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High salinity is an abiotic stress that limits crop production. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an annual fiber crop of the genus Hibiscus in the family Malvaceae with a certain tolerance to salt stress. Seed priming has been shown to ameliorate the adverse effects of salt stress on plants. However, the salt resistance mechanism in kenaf seeds treated with priming agents is not fully understood. In this study, we used four priming agents (H2O, PEG, ABA, KNO3) in different concentrations to treat kenaf seeds, and subjected the induced kenaf seedlings to salt stress (150 mM NaCl) to measure their agronomic traits and physiological and biochemical indicators. Our results indicate that the optimal priming concentration for PEG was 10%, 0.5 μM for ABA, and 0.5% for KNO3. Under these treatment concentrations, the germination rate of kenaf was significantly increased, and the fresh weight was also increased by 35.1%, 33.39%, 20.78% and 15.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the use of priming agents can alleviate the adverse effects of salt stress to a certain extent, significantly increase the agronomic indicators such as plant height, stem thickness, and leaf area of kenaf, enhance the ability of plants to perform photosynthesis, further improve the activity of antioxidant enzymes and increase the content of osmotic material, and reduce the accumulation of cell H2O2, O2− and MDA. Meanwhile, seed priming can also enhance the expression of HcSOS1, HcNHX, HcHKT, HcCBL, HcCIPK, HcPD and HcNCED involved in the salt stress pathway. These results warrant that seed priming can reduce the adverse effects of salt stress on kenaf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Chickpea is a key pulse crop grown in the spring in dryland regions. The cold resistance potential of chickpeas allows for the development of genotypes with varying sowing dates to take advantage of autumn and winter rainfall, particularly in dryland regions. In this study, we assessed grain yield, plant height, 100-seed weight, days to maturity, and days to flowering of 17 chickpea genotypes in five autumn-sown dryland regions from 2019 to 2021. Additionally, the response of selected chickpea genotypes to cold stress was examined at temperatures of -4 °C, 4 °C, and 22 °C by analyzing biochemical enzymes. Results Mixed linear model of ANOVA revealed a significant genotype × environment interaction for all traits measured, indicating varying reactions of genotypes across test environments. This study reported low estimates of broad-sense heritability for days to flowering (0.34), days to maturity (0.13), and grain yield (0.08). Plant height and seed weight exhibited the highest heritability, with genotypic selection accuracies of 0.73 and 0.92, respectively. Moreover, partial least square regression highlighted the impactful role of rainfall during all months except of October, November, and February on grain yield and its interaction with environments in autumn-planted chickpeas. Among the genotypes studied, G9, G10, and G17 emerged as superior based on stability parameters and grain yield. In particular, genotype G9 stood out as a promising genotype for dryland regions, considering both MTSI and genotype by yield*trait aproaches. The cold assay indicated that − 4 °C is crucial for distinguishing between susceptible and resistant genotypes. The results showed the important role of the enzymes CAT and GPX in contributing to the cold tolerance of genotype G9 in autumn-sown chickpeas. Conclusions Significant G×E for agro-morphological traits of chickpea shows prerequisite for multi-trial analysis. Chickpea`s direct root system cause that monthly rainfall during plant establishment has no critical role in its yield interaction with dryland environment. Considering the importance of agro-morphological traits and their direct and indirect effects on grain yield, the utilization of multiple-trait stability approches is propose. Evaluation of chickpea germplasm reaction against cold stress is necessary for autumn-sowing. Finally, autumn sowing of genotype FLIP 10–128 C in dryland conditions can led to significant crop performance.

Background/Aims Four high-genetic barrier nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), namely entecavir (ETV), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), and besifovir dipivoxil maleate (BSV), have been established. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of four high-genetic barrier NAs using a network meta-analysis of randomized trials and propensity score-matched cohorts. Methods Systematic search was performed using PubMed, Cochrane library, and EMBASE and included randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that used propensity score matching. Studies on treatment-naïve CHB patients treated with ETV, TDF, TAF, or BSV were included. Outcomes included alanine aminotransferase normalization and hepatitis B e antigen seroclearance at week 48 and undetectable hepatitis B virus DNA at weeks 48 and 96. Network meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the results. Results In total, 15,000 patients from 16 studies were included. In terms of 48- and 96-week virologic response (VR), TDF outperformed ETV with statistical significance (48 weeks: odds ratio [OR], 1.38; p < 0.001; 96 weeks: OR, 1.57; p = 0.004). ETV was ranked first for 48-week biochemical response (BR) and outperformed TDF (OR, 0.76; p = 0.028). In the sensitivity analyses, 48-week VR from randomized-controlled trials were compiled, and the same trend toward the superiority of TDF over ETV was found (OR, 1.51; p = 0.030). Conclusions Four high-genetic barrier NAs were compared, and TDF was more likely to achieve a VR after 48 weeks, while ETV provided a superior BR after 48 weeks.

Mechanotransduction is the essential process that cells convert mechanical force into biochemical responses, and electrochemical sensor stands out from existing techniques by providing quantitative and real-time information about the biochemical signals during cellular mechanotransduction. However, the intracellular biochemical response evoked by mechanical force has been poorly monitored. In this paper, we report a method to apply local stretch on single cell and simultaneously monitor the ensuing intracellular biochemical signals. Specifically, a ferromagnetic micropipette was fabricated to locally stretch a single cell labeled with Fe3O4 nanoparticles under the external magnetic field, and the SiC@Pt nanowire electrode (SiC@Pt NWE) was inserted into the cell to monitor the intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production induced by the local stretch. As a proof of concept, this work quantitatively investigated the elevated amount of H2O2 levels in single endothelial cell under different stretching amplitudes. This work puts forward a new research modality to manipulate and monitor the mechanotransduction at the single-cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chickpea is a key pulse crop grown in the spring in dryland regions. The cold resistance potential of chickpeas allows for the development of genotypes with varying sowing dates to take advantage of autumn and winter rainfall, particularly in dryland regions. In this study, we assessed grain yield, plant height, 100-seed weight, days to maturity, and days to flowering of 17 chickpea genotypes in five autumn-sown dryland regions from 2019 to 2021. Additionally, the response of selected chickpea genotypes to cold stress was examined at temperatures of -4 °C, 4 °C, and 22 °C by analyzing biochemical enzymes. Results: Mixed linear model of ANOVA revealed a significant genotype × environment interaction for all traits measured, indicating varying reactions of genotypes across test environments. This study reported low estimates of broad-sense heritability for days to flowering (0.34), days to maturity (0.13), and grain yield (0.08). Plant height and seed weight exhibited the highest heritability, with genotypic selection accuracies of 0.73 and 0.92, respectively. Moreover, partial least square regression highlighted the impactful role of rainfall during all months except of October, November, and February on grain yield and its interaction with environments in autumn-planted chickpeas. Among the genotypes studied, G9, G10, and G17 emerged as superior based on stability parameters and grain yield. In particular, genotype G9 stood out as a promising genotype for dryland regions, considering both MTSI and genotype by yield*trait aproaches. The cold assay indicated that − 4 °C is crucial for distinguishing between susceptible and resistant genotypes. The results showed the important role of the enzymes CAT and GPX in contributing to the cold tolerance of genotype G9 in autumn-sown chickpeas. Conclusions: Significant G×E for agro-morphological traits of chickpea shows prerequisite for multi-trial analysis. Chickpea's direct root system cause that monthly rainfall during plant establishment has no critical role in its yield interaction with dryland environment. Considering the importance of agro-morphological traits and their