Vicia faba (faba bean) is a globally significant cool-season grain legume valued for its high protein content, nitrogen-fixing capacity, and adaptability to diverse agro-climatic conditions. However, abiotic stresses, particularly drought, severely constrain its productivity. Transcription factors of the MYC2 superfamily play pivotal roles in regulating plant responses to abiotic stress, including drought tolerance. This study presents an integrated bioinformatics pipeline to identify, characterize, and analyze putative drought stress-responsive MYC2 genes in V. faba. Using Arabidopsis thaliana MYC2 (UniProt: Q39204) as a reference, we performed homology-based screening against the V. faba genome via Ensembl Plants BLAST. Candidate sequences underwent rigorous physicochemical profiling (ProtParam), conserved domain analysis (NCBI-CDD), motif elucidation (MEME Suite), phylogenetic reconstruction (MEGA), gene structure visualization (GSDS), and subcellular localization prediction (WoLF PSORT). Iterative filtering based on domain architecture and motif conservation yielded a high-confidence set of MYC2 candidates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed diversification across evolutionary clades, with evidence of legume-specific expansion. The majority of candidates exhibited predicted nuclear localization, acidic to mildly basic isoelectric points, and thermostable aliphatic indices consistent with transcriptional regulatory functions. Gene structural analysis revealed intron-exon architectural diversity, suggesting evolutionary divergence and potential alternative splicing regulation. This work establishes a foundational genomic framework for understanding MYC2-mediated drought stress signaling in faba bean and identifies candidate targets for future functional validation and translational breeding toward drought-tolerant cultivars.

Vitis vinifera (grapevine) is a globally significant fruit crop valued for its economic importance, nutritional properties, and adaptability to diverse agro-climatic conditions. However, abiotic stresses, particularly soil salinization, severely constrain its productivity and fruit quality. Transcription factors of the WRKY superfamily play pivotal roles in regulating plant responses to abiotic stress, including salt tolerance. This study presents an integrated bioinformatics pipeline to identify, characterize, and analyze putative salt stress-responsive WRKY genes in V. vinifera. Using Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY8 (UniProt: Q9FL26) as a reference, we performed homology-based screening against the V. vinifera genome via Ensembl Plants BLAST. Candidate sequences underwent rigorous physicochemical profiling (ProtParam), conserved domain analysis (NCBI-CDD), motif elucidation (MEME Suite), phylogenetic reconstruction (MEGA), gene structure visualization (GSDS), and subcellular localization prediction (WoLF PSORT). Iterative filtering based on domain architecture and motif conservation yielded a high-confidence set of WRKY candidates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed diversification across Groups I, II, and III, with evidence of grapevine-specific expansion in Group III. The majority of candidates exhibited predicted nuclear localization, acidic to mildly basic isoelectric points, and thermostable aliphatic indices consistent with transcriptional regulatory functions. Gene structural analysis revealed intron-exon architectural diversity, suggesting evolutionary divergence and potential alternative splicing regulation. This work establishes a foundational genomic framework for understanding WRKY-mediated salt stress signaling in grapevine and identifies candidate targets for future functional validation and translational breeding toward salinity-tolerant cultivars.

Soil contamination by crude oil is considered one of the major environmental problems because of its harmful effects on plants and soil ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Calligonum comosum for the phytoremediation of crude oil-contaminated soil and to investigate its ability to accumulate petroleum hydrocarbons under different contamination levels. Soil samples (5 Kg each) were contaminated with crude oil obtained from the Shaybah Oil Field at concentrations of 20, 40, 60, and 80 g/Kg (w/w). Each pot was planted with four cuttings of Calligonum comosum (4 cm length). Several soil properties, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), were analysed before and during the experiments at 45, 90, and 120 days. Hydrocarbon accumulation in plant tissue was also evaluated. The results showed a gradual reduction in TPH concentration in contaminated soils over time. Calligonum comosum demonstrated considerable tolerance to crude oil contamination and the ability to accumulate petroleum hydrocarbons across varying contamination levels, indicating its potential for phytoremediation of oil-polluted soil.

Vicia faba (faba bean) is a globally significant cool-season grain legume valued for its high protein content, nitrogen-fixing capacity, and adaptability to diverse agro-climatic conditions. However, abiotic stresses, particularly soil salinization, severely constrain its productivity. Transcription factors of the WRKY superfamily play pivotal roles in regulating plant responses to abiotic stress, including salt tolerance. This study presents an integrated bioinformatics pipeline to identify, characterize, and analyze putative salt stress-responsive WRKY genes in V. faba. Using Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY8 (UniProt: Q9FL26) as a reference, we performed homology-based screening against the V. faba genome via Ensembl Plants BLAST. Candidate sequences underwent rigorous physicochemical profiling (ProtParam), conserved domain analysis (NCBI-CDD), motif elucidation (MEME Suite), phylogenetic reconstruction (MEGA), gene structure visualization (GSDS), and subcellular localization prediction (WoLF PSORT). Iterative filtering based on domain architecture and motif conservation yielded a high-confidence set of WRKY candidates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed diversification across Groups I, II, and III, with evidence of legume-specific expansion. The majority of candidates exhibited predicted nuclear localization, acidic to mildly basic isoelectric points, and thermostable aliphatic indices consistent with transcriptional regulatory functions. Gene structural analysis revealed intron-exon architectural diversity, suggesting evolutionary divergence and potential alternative splicing regulation. This work establishes a foundational genomic framework for understanding WRKY-mediated salt stress signaling in faba bean and identifies candidate targets for future functional validation and translational breeding toward salinity-tolerant cultivars.

