Ecological study on fisheries important rivers and bays in the south part of the Caspian Sea 2nd phase: Gorgan Bay

In this study ichthyoplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic and hydrochemistry parameters were studied. 9 out of 11 sampling stations were in the Gorgan Bay area and 2 of them were in the mouth of the Bay. Ichthyoplankton survey were carried out in 6 stations and the other surveys such as phytoplankton, etc were done in 11 stations in 2009. Gorgan Bay map and position of sampling sites are given at the end of material and methods section. Biomass and frequency of phytoplankton at different stations, months and seasons were calculated that are presented in Tables 1 to 3. Hydro-chemical parameters such as water temperature, air temperature, visibility, DO, BOD5, pH, Alkalinity (bicarbonate, carbonate and total), Hardness (calcium, magnesium), CL,EC, Salinity, N (nitrate, nitrite, NH_3), Phosphate were measured and results are shown Table 11. Biomass (mgr/m^3) and numbers (ind./m^3) of 47 genus of different phylum of phytoplanktons such as Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Pyrophyta, Chrysophyta and Euglenaphyta as well as different phylum of zooplanktons consist of Protozoa, Arthropoda, Rotifera and Cyliophora were estimated. Frequency of phytoplanktons (ind/m^3) was 131.2, 1.6, 65.3, 18.9 and 23.8 million respectively. Furthermore, their biomass was 308.4, 1.9, 1358.9, 295.1 and 124.7 mg/m^3, respectively. The maximum and minimum numbers were observed in Leptolingbaya belonged to Cyanophyta and Diatoms of Chrysophyta 84.3 and 0.025 million (ind/ m^3) respectively. The maximum and minimum biomass was observed in Gyrosigma (Chrysophyta) and Tetradron (Chloropyta), 12317.3 and 0.014 mg/m3 respectively. The average biomass of zooplankton was measured 531.74, 30.77, 225.07, and 96.26 mg/m^3 respectively and the total was attained 883.83 mg/m3 Table 5. The maximum and minimum biomass of all zooplanktons was estimated in November and July, 3446.23 and 6 mg/m^3 respectively. Furthermore, the maximum and minimum numbers of zooplanktons were found in September and July which were 48.4 and 0.002 millions respectively and the average number was 8.4 ind/m^3 Table 4. Also numbers and biomass (gr/m^2) of 11 families of benthos which inhabit Gorgan Bay such as Annelida, Mollusca and Arthropoda were investigated in separated stations and distinctive months. The maximum and minimum biomass of benthos was observed in January (42.91 gr/m^2) and March (0.6428 gr/m^2). The biomass was considerable in April, February, August and December (Tables: 4, 5 and 6)

Study on ecological capacity of the release sites of the fingerlings of sturgeon and bony fishes in order to regulate the restocking program at the Gorganrud River

This review is started from April 2002 in Gorgan River and continued for one year. Three sampling stations along the river to the mouth of the estuary were 4000 meters away from the bridge to the village Charqly all samples were collected in this area. Four million sturgeon larvae with average weight of 3/2 grams were obtained from martyr Marjani and Vushmgir Dam farms. Over 40 days released at release stations, and 316 million bony fish fingerlings are being release that 282 million were whitefish, 25 million carp and 9 million bream from Vushmgir Dam and Syjval Bream Center within two months at the release stations in Gorgan River. At sampling stations, especially estuaries to determine the shelf life of fry in the river and to determining migration into the river as well as physical - chemical and assess the frequency and biomass of feeding materials (phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos) at the sampling stations in Gorgan River were studied. The entire estuary to the sea makes itself. Maximum migration happened at sunset. Average Debbi for 20-year was at the rate of 14.95 cubic meters per second. In 2002, the annual average was 20.8 cubic meters per second, respectively. Evaluation of abundance and biomass of feeding materials (phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos) indicates the status of the average biomass of phytoplankton in the river at the release station was 23/75 mg per liter that was highest in September and was lowest in December. Mean primary production based on a 145 mg chlorophyll cubic meters. 6 orders of benthic invertebrates were observed. Benthic including 9 families and 11 genera have been identified including groups of insects, worms, low-tar and Polychaetes, crustaceans, bivalve and gastropod. But at the release station (S2) the highest levels of benthic biomass (18/18 grams per square meter) degree of diversity of benthic organisms (12) species have largely been seen as a maximum in April and minimum in December. Also zooplankton condition, zooplankton total of 27 genera belonging to five categories, Rotatoria, Kladvsra, Coupe Pvda, Balanvs, and protozoa were identified. In general, in September zooplankton has the greatest diversity and abundance and in September and March, the lowest number is observed

