Wheat growth and phytoavailability of copper and zinc as affected by soil texture in saline-sodic conditions

Nutrient disorders in saline-sodic soils can adversely affect crop growth. In order to evaluate the growth response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to Cu and Zn and the phytoavailability of these essential elements, a pot experiment was conducted in three different textured saline-sodic soils [sandy loam (SL), sandy clay loam (SCL) and clay (C)] having an ECe 8.63, 8.80, 8.98 dS m–1 and SAR 21.66, 23.48, 24.84 (mmol L–1)1/2 respectively. Seven treatments including levels of Cu (4, 6 and 8 mg kg–1) and levels of Zn (4, 6 and 8 mg kg–1) were separately applied together with a single control treatment. Dry matter yield (straw + grain) of wheat increased up to 35.2% with Cu and up to 31.2 % with Zn application relative to the control. As soil clay content increased, dry matter yield decreased up to 39.2% in SCL and up to 62.7% in C soil when compared to SL soil. Application of Cu increased the concentration in both wheat straw and grains up to 2.46 and 2.20 mg kg–1 DW respectively relative to the control. Zinc concentration in wheat straw and grains was also increased up to 29.97 and 29.40 mg kg–1 DW respectively relative to the controls. Copper application significantly increased Zn concentrations in wheat plants

Adsorption of various heavy metals through dehydrated powder of two aquatic plants (Lemna minor and Eichhornia crassipes) from aqueous medium

Different heavy metals can be eliminated by non-living or living biomass. Various aquatic plants species can be applied for the removal of metals. In this research, cadmium, copper, zinc and lead adsorption properties of Lemna minor L. and Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms were examined. This work was carried in the laboratory to ascertain the efficiency of aquatic plants Eichhornia crassipes and Lemna minor on the removal of various metals. Two plants Lemna minor and Eichhornia crassipes were obtained in a dehydrated powder type. The adsorption procedure of various metals was investigated under different pH ranges, metal ion concentration and reaction times as well as noticed the chemical composition of these plants. The results indicated that both submerged aquatic plant powders can be effectively used for heavy metal elimination under various factors. The FTIR spectra analysis showed a various functional groups in both aquatic plants, they accelerated the adsorption process

Academic Stress Levels in Annual & Semester System: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study on Students of Physiotherapy in Lahore, Pakistan

Physical Therapy in Pakistan has not yet been considered amongst the reputed professions due to the lack of awareness among the public. This being the very reason of the higher stress among the students studying physiotherapy is kept under consideration in this study. The main purpose of this study was to determine if the students of Annual system endure stress levels higher than those of Semester system. Also the aim was to determine which assessment system was more conducive for an effective learning & to acknowledge the major stressors among the DPT students along with their coping strategies. This study was a Comparative Cross-Sectional Study conducted in duration of 8 months. Data was collected from both male and female students of DPT who had completed 50% of their credit hours of the curriculum. The sample size calculated was found to be 343 (n=343). Exposure assessment included the International Stress Questionnaire which is most commonly used instrument for the evaluation of stress levels among students. The International Stress Questionnaire was administered into a group of 70 students from Public and Private Institutes for validation purpose. Thus 560 questionnaires were distributed among students amongst which only 384 were fully completed and thus included for the statistical analysis. Mean age of the students was found to be 21±1.34 years. Amongst 384 students, 292 were females and 92 were males.190 students were from Annual system i.e. Pass/Fail system and 194 had GPA system as their assessment system. Interpretations were done according to the standard way i.e. a score of 4 or less was supposed to be mild, 5-13 was moderate and 14 or more was severe. Amongst those from Annual system, 17 had mild, 139 had moderate and 34 had severe stress. Amongst 194 students from GPA system, 122 had mild and 72 had moderate stress whereas none of those reported to fall in the category of severe stress. Independent t test was applied to identify if there were significant differences between the two groups and the p value was found to be 0.00 i.e. highly significant. A forum should be developed to register all the students enrolled in Doctor of Physiotherapy every year encompassing all Institutes to prevent the biasness due to non-probability sampling method used to recruit sample

Academic Stress Levels in Annual & Semester System: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study on Students of Physiotherapy in Lahore, Pakistan

