Microarray expression profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana L. in response to allelochemicals identified in buckwheat

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is an important annual plant cultivated for grain or as a cover crop in many countries, and it is also used for weed suppression in agro-economic systems through its release of allelochemicals. Little is known, however, concerning the mode of action of allelochemicals or plant defence response against them. Here, microarrays revealed 94, 85, and 28 genes with significantly higher expression after 6 h of exposure to the allelochemicals fagomine, gallic acid, and rutin, respectively, compared with controls. These induced genes fell into different functional categories, mainly: interaction with the environment; subcellular localization; protein with binding function or cofactor requirement; cell rescue; defence and virulence; and metabolism. Consistent with these results, plant response to allelochemicals was similar to that for pathogens (biotic stress) or herbicides (abiotic stress), which increase the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS; with consequent oxidative stress) in plant cells. The data indicate that allelochemicals might have relevant functions, at least in part, in the cross-talk between biotic and abiotic stress signalling because they generate ROS, which has been proposed as a key shared process between these two stress mechanisms

The impact of salt concentration on the mineral nutrition of Tetragonia tetragonioides

The purpose of the experiment was to study the e ect of salinity (NaCl) on growth, biomass production (total yield), mineral composition (macro- and micronutrient contents in leaves and the soil in which the plant is grown) of Tetragonia tetragonioides during the vegetation period. The experimental work was conducted in the greenhouse at the University of Lille 1, France, from 2 November 2015 to 25 January 2016. Three salinity treatments (T1 (50 mM NaCl), T2 (100 mM NaCl), T3 (200 mM NaCl)) and a control treatment (T0 (0 mM NaCl)) were applied. Analysis of the results showed that the total yield of the crop had low variation between the salinity treatments and the control treatment. The salt concentrations had an e ect on the macro- and micronutrient contents in leaves and soil. In conclusion, T. tetragonioides exhibited good potential for use as a species to remove salt. This is the main important finding of this research.Erasmus Mundus Euro-Asian CEA project for support of the European Joint Doctorate Program; JST CREST Grant Number JPMJCR17O2info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Determination of allelopathic potential in mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) leaf litter using sandwich method

The sandwich method is a reliable screening bioassay that can be utilized to investigate allelopathic activity of leaf litter leachates. Screening the allelopathic potential of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) leaf litter in plant–plant interaction using the sandwich bioassay method has not been reported. The research objectives were to determine and categorize allelopathic potential of S. macrophylla leaf litter using the sandwich bioassay method, and to determine specific activity (EC550). S. macrophylla leaf litter. The results showed that S. macrophylla leaf litter exhibited strong allelopathic activity when compared with 46 leaf litter species and was included in the top ten of allelopathic leaf litter species. Increasing S. macrophylla leaf litter concentration was concomitant with inhibition of radicle lettuce seedling growth compared with the control. According to the linear regression analysis, the effective concentration (EC50) of S. macrophylla was estimated to be 3.25 mg D.W. eq. mL-1 and was considered to have strong growth-inhibitory activity on lettuce radicle elongation. The results suggest the possibility of allelopathic potential of leaf litter in plant–plant interaction under S. macrophylla trees

Evaluation for Allelopathic Activity of Selected Tree Species Grown in BRIS Soil

This study was carried out to evaluate the allelopathic activity of selected tree species grown in BRIS soil. The mature leaves from ten different tree species were collected as the material of donor plants. They were evaluated for the allelopathic activity of the leaf litter leachate and leaf volatilization by using Sandwich and Dish pack methods respectively, while Lactuca sativa (lettuce) was used as the receiver plant. Different amounts of leaf litter leachate were tested on the lettuce seedling growth for Sandwich method whilst, for Dish pack method the allelopathic activity was tested on different distances of the receiver plant from the donor plants. The results for Sandwich method showed that the tree species that gave the highest radical inhibition was Mangifera indica (mango) (60.05%) while the highest hypocotyl inhibition was Peltophorum pterocarpum (Yellow flame tree) (12.58%). Meanwhile, Manihot esculenta (cassava) showed the highest inhibition of radicle and hypocotyl by 86.50% and 76.63%, respectively, compared to control using Dish pack method. Based on this study, the evaluation for allelopathic activity of selected tree species grown in BRIS soil showed that there is significant presence of the allelochemicals in the tested tree species. The development of natural herbicides can be achieved with further studies to determine the effectiveness of allelochemicals in the tree species

Effects of salinity on the Macro- and Micronutrient contents of a Halophytic Plant Species (Portulaca oleracea L.)

