The chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabolol contents and quality of the chamomile oil are affected by genetic background and environmental conditions. Salicylic acid (SA), as a signaling molecule, plays a significant role in the plant physiological processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile, quantity, and improve the essential oil quality as a consequence of the increase of chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabol using salicylic acid under normal and heat stress conditions by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The factorial experiments were carried out during the 2011–2012 hot season using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The factors include four salicylic acid concentrations (0 (control), 10, 25 and 100 mg·L−1), and three chamomile cultivars (Bushehr, Bona, Bodegold) were sown on two different planting dates under field conditions. Fourteen compounds were identified from the extracted oil of the samples treated with salicylic acid under normal and heat stress conditions. The major identified oil compositions from chamomile cultivars treated with salicylic acid were chamazulene, α-(−)-bisabolol, bisabolone oxide, β-farnesene, en-yn-dicycloether, and bisabolol oxide A and B. Analysis of variance showed that the simple effects (environmental conditions, cultivar and salicylic acid) and their interaction were significant on all identified compounds, but the environmental conditions had no significant effect on bisabolol oxide A. The greatest amount of chamazulene obtained was 6.66% at the concentration of 10 mg·L−1 SA for the Bona cultivar under heat stress conditions, whereas the highest α-(−)-bisabolol amount attained was 3.41% at the concentration of 100 mg·L−1 SA for the Bona cultivar under normal conditions. The results demonstrated that the application of exogenous salicylic acid increases the quantity and essential oil quality as a consequence of the increase of chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabolol under normal and heat stress conditions.

It has been shown that cytomegalovirus (CMV) is present in coronary atherosclerotic plaques, but the clinical relevance of this presence remains to be elucidated. In this study we sought to examine CMV infection in atherosclerosis patients defined by different methods and to identify the clinical significance of CMV replication in the atherosclerotic plaques. The study included 105 consecutive patients who were admitted to our department and underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgical interventions. Coronary atherosclerotic specimens as well as 53 specimens from the mamillary artery of these same patients were analyzed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were used for evaluations. The CMV PCR test result was positive for 28 (26.7%) of patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis. After adjusting for other risk factors, coronary artery disease patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome were more likely to be positive for CMV PCR test (P = 0.027; odds ratio: 4.2; 95% CI: 1.18-15.0). They were also more likely to have a positive family history for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study confirms previous evidence about the replication of CMV virus in the atherosclerotic plaques of coronary arteries and brings clinical significance to this observation by showing a higher prevalence of acute coronary syndromes in those patients with CMV-infected plaques. Our study also suggests a familial vulnerability to CMV replication in the coronary artery walls.

Abstract:The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exogenous application of salicylic acid concentrations on the physiological and biochemical traits and essential oil content of chamomile under normal and heat stress conditions as induced by delayed sowing. The experiments were conducted during 2011-2012 as a factorial using a randomized complete block design with three replications, in a very hot region. The factors included five salicylic acid concentrations (0 (control), 1, 10, 25 and 100 mg¨L´1) and three chamomile cultivars (Bushehr, Bona, Bodegold). The seeds of chamomile were sown on two different sowing dates including an optimum planting date and a late planting date. The physiological traits (plant height, capitol diameter, 1000 grain weight, fresh and dried flower weight), total chlorophyll, proline and essential oil content were investigated. Analysis of variance showed that the effect of the environmental conditions (normal and heat stress) was significant on all physiological and biochemical traits with the exception of the essential oil content. The heat stress decreased physiological traits and total chlorophyll in comparison with the normal conditions but it had no significant effect on the essential oil content. Findings indicated that the application of exogenous salicylic acid improves essential oil content in chamomile cultivars under environmental heat stress conditions.

