Abstract: Background: The abnormal expression of lncRNA HOTAIR has been associated with synovial angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study is to investigate whether lncRNA HOTAIR can participate in synovial angiogenesis in RA by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway through the miR-126/PIK3R2 axis. Methods: In this study, we conducted in vitro experiments by designing overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNAs targeting lncRNA HOTAIR and then transfected them into fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) obtained from RA patients. We then co-cultured the modified FLS with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to establish an RA-FLS-induced HUVEC model. We investigated the effects of lncRNA HOTAIR on the proliferation, migration, and tube formation abilities of HUVECs, as well as the expression of synovial endothelial cell markers, angiogenic factors, and the PI3K/AKT pathway. To validate the interactions between lncRNA HOTAIR, miR-126-3p, and PIK3R2, we used bioinformatics and luciferase reporter experiments. We also used a combination of real-time fluorescence quantitative (RT-qPCR), Western blotting (WB), and immunofluorescence (IF) methods to identify target genes and proteins. Results: LncRNA HOTAIR was highly expressed in HUVEC cells induced by RA-FLS. Overexpression of lncRNA HOTAIR significantly increased the expression of VEGF, bFGF, CD34 and CD105 in HUVEC cells, promoted their proliferation, invasion, and tube formation, while the silencing of lncRNA HOTAIR reversed these effects, and the PI3K/AKT activator also reversed them. Overexpression of lncRNA HOTAIR activated the PI3K/AKT pathway, promoting the expression of PI3K, AKT, and P-AKT proteins. Bioinformatics and dual-luciferase assays verified the targeting relationship between LncRNA HOTAIR, miR-126-3p, and PIK3R2. Conclusion: LncRNA HOTAIR can activate the PI3K/AKT pathway, possibly through the regulatory axis of miR-126-3p/PIK3R2, and thus participate in synovial angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis.

Solanum pandeyii ……………., a new species, is discovered in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Morphological and molecular analyses suggest that it is closely related to S. violaceum and belongs to the Leptostemonum clade of Solanum (the “spiny” solanums). These two species can be distinguished in habit, vegetative morphology, trichome morphology, indumentums, inflorescence architecture and floral characters. A detailed morphological account, molecular analyses, illustration and preliminary conservation status of the new species have been provided here along with a diagnostic comparison with the closely related species, S. violaceum.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and cell death is a key issue in DN. Ferroptosis is a recently discovered type of iron-dependent cell death and different from other kinds of cell death including apoptosis and necrosis. However, ferroptosis has not been described in the context of DN. This study was to explore the role of ferroptosis in the DN pathophysiology and to explore the efficacy of ferroptosis inhibitor SRS 16-86 on DN. The STZ injection was used to establish the DM and DN animal models. We detected the levels of iron, reactive oxygen species, and ferroptosis-specific markers in a rat DN model to investigate whether there was ferroptosis in the process of DN. The hematoxylin-eosin staining, blood biochemistry, urine biochemistry and the of function kidney were used to evaluate the efficacy of ferroptosis inhibitor-SRS 16-86 in repairing DN. We found that SRS 16-86 could improve the recovery of renal function after DN by improving the antiferroptosis factors glutathione peroxidase 4, glutathione, and system Xc-light chain and could lower the lipid peroxidation marker and 4-hydroxynonenal. SRS 16-86 treatment may improve the structure of renal organization after DN. Inflammatory cytokines-interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor α, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 were decreased significantly following SRS 16-86 treatment after DN. Results indicate that there is a strong connection between ferroptosis and the pathological mechanism of DN. The validity of SRS 16-86, a ferroptosis inhibitor in DN repair, supports its potential as a new therapeutic target for DN.