The main purpose of the two consecutive experimental studies presented here was to compare the effect of salinity on nutrients in leaves of the halophytic plant species Portulaca oleracea L. and in soil. The first experiment was conducted to study the effect of salinity on plant growth, biomass accumulation, yield, root layer development, salt accumulation, and the dynamics of changes in mineral substances in plants and soil. In the second experiment, P. oleracea seeds were sown directly into salinized soil (treated immediately before plant growth) to determine the nutrient levels in leaves and soil. Three salinity treatments (saline water solution with NaCl: T1, 5 dS m−1 ; T2, 9.8 dS m−1 ; and T3, 20 dS m−1 ) and a control treatment (T0, 1 dS m−1 ) were used in the first experiment. The soil in the second experiment was used in a previous study (performed immediately before P. oleracea growth) (salinized soil: T1, 7.2 dS m−1 ; T2, 8.8 dS m−1 ; T3, 15.6 dS m−1 ; T0, 1.9 dS m−1 ). The plants were irrigated with tap water at amounts in the range of 0.25–0.50 L/pot. Analysis of the experimental results showed that P. oleracea is resistant to salinity, is able to remove ions (400–500 kg ha−1 NaCl), and can be grown in saline soil. The results indicated that P. oleracea is able to grow in high-salinity soil. This finding was confirmed by the dry matter obtained under high-salinity conditions. Salinity stress affected nutrient uptake in leaves and soil.Erasmus Mundus European Joint Doctorate Programinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced low rectal cancer using intensity-modulated radiotherapy to spare the intestines: a single-institutional pilot trial

The irradiated volume of intestines is associated with gastrointestinal toxicity in preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. The current trial prospectively explored how much of the irradiated volume of intestines was reduced by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) compared with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) and whether IMRT might alleviate the acute gastrointestinal toxicity in this population. The treatment protocol encompassed preoperative chemoradiotherapy using IMRT plus surgery for patients with clinical T3–4, N0–2 low rectal cancer. IMRT delivered 45 Gy per 25 fractions for gross tumors, mesorectal and lateral lymph nodal regions, and tried to reduce the volume of intestines receiving 15 Gy (V₁₅ Gy) < 120 cc and V₄₅ Gy ≤ 0 cc, respectively, while keeping target coverage. S-1 and irinotecan were concurrently administered. Acute gastrointestinal toxicity, rates of clinical downstaging, sphincter preservation, local regional control (LRC) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Twelve enrolled patients completed the chemoradiotherapy protocol. The volumes of intestines receiving medium to high doses were reduced by the current IMRT protocol compared to 3DCRT; however, the predefined constraint of V15 Gy was met only in three patients. The rate of ≥ grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicity excluding anorectal symptoms was 17%. The rates of clinical downstaging, sphincter preservation, three-year LRC and OS were 75%, 92%, 92% and 92%, respectively. In conclusion, preoperative chemoradiotherapy using IMRT for this population might alleviate acute gastrointestinal toxicity, achieving high LRC and sphincter preservation; although further advancement is required to reduce the irradiated volume of intestines, especially those receiving low doses

Clinical Analysis of 110 Postoperative Deaths of the Patients with Permanent Implantable Pacemaker

