Evaluation of the effects of FYM and gypsum on onion (Allium cepa L.) production under sodic water irrigation

A field experiment was conducted at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to study the effect of FYM and gypsum on onion (Allium cepa L.) production under sodic water irrigation. Treatments comprised of three levels of farm yard manure (FYM) (F0- no FYM, F1- 10 t/ha and F2- 20 t/ha FYM) and three levels of gypsum (G0- nogypsum, G1- 50% neutralization of RSC and G2- 100% neutralization of RSC) in addition to control (irrigation with sodic water and no FYM and no gypsum F0G0). Results of the study showed that the seedling mortality was maximum (77.50 %) in control (F0G0) treatment, while minimum number of seedlings mortality (18.17 %) was observed in (F2G2) treatment followed by (25.17 %) (F2G1) treatment. There was significant increase in growth and yield of onion with application of FYM and gypsum. Moreover, maximum bulb yield (180.83 q/ha) was recorded in (F2G2) followed by F2G1 (152.22 q/ha) where 100% sodicity of water was neutralized by the application of gypsum and 20 t/ha FYM. Under sodic water conditions, increasing level of gypsum and FYM help in reducing the sodicity of irrigation water and thereby, increasing the yield of onion. The study concluded that in present situation of scarcity of good quality water for agricultural purposes, use of amendments like FYM and gypsum were best alternative for the best possible use of poor quality ground water and simultaneously sustain the yield of vegetable crops like onion which are sensitive to sodic water

CURCUMIN IN ORAL MUCOSAL LESIONS: AN UPDATE

The phytopharmaceutical curcumin - the Indian golden spice has been widely researched for its pharmaceutical properties. It exhibits a big promise as a therapeutic agent due to its properties such as antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic activity, anticarcinogenic activity, chemopreventive, chemotherapeutic activity, antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal and is currently in human trials for a variety of conditions. The applications of curcumin in dentistry include its use as pit and fissure sealant, dental plaque detection system, subgingival irrigant, and intracanal medicament. The aim of the present paper is to review the current literature for the use of curcumin in oral mucosal lesions. A thorough review of the existing literature encompassing PubMed, Ovid, Embase, and Google scholar was made using the keywords curcumin, turmeric, oral, mucosal, oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), oral lichen planus (OLP), aphthous, recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), leukoplakia, mucositis, reverse smoking, tobacco-associated lesions, and premalignant. No filters in relation to language or publication year were used and only in vivo studies on humans were selected. Reference lists of retrieved journal articles were searched for publications missed during the primary search. Finally, the Google search engine was used to do a comprehensive search of the World Wide Web to ensure completeness of the search. The review of the literature revealed evidence of the use of curcumin in tobacco-associated conditions of the oral cavity-OSMF, oral leukoplakia, oral lesions associated with reverse smoking and ulcerative conditions of the oral cavity- OLP, RAS, and oral mucositis has been studied. Curcumin provides the basis for a simple, safe, acceptable, and cost-effective intervention for oral mucosal disorders

Role of Herbal Medication in Tobacco Cessation Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Literature reports randomized trials have examined herbal drugs and other smoking cessation therapies such as aromatherapy acupuncture but no comprehensive overview of the overall results has been provided. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to describe the overall effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines. Methods: This study was conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 by searching seven databases. Herbal drugs have been shown to help people quit smoking in randomized controlled studies. Two teams of researchers independently extracted the data. Findings: A total of 12 trials with 762 smokers were included in this study. The heterogeneity I2 was 43.6% with P=0.03 (Cochrane Q test) and χ2=15.77. The overall odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.91 (0.68- 1.20) which shows a protective factor of herbal preparations and very low heterogeneity. The herbal treatments such as Vernonia cinerea, St. John’s Wort, and lavender essential oil were significantly related to a higher continuous abstinence rate (CAR) compared to the controls with risk ratio (RR): 2.13 (0.57-4.61) at week 8; RR: 2.72 (0.77-5.3) at week 12; and RR: 2.77 (0.37-1.13) at week 24. A 7-day point abstinence rate (PAR) at week 8 was RR: 1.24 (0.81-6.34) with 95% CI; RR: 2.09 (0.93-8.29) at week 12, and RR: 2.11 (0.3-3.08) at week 24.Black pepper and lime were better in craving reduction than the placebo group. This study found no significant difference between the treatment and control groups in adverse effects, despite some minor side effects with herbal drugs.  Conclusion: The results of this study showed herbal treatments have the potential to help smokers quit the habit. Further well designed trials comparing standardized herbal medicines with conventional therapy and placebo are recommended to reinforce this data

Vision, challenges and opportunities for a Plant Cell Atlas

With growing populations and pressing environmental problems, future economies will be increasingly plant-based. Now is the time to reimagine plant science as a critical component of fundamental science, agriculture, environmental stewardship, energy, technology and healthcare. This effort requires a conceptual and technological framework to identify and map all cell types, and to comprehensively annotate the localization and organization of molecules at cellular and tissue levels. This framework, called the Plant Cell Atlas (PCA), will be critical for understanding and engineering plant development, physiology and environmental responses. A workshop was convened to discuss the purpose and utility of such an initiative, resulting in a roadmap that acknowledges the current knowledge gaps and technical challenges, and underscores how the PCA initiative can help to overcome them.</jats:p

