This study investigated microbial transmission dynamics and community structures across processing stages of two salted seafood products: salted pollock roe and salted squid. Samples of raw materials, environmental samples, and final products were collected from two processing plants (n = 87), and both culture-based analyses and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed. SourceTracker was used to track potential sources contributing to the final products. Microbial dynamics exhibited contrasting patterns between the two products due to differences in salting intensity and processing methods. In salted pollock roe, microbial counts decreased under high-salinity conditions, and the final microbial community was predominantly shaped by late-stage food-contact surfaces, particularly measuring containers. Conversely, salted squid exhibited increased microbial loads following the addition of seasoning ingredients (e.g., garlic and red pepper powder), which were identified as the primary contributors to the final microbial community. Despite these divergent transmission routes, marine-associated genera (Psychrobacter and Photobacterium) were commonly detected in both products. Taxonomically, salted pollock roe was enriched in environmental- and processing-associated bacteria, whereas salted squid was strongly enriched in lactic acid bacteria. Overall, these findings highlight stage-specific contributors to contamination and transmission patterns relevant to hygiene management. By integrating microbial loads with community-level source contributions, this study provides a basis for improving the quality and safety of salted seafood products.

Weed adaptability to environmental conditions poses a major challenge in agricultural production, often leading to yield reduction or even complete crop loss. Effective weed detection requires algorithms tailored to the unique visual and biological characteristics of each crop. However, despite the agricultural importance of garlic, no studies have developed optimized state-of-the-art deep learning models for weed identification in garlic fields. Addressing this gap, the present study focuses on optimizing two prominent object detection frameworks-YOLOv5 and YOLOv8-for accurate weed detection under real field conditions. A dataset of 600 RGB images containing garlic plants and five weed species was collected directly from the field. Different versions of YOLOv5 and YOLOv8 were optimized and evaluated based on mAP@0.5 and inference speed. Experimental results showed that YOLOv8n achieved superior performance, yielding an mAP@0.5 of 87.0% with an average inference time of 16 ms, compared to YOLOv5m with an mAP@0.5 of 85.0% and 50 ms. The findings highlight that YOLOv8n, with an input resolution of 320 × 320 pixels and optimized using the SGD optimizer, provides the best trade-off between detection accuracy and computational efficiency. These results demonstrate the potential of YOLOv8n for real-time weed detection and its application in precision agriculture machinery.

This study introduces highly sensitive, functionalized dialdehyde fullerene-like carbon nanostructures (DAFs) as a versatile platform for chemical sensing. The DAFs were synthesized through an effective functionalization strategy, confirmed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), which introduced key dialdehyde groups necessary for multi-modal detection. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) validated a critical morphological evolution from small carbon dots (CDs) to larger, fullerene-shaped DAFs, providing a new electronic and structural foundation for sensing. The DAFs demonstrate dual sensing capabilities for both pH and non-polar organic vapors, specifically explosive cyclohexane (LEL ≈ 13000 ppm). The DAFs sensor's Limit of Detection (LOD) of 137.34 ppm is strategically justified by this hazard, as it provides an early, high-reliability safety warning significantly below the 10% LEL industrial safety threshold of 1300 ppm. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations elucidated the mechanism of gas detection, confirming that the interaction with non-polar cyclohexane fundamentally alters the electronic structure of the DAFs, causing the dipole moment (µ) to increase significantly from 5.060 Debye to 8.203 Debye, which underlies the observed fluorescence enhancement. Experimentally, the DAFs function as an effective pH probe, exhibiting a distinctive "turn-on" fluorescence response at alkaline pH 12 due to the deprotonation of surface functional groups. Crucially, the material operates as a simple, naked-eye visual sensor for cyclohexane, quantified by a clear shift in CIE chromaticity coordinates from (0.193, 0.422) to (0.209, 0.473) upon gas exposure. This work provides a deep, integrated theoretical and experimental understanding of functionalized carbon nanostructures for industrial safety and general environmental applications.

