PRODUCTIVITY AND SELENIUM ENRICHMENT OF STEVIA IN HYDROPONIC AND SOIL CULTIVATION SYSTEMS IN THE ARARAT VALLEY

Hydroponics offers a viable solution for obtaining plant products that are rich in micronutrients and ultramicronutrients, such as selenium. Selenium plays a crucial role in strengthening the body's immune defense and acts as a potent antioxidant. Low levels of selenium have been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SrB), a relatively new crop in plant cultivation, was the focus of the present study. SrB has numerous medicinal and prophylactic properties, and its leaves are rich in macro- and microelements, vitamins, and diterpene glycosides. These diterpene glycosides, when extracted from the plant material, exhibit a sweetness that is 200-300 times greater than that of sugar. The study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous application of varying amounts of selenium to the nutrient solution and foliar feeding of SrB plants with a selenium aqueous solution. The productivity of SrB and selenium accumulation in the leaves were assessed under both hydroponic and soil cultivation conditions in the Ararat Valley. Comparative analyses were also conducted on biometric and biochemical indicators, as well as the productivity of SrB cultivated using different fillers, including black volcanic slag, red volcanic slag, and gravel, in hydroponic and soil environments. The findings of this research hold practical significance as they serve as a foundation for the development of biotechnological approaches to enhance selenium enrichment in various crops. By applying these strategies, crop cultivation methods can be improved, and the selenium content in plant products can be enhanced. This optimization of crop production techniques can increase the nutritional value and potential health benefits of selenium-enriched plant products.

EFFECTS OF DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE ON HIPPOCAMPAL ACTIVITY IN A ROTENONE-INDUCED RAT MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in a rat model of Parkinson's disease caused by rotenone. Due to its capacity to increase the penetration of potential water-insoluble drugs into the central nervous system, DMSO has been widely used in preclinical and clinical studies. Background and evoked spike activities were recorded in the hippocampus of rats administered DMSO (1 ml/kg i.p. for 3 weeks). We showed that pyramidal cells and Nissl bodies in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas of rats administered rotenone dramatically improved after DMSO treatment. Rotenone enhanced TP and induced a milder TD effect, while DMSO also enhanced TP but induced a stronger TD effect. The analysis revealed inhibitory effects in the hippocampus in response to high-frequency stimulation (HFS; 100 Hz for 1 s) of the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex.

EFFECT OF SELENIUM ON EFFICIENCY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF RADISH IN HYDROPONICS AND SOIL CULTURE IN ARARAT VALLEY1BABAKHANYAN

The presence of the ultramicroelement Se in food is irreplaceable. Se is a component of more than 30 biologically active compounds found in humans and animals. Se levels less than 1 mg/kg have been found to be beneficial to plants. Radish is one of the most commonly cultivated vegetables worldwide and is rich in bioactive substances, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals. Radish increases resistance and protects the human body from a number of diseases, particularly diabetes, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal diseases. The physiological multifunctional (anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory) activity of the Se-enriched plant material was also studied. This is of practical significance because the data obtained can be the basis for the development of biotechnology for the enrichment of vegetable plants with Se.

Cortical sensorimotor alterations classify clinical phenotype and putative genotype of spasmodic dysphonia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD), or laryngeal dystonia, is a task-specific isolated focal dystonia of unknown causes and pathophysiology. Although functional and structural abnormalities have been described in this disorder, the influence of its different clinical phenotypes and genotypes remains scant, making it difficult to explain SD pathophysiology and to identify potential biomarkers.

METHODS

We used a combination of independent component analysis and linear discriminant analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate brain organization in different SD phenotypes (abductor versus adductor type) and putative genotypes (familial versus sporadic cases) and to characterize neural markers for genotype/phenotype categorization.

RESULTS

We found abnormal functional connectivity within sensorimotor and frontoparietal networks in patients with SD compared with healthy individuals as well as phenotype- and genotype-distinct alterations of these networks, involving primary somatosensory, premotor and parietal cortices. The linear discriminant analysis achieved 71% accuracy classifying SD and healthy individuals using connectivity measures in the left inferior parietal and sensorimotor cortices. When categorizing between different forms of SD, the combination of measures from the left inferior parietal, premotor and right sensorimotor cortices achieved 81% discriminatory power between familial and sporadic SD cases, whereas the combination of measures from the right superior parietal, primary somatosensory and premotor cortices led to 71% accuracy in the classification of adductor and abductor SD forms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings present the first effort to identify and categorize isolated focal dystonia based on its brain functional connectivity profile, which may have a potential impact on the future development of biomarkers for this rare disorder.

Afferent cortical connections of the motor cortical larynx area in the rhesus monkey

The present study describes the cortical input into the motor cortical larynx area. The retrograde tracer horseradish peroxidase-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin was injected into the electrophysiologically identified motor cortical larynx area in three rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Retrogradely labeled cells were found in the surrounding premotor cortex (areas 6V and 6D), primary motor cortex (area 4), primary somatosensory cortex (areas 3, 1 and 2), anterior and posterior secondary somatosensory cortex and the probable homologue of Broca's area (areas 44 and 45); furthermore, labeling was found in the supplementary motor area, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (areas 24 and 23), prefrontal and orbital frontal cortex (areas 8A, 46V, 47/12L, 47/12O, 13), agranular, dysgranular and granular insula as well as in the cortex within the upper bank of the middle third of the superior temporal sulcus (area TPO). The majority of these regions are reciprocally connected with the motor cortical larynx area [Brain Res 949 (2000) 23]. The laryngeal motor cortical input is discussed in relation to the connections of other motor cortical areas and its role in vocal control.

Afferent subcortical connections into the motor cortical larynx area in the rhesus monkey

In three rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), the inferior motor cortex was explored by electrical stimulation for sites yielding vocal fold adduction. The retrograde tracer wheat germ-agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase was injected into the effective sites. Within the forebrain, retrogradely labeled cells were found in the claustrum, basal nucleus of Meynert, substantia innominata, extended amygdala, lateral and posterior hypothalamic area, field H of Forel, and a number of thalamic nuclei with the strongest labeling in the nuclei ventralis lateralis, ventralis posteromedialis, including its parvocellular part, medialis dorsalis and centrum medianum, and weaker labeling in the nuclei ventralis anterior, ventralis posterolateralis, intermediodorsalis, paracentralis, parafascicularis and pulvinaris anterior. In the midbrain, labeling was found in the deep mesencephalic nucleus, ventral tegmental area, and substantia nigra. In the lower brainstem, labeled cells were found in the pontine reticular formation, median and dorsal raphe nuclei, medial parabrachial nucleus, and locus coeruleus. The findings are discussed in terms of the possible role of these structures in voluntary vocal control.