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Pollutants in soil, particularly chromium (Cr), pose high environmental and health risks due to their persistence, bioavailability, and potential for causing toxicity. Cr impairment in plants act as a deleterious environmental pollutant that enters the food chain and eventually disturbs human health. Current study demonstrated the potential of integrative foliar application of magnesium-iron (Mg + Fe) nanocomposite with Staphylococcus aureus strains to alleviate Cr toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa) crops by improving yield and defense system. Growth and yield traits such as shoot length (15%), root length (17%), shoot fresh weight (14%), shoot dry weight (9%), root fresh weight (23%), root dry weight (7%), number of tillers (33%), number of grains (10%) and spike length (13%) improved by combined application of Mg + Fe (20 mg L -1 ) nanocomposite and S. aureus strains with Cr (110 mg kg -1 ), compared to when applied alone. Mutual Mg + Fe and S. aureus strains application augmented the SPAD value (9%), total chlorophyll (11%), a (12%), b (17%), and carotenoids (32%), with Cr (110 mg kg -1 ), compared to alone. Malondialdehyde (13%), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) (11%), and electrolyte leakage (7%) were significantly regulated in shoots with combined Mg + Fe and S. aureus strains application with Cr (110 mg kg -1 ) contrasted to alone. Peroxidase (20%), superoxide dismutase (17%), ascorbate peroxidase (18%), and catalase (20%) were increased in shoots with combined Mg + Fe and S. aureus strains application with Cr (110 mg kg -1 ) in comparison to alone. The combined application of Mg + Fe (20 mgL -1 ) nanocomposite and S. aureus strains with Cr (110 mg kg -1 ) enhanced the macro-micronutrients in shoots compared to alone. Cr accumulation in roots (21%), shoots (25%), and grains (47%) were significantly reduced under Cr (110 mg kg -1 ) with combined Mg + Fe and S. aureus strains application, compared to alone. Subsequently, applying combined Mg + Fe and S. aureus strains is a sustainable solution to boost crop production under Cr toxicity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

An ultra-stretchable, quickly self-healable, adhesive hydrogel with efficient anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities makes it potential wound dressing material, particularly in healing skin wounds. However, it is highly challenging to prepare such hydrogels with a facile and efficient material design. Given this, we opine the synthesis of medicinal plant Bergenia stracheyi extract-loaded hybrid hydrogels of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers like Gelatin, Hydroxypropyl cellulose, and Polyethylene glycol with acrylic acid via in situ free radical polymerization reaction. The selected plant extract is rich in phenols, flavonoids, and tannins and found to have important therapeutic benefits such as anti-ulcer, anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus, anti-inflammatory, and burn wound healing effects. The polyphenolic compounds in the plant extract interacted strongly via hydrogen bonding with -OH, -NH 2 , -COOH, and C-O-C groups of the macromolecules. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and rheology. The as-prepared hydrogels demonstrate ideal tissue adhesion, excellent stretchability, good mechanical strength, broad-band anti-bacterial capability, and efficient anti-oxidant properties, in addition to quick self-healing and moderate swelling properties. Thus, the aforementioned properties attract the potential use of these materials in the biomedical field., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to examine the status of antioxidant systems of the pigs naturally suffering from sarcoptic mange. Fifty nine pigs were divided into three groups, healthy control (group I, n=15), subclinical sarcoptic mange (group II, n=22) and clinical sarcoptic mange (group III, n=22). To assess the status of antioxidant systems; lipid peroxides (LPO), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), ascorbic acid, zinc and copper concentrations in the blood samples as well as LPO, SOD, CAT and glutathione-s-transferase (GST) activities in the skin were measured. The GSH, SOD, GPx, ascorbic acid, zinc, copper concentrations in blood were significantly lower in the pigs suffering from clinical and subclinical sarcoptic mange, when compared with the healthy control. However, LPO content of these infested pigs was significantly higher. The CAT, SOD and GST activities in the skin of the diseased pigs were significantly lower, whereas LPO was significantly higher as compared to the healthy control. From the present study, it may be concluded that sarcoptic mange bestows remarkable alterations in the oxidative stress markers and imposes compromisation of the antioxidant status of the infested pigs., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)