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This study characterised the composite plate fabricated by epoxy matrix reinforced with alkaline-treated Holoptelea integrifolia tree bark fibre. Tensile and flexural test results clearly show that the mechanical characteristics of pure resin improve in direct proportion to the fibre up to 40%. However, impact test results show that 30% fibre mass ratio composite showed higher mechanical properties. The H. integrifolia fibre composites (HIFC) specimens were also characterised by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and thermogravimetric analysis–differential scanning calorimetry (TGA–DSC) analysis. FESEM results show that the bonding between fibre and matrix was excellent. EDAX reveals the elemental proportion of HIFC. O–H, C– H, C–O–C, moisture content and aromatic structure are evident by FTIR spectroscopy. Thermal analysis reveals that the composites degrade rapidly when exposed above 210 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to assess a phenolic compound that was extracted from the brown seaweed Enteromorpha intestinalis (Linn.), Nees (1820) for its antibacterial activities on different bacterial pathogens of fish illnesses. Hexane and methanol were utilized to extract bioactive compounds from the seaweed. Phytochemical analysis of the methnaolic extracts have revealed the presence of carbohydrates and glycosides, saponins, alkaloids, amino acids, flavonoids, fixed oil and fat, phenol compounds, tannins, and steroids. The bacterial pathogens of fish, including Providencia vermicola, Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrio harveyi, and Aeromonas caviae, were targeted for antibacterial assessment. Among them, the methanolic crude extract and fraction-1 of E. intestinalis have shown maximum activity against A. hydrophila (22 ± 0.13 and 33 ± 0.56 µg/mL). Column chromatography was employed to isolate effective seaweed fraction, while FT-IR and HPLC were utilized for characterization. The phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of various compounds in both extracts. The crude methanolic extract of E. intestinalis have demonstrated the maximum efficacy beside the tested bacterial pathogens. The FT-IR analysis revealed functional groups associated with polymeric structures in the seaweed extracts, including alcohols, phenols, aromatics, alkyl halides, aliphatic amines, alkynes, and alkenes. Overall, the methanolic extract of E. intestinalis exhibited significant antibacterial activity as a result of the phenolic chemicals that are present. The study provides valuable baseline data, emphasizing the need for further research towards developing antibacterial drug formulations.

Background: In recent years, various phytomedicines have been used in the treatment of hepatic disorders. The aim of this study is to find out whether Peltophorum pterocarpum bark and leaves can help rats that have been exposed to isoniazid and rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity. Materials and Methods: The rats were divided into 10 groups each with 6 rats. The liver damage is induced by isoniazid and rifampicin. The leaf and bark of P. pterocarpum extracted with ethanol are freshly mixed in sterile water (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight), and given to rats orally in the early morning as a single dosage per day until the study period. The animals were sacrificed and the tissue and serum samples were collected for further investigations. Results: The liver damage induced by isoniazid and rifampicin altered the various biochemical parameters levels, but after the treatment of P. pterocarpum barks and leaves the levels were significantly altered when compared to the negative control rats. The drug silymarin was used as a standard. Conclusion: The extracts have the protective effect of liver markers and membrane-bound enzymes against the toxin-treated rats. This result highlights the hepatoprotective properties of the leaves and barks of the plant in a similar manner and the formulation (Group 10) have high beneficial effects than other groups.

