Bulletin of Natural Sciences Research

EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF TRYPANOSOMIASIS ON MURINE MODEL USING Corchorus olitorius LEAF EXTRACT AS A TRYPANOCIDAL AGENT

Fatima M. Madaki — 2024-11-11

Trypanosomiasis, a parasitic disease caused by trypanosomes, which are flagellate protozoa transmitted through the bite of the tsetse fly, manifests with symptoms including substantial weight loss, anemia, fever, edema, adenitis, dermatitis, and nervous disorders. This research investigated the impact of trypanosomiasis on a murine model while utilizing Corchorus olitorius leaf extract as a potential trypanocidal agent. An acute toxicity analysis was conducted following Lorke’s method, and the antitrypanosomal efficacy was assessed in rats at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg over three weeks, monitoring changes in parasitemia count, body weight, and hematological parameters. Additionally, lipid profile, electrolyte concentration, and liver and kidney function were evaluated using standard techniques. The extract demonstrated potent antitrypanosomal activity at 400 mg/kg, significantly reducing the parasitemia count to 11.33±4.16 count/mL compared to the positive control at 2.5 mg/kg body weight doses. Furthermore, the 400 mg/kg dose notably increased packed cell volume and body weight in infected rats. Moreover, there were no significant discrepancies in numerous hematological parameters between the infected treated with diminazene aceturate and the extract's 400 mg/kg body weight. This study suggests that Corchorus olitorius extract exhibits significant antitrypanosomal, antilipidemic, and erythropoietic effects, mitigating parasitemia count, lipid levels, and oxidative damage by impeding the biochemical activities of trypanosomes through its active constituents. Thus, Corchorus olitorius extract may offer an alternative therapeutic approach for managing trypanosomal infections.

THE INHIBITION OF ACNE PROTEASE BY SOME FLAVONES: DFT, SWISSADMET AND MOLECULAR DOCKING

Dayo Latona — 2024-12-02

This research sought to find a potent drug for the treatment of acne from six (6) flavones. DFT-B3LYP method was used to determine the molecular descriptors like HOMO, LUMO, Dipole moment, and volume of the ligands and standard drugs. SWISSADMET was employed to ascertain the pharmacokinetic properties of the ligands, and molecular docking was achieved by using PyRx and discovery studiosoft wares. It was observed that the six flavones showed better inhibition against acne main protease than the standard drugs, and from the binding affinity results, 5-hydroxy-2-phenylchromen-4-one best inhibited acne protease. The choice of flavones was based on the fact that they have good antibacterial properties because acne thrives in the presence of bacteria.

ANALYSIS OF THE SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF WHEAT PRODUCTION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Marko Ivanišević — 2024-11-17

Wheat is recognized as a crucial staple food across nearly all countries. Achieving a specific level of self-sufficiency in primary food products is a common objective for nations, aimed at safeguarding domestic production, minimizing dependency on imports, and mitigating disruptions in global and regional supply chains. This study provides an analysis of wheat production and yields in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the goal of evaluating the self-sufficiency of wheat production. The analysis covers the period from 2010 to 2019. The study places particular emphasis on spatial analysis, including production, yield, and self-sufficiency at the level of local administrative units. The findings indicate that Bosnia and Herzegovina's self-sufficiency in wheat production stands at 54%, with significant variability in production quantities across different local government units. These insights offer a foundation for future research that could delve deeper into the spatial-temporal, economic, and food security dimensions of wheat production.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GEODIVERSITY AND BIODIVERSITY – A THEORETICAL APPROACH

Marko Ivanović — 2024-12-02

The relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity is often considered within geoecological frameworks. Their interaction within real space forms the natural structure of landscapes. Although they are defined as two separate and equivalent systems with different structures, their relationship makes them interdependent, with geospatial distribution being the common point of contact. The term “geodiversity” is relatively recent, defined as the desire to express the opponent of the diversity of the living world – biodiversity. Thus, through a holistic concept, it is possible to observe multiple levels of interaction between geodiversity and biotic resources, revealing their interrelationship. The challenges of researching both geodiversity and biodiversity are characterized by similar shortcomings. Based on the previous researches of different authors, the work aims to define in the best possible way a biotic-abiotic relationship as an essential component in the concept of nature, the sphere of their connection and joint action. However, due to the numerous fields of their interaction, the work only partially defines them, without analyzing each field of interaction, in detail. In addition, the connection of these two concepts also requires interdisciplinary cooperation, the goal of which must be to improve the understanding of biodiversity and geodiversity, and their integration in evaluation, with the common goal of protecting and preserving nature as a whole and its individual parts. To a significant extent, these can be addressed through the application of geoinformatics tools, methods, and techniques, especially Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which offer the possibility of more adequate evaluation and interpretation of results.

APPLICATION OF COMPRESSIVE SENSING TECHNIQUES FOR ADVANCED IMAGE PROCESSING AND DIGITAL IMAGE TRANSMISSION

Nenad Stefanović — 2024-06-28

The field of compressive sensing (CS) has emerged as a transformative approach in the acquisition and processing of high-dimensional data. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the application of compressive sensing techniques to advanced image processing and digital image transmission. By leveraging the inherent sparsity in natural images, CS allows for significant reductions in the amount of data required for accurate reconstruction, thereby overcoming the limitations imposed by the traditional Shannon-Nyquist sampling theorem. We explore the theoretical foundations of CS, including the principles of sparsity and incoherence, and provide a detailed overview of the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm, a prominent greedy algorithm used for sparse signal recovery. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of CS in improving image reconstruction quality, as evidenced by enhancements in peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM). Additionally, we discuss the practical implementation of CS in single-pixel cameras and its potential impact on future imaging technologies. The findings suggest that CS offers a robust framework for efficient image acquisition and processing, making it a valuable tool for various applications in multimedia, medical imaging, and remote sensing.

RADON IN WATER FROM PRIVATE WELLS AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO INTERNAL EXPOSURE OF POPULATION IN RURAL AREAS AT TOPLICA REGION, SOUTHERN SERBIA

Biljana Vučković — 2024-07-02

The results presented in this paper are part of the investigating of radon the concentrations from natural sources in the Toplica region. The results refer only to the radon concentrations in water from private captured wells at 12 locations. Radon concentration in water was measured by alpha spectrometry using the RAD 7 – RAD H2O system. The range of radon concentration is from (2.8±1.2) to (76.0±4.0) kBq/m³, and the contribution of radon released from water to the air in the premises was in range (0.8±0.3) to (22.8±1.2) Bq/m³. The annual effective doses of inhaled and ingested radon were determined, the mean values were (114.8±14.8) and (3.2±0.3) μSv/y.