direct and indirect effects on grain yield, the utilization of multiple-trait stability approches is propose. Evaluation of chickpea germplasm reaction against cold stress is necessary for autumn-sowing. Finally, autumn sowing of genotype FLIP 10–128 C in dryland conditions can led to significant crop performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists are recognised as a promising treatment for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). However, the effects and safety of these agonists on PBC remain unexplored. Our study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of PPAR agonists in treating PBC. Methods: We searched Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase databases from inception to 15 March 2024 for randomised controlled studies (RCTs) that enrolled individuals with PBC treated with PPAR agonists compared with placebo. The primary outcomes were biochemical response and normalization of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level. Results: Eight RCTs involving 869 participants in total were included. The metaanalysis revealed that compared to placebo, PPAR agonists increased the rate of biochemical response (RR: 5.53; 95% CI: 3.79, 8.06) and normalization of the ALP level (RR: 17.18; 95% CI: 5.61, 52.61). In addition, PPAR agonists can also reduce alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (MD: -12.69 U/L; 95% CI: -18.03, -7.35), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (MD: -4.18 U/L; 95% CI: -7.28, -1.08), ALP (MD: -142.95 U/L; 95% CI: -167.29, -118.60), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) (MD: -63.03 U/L; 95% CI: -92.08, -33.98), and total cholesterol (TC) levels (SMD: -0.71; 95% CI: -1.38, -0.04), and there was no significant difference in overall adverse reactions (RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.92, 1.05), serious adverse reactions (RR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.70, 1.72) between the two groups. Conclusion: PPAR agonists are safe and well-tolerated in patients with PBC and are effective in improving the rate of biochemical response and related biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The argan (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) ecosystem is severely degrading in arid and semi-arid lands due to climate change, particularly in terms of density loss and reforestation failure. Thus, it is important to adopt innovative effective sustainable practices to optimize the densification and reforestation success of the argan tree. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the combined effect of subsurface water retention technology (SWRT) and the use of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on edaphic, growth, physiological and biochemical parameters of field-grown argan seedlings in the Essaouira region, Morocco. In this experiment, one-year-old argan seedlings were transplanted in the absence and presence of biodegradable plastic and AMF. Our findings revealed that the application of SWRT enhanced soil profile moisture up to 640% at 40 cm depth compared to the control. The combination of this technology with AMF also improved soil fertility. Furthermore, the application of SWRT, with or without AMF, significantly enhanced argan seedling height (208 and 168%, respectively), stomatal conductance (54 and 33%, respectively), and chlorophyll fluorescence (21 and 20%, respectively). Similarly, the combined application of SWRT and AMF significantly improved protein and sugar content (36 and 57%, respectively), as well as antioxidant enzyme activities (peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase) and chlorophyll pigments content compared to the control. However, this treatment reduced malondialdehyde and H2O2 content in the argan leaves. As a summary, SWRT technology combined with AMF may be used as a valuable strategy to promote the success of argan reforestation and to limit soil erosion and desertification in arid and semi-arid climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic disease characterized by the destruction of the small intrahepatic bile ducts, which can progress to liver cirrhosis. The gold standard in the treatment of PBC is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which is indicated in all patients with PBC because it improves not only biochemical parameters but also patients' survival. An important milestone in the identification of patients at risk is the assessment of biochemical response to UDCA. Patients who respond to treatment have a lower incidence of hepatic events and better prognosis than patients who do not. Several scoring systems can be used to assess the response and identify non-responders who will benefit from second-line treatment. Obeticholic acid (OCA) is currently the only approved second-line treatment for PBC, which is effective for non-responders to UDCA therapy or patients, who have not tolerated UDCA therapy. However, OCA is contraindicated in advanced liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Moreover, pruritus may be a limiting factor for the administration of OCA. Fibrates have shown promising data supporting their use in non-responders to UDCA because they improve the biochemical parameters and elastographic findings and have possible antipruritic effects. Therefore, the idea of a triple treatment seems interesting. Clinical research is focusing on several other groups of drugs: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) δ- and α/δ agonists, non-steroidal farnesoid X receptor agonists, fibroblast growth factor 19 modulators, and inhibitors of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 1 and 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of concurrent fatty liver (FL) on response to antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients has not been well characterized. We aimed to systematically review and analyse antiviral treatment response in CHB patients with and without FL. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases from inception to 31 May 2023 for relevant studies. Biochemical response (BR), complete viral suppression (CVS) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in CHB patients with FL (CHB‐FL) and without FL (non‐FL CHB) were compared. In an initial pool of 2101 citations, a total of 10 studies involving 2108 patients were included. After 12 weeks of treatment, CHB‐FL patients as compared with non‐FL CHB patients had lower BR rate (48.37% [108/227] vs. 72.98% [126/174], p =.04) but similar trend for CVS (36.86% [80/227] vs. 68.81% [114/174], p =.05) and similar rates of HBeAg seroconversion (6.59% [7/103] vs. 7.40% [7/110], p =.89). However, at week 48, there were no statistically significant differences between CHB‐FL and non‐FL CHB patients in any of the outcomes, including BR (60.03% [213/471] vs. 69.37% [314/717], p =.67), CVS (65.63% [459/746] vs. 73.81% [743/1132], p =.27) and HBeAg seroconversion (10.01% [30/275] vs. 14.06% [65/453], p =.58) with similar findings for week 96. BR rate was lower in CHB‐FL patients after 12 weeks of antiviral treatment. However, after a longer follow‐up of either 48 or 96 weeks, no statistically significant differences were observed in BR, CVS or HBeAg seroconversion rates between CHB patients with and without FL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aimsCurrent treatment guidelines recommend ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as the first-line treatment for new-diagnosed primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients. However, up to 40% patients are insensitive to UDCA monotherapy, and evaluation of UDCA response at 12 months may result in long period of ineffective treatment. We aimed to develop a new criterion to reliably identify non-response patients much earlier.MethodsFive hundred sixty-nine patients with an average of 59 months (Median: 53; IQR:32-79) follow-up periods were randomly divided into either the training (70%) or the validation cohort (30%). The efficiency of different combinations of total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) threshold values to predict outcomes was assessed at 1, 3 or 6 month after the initiation of UDCA therapy. The endpoints were defined as adverse outcomes, including liver-related death, liver transplantation and complications of cirrhosis. Adverse outcome-free survival was compared using various published criteria and a proposed new criterion.ResultsA new criterion of evaluating UDCA responses at 1 month was established as: ALP ≤ 2.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) and AST ≤ 2 × ULN, and TBIL ≤ 1 × ULN (Xi'an criterion). The 5 year adverse outcome-free survival rate of UDCA responders, defined by Xi'an criterion, was 97%, which was significantly higher than that of those non-responders (64%). An accurate distinguishing high-risk patients' capacity of Xi'an criterion was confirmed in both early and late-stage PBC.ConclusionsXi'an criterion has a similar or even higher ability to distinguish high-risk PBC patients than other published criteria. Xi'an criterion can facilitate early identification of patients requiring new therapeutic approaches.