Background: Luteolin is a natural flavonoid, and its neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects have been confirmed to mitigate neurodegeneration. Despite these findings, the underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects remain unclear. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is widely expressed in microglia and plays a pivotal role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Here we outline studies aimed at determining the mechanisms responsible for the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of luteolin using a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and specifically focusing on the role of TLR4 in this process. Methods: The mouse model of PD used in this study was established through a single injection of LPS. Mice were subsequently randomly assigned to either the luteolin or vehicle-treated group, then motor performance and dopaminergic neuronal injury were evaluated. BV2 microglial cells were treated with luteolin or vehicle saline prior to LPS challenge. mRNA expression of microglial marker IBA-1 and M1/M2 polarization markers, as well as the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the mesencephalic tissue and BV2 were quantified by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. Apoptosis and cell viability of SH-SY5Y cells co-cultured with BV2 were examined. TLR4 RNA transcript and protein abundance in mesencephalic tissue and BV2 cells were detected. NFkB p65 subunit phosphorylation both in vivo and in vitro was evaluated by immunoblotting. Results: Luteolin treatment induced functional improvements and alleviated dopaminergic neuronal loss in our PD model. Luteolin inhibited apoptosis and promoted cell survival in SH-SY5Y cells. Luteolin treatment shifted microglial M1/M2 polarization towards the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype both in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we found that luteolin treatment significantly downregulated both TLR4 mRNA and protein expression as well as restraining NFkB p65 subunit phosphorylation. Conclusions: Luteolin promoted dopaminergic neuronal survival in vivo and in vitro by blocking TLR4-mediated neuroinflammation.

In this work, we report a typical Mott-Schottky electrocatalyst composed of metallic Co and semiconducting MoSe2 on carbon nanotubes (Co/MoSe2@CNT), prepared by sol-gel process followed by thermal reduction treatment. The characterization results and theoretical calculations reveal that Co/MoSe2 Mott-Schottky heterojunction can cause electron redistribution and establish an build-in electric field, which can not only optimize the adsorption energy of the reaction intermediates, but also promote the charge transfer during the hydrogen evolution process. Thus, Co/MoSe2@CNT deliver excellent catalytic activity with a low overpotential of 185 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a small Tafel slope of 69 mV dec-1. This work provides a new strategy for constructing Co/MoSe2 Mott-Schottky heterojunc-tions and highlighting the Mott-Schottky effect, which may inspire the development of more efficient Mott Schottky electrocatalysts for H2 production in the future.

Background: Epithelial barrier disruption is the initial pathogenesis of various diseases. We previously reported that acupoint catgut embedding (AE) improved tight junction proteins in rats with allergic rhinitis. However, whether AE benefits the epithelial barrier in local allergic rhinitis (LAR ) is unknown. Methods: In the present study, we used LAR model rats with or without AE treatment to investigate the effect of AE on nasal mucosal barrier function. Then, the LAR model rats were treated with capsaicin or tunicamycin (TM) to investigate the mechanism of AE on LAR. Results: AE ameliorated symptoms and pathological changes of nasal mucosa in LAR rats. In addition, AE reduced inflammatory factors (IL4, IL5, IL13) and inhibited endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) by reducing substance P (SP). Finally, AE improved the epithelial barrier function in LAR by suppressing ERS. Conclusion: the present study strongly confirms that AE is an effective method to improve nasal barrier function and prevent LAR barrier damage.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is characterized by hemolytic anemia, bone marrow failure, thrombophilia. COVID-19, caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with many variants including Omicron. This study depicted demographic and clinical characteristics of 20 PNH patients with SARS-Cov2 Omicron infection. All the patients hadn’t previously been administrated with complement inhibitors. They all were with high disease activity (HDA), and LDH level exceeded any documented since the diagnosis of PNH, and those reported in the literature for previously stable treatment with complement inhibitors. D-dimer level elevated in 10 patients. 2 patients developed mild pulmonary artery hypertension. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declined in 5 patients. 1 patient developed acute renal failure and underwent hemodialysis. Anemia and hemolysis were improved in 5 patients treated with eculizumab. Hemolytic exacerbation of PNH with COVID-19 is severe and eculizumab may be an effective treatment.

