This study focuses on staphylococci isolated in a hospital setting and analyzes their susceptibility and resistance profiles regarding major antibiotics. Among a total of 502 strains, a clear predominance of Staphylococcus aureus was observed, primarily in purulent samples. Interpretation of the antibiograms revealed particularly high resistance to penicillin, indicating the persistence of β-lactamase-producing strains. Conversely, key agents such as vancomycin, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and chloramphenicol retained satisfactory activity against the majority of isolates. Coagulase-negative staphylococci exhibited generally low resistance rates, despite some variations across antibiotic classes. These findings underscore the need for continuous microbiological monitoring and the judicious use of antibiotics to limit the spread of multidrug-resistant strains. This work contributes to the local understanding of antimicrobial resistance and serves as a valuable tool for optimizing the management of staphylococcal infections.
Native to North America, Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke, 1977 is an invasive phytophagous species distributed in parts of Europe and Asia. Although recorded at some sites in Uzbekistan, its distribution and morphometric characteristics in the Fergana Valley remain insufficiently studied. This study aimed to identify occurrence sites in the Andijan Region, describe external morphological characters, and assess morphometric parameters. Field observations were conducted during 2025–2026 in Andijan city and the Andijan, Qo‘rg‘ontepa, Xo‘jaobod, and Jalaquduq districts. Nymphs were hand-collected, and adults were collected with an entomological sweep net. Specimens were identified using external diagnostic characters. Seven body parameters of 10 adults were measured using ImageJ 1.54g, and statistical calculations were performed in PAST 5.2.1. In total, 52 specimens (2 nymphs and 50 adults) were collected from seven survey sites. Nymphs were collected from Salix sp., and adults from Medicago sativa L. fields at six sites. Where adults were recorded, air temperature ranged from 29 to 34 °C and relative humidity from 25 to 40%. Body length ranged from 8.87 to 10.08 mm and pronotal length from 7.37 to 8.90 mm. The specimens matched available diagnostic descriptions of the species. These results confirm the presence of S. bisonia at several sites in the Andijan Region and provide new data on its distribution and morphometric characteristics in the Fergana Valley.
In three propagative planting materials; stems shoots, slips and crowns, planted and grown in 20 L pots, the fresh pineapple (Ananas comosus MD-2) biomass was determined at harvest of the plant crop. Considering the main plant organs of the shoot system differences in weight of leaves (P< 0.0001), fruit (P< 0.0001) and stem (P< 0.0001) were found among planting materials. Plants coming from crowns showed lower weight of the three variables, differing from plants originating from slips and stem shoots, which were similar. Leaves weight varied between 2480.0 and 3527.5 g, fruit weight between 1264.0 and 1995.0 g, and stem weight between 553.0 and 868.5 g. Plant root weight that oscillated between 374.5 and 487.5 g was similar (P= 0.0914) among the three planting materials. For the stem shoots, a significant positive linear correlation was found between fruit and leaves weight (r = 0.50; P= 0.0238) and between root and leaves weight (r= 0.76; P< 0.0001). Also, a positive linear correlation for the crown plants was found between leaf and fruit weight (r= 0.56; P= 0.0096) as well as between root and leaves weight (r = 0.74; P= 0.0001). The plant organs-fractions contribution to the complete fresh plant biomass at harvest in descending order was: leaves between 2480.0 and 3527.5 g (between 49.4 and 50.1%), fruit between 1264.0 and 1995.0 g (between 25.6 and 28.8%), stem between 553.0 and 868.5 g (between 11.0 and 12.2%), roots between 374.5 and 487.5 g (5.2 and 8.1%), crown between 211.3 and 237.3 g (between 3.0 and 4.9%) and the slips between 11.3 and 94.0 g (between 0.2 and 1.2%). From the main plant organs-fractions (leaves, stem, fruit, roots), roots represent the smallest proportion but are responsible for anchorage, water and nutrients supply, and exchange of various growth substances with the shoots. This emphasizes the necessity to potentialize the maximum genetic expression of the root system of the planting material as well as maintaining its health and conservation. It is known that the pineapple root growth decreases after flower induction, with the maximum root mass reached at anthesis. On the other hand, pineapples roots do not regenerate or produce again if damaged or attacked by pests and diseases, and for those who run the plantation for one or two ratoon crops, it is essential to understand this fact, since their yield depends on the original root system developed during the plant crop.
Environmental pollution has emerged as one of the most significant global challenges, threatening ecosystem integrity, biodiversity, and human health. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, intensive agricultural practices, mining, and improper waste disposal have resulted in the widespread release of heavy metals and other toxic contaminants into terrestrial and aquatic environments. Continuous monitoring of environmental quality is therefore essential for the effective assessment and management of polluted ecosystems. Among the various biological monitoring tools, snails have gained considerable attention as reliable bioindicators because of their sedentary nature, wide geographical distribution, high bioaccumulation capacity, and sensitivity to environmental contaminants. It discusses the biological and ecological characteristics that make snails suitable bioindicators, including their feeding behaviour, habitat specificity, physiological responses, and the ability of their digestive gland and shell to accumulate toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, mercury, and chromium. The review also summarizes the mechanisms of metal uptake, bioaccumulation, detoxification through metallothionein proteins, oxidative stress responses, and histopathological alterations that serve as biomarkers of environmental contamination. Furthermore, commonly employed analytical techniques, including Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS), Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP- OES), and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), are highlighted for heavy metal determination in snail tissues. Recent case studies from different regions of the world demonstrate the effectiveness of snails in monitoring environmental pollution and assessing ecological health. The advantages, limitations, and future prospects of using snails as bioindicators are also critically discussed. Overall, this review emphasizes that snails provide an economical, sensitive, and scientifically reliable approach for long-term environmental monitoring and can significantly contribute to pollution assessment, ecological risk evaluation, and the development of sustainable environmental management strategies.
Food-borne bacterial infections remain an important concern for public health and food preservation, creating interest in plant-derived antimicrobial formulations. This study evaluated the antibacterial performance of combined aqueous and ethanolic extracts prepared from six medicinal plants: Asparagus racemosus, Acacia arabica, Andrographis paniculata, Lawsonia inermis, Chrysanthemum odoratum, and Centella asiatica. Extract combinations containing two to six plant species were screened against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enteritis, and Listeria monocytogenes using an agar disc-diffusion assay. Ciprofloxacin was included as the reference antibacterial agent. The results showed that antibacterial performance depended on the composition of the mixture and was not directly proportional to the number of plants combined. Among the evaluated formulations, a three-plant combination comprising C. odoratum, L. inermis, and A. paniculata displayed the most consistent broad-spectrum inhibition. The ethanolic preparation produced inhibition zones of 2.1–2.4 cm, whereas the corresponding aqueous preparation produced zones of 1.8–2.0 cm. The maximum inhibition was observed against S. enteritis. Larger combinations containing four to six plant species retained antibacterial activity but did not exceed the performance of the selected three-plant formulation. The findings indicate that carefully selected plant combinations may provide enhanced antibacterial effects and warrant further investigation using MIC, MBC, checkerboard interaction assays, phytochemical profiling, and food-model validation.
