Background

Levels of heavy metal pollution are increasing due to industrial activities and urban expansion. While cobalt (Co) can be toxic to plants at high levels and isn’t considered essential, it plays a beneficial role in many enzymes and is critical for various biological functions. We conducted experiments to determine how Adhatoda vasica proliferated shoots react to exposure to various Co concentrations (50–1000 µM). We employed physiological and biochemical markers to elucidate the response mechanisms of this medicinal plant. The experiment was conducted in two replicates per treatment. The statistical analysis was based on data from four biological replicates per treatment.

Results

Interestingly, the lowest Co concentration (50 µM) increased proliferated shoot growth by 41.45%. In contrast, higher Co concentrations (100–1000 µM) had detrimental effects on proliferated shoot development, water content, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations. As Co concentration increased, proliferated shoots produced excessive concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This ROS overproduction is believed to be the primary cause of oxidative damage, as evidenced by the elevated concentrations (18.46%-72.84%) of malondialdehyde (MDA) detected. In response to Co stress, non-enzymatic antioxidants were activated in a concentration-dependent manner. Co administration significantly increased the concentrations of different stress-protective compounds in shoots, including total antioxidants (133.18%), ascorbic acids (217.94%), free and bound phenolics (97.70% and 69.72%, respectively), proline (218.59%), free amino acids (206.96%), soluble proteins (65.97%), and soluble carbohydrates (18.52%). FTIR analysis further corroborated changes in the chemical composition of proliferated shoots. The analysis revealed variations in the peaks associated with major macromolecules, including phenolic compounds, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, cellulose, hemicellulose, and sugars.

Conclusions

Our study offers the first comprehensive investigation into mechanisms by which Co stress triggers oxidative damage and alters functional groups in the medicinal plant, Adhatoda vasica.

Controlled and sustainable delivery of therapeutics for accurate administration at requisite location with proper number of dosages are essential to treat diverse fatal diseases by reducing patient complications and improving safety concerns related to drug administration. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a class of serious disorders that represent the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Chitosan (CS) is a natural and biocompatible polysaccharide that shows promising properties in various fields, namely, drug, gene, and therapeutic proteins delivery, and the fabrication of scaffolds and hydrogels for tissue engineering. It exhibits structural similarities with glycosaminoglycans which represent the main component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and hence possesses great potential for tissue engineering and other therapeutic purposes. CS possesses fascinating mechanical properties but poor electrical properties, therefore several modifications have been performed to enhance the electrical properties of CS-based scaffolds. To modify the characteristic features of CS, carbonaceous nanomaterials like carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene, carbon dot, carbon nanohorn (CNH), carbon nano-onion (CNO) and nanodiamond (ND) are effectively implemented. This chapter introduces the recent findings, latest developments, and innovations in the use of CS/carbon nanocomposite in drug delivery and treatment of CVDs. The beneficial effects of CS/carbon nanocomposite in cardiac tissue engineering, cell therapy, gene delivery, and its interaction with proteins are also discussed in this chapter.

We investigated the palynological organic matter (POM) recovered from shale horizons, intercalating the Nubian-type sandstones in middle Egypt, for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Our palynofacies are dominated by either amorphous organic matter (AOM) or phytoclasts whereas palynomorphs are relatively rare, but not uncommon. The palynofacies categories revealed two different palynofacies types, reflecting estuarine/tidal and fluvio-lacustrine environments for the Maghrabi and the basal Quseir formations, respectively. The kerogen composition of our investigated material and the colors of the thin-walled spores suggest possible sources of hydrocarbons, which are poorly explored in the middle and southern areas of Egypt. Our findings confirmed the previously described marine origin of the Maghrabi Formation. The complete missing of any marine palynomorphs suggests that the basal sediments of the Quseir Formation are almost exclusively of terrestrial origin. This may reveal that the worldwide Late Cretaceous transgression was not effective during deposition of these basal clastics.

An integration of geochemistry, mineralogical and palynological data is used to depict the sediment provenance and distribution, the sedimentary environment and the paleogeographic evolution of the Cretaceous Atlantic Basin of Cameroon. The basin is located along the African western coast, in the heart of the Guinea Gulf, and includes the Campo, Douala, and Rio-del-Rey sub-basins from South to North. The sediments of the Campo sub-basin are derived from rocks of intermediate composition, those of the Douala sub-basin from intermediate to mafic rocks in the southern and felsic rocks in the northern parts, and those of the Rio-del-Rey sub-basin from felsic rocks with a contribution of rocks of intermediate composition. The paleoweathering index and Index of Chemical Variability values for Campo, Douala and Rio-del-Rey sub-basins range from 71.26 to 76.88 and 0.98 to 2.12, 67.15 to 99.39 and 0.37 to 0.90, and 73.17 to 92.90 and 0.44 to 10.03, respectively, indicating sub-maturity, high maturity and sub- to high maturity deposits. Al2O3 vs. V and Al2O3 vs. P2O5 plots, and palynologic data such as marine (e.g. dinoflagellates and microforaminifera) and continental (e.g. Classopollis sp., Ephedripites sp., Botryococcus sp.) species suggest a deposition in more or less deep lacustrine (Campo sub-basin), fluvio-deltaic to shallow marine (Douala sub-basin), and marginal to shallow marine (Rio-del-Rey sub-basin) environments. The paleoweathering index values, the clay minerals (kaolinite, illite and chlorite/vermiculite) distributions, and the palynological data point to arid to semi-arid climate in the Campo sub-basin and semi-arid to periodically humid conditions in the Douala and Rio-del-Rey sub-basins. The tectonic setting diagram suggests collision tectonic events that are inconsistent with the classic geological history of the Atlantic Basin. The situation is in fact related to Precambrian events that affected the basement rocks from which the studied sediments were derived, and probably to the compressional tectonics during the evolution of the South Atlantic Ocean. Although these sub-basins share the same geological history, there are some differences, such as the degree of sediment maturity, the diagenetic effects, the lithology of rock sources, the paleoenvironments of deposition and their fluctuation, depending on the moment the tectonic of Atlantic opening reached them (northward progression of the W-E extension) and the northern shearing along the southern area of the Benue through axis (Rio-del-Rey). The geological history of the Cameroon Atlantic Basin is similar to those of Gabonese and Nigerian basins, along the African western coast, and of those of the Brazilian basins along the eastern coast (Santos Basin to Pernambuco-Paraiba Basin).

