Carotenoids are antioxidants with pharmaceutical potential. The major carotenoids important to humans are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Some of the biological functions and actions of these individual carotenoids are quite similar to each other, whereas others are specific. Besides genotype and location, other environmental effects such as temperature, light, mineral uptake, and pH have been found affect carotenoid development in plant tissues and organs. Therefore, this research investigated the effects of the season and storage periods during postharvest handling on the accumulation of carotenoid in pumpkin. This study shows that long-term storage of pumpkins resulted in the accumulation of lutein and beta-carotene with a slight decrease in zeaxanthin. The amounts of beta-carotene ranged from 174.583 +/- 2.105 mg/100g to 692.871 +/- 22.019 mg/100g, lutein from 19.841 +/- 9.693 mg/100g to 59.481 +/- 1.645 mg/100g, and zeaxanthin from not detected to 2.709 +/- 0.118 mg/100g. The pumpkins were collected three times in a year; they differed in that zeaxanthin was present only in the first season, while the amounts of beta-carotene and lutein were the highest in the second and third seasons, respectively. By identifying the key factors among the postharvest handling conditions that control specific carotenoid accumulations, a greater understanding of how to enhance the nutritional values of pumpkin and other crops will be gained. Postharvest storage conditions can markedly enhance and influence the levels of zeaxanthin, lutein, and beta-carotene in pumpkin. This study describes how the magnitudes of these effects depend on the storage period and season.

Plagioneurin B belongs to acetogenin group has well-established class of compounds. Acetogenin group has attracted worldwide attention in the past few years due their biological abilities as inhibitors for several types of tumour cells. Plagioneurin B was isolated via conventional chromatography and tested for thorough mechanistic apoptosis activity on human ovarian cancer cells (CAOV-3). Its structure was also docked at several possible targets using Autodock tools software. Our findings showed that plagioneurin B successfully inhibits the growth of CAOV-3 cells at IC50 of 0.62 A mu M. The existence of apoptotic bodies, cell membrane blebbing and chromatin condensation indicated the hallmark of apoptosis. Increase of Annexin V-FITC bound to phosphatidylserine confirmed the apoptosis induction in the cells. The apoptosis event was triggered through the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways via activation of caspases 8 and 9, respectively. Stimulation of caspase 3 and the presence of DNA ladder suggested downstream apoptotic signalling were initiated. Further confirmation of apoptosis was conducted at the molecular levels where up-regulation in Bax, as well as down-regulation of Bcl-2, Hsp-70 and survivin were observed. Plagioneurin B was also seen to arrest CAOV-3 cells cycle at the G2/M phase. Docking simulation of plagioneurin B with CD95 demonstrated that the high binding affinity and hydrogen bonds formation may explain the capability of plagioneurin B to trigger apoptosis. This study is therefore importance in finding the effective compound that may offer an alternative drug for ovarian cancer treatment.

Women's rights issues have marked its spot as one of the most debated issues throughout centuries. Marriage is regularly portrayed as an "oppressive sphere" for women, with their rights being oppressed the moment they enter a marriage contract, especially in Islam. However, further reflection on the issue has shown that Islamic matrimony liberates women, preserves their honour and place in society, and abolishes injustice, when guided in principle from the Qur'an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Regrettably, Muslim's misunderstanding due to cultural interpretation and malpractice of original Islamic teachings has tainted the true Islamic ideal. In dealing with the data, the study utilised an inductive method and content analysis, and aimed to draw attention to the misunderstandings of marriage in Islam with regards to women's rights. Further discussion would serve to explore the outcome of women's rights in marriage as bestowed by Islam, and understand the importance of the marriage institution, whilst examining the compelling misunderstandings by detractors.