Modulations of wheat growth by selenium nanoparticles under salinity stress.

Salinity stress is a prominent environmental factor that presents obstacles to the growth and development of plants. When the soil contains high salt concentrations, the roots face difficulties in absorbing water, resulting in water deficits within the plant tissues. Consequently, plants may experience inhibited growth, decreased development, and a decline in biomass accumulation. The use of nanoparticles has become a popular amendment in recent times for the alleviation of salinity stress. The study investigated the biological approach for the preparation of Se nanoparticles (NP) and their effect on the growth of wheat plants under saline conditions. The leaf extract of lemon (Citrus limon L.) was used for the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs). The synthesized NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and were applied foliar in the range of 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1% on wheat plants. Results showed that 0.1% SeNP alone exhibited a significantly higher yield per plant, biomass per plant, 1000 grains weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll over the SS (salt stress) control. A significant decline in MDA and H2O2 also validated the effectiveness of 0.1% SeNP over the SS control.

Coupling Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria with Phosphorus Supplements Improve Maize Phosphorus Acquisition and Growth under Lime Induced Salinity Stress.

Global warming promotes soil calcification and salinization processes. As a result, soil phosphorus (P) is becoming deficient in arid and semiarid areas throughout the world. In this pot study, we evaluated the potential of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) for enhancing the growth and P uptake in maize under varying levels of lime (4.8%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and additional P supplements (farmyard manure, poultry manure, single super phosphate and rock phosphate) added at the rate of 45 mg P2O5 kg-1. Inoculation and application of P as organic manures (Poultry and farm yard manures) improved maize growth and P uptake compared to the control and soils with P applied from mineral sources. Liming adversely affected crop growth, but the use of PSB and organic manure significantly neutralized this harmful effect. Mineral P sources combined with PSB were as effective as the organic sources alone. Furthermore, while single supper phosphate showed better results than Rock phosphate, the latter performed comparably upon PSB inoculation. Thus, PSB plus P application as organic manures is an eco-friendly option to improve crop growth and P nutrition in a calcareous soil under changing climate.

Can preventive hyperbaric oxygen therapy optimise surgical outcome?: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: A primary underlying cause of postoperative complications is related to the surgical stress response, which may be mitigated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the intermittent administration of oxygen at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure at sea level. Promising clinical studies have emerged suggesting HBOT's efficacy for reducing some postoperative complications. Notwithstanding, the effectiveness (if any) of HBOT across a range of procedures and postoperative outcomes has yet to be clearly quantified. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to summarise the existing literature on peri-operative HBOT to investigate its potential to optimise surgical patient outcome. DESIGN: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with narrative summary of results. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched without language restrictions through to 19 June 2018. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies were included if they involved patients of any age undergoing any surgical procedure and provided with at least one HBOT session in the peri-operative period. Two independent reviewers screened the initial identified trials and determined those to be included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for RCTs. RESULTS: The search retrieved 775 references, of which 13 RCTs were included (627 patients). Ten RCTs (546 patients) reported treatment was effective for improving at least one of the patient outcomes assessed, while two studies (55 patients) did not find any benefit and one study (26 patients) found a negative effect. A wide range of patient outcomes were reported, and several other methodological limitations were observed among the included studies, such as limited use of sham comparator and lack of blinding. CONCLUSION: Peri-operative preventive HBOT may be a promising intervention to improve surgical patient outcome. However, future work should consider addressing the methodological weaknesses identified in this review. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol (CRD42018102737) was registered with the International ProspectiveRegister of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO).

Evidence for simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence from many areas of healthcare suggests that skills learned during simulation transfer to clinical settings; however, this has not yet been investigated in hyperbaric medicine. This systematic review aimed to identify, summarize, and assess the impact of simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine. METHODS: Eligible studies investigated the effect of simulation-based education for learning in hyperbaric medicine, used any design, and were published in English in a peer-reviewed journal. Learning outcomes across all Kirkpatrick levels were included. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Pairs of independent reviewers assessed references for study eligibility. RESULTS: We found no article assessing the impact of simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine published in English. Only one potentially relevant paper published in German was found. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed to determine how the hyperbaric medicine community and their patients may benefit from simulation-based education to optimize both practice and patient care.

Aqueous extract of Ocimum tenuiflorum decreases levels of blood glucose in induced hyperglycemic tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, in hyperglycemic tilapia [Oreochromis niloticus (O. niloticus)], the effect of this aqueous extract on blood glucose levels. METHODS: The hyperglycemia in O. niloticus was induced by adding glucose to fish pond water. An aqueous extract of Ocimum tenuiflorum (O. tenuiflorum) was prepared by boiling fresh leaves and the doses of 0, 40, 80, 200 and 400 mg per liter of pond water were tested. RESULTS: The blood sugar concentration for tilapia with hyperglycemic induced was an average of 50% higher than the control group. The blood glucose levels in tilapia after the induction of hyperglycemia were higher than the control group for 90 min after the treatment. The treatment with the aqueous extract of O. tenuiflorum dropped the serum glucose level of hyperglycemic tilapia until it was similar to that of the control group and was dose dependent. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that O. tenuiflorum was endowed with anti-hyperglycemic activity. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of fish as a diabetes model to test natural extracts from plants.