SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

Of the most fundamental fields of modern biology is transcriptomics, with a focal point on the expression pattern of plants under various conditions by assessing ribonucleic acid. So far, this approach has been a game-changer in revealing the gene structure, function, and most importantly, their cellular and biological role. Considering the criticality of pathogens for crop plants, understanding plant defense mechanisms against them is in high demand. This study aimed to review the principles of these approaches and their recent application in the plant. An Important method to address this gap is transcriptomics, which can effectively provide insight into plants against pathogens. This field has covered different aspects of plant biology besides the plant-pathogen relationship. Identifying pathogens in infected plants and the series of reactions they provoke at the gene level is crucial to finding the responsible gene (s). Finding the gene associated with resistance or vulnerability to a specific pathogen paves the way to differentiate the potential genotypes. Thus, the breeding attempts would be more successful. The advancement in biotechnology has revolutionized this field with some of the methods that have been commonly applied in studies on the plant-pathogen relationship, for instance, Northern blotting, microarray, real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the most common type of pathogen that causes Urinary tract infection disease. It can be presented as a pathogenic or non-pathogenic strain and found not only in the animal but also in the human intestine. This bacterium can cause opportunistic infection when the human host comprised of thalassemia patients or changes the healthy hemostatic flora. This study aimed to analyze the presence of bacteria in thalassemia patients with urinary tract infection. A total of 303 samples were collected during the period from August 2019 to January 2020 from thalassemia patients who suffered from urinary tract infection. The results showed that there were 6.9% of patients infected with E. coli, 2.6% of patients were infected with S. aureus, 0.7% with both Proteus and Klebsiella, while 89.1% of patients had a negative sample for bacteria. Also, the incidence of urinary tract infections in females is higher than in males. Besides, its occurrence in rural areas is higher than in city residents. Moreover, among 16 antibiotics tested to sensitize bacteria to antibiotics, Imipenem showed 100% efficacy on all isolated bacteria. In contrast, Netilmicin showed 80.1% efficacy, Gentamycin 80.1%, and Amikacin 76.2%. Ampicillin, Aztreonam, Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid, Tetracycline, and Ticarcillin-Clavulanic Acid, did not show any effectiveness toward the bacteria while other antibiotics showed different activities. Furthermore, the isolated microbes from thalassemia patients were the highest resistance to antibiotics in comparison with other studies, and this antibiotic-resistant may be due to the weakening of the patient's immune status and frequent blood taking and the antibodies it contains.

Background: Aluminum stands out for being a light, corrosion-resistant, and recyclable metal, achieving wide coverage in the market. When incorporated into alloying elements, it is possible to acquire other desirable characteristics. Alloy 6063, intended for architectural purposes, has aesthetic, structural, and strength functions. Anodized finishing is performed through an electrolytic process, ensuring a more resistant aluminum oxide film than that formed naturally. For decorative purposes, the anodic film coloration can be performed by several methodologies, in this case, for the coloration by organic adsorption, with the use of aniline, and the electrolytic coloration, composed of tin sulfate salts, both for obtaining the black color. Aim: Compare of two different staining methods on the surface of anodized profiles of aluminum alloy 6063. Methods: Profile samples were collected and tests were carried out to measure the thickness of the anodic layer, immersion tests with 3,5 percent sodium chloride, for 1000 hours, and neutral saline mist, for 600 hours. Results and Discussion: Both methodologies proved to be resistant to immersion tests with sodium chloride, as well as with neutral saline mist, and these tests are quite aggressive and provide corrosion of the material when not well treated. Corrosion points were only seen at the intersections performed, and in the rest of thearea, no points were detected. Conclusions: The result of both methodologies was positive, considering tht there was no corrosion in the tested samples, except in the intersections performed, as well as the maintenance of the color in both tested methodologies, which was not expected in the literature. For future work, it is suggested to deepen the study to perform electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests for exaluate the strength of the anodic film and perform anodizing with the same parameters, however, with different anilines to analyze their behavior.

Background: Dr. Miguel Fornes is a researcher at CONICET and director of the Andrological Research Laboratory of Mendoza, Argentina. His research focuses on how dietary fat excess and hypercholesterolemia affect sperm physiology and male fertility. Objectives: The primary objective of Dr. Fornes' research is to investigate the effects of a high-fat diet on sperm function, capacitation, acrosomal reaction, and fertilization. He aims to develop translational animal models to study these effects without using human subjects. Methods: Dr. Fornes and his team use rabbit models to induce hypercholesterolemia through a high-fat diet. They then study the physiology and function of sperm cells from these hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Key parameters analyzed include cholesterol content in sperm membranes, ability to undergo capacitation and acrosomal reaction, and fertilization capability. Results: The studies revealed that hypercholesterolemia caused by a high-fat diet leads to increased cholesterol levels in sperm. This interferes with the normal physiology of sperm cells. In particular, many sperm from hypercholesterolemic rabbits were unable to properly undergo the acrosomal reaction, a crucial step for successful fertilization of the oocyte. This suggests high-fat diets could contribute to male infertility. Conclusions: The research highlights the importance of diet and lifestyle on male reproductive health. Dr. Fornes recommends a balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and olive oil, to maintain healthy sperm function and fertility. Replacing animal fats with olive oil may help prevent hypercholesterolemia-related infertility. The findings have implications for dietary guidelines and clinical interventions to support male fertility.

Niobium alloy steels are still little known and debated when applied to the metallurgy industry, including cold forming process. It is not much clear about its characteristics and your mechanical performance when compared to traditional steels, which the market already uses. The possibility of input new materials, reducing costs and generating competitiveness is the basis for researches that can generate new opportunities for industries. In this article, we showed the possibility of withdrawing the heat treatment process, which guided the execution of the tests presented here. This paper deals with the performance comparison of SAE 1312 MOD steel compared to ISO 898-1, which deals with mechanical performance for bolts. The tests were correlated with the bolts of 8.8 resistance class, which currently have heat treatment. It is possible to evaluate the positive performance of the niobium-alloyed steel (SAE 1312 MOD), despite the occasional performance limitations in some attributes addressed in ISO 898-1.

An indicator of the health of the human body in the state of the oral mucosa. Mechanical and chemical factors constantly influence it. At the first stage of the study, a comparative analysis of the frequency of various forms of traumatic injuries of the oral mucosa was carried out. The distribution of patients into groups was also carried out, depending on the medicinal product used. Then clinical examinations were carried out. After that, the therapy of traumatic erosive and ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa began. The developed method for treating traumatic lesions of the oral mucosa with medicine based on phytoecdysteroids provides for eliminating the traumatic factor, applying ointment based on phytoecdysteroids to the dried out focus twice a day. The use of phyto-ointment leads to complete repair of traumatic erosive and ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa on average by the eighth day from the start of treatment; a similar effect with the use of "Solcoseryl dental adhesive paste" is achieved by the tenth day, and the gel "Cholisal Dental" - at a later date, which is confirmed in this study. The most significant positive effect on the level of quality of life associated with the effectiveness of treatment of traumatic erosive and ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa in comparison with the dental “Solcoseryl dental adhesive paste” and the gel “Cholisal Dental” is exerted by phyto-ointment, where a decrease in the total points was recorded. When conducting routine examinations of patients, it is necessary to pay attention to the oral mucosa damage. Moreover, in treating traumatic injuries of the oral mucosa, it is recommended to use phytoointment, which contains phytoecdysteroids.