Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Khouzestan

Exposure to extreme heat can severely impair crop growth, development and yield quality through manifold interacting physiological, biochemical and molecular processes. Plant growth regulators such as kinetin can help alleviate heat stress by amplifying antioxidant defenses, stabilizing photosynthesis, and regulating stress signals. Here, our purpose was to evaluate effects of high temperature exposure and foliar kinetin application on the physiological, biochemical and fatty acid profiles of five sunflower cultivars (Lakomka, Progress, Shams, Oskar, and Qasem) across two years. Terminal extreme heat exposure caused by late sowing time significantly altered crop phenology by truncating the reproductive growth period. Delayed sowing altered fatty acid composition and reduced grain-filling duration, seed yield, and oil content due to terminal heat stress. Foliar application of kinetin (50 µM) enhanced heat stress tolerance by improving chlorophyll retention, antioxidant activity, and stomatal conductance, while reducing hydrogen peroxide accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Exposure to extreme heat increased saturated fatty acids, palmitic and stearic acids by up to 58% and 21%, respectively, while reducing linoleic acid content across all cultivars. Oleic acid increased under delayed sowing, but kinetin application modulated this response via influence on desaturase enzyme activity involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. Kinetin reduced accumulation of saturated fatty acids and mitigated heat-induced perturbation of fatty acids, improving oil quality and stability. Our findings underscore the importance of interactive effects between sowing time and hormone treatment on crop physiology and oil quality, emphasizing the need to integrate genetic selection with bespoke heat stress mitigation practices to enhance resilience and sustain productivity under climatic adversity.

Understanding the productive potential of Khuzestani buffaloes is essential for improving dairy efficiency and supporting sustainable livelihoods in regions where this indigenous breed is central to agriculture. This study evaluated milk yield and genetic parameters of Khuzestani buffaloes managed under intensive farming conditions. A total of 33,521 test-day milk (TDM) records from 106 buffaloes collected between 2021 and 2025 were analyzed using polynomial mixed models adjusted for biological, environmental, and management effects. The 270-day milk yield (270DMY) was estimated, and variance components were derived using a Bayesian linear mixed model with Gibbs sampling. Average daily milk yield was 4.82 kg, with peak production observed between 50 and 75 days in milk and higher yields in animals milked without calves. The mean 270DMY was 1065 ± 355.8 kg, with a significant annual increase of 66.75 kg, indicating steady herd-level improvements. Genetic analysis revealed a moderate heritability for 270DMY (h² = 0.433) and a positive genetic trend of ∼28.5 kg/year in estimated breeding values, confirming measurable progress through selective breeding. As a first-step report focused on milk yield, we demonstrate substantial untapped genetic potential in Khuzestani buffalo and quantify key productivity drivers-milking type, season, parity, age at calving, and temperature. Overall, the findings provide the first comprehensive genetic evaluation of this indigenous population under standardized intensive farming with complete, verified management and pedigree records, establishing a framework for data-driven selection to enhance milk yield and resilience.

Floods are among the most frequent and destructive natural disasters globally, inflicting extensive damage on infrastructure, causing significant economic losses, displacing communities, and triggering public health crises. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to inadequate infrastructure, substandard housing, widespread poverty, and low adaptive capacity-challenges that are especially pronounced in rural areas. In the absence of effective mitigation systems, the impact of floods on rural communities can intensify, potentially resulting in the complete collapse of local livelihoods. Therefore, enhancing the resilience of these communities through targeted capacity-building and resilience strategies is essential. This study aims to identify the key factors influencing the adoption of flood preparedness measures in rural regions of Iran. The primary research instrument was a questionnaire, and the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This study employed Construal Level Theory (CLT) as its theoretical framework. The findings revealed that CLT components-including geographical distance, temporal distance, social distance, hypothetical distance, belief in climate change, and flood risk perception-significantly influence the adoption of protective measures prior to flood events, collectively explaining 67.1% of the variance. Notably, this research marks the first application of CLT in the context of flood preparedness, both in Iran and globally. As such, it offers novel insights for the development of effective flood management strategies in rural communities and lays a foundation for strengthening the resilience of their livelihoods.

Background: The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases is high, and likely to increase further in the future as a result of the expected aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of comorbid conditions among the elderly. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients admitted due to infection in a tertiary-level hospital in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Materials and methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Chattogram. Two hundred and six patients aged ≥60 admitted with a diagnosis of infectious aetiology in the medicine department were enrolled according to set inclusion criteria. Patients were followed up for in-hospital outcomes after admission. Results: Age ranges from 60-90 years with a mean age of 65.82 (±5.56) years) and 51.5% were male. Pre-hospital antibiotic was received by 108 (52.4%) patients and 7.4% had antibiotic prescribed by registered physicians The most frequent infections were respiratory tract infections (47.6%) and urinary tract infections (43.2%). Sixty-four (31.1%) patients developed sepsis and 17 (8.3%) required ICU support. Eleven patients expired in-hospital, indicating a mortality rate of 5.3%. Length of hospitalization ranged from 2 to 17 days, with a median of 6 days. Conclusion: This study result suggests that infection-related hospitalization and outcomes of elderly individuals were high and their health seeking behaviour was poor. IAHS Medical Journal Vol 6(2), December 2023; 31-34