During 14 years follow up of 754 patients received permanent cardiac pacemaker (PM) implantation, 110 cases have died. In this paper, the cause of death of them was clinically analyzed. The death to senility was most frequent, in 31 cases out of 110 deaths (28.2%), and then heart failure in 19 cases (17.3%), cerebrovascular disease in 16 cases (14.5%), sudden death in 14 cases (12.7%), malignancy in 7 cases (6.4%), acute myocardial infarction in 7 cases (6.4%), severe infectious disease in 4 cases (3.6%), unknown etiology in 4 cases (3.6%), renal failure and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Syndrome (DIC) in 2 cases (1.8%), respectively, suicide in one case (0.9%). Cause of death by underlying disease was rather characteristic. Senility was frequent in the patients with atrioventricular (A-V) block (38.5%), while cerebrovascular disease was highly observed in the patients with Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) (28.1%), and heart failure was highly observed in the patients with atrial fibrillation (46.2%). Senility was seen in 44.8% of the patients with coronary arteriosclerosis, cardiac death in 85. 7% of the patients with cardiomyopathy, and in 100.0% of the cases with valvular disease. The above mentioned fact suggests that cardiovascular check up is most important in postoperative follow up of the patients with PM. In old cases, senility and infection were major cause of death, so guidance concerning to dietary life and periodical health examination against wasting disease is important especially in this group. And, active care for heart failure is also more important in the patients with cardiomyopathy and valvular disease

Influence of organic inputs with mineral fertilizer on maize yield and soil microbial biomass dynamics in different seasons in a tropical acrisol

Introduction The practice of co-applying chemical fertilizers (CF) with organic inputs (OIs) as a soil amendment is still low in Ghana, although it has the potential to improve crop yield and soil productivity. Objectives In a two-year study, we evaluated the effects of co-applying contrasting OIs with and without CF on maize yield and soil chemical and microbial composition. Methods Aboveground biomasses of Centrosema pubescens (CEN), Pueraria phaseoloides (PUE), and Zea mays (MZE) were amended to an acrisol at 4 t ha−1 season−1. The combined treatments (CEN+, PUE+, and MZE+) were fertilized with basal NPK 15:15:15 at 40 kg N ha−1, followed by topdressing with [(NH4)2SO4] at 50 kg N ha−1. Sole OI inputs (CEN, PUE, and MZE) did not receive any CF inputs. The controls (CON− and CON+) received 0 and 90 kg N ha−1 season−1. Results The results showed that either sole OIs except for MZE or its combination with CF improved grain yield compared to the CON. Grain yield ranged from 2.1 t ha−1 to 2.6 t ha−1 in the first season versus 0.8 t ha−1 to 1.7 t ha−1 in the second. The MZE+ and CEN+ treatments showed the highest mean grain yields and were similar to CON+. Although CF addition to OIs improved grain yield in all treatments, negative interaction was observed for CEN and PUE as opposed to a positive interaction in the MZE treatment. Co-application of CF with OIs on dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC) and (EON) dynamics depended on seasonal soil moisture and sampling time. Moreover, co-application of CF with OIs enhanced microbial biomass in CEN but showed minimal and suppressive effects on MZE and PUE amendments, respectively. Conclusion Overall, the increased grain yield in MZE+, CEN+ and CON+ was attributable primarily to the CF addition. Thus, long term evaluations are recommended for sustainable utilization of MZE and CEN given their minimal responses in the short term in the presence of CFs.Peer Reviewe

Potassium-rich antiperovskites K₃HTe and K₃FTe and their structural relation to lithium and sodium counterparts

Unlike perovskite oxides, antiperovskites M₃HCh and M₃FCh (M = Li, Na; Ch = S, Se, Te) mostly retain their ideal cubic structure over a wide range of compositions owing to anionic size flexibility and low-energy phonon modes that promote their ionic conductivity. In this study, we show the synthesis of potassium-based antiperovskites K₃HTe and K₃FTe and discuss the structural features in comparison with lithium and sodium analogues. It is shown experimentally and theoretically that both compounds maintain a cubic symmetry and can be prepared at ambient pressure, in contrast to most of the reported M₃HCh and M₃FCh which require high pressure synthesis. A systematic comparison of a series of cubic M₃HTe and M₃FTe (M = Li, Na, K) revealed that telluride anions contract in the order of K, Na, Li, with a pronounced contraction in the Li system. This result can be understood in terms of the difference in charge density of alkali metal ions as well as the size flexibility of Ch anions, contributing to the stability of the cubic symmetry