ABSTRACT
Autoimmune diseases are chronic hypersensitive diseases that occur due to an inability of the immune system to recognize self-antigens as part of its system. Antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) are antibodies that target the proteins located in the nucleus, mitotic spindle, nuclear membrane, and cytoplasmic substructures. Detection of ANA is done using either the ANA-IIF or by ELISA method; the latter might be slightly more sensitive as compared to the ANA-IIF but the specificity is however low. ANA patterns such as nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitotic can be important to clinical practice because they suggest the significance, as well as the nature of autoimmune Connective Tissue Disorder (CTDs). ANA is a predictor of autoimmune diseases, and the risk is greater in female individuals. The specific objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of ANA and the detection of demographic correlations with them; thereby it would help in the identification of the various autoantibody subclasses in the Indian people. The present cross-sectional descriptive study included 351 patient records from a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, India expounds on the association of multiple ANA patterns with certain autoantibodies, and demography of the ANA-positive patients. Knowledge of such regional variations of autoimmune diseases would be useful to formulate a strategy for proper diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) in India.

ABSTRACT
Neurodegenerative disorders are a range of debilitating conditions that manifest due to the progressive loss of neuronal cells in specific brain regions. Current therapeutic options are less than adequate in many respects. Protein misfolding and aggregation are hallmarks of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. Consequently, they elicit cellular homeostasis disruption, synaptic connection loss, and subsequent cellular apoptosis. In recent years, research has increasingly linked dysregulated inflammatory responses mediated by the inflammasome complex to several neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, Autism, stroke etc. The inflammasome is a cytosolic multiprotein complex that is essential for innate immunity. Microglia are the primary cells expressing inflammasomes in the central nervous system, although astrocytes, neurons, and infiltrating myeloid cells can also express and activate inflammasomes. Regrettably, dysregulated inflammasome signaling upregulates the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as activating caspase-1. This process contributes to the continuation of neuroinflammation and subsequent damage to neurons. In this review of existing literatures, we collated empirical evidences about various inflammasome signaling pathways in selected neurological disorders. Majorly, we emphasised their influence on the advancement of diseases and neuronal cell death. Available empirical data showed that dietary small molecule inhibitors offer multi-targeted interactions to inhibit inflammasome signalling and upstream neuroinflammation. Notably, the baseline mechanisms involve suppression of free radicals, downregulating NF-κB and NLRP3 oligomerization, activating anti-inflammatory pathways, reducing ER stress, and modulating the Nrf2-ARE pathway. This shows promise for developing innovative medical nutrition therapies for various neurological conditions.

ABSTRACT
H. pylori is a micro-aerophilic, gram-negative, S-curved, polar motility, spiral bacillus measuring 2.5 µm to 5 µm long and 0.3 µm wide. Type two diabetes of mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with disturbances of the various metabolisms, in particular lipid, carbohydrate and protein. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the diabetic and non-diabetic population consulting in the gastroenterology and external medicine department of CHU-Brazzaville. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study over a period from June 20 to November 02, 2021, like a period of six months. Ninety patients were selected divided into two groups, each subdivided into two subgroups. 44 type two diabetes of mellitus patients and 46 non-diabetic patients were included. The average age of diabetic patients was 51 ± 11 years old with an average duration of diabetes evolution of 5.54 ± 4.58 years old. The average age of non-diabetic patients was 40±15 years old. Out of 90 patients in our study population, we had a predominance of women (68) compared to men (22). The overall frequency of H. pylori infection of the study population was 57%. It was 66% in diabetic patients and 48% in non-diabetics. The results of our study showed that H. pylori infection was more common in diabetics compared to non-diabetics.