Background Gout is a chronic non-communicable disease that might lead to multiple systemic complications if it is left untreated. The knowledge and attitudes among patients towards the diagnosis and management of gout are important indicators in determining the prognosis and predicting sequelae of the disease. This cross-sectional survey aimed to assess the knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes of patients diagnosed with gout toward the disease pathology, diagnosis, and treatment. Methodology An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at university clinics and local health facilities in central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Two-hundred thirteen patients diagnosed with gout were selected by non-random, non-probability convenience sampling and invited to voluntarily participate in this survey. A structured questionnaire, which was written in Arabic and pre-tested in a previous pilot study, was distributed to and collected from the participants between April 2022 and August 2022. The data were entered into an Excel (version 2010) spreadsheet. Pearson chi- square analysis was used to determine associations between dependent variables. Statistical significance was defined as a P-value <0.05. Results The study included 109 patients (51.2%) ≥51 years of age with uncontrolled gout (more than two attacks), 38% of whom were males. The variation in body mass index was not statistically significant (P=0.384). The proportions of patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and osteoarthritis were significantly different between patients with uncontrolled vs. controlled gout (P=0.041). There were significant differences between patients with uncontrolled vs. controlled gout in terms of age at diagnosis and the interval between symptom onset and rheumatologist consultation (P=0.043, P=0.043, and P=0.027, respectively). Conclusion Patients were adequately informed about gout and its treatment. Gout control was significantly associated with patients’ knowledge levels, patient age, and gout therapy. There were no associations between patients’ primary complaints and gout status at the time of diagnosis

Background. Following a mass casualty event, the primary psychological triage of survivors based on clinical symptomatology is difficult for volunteer rescuers who lack the necessary knowledge of mental health issues and are under significant time pressure. To address this concern, descriptive screening tools are needed. In this context, propositions for a triage tool have taken the form of means to describe traumatic exposure or the survivors’ comorbidity factors. Objective. Alternatively, we propose a behaviour-based screening tool built on the Defence Cascade Model. This model assumes that survivors’ behaviours involve a range of motor and physiological defensive reactions. After developing this new kind of screening tool, we tested its reliability and validity. Method. Forty professionals who usually intervene in early psychological intervention units randomly rated a series of survivors’ profiles with either the behavioural tool or a tool based on classical categories of symptoms used as a control condition. The two screening tools were developed by a group of nine experts. Inter-rater reliability (unweighted kappa and Fleiss’ Kappa indexes), criterion validity (Spearman’s Rho and Kendall’s Tau indexes), face validity (subjective evaluation) and construct validity (modal classes of items) were calculated and compared between the two tools. Results. The results show that behavioural screening is significantly more reliable, while showing a significant correlation with symptom-based screening in terms of prioritisation. It also appears to be simpler than symptom screening, with most references to similar clinical concepts.

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate patient activation in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients using the patient activation measure 13 (PAM-13) on a national level in Saudi Arabia. Method: A national survey was administered across multiple centres in Saudi Arabia. The survey assessed patient activation using the PAM-13. The Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR) and the RA Impact of Disease (RAID) tool, were assessed. The data from the survey were analysed, and the results were stratified based on activation level. All factors affecting patient activation were explored and reported. Results: A total of 1241 participants were included. Most of the patients were females (85%), the mean age was 47 (±14), and most patients lived in the central region (47%). The mean (±SD) patient activation score was 578.7 (±13.0). Patient activation was affected by multiple factors: demographic characteristics, such as education, with a beta value of 1.11 (95% CI 0.64 ̵̶ 1.58, p<0.001). Higher CQR scores were associated with higher activation level, with a beta value of 2.61 (95% CI 0.80 ̵̶ 4.44, p=0.005); and higher RAID scores were associated with lower activation levels, with a beta value of 3.13 (95% CI 1.36 ̵̶ 4.91, p=0.001). Conclusions: Patient activation was affected by several demographic characteristics and impact of RA. A higher activation may improve compliance. Future longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings and should explore the underlying mechanism of these effects.

Scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune connective with unknown etiology and poorly understood pathogenesis. Like other connective tissue diseases, SSC is more common in females, and the highest incidence is observed in the time frame from the third to the fifth decade. The striking array of autoimmune, vascular and fibrotic changes that develop in almost all patients makes SSc unique among connective tissue diseases. Although no animal model developed for SSc to date fully represents all features of human disease, some animal models that demonstrate features of SSc help to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and develop new therapeutic options. Well-defined animal model selection is critical to the success of a well-conducted in vivo study. It includes induction methodology as well as a variety of approaches for studying skin fibrosis in these models, such as histopathology, immunohistochemistry, dermal thickness, hydroxyproline content of the skin, and flow cytometry analysis of dermal cells. Monitoring the model during the induction of the SSc mouse model, and determining the timing of treatment initiation is very important in the evaluation of treatment success. For this purpose, in vivo evaluation methods have an important place to observe the realization success of the model during induction in the animal. Evaluating the initial skin thickness of each mouse and the response created as a result of the induction, and showing how much response to the treatment according to the skin thickness at the beginning of the treatment is of critical importance for the success of the treatment. In this review, we aimed to evaluate skin fibrosis and lung involvement in a BLM-induced mouse model and to evaluate the differences between studies

Trimerizing furoxans are ideal molecular skeletons for the construction of high energetic substances due to their compact structures and high enthalpy of formations. Herein, we reported the first systematic research on the thermochemical behaviors and decomposition mechanism of energetic trimerizing furoxan structures of 3,4-bis(3-fluorodinitromethylfuroxan-4-yl)furoxan (BFTF), 3,4-bis(3-cyanofurazan)furazan oxide (BCTFO) and benzotrifuroxan (BTF). Both the substituted furoxan based energetic compounds (BCTFO and BFTF) exhibited low melting points and complicated thermal decomposition behaviors, while the melting point of unsubstituted furoxan (BTF) was much higher. Their detailed mechanism were proposed based on the experimental results through in-situ FTIR spectroscopy method and DSC-TG-FTIR-MS quadruple technology, which indicated that the cleavage of substituent would trigger the decompostions of BFTF and the decompostion of trimerizing furoxan skeletons almost synchronous occurrence with substituents in BCTFO. The self-oxidation-reduction of the linear and annular trimerizing furoxans lead to similar decomposition fragmented small molecule products.

Background: This paper was a reflective study undertaken with a play organisation in Alberta, Canada to explore how their out-of-school programmes coped during COVID-19. Methods: The study involved an online survey and interview with staff working in Alberta, Canada. The data was analysed using Framework Analysis. Results: When compared to similar studies undertaken, for example in the United Kingdom (UK), similarities in relation to a reduction in children attending, resources available and the play space was the result of lockdown restrictions imposed in Canada. There was also a similar increase in cleaning, social distancing measures (children in cohorts) and administration. Differences between the UK studies and this reflective account included no new policies had to be written and children were able to mix in larger age groups within their cohorts Conclusions: This study highlights how out-of-school childcare in Canada was impacted by Covid-19 for Grade 1 to 6 children in Canada.

