IAC (United States)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women of reproductive age, yet a large proportion of cases remain undiagnosed due to limited awareness and variability in clinical presentation. Understanding awareness, associated risk factors, and early clinical indicators of PCOS is essential for improving timely diagnosis and preventing long-term reproductive and metabolic complications. The present study was conducted to assess awareness, clinical features, and lifestyle-related risk factors associated with PCOS among women using a structured and validated questionnaire. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed involving 105 female participants aged between 16 and 54 years. Data were collected through a self-administered online survey developed according to the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria, incorporating demographic characteristics, menstrual history, symptoms of hyperandrogenism, lifestyle factors, and fertility-related information. Screening responses were supplemented with physiological measurements, and the collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The findings revealed that menstrual irregularities were relatively common among participants, with 40.0% reporting occasional irregular cycles and 11.4% reporting frequent irregularities, while 48.6% reported regular menstrual patterns. More than half of the respondents (53.3%) were unsure of their androgen status, indicating limited hormonal testing or awareness regarding androgen levels. Weight-related challenges were widely reported, with 84.7% of participants indicating difficulty in maintaining body weight to varying degrees. Awareness regarding the effect of PCOS on fertility was moderate, as 63% of respondents recognized that PCOS can affect fertility, whereas 36% were unaware of this association. Despite the presence of symptoms suggestive of hormonal imbalance, most participants had not undergone hormonal testing or sought medical consultation, reflecting gaps in early screening and healthcare-seeking behavior. In conclusion, the study highlights significant gaps in awareness, screening practices, and healthcare utilization related to PCOS among women. Strengthening health education, promoting early screening programs, and encouraging lifestyle modification are essential steps for improving early diagnosis and reducing the long-term reproductive and metabolic complications associated with PCOS.

An experiment was conducted at Rural Development Academy (RDA) Agricultural Farm, Gopalgonj located in southern area of Bangladesh during 01 November, 2024 to 31 May, 2025 to estimate the impact of mixed cropping and intercropping patterns on yield attributes of lentil and sunflower, to calculate the Gross return (GR), Land equivalent ratio (LER), Monetary advantage and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of mixed and intercropping. BINA Mashur-8 and BARI Sunflower-3 were used for the experiment. There were 11 treatments which consisted of different combinations of mixed cropping, intercropping and sole cropping of lentil and sunflower. The maximum seed yield of lentil was recorded with T10 (2078 kg/ha) where 1:0 row system of lentil: sunflower (line sown sole lentil) was applied, and the maximum grain yield was recorded with T11 (1885 kg/ha) where 0:1 row system of lentil: Sunflower (Line sown sole sunflower) was applied. The highest monetary advantage was obtained (55%) in treatment T3, i.e. 100% Lentil+40% sunflower. It was revealed that the treatment lentil 100% + sunflower 40% had the highest land equivalent ratio (1.51) indicating 51% area advantage over sole cropping of lentil. The highest gross return (215700 Tk/ha) was also recorded from the same treatment Moreover; the treatment contributed the highest benefit cost ratio (1.86). The farmers can cultivate lentil and sunflower simultaneously in this combination (100% lentil and 40% sunflower) due to highest monetary advantage, highest land use efficiency and highest economic return.

This study evaluated the land-use efficiency of sweet corn–cowpea intercropping, influenced by planting dates and fertilizer application methods, in Tupi, South Cotabato, Philippines, from March to June 2025. Using a randomized complete block design with factorial treatments, the study assessed growth and yield parameters of sweet corn and cowpea across varying planting intervals and fertilizer regimes. Results demonstrated that sweet corn maintained robust vegetative growth across treatments. Still, its yield and marketable ear weight were maximized when cowpea was planted 21 days after sweet corn, with two-band fertilizer yielding the highest land equivalent ratio (LER) and area time equivalent ratio (ATER), thereby maximizing land-use efficiency (LUE). Cowpea yield performance was similarly enhanced in later plantings and with two-band fertilization, confirming that delayed cowpea introduction alleviates resource competition and improves productivity. The study recommends strategic timing of cowpea planting and two-band fertilizer application to optimize yield and efficiency, suggesting these practices can sustainably intensify sweet corn–cowpea intercropping systems while increasing farmers’ returns by choosing planting schedules and fertilizer‑placement methods that synchronize nutrient supply with crop demand, as most treatments generated more than double the value of every peso invested. These findings underscore the importance of adaptive management and targeted extension services to support resilient, high-yielding intercropping systems in diverse agroecological conditions.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in maintaining bone health, supporting immune function, and contributing to mental well-being. Despite its significance, public awareness and adequate intake remain suboptimal in many regions, including Pakistan. This cross-sectional study assessed awareness, sources of information, lifestyle practices, and perceptions related to vitamin D among residents of Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected from 200 participants using a self-administered questionnaire covering sun exposure habits, dietary intake, supplement use, and perceived health effects of vitamin D. The results revealed that although the majority had heard of vitamin D, most reported insufficient sun exposure, infrequent consumption of vitamin D–rich foods, and limited knowledge of their own vitamin D status. A significant testing gap was identified; 48% of participants had never undergone screening for vitamin D deficiency. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health campaigns, improved nutrition education, and routine screening initiatives to address vitamin D deficiency within the Pakistani population.

