The objective of this study was to determine patterns of soil microbial respiration (SMR) and earthworm communities in selected mollic (Chernozems and Phaeozems) and non-mollic (Luvisols and Arenosols) soils of Hungary, across three land-use types (grassland, arable land, and forest). Soil samples, to a depth of 25 cm, were collected from the surrounding areas of seven soil profiles. SMR measured by basal respiration method, was significantly higher in mollic soils compared to non-mollic soils, with highest values in Chernozem soils and lowest in Arenosols. The mean basal respiration did not show significant difference between land-use types within mollic diagnostic category (p > 0.05), but it differed within non- mollic category (p < 0.05). We found available Ca2+ (r = 0.80), soil moisture content (MC) (r = 0.72), and Mg2+ (r = 0.69) to be strongly correlated with SMR. SMR was significantly higher in fine textured soils compared to coarser textured soils. The earthworm biomass and abundance varied significantly across soil and land-use types, however, explicit correlations with any of soil property measured was not observed. A total of five earthworm species were identified, i.e. Aporrectodea caliginosa, Octolasion lacteum, Aporrectodea rosea, Proctodrilus opisthoductus, and Aporrectodea georgii. Earthworm abundance, biomass, and species richness tend to be highest in grassland and lowest in arable land. Generally, in our study, available Ca2+, Mg2+, MC, and texture were the key drivers of the variation in SMR, whereas the earthworm communities were probably more influenced by agricultural activities related to tillage.
Prakriti (body –mind constitution of an individual) is a conventional, customized and unique the understanding of which is essential for the personalized medicine described in Ayurveda, Indian System of Medicine. Based on the Doshas( functional, bio humoral unit in the body) individuals are categorized into three major prakriti- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The human gut micro biome hosts plenty of highly diverse and metabolically active microorganisms, mainly dominated by the bacteria, which are known to influence the physiology of an individual. Few researches have shown the correlation between the prakriti and the biochemical parameters. In this study, an attempt was made to explore any correlation between the prakriti (phenotype of an individual) with the Genetic makeup of the gut micro biome in healthy individuals. Materials and methods: 270 multi ethnic, healthy volunteers of both the sex with the age group between 18 to 40 years, with no history of antibiotics in last 6 months were recruited into three groups of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The Prakriti of the individual was determined using Ayusoft, a software designed by CDAC, Pune, India. The volunteers were subjected to initial screening for the assessment of their height, weight, Body Mass Index, Vital signs and Blood investigations to ensure they are healthy. The stool sample of the recruited volunteers were collected as per the standard operating procedure developed and the bacterial DNA was isolated using Qiagen kits. The extracted DNA was subjected to 16s rRNA sequencing using the Illumina kits. The sequencing libraries targeting the variable V3 and V4 regions of the 16s rRNA gene. Paired sequencing was done on MiSeq system and data were analyzed using the CLC Genomics workbench 11. Results: The 16s rRNA sequencing of V3 and V4 region showed diverse pattern in both the oral and stool microbial DNA. The study did not reveal any specific pattern of bacterial flora amongst the prakriti. All the p-values were more than the effective alpha values for all OTUs in stool samples. Therefore, there was no observed significant enrichment of any OTU in the patient samples from stool samples. Conclusion: In healthy volunteers of multi ethnicity, due to the influence of the various factors, correlation betwwen the prakriti and the gut microbiome was not seen. The correlation can be established by controlling the factors that would influence the gut microbiome.
This article discusses two models, with two different needle assumptions for the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) between people who inject drugs (PWIDs) who share needles and syringes. Our analysis demonstrates that the basic reproduction number R0 determines how the model behaves. R0=1 is a crucial threshold parameter which divides two qualitatively different scenarios. It has been shown that if R0≤1 only a disease‐free equilibrium point exists. On the other hand if R0>1 a unique endemic equilibrium point exists as well as the disease‐free one. The disease‐free equilibrium point is globally asymptotically stable if R0≤1 otherwise unstable. We look at an approximation to this model by using the fact that the timescale on which the individual PWIDs inject with needles or syringes is much faster than the timescale of epidemiological change. Also, we showed that if R0>1 the endemic equilibrium point is locally asymptotically stable for our approximation to this model. Additionally, we perform some simulations with realistic parameter values which confirm that if R0>1 then the solutions to this model tend to this endemic equilibrium value giving a steady‐state nonzero HCV prevalence. With realistic parameter values for both assumptions we find that R0=2.9987 and the total endemic equilibrium fraction of infectious PWIDs is 0.5348 and the total equilibrium fraction of antibody positive PWIDs is 0.65. The total fraction of infectious needles is 0.275.
Background: Jasmonic acid (JA) is a signal transducer molecule that plays an important role in plant development and stress response; it can also efficiently stimulate secondary metabolism in plant cells. Results: RNA-Seq technology was applied to identify differentially expressed genes and study the time course of gene expression in Rhazya stricta in response to JA. Of more than 288 million total reads, approximately 27% were mapped to genes in the reference genome. Genes involved during the secondary metabolite pathways were up- or downregulated when treated with JA in R. stricta. Functional annotation and pathway analysis of all up- and downregulated genes identified many biological processes and molecular functions. Jasmonic acid biosynthetic, cell wall organization, and chlorophyll metabolic processes were upregulated at days 2, 6, and 12, respectively. Similarly, the molecular functions of calcium-transporting ATPase activity, ADP binding, and protein kinase activity were also upregulated at days 2, 6, and 12, respectively. Time-dependent transcriptional gene expression analysis showed that JA can induce signaling in the phenylpropanoid and aromatic acid pathways. These pathways are responsible for the production of secondary metabolites, which are essential for the development and environmental defense mechanism of R. stricta during stress conditions. Conclusions: Our results suggested that genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and aromatic acid synthesis pathways were upregulated during JA stress. However, monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) was unaffected by JA treatment. Hence, we can postulate that JA plays an important role in R. stricta during plant development and environmental stress conditions. (C) 2021 Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