The management of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) remains a formidable clinical challenge due to its complex, multipathway immunopathogenesis. Although conventional steroid therapy and advanced biologic agents have improved outcomes, a substantial proportion of patients, particularly those with severe, progressive ulceration, exhibit treatment-refractory disease, highlighting a critical unmet need for novel strategies capable of network-level immune modulation. To address this, we designed and implemented a self-regulating, integrative meta-therapeutic system centered on a nanostructured, herbo-metallic core of traditionally processed mercury sulfide (HgS) called Linga Chenduram, a compound characterized by its stable crystalline lattice and a toxicokinetic profile favoring particulate clearance. This system synergistically combines the nanocore with adjunctive phytocompounds (Allium sativum and Aloe vera), a transient low-dose glucocorticoid pulse, and an optimized anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich physiological milieu delivered within a stress-free environment. In a cohort of four patients with PG refractory to conventional immunosuppressants, this 30-day protocol elicited a rapid and profound clinical response. Objective metrics demonstrated a mean ulcer area reduction exceeding 61% by Day 30, progressing to complete and sustained re-epithelialization in all subjects. This robust cutaneous healing occurred concurrently with the normalization of systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein) and a significant restoration of functional capacity, evidenced by a mean improvement of 35 points on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale. Critically, clinical remission was maintained throughout a 6-month surveillance period, establishing a definitive steroid-sparing effect. We propose this multisystem improvements emerge from rational polypharmacology, wherein the nanoengineered HgS core serves as a pivotal immunomodulatory node, potentially engaging master regulatory pathways like NF-κB to disrupt dysregulated cytokine circuitry. It transcends conventional combination therapy, introducing a paradigm for managing refractory autoinflammation through integrative systems and compelling a rigorous reappraisal of pharmaceutically refined traditional nanomedicines. This preliminary evidence establishes a compelling rationale for future research to deconstruct the system's architecture and validate its therapeutic potential.

Human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (MP/NPs) is increasingly recognized as a potential environmental health concern, although their role in reproductive carcinogenesis remains unclear. This narrative review aims to evaluate current evidence linking MP/NP exposure to reproductive cancers and to explore the potential chemoprotective effects of bioactive compounds derived from ginger, garlic, and turmeric. A structured literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2008 and 2026. Relevant in vitro, in vivo, and human biomonitoring studies were included to assess mechanisms of toxicity, while preclinical and clinical studies were reviewed to examine the anticancer properties of selected dietary phytochemicals. Available evidence suggests that MP/NPs can accumulate in human biological systems, including reproductive tissues, where they induce oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, endocrine disruption, and DNA damage, processes closely associated with carcinogenesis. Although epidemiological data remain limited and do not establish cancer, emerging biomonitoring and experimental findings support a biologically plausible link between MP/NP exposure and hormone-related cancers. Concurrently, bioactive compounds such as curcuminoids, gingerols, and organosulfur compounds demonstrate the ability to modulate key molecular pathways involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell proliferation. Preclinical studies consistently report anticancer effects, while early clinical evidence suggests improvements in oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers, though definitive therapeutic benefits remain uncertain. Overall, this review highlights important mechanistic links and identifies dietary phytochemicals as potential modulators of MP/NP-induced carcinogenic pathways. However, further well-designed epidemiological and clinical studies are needed to clarify causal relationships and validate their protective role.

