Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an infectious pathogenic bacteria infecting many different species of animals. Currently, it lacks a commercial vaccine. In this study, three monovalent DNA vaccines (poprL, poprF, and pflgE), three bivalent combination DNA vaccines (poprL+poprF, poprL+pflgE, poprF+pflgE), and a trivalent DNA vaccine (poprL+poprF+pflgE) were constructed. Consequently, we immunised chickens with these DNA vaccines and used inactivated vaccines as the positive controls. Then, the immune efficacy was evaluated through serum antibody detection, a lymphocyte proliferation assay, and cytokine concentration determination. Lastly, we assessed the protection rate through a challenge experiment. Following vaccination, the serum antibody levels induced using these DNA vaccines were different due to the different coating antigens. In the trivalent combination DNA vaccine group, we established that the lymphocyte proliferation (SI values), IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4 levels were significantly higher than those of the other six DNA vaccine groups and the inactivated vaccine group. However, the protection provided was slightly lower than that of the inactivated vaccine and higher than those of other DNA vaccines. The protection rate of poprL, poprF, pflgE, poprL+poprF, poprL+pflgE, poprF+pflgE, poprL+poprF+pflgE, and the inactivated vaccine were 50, 45, 60, 75, 80, 80, 90, and 95%, respectively. The results of this study indicated the trivalent DNA vaccine based on oprL, oprF and flgE genes represents a promising approach for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has primarily been controlled by testing for SARS-CoV-2 infections. Despite vaccines, testing will remain crucial for surveillance and screening, allowing for the detection of new variants in a timely manner and to isolate the infected people to lower the danger of the disease spreading further. The research study attempts to found out the efficiency of Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Rapid antigen tests in symptomatic COVID-19 patients at tertiary care hospitals. The research was performed on 1000 patients, both In-patients and Out-patients, who presented with COVID-19 symptoms. SARS-COV-2 nucleocapsid protein antigen was detected qualitatively with rapid antigen test in human nasal specimens through the immuno-chromatographic assay. The rapid test results were compared with a molecular test RT-PCR in which FAM, HEX, and ROX were the indicator dyes for the RdRp gene, E gene, and the internal control (RNAse P), respectively. Nearly 322 cases were positive with both RT-PCR and rapid antigen test methods. Fifty-nine samples yielded negative results with the rapid antigen test and positive with PCR. Three samples were negative with RT-PCR and positive with the rapid antigen test. The findings from our study show that the common symptoms are fever 92.2% and cough 74.1% in the reported test population. But in confirmed cases of RT-PCR showed cough at 74.1% was more prevalent, followed by fever at 41.3%. Rapid antigen test showed a overall sensitivity and specificity of 85.3% and 99.5%. According to World Health Organization, rapid antigen detection tests meet the minimum performance requirements of ≥80% sensitivity and ≥97% specificity. Hence, the present study meets this criterion and may perhaps be a probable tool for point-of-care in hospital settings.

Objective: By analyzing bacteriostasis and efficacy, the possibility of Artemisia argyi extract to be a plant extract preservative is clarified. It provides a message for the development of natural non-irritating plant extract preservative. Methods: Water and ethanol extracts of A. argyi were prepared. The content of its main active components was determined. Its inhibitory effect and stability on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were analyzed. Antioxidant activity, ultraviolet absorption capacity and security were also discussed. Results: The ethanol extract of A. argyi had a significant inhibitory effect on the two kinds of bacteria, which was related to the content of active components to some extent. Temperature and UV irradiation had no significant effect on antibacterial activity, while pH had a greater effect on antibacterial activity. At the concentration of 0.96 mg/mL, ethanol extract of A. argyi leaves could eliminate 98% of DPPH and ABTS free radicals, and more than 50% of superoxide anion and hydroxyl free radicals. When the concentration was 0.5 mg/mL, the two extracts had good ultraviolet absorption capacity. The HET-CAM test showed that the extract of A. argyi had high security at the concentration of 62.5 mg/mL. Conclusion: The ethanol extract of A. argyi has good and stable bacteriostatic effect, certain antioxidant activity, ultraviolet absorption performance and security.

IntroductionDue to their bioactive compounds and beneficial health effects, functional foods and plant-based natural medicines are widely consumed. Due to its bioactivities, vinegar is one of them that helps humans. Sugarcane original vinegar (SOV) is a special vinegar made from sugarcane as a raw material through biological fermentation processes.MethodsThe objective of this study was to assess the effects of sugarcane original vinegar on growth performance, immune response, acute oral toxicity, bacterial reverse mutation, mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus, mouse spermatogonial chromosome aberration, mammalian bone marrow cell chromosome aberration changes, and serum characteristics in mice. Distortion parameters were used to assess its safety, and at the same time, the functionality of SOV was monitored during experimentation.ResultsThe results show that the SOV has no damage or inhibitory effect on the bone marrow red blood cells of mice and no mutagenic or distortion-inducing effects on the bone marrow cell chromosomes or spermatogonia chromosomes, so it is safe to eat. SOV can improve blood lipids and reduce blood lipid content.DiscussionThe study results provide data basis for the intensive processing of sugarcane and the development of high-value SOV products. Sugarcane original vinegar has a beneficial impact on performance, immune response, and chromosomal aberration. The production application influences the vinegar's quality and, consequently, its health benefits.

