Analysis of the effects of Glomus etunicatum fungi and Pseudomonas fluorescence bacteria symbiosis on some morphological and physiological characteristics of Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifolia L.) under drought stress conditions

To analyze the effects of Glomus etunicatum fungi and Pseudomonas fluorescence bacteria on some morphological and physiological characteristics of Mexican lime plant under drought stress conditions, a factorial experiment was conducted. This experiment was based on a completely randomized design with three replicates; each replicate was composed of two pots. The factors used consisted of G. etunicatum fungi and control, Pseudomonas fluorescence bacteria and control, and drought stress at three levels (-0.35, -0.47, and -0.6 bars). The analyzed characteristics were leaf chlorophyll content, leaf temperature, rate of net photosynthesis, transpiration, leaf relative water content (RWC), and percentage of root colonization. Data analysis revealed that both fungi and bacteria increased leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration, and leaf RWC. Moreover, the presence of fungi reduced leaf temperature while inoculation of bacteria had no effects on that the parameter. In addition, with the increase of irrigation periods, leaf temperature and transpiration were also increased. Results showed that root colonization percentage dropped with increased irrigation and the highest root colonization percentage was observed in simultaneous inoculations of fungi and bacteria with a two-day irrigation period

Studying of Artemia sp. production in Gonabad salt-waters, Kavir-e-Namak Basin, eastern Iran

A preliminary stock assessment of Artemia sp. has been carried out for the first time in Gonabad salt-waters, situated in the Kavir-e-Namak Basin, a salty desert in eastern Iran. We conducted seasonal analysis of physico-chemical and biological properties of salt-waters for two stations in the study area over the year 2002. Hand-held plankton net was used with a mesh size of 20mm to collect phytoplankton samples. We identified five families of phytoplankton such as: Nitzschiaceae, Naviculaceae, Cymbellaceae, Oscillatoriaceae and Nostocaceae in the salt-waters of the area. Phytoplankton species from family Nitzschiaceae were the most abundant, present in the waters year-round and comprised the main food item for Artemia sp. in the region. Phytoplankton abundance was highest during spring and earlier of autumn and Artemia sp. showed a fluctuation in their density over the year, increasing gradually from spring to winter in one station and from spring to autumn in another. Considering the optimal physico-chemical and biological properties for Artemia sp. production and development, we concluded that the best time period for Artemia sp. production start from May to November in Kaleshor area around the Kavir-e-Namak Basin

The effects of exposure to sub-lethal copper and cadmium concentrations on biochemical factors of one year old Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus

The aim of this study was to determine the 96h LC50 of copper and cadmium, and also, to evaluate the effects of their sub-lethal dose on stress factors in Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus. Obtained results from Probit analysis showed 96h LC50 values of 0.502 and 14.78mg/l for copper and cadmium, respectively. Also, in single sub-lethal exposures, 72 juveniles (130±19g) were exposed to 0.026 and 0.68mg/l of copper and cadmium in semi- static conditions, and some stress-related biochemical factors were assessed in 1, 7 and 14 days. According to the obtained results, plasma glucose and cortisol were increased (P0.05) differences in plasma and liver protein contents between experimental groups and controls with the exception of copper treatment at the first day of sampling when plasma protein contents showed significant increases, but decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the subsequent sampling stages. In addition, with copper treatment, significant decreases were observed in plasma triglyceride concentrations as time passed by compared to day 1 (P<0.05). Results showed that copper is more toxic than cadmium for this species and also, 96h LC50 of copper and cadmium are stressful for Persian sturgeon

Effect of Several Organic Fertilizers along with Some Soil Compactness Levels on Nutrients Content of Sport Lawn in Fall Season

The lawn has an incredible role in designing and construction of landscape areas and lawn bed provides aeration, moisture and nutrients, which is essential for having an acceptance lawn, so the role of organic matter and degree of soil compactness need to be studied. In the current study, the effect of some bed mixtures including Leaf Mold (LM), Rice Husk (RH), manure, Spent Mushroom Compost (SMC), a mixture of LM, RH and SMC (mixture 1), a mixture of LM, RH and manure (mixture 2) with the ratio of 1:1:1 and control (no fertilizer), also the effect of some different soil compactness (roller weights of 36, 56 and 76 kilograms) on the content of some nutrients of sport lawn in fall season were investigated. Hence, an experiment was conducted at the strip plot design with three replications, in research farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources during 2008-09. According to the results of this study, interaction of fertilizer and soil compactness was significant for most measured factors. The manure and control treatments showed the most and the least amount of nitrogen in all compactness treatments respectively. The manure and SMC treatments and also treatments containing these organic matters increased plant phosphorus content in comparing with RH, LM and control treatments. Also in three compactness, manure and SMC treatments showed more plant potassium in contrast to control

Umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 magnetite nanoparticles: Antiproliferation evaluation on human Fibrosarcoma cell line (HT-1080)

The potential applications of Fe3O4 magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) in nanomedicine as drug delivery systems are well known. In this study we prepared umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 MNPs and evaluated the antiproliferative effect of combination in vitro. After synthesis of Fe3O4 MNPs, particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy techniques. The natural candidate compound — umbelliprenin— was isolated and identified and umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 MNPs were prepared, using precipitation method. The surface chemistry of umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 MNPs as well as their thermal decomposition characteristics was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analyzer equipment, respectively. HT-1080 cells were cultured until the logarithmic phase of growth, and MTT assay was successfully carried out to evaluate the possible cytotoxic effects of umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 MNPs in viable cells in vitro. The results demonstrated that umbelliprenin has moderate antiproliferative effects with IC50 value of 50 μg/mL. However, the combination of umbelliprenin and Fe3O4 MNPs showed the IC50 value of 9 μg/mL. In other words, cell proliferation decreased to the remarkably-low proportion of 45% after treating cells with umbelliprenin-coated Fe3O4 MNPs. This suggests that with the aid of nanoparticles as carriers, natural products may have even broader range of medical applications in future

ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries

This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors

The Pattern of Root Distribution and Water Absorption in Layered Soil

The pattern of root distribution in layered soils is one of the significant issues in the calculations of soil water and irrigation management and planning. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of root distribution of soybean in layered soils and its effect on water uptake. The research was conducted in a completely randomized design with 15 treatments consisting of three different textures of soil (light, heavy, and medium) in four replications. The pattern of root distribution was monitored by the sampling of columns at the end of the growth period of the soybean. It was observed that the presence of the layer with medium texture has led to better plant development and growth after comparing the treatments in terms of plant growth. In general, root length density decreased with increasing soil depth, except in cases where there were different layers of soil, and root length density takes place in the following order: root length density in layers with medium texture≥ heavy texture≥ light texture. The rate of root water uptake rate was highest in the sandy layers, intermediate in clay, and lowest in loamy texture. Also, the rate of root water uptake rate increased significantly with increasing depth regardless of treatments. It can be concluded that the pattern of root distribution and plant growth is significantly affected by soil texture and its stratification

Drug abuse in hospitalized trauma patients in a university trauma care center: an explorative study

Background: Drug abuse has been known as a growing contributing factor to all types of trauma in the world. The goal of this article is to provide insight into demographic and substance use factors associated with trauma and to determine the prevalence of drug abuse in trauma patients. Methods: Evidence of substance abuse was assessed in trauma patients presenting to Sina trauma hospital over a 3-month period. They were interviewed and provided urine samples to detect the presence of drug/metabolites of opium, morphine, cannabis and heroin by “Morphine Check” kits. Demographic data, mechanisms of injury, history of smoking and drug abuse were recorded. Results: A total of 358 patients with a mean age of 28.4 years were studied. The Patients were predominantly male (94.7%). There was a history of smoking in 136 cases (38%). 58 cases (16.2%) reported to abuse drugs (91.5% opium). The commonest route of administration was smoke inhalation (37.2%). Screening by Morphine Check test revealed 95 samples to be positive (26.5%). The preponderance of test-positive cases was among young people (of 20-30 years of age) with a history of smoking. Victims of violence and those with penetrating injuries also showed a higher percentage of positive screens (P=0.038 and P&lt;0.001, respectively). Conclusion: These results suggest that drug abuse is a contributing factor to trauma especially in violent injuries and among the young. Regarding the considerable prevalence of drug abuse among trauma patients, it’s highly recommended that all trauma patients be screened for illicit drug

Investigating association of three polymorphisms of coagulation factor XIII and recurrent pregnancy loss

Problem: Among important suspected causes of thrombophilia in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) are the polymorphisms of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) gene. We performed a case-control study on the association between three polymorphisms of factor XIII (FXIII G103T, FXIII A614T and FXIII C1694T) and RPL in Iranian women. Method of study: DNA samples from peripheral blood of 100 female patients with at least two recurrent abortions, as case group, and 100 healthy women with history of at least two successful deliveries were subjected to PCR-RFLP, and the frequencies of the polymorphisms were calculated and compared between the two groups. Results: The prevalence of FXIII G103T polymorphism was 29 in the case group and 17 in the control group (P = 0.158). The frequencies of FXIII A614T and FXIII C1694T were 84 and 66 in the case group and 48 and 31 in the control group (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), respectively. The two latter polymorphisms are associated with RPL in Iranian women and increase the risk of RPL. A correlation was also found between FXIII A614T and FXIII C1694T polymorphisms (P < 0.001). Conclusion: We suggest the evaluation of FXIII A614T and FXIII C1694T polymorphisms in women with RPL. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S