Hereditary risk factors for the development of gastric cancer in younger patients

BACKGROUND: It is believed that the development of gastric cancer (GC) before the age of 50 has a hereditary basis. Blood group A and history of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives have been shown to be risk factors for GC. METHODS: In this case-control study, we enrolled patients with GC who were diagnosed before the age of 50. Patients who were diagnosed as having GC were selected. A total of 534 cases were found; of these, 44 diagnosed before the age of 50 were included in the case group. For the control group, 22 males and 22 females were randomly selected from the remaining subjects, who had diagnoses of GC after the age of 50. All the surviving patients and family members of the dead patients were interviewed about the history of cancer in the family and the age at which other family members developed cancer. The blood group of each subject was also obtained. RESULTS: forty-four cases under 50 years old (mean age: 36.2 years) and forty-four controls (mean age: 67.1 years) were enrolled in the study. At the time of the study, 59.1% of the study group and 50% of the control group were alive (P value = NS). In the study group, 68.1%, 13.6%, 13.6% and 4.5% had blood groups O, A, B and AB, respectively. In the control group the corresponding figures were 27.7%, 63.6%, 6.8% and 4.5%. First or second-degree relatives with cancer, including gastric (the most frequent), breast, lung, gynecological and hematological malignancies, were noted in 54.5% of the cases and 11.4% of the controls (p < 0.01). Family histories of cancer were accepted as valid provided that they were based on valid medical documents. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the development of GC before the age of 50 is likely to be accompanied by familial susceptibility. Interestingly, our study showed a significant correlation between blood group O and the development of gastric cancer under the age of 50

Combinations of Plant Water-Stress and Neonicotinoids Can Lead to Secondary Outbreaks of Banks Grass Mite (Oligonychus Pratensis Banks)

Spider mites, a cosmopolitan pest of agricultural and landscape plants, thrive under hot and dry conditions, which could become more frequent and extreme due to climate change. Recent work has shown that neonicotinoids, a widely used class of systemic insecticides that have come under scrutiny for non-target effects, can elevate spider mite populations. Both water-stress and neonicotinoids independently alter plant resistance against herbivores. Yet, the interaction between these two factors on spider mites is unclear, particularly for Banks grass mite (Oligonychus pratensis; BGM). We conducted a field study to examine the effects of water-stress (optimal irrigation = 100% estimated evapotranspiration (ET) replacement, water stress = 25% of the water provided to optimally irrigated plants) and neonicotinoid seed treatments (control, clothianidin, thiamethoxam) on resident mite populations in corn (Zea mays, hybrid KSC7112). Our field study was followed by a manipulative field cage study and a parallel greenhouse study, where we tested the effects of water-stress and neonicotinoids on BGM and plant responses. We found that water-stress and clothianidin consistently increased BGM densities, while thiamethoxam-treated plants only had this effect when plants were mature. Water-stress and BGM herbivory had a greater effect on plant defenses than neonicotinoids alone, and the combination of BGM herbivory with the two abiotic factors increased the concentration of total soluble proteins. These results suggest that spider mite outbreaks by combinations of changes in plant defenses and protein concentration are triggered by water-stress and neonicotinoids, but the severity of the infestations varies depending on the insecticide active ingredient

The Physiology and Proteomics of Drought Tolerance in Maize: Early Stomatal Closure as a Cause of Lower Tolerance to Short-Term Dehydration?

Understanding the response of a crop to drought is the first step in the breeding of tolerant genotypes. In our study, two maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes with contrasting sensitivity to dehydration were subjected to moderate drought conditions. The subsequent analysis of their physiological parameters revealed a decreased stomatal conductance accompanied by a slighter decrease in the relative water content in the sensitive genotype. In contrast, the tolerant genotype maintained open stomata and active photosynthesis, even under dehydration conditions. Drought-induced changes in the leaf proteome were analyzed by two independent approaches, 2D gel electrophoresis and iTRAQ analysis, which provided compatible but only partially overlapping results. Drought caused the up-regulation of protective and stress-related proteins (mainly chaperones and dehydrins) in both genotypes. The differences in the levels of various detoxification proteins corresponded well with the observed changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. The number and levels of up-regulated protective proteins were generally lower in the sensitive genotype, implying a reduced level of proteosynthesis, which was also indicated by specific changes in the components of the translation machinery. Based on these results, we propose that the hypersensitive early stomatal closure in the sensitive genotype leads to the inhibition of photosynthesis and, subsequently, to a less efficient synthesis of the protective/detoxification proteins that are associated with drought tolerance