The present study proposed to examine the effects of a polyphenol (quercetin) on in vitro maturated parameters. Quercetin it has been extensively studied by researchers on animals over the 35 years. It is a plant derived flavonoid from fruits and vegetables that has antioxidant action as a free radical scavenger. Immature porcine oocytes were untreated and treated with 5, 15, 25, 35 µg/ml quercetin during in vitro maturation. After then the mature oocytes were fertilized. It was observed that cumulus cell expansion of COCs cultured in maturation media supplemented with 5 µg/ml quercetin in grad 3 could be very significantly increased (p<0.001). In grad 4 could be significantly between different levels of quercetin (5 vs. 25, 5 vs. 35, p<0.001). The rates of embryos cultured in medium supplemented with different levels of quercetin did not presented significantly statistically different. The presence of 25 µg/ml quercetin in the maturation medium increased the percentage of embryos in the morula stage compared with the control. In the morula stage all the concentrations of quercetin resulted percentages increased to control. This results shows that quercetin added during in vitro maturation has a positive effect on future embryos development.

This study explores the impacts of climate change on milk production in Nigeria. Climate variables such as temperature, rainfall, sunshine, relative humidity and wind speed were considered as covariates in the analysis. Time-series data spanning a period of forty years obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria and FAOSTAT database was used. The autoregressive distributed lag model was used to analyze both the short run and long run impacts of climate change on milk production. As expected, not all the variables were stationary at levels, but they were all significant at the difference suggesting the presence of cointegration. The result showed that the Bound’s test F-ratio was statistically significant implies the existence of long run and short run relationships among the variables studied. Present findings revealed that temperature, rainfall and relative humidity had a negative impact on milk production, while sunlight recorded a positive impact on milk production both in the short run and long run estimates. The study concludes that milk production in Nigeria dropped as a result of climate change particularly rising temperature and prolonged rainfall. Agricultural climate smart practices were recommended to mitigate impact of climate change on milk production.

Background: To compare the efficacy of CO₂ fractional laser with that of topical estriol for treating genitourinary syndrome of menopause and to investigate the relationship between epithelial thickness and vaginal atrophy. Methods: Twenty-five menopausal women were randomized to receive either laser or estrogen treatment. Vaginal biopsies before and after treatment were compared to assess the amount and distribution of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Results: Estrogen receptor levels were statistically similar between groups before and after treatment. Although there was no change over time in the estrogen group, an increase in receptor levels was confirmed in the laser group. Changes in estrogen receptor levels showed no association with treatment. Progesterone receptor levels were statistically similar between groups throughout treatment. There was no change over time in both groups. These changes displayed no association with the type of treatment. There was no significant correlation between epithelium thickness and estrogen or progesterone receptor levels. Conclusions: Estrogen and progesterone receptor levels increased and were maintained, respectively, in the vaginal epithelium in both groups. There was no significant relationship between epithelium thickness and receptor density. Laser therapy had similar outcomes to the gold standard without involving the disadvantages of hormone therapy.

Pelargonic acid is the most successful natural herbicide and can contribute to reducing synthetic herbicides, but information on its efficacy is contrasting. Given its high cost, a reduction of the rate could facilitate the spread of the use of this herbicide. Two greenhouse and three field experiments were conducted to evaluate the herbicidal efficacy of different doses of pelargonic acid on several weeds (<i>Abutilon theophrasti</i>, <i>Alopecurus myosuroides</i>, <i>Conyza sumatrensis</i>, <i>Lolium rigidum</i>, <i>Persicaria maculosa</i>, <i>Setaria pumila</i>, <i>Solanum nigrum</i>). Results show that the efficacy of pelargonic acid is partial both in the greenhouse and field since the sensitivity of weed species is very variable, yet significant weed biomass reduction was observed in field application. Grass weeds, in particular <i>A. myosuroides</i> and <i>L. rigidum</i>, were less sensitive to pelargonic acid, with reduced and transient symptoms even at the highest doses. A large difference in sensitivity was also observed between dicots weeds, with <i>P. oleracea</i>, <i>P. maculosa</i> and <i>A. theophrasti</i> being less sensitive than <i>C. sumatrensis</i> and <i>S. nigrum</i>. The efficacy of pelargonic acid in field conditions depends on the botanical composition of weed flora and environmental conditions. Hot and dry conditions can promote leaf traits that decrease weed sensitivity by reducing herbicide penetration inside leaves. Despite its high cost, pelargonic acid can be a useful tool in an integrated multi-tactic strategy for sustainable weed management, while its use as a stand-alone tactic is less recommendable.

Although, morphologically, maize is one of the most vigorous species, with a well-developed root system and stem, lately it has become sensitive to one particular species of weeds, namely Ambrosia artemisiifolia. With devastating effects on agriculture, on the environment and on human health, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, comonly named ragweed, is one of the most harmful invasive species. Currently, it belongs to the category of dominant weeds in some agricultural crops, which causes significant damage in production and from observations made in the maize crop, its frequency exceeds 50 individuals on a square meter. This paper presents the results of herbicides efficacy tests regarding the control of this invasive species in maize crop. The research was carried out in the Timiș Plain, on a eutricambosoil soil type, poorly glayed, with high fertility, due to good physical and chemical properties. Of the four herbicides applied post-emergence in maize crop, the best efficacy was obtained by Glyfos Ultra herbicide, applied in doses of 3.5 l / ha, which ensured a significant reduction in coverage, of over 90% 15 days after application, while Kideka herbicide has been situated at the opposite pole, with an efficacy of about 82%. Also, the results of the same set of herbicides applied indicate very high efficacy of Glyfos Ultra herbicide, which exceeds a percent of 98% 30 days after application, while the lowest results were obtained by the herbicide named Dicash 480 SL of approximately 67%.