Effects of Glycine Betaine on Plant Growth and Performance of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) & Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L. Walp.) Within Water Deficit Conditions

Managing water consumption of the crops is one of the strategies which have been adopted locally and worldwide in current trends of sustainable agriculture, in addition to the low level of water resources in UAE because of the rare precipitation, no fresh free flowing water; no rivers, lakes or streams. The present study was objective to evaluate the effects of organic exogenous Glycine Betaine on two forage crops Alfa alfa (Medicago sativa L.) & Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) within different levels of drought stress. A pot experiment was designed on completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replicates in each treatment in each plant. Seeds were germinated and the plants watered as required. Exogenous Glycine Betaine was applied as foliar spray in three concentrations (0,100 and 200 ppm) for five times with five days intervals. Water deficit stress start within the second Glycine Betaine treatment in three levels (24h: 100% well-watered recommended), (48h: 60% water deficit) and (72h: 40% water deficit) depending on the required quantity. Growth characteristics, pigment concentrations, biochemical content and Mineral nutrients levels were measured in response to the treatment variables. Results show Glycine Betaine has significant increment in Growth parameters, biochemical contents and Mineral nutrients concentrations. As a conclusion the results suggest that exogenous applications of Glycine Betaine were improve the drought tolerance in Cowpea and has enhanced the Alfa alfa performance under water deficit stress in both concentrations 100 & 200 ppm under drought stress of 60% of irrigations water . In due of comparison of Cowpea and Alfa alfa in their response to Glycine Betaine under the water deficit conditions, it’s found from this study that Glycine Betaine has better effect on the Cowpea under drought stress than Alfa alfa

Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia with Worsening Pleural Effusion Despite Treatment with Appropriate Antimicrobials: Case report

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. As M. pneumoniae pneumonia is usually a mild and self-limiting disease, complications such as pleural effusion occur only rarely. We report a 22-year-old woman who presented to the Emergency Medicine Department of the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2017 with an eight-day history of fever associated with coughing, chills and rigors. She was diagnosed with M. pneumoniae pneumonia, but subsequently developed pleural effusion which worsened despite treatment with appropriate antimicrobials. The pleural effusion required drainage, which revealed that it was of the more severe exudative type. Following drainage, the patient improved dramatically. She was discharged and advised to continue taking antibiotics.Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Bacterial Pneumonia; Pleural Effusion; Antimicrobial Agents; Drainage; Case Report; Oman

Effects of glycine betaine on plant growth and performance of Medicago sativa and Vigna unguiculata under water deficit conditions

Managing water consumption of the crops is one of the strategies which have been adopted locally and worldwide in current trends of sustainable agriculture. In addition to the low level of water resources in UAE because of the rare precipitation, no fresh, free-flowing water, rivers, lakes or streams. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous Glycine Betaine (GB) on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) within different levels of drought stress. A pot experiment was designed on a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replicates. Exogenous GB was applied as a foliar spray in three levels (0,100 and 200 ppm) five times with five days intervals. Drought stress starts within the second GB treatment in three levels (24h: 100% well-watered), (48h: 60% water deficit) and (72h: 40% water deficit) depending on the required quantity. Growth characteristics, pigment concentrations, biochemical content and Mineral nutrients levels were measured in response to the treatment variables. Results showed that the GB has a significant increment in Growth parameters, biochemical contents, and Mineral nutrients concentrations. The results of the present investigation suggested that the exogenous application of GB was improved the drought tolerance in Cowpea and has enhanced the Alfalfa performance under drought stress in both concentrations 100 and 200 ppm under drought stress of 60% of irrigations water.  In due of comparison of Cowpea and Alfalfa, it’s found from this study that GB has a better effect on the Cowpea under drought stress than Alfalfa

Respiratory and allergic health effects in a young population in proximity of a major industrial park in Oman

Background: The Sohar Industrial Zone (SIZ), Oman, which started operating in 2006, contains many industries that potentially affect health of the local population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health effects in a young population living near SIZ. Methods: Retrospective health care visits for acute respiratory diseases (ARD), asthma, conjunctivitis and dermatitis for children of ages 5-10, ≥20 km to represent high, intermediate and control exposure zones respectively. Age and gender-specific monthly counts of visits of the selected diseases were modeled using generalized additive models controlling for time trends. The high and intermediate exposure zones were later combined together due to similarity of associations. Exposure effect modification by age, gender and socioeconomic status (SES) was also tested. Results: Living within 10 km from SIZ showed greater association with ARD (RR: 2.5; 95% CI: 2.3-2.7)), asthma (RR: 3.7; 95% CI: 3.1-4.5), conjunctivitis (RR: 3.1; 95% CI: 2.9-3.5), and dermatitis (RR: 2.7; 95% CI: 2.5-3.0) when compared to the control zone. No differences in associations were found for gender and SES groups; greater effects were noticed in the ≤14 years old group for asthma. Conclusion: This is the first study conducted in Oman examining the health effects of a young population living in proximity of an industrial park. We hope that these findings will contribute in future developments of environmental and public health policies in Oman