Gastric cancer remains a highly heterogeneous malignancy in which chemotherapy response is limited by intrinsic and acquired resistance, cumulative toxicity, and the restricted predictive value of conventional preclinical models. This review critically synthesizes evidence on selected medicinal plants and their bioactive phytocompounds as adjuncts to standard chemotherapy for gastric cancer, with an emphasis on mechanistic plausibility, preclinical synergy, and translational barriers. Across the reviewed literature, phytocompounds from Curcuma longa, Scutellaria baicalensis, Camellia sinensis, Syzygium aromaticum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Allium sativum, Marsdenia tenacissima, and Rhus verniciflua showed anticancer or chemopreventive activity through multitarget effects on apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, inflammation, oxidative stress, and resistance-associated signaling. The most convincing chemosensitizing evidence involved curcumin, wogonin, baicalein, EGCG, which enhanced the activity of fluoropyrimidines, platinum agents, paclitaxel, doxorubicin, or related antitumor regimens in selected gastric cancer models. However, the evidence base remains heterogeneous and is constrained by variable extract standardization, incomplete dose reporting, poor bioavailability, insufficient pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic integration, and underuse of clinically relevant model systems. Overall, medicinal plant bioactives remain promising adjunct candidates in gastric cancer. Still, meaningful translation will require chemically defined interventions, rigorous synergy analysis, interaction-aware study design, and validation in advanced preclinical and clinical settings.

Allexiviruses (family Alphaflexiviridae) are widespread pathogens of vegetatively propagated allium crops, but their occurrence has not previously been documented in Ukraine. We surveyed cultivated allium plants collected in eight Ukrainian regions (2022-2025) and screened their samples for garlic virus B (GarV-B), garlic virus C (GarV-C) and shallot virus X (ShVX) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GarV-B, GarV-C and ShVX were detected in 39/108 (36.1%), 23/108 (21.3%) and 21/108 (19.4%) plants, respectively, with infections which were strongly host-associated: garlic (n = 63) had high frequencies of indicated viruses (GarV-B-61.9%; GarV-C-36.5%; ShVX-28.6%), whereas onion samples (n = 33) were largely negative (ShVX-3.0%; GarV-B and GarV-C-not detected). Co-occurrence analysis within garlic revealed a nested allexivirus module in which GarV-C and ShVX occurred only in GarV-B-positive plants. RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing generated 11 partial genomes representing GarV-B, GarV-C, ShVX, GarV-A and GarV-D. Maximum-likelihood phylogenies placed Ukrainian allexivirus isolates within established global diversity and indicated both European- and Asian-affiliated lineages. These findings provide the first evidence of allexiviruses in Ukrainian allium crops, and support their inclusion in plant health surveillance and planting-material certification.

Quality standardization of Indian medicinal plants is crucial for confirming their safety, efficiency, and validity in pharmaceutical applications. The current investigation explores ethnopharmacological perspectives of Allium sativum and Syzygium jambolanum through phytochemical screening using HPTLC and LC-MS profiling, and systems-based pharmacology investigation using network pharmacology and molecular docking studies. The results indicated that both plants are enriched in polyphenols, terpenoids, glycosides, etc., responsible for various biological activities. In vitro antioxidant activity demonstrated significant free-radical neutralization potential. HPTLC showed major and minor metabolites at different Rf values, and LC-MS analysis showed key bioactive substances including ferulic acid, gallic acid, naringenin, catechin, quercetin, and myricetin. The Network pharmacology study identified interactions with key proteins, including IL-1β, TLR4, IL6, NOS3, ABCA1, with prominent interaction of quercetin and kaempferol with the protein IL-1β. The DisGeNET mapping findings point toward their participation in key pathophysiological conditions like inflammation, interstitial inflammation, myofibroblast activation causing tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and microbial infection. The study concludes that A. sativum and S. jambolanum actively play a significant role in inflammation and associated dysfunctions, hence providing novel plant-based therapeutics as A. Sativum and S. jambolanum by highlighting the significance in traditional medicine as well as their potential relevance in contemporary pharmacology.

