Mycorrhizosphere bacteria inhibit chromium uptake and phytotoxicity by regulating proline metabolism, antioxidant defense system, and aquaporin gene expression in tomato.

Chromium (Cr) contamination in soil-plant systems poses a pressing environmental challenge due to its detrimental impacts on plant growth and human health. Results exhibited that Cr stress decreased shoot biomass, root biomass, leaf relative water content, and plant height. However, single and co-application of Bacillus subtilis (BS) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) considerably enhanced shoot biomass (+ 21%), root biomass (+ 2%), leaf relative water content (+ 26%), and plant height (+ 13) under Cr stress. The frequency of mycorrhizal (F) association (+ 5%), mycorrhizal colonization (+ 13%), and abundance of arbuscules (+ 5%) in the non-stressed soil was enhanced when inoculated with combined BS and AMF as compared to Cr-stressed soil. The co-inoculation with BS and AMF considerably enhanced total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and proline content in Cr-stressed plants. Cr-stressed plants resulted in attenuated response in SOD, POD, CAT, and GR activities when inoculated with BS and AMF consortia by altering oxidative stress biomarkers (H2O2 and MDA). In Cr-stressed plants, the combined application of BS and AMF considerably enhanced proline metabolism, for instance, P5CR (+ 17%), P5CS (+ 28%), OAT (- 22%), and ProDH (- 113%) as compared to control. Sole inoculation with AMF downregulated the expression of SIPIP2;1, SIPIP2;5, and SIPIP2;7 in Cr-stressed plants. However, the expression of NCED1 was downregulated with the application of sole AMF. In contrast, the relative expression of Le4 was upregulated in the presence of AMF and BS combination in Cr-stressed plants. Therefore, it is concluded that co-application of BS and AMF enhanced Cr tolerance by enhancing proline metabolism, antioxidant enzymes, and aquaporin gene expression. Future study might concentrate on elucidating the molecular processes behind the synergistic benefits of BS and AMF, as well as affirming their effectiveness in field experiments under a variety of environmental situations. Long-term research on the effect of microbial inoculation on soil health and plant production might also help to design sustainable chromium remediation solutions.

Synergistic effect of silicon and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduces cadmium accumulation by regulating hormonal transduction and lignin accumulation in maize.

Cadmium (Cd) stress causes serious damage to plants, inducing various physiological and biochemical disruptions that lead to reduced plant biomass and compromised growth. The study investigated the combined effects of silicon (Si) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on mitigating Cd stress in plants, revealing promising results in enhancing plant tolerance to Cd toxicity. Under Cd stress, plant biomass was significantly reduced (-33% and -30% shoot and root dry weights) as compared to control. However, Si and AMF application ameliorated this effect, leading to increased shoot and root dry weights (+47% and +39%). Furthermore, Si and AMF demonstrated their potential in reducing the relative Cd content (-43% and -36% in shoot and root) in plants and positively influencing plant colonization (+648%), providing eco-friendly and sustainable strategies to combat Cd toxicity in contaminated soils. Additionally, the combined treatment in the Cd-stressed conditions resulted in notable increases in saccharide compounds and hormone levels in both leaf and root tissues, further enhancing the plant's resilience to Cd-induced stress. Si and AMF also played a vital role in positively regulating key lignin biosynthesis genes and altering lignin-related metabolites, shedding light on their potential to fortify plants against Cd stress. These findings underscore the significance of Si and AMF as promising tools in addressing Cd toxicity and enhancing plant performance in Cd-contaminated environments.

