The potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in C cycling: a review.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) contribute predominantly to soil organic matter by creating a sink demand for plant C and distributing to below-ground hyphal biomass. The extra-radical hyphae along with glomalin-related soil protein significantly influence the soil carbon dynamics through their larger extent and turnover period need to discuss. The role of AMF is largely overlooked in terrestrial C cycling and climate change models despite their greater involvement in net primary productivity augmentation and further accumulation of this additional photosynthetic fixed C in the soil. However, this buffering mechanism against elevated CO2 condition to sequester extra C by AMF can be described only after considering their potential interaction with other microbes and associated mineral nutrients such as nitrogen cycling. In this article, we try to review the potential of AMF in C sequestration paving the way towards a better understanding of possible AMF mechanism by which C balance between biosphere and atmosphere can be moved forward in more positive direction.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi mediated salt tolerance by regulating antioxidant enzyme system, photosynthetic pathways and ionic equilibrium in pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play an important role in improving the plant tolerance to salt stress. In the present study, we investigated the influence of AM fungi inoculation on various physiological, biochemical and nutritional aspects of pea grown under salt stress. The AM fungi inoculation successfully reduced the negative effects of salinity by improving the antioxidant enzyme system, a greater accumulation of compatible organic solutes, a higher content of photosynthetic pigment and a balanced uptake of nutrients, which resulted in higher growth and yield. Seed yield was found to be significantly higher by ~ 24, 40 and 54% in T2 (Rhizoglomus intraradices), T3 (Funneliformis mosseae and R. intraradices) and T4 (Rhizoglomus fasciculatum and Gigaspora sp.), respectively, as compared to nonmycorrhizal plants. Overall, a mixed application of R fasciculatum and Gigaspora sp. was superior to other mycorrhizal treatments, which can be attributed to specific compatibility relationships or functional complementarity that exists between symbionts.

Serum Uric Acid - Risk Factor for Acute Ischemic Stroke and Poor Outcomes.

Over the last decades several studies among the adult population have attempted to establish a correlation between the risk of stroke incidence and serum uric acid (SUA) concentration, and how these levels influence the patient's neurological outcome after a stroke. But, to date, the results are conflicting. In this review, an extensive literature search was performed through PubMed for articles published until May 2019 to review the association. The study selection was narrowed by searching PubMed database using the Medical Subject Headings (MesH) and associated keywords. Only articles conducted in English and on human subjects were included. We considered an article for this review if it had statistics on either the incidence, stroke mortality or post-stroke functional outcomes along with serum uric acid levels in adults. This review includes 21 articles with data of 33,580 cases of stroke and 1,100,888 participants. We can divide the articles reviewed into two separate cohorts of studies. One relates serum uric acid levels to stroke frequency and mortality, while the other is associated with serum uric acid and outcomes for stroke survivors. Based on our review, no significant relationship is observed with uric acid exhibiting protective effects on stroke outcome. Large clinical trials are advised to provide well-defined solutions to further assess the benefits of uric acid level lowering treatment in patients of vascular events, such as a stroke. However, we confidently report that increasing uric acid levels poses a higher risk for incidence of stroke.

Insomnia: Risk Factor for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Insomnia can be defined as difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, waking up earlier than expected, or having non-restorative sleep. It is one of the most common sleep disorders in the world. Insomnia is a common symptom of many neurodegenerative diseases but only recently has it been found that it is a risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. We did a traditional review to analyze the relationship between insomnia and neurodegenerative diseases. We analyzed all the relevant articles on Pubmed and included studies done on humans over the last 10 years with full text available. After reviewing the available literature on Pubmed, we conclude that insomnia is an important risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, insomnia and neurodegenerative disorders have a complex and bi-directional relationship. We think it requires further study to understand the sole contribution of insomnia to the development of various neurodegenerative diseases when different factors like mood problems, genetic factors, and environmental factors also contribute to the disease. It would also be advisable to use cognitive screening questionnaires in all sleep clinics in insomnia patients over 50 years of age to diagnose dementia early and to gather more sleep study data for prospective and retrospective research. The role of hypnotics in preventing neurodegenerative diseases through treating insomnia should also be assessed.

Association of Migraine and Ischemic Heart Disease: A Review.