Soilborne Phytophthora diseases pose a major threat to agricultural sustainability. How non-host roots disrupt the transmission of soilborne Phytophthora pathogens without relying on classical antimicrobial exudates remains unknown. Through a decade-long field study, we demonstrate that strip intercropping achieves sustainable disease suppression (up to 46.85%) by leveraging non-host roots as ecological barriers that intercept zoospore transmission. Moving beyond the conventional focus on antimicrobial exudates, we decouple the 'attract-and-kill' strategy into two discrete functions: a broad-spectrum attraction function widespread among non-host plants (13 of 15 genera), which alone reduces disease by 9.2-24.4%; and a specialized killing function restricted to few species (e.g., garlic), where elevated root-interface concentrations of sulfur compounds induce cystospore rupture and germination inhibition, delivering 42.9-49.3% field suppression. The synergy of universal attraction and targeted killing intensifies efficacy at the rhizosphere interface. Mechanistically, killing is executed through a conserved ROS-PCD pathway, with pathogen sensitivity determined by intrinsic redox-buffering capacity. Metagenomic profiling further revealed that garlic roots and sulfur compounds enrich microbial motility genes and apoptosis pathways, adding a complementary mechanistic layer to the 'attract and kill'framework. We thus propose this two-component, ecology-based strategy for sustainable Phytophthora management in diversified cropping systems.

A two-year field experiment was conducted to quantify the influence of spatial configuration on soil organic acids, agronomic traits, competitive indices, and economic returns in faba bean-garlic intercropping. Intercropping patterns, particularly the faba bean-garlic side-by-side arrangement (1SF:1SG), remarkably increased rhizosphere levels of ascorbic, salicylic, citric, oxalic, and total organic acids. Notably, the alternating ridge arrangement (2RF:2RG) maximized the stem and whole-plant dry weight of faba bean, whereas the 1SF:1SG pattern produced the heaviest fresh and dry bulb weights of garlic in both seasons. The highest yields were obtained from sole cropping, with 4275.20 kg ha[-1] for faba bean and 16.07 t ha[-1] for garlic, while the 2RF:2RG pattern was the top-performing intercrop, yielding 4004.06 kg ha[-1] and 10.98 t ha[-1], respectively. This pattern also optimized the land equivalent ratio and relative crowding coefficient. Garlic was the dominant competitor, exhibiting significantly greater competition ratio and aggressivity than faba bean (p < 0.05). Economically, the 2RF:2RG was the most profitable, achieving the maximum net returns of $3260.3 and $3980.7 ha[-1] in the first and second seasons, respectively. Multivariate analyses, including Pearson's correlation, PCA, radar plot, hierarchical clustering, confirmed that the 2RF:2RG produced a distinctly favorable profile for yield and competitive traits, thereby enhancing overall profitability.

This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism by which sulfurized garlic (SAC) inhibits ferroptosis through targeting Keap1/Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway, thereby restoring intestinal epithelial cell barrier function and alleviating ulcerative colitis (UC). Oxidative stress was induced in cells using H2O2 and detected by DCFH-DA. CETSA and Western blotting were employed to assess SAC-target protein binding and antioxidant capacity using DPPH and total antioxidant assays. In vivo, C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, DSS, and SAC groups. DAI was scored based on weight loss, stool consistency, and bleeding. Histology (H&E), IHC (MUC2 and Nrf2), ROS (ELISA), gene expression (qRT-PCR), and protein levels (Western blotting) were analyzed in colon tissues. Serum metabolite profiles were assessed by UHPLC-QTOF-MS for differential metabolite identification and KEGG pathway enrichment. SAC can effectively alleviate UC, which is based on SAC elevating the expression of antioxidant enzymes like GPX4 and NQO1, while reducing ROS and MDA levels. Molecular docking and CETSA analyses revealed that SAC interacts with Keap1 and GPX4 proteins, activating the Keap1/Nrf2/GPX4 pathway. Metabolomics enrichment indicated that SAC modulates the glutathione metabolism pathway by regulating GSH levels, thereby influencing GPX4 stability and activity. SAC can regulate glutathione metabolism through Keap1/Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway, inhibit ferroptosis, alleviate intestinal epithelial cell damage, and repair intestinal barrier function.

