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The optimum ultrasound-assisted extraction parameters of Vitamin C from Capsella bursa-pastoris was studied by Response Surface Methodology. The main factors of the extraction were selected by the Confounded Fractional Factorial test. The extraction process was optimized by Box-Behnken test. The results showed that the major influential factors of extraction were: ultrasonic time, ultrasonic temperature and material to solvent ratio. The optimum conditions were as follows: 1% oxalic acid, material to solvent ratio of 1∶10 (g/mL), ultrasonic time of 12 min, ultrasonic temperature of 32 ℃ and ultrasonic power of 100 W. In this condition, the extraction amount of Vitamin C from Capsella bursa-pastoris was (54.88±0.22) mg/100 g.

The increasing prevalence of drought events poses a major challenge for upcoming crop production. Melatonin is a tiny indolic tonic substance with fascinating regulatory functions in plants. While plants can respond in several ways to alleviate drought stress, the processes underpinning stress sensing and signaling are poorly understood. Hereafter, the objectives of this investigation were to explore the putative functions of melatonin in the regulation of sugar metabolism and abscisic acid biosynthesis in drought‐stressed tomato seedlings. Melatonin (100 μM) and/or water were foliar sprayed, followed by the plants being imposed to drought stress for 14 days. Drought stress significantly decreased biomass accumulation, inhibited photosynthetic activity, and stimulated senescence‐associated gene 12 (SAG12) expression. Melatonin treatment effectively reversed drought‐induced growth retardation as evidenced by increased leaf pigment and water balance and restricted abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation. Sugar accumulation, particularly sucrose content, was higher in drought‐imposed seedlings, possibly owing to higher transcription levels of sucrose non‐fermenting 1‐related protein kinase 2 (SnKR2.2) and ABA‐responsive element binding factors 2 (AREB2). Melatonin addition further uplifted the sucrose content, which coincided with increased activity of sucrose synthase (SS, 130%), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS, 137%), starch degradation encoding enzyme β‐amylase (BAM, 40%) and α‐amylase (AMY, 59%) activity and upregulated their encoding BAM1(10.3 folds) and AMY3 (8.1 folds) genes expression at day 14 relative to the control. Under water deficit conditions, melatonin supplementation decreased the ABA content (24%) and its biosynthesis gene expressions. Additionally, sugar transporter subfamily genes SUT1 and SUT4 expression were upregulated by the addition of melatonin. Collectively, our findings illustrate that melatonin enhances drought tolerance in tomato seedlings by stimulating sugar metabolism and negatively regulating ABA synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess electrocardiogram (ECG) for risk stratification in inferior ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients within 24 h. Methods: Three hundred thirty‐four patients were divided into four ECG‐based groups: Group A: R V1 <0.3 mV with ST‐segment elevation (ST↑) V7–V9, Group B: R V1 <0.3 mV without ST↑ V7–V9, Group C: R V1 ≥0.3 mV with ST↑ V7–V9, and Group D: R V1 ≥0.3 mV without ST↑ V7–V9. Results: Group A demonstrated the longest QRS duration, followed by Groups B, C, and D. ECG signs for right ventricle (RV) infarction were more common in Groups A and B (p <.01). ST elevation in V6, indicative of left ventricle (LV) lateral injury, was more higher in Group C than in Group A, while the ∑ST↑ V3R + V4R + V5R, representing RV infarction, showed the opposite trend (p <.05). The estimated LV infarct size from ECG was similar between Groups A and C, yet Group A had higher creatine kinase MB isoform (CK‐MB; p <.05). Cardiac troponin I (cTNI) was higher in Groups A and C than in B and D (p <.05 and p =.16, respectively). NT‐proBNP decreased across groups (p =.20), with the highest left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) observed in Group D (p <.05). Group A notably demonstrated more cardiac dysfunction within 4 h post‐onset. Conclusions: For inferior STEMI patients, concurrent R V1 <0.3 mV with ST↑ V7–V9 suggests prolonged ventricular activation and notable myocardial damage. RV infarction's dominance over LV lateral injury might explain these observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nematicidal activity at different concentrations of fosthiazate against soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) was evaluated in this paper. The mortality rates of second-stage juvenile (J2) reached 13.43, 48.39, 66.82, 79.77, and 86.35% at 12 hr after exposure to 2.18, 3.44, 5.45, 8.61, and 13.62 mg/l of fosthiazate, respectively, whereas cumulative hatching rates totaled 58.24, 53.88, 42.54, 24.11, and 13.69% at 18 days after exposure to concentrations. J2s dead by exposure to fosthiazate exhibited shrunk and twisted body shape, whose length of nematode body, stylet, and esophageal glands to head were significantly shorter than that of the control (p < 0.05). A pot test was also performed to count the numbers of cysts on soybean roots, showing reduction of 43.64–97.94% due to application of fosthiazate at 5.45, 13.62, 34.04, and 85.10 mg/l concentrations. This study demonstrated that fosthiazate exhibits increasing of J2 mortality, and reducing egg hatching and reproduction rates, which providing evidence to support the use fosthiazate in further studies against H. glycines.