Many new studies have shown an association between migraine and ischemic heart disease, and the association seems to be multi-factorial. This article reviews what is already known about this linkage and further investigates if migraine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The literature search for this article was performed primarily using PubMed as the search engine. Only those articles that assessed migraine as exposure and cardiovascular events as outcomes were included. Also, articles only from the last five years with full-text and human studies were reviewed. Based on our investigation and as indicated by previous studies, migraine headache is associated with different kinds of cardiovascular events. Healthcare providers need to be aware of this association so that they can assess and manage their migraine patients better.

The Association between Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a diagnosis of exclusion and a heterogeneous disorder that presents during the last month of pregnancy or the first five months postpartum. It is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness. A lot of work has been done trying to discover the causes of this condition, and several risk factors have been identified, including hypertension during pregnancy (HDP), ethnicity, advanced age, and multiple gestations. HDP affects 40% of cases of PPCM, and the strength of the association increases with increasing severity of hypertension. Among PPCM patients, there is a 1.5 times higher prevalence of HDP and a four-fold higher prevalence of preeclampsia (PE). Besides, the risk of PPCM markedly increases among women with HDP (5-21 times) compared with normotensive women. The experimental work done in animal models has provided support for the angiogenic-imbalance theory proposed regarding the association between these two conditions. The presence of the same risk factors also supports the prevalence of the coexistence of PE and PPCM. During the last part of gestation, the placenta secretes more anti-angiogenic factors, which leads to the development of both PE and PPCM. However, not all patients with HDP develop PPCM. In fact, most PPCM patients do not show any signs of HDP. Further work in these patients elucidated that there is an underlying susceptibility in some women that predisposes them to develop this condition and results in a worse prognosis as compared with those PPCM patients who have HDP. Better provision of care, genetic variations, and association with HDP have been cited as some of the factors affecting prognosis. HDP has also been found to increase the risk of other forms of cardiomyopathies in the future. A lot of work still needs to be done to uncover all the pathologic mechanisms and genetic variations involved in this disorder. More intensive and focussed research may help in developing new therapies to better manage this condition and address all of its complications.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza: a viable strategy for soil nutrient loss reduction.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi's (AMF) role in plant nutrition and stress management is well known, but very few researches and studies have been conducted so far on the fungal ability to reduce different nutrient losses (runoff, leaching and volatilization) from the soil system. This important ecosystem service of AMF had been neglected largely. From the recent findings, it has been confirmed that mycorrhizal symbiosis has potential to check the losses of applied nutrients. The role of soil biota in nutrient cycling is indispensable and determines the nutrient availability to plants. Among these biota, AMF's association with plants is the most prevalent, but the exact mechanisms followed by AMF in nutrient cycling, transformation and reducing nutrient loss ability are still inconclusive. In this review, we will try to unlock this particular aspect of AMF which is important to achieve global food demand in a sustainable way.

Probing the microscopic hydrophobicity of smectite surfaces. A vibrational spectroscopic study of dibenzo-p-dioxin sorption to smectite.

The interaction of dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD), from aqueous suspension, with smectite was investigated using in situ vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR and Raman), structural and batch sorption techniques. Batch sorption isotherms were integrated with in situ attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Sorption isotherms revealed that the affinity of DD for smectite in aqueous suspension was strongly influenced both by the type of smectite and by the nature of the exchangeable cation. Cs-saponite showed a much higher affinity over Rb-, K- and Na-exchange saponites. In addition, DD sorption was found to depend on clay type with DD showing a high affinity for the tetrahedrally substituted trioctahedral saponite over SWy-2 and Upton montmorillonites. A structural model is introduced to account for the influence of clay type. Raman and FTIR data provided complementary molecular-level insight into the sorption mechanisms. In the case of Cs-saponite, the selection rules of DD based on D(2h) symmetry were broken indicating a site-specific interaction between DD and intercalated Cs(+) ions in the interlayer of the clay. Polarized in situ ATR-FTIR spectra revealed that the molecular plane of sorbed DD was tilted with respect to the clay surface which was consistent with a d-spacing of 1.49 nm. Finally, cation-induced changes in both the skeletal ring vibrations and the asymmetric C-O-C stretching vibrations provided evidence for site specific interactions between the DD and exchangeable cations in the clay interlayer. Together, the combined macroscopic and spectroscopic data show a surprising link between a hydrophilic material and a planar hydrophobic aromatic hydrocarbon.