Factors associated with spontaneous stone passage in a contemporary cohort of patients presenting with acute ureteric colic. Results from the MIMIC Study (A Multi-centre cohort study evaluating the role of Inflammatory Markers in patients presenting with acute ureteric Colic)

Objectives There is conflicting data on the role of white blood cell count (WBC) and other inflammatory markers in spontaneous stone passage in patients with acute ureteric colic. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship of WBC and other routinely collected inflammatory and clinical markers including stone size, stone position and Medically Expulsive Therapy use (MET) with spontaneous stone passage (SSP) in a large contemporary cohort of patients with acute ureteric colic. Subjects and Methods Multi‐centre retrospective cohort study coordinated by the British Urology Researchers in Surgical Training (BURST) Research Collaborative at 71 secondary care hospitals across 4 countries (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). 4170 patients presented with acute ureteric colic and a computer tomography confirmed single ureteric stone. Our primary outcome measure was SSP as defined by the absence of need for intervention to assist stone passage. Multivariable mixed effects logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between key patient factors and SSP. Results 2518 patients were discharged with conservative management and had further follow up with a SSP rate of 74% (n = 1874/2518). Sepsis after discharge with conservative management was reported in 0.6% (n = 16/2518). On multivariable analysis neither WBC, Neutrophils or CRP were seen to predict SSP, with an adjusted OR of 0.97 [95% CI 0.91 to 1.04, p = 0.38], 1.06 [95% CI 0.99 to 1.13, p = 0.1] and 1.00 [95% CI 0.99 to 1.00, p = 0.17], respectively. Medical expulsive therapy (MET) also did not predict SSP [adjusted OR 1.11 [95% CI 0.76 to 1.61]). However, stone size and stone position were significant predictors. SSP for stones 7mm. For stones in the upper ureter the SSP rate was 52% [95% CI 48 to 56], middle ureter was 70% [95% CI 64 to 76], and lower ureter was 83% [95% CI 81 to 85]. Conclusion In contrast to the previously published literature, we found that in patients with acute ureteric colic who are discharged with initial conservative management, neither WBC, Neutrophil count or CRP help determine the likelihood of spontaneous stone passage. We also found no overall benefit from the use of MET. Stone size and position are important predictors and our findings represent the most comprehensive stone passage rates for each mm increase in stone size from a large contemporary cohort adjusting for key potential confounders. We anticipate that these data will aid clinicians managing patients with acute ureteric colic and help guide management decisions and the need for intervention

Caracterisation et regulation d'une ATPase a protons dans les differents segments du nephron de rat

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Investigation of low cost hydraulic structures using rock protected slopes

Weirs formed of earth or river bed material with upstream and downstream faces protected by tipped rocks appear to be an economically viable form of construction in certain areas of the world. A number of experimental investigations have been carried out to observe and define the failure mode of such weirs which seems to confirm that the failure occurs on the downstream slope close to the point where flow has accelerated to its maximum velocity. In the present investigation the flow over downstream rock protected slope and the stability of the rock protection have been studied. Five hydraulic models have been built and tested in the laboratory flumes. The first, second, and the third models were used for the failure and scour tests. The fourth model was used for the flow characteristics, turbulence and hydraulic resistance studies, and both the fourth and fifth models were used for the measurements of the hydrodynamic forces acting on a bed particle with and without the seepage effects. Detailed velocity distributions with their time fluctuations over the entire depth of flow at different locations along the surface of the rock protection were obtained for the turbulence and hydraulic resistance studies. Also detailed measurements for the hydrodynamic forces with their time fluctuations acting on the selected bed particle were obtained, analyzed, and used in formulating the stability criteria. The seepage through the core of the structure was found to have no effect on the stability of the protection layer and the structure as a whole. Computer programs for the stability analysis and the design have been developed utilizing the experimental results and the formulated stability criteria, based on a stochastic approach using a computer model for simulating the instantaneous values of the forces. All results were compared with the work of previous investigators, also the derived stability criteria confirmed experimentally. (D72242/87)</p

Characterization and control of proton-ATPase along the nephron.

International audienceSince it is now well established that the Na-H exchanger accounts for only part of tubular proton secretion, we attempted to characterize the molecular processes responsible for the remaining moiety. In particular, we evaluated the possible roles of proton pumps in urinary acidification. For this purpose, we characterized ATPase activities associated with the electrogenic H pump, on the one hand, and with H-K-ATPase, on the other. In order to circumvent the axial heterogeneity of nephron, this study was carried out on microdissected segments of nephron. The present report summarized experiments which aimed: (1) at characterizing H-ATPase and H-K-ATPase on kinetic and pharmacologic bases in the successive segments of mammalian nephrons; (2) at evaluating the ionic transport mediated by these two ATPases; and (3) at determining the factors which control the activity of these pumps