Effects of potassium and humic acid on emergence, growth and nutrient contents of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) seedling under saline soil conditions

The effects of potassium and humic acid (HA) on emergence, growth and nutrient contents of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L cv. Sultani) seedlings in saline soil conditions were evaluated. Different levels of humic acid (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg kg-1-1) were applied on growing media treated with 50 mg NaCl kg-1 before seed sowing. The experiment was designed as randomized completely factorial block and each parcel had ten pots without drainage. Two okra seeds were sown in each pot having 300 cc volumes of growth media. The seedlings were thinned to one after emergence. The seedlings were irrigated with distilled water. Seed emergence, root and shoot size, leaf number, shoot and root dry weights of the plant seedlings were determined. Macro and micro nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) contents of seedlings were also determined. All data were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance and separated by Duncan’s multiple range test which was performed using the Costat statistical software. There were statistical differences in terms of effects of potassium and HA on the okra seedling performances. The effects of K, Ca, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and HA applications on plant mineral (N, P, K, Ca, Cu, Fe, and Mn) contents were significant at p < 0.005.Keywords: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.), potassium, humic acid, nutrient content, seedling growthAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(33), pp. 5343-5346, 16 August, 201

Cutaneous reactions after COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey: A multicenter study

Objectives In this study covering all of Turkey, we aimed to define cutaneous and systemic adverse reactions in our patient population after COVID-19 vaccination with the Sinovac/CoronaVac (inactivated SARS-CoV-2) and Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccines. Methods This prospective, cross-sectional study included individuals presenting to the dermatology or emergency outpatient clinics of a total of 19 centers after having been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines. Systemic, local injection site, and non-local cutaneous reactions after vaccination were identified, and their rates were determined. Results Of the 2290 individuals vaccinated between April 15 and July 15, 2021, 2097 (91.6%) received the CoronaVac vaccine and 183 (8%) BioNTech. Systemic reactions were observed at a rate of 31.0% after the first CoronaVac dose, 31.1% after the second CoronaVac dose, 46.4% after the first BioNTech dose, and 46.2% after the second BioNTech dose. Local injection site reactions were detected at a rate of 35.6% after the first CoronaVac dose, 35.7% after the second CoronaVac dose, 86.9% after the first BioNTech dose, and 94.1% after the second BioNTech dose. A total of 133 non-local cutaneous reactions were identified after the CoronaVac vaccine (2.9% after the first dose and 3.5% after the second dose), with the most common being urticaria/angioedema, pityriasis rosea, herpes zoster, and maculopapular rash. After BioNTech, 39 non-local cutaneous reactions were observed to have developed (24.8% after the first dose and 5% after the second dose), and the most common were herpes zoster, delayed large local reaction, pityriasis rosea, and urticaria/angioedema in order of frequency. Existing autoimmune diseases were triggered in 2.1% of the patients vaccinated with CoronaVac and 8.2% of those vaccinated with BioNTech. Conclusions There are no comprehensive data on cutaneous adverse reactions specific to the CoronaVac vaccine. We determined the frequency of adverse reactions from the dermatologist's point of view after CoronaVac and BioNTech vaccination and identified a wide spectrum of non-local cutaneous reactions. Our data show that CoronaVac is associated with less harmful reactions while BioNTech may result in more serious reactions, such as herpes zoster, anaphylaxis, and triggering of autoimmunity. However, most of these reactions were self-limiting or required little therapeutic intervention