Physical Therapy in Pakistan has not yet been considered amongst the reputed professions due to the lack of awareness among the public. This being the very reason of the higher stress among the students studying physiotherapy is kept under consideration in this study. The main purpose of this study was to determine if the students of Annual system endure stress levels higher than those of Semester system. Also the aim was to determine which assessment system was more conducive for an effective learning & to acknowledge the major stressors among the DPT students along with their coping strategies. This study was a Comparative Cross-Sectional Study conducted in duration of 8 months. Data was collected from both male and female students of DPT who had completed 50% of their credit hours of the curriculum. The sample size calculated was found to be 343 (n=343). Exposure assessment included the International Stress Questionnaire which is most commonly used instrument for the evaluation of stress levels among students. The International Stress Questionnaire was administered into a group of 70 students from Public and Private Institutes for validation purpose. Thus 560 questionnaires were distributed among students amongst which only 384 were fully completed and thus included for the statistical analysis. Mean age of the students was found to be 21±1.34 years. Amongst 384 students, 292 were females and 92 were males.190 students were from Annual system i.e. Pass/Fail system and 194 had GPA system as their assessment system. Interpretations were done according to the standard way i.e. a score of 4 or less was supposed to be mild, 5-13 was moderate and 14 or more was severe. Amongst those from Annual system, 17 had mild, 139 had moderate and 34 had severe stress. Amongst 194 students from GPA system, 122 had mild and 72 had moderate stress whereas none of those reported to fall in the category of severe stress. Independent t test was applied to identify if there were significant differences between the two groups and the p value was found to be 0.00 i.e. highly significant. A forum should be developed to register all the students enrolled in Doctor of Physiotherapy every year encompassing all Institutes to prevent the biasness due to non-probability sampling method used to recruit sample

Two-stage vs. single-stage management of patients with choledocholithiasis : meta analysis of randomized controlled trials [abstract]

Current management of choledocholithiasis involves two stage process involving ERCP and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). An alternative single-stage laparoscopic treatment was introduced for these patients. Various randomized controlled trials (RCT's) done to compare these 2 modalities but with controversial results

Outcome of medical versus surgical therapies for gastroesophageal reflux disease : meta analysis of randomized controlled trials [abstract]

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is one of the most common chronic gastrointestinal tracts. Medical management includes use of antisecretory medications or surgical management. Randomized controlled trials have compared both forms of treatment with controversial results. Therefore, we conducted meta-analysis to compare medical versus surgical therapy of GERD

Total parotidectomy under local anesthesia: A novel technique

Parotidectomy is a common procedure usually done for a parotid mass necessitating a histological diagnosis. Operation is normally performed under General anesthesia with a nerve stimulator to facilitate facial nerve stimulation. We describe a new technique with reports of three cases, making total parotidectomy under local anesthesia possible. The ascending cervical branch of cervical plexus and the auriculotemporal nerve were anesthetized by bupivacaine 0.25% (2mg/kg) and lignocaine with adrenaline 7 mg/kg. Effective onset of anesthesia was within 15-25 minutes and the operations lasted between 2-3 hours without any complications. This offers advantage in high-risk patients where general anesthesia is contraindicated. The facial nerve can be easily identified with on command movements by the patient rendering the use of nerve stimulator or injection of the dye superfluous. This technique makes total parotidectomy an outpatient procedure and facilitates an early discharge

Neonatal mortality within 24 hours of birth in six low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Objective: To estimate neonatal mortality, particularly within 24 hours of birth, in six low- and lower-middle-income countries. Methods: We analysed epidemiological data on a total of 149 570 live births collected between 2007 and 2013 in six prospective randomized trials and a cohort study from predominantly rural areas of Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Pakistan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. The neonatal mortality rate and mortality within 24 hours of birth were estimated for all countries and mortality within 6 hours was estimated for four countries with available data. The findings were compared with published model-based estimates of neonatal mortality. Findings: Overall, the neonatal mortality rate observed at study sites in the six countries was 30.5 per 1000 live births (range: 13.6 in Zambia to 47.4 in Pakistan). Mortality within 24 hours was 14.1 per 1000 live births overall (range: 5.1 in Zambia to 20.1 in India) and 46.3% of all neonatal deaths occurred within 24 hours (range: 36.2% in Pakistan to 65.5% in the United Republic of Tanzania). Mortality in the first 6 hours was 8.3 per 1000 live births, i.e. 31.9% of neonatal mortality. Conclusion: Neonatal mortality within 24 hours of birth in predominantly rural areas of six low- and lower-middle-income countries was higher than model-based estimates for these countries. A little under half of all neonatal deaths occurred within 24 hours of birth and around one third occurred within 6 hours. Implementation of high-quality, effective obstetric and early newborn care should be a priority in these settings

Biomedical and photocatalytic applications of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles: Ecotoxicology study of brilliant green dye and its mechanistic degradation pathways

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The preparation of nanoparticles from biological materials is an economic and environmentally friendly strategy with several advantages. The current study is focused to synthesize silver nanoparticles using Petroselinum crispum plant extract. Various characteristics of biologically synthesized AgNPs were determined with UV–Visible (UV/Vis) Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). The plasmonic resonance peak at 425 nm ensured the formation of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis showed that the as-synthesized particles contain alcoholic and polyphenolic constituents, which are responsible for their capping and reduction. The HRTEM results revealed spherical shape of AgNPs with size ranging from 25 to 90 nm. The as-synthesized particles demonstrated excellent antibacterial properties against Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The antioxidant applications of the particles were determined with 2,2-diphenyle-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Moreover, the photocatalytic application of the synthesized AgNPs was evaluated for brilliant green dye (BG). The results demonstrated high degradation of BG due to small size and well-dispersed nature of AgNPs. Degradation products of BG were identified to suggest degradation pathways. The eco-toxicity of the BG and constituents derived from the dye were studied with Ecological Structure Activity Relationship (ECOSAR) software