ABSTRACT
Biotic stress is caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes as well weeds and it significantly reduces crop yield globally. For instance, the outbreak of a new strain of stripe rust in wheat worldwide, the emergence of white scale insect affecting mango in Ethiopia, the newly emerged Maize Lethal Necrosis viral disease in maize, and invasive fall armyworm insect are devastating maize crop and causing yield loss in Africa. To reduce the yield losses due to biotic stresses, the development of resistant variety and integrated insect pest approach is the way forward for managing disease and insects at respective agroecologies. Thus, this review paper discussed on conventional breeding methods and molecular-assisted selection for breeding resistance to foliar disease in major cereal crops. Wide array of germplasm such as landraces, recombinant inbred lines, pure lines, Double haploid lines, elite lines, multi-parent population, mutant lines, introgressed lines, hybrids, open population variety and wild relative can be used as source germplasm and should be screened under artificial inoculation and or at hotspot areas to develop disease resistance variety. Many maize inbred lines and hybrids showed resistance to turcicum leaf blight, grey leaf spot and common rust diseases and indicating that these genotypes have carrying genes/favorable alleles for multiple disease resistance and it is possible to develop variety resistance to fungi foliar disease in maize. Similarly, several advanced lines and some varieties showed resistance to strip and leaf rust in wheat. However, host plant resistance could be broken down due to new emerging race pathogens. Thus, conventional breeding and molecular screening should be integrated for resistant variety development. Indeed, Marker-assisted selection through backcrossing, gene pyramiding, combined Genome-Wide Association, and transcriptome approach is useful to identify candidate genes and resistant parents in crops. .......

ABSTRACT
Curcuma longa is a widely used plant in folk medicine. Here, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of the ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa with particular emphasis on its combined effect with sunlight, as the extract can produce fluorescence in the presence of UV rays. Curcumin is one of the most active ingredients of Curcuma longa. The ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa when added to lawn cultures of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and exposed to sunlight the growth of bacteria was remarkably reduced. Micro broth dilution assay also showed decreased MIC values after exposure to sunlight with MSSA. Our results encourage the potential use of Curcuma longa as an antibacterial product.

ABSTRACT
Introduction: The SARS-CoV-19 pandemic affected the whole world, with a particularly high and severe incidence in patients with co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The SARS-CoV-2 variants, Delta and Omicron, posed an additional challenge in the management of these patients because of their virulence and high transmissibility. Objective: To assess the disturbance of certain biomarkers in COVID-19-positive T2DM patients in Pointe-Noire. Methods: We performed a descriptive cross-sectional study on a cohort of 206 type 2 diabetic patients affected by COVID-19. Blood samples were taken for analysis of biomarkers (CBC, ESR, CRP, GLY, and HbA1c, lipid profile, urea and creatinine). RNA was extracted from nasopharyngeal samples and PCR was performed to determine the presence of Delta and Omicron variants. Results: The mean age of our patients was 56.33 ± 12 years. The Delta variant was the most common 132 (64.08%), followed by the other variants 57 (27.67%) and Omicron 17 (8.25%). We observed significant disturbances (p<0.05) in biomarkers as a function of Delta and Omicron variants concerning: TC, TG, HDL, LDL, DDI, VS, CRP, GLY, and HbA1c. Conclusion: We identified the Delta variant as the most frequent in the diabetic population studied. Almost all biological markers studied were disrupted during COVID-19 infection in the type 2 diabetic population.

ABSTRACT
Tomatoes are grown using chemical or organic fertilizers, which influence their quality at harvest. The study aimed to evaluate the agro-morphological and germinative characteristics of three tomato genotypes under CAFCOOP products. The Nadira F1, Rio grande and Roma savanna genotypes tested for their reaction to the effect of the CAFCOOP Ltd product were obtained from the Mfoundi market (Yaoundé). Germination time, emergence of seedlings and first leaf outline, number of secondary roots and stem development were counted manually at the nursery. In the field, a caliper was used to measure plant stem, while a graduated ruler was used to measure root length and plant height. The number of secondary roots, branches and plants were counted manually. The results obtained showed significant genotypic variation in all agro-morphological traits. The number of roots varied from 14.15 ± 2.8 to 22.46 ± 3.53 for Roma, from 10.38 ± 1.89 to 24.71 ± 3.69 for Nadira F1 and from 14.62 ± 2.99 to 24.38 ± 3.47 for Rio grande, for chemical and organic treatments respectively. Plant stem diameter ranged from 5.15 ± 1.14 mm to 9 ± 0.46 mm for Nadira F1 and Rio Control, with no significant difference between treatments. The number of branches per plant, with no significant difference between treatments, ranged from 11.50±3.83 to 17.95±2.98 for Nadira F1 and Rio grande. Our study has enabled us to gain a better understanding of the positive effect of organic products on tomato production.