: Prostate cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer and the second cause of death in men worldwide. Various diagnostic and treatment procedures are available for this type of malignancy, but High-risk or locally advanced prostate cancers showed the potential to develop to lethal phase that can be causing dead. Therefore, new approaches are needed to prolong patient survival and provide a better quality of life. Precision medicine is a novel emerging field that has an essential role in identifying new sub-classifications of disease and guiding treatment based on individual multi-omics data. Multi-omics approaches include the use of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics and phenomics data to unravel the complexity of a disease-associated biological network, to predict prognostic biomarkers, and to identify new targeted drugs for individual cancer patients. We review the impact of multi-omics data in the framework of systems biology in the era of precision medicine, emphasising the combination of molecular imaging modalities with high-throughput techniques and the new treatments that target metabolic pathways involved in prostate cancer.

This review focuses on the potential of halophytes for food, fodder and biofuels production, as well as their impacts on the environment and societies. Moreover, to open new areas in production systems using novel technologies such as halophytes in a desert agriculture. We are faced with the crisis and the shortage of freshwater in arid, semi-arid and desert regions. For this reason, we have to apply sustainable systems for human food, fodder and biofuels. Halophytes are naturally resistant to salt and develop on the coastal coast and arid-saline areas. We present a complete summary of the current situation of human population growth and food demand, a sustainable alternative such as halophilic crops of agro-industrial importance compared with conventional crops and how they can be incorporated into agriculture sustainable in arid, desert and coastal areas, basing the above on success stories.

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Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an emerging and promising green technology in the agriculture sector during recent years. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the spraying of PAW and amino acid fertilizer concentrations on the physiological, biochemical and phytochemical characteristics of German chamomile varieties under field conditions. Method: The experiment was performed during 2020–2021 as a factorial using a randomized complete block design with three replications, in an arid and warm region. The factors contained five fertilizer levels (0 (control), 1, 2, 3 ml·L−1 amino acid and PAW) and three German chamomile cultivars Bona, Bodegold, Lianka). Physiological, biochemical and phytochemical traits such as plant height, fresh and dried flower weight, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, CHN elements, C:N ratio, total protein, amino acid profile, essential oil yield, apigenin content and major secondary metabolites were examined. Results: The ANOVA indicated that the impact of the cultivar and fertilizer was significant on all physiological, biochemical and phytochemical studied parameters. The amino acid fertilizer and PAW enhanced physiological features, hydrogen, C:N ratio, essential oil yield, apigenin content and main phytochemical compositions like chamazulene and α-bisabolol, but it had no incremental effect on the carbon, nitrogen, and total protein percentage. Conclusion: Findings revealed that the application of foliar amino acid fertilizer and PAW treatments improves physiological, biochemical and phytochemical parameters in German chamomile cultivars under field conditions.

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an emerging and promising green technology in agriculture in recent years. This study aimed to examine the influence of the spraying of PAW and amino acid fertilizer concentrations on German chamomile varieties’ physiological, biochemical, and phytochemical characteristics under field conditions. Method: The experiment was performed during 2020–2021 as a factorial using a randomized complete block design with three replications in an arid and semi-arid region east of the Persian Gulf. The factors contained five fertilizer levels (0 (control), 1, 2, 3 mL L−1 amino acid and PAW) and three German chamomile cultivars Bona, Bodegold, and Lianka). Physiological, biochemical, and phytochemical traits such as plant height, fresh and dried flower weight, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, CHN elements: N ratio, total protein, amino acid profile, essential oil yield, apigenin content, and major secondary metabolites were examined. Results: The ANOVA indicated that the impact of the cultivar and fertilizer was significant on all physiological, biochemical, and phytochemical studied parameters. The amino acid fertilizer and PAW enhanced physiological features, hydrogen, C: N ratio, essential oil yield, apigenin content, and main phytochemical compositions like chamazulene, and α-bisabolol, but it had no incremental effect on the carbon, nitrogen, and total protein percentage. Conclusion: Findings revealed that applying foliar amino acid fertilizer and PAW treatments improves physiological, biochemical, and phytochemical parameters in German chamomile cultivars under field conditions.