Drought resistance and post drought recovery strategy and ability are important parameters to measure adaptation of plants to heterogeneous water environments; in addition, they are very important to study costs and benefits of plasticity. We compared the differences in multiple traits of Ligustrum obtusifolium seedlings under four water conditions, well-watered, light drought, moderate drought, and severe drought, for 30 days, as well as under rewatering conditions for 7, 14, and 21 days in the greenhouse. We observed increased levels of malondialdehyde content, antioxidant activity, and osmotic adjustment substances and significantly decreased stem height, leaf area, specific leaf area, aboveground biomass, total biomass, and chlorophyll content in response to drought stress. The root biomass and root–shoot ratio reached maximum values under moderate drought conditions. The seedlings subjected to light and moderate drought recorded physiological parameters that were similar to control levels after 21 days of rewatering. However, the seedlings under severe drought treatment did not show such recovery and only carotenoids content returned to the control levels. In conclusion, the extent of plants recovery after rewatering depends on drought stress severity and rewatering time. The early drought experience may not be harmful immediately, but it can induce active biochemical responses, to support morphological, biomass, and photosynthetic physiological traits responses under subsequent rewatering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the value of baseline red cell distribution width (RDW) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level after ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment for one month in predicting the response to UDCA treatment in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) . Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the data of 127 patients with PBC who were diagnosed in Department of Hepatology, The Third People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, from January 2015 to July 2022, with data collected at baseline, after one month of treatment, and after one year of follow-up. Based on the Paris-I criteria, the patients were divided into good response group and poor response group, and the two groups were analyzed in terms of clinical and laboratory features and their association with response to UDCA. The Logistic regression method was used to investigate the independent risk factors for response to UDCA treatment. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to determine the optimal cut-off values of related indicators； the patients were divided into two groups based on such values, and the two groups were compared in terms of baseline indicators and response. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Compared with the good response group, the poor response group had significantly higher levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase, ALP, RDW, and RDW-CV at baseline and a significantly higher level of ALP after one month of UDCA treatment (Z=−4.792, −3.697, −2.399, −4.102, −3.220, and −4.236, all P<0.05) . Compared with the good response group, the poor response group had significantly lower levels of albumin, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, hematocrit, and body mass index at baseline (Z=−3.592, −3.603, −2.602, −3.829, −2.432, all P<0.05), as well as significantly lower levels of prealbumin, albumin/ globulin ratio, apolipoprotein A, and free triiodothyronine at baseline (t=4.530, 3.402, 3.485, and 3.639, all P<0.001) . Compared with the poor response group, the good response group had a significantly lower proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis, gallstones/cholecystitis, or anemia (χ² =20.815, 3.892, and 12.283, all P<0.05) . Baseline RDW (odds ratio ［OR］= 1.157, 95% confidence interval ［CI］：1.028—1.301, P=0.015) and ALP level after one month of treatment (OR=1.012, 95%CI： 1.005—1.020, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for response to UDCA, with an AUC of 0.713 and 0.720, respectively. The patients with baseline RDW≥upper limit of normal (ULN) and ALP≥2.2×ULN after one month of UDCA treatment had a lower UDCA response rate (42.6% vs 8.2%, χ² =20.813, P<0.001) . Conclusion Patients with baseline RDW≥ULN and ALP≥2.2× ULN after one month of UDCA treatment tend to have a low biochemical response rate to UDCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Ursodeoxycholic acid is the first‐line treatment for primary biliary cholangitis, and treatment response is one of the factors predicting the outcome. To prescribe alternative therapies, clinicians might need additional information before deciphering the treatment response to ursodeoxycholic acid, contributing to a better patient prognosis. In this study, we developed and validated machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict treatment responses using pretreatment data. Methods: This multicenter cohort study included collecting datasets from two data samples. Data 1 included 245 patients from 18 hospitals for ML development, and was divided into (i) training and (ii) development sets. Data 2 (iii: test set) included 51 patients from our hospital for validation. An extreme gradient boosted tree predicted the treatment response in the ML model. The area under the curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of the algorithm. Results: Data 1 showed that patients complying with the Paris II treatment response had significantly lower serum alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin levels than those who did not respond. Three factors, total bilirubin, total protein, and alanine aminotransferase levels were selected as essential variables for prediction. Data 2 showed that patients complying with the Paris II criteria had significantly high prothrombin time and low total bilirubin levels. The area under the curve of extreme gradient boosted tree was good for (ii) (0.811) and (iii) (0.856). Conclusions: We demonstrated the efficacy of ML in predicting the treatment response for patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Early identification of cases requiring additional treatment with our novel ML model may improve prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: The high prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection in the Republic of Dagestan, significantly exceeding that in the European part of the Russian Federation, as well as the limited choice of therapeutic options, have led to the need to analyze the accumulated experience of interferon therapy in the real clinical practice to further select possible treatment regimens. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha (Peg-IFN-) in patients with chronic hepatitis D (CHD) in real world clinical practice. Materials and methods: In a retrospective study, the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Peg-IFN- were analyzed in 34 patients with CHD living in the Republic of Dagestan. Main virological parameters (anti-HDV antibodies (anti-HDV), HDV RNA and HBV DNA), alanine aminotransferase levels, changes over time in liver density by elastometry, and clinical parameters (hematology and urine tests, clinical chemistry, thyroid function tests) were assessed at 24 and 48 weeks of therapy, as well as at 48 weeks after its completion. Results: The treatment with Peg-IFN- for 48 weeks resulted in a virological response, defined as a HDV RNA decrease by more than 2 lg copies/mL, in 32% (11/34) of the patients. A sustained virological response, defined as undetectable HDV RNA at 48 weeks after the end of therapy, was not observed in any case. Treatment with interferon was associated with a decrease in liver density by average 4.1 kPa by week 48 on therapy. Normalization of alanine aminotransferase levels after 48 weeks of treatment was observed in 59% (20/34) of the patients; however, sustained biochemical response was achieved in none of them. Serious adverse events of high or moderate severity that resulted in the discontinuation of therapy were observed in 12% (4/34) of the cases. Conclusion: The results obtained indicate low efficacy of Peg-IFN- in the treatment of CHD in the Dagestan patients. Further research is needed to refine optimal interferon therapy regimens, to search for predictors of treatment response, and to evaluate the impact of interferon treatment regimens on the risk of hepatic complications, clinical outcomes, and patient survival. However, the most obvious solution to the problem of CHD therapy is the development and implementation of interferon-free treatment regimens.

The argan (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) ecosystem is severely degrading in arid and semi-arid lands due to climate change, particularly in terms of density loss and reforestation failure. Thus, it is important to adopt innovative effective sustainable practices to optimize the densification and reforestation success of the argan tree. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the combined effect of subsurface water retention technology (SWRT) and the use of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on edaphic, growth, physiological and biochemical parameters of field-grown argan seedlings in the Essaouira region, Morocco. In this experiment, one-year-old argan seedlings were transplanted in the absence and presence of biodegradable plastic and AMF. Our findings revealed that the application of SWRT enhanced soil profile moisture up to 640% at 40 cm depth compared to the control. The combination of this technology with AMF also improved soil fertility. Furthermore, the application of SWRT, with or without AMF, significantly enhanced argan seedling height (208 and 168%, respectively), stomatal conductance (54 and 33%, respectively), and chlorophyll fluorescence (21 and 20%, respectively). Similarly, the combined application of SWRT and AMF significantly improved protein and sugar content (36 and 57%, respectively), as well as antioxidant enzyme activities (peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase) and chlorophyll pigments content compared to the control. However, this treatment reduced malondialdehyde and H2O2 content in the argan leaves. As a summary, SWRT technology combined with AMF may be used as a valuable strategy to promote the success of argan reforestation and to limit soil erosion and desertification in arid and semi-arid climates.