Calmodulin-like protein 38: a component of ribonucleoprotein particles during hypoxic stress responses in Arabidopsis

Waterlogging stress leads to a crisis in energy metabolism and the accumulation of toxic metabolites due to the hypoxic and/or anoxic environment associated with this condition. To respond and adapt to this situation, higher plants employ an integrated genetic program that leads to the induction of anaerobic response polypeptide genes that encode metabolic and signaling proteins involved in altering metabolic flow and other adaptive responses. The study presented here shows that the Arabidopsis thaliana calmodulin-like protein CML38 is calcium sensor protein that serves as a member of the core anaerobic response gene family and is involved in modulating the survival response to low oxygen stress. CML38 is unique among Arabidopsis genes encoding seven calmodulin and fifty calmodulin-like proteins since it is solely induced over 300-fold in roots within 6 hr of hypoxia/water-logging challenge. Sensitivity towards low oxygen stress challenge results in the reduced survival of CML38 T-DNA knock-out plants, which could be rescued by complementation of the mutant. Based on subcellular localization of CML38, and proteomic studies of CML38 co-immunoprecipitation complexes, it appears that the protein is localized to mRNA-ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes known as stress granules (SGs) and processing bodies (PBs) that serve to sequester cellular mRNA in a non-translatable state (SG) or process it for degradation (PB) during stress conditions. It is postulated that CML38 is a new target for calcium signals that regulate the mRNP complex during the hypoxia/flooding adaptation program in Arabidopsis. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that CML38 is part of a larger family of structurally related calcium sensor proteins, which form the rgs-CaM like family of Arabidopsis. RgsCaM was identified as an endogenous suppressor of posttranscriptional gene silencing in tobacco and as an interaction target of the tobacco etch virus protein helper component proteinase (HC-Pro). The present work also shows that CML38 shares high structural and functional similarities with rgsCaM and also interacts with the helper component proteinase (HC-Pro) in planta. Based on these studies, a potential role of CML38 as a hypoxia-induced calcium sensor that regulates mRNA metabolism and posttranscriptional gene silencing is postulated

Oral Health Status, Health Behaviour and Treatment Needs of Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery

Abstract Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of cardiovascular surgery patients. Second, the awareness of cardiovascular surgery patients regarding the association between oral health and heart disease was considered. Methods: Assessment of oral health status, oral hygiene practices and treatment needs of 106 hospitalized patients in preparation for cardiovascular surgery. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire designed for this study and oral examination was carried out by a dentist. Results: The oral hygiene practices of the study cohort were not up to the standard. Patients' awareness of infective endocarditis was poor. Approximately 68% patients experienced dental caries as decayed teeth or missing teeth due to caries and filled teeth. The mean plaque index in the study group was 1.25. In this study cohort, the mean probing depth of periodontal pockets was 5.7±1.3, whereas the mean number of teeth with periodontal pockets > 6 mm was 0.5±0.9. A total of 84 (74.2%) of the patients required dental treatment. Conclusion: The principal finding in this study was that patients with heart disease had poor oral health. This study also highlights the importance of better interaction among all healthcare professionals to integrate oral health as part of comprehensive inpatient healthcare

Syncopal storm in an elderly patient: unraveling the mechanism—a case report

Abstract Background Multiple episodes of syncope in rapid succession are extremely rare, and syncope in the elderly has multiple potential mechanisms. Even though the electrophysiology study has little role in patients with syncope who have structurally normal hearts, the history of syncope preceded by palpitations was a red-flag symptom that made us go ahead with the electrophysiology study (EP) that revealed the ultimate diagnosis of typical atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), which was documented to be associated with critical hypotension. Case presentation A 78-year-old man with a history of hypertension experienced a ‘Syncopal Storm,’ with four episodes within 15 min. There was no history to suggest common etiologies like postural hypotension or vasovagal syncope. The examination, ECG, and echocardiogram were normal. In view of the nasty sequence and a history of syncope preceded by palpitations, we conducted an electrophysiology study. Surprisingly, typical AVNRT at 190 bpm was easily and repeatedly induced with atrial extrastimuli. During the AVNRT, the systolic BP fell from 160 to 40 mm Hg with the development of presyncope. No ventricular tachycardia was inducible despite vigorous ventricular stimulation protocol. Radiofrequency ablation was performed successfully. The patient was symptom-free after 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion We report a unique case of a syncopal storm due to AVNRT in the setting of a structurally normal heart. The syncopal storm is a rare but ominous presentation of AVNRT. The cause of syncope was a combination of a high heart rate, loss of atrioventricular synchrony, and an impaired autonomic vasomotor response, causing severe hypotension