Nutrient enrichment significantly influences microbial communities and contaminant dynamics in agricultural soils, yet field-based mechanistic understanding remains limited, especially in vulnerable high-altitude agroecosystems. Here, we integrated soil physicochemical analysis, pesticide quantification, high-throughput sequencing, functional prediction, and structural equation modeling to examine the interactions among soil nutrients, microbial communities, and pesticide residues across four major cropping systems (Brassica napus, Allium sativum, Lycium barbarum, Hordeum vulgare) on the Tibetan Plateau. Soil nutrient status shaped microbial life-history strategies, reflected in the oligotrophic/copiotrophic (O/C) ratio. In the high-nutrient B. napus system, a balanced microbial community with high functional redundancy supported efficient pesticide degradation, aligning with the "diversity-promotes-function" paradigm. Conversely, excessive nutrient input in the L. barbarum system led to community imbalance and a decoupling of diversity from ecosystem function, resulting in higher pesticide persistence. Notably, microbial communities in low-nutrient systems retained strong degradation capacity for legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and currently used pesticides (CUPs). These findings demonstrate that nutrient management regulates soil purification capacity by modulating microbial ecological strategies. This study provides a mechanistic framework for optimizing fertilizer-pesticide management to mitigate contamination risks and promote ecological intensification in plateau agriculture.

The growing demand for food, energy, and water in resource-constrained regions intensifies land-use conflicts, where solar photovoltaic (PV) expansion often competes with agriculture. Agrivoltaics, the co-location of crop cultivation beneath PV systems, offers a potential dual-use solution to enhance land efficiency. This study presents one of the first agrivoltaic demonstrations in Bangladesh that evaluates the agronomic, economic, and socio-social feasibility of agrivoltaics through a field-based comparative experiment conducted at two solar irrigation pump (SIP) sites in Tetulia, Panchagarh district. A controlled plot design was employed in which selected crops were cultivated under PV panels and in adjacent open-field control plots across two growing seasons (Rabi/winter and Kharif-I/summer). Crop yields were quantitatively measured and compared, and extrapolation analysis was performed to estimate national-scale production potential across approximately 45 ha of existing SIP-covered land. In addition, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) to assess farmer perceptions and gender dimensions. Results indicate that seven Rabi crops, including tomato, onion, and garlic, experienced yield reductions of 10%-20% under shaded conditions, whereas shade-tolerant ginger and turmeric cultivated in Kharif-I recorded yield increases of 12.3% and 8.7%, respectively. Scaling the pilot findings (0.01 ha) suggests potential seasonal production of nearly 594 t of ginger and turmeric nationwide (45 ha), corresponding to an estimated economic value of approximately US$0.56 million. Qualitative findings revealed strong farmer interest in high-value crop cultivation under PV panels and indicated enhanced women's participation in crop management, post-harvest activities, and contributing to household income diversification. The study demonstrates that agrivoltaics can serve as a climate-smart approach to optimize land use, strengthen food security, and promote renewable energy adoption while creating opportunities for gender-inclusive agricultural practices in rural Bangladesh.

We report the case of a 58-year-old man who experienced moderate renal and liver impairment after accidental poisoning with Colchicum autumnale, which he confused with wild garlic (Allium ursinum). Colchicum autumnale contains colchicine, a toxic compound that disrupts cell division. The patient received intensive care therapy, intravenous lipid emulsion, vitamin K supplementation, and N-acetylcysteine replacement. After seven days of hospitalisation, he was discharged in good health. This case highlights the importance of patients presenting at the emergency department with uncertain anamnesis, gastrointestinal symptoms or recent consumption of perennial plants before symptom onset, which should raise the suspicion of intoxication. Early diagnosis, organ-specific supportive therapy, and timely initiation of disease-specific therapy are crucial for improving patients' outcomes.