Silicon inhibits cadmium uptake by regulating the genes associated with the lignin biosynthetic pathway and plant hormone signal transduction in maize plants.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil poses a severe threat to plant growth and development. In contrast, silicon (Si) has shown promise in enhancing plant resilience under Cd-induced stress. In this study, we conducted an integrated investigation employing morphological studies, gene expression analysis, and metabolomics to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying Cd tolerance in maize plants. Our results demonstrate that Si biofortification significantly mitigated Cd stress by reducing Cd accumulation in plant tissues, increasing Si content, and enhancing maize biomass in Cd-stressed plants resulted in a substantial enhancement in shoot dry weight (+ 75%) and root dry weight (+ 30%). Notably, Si treatment upregulated key lignin-related genes (TaPAL, TaCAD, Ta4CL, and TaCOMT) and promoted the accumulation of metabolites (sinapyl alcohol, phenylalanine, p-coumaryl alcohol, cafeyl alcohol, and coniferaldehyde) essential for cell wall strength, particularly under Cd stress conditions. Si application enriched the signal transduction by hormones and increased resistance by induction of biosynthesis genes (TaBZR1, TaLOX3, and TaNCDE1) and metabolites (brassinolide, abscisic acid, and jasmonate) in the roots and leaves under Cd stress. Furthermore, our study provides a comprehensive view of the intricate molecular crosstalk between Si, Cd stress, and plant hormonal responses. We unveil a network of genetic and metabolic interactions that culminate in a multifaceted defense system, enabling maize plants to thrive even in the presence of Cd-contaminated soil. This knowledge not only advances our understanding of the protective role of Si but also highlights the broader implications for sustainable agricultural practices. By harnessing the insights gained from this research, we may pave the way for innovative strategies to fortify crops against environmental stressors, ultimately contributing to the goal of food security in an ever-changing world. In summary, our research offers valuable insights into the protective mechanisms facilitated by Si, which enhance plants' ability to withstand environmental stress, and holds promise for future applications in sustainable agriculture.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians and dentists on medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: a cross-sectional survey.

Background Bisphosphonate medication can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, which is an uncommon but serious complication. This survey explores the knowledge, attitudes and practices of dentists and physicians regarding medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians and dentists of Pakistan's secondary and tertiary care hospitals between March and June 2021. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire distributed among the eligible clinicians involved in prescribing bisphosphonates to patients or management of osteonecrosis. SPSS Statistics 23.0 was used for the data analysis. The frequencies and proportions of the descriptive variables were reported.Results A response rate of 29% was achieved. Only six dentists (n = 6/61; 9.8%) were aware that mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors could lead to osteonecrosis. Only one-third (n = 9/26; 34.6%) of physicians informed their patients about the possible side effects of bisphosphonates. The most commonly identified risk factor among them was the duration of the drug (n = 77/87; 88.5%) and the least identified was gender (n = 34/87; 39.0%).Conclusions Our study revealed insufficient knowledge among the respondents about the recently updated established guidelines available on MRONJ. The majority of physicians don't refer patients to dentists before prescribing bisphosphonates and other associated medications.

Mechanically Stable Magnetic Metallic Materials for Biomedical Applications.

The structural, electrical, and magneto-elastic properties of lanthanide base nitride (Ln = Dy-Lu) anti-perovskites were investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The reported structural outcomes are consistent with the experiment and decrease from Dy to Lu due to the decrease ofatomic radii of Ln atoms. According to the electronic band profile, the metallic characteristics of these compounds are due to the crossing over of Ln-f states at the Fermi level and are also supported by electrical resistivity. The resistivity of these compounds at room temperature demonstrates that they are good conductors. Their mechanical stability, anisotropic, load-bearing, and malleable nature are demonstrated by their elastic properties. Due to their metallic and load-bearing nature, in addition to their ductility, these materials are suitable as active biomaterials, especially when significant acting loads are anticipated, such as those experienced by such heavily loaded implants as hip and knee endo-prostheses, plates, screws, nails, dental implants, etc. In thesecases, appropriate bending fatigue strength is required in structural materials for skeletal reconstruction. Magnetic properties show that all compounds are G-type anti-ferromagnetic, with the Neel temperatures ranging from 24 to 48 K, except Lu3Nin, which is non-magnetic. Due to their anti-ferromagnetic structure, magnetic probes cannot read data contained in anti-ferromagnetic moments, therefore, data will be unchanged by disrupted magnetic field. As a result, these compounds can be the best candidates for magnetic cloaking devices.

CRISPR Cas System: An efficient tool for cancer modelling.

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-Cas-9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system has been a revolutionising tool in the field of molecular genetics, which provides a versatile range of editing potentials. Researchers can produce breaks or alter genomes with ease using the system. Cancer is one of the multi-gene diseases whose genes need to be studied in detail. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology may also provide a promising potential in the field of cancer genetics. The current narrative review comprised 50 research articles which were keenly analysed and the applications and outcomes of CRISPR-Cas9 system in cancer genetics were comprehensively and critically discussed. It was concluded that application of the system had great potential to help understand cancer biology of various types and could be used for its genetic modelling. However, much work is still needed to be done to apply the technology for understanding the mechanism of cancers and to help in the designing of appropriate therapies.