Soil salinity is one of the major causes of losses in agricultural production, which is accentuated by global warming. A sustainable strategy to mitigate the effects of the increasing soil salinisation is the use of biostimulants. In this study, the effect of a plant-based biostimulant was tested on tomato plants exposed to different salinity levels in loamy and sandy soils. Salinity in the soils reached a maximum value of 14.35 dS m−1. The treatments included a control (tap water) and a dose of 0.4 mL L−1 of the commercial biostimulant BALOX®, containing polyphenols and glycine betaine. After 60 days of treatment, several growth and biochemical parameters were evaluated in the plants, and different responses were found depending on the type of soil texture. Salt stress inhibited plant growth, mainly affecting the roots of plants not treated with the biostimulant, in both soil texture types. It also caused a reduction of total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels by 44% and 38%, respectively, under severe salinity conditions. High salinity induced a significant increase in ionic, osmotic and oxidative stress in plants, as indicated by the accumulation of toxic Na+ and Cl− ions, higher proline and MDA levels, and increased antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the application of BALOX® stimulated plant growth and root system development in all experimental conditions. The areas of roots and leaves and the stem length and diameter showed higher mean values in biostimulant-treated plants on both soil types, with more pronounced differences with the controls in sandy soils. The total fresh weight showed maximum increases of 54% and 93% on loamy and sandy soils, respectively. In addition, BALOX® significantly improved the active transport of nutrients such as K+ and Ca2+, and the concentration of photosynthetic pigments by up to 64% over control values; it also allowed greater protection against salt stress as shown by a significant reduction of proline levels, by up to 36%, and MDA by 51% under strongly saline conditions. The application of BALOX® generally decreased the level of stress in the tomato plants, promoting plant growth and enhancing their biochemical responses, even on strongly salinised soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Temporally heterogeneous environments is hypothesized to correlate with greater plasticity of plants, which has rarely been supported by direct evidence. To address this issue, we subjected three species from different ranges of habitats to a first round of alternating full light and heavy shading (temporally heterogeneous light experience), constant moderate shading and full light conditions (temporally homogeneous light experiences, control) and a second round of light-gradient treatments. We measured plant performance in a series of morphological, biomass, physiological and biochemical traits at the end of each round. Compared to constant full light experience, temporally heterogeneous light conditions induced immediate active biochemical responses (in the first round) with improved late growth in biomass (during the second round); constant moderate shading experience increased photosynthetic physiological and biomass performances of plants in early response, and decreased their late growth in biomass. The karst endemic species of Kmeria septentrionalis showed greater improvement in late growth of biomass and lower decrease in biochemical performance, due to early heterogeneous experience, compared to the non-karst species of Lithocarpus glaber and the karst adaptable species of Celtis sinensis. Results suggested plants will prefer to produce morphological and physiological responses that are less reversible and more costly in the face of more reliable environmental cues at early stage in spite of decreased future growth potential, but to produce immediate biochemical responses for higher late growth potential when early environmental cues are less reliable, to avoid the loss of high costs and low profits. Typical karst species should be more able to benefit from early temporally heterogeneous experience, due to long-term adaptation to karst habitats of high environmental heterogeneity and low resource availability.

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Objective: To explore whether 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT-derived parameters could predict biochemical response to abiraterone acetate (AA) treatment and prognosis in metastatic prostate cancer patients developing castration resistance after chemohormonal therapy at hormone-sensitive stage. Methods: The clinicopathologic data of 106 mCRPC cases receiving AA treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of biochemical response to AA treatment. Cox analyses were applied to investigate the independent prognostic factors for time to biochemical progression (TTBP) and radiological progression-free survival (rPFS). Survival analysis and ROC curve were also used. Results: Multivariable Logistic analysis demonstrated that prior ADT duration ≥ 12 months, low prostate specific membrane antigen receptor-expressing tumor volume (PSMA-TV), low tumor to liver ratio (TLR) were independent predictors of biochemical response to AA treatment. Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that low PSMA-TV and low TLR were independent prognostic factors of longer TTBP and rPFS. The TTBP and rPFS of patients with higher PSMA-TV or TLR were significantly decreased compared with that of patients with lower PSMA-TV and TLR. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of combining ADT duration, PSMA-TV and TLR was 0.82 for predicting biochemical response to AA, which was significantly increased compared with that of other 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT-derived parameters alone. Conclusions: Low PSMA-TV, low TLR were vital independent predictors of biochemical response to AA treatment and were associated with preferable prognosis in mCRPC patients. Combining ADT duration, PSMA-TV and TLR performed well in distinguishing AA responders from non-responders in mCRPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinization reduces soil health and quality, drastically limiting growth and reducing land degradation and crop yield. This comprehensive research aimed to evaluate the impact of sodium chloride increment on growth factors, amount of oxidative stress biomarker (Malondialdehyde), osmotic response (evaluated by both proline and sugars contents), photosynthesis efficiency (expressed with chlorophyll fluorescence measurement) and activity of Malate dehydrogenases (MDHs) as a regulator under abiotic stress tolerantly in Aloe in Alzahra University, Tehran. Experiments were conducted in two studies at the following concentration of sodium chloride: 0 (control), 100, 200, and 300 (mM) NaCl for 30 days (short-term treatments) and: 0 (control), 54.7, 109.5, and 164.5 (mM) NaCl for 150 days (long-term treatments). Three replications in completely randomized design were applied. The results showed that while the fresh weight of belowground biomass declined at higher salinity level (164.5 mM), no significant differences were reported in the short period of salt treatments. A considerable amount of free proline was accumulated in both short (3.594 µg.g-1 dw) and long ( 2.20 µg.g-1 dw) term studies which raised the role of proline in osmoregulation. Our results showed the decline of MDA amount (0.0003mmol.g-1FW) in 54.7 NaCl (mM) that may be due to less membrane damage in presence of moderate salinity, indicating a variety of dependent differences in biochemical markers activity.

