The effect of salinity on evapotranspiration, some growth parameters and ion uptake of sweet sorghum

This study aimed to determine the effect of different irrigation water salinity levels on two different sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) variety (Erdurmuş and Uzun) growth, evapotranspiration, some growth parameters, and ion uptake in leaves and roots. Six different saline irrigation water levels (S0=0.5 (control), S1= 1.0, S2: 2.0, S4=4.0, S8= 8.0, and S16=16.0 ds m-1) were obtained by mixing the NaCl and CaCl2 salt species into the tap water source. Plants were harvested before the phase of florescence. Increasing salinity level first increased and then decreased all growth parameters (Stem length, root length, fresh stem weight, fresh root weight, dry stem weight, and dry root weight). The increased salinity level after S2 treatment resulted in decreased water use efficiency. The salinity level affected the uptake of all ions in the root (except the Kion) and leaf, and as the salinity level increased, the amount of N, P, Mn, Znand Na in the leaf increased significantly, while the amount of K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Cu decreased

Inhibitory effects of regorafenib, a multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on corneal neovascularization

<b>AIM:</b>To evaluate the inhibitory effects of regorafenib (BAY 73-4506), a multikinase inhibitor, on corneal neovascularization (NV).<b>METHODS:</b>Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-300 g, were used. Corneal NV was induced by NaOH in the left eyes of each rat. Following the establishment of alkali burn, the animals were randomized into five groups according to topical treatment. Group 1 (<i>n </i>= 6) received 0.9% NaCl, Group 2 (<i>n </i>= 6) received dimethyl sulfoxide, Group 3 (<i>n </i>= 6) received regorafenib 1 mg/mL, Group 4 (<i>n </i>=6) received bevacizumab 5 mg/mL and Group 5 (<i>n </i>= 6) received 0.1% dexamethasone phosphate. On the 7d, the corneal surface covered with neovascular vessels was measured on photographs as the percentage of the cornea’s total area using computer-imaging analysis. The corneas obtained from rats were semiquantitatively evaluated for caspase-3 and vascular endothelial growth factor by immunostaining.<b>RESULTS:</b>A statistically significant difference in the percent area of corneal NV was found among the groups (<i>P </i>&lt;0.001). Although the Group 5 had the smallest percent area of corneal NV, there was no difference among Groups 3, 4 and 5 (<i>P </i>&gt;0.005). There was a statistically significant difference among the groups in apoptotic cell density (<i>P </i>= 0.002). The staining intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor in the epithelial and endothelial layers of cornea was significantly different among the groups (<i>P </i>&lt;0.05). The staining intensity of epithelial and endothelial vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly weaker in Groups 3, 4 and 5 than in Groups 1 and 2.<b>CONCLUSION:</b> Topical administration of regorafenib 1 mg/mL is partly effective for preventing alkali-induced corneal NV in rats

Locomotor differences in Mongolian gerbils with the effects of midazolam administration in the form of eye drops

Background: Midazolam is a sedative-hypnotic agent with amnestic and anticonvulsant properties that can be administrated to mammals through various routes, such as intravenous, intramuscular, oral, intrathecal, rectal, and buccal. Midazolam administration in the form of eye drops through the conjunctiva is not reported in the literature. Aim:This study aims to demonstrate the possible central nervous system effects of midazolam administration as eyes drops in Mongolian gerbils. Materials and Methods: Fourteen gerbils were randomly assigned to one of two equal sized groups. The active arm received 2 ml of 10 mg midazolam as eye drops in both eyes. Control group received a total of 2 ml of physiological saline(0.9% NaCl). We subjected the gerbils to an adapted “Open Field” to determine the possible effects on central nervous system of midazolam. Gerbils were allowed to move freely in the open field. Before and after the drug administration, locomotor activities of each gerbil have been recorded. Frequency of loss of righting reflex was quantified. Results: Conjunctival Midazolam administration resulted with the transient loss of righting reflex (p=0.017) and suppressed exploration motion (p=0.018) in the open field test compared to control subjects. Conclusions: In the present study, administration of conjunctival midazolam as an eye drop may affect gerbil’s locomotor activities and open field behaviors. We argue that, using a sedative and anticonvulsive drug such as midazolam via conjunctival route may be useful in some clinical situations. Therefore, it could be beneficial to develop a new conjunctival formulation of midazolam. Also, there is a need for trials in humans with pharmacokinetic studies.Keywords: Righting reflex; Conjunctival Midazolam; Gerbillinae; Midazolam; Eye drop; New administration routeAfrican Health sciences Vol 14 No. 1 March 201