Any thyroid dysfunction has broad systemic effects, extending beyond mere hormonal imbalances to include inflammatory and immune responses. This study aimed to assess thyroid hormons and C-reactive proteins (CRP) in patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, comparing them to a control group of healthy individuals. Materials and methods: This study was conducted between June and October 2025, and included 90 participants (30 with hyperthyroidism, 30 with hypothyroidism, and 30 healthy individuals as a control group). The results showed significant differences in thyroid hormone levels between the two patient groups and the control group. Hyperthyroid patients showed a marked decrease in T3 and T4 levels (p < 0.001). While decrease in hypothyroidism patients. CRP levels were significantly higher in both hyperthyroid (27.87 ± 22.12 mg/dL) and hypothyroid (24.06 ± 23.08 mg/dL) patients as compared to the control group (0.38 ± 0.52 mg/dL). Conclusion: The present study concluded increase T4, T3 in hyperthyroid patients, while decrease in hypothyroidism patients. CRP levels were significantly higher in both hyperthyroid and hypothyroid patients as compared to the control group.

Background: Recurrent Miscarriage (RM) or Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is a complex reproductive issue that can be influenced by multiple risk factors including; Genetic, Anatomical, Endocrine, Immune System Thrombotic and Environmental factors. As such, the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Insertion/Deletion (I/D) Polymorphism in Intron 16 has been considered as one of the possible genetic risk factors for RM because the D allele is associated with increased ACE Activity and could affect blood vessel constriction, Placenta Blood Flow and Pathways related to Thrombosis. Objective: To assess if there is an association between the ACE I/D genetic polymorphism and RM in a group of Iraqi women. Methods: Samples of EDTA blood were collected from women who had experienced RM but had been sent to have their thrombophilias assessed and from women who did not have a history of RM. Peripheral blood genomic DNA was isolated. Following DNA quality assessments, we genotyped for the ACE I/D genetic polymorphism by PCR using 14 RM samples and 8 control samples. The D allele was identified by a 190 bp product and the I allele by a 490 bp product. The Chi-Square/Fisher Exact test was used to compare genotype and allele frequencies. Results: The DD, ID and II genotypes were observed in 9/14 (64.3%), 5/14 (35.7%) and 0/14 (0.0%) RM cases, respectively, compared with 2/8 (25.0%), 4/8 (50.0%) and 2/8 (25.0%) controls. The genotype distribution showed a trend toward difference between groups (chi-square = 5.33, p = 0.070). In an exploratory dominant-risk comparison, the DD genotype was more frequent in RM cases than controls (OR = 5.40, 95% CI = 0.78-37.50; Fisher exact p = 0.183). The D allele frequency was higher in RM cases than controls (82.1% vs. 50.0%; OR = 4.60, 95% CI = 1.16-18.23; Fisher exact p = 0.040). Conclusion: The ACE D allele and DD genotype were more frequent among Iraqi women with RM in this preliminary dataset. However, because the effective genotyped sample was small, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and validated in a larger, clinically well-characterized Iraqi cohort.

Background: In recent years, green nanotechnology has proven to be as a viable way to create metallic nanoparticles with the use of phytochemicals. Objective: This paper aims to explore bacterial synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with plant extracts of Angelica glauca and Paeonia suffruticosa and characterize their properties, structure, antimicrobial activity, and anticancer. Methodology: The silver nanoparticles were synthesized through plant-based reduction of silver nitrate and characterized by several technologies. Agar-well diffusion assay was used in order to determine the antimicrobial activity whereas the anticancer activity on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was evaluated. Results: GC-MS study of Paeonia suffruticosa extract identified several of bioactive phytochemicals. The findings revealed the change of color of light yellow to dark brown, which indicated the creation of silver nanoparticles. Spectrophotometric analysis indicated the formation of these nanoparticles as it yielded the absorption peak at around 420-440 nm. The existence of intense, broad (FTIR) peaks was a good testament to the existence of hydroxyl (OH) groups as well. The SEM and TEM obtained results indicated that a majority of the synthesized nanoparticles had an angular spherical shape and was between the 30 and 98 nm sizes. Plant-based silver nanoparticles have demonstrated antibacterial effects superior to crude extracts on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, in bioactivity assays. Conclusion: Silver nanoparticles prepared with extracts of Angelica glauca and Paeonia suffruticosa roots are attractive multifunctional nanomaterials with strong antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Their characteristics indicate that they are promising to biomedical and pharmaceutical applications in the future.