Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences最新文献

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Organic fertilizer is a source of nutrition for plants which is an alternative to inorganic fertilizer. Liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) which comes from coconut fiber and banana LOF which comes from banana stems from which the fruit has been removed, so that wasted plant residue can be used as fertilizer. The study aimed to obtain the best type of LOF and concentration in increasing the growth and yield of the Batang Piaman rice variety using the SRI method. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The research was conducted from June to December, 2023 in Padang City, West Sumatra. The method used was an experiment with a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in nested with each treatment consisting of 3 groups. The treatment consisted of LOF types at two levels (banana stems and coconut fiber) and LOF concentrations at seven levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mL/L). Observational data were analysed by variance analysis with F test at 5% real level, but if there were differences, it was continued with DMRT further test at 5% real level by STAR IRRI Philippine software (Philippine). <b>Results:</b> The results obtained were that LOF coconut fiber provided better growth components, yield components and physiological components than banana stem LOF with the best concentration, on the provision of LOF coconut fiber 100 mL/L on the number of rice plant tillers and stomatal density and concentration of 200 mL/L on the number of productive tillers. <b>Conclusion:</b> The application of LOF coconut fiber is better for the growth and yield of rice plants of the Batang Piaman variety compared to the administration of LOF banana stems by applying coconut fiber liquid organic fertilizer with a concentration of 100 mL/L, it is recommended to add coconut fiber LOF to rice fields to increase growth and yield.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Carob tree (<i>Ceratonia siliqua</i> L.) is a perennial leguminous species and is known as a medicinal importance tree. This species exhibits a myriad of biological effects including antibacterial, antidiarrheal and antidiabetic. To this end, current study evaluates the difference between the phytochemical composition of the leaves of two accessions of "wild" and "domesticated" hermaphroditic carob trees. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The comparison between two carob accessions "wild" and "domesticated" was done according to methanolic extraction by the Soxhlet and aqueous extraction by maceration. The polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins and their antioxidant activity were measured. The ANOVA test was used for the analysis of results. <b>Results:</b> The total polyphenols in aqueous extract are 6.19±0.25 mg equivalent gallic acid/g dry weight (EGA/g DW) and 4.23±0.2 mg EGA/g DW) in carob fresh leaves for wild and domesticated trees, respectively. The flavonoid content was higher in methanolic extract (3.17±0.64 mg quercetin equivalent/g DW) than in aqueous extract (1.06±0.19 mg EQ/g DW) for wild trees. Wild accession recorded the highest concentration of condensed tannins in the methanolic extract (6.4±0.3 mg catechin equivalents/g DW) while low levels were recorded in aqueous extract (0.51±0.27 mg EC/g DW). <b>Conclusion:</b> Such knowledge is expected to be the key to understanding the biochemical composition of two different leaves of <i>C. siliqua</i> accessions and its various commercial food products.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The RH3.5 was isolated from the rhizosphere of <i>Boesenbergia rotunda</i> (L.) Mansf. and identified to be <i>Streptomyces chartreusis</i> via analysis of its 16S rDNA sequence, chemotaxonomy and morphology. The aim of this study was to identify the major compounds of RH3.5 and assess their biological activities. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Silica gel column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography were used to purify major compounds, elucidate 5,7,2'-trihydroxy-8-methoxyflavanone (compound <b>1</b>) and 5',2',5'-trihydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavanone (compound <b>2</b>). Subsequently, mass spectrometry and NMR techniques were used to identify the structure of these compounds. Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties were carried out using <i>in vitro</i> assays. <b>Results:</b> The bioassays revealed the antimicrobial effect of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> on MRSA and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration was calculated in the range of 32-64 and 128-256 μg/mL, respectively. The compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> also exhibited anti-inflammatory potential by inhibiting NO, IL-1β and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, they had mild cytotoxic action against Vero and L929 cell lines with IC₅₀ values greater than 512 μg/mL. <b>Conclusion:</b> These findings showed that flavonoids of <i>Streptomyces</i> <i>chartreusis</i> RH3.5 exhibited antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities with low cytotoxicity against healthy cells. Thorough research on these compounds could result in the creation of useful methods for treating microbial infections and acute inflammatory responses.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Gamma irradiation induces genotoxicity, characterized by the formation of extra-nuclear bodies and left behind during the anaphase stage of cell division, often referred to as a micronucleus (MN). The present work aims to monitor exposure to ionizing radiation as a genotoxic agent in the lymphocytes of workers at radiation energy centers. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The lymphocyte cytokinesis block micronucleus assay used and analyzed the correlation between the Nuclear Division Index (NDI), age, blood type and the number of micronuclei (MN). Blood samples were collected from 20 volunteers in heparin tubes, exposed to 2 Gy gamma rays and cultured <i>in vitro</i>. <b>Results:</b> A significant difference in the number of micronuclei between blood group A and blood groups A, B and AB. The Nuclear Division Index (NDI) value for lymphocytes of radiation energy center workers after gamma radiation was significant (1.74±0.1) but still within the normal range. Neither MN frequency nor NDI values correlated with age, but MN frequency showed a correlation with blood type. <b>Conclusion:</b> The gamma irradiation did not induce a cytostatic effect but proved genotoxic to the lymphocytes of radiation energy center workers. Notably, blood type A demonstrated higher sensitivity to gamma radiation.