetasizer, FT-IR and AFM. Oral administration of BG loaded NPs (1 mg kg-1) exhibited potent anti-arthritic activity with a minimal arthritic score, mild to moderate paw tissue swelling, reduced degenerative changes along with mild articular changes and less influx of inflammatory cells in macroscopic X-ray and histological examination. Administration of BG and its NPs suppressed the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly as compared to the arthritic control group. Moreover, increased production of O2˙- in human neutrophils, stimulated by opsonized zymosan (OZ) and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) was also suppressed. BG and its loaded NPs were revealed to antagonize the oxidative stress via interference with the NADPH oxidase metabolic pathway. Their anti-oxidant activity was further assessed by their inhibitory effect against TLR (TRL-2 & -4) and cytokine (IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α) production. The current investigation validates GX stabilized AgNPs as stable and promising multi-targeted therapeutic nano-cargo for BG delivery with efficient treatment of RA.