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Green manures are widely used to enhance soil health and suppress plant-parasitic nematodes, and their effects on the broader soil food web have been studied. Beyond direct suppression, the role of green manures in supporting and sustaining soil food webs has attracted increasing attention. In this study, we evaluated the use of DNA sequencing to identify various nematode genera and their microbial associates in a field trial using oat (Avena sativa) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) as green manures. Nematode index analysis revealed that the oat treatment promoted a structured nematode community. Furthermore, the nematode community structure observed in the oat treatment was linked to specific bacterial and fungal genera. Several beneficial fungi were identified, indicating that oats, used as a green manure, actively enhanced the microbiome. Our results showed that enriching the micro-food web through organic fertilizers can help in the detection of beneficial microorganisms, with the nematode index serving as a potential indicator.

The anterior pituitary gland secretes the peptide hormone prolactin, which is important for lactation, reproductive health, and metabolic regulation. Its secretion is primarily regulated by dopamine and also its elevated level is known as hyperprolactinemia. The aim of this study was to assess serum prolactin level in T2DM patients at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from June 27 to August 20, 2024 involving 330 study participants selected using systematic random sampling. Of these, 165 were male patients with T2DM and 165 were apparently healthy controls. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical data were measured by structured questionnaires. Hormonal parameters, Fasting blood sugar and lipid profiles were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay and spectrophotometric principles respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and binary logistic regression were performed with significance set at p < 0.05. The prevalence of hyperprolactinemia was 9.1% in T2DM patients and 6.1% in the control group. A statistically significant difference in mean serum prolactin level was observed between T2DM and control group (7.79 ± 2.9 vs. 6.81 ± 3.1, p-value = 0.004) respectively. Hyperprolactinemia was more likely to occur in study individuals with high dietary diversity (AOR = 3.213, 95% CI: 1.253-8.239, P-value = 0.015). The incidence of hyperprolactinemia increases by 1.009 (95% CI: 1.001-1.018; P-value = 0.035) for every unit rise in FBS (1 mg/dl). In conclusion, the mean serum prolactin level was significantly higher among T2DM patients compared to healthy control groups. In addition, the prevalence of hyperprolactinemia was higher in T2DM patients than the control groups. Dietary diversity and elevated FBS were a significant predictors of hyperprolactinemia. So, the healthcare providers should consider routine screening of serum prolactin level in patients diagnosed with T2DM.

The present study aimed to determine the phytochemical characterization, anticancer and antioxidant activities of essential oils (EOs) obtained from nine commonly used medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) including Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf (Poaceae), Cistus creticus L. (Cistaceae), Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Apiaceae), Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae), Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae), Pinus cembra L. (Pinaceae), Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench, and Inula viscosa (L.) Aiton (Asteraceae) taxa from Türkiye. The chemical composition of the EOs was identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their antioxidant activities were evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging methods. In addition, the anticancer potential of the EOs were assessed using MTT assay against human cell lines, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), gastric carcinoma (NCI-N87), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and human prostate carcinoma (LNCaP clone FGC-Luc2) cancer cells, as well as non-cancerous human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The antioxidant activities of the EOs varied from 35.21 to 79.12%. Consistent with their antioxidant activities, the anticancer activities of the EOs of C. citratus, L. nobilis and, C. creticus exhibited significantly higher anticancer activities compared to the others. However, almost all EOs were found to inhibit cell viability and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Among the tested concentrations, the highest anticancer activity was observed against against MCF-7 cells, followed by NCI-N87, LNCaP, and HepG2 cancer cells, with the IC₅₀ values ranging from 15.10 ± 1.00 to 78.12 ± 0.32 µg/mL, respectively. The major components of the EOs distilled from studied MAPs were found as anethole, borneol, carvacrol, citral, α-pinene, eucalyptol and β-citral at different concentrations in the EOs. Overall, it can be clearly concluded that the EO samples distilled from studied MAPs contain valuable bioactive compounds and accordingly exhibit remarkable biological activities.

This study evaluated the long-term metabolic effects of prenatal nutrition in Nellore bulls. Pregnant cows (n = 126) received mineral supplementation only (NP), protein-energy supplementation during the last trimester (PP), or supplementation throughout pregnancy (FP). At slaughter, longissimus (muscle and meat) and subcutaneous fat samples from the offspring were collected for transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses. Data were reduced using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis, followed by functional enrichment, and then integrated via Spearman's correlations and holistic pathway analysis. Distinct molecular patterns emerged across prenatal nutrition treatments, although all groups influenced energy metabolism and cellular processes. The NP group was strongly associated with protein and lipid metabolism, highlighted by PPAR and sphingolipid signaling pathways, and key hub components including CNOT4 and tryptophan. In contrast, PP and FP groups were more closely linked to immune function, stress resilience, with enrichment of NF-kB signaling, cortisol synthesis, and hub components including TIE1, YWHAZ, carnitine, and glutaconylcarnitine. Shared transcriptome-metabolome modules between groups displayed inverse correlations, suggesting potential antagonistic effects driven by maternal diet. Overall, these results indicate that prenatal nutrition shapes key metabolic processes in muscle, meat, and fat, offering insights to enhance meat quality and production through maternal feeding strategies.

The electrochemical conversion of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) represents a promising, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable approach for producing value-added chemicals using renewable energy and in situ hydrogen generated through water electrolysis. However, the electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of HMF remains challenging due to the inherently low catalytic activity and selectivity of the electrodes, compounded by competition with the kinetically favored hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, we demonstrate that Cu_xNi_100-x heteroatomic thin films, fabricated via direct current (DC) magnetron co-sputtering, achieve a more than one order of magnitude increase in the HMF to 2,5-Bis-hydroxymethylfuran (BHMF) conversion rate, with nearly 50% faradic efficiency (FE) for BHMF, when compared to pure Cu and Ni electrodes (~ 10% BHMF FE). Our results suggest that the synergistic interaction between Cu and Ni creates an optimal catalytic environment for both HMF and adsorbed hydrogen (H_ads) species, thereby enhancing BHMF formation through the ECH pathway.

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