Mahmoud, M., Temraz, A., Moawad, A.-R. and Khalaf, M. 2024. Application of palynomorphs and palynofacies in Early Cretaceous paleoenvironmental reconstruction; Shushan Basin, Egypt. Acta Geologica Polonica, 74 (2), e13. An integration of palynomorph and palynofacies data from the Shushan-1X well is used to infer the paleoenvironmental conditions of the Valanginian to Middle Cenomanian (Cretaceous) section of the western Shushan Basin, northern Egypt. The data obtained contribute significantly to the depositional history of the basin. The low diversity of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages, along with the dominance of land-derived spores and pollen, suggest restricted (marginal) marine environments, in contrast to their coeval representatives from the Tethyan Realm. Open marine (inner shelf) environments developed at a few horizons in the Dahab and Bahariya formations, partly contemporary with the global Aptian and Cenomanian eustatic cycles. These environments were relatively more offshore than those described in the eastern and southeastern parts of the basin. The study of total palynological organic matter (TPOM) has contributed largely to these established environmental settings. It has also allowed the recognition of redox (suboxic to anoxic) conditions and the impact of a large magnitude of terrigenous influence

الوصف

Mahmoud, MS, Deaf, AS and El Hussieny, M.-AT 2024. Neogene–Quaternary paleoenvironments and kerogen assessment of the NDO B-1 well, offshore Nile Delta, Egypt, Eastern Mediterranean: palynological evidence. Acta Geologica Polonica, 74 (3), e21.

Palynofacies and palynological investigations conducted on the Neogene–Quaternary succession from the NDO B-1 well, located in the offshore Nile Delta, Egypt, in the Eastern Mediterranean, suggest generally shallow marine (neritic) conditions. These environments are manifested by the overall palynofacies composition and the occurrence of dinoflagellate cysts (eg, Spiniferites spp., Lingulodinium spp., Hystrichokolpoma spp., Homotryblium spp. and Selenopemphix spp.). Neritic environments are suggested for the lower and middle Miocene Sidi Salim, and the Pliocene to Pleistocene upper Kafr El Sheikh, El Wastani and Mit Ghamr formations, while shallower, coastal to inner neritic settings were interpreted for the late Miocene (Qawasim and Rosetta formations) and early Pliocene (Abu Madi and lower Kafr El Sheikh formations). Anoxic conditions existed during the deposition of the studied well succession, which can be seen from the occurrence of imprints of pyrite crystals and some types of oxygen-sensitive dinoflagellate cysts. The palynofacies fluctuated repeatedly between Amorphous Organic Matter (AOM)-dominated and phytoclast-dominated intervals, of kerogen types II and III, respectively. The spore coloration index (SCI) of indigenous thin-walled palynomorphs confirms thermally mature sediments, generative of dry gas and wet gas/condensates

Mastitis in dairy herds is of considerable significance, among various etiological agents, Staphylococcus aureus is the most predominant cause of subclinical mastitis in dairy animals. Increased trends in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and failure of antibiotics lead to increased incentives to look for alternative control measures such as herbal extracts and their active compounds to be applied in manage and control of causative bacterial diseases. This study was designed to determine the antimicrobial efficacy of pomegranate peel extracts against S. aureus isolated from mastitis. Analysis of its content of active ingredients was taken into account using GC-Mass. The disk diffusion assay was used to estimate the antibacterial effects in the S. aureus strains. The GC-MS results showed that pomegranate peel extract contained 40 components, 14 of which have documented antibacterial activity including phenolics (gallic acid, caffeic acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid) and flavonoid compounds. Five of which exhibited resistance to beta-lactams. Pomegranate peel extract was able to inhibit the growth of S. aureus at a concentration of 3.125 mg/ml. Scanning electron microscopy indicated the pomegranate peel extracts disrupted the bacterial cell wall causing cell deformations that would decrease their pathogenicity and could control the disease efficiently. Pomegranate peel extracts represent a promising alternative treatment for mastitis in dairy animals.