Identifying the most suitable Brant's oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) seed origins (provenances) due to the increase in the intensity of summer drought in the Zagros forests is very important for the reforestation issue. In this research, the physiological and biochemical responses of Brant's oak seedlings from eight provenances located in different altitudes and latitudes of Southern Zagros were investigated under drought stress (with the stopping of irrigation for one month). The data were analyzed in the factorial (2 levels of drought stress treatment and 8 levels of provenance), randomized complete design experiment by examining the simple and interaction effects of them. Also, drought resistance indexes of provenances were calculated and compared with each other by applying the photosystem II value before and after the stress. Results showed that severe drought stress significantly increased electrolyte leakage, osmolyte, Na, and proline contents in seedling leaves for all provenances. Although, the response of different provenances in terms of photosystem II was not similar. The provenances were located in lower altitudes (Basht site in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province and Ghaemiyeh site in Fars province) and had higher resistance and resilience values due to adaptation to high temperature and or low precipitation. Also, Chitab provenance (a cold site with less dryness in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer- Ahmad province) became drought tolerant by closing its stomata during the day and thus reducing the photosystem II and improving it in the dark. Consequently, the drought resistance of Brant's oak seedlings is partly influenced by the seed provenances and climatic conditions. The use of these results can be recommended to managers in the reforestation of the Zagros forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporally heterogeneous environments is hypothesized to correlate with greater plasticity of plants, which has rarely been supported by direct evidence. To address this issue, we subjected three species from different ranges of habitats to a first round of alternating full light and heavy shading (temporally heterogeneous light experience), constant moderate shading and full light conditions (temporally homogeneous light experiences, control) and a second round of light-gradient treatments. We measured plant performance in a series of morphological, biomass, physiological and biochemical traits at the end of each round. Compared to constant full light experience, temporally heterogeneous light conditions induced immediate active biochemical responses (in the first round) with improved late growth in biomass (during the second round); constant moderate shading experience increased photosynthetic physiological and biomass performances of plants in early response, and decreased their late growth in biomass. The karst endemic species of Kmeria septentrionalis showed greater improvement in late growth of biomass and lower decrease in biochemical performance, due to early heterogeneous experience, compared to the non-karst species of Lithocarpus glaber and the karst adaptable species of Celtis sinensis. Results suggested plants will prefer to produce morphological and physiological responses that are less reversible and more costly in the face of more reliable environmental cues at early stage in spite of decreased future growth potential, but to produce immediate biochemical responses for higher late growth potential when early environmental cues are less reliable, to avoid the loss of high costs and low profits. Typical karst species should be more able to benefit from early temporally heterogeneous experience, due to long-term adaptation to karst habitats of high environmental heterogeneity and low resource availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Marsh Bulletin is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As filter-feeders, bivalves naturally come into direct contact with microcystins (MCs) in eutrophic water bodies suffering from cyanobacteria blooms. To date, however, no studies have quantified the dynamics of microcystin accumulation and depuration in the edible freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea when exposed to dense bloom concentrations of Microcystis aeruginosa, while considering dynamic changes of biochemical indexes and feeding structure. In the present study, the bioaccumulation and detoxification of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in C. fluminea were investigated. Our results showed that C. fluminea would graze equally efficiently on green algae and M. aeruginosa, irrespective of whether the M. aeruginosa strains were toxic or non-toxic. MCs could be accumulated and depurated by C. fluminea efficiently. In addition, linear and exposure time-dependent MC-LR accumulation patterns were observed in C. fluminea. Activities of biotransformation (glutathione S-transferase, GST) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD, and catalase, CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in various tissues of treated clams were stimulated by MCs in a tissue-specific manner. Our findings indicated that C. fluminea hepatopancreas was the primary target organ for MC-LR detoxification processes, as evidenced by a significant increase in GST activity. Besides, gills and mantle were more sensitive than the other tissues to oxidative stress in the initial microcystin exposure period with a significant increase in SOD activity. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that the lateral cilia in the gill aperture were well developed during the MCs exposure period, which could perform the filter-feeding function instead of the damaged frontal cilium. This study provides insight into the possible tolerance of C. fluminea exposed to dense bloom concentrations of M. aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Pesticides are extensively applied globally. Pesticide residues induce calamitous effects on the environment and untargeted organisms. Public concerns for the safety of freshwater organisms and the challenges posed by aquatic contaminants remain high. In the present study, the acute toxicity of avermectins (AVMs) to the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii was evaluated. We also evaluated the potential effects of AVM on the biochemical and transcriptomic status of the hepatopancreas and gastrointestinal tract in P. clarkii. RESULTS: The 24, 48, 72, 96 h median lethal concentrations (LC50) of AVM on crayfish were 2.626, 1.162, 0.723, 0.566 mg L−1, respectively. The crayfish were then exposed to 0.65 mg L−1 of AVM for 96 h. AVM significantly altered biochemical parameters including AChE and CAT activities in the hepatopancreas, and AChE, SOD and Na + ‐K + ‐ATPase activities in the gastrointestinal tract at several time points. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis identified 953 and 1851 differentially‐expressed genes (DEGs) in the hepatopancreas and gastrointestinal tract, respectively. KEGG enrichment showed that the gene expression profiles of the hepatopancreas and gastrointestinal tract were distinct from each other. The DEGs in the hepatopancreas were mostly enriched with stress‐response pathways, while the majority of the DEGs in the gastrointestinal tract belonged to metabolism‐related pathways. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the AVM induced acute toxicity, oxidative stress, osmoregulation disturbance, neurotoxicity and transcriptome imbalance in crayfish. These findings unraveled the detrimental effects of AVMs exposure on crayfish. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is one of the major causes of losses in agricultural production, which is accentuated by global warming. A sustainable strategy to mitigate the effects of the increasing soil salinisation is the use of biostimulants. In this study, the effect of a plant-based biostimulant was tested on tomato plants exposed to different salinity levels in loamy and sandy soils. Salinity in the soils reached a maximum value of 14.35 dS m−1. The treatments included a control (tap water) and a dose of 0.4 mL L−1 of the commercial biostimulant BALOX®, containing polyphenols and glycine betaine. After 60 days of treatment, several growth and biochemical parameters were evaluated in the plants, and different responses were found depending on the type of soil texture. Salt stress inhibited plant growth, mainly affecting the roots of plants not treated with the biostimulant, in both soil texture types. It also caused a reduction of total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels by 44% and 38%, respectively, under severe salinity conditions. High salinity induced a significant increase in ionic, osmotic and oxidative stress in plants, as indicated by the accumulation of toxic Na+ and Cl− ions, higher proline and MDA levels, and increased antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the application of BALOX® stimulated plant growth and root system development in all experimental conditions. The areas of roots and leaves and the stem length and diameter showed higher mean values in biostimulant-treated plants on both soil types, with more pronounced differences with the controls in sandy soils. The total fresh weight showed maximum increases of 54% and 93% on loamy and sandy soils, respectively. In addition, BALOX® significantly improved the active transport of nutrients such as K+ and Ca2+, and the concentration of photosynthetic pigments by up to 64% over control values; it also allowed greater protection against salt stress as shown by a significant reduction of proline levels, by up to 36%, and MDA by 51% under strongly saline conditions. The application of BALOX® generally decreased the level of stress in the tomato plants, promoting plant growth and enhancing their biochemical responses, even on strongly salinised soils.

Artificial light has been used to control plant growth and secondary metabolite production. Artemisia annua L. plants were illuminated with three light-emitting diode (LED) spectra to investigate proteomic and biochemical responses. After 7 days, proteomic data revealed different protein numbers in leaves, stems, and roots under particular treatments. Results demonstrated increased accumulation of several proteins, including secondary metabolite-related proteins. The red light (R) (660 nm) highly induced terpenoid proteins. Similar biochemical profiles were observed in white light (W) (445, 544 nm) and blue light (B) (445 nm) conditions, while profiles from R treatment were different. Functional proteins of W and B treatments were involved in the MVA and MEP pathways and sesquiterpene biosynthesis. By contrast, unique proteins in R treatment were mainly expressed in sesquiterpene and tetraterpene biosynthesis. Specific relationships between biosynthetic proteins and sesquiterpenes were observed, suggesting the indispensable role of the light spectrum in regulating terpenoid biosynthesis.