Background: In recent years, new drugs for the treatment of various diseases, thereby the emergence of antimicrobial resistance tremendously increased because of the increased consumption rate of various drugs. However, the irrational use of antibiotics increases the microbial resistance along with that the frequency of mortality associated with infections is higher. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were effectively against various bacteria and the unrestricted application of antibiotics lead to the emergence of drug resistance. The present study was aimed to detect the antibacterial properties of lipopeptide novel drug producing Streptomyces parvulus. Methods: A lipopeptide-producing S. parvulus was isolated from the soil sample. The inhibitory effect of lipopeptide was detected against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Bactericidal activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were assayed. The IC50 value was analysed against ovarian and human melanoma cell lines. The experimental mouse model was infected withKlebsiella pneumoniae and treated with lipopeptide and bactericidal activity was determined. Results: The results indicated that the antibacterial activity of lipopeptide ranges from 13 ± 1 mm to 32 ± 2 mm against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. The lowest MIC value was noted as 1.5 ± 0.1 µg/mL against K. pneumoniae and the highest against E. aerogenes (7.5 ± 0.2 µg/mL). The IC50 value was considerably high for the ovarian cell lines and human melanoma cell lines (426 µg/mL and 503 µg/mL). At 25 µg/mL concentration of lipopeptide, only 16.4% inhibition was observed in the ovarian cell line whereas 20.2% inhibition was achieved at this concentration in the human melanoma cell line. Lipopeptide inhibited bacterial growth and was completely inhibited at a concentration of 20 µg/mL. Lipopeptide reduced bacterial load in experimental mice compared to control (p

Abstract The plant‐based medicine and diet is gaining importance in recent days. The consumption of Triticum aestivum grass in the form of juice and tablets is increasing among common people. The present study elaborates on the nutritional, antioxidant, and antimicrobial potential of a nongenetically modified type of T. aestivum grass, along with the evidence of molecular docking studies. The T. aestivum grass extracts like decoction, aqueous, ethanol, and chloroform were subjected to preliminary phytochemical tests, quantitative estimation, antioxidant analysis, and antimicrobial activity determination. The ethanolic extract that had good antioxidant and antimicrobial potential was subjected to gas column–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis and the compounds identified were docked against the antioxidant and antimicrobial receptors. The decoction and aqueous extracts performed well in preliminary qualitative tests with the presence of most of the phytochemicals tested. The decoction, aqueous, and ethanolic extracts possessed good concentrations of the phytochemicals. The decoction had about 210.83 ± 9.16 and 154.16 ± 0.33 mg/g of carbohydrates and proteins, respectively, while the aqueous extract had about 10.91 ± 0.08 mg/g of amino acids and the ethanolic extract had about 52.5 ± 1.4 mg/g of phenolic content, which were the highest concentration of the phytochemicals observed among the extracts. Along with phytochemical potential, good antioxidant potential in the DPPH and ABTS by decoction as well as ethanolic extract with nearly 40 and 90% inhibition, respectively, and in FRAP by aqueous extract with maximum OD value. The ethanolic extract exhibited the best inhibition potential against the Staphylococcus aureus about 28 ± 1 mm, Pseudomonas aeruginosa with 20 ± 2 mm, Bacillus cereus at 20 ± 1 mm by the ethanolic extract at 200 μg concentration, and Aspergillus fumigatus and A. niger at 15 ± 0 mm by the aqueous extract at 200 μg concentration. The GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenols, which on docking had highest binding capacity toward the antioxidant and antimicrobial receptors.

Infertility has a remarkable global impact affecting approximately about 48 million couples worldwide. One of the most contended concerns in reproductive biology is the prospective influence of psychological stress on pregnancy rates. Individuals struggling to conceive face a stupendous amount of emotional turbulence and have a greater risk for psychological vulnerability. Both stress and infertility reinforce the impact of each other; hence, there exists a reciprocal relationship. Stress may be the major contributor to subsequent infertility. Infertility treatments may enhance stress levels as well as reduce treatment outcomes. The biological mechanisms that interlink stress and infertility are the outcome of the hormonal actions at the brain level, where they stimulate or suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and have a potential influence on the secretion of the respective hormone by the reproductive organs and the pregnancy outcomes. Sex hormones play an essential role in reproductive biology as well as in general physiology where they generate the cycle and provide a potential environment for pregnancy. This article reviews the impact of stress on reproductive rates and the implications of sex hormones on infertility. Additionally, it suggests strategies to overcome the stress conditions and the scenarios that may lead to stress.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of β-mannanase and probiotic on the performance, serum biochemistry, gut morphometric traits, and fresh egg quality of laying hens. A total of 120 cages, housing light-weight laying hens (36 weeks old), were randomly assigned to four different treatments. These treatments included a control group fed non-supplemented diets; diets supplemented with 300 g/ton of beta-mannanase; diets supplemented with 50 g/ton of probiotic; or diets containing both 300 g/ton of β-mannanase and 50 g/ton of probiotics. The trial spanned a duration of 26 weeks and was divided into three productive phases, each lasting 28 days. The inclusion of β-mannanase resulted in a significant improvement in the laying rate by 11% (p

