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While COVID-19 has taken a toll on many professions and livelihood of all walks of lives, technology has amplified its intrusion to ease the necessities. Innovative technology, therefore, has improved the glitches and provided the software to adhere to these new normal. However, individuals' awareness and attitude toward the advancements of these technological trends need to be addressed. Although the government has taken measures to prevent and curb the growing cases for COVID-19 with the help of technology, the support from the individuals would depend mostly on their level of awareness and the attitude toward those measures. The present qualitative study explored the techno trend awareness, perception and attitudes of techno experts and technical professionals toward social connectedness and mitigating factors of COVID-19. Besides, it also explained individuals' shift toward virtual interaction to maintain social connections during the pandemic. The thematic analysis generated four prominent themes. Social Connectedness, emphasized on the emotional connections that created a positive feeling of belongingness. Technological Advancement provided three sub-themes highlighting perception, techno trend awareness and desirable attitudes toward the mitigation of COVID-19. The categories under Treatment and Preventive Measures indicated the enhanced self-care of individuals and also the tendencies to minimize the spread of diseases. The emergence of the theme Inclination toward Indigenous Knowledge, which is an important finding, indicated the techno-experts inclination toward the indigenous knowledge amid vague scientific shreds of evidence.

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BACKGROUND: Salicylic acid (SA) acts as a potential non-enzymatic antioxidant and a plant growth regulator, which plays a major role in regulating various plant physiological mechanisms. The effects of salicylic acid (SA; 0.05 mM) on physiological parameters, antioxidative capacity and phenolic metabolism, lignin, alkaloid accumulation in salt stressed Catharanthus roseus were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Catharanthus roseus seeds were grown for two months in a glass house at 27-30°C in sunlight, and then divided into four different groups and transplanted with each group with the following solutions for one month: group I (non-saline control), group II, 100 mM NaCl, group III, 0.05 mM SA, group IV, 100 mM NaCl+0.05 mM SA and to determine the physiological parameters (DW, FW, WC), chlorophyll contents, carotenoid contents, lipid peroxidation, phenolics, lignin, alkaloid and enzymatic assays in each leaf pairs and roots. RESULTS: SA exhibited growth-promoting property, which correlated with the increase of dry weight, water content, photosynthetic pigments and soluble proteins. SA has additive effect on the significant increase in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, which is followed by an increase in total soluble phenolics and lignin contents in all leaf pairs and root of C. roseus. SA enhances malondialdehyde content in all leaf pairs and root. The antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-tranferase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase) as well as alkaloid accumulation increased in all treatments over that of non-saline control but the magnitude of increase was found more in root. Further, the magnitude of increase of alkaloid accumulation was significantly higher in 100 mM NaCl, but highly significant was found in presence of 0.05 mM SA and intermediate in presence of both 0.05 mM SA+100 mM NaCl. CONCLUSION: We concluded that applied SA to salt stress, antioxidant and phenolic metabolism, and alkaloid accumulation were significantly altered and the extent of alteration varied between the SA and salt stress.

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Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is a well-known medicinal plant species from the Asteraceae family often referred to as the "star among medicinal species." Nowadays it is a highly favored and much used medicinal plant in folk and traditional medicine. Its multitherapeutic, cosmetic, and nutritional values have been established through years of traditional and scientific use and research. Chamomile has an established domestic (Indian) and international market, which is increasing day by day. The plant available in the market many a times is adulterated and substituted by close relatives of chamomile. This article briefly reviews the medicinal uses along with botany and cultivation techniques. Since chamomile is a rich source of natural products, details on chemical constituents of essential oil and plant parts as well as their pharmacological properties are included. Furthermore, particular emphasis is given to the biochemistry, biotechnology, market demand, and trade of the plant. This is an attempt to compile and document information on different aspects of chamomile and highlight the need for research and development.

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The activities of antioxidant enzymes viz. glutathione reductase, GR; superoxide dismutase, SOD; peroxidase, POD; catalase, CAT and glutathione-S-transferase, GST and alkaloid accumulation were investigated in leaf pairs (apical, middle, basal) and in roots of Catharanthus roseus seedlings under the conditions of different nitrogen sources (20 mM KNO(3) and 2 mM NH(4)Cl) and salinity, in the absence (non-saline control) and in the presence of 100 mM NaCl in the nutrient solution. Salinity caused a reduction in plant biomass. The biomass production of ammonium-fed plants was lower than that of nitrate-fed plants. The antioxidant enzymes exhibited higher activity in saline-treated plants. Changes in antioxidant enzyme activity caused by different nitrogen sources differed in all leaf pairs, as well as in roots of C. roseus. Ammonium-fed plants showed higher CAT, GR and GST activity in leaf pairs as well as in roots, while POD and SOD activity were higher in nitrate-fed plants. Higher peroxidase activity concomitant with the increased accumulation of alkaloid was found in all leaf pairs, as well as in roots of C. roseus of NO(3)(-) fed plants as compared to NH(4)(+) fed plants.

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In this retrospective, consecutive case series, we report the nonsurgical and rehabilitation outcomes of consecutive patients who presented with pronounced painless weakness arising from disk extrusion. Seven consecutive patients who chose physiatric care were followed clinically, and strength return was monitored. Each presented with predominantly painless radiculopathy, functionally significant strength loss, and radiographic evidence of disk extrusion or sequestration. Each patient participated in a targeted strengthening program, and in some cases, transforaminal injection therapy was employed. Each patient demonstrated an eventual full functional recovery. In most cases, electrodiagnostic studies were performed and included a needle examination of the affected limb and compound muscle action potentials from the most clinically relevant and weakened limb muscle. The electrodiagnostic findings and, in particular, the quantitative compound muscle action potential data seemed to correlate with the timing of motor recovery. Patients with predominantly painless and significant weakness arising from disk extrusion can demonstrate successful rehabilitation outcomes. Despite a relative absence of pain, such patients can present with a more rapidly reversible neurapraxic type of weakness. The more quantitative compound muscle action potential data obtained through electrodiagnostic studies may offer the treating physician an additional means of characterizing the type of neuronal injury at play and the likelihood and timing of strength return.

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