بحوث سكوبس — إيمان عبد الوهاب محمد

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a recreational program in enhancing the social intelligence of schizophrenia patients at Al-Maamoura Psychiatric Hospital. Methodology: The study employed an experimental approach, with a sample of 30 schizophrenia patients at Al-Maamoura Psychiatric Hospital in Egypt. This sample was divided into two groups: 10 cases for the exploratory study and 20 cases for the main study. Within the main study group, 10 cases were assigned to the experimental group (participating in the recreational program), while the remaining 10 comprised the control group. The researchers designed a social intelligence scale to collect data before and after the implementation of the recreational program, which spanned two months and included 16 therapeutic recreational sessions. Results: The study revealed that engaging in recreational activities resulted in a higher level of social intelligence among schizophrenia patients. This was evidenced by improvements in various dimensions of social intelligence: social empathy (73.01%), social self-efficacy (66.81%), social problem solving (65.45%), social information processing (44.65%), social skills (31.30%), and social awareness (30.96%) among the schizophrenia patients. Conclusions: Based on the results, the study recommends the incorporation of recreational therapy programs into the treatment and rehabilitation protocols for schizophrenia patients in healthcare facilities. Hence, efforts should be made to equip government hospitals and rehabilitation centers with the necessary resources, tools, devices, and recreational facilities. © 2025 DSR Publishers/ The University of Jordan.

The current investigation identified and characterized Alternaria alternata as the causal agent of tomato leaf spot through morphological traits and multilocus phylogenetic analysis [internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α), and the RNA polymerase II second-largest subunit (RPB2)], thereby confirming its classification within the A. alternata complex. Four Trichoderma isolates (Ham34, Ham35, Ham36, and Ham37) were recovered from loamy rhizosphere soil associated with healthy tomato plants. Among them, Ham34 (Trichoderma hamatum) showed the most significant antagonistic activity in dual-culture assays. Ethyl acetate extracts of all isolates exhibited concentration-dependent antifungal effects, with Ham34 showing the most potent inhibition (57.8% at 2000 µg/mL). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling of the Ham34 extract identified bioactive metabolites, including (-)-spathulenol (28.2%) and glycerol 1,2-diacetate (21.4%). Among the four tested plant extracts, Rumex dentatus (RD) showed superior activity, achieving 68.5% inhibition at 2000 µg/mL, followed by moderate inhibition from Cichorium intybus, Conium maculatum, and Capsicum annuum. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiling of Rumex dentatus extract revealed high levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, with a total concentration of 108.63 µg/mL. The primary identified constituents were rutin (33.1 µg/mL), gallic acid (22.7 µg/mL), and chlorogenic acid (17.9 µg/mL). Under greenhouse conditions, tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Super Strain B) were treated with Ham34 ethyl acetate extract, RD extract, and their combination (Ham34 + RD). The combined treatment significantly reduced disease incidence (11.1%) and severity (16.7%), outperforming Ridomil Gold® in disease suppression. Growth parameters and chlorophyll content (SPAD) were significantly enhanced in the combined treatment, with increased shoot and root biomass and length. Biochemical analyses revealed that the combined Ham34 + RD treatment enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, including catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), and increased total soluble protein content to 342.8 µg/mL compared to 331.1 µg/mL in the untreated control. Moreover, the treatment elevated total phenolic content to 256 mg GAE/g, indicating improved stress mitigation and enhanced plant vigor. This eco-friendly approach provides a low-cost, chemically stable, and safe alternative to synthetic fungicides, highlighting the synergistic potential of integrating R. dentatus and T. hamatum for sustainable management of A. alternata-induced tomato leaf spot. Copyright © 2025 Philip, Eid, Bayoumi, Heflish, Atallah, Abdelwahab, Michalecka, Behiry, Abdelkhalek and Al-Askar.

The present study appraised the inhibitory role of ethanol (PDEE) and ethyl acetate (PDEAE) extracts of Phoenix dactylifera L. against three molecularly identified fungi: Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizoctonia solani. HPLC analysis revealed that gallic acid was the major phenolic compound in both extracts: (PDEE: 1721.90 μg/g) and (PDEAE: 101.53 μg/g). The major flavonoids in PDEE are rutin, kaempferol, and quercetin, whereas PDEAE contains kaempferol, naringenin, and quercetin. The GC-MS showed 11-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (26.25%) is the highest compound in PDEE, while diisooctyl phthalate (18.82%) is the most important compound in PDEAE. At 50 μg/mL, the inhibition percentage of PDEAE initiated the highest growth inhibition of F. oxysporum (49.63%) and R. solani (71.43%). Meanwhile, PDEE at 200 μg/mL initiated an inhibition value of 77.78% for B. cinerea. As a result, PDEAE is considered more effective than PDEE in controlling the growth of selected isolates. © 2024 Ahmed Abdelkhalek et al., published by Sciendo.