Abstract Background:Bloodstream infection (BSI) in cancer patients is becoming more common due to a number of opportunistic bacteria, some of which show high resistance to antibiotics.Objectives:The study aimed to diagnose the most important bacterial causes of BSI in patients with different cancers of both sexes, estimate the sensitivity of bacterial species to antibiotics, and measure immunological factors in the serum of infected patients.Materials and Methods:The study sample included patients hospitalized at Marjan Teaching Hospital in Babil Province. Microbiological tests and immunological assessments were conducted on the study sample from April 2021 to February 2022. The study included 239 patients (with different types of cancers and showing signs of fever) included 126 (52.71%) females and 113 (47.28%) males.Results:1007 BSI-causing microorganisms were diagnosed among 239 cancer cases. The most common types of microorganisms isolated wereEscherichia coli169 (16.7%) andKlebsiella pneumonia165 (16.3%). The results showed significant antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for bacterial and fungal isolates causing BSI. Resistance to ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol was higher than other antibiotics. The results showed a significant elevation of all immunological factors among the BSI group associated with cancer compared to the control group, including IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-6.Conclusions:It is necessary to regularly check the prevalence of bacteria and the level of antibiotic resistance in BSI patients. It will help determine whether local rules for the use of antimicrobial agents are appropriate and select appropriate drugs for empirical antibiotic therapy and prophylaxis in high-risk patients.

Appropriate tree fertilization with essential nutrients is considered as one of the major factors in enhancing the quality and quantity of horticultural crops. The most efficient way to fertilize trees is to dig holes around the trunks and fill them with appropriate chemical and organic fertilizer. Doing this operation with mechanized methods reduces costs and increases productivity compared to traditional methods. In the present study, multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) methods, including deterministic analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS), and analytic network process (ANP), were used to score and select the appropriate fertilizing method for apple trees based on the growers and expert's perspectives. The criteria, including fertilizing operation cost, crop yield, the percentage of tree damages, ease of entering and moving fertilizing equipment in tree rows, field capacity (with or without machinery), comfort and safety of fertilizing operations, after‐sales service, access to the required machinery and implements, crop selling price, and crop quality, were used in the above‐mentioned methods. The fertilization methods (Hole digging) considered in the present study were traditional fertilization (Shovel), orchard Trencher, motor hole digger, fixed centerline tractor‐mounted hole digger, and off‐set tractor‐mounted hole digger. Based on the results, the priority of mechanized fertilizing methods was determined as tractor‐mounted hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.286, FAHP weight of 0.285, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.65, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 0.64), fixed centerline tractor‐mounted hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.219, FAHP weight of 0.158, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.56, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 0.62), motor hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.171, FAHP weight of 0.079, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.46, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 0.31), and orchard trenchers (AHP weight of 0.12, FAHP weight of 0.057, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.19, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 0.20), respectively. Based on the ANP method, off‐set and fixed centerline tractor‐mounted hole diggers had the highest priority (weights of 0.43 and 0.27), followed by trencher (weight of 0.16), motor hole diggers (weight of 0.09), and the traditional method (weight of 0.04). Results showed that applying orchard tractors equipped with mounted diggers, especially off‐set types, can play an important role in enhancing the quantity and quality of apples produced, as well as reducing the costs of fertilizing operations.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of varying the ratio of dietary palmitic (C16:0; PA) and stearic (C18:0; SA) acids on nutrient digestibility, production, and blood metabolites of early-lactation Holsteins under mild-to-moderate heat stress. Eight multiparous Holsteins (body weight = 589 ± 45 kg; days in milk = 51 ± 8 d; milk production = 38.5 ± 2.4 kg/d; mean ± standard deviation) were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design (21-d periods inclusive of 7-d data collection). The PA (88.9%)- and SA (88.5%)-enriched fat supplements, either individually or in combination, were added to diets at 2% of dry matter (DM) to formulate the following treatments: (1) 100PA:0SA (100% PA + 0% SA), (2) 66PA:34SA (66% PA + 34% SA), (3) 34PA:66SA (34% PA + 66% SA), and (4) 0PA:100SA (0% PA + 100% SA). Diets offered, in the form of total mixed rations, were formulated to be isonitrogenous (crude protein = 17.2% of DM) and isocaloric (net energy for lactation = 1.69 Mcal/kg DM), with a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60. Ambient temperature-humidity index averaged 72.9 throughout the experiment, suggesting that cows were under mild-to-moderate heat stress. No differences in DM intake across treatments were detected (mean 23.5 ± 0.64 kg/d). Increasing the dietary proportion of SA resulted in a linear decrease in total-tract digestibility of total fatty acids, but organic matter, DM, neutral detergent fiber, and crude protein digestibilities were not different across treatments. Decreasing dietary PA-to-SA had no effect on the time spent eating (340 min/d), rumination (460 min/d), and chewing (808 min/d). As dietary PA-to-SA decreased, milk fat concentration and yield decreased linearly, resulting in a linear decrease of 3.5% fat-corrected milk production and milk fat-to-protein ratio. Feed efficiency expressed as kg 3.5% fat-corrected milk/kg DM intake decreased linearly with decreasing the proportion of PA-to-SA in the diet. Treatments had no effect on milk protein and lactose content. A linear increase in de novo and preformed fatty acids was identified as the ratio of PA to SA decreased, while PA and SA concentrations of milk fat decreased and increased linearly, respectively. A linear reduction in blood nonesterified fatty acids and glucose was detected as the ratio of PA to SA decreased. Insulin concentration increased linearly from 10.3 in 100PA:0SA to 13.1 µIU/mL in 0PA:100SA, whereas blood β-hydroxybutyric acid was not different across treatments. In conclusion, the heat-stressed Holsteins in early-lactation phase fed diets richer in PA versus SA produced greater fat-corrected milk and were more efficient in converting feed to fat-corrected milk.