Abstract Background To determine how much an augmented analysis approach could improve the efficiency of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response analyses in clinical practice. PSA response rates are commonly used outcome measures in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) trial reports. PSA response is evaluated by comparing continuous PSA data (e.g., change from baseline) to a threshold (e.g., 50% reduction). Consequently, information in the continuous data is discarded. Recent papers have proposed an augmented approach that retains the conventional response rate, but employs the continuous data to improve precision of estimation. Methods A literature review identified published prostate cancer trials that included a waterfall plot of continuous PSA data. This continuous data was extracted to enable the conventional and augmented approaches to be compared. Results Sixty-four articles, reporting results for 78 mCRPC treatment arms, were re-analysed. The median efficiency gain from using the augmented analysis, in terms of the implied increase to the sample size of the original study, was 103.2% (IQR [89.8,190.9%]). Conclusions Augmented PSA response analysis requires no additional data to be collected and can be performed easily using available software. It improves precision of estimation to a degree that is equivalent to a substantial sample size increase. The implication of this work is that prostate cancer trials using PSA response as a primary endpoint could be delivered with fewer participants and, therefore, more rapidly with reduced cost.

Salinization reduces soil health and quality, drastically limiting plants' growth and crop yield. This comprehensive research aimed to evaluate the impact of sodium chloride increment on growth factors, amount of oxidative stress biomarker (Malondialdehyde), osmotic response (evaluated by both proline and sugars contents), photosynthesis efficiency (expressed with chlorophyll fluorescence measurement) and activity of Malate dehydrogenases (MDHs) as a regulator under abiotic stress tolerantly in Aloe vera in Alzahra University, Tehran. Experiments were conducted in two studies at the following concentration of sodium chloride: 0 (control), 100, 200, and 300 (mM) NaCl for 30 days (short-term treatments) and: 0 (control), 54.7, 109.5, and 164.5 (mM) NaCl for 150 days (long-term treatments). Three replications in a completely randomized design were applied. The results showed that while the fresh weight of below ground biomass declined at higher salinity level (164.5 mM), no significant differences were reported in the short period of salt treatments. A considerable amount of free proline that was accumulated in both short (3.594 µg.g-1 dw) and long (2.20 µg.g-1 dw) term studies raised the role of proline in osmoregulation. Our results showed the decline of MDA amount (0.0003 mmol.g-1FW) in 54.7 NaCl (mM) may be due to less membrane damage in presence of moderate salinity, and indicated a variety of dependent differences in biochemical markers activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light has been used to control plant growth and secondary metabolite production. Artemisia annua L. plants were illuminated with three light-emitting diode (LED) spectra to investigate proteomic and biochemical responses. After 7 days, proteomic data revealed different protein numbers in leaves, stems, and roots under particular treatments. Results demonstrated increased accumulation of several proteins, including secondary metabolite-related proteins. The red light (R) (660 nm) highly induced terpenoid proteins. Similar biochemical profiles were observed in white light (W) (445, 544 nm) and blue light (B) (445 nm) conditions, while profiles from R treatment were different. Functional proteins of W and B treatments were involved in the MVA and MEP pathways and sesquiterpene biosynthesis. By contrast, unique proteins in R treatment were mainly expressed in sesquiterpene and tetraterpene biosynthesis. Specific relationships between biosynthetic proteins and sesquiterpenes were observed, suggesting the indispensable role of the light spectrum in regulating terpenoid biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant roots are colonized by rhizobacteria, and these soil microorganisms can not only stimulate plant growth but also increase tolerance to stress through the production of volatile organic compounds. However, little is known about the effect that these plant beneficial volatiles may have on bacteria. In this study, the effects on growth and oxidative status of different concentrations of three volatiles already reported to have a positive influence on plant growth (2-butanone, 3-methyl1-butanol, and 2,3-butanediol) were determined in A. thaliana and Rhizobium sp. strain E20-8 via airborne exposure in the presence and absence of Cd. It was expected to ascertain if the plant and the bacterium are influenced in the same way by the volatiles, and if exposure to stress (Cd) shifts the effects of volatiles on plants and bacteria. Results showed the antioxidant activity of the volatiles protecting the plant cell metabolism from Cd toxicity and increasing plant tolerance to Cd. Effects on bacteria were less positive. The two alcohols (3-methyl-1-butanol and 2,3-butanediol) increased Cd toxicity, and the ketone (2-butanone) was able to protect Rhizobium from Cd stress, constituting an alternative way to protect soil bacterial communities from stress. The application of 2-butanone thus emerges as an alternative way to increase crop production and crop resilience to stress in a more sustainable way, either directly or through the enhancement of PGPR activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic and progressive autoimmune liver disease, whose prognosis can be improved by normalizing alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin. While ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is first line standard of care, approximately 40 % of patients exhibit incomplete response. We aimed to identify prognostic markers for deep response to UDCA therapy at presentation., Patient and Methods: Data from the Brazilian Cholestasis Study Group cohort were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were assessed for deep response, defined as normal alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin, after 1 year of UDCA treatment. Additionally, the performance of the UDCA response score in predicting deep response was evaluated., Results: A total of 297 patients were analyzed, with 57.2 % achieving an adequate response according to the Toronto criteria, while 22.9 % reached deep response. Cirrhosis (OR 0.460; 95 % CI 0.225-0.942; p = 0.034) and elevated baseline alkaline phosphatase levels (OR 0.629; 95 % CI 0.513-0.770; p < 0.001) were associated with reduced odds of deep response. The UDCA response score exhibited moderate discrimination power (AUROC = 0.769) but lacked calibration., Conclusions: Baseline ALP and liver fibrosis emerge as the most important prognostic factors to predict normalization of alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin after UDCA. The UDCA response score was inadequate for predicting deep response in the Brazilian PBC population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Targeted radionuclide therapy with [177Lu]Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has shown promising results for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Nevertheless, a proportion of patients do not respond to this therapy. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the pretreatment pathologic and laboratory factors for the prediction of biochemical response to the first cycle of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy. Methods: In this retrospective study, mCRPC patients, referred for [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy, were included. We retrieved the data of patients, undergone [177Lu]Lu-PSMA, from March 2019 to March 2021. Multiple baseline pathologic and laboratory parameters were extracted and correlated with the response to the first cycle. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was evaluated six weeks after [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy for the biochemical response. Results: Forty-three patients with a mean age of 69.8±10.2 were included. Bone and visceral metastases were present in 81.4% and 14.0% of the patients, respectively. Except for two, all patients had received hormone- and chemotherapy. The mean PSA level was 189.9±259.0 at baseline. Following one cycle of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA, "= 10% PSA response" and "= 50% PSA response" were seen in 81.4% and 44.2% of the patients, respectively. Patients with higher baseline PSA more frequently had = 10% PSA response (p= 0.004). Also, the reduction in the PSA level correlated with baseline PSA (p=0.013, r=0.375). Conclusion: [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy results in the biochemical response in a considerable number of patients after one cycle. In nearly half of patients, PSA declines more than 50%. Higher baseline PSA is correlated with the level of PSA response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting life in space and implementing spaceflight missions requires raising of plants in special conditions, where various stresses, including microgravity, are applied to plant. The use of stimulants is known as a promising effective approach that enhances plant resistance encountered a variety of abiotic stresses. In this study, the impact of two stimulants, melatonin and chitosan, in reducing negative effects of clinorotation on Rocket (Eruca sativa L.) seedlings was investigated