Brain Cooling and Cleaning: A New Perspective in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Dynamics

The function of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has long been considered for mechanical protection and recently attributed to the supply of nutrients to the brain. However, we hypothesize that the brain is a water-cooled and water-cleaned system. Recent studies on the glymphatic pathways and the introduction of cisternostomy as a surgical procedure for traumatic brain injury reveal a vast and in-depth functionality of the CSF, which works in synchrony with the cardiopulmonary rhythms to act as a buffer for optimum cerebral function. The nasal sinuses are located around the suprasellar cistern, and the evaporating wet mucosa within them during the breathing contributes to local cooling, whereas the nocturnal activation of AQP4 channels allows CSF-ISF exchange. The resultant “cooling and cleaning” of the brain not only maintains a physiological equilibrium but also opens doors for understanding and treating pathophysiology underlying common degenerative and neuro-inflammatory diseases. This chapter describes the novel theory of brain cooling and cleaning and the clinical and experimental evidence to support this hypothesis

Preservation and Recovery of Metal-Tolerant Fungi from Industrial Soil and Their Application to Improve Germination and Growth of Wheat

Heavy metals contaminate soil and adversely affect plant growth. These soils contain different fungi and bacteria which exhibit metal tolerance and work as bioremediation agents to detoxify polluted soils. In the present study, polluted soil samples were collected to estimate the contamination of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd). From this contaminated soil, metal tolerant fungi were isolated and characterized. Copper and cadmium were found in a range of 190.2–300.4 mg/kg and 46.8–56.1 mg/kg, respectively. For the isolation of metal tolerant fungi, soil dilutions were made in water and inoculated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. Fungal growth was observed on PDA and successive screening resulted in the isolation of four multi-metal tolerant fungal species, including Penicillim oxalicum, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum. Sequencing of 18S rRNA genes of isolated fungi also efficiently identified them. To reveal minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), these fungi were exposed to increasing concentrations of cadmium and copper chlorides (100 to 1000 ppm) and a variable MIC range of 400 ppm to 1000 ppm was estimated. Based on tolerance index analysis, F. solani was found to be resistant at 1 mM copper, while P. oxalicum was the most tolerant species under cadmium stress. F. solani and P. oxalicum demonstrated the highest biosorption capacity of Cu and Cd, respectively. Both metals negatively affected wheat seedlings in a pot experiment, while the treatment of both F. solani and P. oxalicum positively influenced the germination and growth of wheat. Based on these observations, it could be inferred that F. solani and P. oxalicum can be used for the myco-remediation of Cu and Cd, respectively

Preservation and Recovery of Metal-Tolerant Fungi from Industrial Soil and Their Application to Improve Germination and Growth of Wheat

Heavy metals contaminate soil and adversely affect plant growth. These soils contain different fungi and bacteria which exhibit metal tolerance and work as bioremediation agents to detoxify polluted soils. In the present study, polluted soil samples were collected to estimate the contamination of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd). From this contaminated soil, metal tolerant fungi were isolated and characterized. Copper and cadmium were found in a range of 190.2–300.4 mg/kg and 46.8–56.1 mg/kg, respectively. For the isolation of metal tolerant fungi, soil dilutions were made in water and inoculated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. Fungal growth was observed on PDA and successive screening resulted in the isolation of four multi-metal tolerant fungal species, including Penicillim oxalicum, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum. Sequencing of 18S rRNA genes of isolated fungi also efficiently identified them. To reveal minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), these fungi were exposed to increasing concentrations of cadmium and copper chlorides (100 to 1000 ppm) and a variable MIC range of 400 ppm to 1000 ppm was estimated. Based on tolerance index analysis, F. solani was found to be resistant at 1 mM copper, while P. oxalicum was the most tolerant species under cadmium stress. F. solani and P. oxalicum demonstrated the highest biosorption capacity of Cu and Cd, respectively. Both metals negatively affected wheat seedlings in a pot experiment, while the treatment of both F. solani and P. oxalicum positively influenced the germination and growth of wheat. Based on these observations, it could be inferred that F. solani and P. oxalicum can be used for the myco-remediation of Cu and Cd, respectively