Application of organic carbon affects mineral nitrogen uptake by winter wheat and leaching in subsoil: Proximal sensing as a tool for agronomic practice.

We tested the hypothesis that application of stable forms of organic carbon (C) into the soil reduces leaching of nitrogen (N). We also examined the potential to estimate N leaching employing N-sensitive spectral reflectance indices. During three growing seasons 2013-2015, field experiment at two experimental sites combining application of distinct N doses (0 (N0), 35 (N35), 70 (N70), and 140 (N140) kg N ha-1) and two stable forms of organic C (lignohumate and compost) was established to measure N uptake by winter wheat and its leaching to subsoil layers. The spectral reflectance at canopy level was measured simultaneously with N content in leaf dry matter at the beginning of the grain filling phase. At full maturity, the above-ground biomass, grain yield, and grain protein content were evaluated. That data was used to calculate N uptake in grain. The N140 dose led to increased N uptake by grain of 64% and 73% in the wetter years 2013 and 2014, respectively, and even by 118% in the drier year 2015 in comparison with the N0 treatment. N leaching to subsoil increased substantially with higher N dose, but only in wetter years 2013 (by 74%) and 2014 (by 87%). By contrast, no effect of N dose on leached N was found in the dry year 2015. The application of organic C along with the N140 dose substantially reduced N leaching by 26% and 29% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Moreover, we demonstrated that normalized red-edge spectral reflectance index (NRERI) is able to predict N uptake by wheat and it can serve as an indicator of N leaching in heavy-rainfall years. Our results thus point towards possible agronomic practices and use of remote-sensing techniques to reduce groundwater contamination by N-based fertilizers.

Association of arterial hypertension and cognitive impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive impairment in euthymic phase of bipolar disorder has been documented in many studies. Several factors may contribute to such impairment, e.g. sedative medication, thyreopathy. Metabolic syndrome with its components represents another frequent condition found in bipolar disorder exerting probably adverse impact on cognition. Since it is treatable factor and current literature suggests possible connection with cognitive dysfunction, we aimed to explore such associations to identify promising targets of complex treatment. METHODS: Forty euthymic bipolar patients have been enrolled. Their body and metabolic parameters were measured. Medical history data were collected. Cognition was evaluated using battery of tests. Neuropsychological performance was transformed into neurocognitive composite score. Cognition of subjects was compared dichotomously according to presence or absence of pathological body and metabolic parameters. Correlations of selected parameters and composite score were done. RESULTS: Low neurocognitive score was found in presence of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, abdominal obesity and hyperglycemia. Only connection of hypertension and cognitive score reached sufficient statistical power. Patients presenting hypertension performed worse in all tested domains of cognition when compared with normal blood pressure group. Subjects using lithium performed substantially worse in cognitive tests. However, in comparison with anticonvulsant group, lithium users had markedly longer disorder history as well as longer duration of thymoprofylaxis. No significant correlation of HDRS score, insulinemia or HOMA-IR was found. CONCLUSION: Despite relatively small sample size, noticeable association of hypertension and cognitive impairment was revealed. This might indicate possible way of enhancing cognition in bipolar disorder by treating elevated blood pressure.

The effect of nitrogen addition on biomass production and competition in three expansive tall grasses.

A large increase of grasses Calamagrostis epigejos, Bromus inermis and Brachypodium pinnatum has often been observed in many regions enriched by higher nitrogen (N) wet deposition inputs. Competitive relationships between these grasses under enhanced N loads have not yet been studied. Therefore an outdoor experiment was established which involved monocultures of Calamagrostis, Bromus and Brachypodium and their 1:1 mixtures in containers under two N treatments, i.e., unfertilized and fertilized (+50 kg N ha(-1)). In monocultures, the total aboveground biomass of Calamagrostis, Bromus and Brachypodium were 1.1, 3.6 and 2.5 times higher respectively due to enhanced N fertilization. Relative crowding and aggressivity coefficients indicate that Calamagrostis and Bromus dominate when mixed with Brachypodium at both levels of N availability. When mixed with Bromus, Calamagrostis is the poorer competitor at lower N loads, however, it can be dominating in N fertilized treatments.

Interannual variation in root production in grasslands affected by artificially modified amount of rainfall.

The effect of different amounts of rainfall on the below-ground plant biomass was studied in three grassland ecosystems. Responses of the lowland (dry Festuca grassland), highland (wet Cirsium grassland), and mountain (Nardus grassland) grasslands were studied during five years (2006-2010). A field experiment based on rainout shelters and gravity irrigation simulated three climate scenarios: rainfall reduced by 50% (dry), rainfall increased by 50% (wet), and the natural rainfall of the current growing season (ambient). The interannual variation in root increment and total below-ground biomass reflected the experimentally manipulated amount of precipitation and also the amount of current rainfall of individual years. The effect of year on these below-ground parameters was found significant in all studied grasslands. In comparison with dry Festuca grassland, better adapted to drought, submontane wet Cirsium grassland was more sensitive to the different water inputs forming rather lower amount of below-ground plant matter at reduced precipitation.

Repeated occurrence of clozapine-induced myocarditis in a patient with schizoaffective disorder and comorbid Parkinson's disease.

Myocarditis is a rare but life threatening adverse effect of clozapine. Some symptoms of myocarditis--elevated temperature, tachycardia and fatigue--appear commonly during the onset of treatment with clozapine and during the dose titration. We present a case of a patient with concurrent schizoaffective disorder and Parkinson's disease, who twice developed clozapine-induced myocarditis. All symptoms disappeared after the discontinuation of the drug. Early diagnosis, discontinuation of clozapine and supportive therapy of myocarditis lower the risk of a fatal outcome.

Adjunctive aripiprazole decreased metabolic side effects of clozapine treatment.

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. Clozapine treatment is associated with the metabolic side effects. Weight gain, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia are the risk factors for onset of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. We report a case vignette of a patient in whom the decrease in negative and general psychopathology after adjunctive aripiprazole appeared simultaneously with a reduction of clozapine-induced increase in weight and metabolic measures. Combined application of clozapine and aripiprazole is in accordance with a neurobiological rationale and appears to be a safe and well tolerated.

A surveillance study of escitalopram treatment of depressed patients.

AIM: The aim of this surveillance study was to assess the tolerability of, and response to, treatment with escitalopram in 525 psychiatric out-patient clinics in the Czech Republic. METHODS: Clinical response was evaluated using the Zung Depression Rating Scale (ZDRS) and the Clinical Impressions--Improvement (CGI-I) scale. The change from baseline in the ZDRS, Clinical Impressions--Severity of Illness (CGI-S) and CGI-I scores were analysed for each visit (baseline, weeks 1-2, 4, 8 and 26). RESULTS: There were 2664 patients included, with 2126 patients (79.8%) completing the 6-month treatment. During the course of the study, the patients showed an improvement in their severity of depression, with a response rate (CGI-I < or = 2) of 86.7% and a remission rate (CGI-S < or = 2) of 80.6% for patients completing 6 months of treatment. The most frequent adverse events were nausea (5.5%), headache (2.1%) and sweating (2.0%). Discontinuation due to adverse events occurred in 170 patients (6.4%) and 3.7% of patients withdrew from the study because of non-response and/or worsening of psychopathology. There were no significant differences between baseline and final visit in mean body mass index for men or women. CONCLUSION: In this large surveillance study, escitalopram was well tolerated by a heterogeneous group of patients, whose depressive symptoms responded to < or = 6 months of treatment.