In seeking alternative cancer treatments, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), sourced from various life forms, emerge as promising contenders. These endogenous peptides, also known as host defense peptides (HDPs), play crucial roles in immune defenses against infections and exhibit potential in combating cancers. With their diverse defensive functions, plant-derived AMPs, such as thionins and defensins, offer a rich repertoire of antimicrobial properties. Insects, amphibians, and animals contribute unique AMPs like cecropins, temporins, and cathelicidins, showcasing broad-spectrum activities against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Understanding these natural peptides holds significant potential for developing effective and targeted therapies against cancer and infectious diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exhibit diverse structural characteristics, including α-helical, β-sheet, extended, and loop peptides. Environmental conditions influence their structure, connecting to changes in cell membrane hydrophobicity. AMPs’ actions involve direct killing and immune regulation, with additional activities like membrane depolarization. In this review, we focus on antimicrobial peptides that act as anticancer agents and AMPs that exhibit mechanisms akin to antimicrobial activity. Buforin AMPs, particularly Buforin I and II, derived from histone H2A, demonstrate antibacterial and anticancer potential. Buforin IIb and its analogs show promise, with selectivity for cancer cells. Despite the challenges, AMPs offer a unique approach to combat microbial resistance and potential cancer treatment. In various cancer types, including HeLa, breast, lung, ovarian, prostate, and liver cancers, buforins demonstrate inhibitory effects and apoptosis induction. To address limitations like stability and bioavailability, researchers explore buforin-containing bioconjugates, covalently linked with nanoparticles or liposomes. Bioconjugation enhances specificity-controlled release and combats drug resistance, presenting a promising avenue for targeted cancer treatment. Clinical translation awaits further evaluation through in vivo studies and future clinical trials.

Climate change will determine a sharp increase in carbon dioxide in the following years. To study the influence of elevated carbon dioxide on plants, we grew 13 different species and varieties from the Brassicaceae family at three carbon dioxide concentrations: 400, 800, and 1200 ppmv. The photosynthetic parameters (assimilation rate and stomatal conductance to water vapor) increase for all species. The emission of monoterpenes increases for plants grown at elevated carbon dioxide while the total polyphenols and flavonoids content decrease. The chlorophyll content is affected only for some species (such as Lipidium sativum), while the β-carotene concentrations in the leaves were not affected by carbon dioxide.

Elevated carbon dioxide and drought are significant stressors in light of climate change. This study explores the interplay between elevated atmospheric CO₂, drought stress, and plant physiological responses. Two Brassica oleracea varieties (cauliflowers and cabbage) were utilized as model plants. Our findings indicate that elevated CO₂ accelerates assimilation rate decline during drought. The integrity of photosynthetic components influenced electron transport, potentially due to drought-induced nitrate reductase activation changes. While CO₂ positively influenced photosynthesis and water-use efficiency during drought, recovery saw decreased stomatal conductance in high-CO₂-grown plants. Drought-induced monoterpene emissions varied, influenced by CO₂ concentration and species-specific responses. Drought generally increased polyphenols, with an opposing effect under elevated CO₂. Flavonoid concentrations fluctuated with drought and CO₂ levels, while chlorophyll responses were complex, with high CO₂ amplifying drought’s effects on chlorophyll content. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of CO₂–drought interactions and their intricate effects on plant physiology.

The present paper proposes a method for an effective analysis of Romanian folk motifs using two basic algorithms – Radius-Vector function (RV) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For a better accuracy of the analysis, a combination of these methods has been proposed. The authors selected few Romanian folk motifs (embroidered on blouses, skirts called “poale”, front aprons called “zadii”, sleeveless vest) from Bihor, Arad, and Maramures Counties. The vectorization of traditional motifs was made by GIS software.