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Previously the <i>Mirabilis jalapa</i> nanoemulsion formulations was characterized through PSA analysis, UV-VIS spectrophotometry, SEM to observe the morphology of the formed nanoemulsion and FTIR analysis. But, this study aims to characterize <i>M. jalapa</i> nanoemulsion formulations and its application on the mortality and morphology of 3rd instar <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> larva. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Several <i>M. jalapa</i> nanoemulsion formulations were applied to observe the mortality of 3rd instar <i>S. frugiperda</i> larvae using the Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method. The best formulation was tested from the characterization results to determine the level of larval mortality. The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's <i>post hoc</i> test. <b>Results:</b> The 3rd instar <i>S. frugiperda</i> larvae showed a 67%±12 mortality rate 48 hrs after the 5th treatment (T5) application compared to the control group and causing the bodies of insects experiencing mortality to turn black and dehydrated. The results showed that <i>M. jalapa</i> nanoemulsion had a significant effect (p-value 0.016<0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> The potential of using <i>M. jalapa</i> in the form of nanoemulsions as an effective alternative to control the pest <i>S. frugiperda</i>.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Urinary tract infections from the use of an indwelling urinary catheter are one of the most common infections caused by <i>Proteus mirabilis</i>. Due to their biofilm-producing capacity and the increasing antimicrobial resistance in this microorganism, this study aimed to determine the prevalence, biofilm-producing capacity, antimicrobial resistance patterns, multidrug resistance and plasmid mediated resistance of the recovered isolates. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> A total of 50 urinary samples were collected from May to August, 2018 from patients on indwelling urinary catheters. Using routine microbiological and biochemical methods, 37 <i>P. mirabilis</i> were isolated. Biofilm forming capability was determined among the isolates using the tube method while antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid curing were also performed. <b>Results:</b> All isolates were biofilm producers with 17(46%) being moderate producers while 20(54%) were strong biofilm formers. The study isolates exhibited a high resistance rate to empiric antibiotics, including ceftazidime (75.8%), cefuroxime (54.5%), ampicillin (69.7%) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (51.5%). Low resistance was seen in the fluoroquinolones, gentamicin and nitrofurantoin. Plasmid curing experiment revealed that most isolates lost their resistance indicating that resistance was borne on plasmids. Plasmid carriage is likely the reason for the high MDR rate of 56.8% observed. <b>Conclusion:</b> These findings necessitate the provision of infection control programs which will guide and implement policies.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The prioritisation of oil palm studies involves the exploration of novel bacterial isolates as possible agents for suppressing <i>Ganoderma boninense</i>. The objective of this study was to evaluate and characterise the potential of rhizospheric bacteria, obtained from the rhizosphere of oil palm plants, in terms of their ability to demonstrate anti-<i>Ganoderma </i>activity. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The study began by employing a dual culture technique to select hostile bacteria. Qualitative detection was performed to assess the antifungal activity, as well as the synthesis of chitinase and glucanase, from certain isolates. The candidate strains were molecularly identified using 16S-rRNA ribosomal primers, specifically the 27F and 1492R primers. <b>Results:</b> The findings of the study indicated that the governmental plantation exhibited the highest ratio between diazotroph and indigenous bacterial populations in comparison to the other sites. Out of a pool of ninety bacterial isolates, a subset of twenty-one isolates demonstrated the ability to impede the development of <i>G. boninense</i>, as determined using a dual culture experiment. Twenty-one bacterial strains were found to exhibit antifungal activity. Nine possible bacteria were found based on the sequence analysis. These bacteria include <i>Burkholderia territorii</i> (RK2, RP2, RP3, RP5), <i>Burkholderia stagnalis</i> (RK3), <i>Burkholderia cenocepacia</i> (RP1), <i>Serratia marcescens</i> (RP13) and <i>Rhizobium multihospitium</i> (RU4). <b>Conclusion:</b> The findings of the study revealed that a significant proportion of the bacterial population exhibited the ability to perform nitrogen fixation, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production and phosphate solubilization. However, it is worth noting that <i>Rhizobium multihospitium</i> RU4 did not demonstrate the capacity for phosphate solubilization, while <i>B. territory</i> RK2 did not exhibit IAA production.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlights the importance of tracking virus evolution through genomic surveillance, especially concerning mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, crucial for vaccine development. Despite global concern over variants, regions like West Sumatra, Indonesia, lack thorough genomic analysis, prompting this study to analyze S gene mutations across three pandemic waves in West Sumatra. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Next-generation sequencing was conducted through the Illumina MiSeq instrument to leverage a dataset of 352 anonymized samples collected between March, 2020 and November, 2022 and rigorous analysis of S gene mutation using CLC Genomics Workbench^® 21 version 21.0.3 were employed. Statistical analyses assessed mutation prevalence over time, exploring associations with clinical outcomes. <b>Results:</b> The findings revealed significant variability in mutation profiles across different variants. Notably, the Omicron variant (21K) exhibited a high mutation rate, suggesting enhanced immune evasion capabilities. Comparative analysis highlighted evolutionary trends, from early variants with fewer mutations to highly adapted forms like Delta (21I) and Omicron. The dynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 evolution underscores the importance of continuous surveillance, rapid public health response and vaccine adaptation. <b>Conclusion:</b> This study contributes valuable insights into the virus's evolving landscape, emphasizing the need for ongoing research, global collaboration and adaptable vaccine strategies to manage the evolving threat of COVID-19 effectively.