The Pallikaranai marshland, one of the last remaining natural wetlands in the Chennai Metropolitan Area, plays a crucial role in flood regulation and water quality maintenance. Rapid urbanization, land use/land cover (LULC) changes, wetland encroachment, and expansion of impervious surfaces have significantly altered its hydrological and environmental functions. This study evaluates the impact of urban land use changes and flooding on water quality in and around Pallikaranai during March 2025. Flood-prone areas were identified using historical satellite imagery and spatial analysis. LULC classification revealed the dominance of built-up areas, reduction in wetland extent, and increased impervious cover. Water quality analysis indicated elevated electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, and sodium concentrations in flood-affected zones. Organic pollution indicators such as BOD and COD were also higher in highly urbanized and flood-prone areas. These trends suggest contamination from urban runoff, sewage intrusion, and landfill leachate during flood events. Parameters including pH, nitrate, sulphate, and iron largely remained within permissible limits. Despite this, overall water quality showed signs of stress in areas influenced by flooding and urban activities. Flooding was found to act as a major transport mechanism for pollutants across the landscape. The study highlights the need for wetland conservation, restoration of natural drainage systems, and sustainable urban planning to protect water resources in Chennai.

Arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are major public health concerns in Africa, with Aedes aegypti as the primary vector. Insecticide‑based interventions remain the cornerstone of vector control, but their effectiveness is increasingly compromised by the evolution of resistance. Monitoring resistance dynamics is therefore essential to guide sustainable control strategies. Adults emerged from eggs collected in urban and peri‑urban sites of Ouagadougou in 2019 and 2020, were exposed to insecticide-treated papers according to WHO standard tubes protocols. Mosquitoes were exposed to 0.03% deltamethrin, 0.08% malathion, and 0.21% pirimiphos‑methyl for one hour. The mortality rate was recorded 24 hours after exposure and compared across years and sites using Chi‑square test. The tested populations were resistant to deltamethrin, with lower mortality rates at the urban site (20.20% in 2019 vs. 23.76% in 2020; p = 0.5434) but a significant change at the peri-urban site (70.24% vs. 24.30%; p < 0.001). The resistance to malathion was moderate with, mortality rate decreasing from 91.51% to 82.98% in the urban site (p = 0.069), and from 98.99% to 59.61% in the peri‑urban site (p= 0.001). Pirimiphos‑methyl mortality rates slightly drop from 80.39% to 74.72% (p=0.44) in urban site and from 93.20% to 84.69% (p=0.001). These findings reveal a worrying trend of reducing susceptibility of Aedes aegypti to both pyrethroids and organophosphates, particularly in peri‑urban areas within in one year. The results underscore the urgent need for continuous resistance monitoring and the implementation of early resistance management strategy to sustain arbovirus prevention efforts in Burkina Faso.