from a physiological and biochemical point of view. For this purpose, a completely randomized experiment was designed where the treatments included control (without stimulants and normal gravity), melatonin (100 μM), chitosan (230 M), microgravity, microgravity + melatonin, and microgravity + chitosan. The results disclosed that the microgravity significantly impaired the plant growth and morphology, while exogenous application of melatonin and chitosan improved the plant growth parameters under stress conditions. Under microgravity, there was a reduction of 46.15% in shoot length (4.9 mm) and 41.44% in root length (4.7 mm) compared with the control (9.1 mm; 8.03 mm), respectively. Clinorotation led to a marked increment in the enzymes activity, wherein the POD, SOD and CAT activities increased by 75.13%, 72.67%, and 53.42%, respectively, compared with the control seedlings. In addition, supply of these two stimulants strengthened the scavenging of radial oxygen species and helped the plant to tolerate stress conditions, by activated the enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems. These results can pave the road for more studies and broad application of biological stimuli to overcome the space harsh environmental conditions by plants. • Microgravity significantly impaired the plant growth and morphology of Rocket plant. • Melatonin and chitosan improved the plant growth parameters under stress conditions. • Clinorotation led to outstanding increment in POD, SOD and CAT enzymes activity. • activated the plant's immune response through increasing the production of antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assimilation of inorganic nutrients by phytoplankton strongly depends on environmental conditions such as the availability of nitrogen and temperature, especially warming. The acclimation or adaptation of different species to such changes remains poorly understood. Here, we used a multimethod approach to study the viability and physiological and biochemical responses of the marine diatom Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus to different temperatures (15, 25, and 30 °C) and different N:P ratios. Nitrogen limitation had a greater effect than high temperature on cell growth and reproduction, leading to a marked elongation of setae, decreased phosphorus assimilation, increased lipid accumulation, and decreased protein synthesis. The elongation of setae observed under these conditions may serve to increase the surface area available for the uptake of inorganic and/or organic nitrogen. In contrast, high temperatures (30 °C) had a stronger effect than nitrogen deficiency on cell death, nitrogen assimilation, chlorophyll a accumulation, the cessation of setae formation, and cell lipid remodelling. Significant changes in thylakoid lipids were observed in cells maintained at 30 °C, with increased levels of digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol. These changes may be explained by the role of galactolipids in thylakoid membrane stabilization during heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is a high-value vegetable crop widely cultivated in the Philippines, and its production is threatened by various stresses including infection by the root-knot nematode M. incognita. In this study, we checked for resistance to M. incognita in selected tomato germplasm collections and commercially available varieties using a bioassay method, the molecular marker Mi23 and biochemical analysis. Among the eight varieties tested, none showed a resistant reaction against M. incognita. Use of the molecular marker Mi23 yielded 430 bp in all the tomato varieties screened. Phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining method revealed the clustering of consensus sequence of the varieties tested with the susceptible variety S. lycopersicum cv. M82-1-8 and a wild relative, S. pimpinellifolium isolate LA2184. The biochemical analysis showed varying responses among the varieties when they were inoculated with M. incognita. Increased levels of total antioxidant activity were observed in Diamante Max F1, Ilocos Red and Tm 2016 11-1, while total phenolic content was found to be elevated in Athena, Avatar TY F1 and Rosanna. Increased levels of ascorbic acid were observed in Athena and Avatar TY F1 even at 45 dpi. Even though these varieties showed elevated levels of the abovementioned biochemical parameters related to a resistance reaction, all of them showed highly susceptible reactions. Hence, this study showed that these tomato varieties have no resistance against M. incognita and that there is a need to identify other sources of resistance against M. incongita and produce resistant tomato cultivars adapted to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean is a nutritionally and economically important pulse crop cultivated around Asia, mainly in India. The crop is sensitive to drought at various developmental stages of its growing period. However, there is limited or almost no research on a comparative evaluation of mung-bean plants at the flowering stage under drought conditions. Hence, the aim of this research was to impose the drought stress on two mungbean cultivars VRM (Gg) 1 and CO6 at the flowering stage and assess the physio-biochemical and transcriptional changes. After imposing the drought stress, we found that VRM (Gg) 1 exhibited a low reduction in physiological traits (Chlorophyll, relative water content, and plant dry mass) and high proline content than CO6. Additionally, VRM (Gg) 1 has a low level of H2O2 and MDA contents and higher antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) activity than CO6 during drought stress. The transcriptional analysis of photosynthesis (PS II-PsbP, PS II-LHC, PS I-PsaG/PsaK, and PEPC 3), antioxidant (SOD 2, POD, CAT 2), and drought-responsive genes (HSP-90, DREB2C, NAC 3 and AREB 2) show that VRM (Gg) 1 had increased transcripts more than CO6 under drought stress. Taken together, VRM (Gg) 1 had a better photosynthetic performance which resulted in fewer reductions in chlorophyll, relative water content, and plant dry mass during drought stress. In addition, higher antioxidative enzyme activities led to lower H2O2 and MDA levels, limiting oxidative damage in VRM (Gg) 1. This was positively correlated with increased transcripts of photosynthesis and antioxidant-related genes in VRM (Gg) 1. Further, the increased transcripts of drought-responsive genes indicate that VRM (Gg) 1 has a better genetic basis against drought stress than CO6. These findings help to understand the mungbean response to drought stress and will aid in the development of genotypes with greater drought tolerance by utilizing natural genetic variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Practical Pharmacy & Clinical Remedies is the property of Editorial Department of Practical Pharmacy & Clinical Remedies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Mexico is considered the diversification center for chili species, but these crops are susceptible to infection by pathogens such as Colletotrichum spp., which causes anthracnose disease and postharvest decay in general. Studies have been carried out with isolated strains of Colletotrichum in Capsicum plants; however, under growing conditions, microorganisms generally interact with others, resulting in an increase or decrease of their ability to infect the roots of C. chinense seedlings and thus, cause disease. Results Morphological changes were evident 24 h after inoculation (hai) with the microbial consortium, which consisted primarily of C. ignotum. High levels of diacylglycerol pyrophosphate (DGPP) and phosphatidic acid (PA) were found around 6 hai. These metabolic changes could be correlated with high transcription levels of diacylglycerol-kinase (CchDGK1 and CchDG31) at 3, 6 and 12 hai and also to pathogen gene markers, such as CchPR1 and CchPR5. Conclusions Our data constitute the first evidence for the phospholipids signalling events, specifically DGPP and PA participation in the phospholipase C/DGK (PI-PLC/DGK) pathway, in the response of Capsicum to the consortium, offering new insights on chilis’ defense responses to damping-off diseases.

Acute salinity stress can impact many physiological processes of marine shellfish. The responses of Pinctada maxima to salinity stress, especially the osmotic pressure regulation and immune response, are of great significance to health. To investigate the molecular changes in response to acute salinity stress, the pearl oysters were transferred from 30 ppt (C) to 40 ppt (HS) and 20 ppt (LS) for 12 h, and the transcriptome analysis was conducted on the gills. Compared to the control, there were 6613 (3253 up-regulated and 3360 down-regulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 4395 (2180 up-regulated and 2215 down-regulated) DEGs observed in HS and LS, respectively. The related molecular biological processes and potential functions were explored from enrichment analysis. A total of 332 KEGG pathways (including 1514 genes) and 308 KEGG pathways (including 731 genes) were enriched in C vs. HS and C vs. LS, respectively. In addition, there are 1559 DEGs shared by C vs. HS group and C vs. LS group, and the results of the KEGG function annotation showed that 7 DEGs were involved in membrane transport, and 34 DEGs were involved in the immune system. The correlation network for expression of genes shows that the expression of 3 genes was significantly correlated with each other in membrane transport, and there were significant correlations between the expression of 27 genes in immune response. The results of this study will be of great value in understanding the molecular basis of salinity stress adaptation in the pearl oyster P. maxima.

