Background: Urease is a nickel-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide, facilitating nitrogen transformation and enhancing its bioavailability for plant uptake. Beyond its agronomic relevance, urease also serves as a defense protein in certain plants and is produced by various microorganisms. This study focused on the purification and characterization of urease enzymes isolated from three sprouted melon varieties: Watermelon, Whitemelon, and Blackmelon sourced from the Lapai market in Niger State, Nigeria.
Methods: The extraction process involved sequential steps: ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, gel filtration chromatography, and SDS-PAGE analysis. Enzyme activity was assessed under varying pH levels and temperatures and in the presence of selected metal ions. The molecular weights of the purified enzymes were determined using SDS-PAGE.
Results: Purification folds were 4.0, 2.5, and 1.6, with corresponding yields of 19.5%, 18.4%, and 19.2% for Watermelon, Whitemelon, and Blackmelon, respectively. Optimal pH values were 6.0 for White and Blackmelon and 7.5 for Watermelon. The temperature optima were recorded at 30°C (Watermelon), 40°C (Blackmelon), and 50°C (Whitemelon). SDS-PAGE revealed distinct protein bands at 55, 38, and 35 kDa for Watermelon and White melon, whereas no defined band was observed for Black melon. Nickel ions significantly enhanced enzyme activity, while Mg²⁺, Hg²⁺, EDTA, Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺, and K⁺ exhibited inhibitory effects in decreasing order. Kinetic parameters revealed Vmax values of 0.000611, 0.000410, and 0.000163 U/sec for watermelon, blackmelon, and whitemelon, respectively, with corresponding Km values of 0.0341, 0.0469, and 0.0021 mg/mL.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that urease derived from these sprouted melon varieties holds potential for immobilization and utilization in urea biosensing and other urease-based biotechnological applications.
Background: Cataract is the leading cause of reversible blindness worldwide, and its prevalence is disproportionately higher among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients due to metabolic, oxidative, and medication-related factors. India’s growing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population, increasing at 10–15% annually, faces unique challenges in cataract management, particularly those on maintenance dialysis. Limited Indian data exist comparing short-term visual outcomes in dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis CKD patients following modern cataract surgery.
Methods: This comparative observational study included 50 eyes from 26 patients 25 eyes (13 patients) in each group: dialysis-dependent CKD (Group A) and non-dialysis-dependent CKD (Group B). All underwent phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation, performed by the same surgeon. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and near vision were measured preoperatively and at 4 weeks postoperatively. Statistical analyses included paired and independent t-tests, effect sizes (Cohen’s d), and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Significance threshold: p < 0.05.
Results: Both groups showed highly significant improvement in BCVA (p < 0.001 within groups). Group A improved from 0.82 ± 0.31 to 0.20 ± 0.08 logMAR (mean gain: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51–0.73; d = 2.51), and Group B from 0.78 ± 0.29 to 0.19 ± 0.07 logMAR (mean gain: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.49–0.69; d = 2.54). UCVA gains were similar (both 0.78 logMAR; d > 3.1). No statistically significant between-group differences were found for postoperative BCVA (p = 0.628) or UCVA (p = 0.482). Minor postoperative complications occurred in 12% of eyes in both groups and resolved without sequelae.
Conclusion: Short-term visual outcomes after phacoemulsification are comparable between dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis CKD patients, with large effect sizes and minimal complications. These findings suggest that dialysis dependence should not be a barrier to timely cataract surgery when systemic status is optimized, supporting proactive surgical intervention to improve quality of life in this high-risk population.
Wheat is Nepal's third most important crop, and is nutrient-dense, easy to store and transport and can be converted into a variety of ingredients. Nepal has the lowest cereal yield per hectare among the South Asian countries that export domestic crops to the region. Many physical, chemical and biological factors have a great impact on wheat. Drought and heat stress are the most significant physiological factors. Wheat yield in marginal rainfed condition has also been downregulated by 50-90% of their irrigated potential due to drought. To get high yields, both the seed and the field must be of excellent quality. Wheat production management, as well as the development of high yielding, disease resistance, climate adaptive, and location specific varieties should be focused to increase wheat output sustainability. Our review attempts to shed light on tolerance mechanisms, adaption strategies, and morphophysiological and molecular effects.
Using the special characteristics of microbial communities, the rapidly expanding science of forensic microbiology is able to provide important new information for criminal investigations. Examining its uses in postmortem interval (PMI) estimation, cause of death identification, and trace evidence analysis, this review explores the rapidly developing subject of forensic microbiology. Recent developments in sequencing technologies have transformed the way microbial communities are characterized, allowing forensic experts to interpret the microbial death clock and uncover latent traces at crime scenes. The potential for improving data analysis, creating reliable prediction models, and assisting in well-informed decision-making is enormous when artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are combined with forensic microbiology. However, in order to protect privacy and avoid discrimination, it is important to carefully navigate the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding human microbiome research. A more thorough and data-driven approach to criminal investigations is made possible by forensic microbiology's ability to harness the power of the microbiome.
