Effect of mycorrhizae on phosphate fertilization efficiency and maize growth under field conditions

Phosphorus (P) is a plant macronutrient that is indispensable for maize (Zea mays L.) production. However, P is difficult to manage in weathered soils, and its fertilization practice has low efficiency because it becomes unavailable for absorption by plant roots. Symbiosis of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increases plant growth and enhances P uptake from the soil that is not directly available to the roots. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine how inoculation with Rhizophagus intraradices and phosphate fertilization interacts and influences the development and productivity of second-crop maize. The experiment was conducted in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, in 2019 and 2020, both in a Typic Haplorthox. A randomized block design in subdivided plots was used for the phosphate application during crop sowing (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% concentrations of the recommended level), and the secondary treatments were the doses of mycorrhizal inoculant (0, 60, 120 and 180 g ha-1) applied to the seed using a dry powder inoculant containing 20,800 infectious propagules per gram of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus R. intraradices. Only in the first year of the experiment, inoculation and phosphate fertilization promoted benefits to the maize crop, indicating potential to increase yield.

Chemical seed treatment and mycorrhizal inoculation provide better development and nutrition of common bean plants

BACKGROUND

Chemical seed treatment is an established practice in agriculture to protect crops from soil-borne pathogens and pests. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) benefit plants by extending soil exploration as well as water and nutrient uptake. The objective of this work was to analyze the effects of combinations of seed treatments with doses of inoculant containing Rhizoglomus intraradices on vegetative development, root colonization and nutrition of Phaseolus vulgaris plants and soil microbiota.

RESULTS

Seed treatment benefited the vegetative development and nutrition of beans, with the treatments metalaxyl + fludioxonil + tiabendazole and pyraclostrobin + thiophanate methyl + fipronil standing out regarding the contents of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) of the aerial parts. Mycorrhizal inoculation linearly increased dehydrogenase activity, root biomass and total plant biomass, with increments reaching 27%. There was an interaction between seed treatment and inoculation dose for aboveground biomass and the contents of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn) and root colonization, with expressive results for the combination of the two highest doses of inoculant with metalaxyl + fludioxonil + tiabendazole or pyraclostrobin + methylthiophanate + fipronil in the seeds.

CONCLUSION

Chemical seed treatment and mycorrhizal inoculation benefited bean plants and their nutritional status. The best combinations for the bean crop were metalaxyl + fludioxonil + tiabendazole with 41.4 mg of the inoculant per 100 seeds and pyraclostrobin + thiophanate methyl + fipronil with 62.1 mg of the inoculant per 100 seeds. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pure abscopal effect of radiotherapy in a salivary gland carcinoma: Case report, literature review, and a search for new approaches

We report the case of an 84-year-old woman with poorly differentiated non-small cell carcinoma of the right parotid who presented with headache, was found to have a primary right parotid gland cancer as well as metastatic disease, and underwent palliative radiotherapy to the primary site. The patient received no chemotherapy or immunotherapy, but both the primary site and several non-irradiated foci in the lungs regressed or completely resolved. The patient remained free of disease for about one year before progression. The case is a rare instance of abscopal regression of metastatic disease in the absence of pharmacologic immunomodulation. A literature review surveys the history of the abscopal effect of radiation therapy, attempts to understand the mechanisms of its successes and failures, and points to new approaches that can inform and improve the outcomes of radioimmunotherapy.

Banana starch nanocomposite with cellulose nanofibers isolated from banana peel by enzymatic treatment: In vitro cytotoxicity assessment

The potential use of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as a reinforcing agent in banana starch-based nanocomposite films was investigated. CNFs were isolated from banana peel (Musa paradisiaca) by enzymatic hydrolysis. Banana starch-based nanocomposite films were prepared with CNFs using the casting method. CNFs effect on cell viability and on nanocomposite films properties' was investigated. The cytotoxicity of CNFs was assessed on Caco-2 cell line. CNFs were not cytotoxic at 50-2000 μg/mL. However, CNFs above 2000 μg/mL significantly decreased cell viability. Topography analysis showed that the incorporation of CNFs modified the film structure. The nanocomposites exhibited a complex structure due to strong interactions between CNFs and starch matrix, promoting a remarkable improvement on mechanical and water barrier properties, opacity and UV light barrier compared to the control film. CNFs can offer a great potential as reinforcing material for starch-based nanocomposite films, producing a value-added food packaging from a waste material.

Haplotype analysis and Agamma gene polymorphism associated with the Brazilian type of hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin

We have identified three unrelated individuals and three members of a family with the non-deletion form of Agamma-hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). Molecular analysis showed that each individual is a heterozygote for a previously described -195 Agamma (C-->G) mutation. The beta-globin gene cluster was studied using the polymerase chain reaction and related techniques. Haplotyping using nine restriction sites identified two closely related chromosomes with the -195Agamma mutation, differing only in a single site 3' to the beta-globin gene. Further analysis of beta-globin framework indicated that the HPFH allele segregates with haplotype V, according to Orkin's classification. The second haplotype probably originated by a point mutation or DNA rearrangement of a pre-existing -195Agamma chromosome. We also determined the sequences from -622 to +55 bp upstream to the Agamma gene and part of the Agamma IVS-2. We found four polymorphisms associated to the -195Agamma promoter region. All -195Agamma chromosomes had a G at positions -588 and +25 relative to the Agamma gene. One individual was also homozygous for polymorphisms at -398 (G-->A), and another at -369 (C-->G). Cloning and sequencing of the polymorphic patterns of the 3' region of Agamma IVS-2 showed that the mutated allele is linked to beta-globin chromosome B. Some correlations between chromosome characteristics and Agamma point mutations were also observed.

Comparison of cardiac troponin I and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes for the late diagnosis of myocardial injury

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a highly specific marker that is elevated in the blood for several days following myocardial infarction. The lactate dehydrogenase (LD) isoenzyme 1 to isoenzyme 2 ratio (LD1/LD2) is the established marker for the late diagnosis of myocardial infarction. In this study, the sensitivity of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and LD1/LD2 were compared as late markers of myocardial injury over a 5-day period in 36 patients admitted with a diagnosis of myocardial infarction to the coronary care unit. Over this period, the sensitivity of cTnI was significantly greater than that of LD1/LD2 (P < .05). The concurrent elevation of both cardiac markers of the five day period range from 53.1% to 79.4%. However, this low concordance was largely due to an LD1/LD2 < 1 in the presence of an increased cTnI. The average discordance over the 5-day period was 29.5%. Because cardiac troponin I (cTnI) has greater sensitivity than lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes for delayed diagnosis of myocardial injury and is a more cost-effective test, the authors recommend it as a test of choice in this setting.