The aim of the current study is to assess the phytochemical contents, antifungal activity, and cytotoxicity characteristics of an ethanolic extract derived from the entire Torilis arvensis plant. High-performance liquid chromatography examination of the extract revealed that the primary phenolic components were benzoic, o-coumaric, and vanillic acids with concentrations of 259.1, 220.4, and 111.3 μg/g of extract, respectively. The highest flavonoids were catechol (117.9 μg/g) and kaempferol (108.7 μg/g). The extract is notable for its high concentration of long-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as its presence of 17 gas chromatography-mass spectrometry bioactive chemicals. Three soil-borne pathogenic fungi, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium oxysporum, were molecularly identified and assessed for the antifungal activity of the extract. The extract showed the highest growth inhibition against R. solani, F. oxysporum, and F. solani at 300 μg/mL, with inhibition rates of 88.9, 71.5, and 67.8%, respectively. T. arvensis treatments were generally non-Toxic after proceeding with cytotoxicity assay on the onion root tip cells, with no chromosomal abnormalities detected even at the highest concentration (300 μg/mL). These findings highlight the potential of T. arvensis extract as a safe and effective antifungal agent with a rich phytochemical profile. © 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.

The present study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial effects of aqueous methanolic extract of Haloxylon salicornicum against some phytopathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. The selected bacterial strains were Pectobacterium carotovorum, Pectobacterium atrosepticum, Ralstonia solanacearum, and Streptomyces scabiei, while fungal strains were Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizoctonia solani. The extract demonstrated significant efficacy against P. atrosepticum and P. carotovorum at a concentration of 1,000 µg/mL, resulting in inhibition zones measuring 12.3 and 11 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the extract demonstrated considerable effectiveness against fungal strains, achieving an impressive fungal growth suppression rate of 68.8% against R. solani at a concentration of 5,000 µg/mL. The high-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified nine notable phenolic compounds and six common flavonoid compounds in the extract. The identified phenolic compounds in the highest quantities were gallic acid (6427.5 µg/g), vanillin (1145.4 µg/g), chlorogenic acid (498.1 µg/g), and syringic acid (322.5 µg/g). Apigenin (1155.9 µg/g), daidzein (460.9 µg/g), quercetin (382.7 µg/g), and naringenin (160.4 µg/g) exhibited the most significant concentrations of flavonoid compounds. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that n-hexadecanoic acid (53.7%), 9-octadecenoic acid (26.9%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) (8.67%), palmitic acid, and TMS derivative (4.36%) were the predominant compounds in the extract. Consequently, the H. salicornicum aqueous methanolic extract could be used for the first time as an environmentally safe antimicrobial pesticide agent against plant pathogens to reduce the excessive use of chemical pesticides. © 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.

Natural products derived from plants are emerging as a valuable resource for a range of antimicrobial agents in sustainable agriculture. The current work looks for the first time at the antimicrobial properties of a methanolic extract of Bienertia sinuspersici against phytopathogenic microorganisms in vitro, using disk diffusion and food poisoning techniques. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity measured at 34.2, 20.6, and 20.1 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of tannins, saponins, and alkaloids were documented at 17.6, 9.8, and 3.2 mg/g, respectively. The high-performance liquid chromatography examination of polyphenolic chemicals revealed that gallic acid was the most abundant compound at 2.22 mg/g, whereas methyl gallate was the least abundant at 0.021 mg/g. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the primary components were oleic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, and methyl ester of 11-octadecenoic acid. The extract had a maximal inhibitory percentage of 57.8% against Fusarium oxysporum at 300 μg/mL, 60.4% against Rhizoctonia solani at 500 μg/mL, and 88.2% against Botrytis cinerea. On the other hand, the extract demonstrated inhibition of Pectobacterium atrosepticum growth by 10.67 mm at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, while Ralstonia solanacearum was inhibited by 9.76 mm and Pectobacterium carotovorum by 9 mm. Overall, the extract of B. sinuspersici demonstrated promising efficacy as antibacterial and antifungal agents against different plant pathogens. Therefore, it could offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative for managing plant diseases. © 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.