Background: As a polyphenolic compound originated from the food spice turmeric, curcumin (CUR) has various pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic activities. Psoriasis is centered on the overproduction of Th1- and Th2-related cytokines (e. g. IL-23, IL-17, TNF-α, IL-22), which is involved in the occurrence and development of its pathogenesis. However, whether CUR is involved in the treatment of psoriasis and its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. Methods: In this study, we detected the therapeutic effect of CUR (100mg/kg· d) on IMQ-induced dermatitis in mice, analyzed by PASI scores, ELISA, HE staining, immunofluorescence. Moreover, we further confirmed the alteration in the relative abundance of the gut microbiota through 16sRNA to explore whether CUR could regulate the gut microbiota of IMQ-induced mice. Result: Through intragastric administration, CUR can alleviate psoriasis-like lesions of mice by decreasing PASI scores, reducing the level of IL-6, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23, TNF-α and TGF-β1, promoting the expression of IL-10. Moreover, 16 sRNA sequencing revealed that CUR could regulate the alteration in the abundance alteration of gut microbiota related to inflammation, such as Alistipes, Mucispirillum and Rikenella at genus level. The correlation analysis further confirmed the close association between important microflora and psoriasis-like inflammation indicators. Conclusions: CUR exerts the effect of alleviating dermatitis of psoriatic mice by regulating Th-17 related inflammatory factors. Moreover, the changes in gut microbiota via CUR may be another factor of relieving IMQ-induced lesions in mice. Therefore, CUR may be a highly promising candidate for the treatment of psoriasis.

Marine bacterial species contribute to a significant part of the oceanic population, which substantially produces biologically effectual moieties having various medical and industrial applications. The use of marine-derived bacterial pigments displays a snowballing effect in recent times, being natural, environmentally safe, and health beneficial compounds. Although isolating marine bacteria is a strenuous task, these are still a compelling subject for researchers, due to their promising avenues for numerous applications Due to their beneficial properties, including anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic actions, marine-derived bacterial pigments were desirable in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, and cosmetic industries. Marine bio-pigments are preferred over synthetically produced colored compounds due to their biodegradability and higher environmentally friendly nature. Besides that, hazardous effects associated with the consumption of synthetic colors further substantiated the use of marine dyes as color additives in industries as well. Herein, we have reviewed the potential of different bacterial species isolated from the marine environment in diverse studies that produce bioactive pigments with potential commercial applications, in addition to the biosynthesis and physiological roles of associated pigments. The chemical structures of the bioactive compounds are also discussed.

Strength and Quality-of-Service (QoS) performance of encryption techniques like Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), etc. depends upon their internal key configurations. Researchers have proposed a wide variety of models to optimize the security of these models while maintaining high QoS via dynamic programming techniques. But these techniques cannot be scaled for context-specific deployments, and cannot be reconfigured to support large-scale IoT (Internet of Things) Networks. To overcome these issues, this text proposes design of an efficient & Novel Elephant Herding Ant Lion Optimizer (EHALO), which assists in identification of security models & their internal configurations for different contextual deployments. The proposed model integrates spatial security performance with temporal communication performance in order to decide which encryption model to use, and then fuses this information with temporal security measures in order to identify optimal security configurations. These configurations are tested on multiple data level attack scenarios including Spoofing, Grey Hole, and Masquerading & Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) during identification of these configurations. Due to which the model is able to mitigate attacks with high efficiency while maintaining 8.3% lower delay, 4.5% higher energy efficiency, 9.5% higher throughput, and 2.4% higher packet delivery performance when compared with existing dynamic encryption models on similar attack scenarios.

This paper shows how the Generalized Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (GNEQR) and the Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (NEQR) can encrypt color and grayscale healthcare images with quantum algorithms. The proposed method ensures the security of medical media, which is crucial for safeguarding patient confidentiality and safety, and is supported by e-health systems. Healthcare facility staff members send cipher color images to the cloud, which they then receive at a different facility. By decrypting the content of the images, healthcare staff can securely assist users. C# and Asp.net core MVC on Visual Studio 2022 were utilized to implement the proposed encryption approach, and Azure cloud was used. The e-health system gives the proposed method a safe and effective way to be used in real life. The proposed algorithm uses bit-plane scrambling to scramble the original image. Then, a 9D chaotic map is utilized to generate an image key, which is used to produce the key image and the scrambled position. A quantum XOR operation is performed between the scrambled image and the scrambled position of the key image. The final encrypted image is made by mixing up the color channels of the image. A similar approach is followed for grayscale images, but instead of using GNEQR, a Novel Enhancement Quantum Representation (NEQR) is employed. Additionally, the color channels are not scrambled in this case. Analyses of numbers and simulations show that the proposed method is more effective, reliable, and useful than its classical counterpart. The proposed method can be used with different types of medical images, such as those from radiology and pathology, and can be used in telemedicine. It provides a secure way to transmit medical images without compromising patient privacy. Overall, the proposed framework for quantum encryption of healthcare images using GNEQR and NEQR could change how medical images are sent and protected. It is expected to impact the healthcare industry significantly and can be applied in various e-health systems.