The study was conducted February 2022 to March 9, 2023, to determine effects of levels of vermicompost on peanut intercropped in coffee plants. The study aimed to determine the best treatment using the following parameters: growth, yield performance, and Cost and Return Analysis (ROI). The different treatment in the study was: T1- Farmers Practice, T2- RR+700kg of vermicompost/ha, T3- RR+750kg of vermicompost/ha, T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha. and layout in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Significant results were shown 30 days after planting (DAP) on the height of peanut plants. The number of peanut root nodules at 20, 40 and 60 DAP, T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha obtained highest mean of 25.80 cm, 36.58 cm, and 53.65 cm respectively. While T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha obtained highest number of leaves, and T1- Farmers Practice obtained lowest. The to weight of pods, developed pods, and number of seeds per pod shows that T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha obtained the highest mean. T1- Farmers Practice obtained the lowest number of undeveloped pods with a mean of 10.15g. Moreover, T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha remained the highest yield/ha with a mean of 1,543 kilograms. The application of T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha obtained the highest ROI gaining 259.13%. The study revealed that NSIC Pn 09 applied with different levels of vermicompost as organic fertilizer influenced the plant height, root nodules, leaves, developed and undeveloped pods, seed number and pod weight. While, T4- RR+800kg of vermicompost/ha obtained highest plant height, root nodules, leaves, developed pods, seeds per pod, yield/ ha and ROI.

Key messageBiolistic particle bombardment was used to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNP) into the shoot apical meristem tissue of citrus and axillary meristem tissue of poplar, generating directed mutations in target genes.The use of meristematic tissues offers a strategic approach to genome editing in woody species, especially those that are recalcitrant to conventional tissue culture, as these regions contain totipotent, highly regenerative cells capable of giving rise to whole plants. Here, we employed biolistic delivery of genome-editing reagents into theshoot apical meristem (SAM) of citrus and the axillary meristems (AXM) of poplar. The system was first validated using a GFP expression construct and subsequently applied for targeted genome editing. In citrus, edited plants were obtained at the CsNPR3 locus exclusively through the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), whereas plasmid-based vectors were unsuccessful. Similarly, genome editing in poplar was achieved using RNPs targeting the Pt4CL1 gene. Although chimeric events were detected, this approach provides a feasible and innovative framework for producing transgene-free edited perennial plants.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00299-026-03741-9.

It’s important for poultry sector’s stakeholders to master the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic conditions on meat quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of muscle type on meat quality of local chickens from Benin according to preslaughter transport conditions and sex. It involved thirty-six chickens of 6 to 7 months from the two sexes comprising a control group, a slaughtered after 4 hours of rest following 2 hours of transport group, and an immediately slaughtered after 2 hours of transport group. Data on meat acidity and color were collected and an analysis of variance was performed using R software. In the three groups, the thigh pH was higher than that of the breast at several measure times (p < 0.001), namely 5.76 vs 5.35 in non-transported chickens, 5.76 vs 5.38 in 4-hour of rest chickens, and 5.86 vs 5.47 in immediately slaughtered chickens at 48 hours post-mortem. This same trend was observed for the red index (a*) at both measure times in 4 hours of rest chickens (8.15 vs. 6.12 and 8.15 vs. 7.04) and on the slaughter day in the immediately slaughtered after transport chickens (7.78 vs. 6.45) (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the yellow index (b*) and, to a lesser extent, lightness (L*) and chroma of the two muscles showed an opposite trend to that of the red index (p < 0.001). These trends of pH and color indices between thigh and breast were also observed in both sexes for the three transport conditions. Then, whatever the sex or the preslaughter transport condition, breast meat is more acidic, more yellowish, and relatively brighter, but less red than thigh meat.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is the most cultivated vegetable worldwide due to its high nutritional value and versatility. As a major economic crop, it plays a critical role in human diets and numerous industries. A key challenge in cucumber production is flower abortion, which, similar to sweet pepper, can be very high, with rates reaching 70–80% of all flowers, substantially impacting yield and fruit quality. This study evaluated the effects of different types of micronutrients and it’s timing of application on the agronomic and yield characteristics of cucumber cultivated in South Cotabato, Philippines. Conducted from February to April 2025 under a factorial Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates, the research measured key parameters including growth, productivity, yield, fruit quality parameters, and a cost-return analysis. Zinc treatments when applied during vegetative stage, resulted in the greatest number of pistillate flowers (25.17) and fruits per plant (11.53), as well as the highest production of graded fruits. Both Boron and Zinc alone minimized flower abscission rates (~53%) and maintained fruit set rates. Boron excelled in increasing total fruit weight (5.32 kg) and marketable fruit weight (3.62 kg). Zinc also enhanced fruit quality through increased TSS (8.82 °Brix). These results demonstrate that micronutrient selection and application timing critically influence cucumber production outcomes. The findings suggest split application strategy integrating Zinc and Boron timed to balance vegetative growth and reproductive success. For future studies, investigations should elucidate the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which micronutrients modulate flower abscission and setting in cucumber.