Construction of a high-density genetic linkage map and QTL mapping for bioenergy-related traits in sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

Sorghum is an important but arguably undervalued cereal crop, grown in large areas in Asia and Africa due to its natural resilience to drought and heat. There is growing demand for sweet sorghum as a source of bioethanol as well as food and feed. The improvement of bioenergy-related traits directly affects bioethanol production from sweet sorghum; therefore, understanding the genetic basis of these traits would enable new cultivars to be developed for bioenergy production. In order to reveal the genetic architecture behind bioenergy-related traits, we generated an F2 population from a cross between sweet sorghum cv. ‘Erdurmus’ and grain sorghum cv. ‘Ogretmenoglu’. This was used to construct a genetic map from SNPs discovered by double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq). F3 lines derived from each F2 individual were phenotyped for bioenergy-related traits in two different locations and their genotypes were analyzed with the SNPs to identify QTL regions. On chromosomes 1, 7, and 9, three major plant height (PH) QTLs (qPH1.1, qPH7.1, and qPH9.1) were identified, with phenotypic variation explained (PVE) ranging from 10.8 to 34.8%. One major QTL (qPJ6.1) on chromosome 6 was associated with the plant juice trait (PJ) and explained 35.2% of its phenotypic variation. For fresh biomass weight (FBW), four major QTLs (qFBW1.1, qFBW6.1, qFBW7.1, and qFBW9.1) were determined on chromosomes 1, 6, 7, and 9, which explained 12.3, 14.5, 10.6, and 11.9% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Moreover, two minor QTLs (qBX3.1 and qBX7.1) of Brix (BX) were mapped on chromosomes 3 and 7, explaining 8.6 and 9.7% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. The QTLs in two clusters (qPH7.1/qBX7.1 and qPH7.1/qFBW7.1) overlapped for PH, FBW and BX. The QTL, qFBW6.1, has not been previously reported. In addition, eight SNPs were converted into cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) markers, which can be easily detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. These QTLs and molecular markers can be used for pyramiding and marker-assisted selection studies in sorghum, to develop advanced lines that include desirable bioenergy-related traits

Serum Levels of Omentin in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

Purpose: Omentin, a member of the adipocytokines family, is derived from adipose tissue and a lower level of serum omentin is considered as a metabolic risk factor. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the serum levels of omentin in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES).Materials and Methods: Patients without any systemic or ocular disease other than PES were included in the study. Age-matched and sex-matched healthy volunteers without PES were accepted as a control group. After detailed ophthalmologic examination, blood samples were obtained from a forearm vein. Serum levels of omentin were determined by the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: The mean age of the PES group (12 females, 12 males, n = 24) was 75.2 +/- 8.4 years, and the control group (10 females, 10 males, n = 20) was 75 +/- 6.7 years. There was no difference between the groups in terms of age (P = 0.93) and sex (P = 0.9). The mean serum levels of omentin in the PES group were 801.5 +/- 317.1 ng/mL and in the control group were 1150.1 +/- 584.1 ng/mL. The mean serum omentin levels were significantly lower in patients with PES (P = 0.016).Conclusion: Lower levels of serum omentin in patients with PES compared with healthy subjects may support the theory of systemic nature of the disease

Investigation of Forage Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Genotypes for Yield and Yield Components

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability of forage sorghum genotypes and to estimate genotypic, phenotypic, and environmental correlations with path and stability analysis. The experiments were conducted in Antalya and Konya locations of Turkey during 2014-2015 years by using 48 selected forage sorghum lines and 4 sorghum varieties. Experimental design was the randomized complete block, with three replications. Significant variations were recorded for all the characters among the genotypes. The highest plant height has been optained from 355.2 cm and 300.1 cm in Antalya and Konya location respectively. Days to 50% flowering ranged from 64.8-101.3 days in Antalya and 69.0-111.2 days in Konya. The highest forage yield was observed in Line-22 with 99.1 tha-1 in Antalya and in Line-41 with 75.5 tha-1 in Konya. Forage yield was significantly and highly positively correlated with hay yield (r = 0.9851**), plant leaf ratio (r=0.3478*) and stalk yield (r=0.9901**). Path analysis revealed the plant stalk ratio direct positive effect on forage yield. On the other hand, plant stalk yield had negative direct effect through forage yield. According to results of the stability analysis, Line-1, 3, 5, 13, 21,40, 42 and 44 were the most stable varieties