Aim: Effective treatment in the early stages of schizophrenia is of critical importance to improve the prognosis. Schizophrenia affects patients’ relatives too. The effects of early or late initiation of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI-APs) on the patient have been shown, yet their effects on the caregiver are still unknown. We aimed to determine how the time of initiation of LAI-APs affects the caregiver burden by comparing the patients who were started on LAI-APs in the first five years of diagnosis and those who were started in the later period. Methods: Patients were classified as ‘early-LAI’ and ‘late-LAI’ according to the time of beginning LAI. Their caregivers were also classified in the same way, as ‘caregiver-early’ and ‘caregiver-late’, and were compared in terms of caregiver burden. Results: The quality of life, depression, anxiety, and caregiver burden scores of the caregiver-late group were significantly worse. The time of initiation of LAI-APs was found to be a determinant factor for the caregiver burden. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate the effects of LAI-Aps initiation time on the caregivers to our knowledge. Using LAI-APs in the early stages is associated with better outcomes for the caregiver.

The Marburg virus, which is a member of the same virus family as the Ebola virus called Filoviridae, causes the severe infectious disease known as Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). Previously, different outbreaks of MVD have appeared in different African countries, including Ghana, Guinea, Uganda, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and South Africa. For the first time, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are experiencing MVD outbreaks. A total of 15 laboratory-confirmed cases of MVD and 23 probable cases have been reported in Equatorial Guinea since the confirmation of the outbreak on 13 February 2023. The first MVD outbreak in the United Republic of Tanzania was formally confirmed by the Ministry of Health on March 21, 2023. As of 22 March, there were eight cases and five fatalities (case fatality ratio [CFR]: 62.5%). Due to the facts that Ebebiyin and Nsock Nsomo districts, the affected regions of Equatorial Guinea, borders Cameroon and Gabon, and Kagera region, the affected region of Tanzania, borders Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, there is fear of cross-border spread of MVD due to cross-border migrations, and this can be a great crisis in West and East Africa. Although there are currently outbreaks of MVD in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, there is currently no proof of an epidemiological connection between the two outbreaks. The aim of this paper is to describe Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), describe its first outbreak in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, explain the efforts being used and the challenges being faced in MVD mitigation, and recommend different measures to be taken to cope with the outbreak of MVD in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania.

Non-coding RNAs are a group of RNAs that cannot synthesize proteins, but are critical in the regulation of gene expression. A growing number of studies discovered that miRNAs and lncRNAs, as the two major members of the ncRNA family, play vital roles in regulating the physiological and pathological processes of lung diseases, such as pneumonia, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lung cancer, and asthma. These interactions are intricately linked to the the regulation of immune response, cell proliferation and apoptosis, cell differentiation and polarization, cytokine secretion, or acts as tumor suppressors or promoters. Understanding the role of ncRNAs in lung diseases might provide novel insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. In this review, we will go over the fundamental characteristics and functions of miRNAs and lncRNAs, their potential interaction mechanisms, then summarize the newly explorations on the role of these interactions between lncRNAs and miRNAs in various lung diseases.

A document by aya i hassaballah. Click on the document to view its contents.