Abstract Foliar application of sodium silicate (Si) was integrated to methyl jasmonate (MeJa) or salicylic acid (SA) sprays on the Pistachio trees in order to induce resistance to the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae. Pest population and leaf biochemical responses were evaluated. The highest population densities were recorded in control (14.65 ± 1.55 eggs/leaflet; 124.7 ± 8.17 nymphs/leaflet) while MeJa, SA, Si or MeJa + Si, and SA + Si harbored lower pests (2.80 ± 0.63 to 4.42 ± 1.22 eggs/leaflet; 1.82 ± 0.45 to 4.32 ± 1.0 nymphs/leaflet). Trees which received SA + Si and Si showed the lowest pest density. Leaf total phenolic content was decreased by 4-5% after spraying with SA and SA + Si. Leaf polyphenoloxidase activity was increased using MeJa, MeJa + Si, SA, SA + Si but not by single Si. Treatments did not change the phenylalanine amoniumlyase activity. Chlorophyll a was significantly higher in control, MeJa + Si, and SA but it was lower in Si treatments. These findings suggest that the integrated use of Si with each of the MeJa or SA can elicit the pistachio’s defense against this pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late blight (LB) caused by the Phytophthora infestans is a devastating tomato disease, distributed worldwide. Tomato wild species could be a potential source of resistance, however, there are little data about their biochemical response to LB infection. Therefore the aim of the study was to evaluate total phenolic and total flavonoid content and antioxidative activity in the leaves of wild (Solanum pimpinellifolium) and cultivated genotype (Bizon) depending on disease severity. S. pimpinellifolium compared to Bizon was less susceptible and had five times lower disease severity index (11% and 55% respectively). Additionally, during the disease progression wild genotype showed a much slower decrease of total biochemical parameters compared to the cultivated one. Parameters such as total phenolic content (TP), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging test and ABTS (2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging activity in the symptomless leaves and the leaves infection 10-25% remained the same in S. pimpinellifolium. The susceptible genotype Bizon had about 40% of leaves with the disease severity 25-50%, and a rapid decrease of all biochemical parameters. A strong negative correlation was observed between late blight infection and biochemical parameters in Bizon, while in S. pimpinellifolium late blight infection negatively correlated only with TP, TF (total flavonoid content) and total antioxidant activity (TAA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the response of medicinal plants to elevated CO2 concentrations is crucial to evaluate the climate change impacts on medicinal plant's productivity together with the accumulation of biochemical constituents counting nutrients wealth. The present study investigated the effect of elevated CO2 concentrations (ambient—~400±4, 600±12, and 800±16 μmol CO2 mol−1) on the biochemical constituents (viz. chlorophyll, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, protein, total sugars, and carbon partitioning) and accumulation of mineral nutrients (viz. potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium) in different plant parts (viz. leaf, stem, and root) of Asparagus racemosus Willd., an endangered medicinal plant species. The results confirmed that the elevated CO2 concentration significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced the leaves biochemical constituents, viz. chlorophyll, protein, total sugars, and carbon content while conversely diminishes the ascorbic acid content in leaf. The accumulation of nutrients especially potassium and magnesium were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved while it is reverse in case of phosphorus under the elevated CO2 concentration. Moreover, elevated CO2 notably altered protein, sugars, carbon, and nutrients partitioning in leaf, stem, and root tissues. This study will be helpful in anticipating the effect of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration on medicinal and threatened plants and require further intensive studies to comprehend the effects of elevated CO2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine how much an augmented analysis approach could improve the efficiency of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response analyses in clinical practice. PSA response rates are commonly used outcome measures in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) trial reports. PSA response is evaluated by comparing continuous PSA data (e.g., change from baseline) to a threshold (e.g., 50% reduction). Consequently, information in the continuous data is discarded. Recent papers have proposed an augmented approach that retains the conventional response rate, but employs the continuous data to improve precision of estimation.Methods: A literature review identified published prostate cancer trials that included a waterfall plot of continuous PSA data. This continuous data was extracted to enable the conventional and augmented approaches to be compared.Results: Sixty-four articles, reporting results for 78 mCRPC treatment arms, were re-analysed. The median efficiency gain from using the augmented analysis, in terms of the implied increase to the sample size of the original study, was 103.2% (IQR [89.8,190.9%]).Conclusions: Augmented PSA response analysis requires no additional data to be collected and can be performed easily using available software. It improves precision of estimation to a degree that is equivalent to a substantial sample size increase. The implication of this work is that prostate cancer trials using PSA response as a primary endpoint could be delivered with fewer participants and, therefore, more rapidly with reduced cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saroglitazar is a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist with dual agonistic properties (α/γ). Due to a strong mechanistic rationale, we aimed to test the safety and efficacy of saroglitazar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who were either ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) resistant or intolerant. In this double-blind, phase II proof-of-concept trial, 37 patients with PBC were randomized to saroglitazar 4 mg (n = 13), saroglitazar 2 mg (n = 14), or placebo (n = 10) daily for 16 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level at Week 16. A significant reduction of mean ALP levels was observed at Week 16 relative to baseline in both the saroglitazar 4 mg (least-squares [LS] mean =-163.3 U/L, SE = 25.1, p <0.001) and 2 mg (LS mean =-155.8 U/L, SE = 24.4, p < 0.001) groups, compared with placebo (LS mean =-21.1 U/L, SE = 28.9). Treatment with saroglitazar resulted in a rapid reduction of ALP concentration at Week 4 that was sustained through the study duration. At least 1 treatment-emergent adverse event occurred in 11 (84.6%) patients in the saroglitazar 4 mg group, in 12 (85.7%) patients in the 2 mg group and in 8 (80%) patients in the placebo group. Study drug was discontinued in 4 patients (3 patients in the 4 mg group and 1 patient in the 2 mg group) due to aminotransferase increases that promptly returned to baseline values after drug discontinuation. Saroglitazar at 2 mg and 4 mg daily was tolerated and resulted in rapid and sustained improvements in ALP. Further studies are underway at a daily dose of 2 mg and 1 mg due to the higher incidence of elevated liver enzymes observed with the 4 mg dose. NCT03112681 Saroglitazar resulted in a rapid and sustained improvement in alkaline phosphatase levels in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. The mean percentage reductions in alkaline phosphatase levels were 49% and 51% in the saroglitazar 4 mg and 2 mg groups compared to 3% in the placebo group. [Display omitted] • Saroglitazar is a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist with dual agonistic properties (α/γ). • A statistically significant reduction in ALP levels was observed at Week 16 in saroglitazar 4 mg and 2 mg groups compared to placebo. • The reduction in ALP levels corresponded to a mean % reduction of 49% and 51% in the saroglitazar 4 mg and 2 mg groups, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]