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the changes of body weight and egg weight in Shitou geese during off-season breeding period, and compared with the productive data of Hy-line layers. A total of 364 male geese and 2000 female geese aged 2 years old were forced to molt. The changes of body weight, egg production and egg weight of the geese were recorded from the moratorium in February to the end of December. It was found that the body weight of female geese was significantly different in April and June (P < 0.05), but decreased slowly in the late period and the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). The body weight of male geese fluctuated, and there was no linear downward trend. Otherwise, the egg weight increased significantly from April to June, and then decreased slowly, showing wavy changes. Meanwhile, there was a significant positive correlation between female geese body weight and egg weight during breeding period (r = 0.584). In addition, the change rule of body weight and egg weight of Shitou goose is opposite to that of chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to compare the reproductive performance of black and yellow-footed Chinese indigenous goose, Shitou goose. A total of 890 two-year-old black-footed Shitou geese and 410 two-year-old yellow-footed Shitou geese were selected to carry out off-season feeding experiment to observe the eggs production, the law of laying eggs and the changes of body weight. The experiment time is one year. The results showed that the body weight of black-footed Shitou geese was less than that of yellow-footed Shitou geese, and the difference in body weight between male and female geese was very significant in February, April and June (P < 0.01). After entering the breeding period, with the extension of the laying period, the body weight of female geese and the weight difference among breeds gradually decreased. However, the body weight of male geese did not change significantly during the breeding period. Meanwhile, the egg production of these two kinds of geese was not high. The number of qualified eggs produced by black-footed Shitou geese and yellow-footed Shitou geese was 32.46 and 28.66 respectively, and the corresponding breeding period was 301 days and 263 days, respectively. In addition, both species of geese have four egg production peaks during the breeding period. The laying time of black-footed Shitou geese was mainly concentrated in May, June, July, August and December and the monthly laying rates were 13.07%, 21.06%, 14.14%, 16.74% and 16.05%, respectively. The average laying rate during the breeding period was 11.59%. The laying time of yellow-footed Shitou geese was mainly concentrated in April, May, June, July and August and the monthly laying rates were 8.78%, 10.52%, 15.76%, 7.08% and 6.20%, respectively. The average laying rate during the breeding period was 10.60%. Moreover, the weight changes of female geese of the two species of geese have the same law, that is, after entering the breeding period, the body weight gradually decreases with the extension of the laying period. However, the change of body weight of male geese during breeding period was not obvious. Taken together, the average egg production and egg laying rate of black-footed shitou geese are higher than that of yellow-footed Shitou geese. In addition, black-footed Shitou goose are more popular in the market in Leizhou Peninsula, so it is more suitable to raise black-foot Shitou goose in Zhanjiang area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element with sub-lethal effects even at low concentrations. The persistent nature of Cd and its tendency to bioaccumulate eventually create harmful effects on water biota, including fish. Cd affects various aspects of hormonal action in fish since it bioaccumulates in the endocrine system and hinders the synthesis, secretion, and metabolic activity of hormones, causing severe damage along the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis. Linking reproductive and developmental impairments in fish with ecologically relevant concentrations of individual metals can be challenging due to the complexity of aquatic ecosystems. This review deliberated the significant and novel trends of toxicological difficulties and approaches, including elucidating environmental sources’ bioavailability and Cd-induced toxic effects in freshwater fish. Both acute and chronic exposure to Cd can cause a range of adverse effects, such as growth inhibition, impaired reproductive capacity, endocrine disruption, and developmental abnormalities in freshwater fish, as evidenced by the present review. These investigations support the concept of Cd as a naturally available pollutant that causes irreversible damage in fish. These findings will help to understand the etiology of environmental circumstances that pose substantial dangers to fish health and are also crucial for preventing and treating exposure-related reproductive disturbances in freshwater fish due to environmental pollution.