Understanding the factors that affect species’ distributions is a central topic of ecology and biogeography. However, the majority of research about this topic has focused on species inhabiting terrestrial environments. At broad scales, abiotic variables consistently serve as the primary determinants of species’ distributions. In this study, we investigate the explanatory power of different abiotic variables in determining the distributional patterns of sea snakes on a global scale. Additionally, as the boundaries of realized thermal niches have significant implications for the ecology of the species and their geographic distributions, we also evaluated the asymmetry of realized thermal limits (i.e., differences in variances between upper and lower limits of the realized thermal niche). We obtained global environmental variables and occurrence data for each species across their entire known geographic range. Using this data, we employed a correlative ecological niche modeling procedure to analyze the influence of individual variables in explaining species’ distributions. To estimate the realized thermal limits of each species, we extracted the mean, minimum, and maximum values of temperature at four depths (superficial, mean benthic, minimum benthic, and maximum benthic) for each occurrence record of the species. We then evaluated the asymmetry of the realized thermal niche by measuring and comparing the variances of the upper and lower limits. Both analyses (the importance of variables and realized thermal limit asymmetry) were performed at three taxonomic levels (sea snakes as a lineage of marine-adapted elapids [true sea snakes + sea kraits], subfamily, and genus) and at two spatial resolutions. Overall, we found that temperature, phosphate, nitrate, salinity and silicate concentrations were the most influential factors in explaining the spatial distribution patterns of sea snakes, regardless of the taxonomic level or spatial resolution. Similarly, we observed that the realized thermal limits were asymmetric with higher variance in the lower limits, and that this asymmetry decreases as the taxonomic level and spatial resolution increased. Finally, our results align with previous findings regarding patterns of asymmetry in realized thermal limits and the significant influence of abiotic variables in explaining the distribution of marine species.

Traditional medicine uses and knowledge is more famous and well documented in rural/remote areas in Pakistan and worldwide than the urban areas. The present effort was made to document the ethnomedicinal practices among the communities of Karachi city and provides the basis for the development of natural drug discovery. We are aware of no other quantitative ethnobotanical investigation on the use of medicinal plants in the study area prior to this study. For ethnobotanical data collection, 177 local informants and traditional healers were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews.Various quantitative indices such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level(FL), use value(UV), and the Jaccard Index (JI) were applied to the documented data. The traditional medical uses of 97 plants species belonging to 47 families were reported. Solanaceae (seven taxa) followed by Boraginaceae and Fabaceae (six taxa each), Cucurbitaceae (five taxa); Amaranthaceae, Convolvulaceae, Malvaceae, Verbenaceae and Zygophyllaceae (four taxa each) were the leading families contributed with the highest number of taxa. The highest plant-used part was leaf, with 45 reports (28.84%), followed by fruit (15.38%). It was observed that the majority of species were used to treat stomach problems, respiratory issues, general wellness, skin conditions, liver-related conditions, and fever respectively. The ethnomedical findings reported in this study offer concrete proof of the Karachi city residents’ use of therapeutic plants. The research also showed that the region’s medicinal plants constitute a significant source of herbal medicines used to treat ailments. This survey can serve as a starting point for future scientific research to create new plant-based pharmaceuticals for the market.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by insulin deficiency. Abnormal autoimmunity targeting the pancreatic islets leads to dysfunction of pancreatic cells and the inability to secrete insulin. The pathogenesis of abnormal autoimmunity in T1D is complex. Currently, it is widely believed that regulatory T cells (T regs) are involved in the process of the onset of T1D. T regs primarily maintain immune tolerance by suppressing effector T cell (T eff) by direct contact or by the release of cytokines. Numerous studies have shown defects in the immunosuppressive function of T regs in autoimmune diseases, such as T1D. Compared with healthy individuals, T1D patients exhibit abnormalities in the frequency, function, gene expression, apoptosis, related signaling pathways, and cytokines of T regs. This review summarizes how deficiencies in T regs in the aforementioned aspects are involved in the pathogenesis of T1D and helps to develop novel treatment methods by understanding the underlying mechanisms of action.