Advancements in Drone Technology for Fruit Crop Management: A Comprehensive Review

Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), equipped with advanced sensors and imaging capabilities, have revolutionized the way farmers monitor and manage fruit crops. Aerial surveillance enables high-resolution imaging of orchards and vineyards, allowing for early detection of diseases, pests, and other stress factors that can impact crop health. The data collected by drones facilitate precise and targeted interventions, optimizing resource use and enhancing overall crop productivity. Additionally, drones contribute to yield estimation, canopy management, and post-harvest monitoring. While the technology offers significant advantages, challenges such as payload limitations, weather sensitivity, and regulatory compliance must be addressed. Ongoing research and technological advancements are expected to overcome these limitations, further establishing drones as indispensable tools for sustainable and efficient fruit crop management. This review consolidates current knowledge, highlights emerging trends, and outlines future prospects for the integration of drone technology in fruit agriculture.

Scientific Approaches for Mass Production, Cold Storage and Release of Trichogramma: Their Role in Insect Pest Management

The use of Trichogramma as a tool in the scientific management of pest insects emerges as a vital element to promote sustainability in agriculture. Having suitable storage methods for parasitoids is a valuable asset within biological control programs. The quality of Trichogramma is affected by cold storage with an acclimation period. Prepupae were subjected to storage for 50, 75, and 100 days at 5°C, preceded by acclimation periods of 10 or 20 days at 12°C. The research revealed the potential to halt the development of Trichogramma. Treatments with a 10-day acclimation period resulted in emergence values below 10%, rendering them unsuitable for establishing a cold storage protocol. In contrast, a 20-day acclimation period benefitted cold storage tolerance for the 50- and 75-day storage periods. The storage of Trichogramma, using a 20-day acclimation period and up to 50 days under cold temperatures, did not adversely affect adult emergence, emergence time, sex ratio, parasitism, or progeny quality.

Enhancing Crop Resilience through CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Development of Disease-Resistant Cultivars

A major issue in agriculture is the protection of crops against diseases and pests. Plant breeding has been primarily responsible for the growth of disease-resistant cultivars. The use of gene editing techniques in plant breeding is essential for obtaining desired features. Clustered Regular Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPER)/Cas9 (CRISPR-related protein) is a new advancement in gene editing technology. It can be utilised in plant defence mechanisms against pathogen attack by recognising the bacterial immune system and destroying invasive pathogen genes. Advances in plant breeding through CRISPR/Cas9 integration have helped develop cultivars including hereditary resistance to bacterial and viral diseases. Future crop generations can acquire CRISPR/Cas9-mediated transgene resistance if the Cas9/sgRNA transgene has been isolated in the F1 generation. Cas9/sgRNA transgene separation makes CRISPR/Cas9 safe for use in plant breeding. Although CRISPR/Cas9 has proven to be a wonderful tool to revolutionize plant breeding and develop various disease resistant varieties, its effect on many plant physiological processes remains to be thoroughly investigated.

Effect of Tillage and Weed Management Practices on Growth and Yield Attributes of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2017-18 at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya 224229 (U.P.) to study the effect of various tillage and weed management practices on growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of wheat crop. The combination of treatments were five tillage system in main plot viz., TPR-CT, W-CT (T1), TPR-CT+W-ZT+S-ZT (T2), DSR-CT+W-CT+S-ZT (T3), DSR-ZT+W-ZTR+S-ZT (T4) and DSR-ZTR+W-ZTR+S-ZT (T5) and three-level of weed management practices in sub plot viz., Clodinafop + metsulfuron @ 60 + 4g/ha at 30 DAS (W1), Clodinafop + metsulfuron @ 60 + 4g/ha at 30 DAS fb 1 hand weeding at 45 DAS (W2) and 1 hand weeding at 45 DAS (W3) in wheat were tested with 3 replication in split-plot design. The soil was silt loam in texture and medium in fertility status. Among various tillage and weed management practices DSR-ZT+R, W-ZT+R, S-ZT (T5) and Clodinafop + metsulfuron 60 + 4g/ha at 30 DAS fb 1 hand weeding at 45 DAS (W2) resulted in lowest in total weed density and total weed dry weight (g/m2) and highest values of growth parameters, yield attributes and yield in comparison to other tillage practices and weed management practices.

Infantile tremor syndrome: Case report

Infantile tremor syndrome (ITS) is a very rare disease with an incidence of <0.2% in India. Affecting children are around 1 year of age and characterized by developmental delay, skin pigmentation, and coarse tremors. Studies since 1990 conclude that ITS is caused by nutritional deficiencies, most prominently of Vitamin B12. Since lactating mothers from a poor socioeconomic background in regions where vegetarianism is prevalent because of cultural reasons are most likely to be deficient in Vitamin B12, the syndrome is most likely to affect this segment. The case described herein is unique because it is from Mangalore in India which is a coastal town with very low levels of vegetarianism. A 14-month-old girl presented with fever, vomiting, and loose stools coupled with abnormal movements of eyes, tongue, and hands which were coarse, rhythmic, continuous of low amplitude, present throughout the day, and absent during sleep. Although initial suspicions were of seizures and the patient was administered anti-epileptics, there was no improvement in the condition of the patient. On suspicions of symptoms being of ITS, an MRI-brain was done which showed diffuse mild loss of white matter. Consequently, blood investigations showed macro-to-microcytic hypochromic anemia. Thereafter, the child was started on injectable B12 supplementation and propanolol at 0.5 mg/kg/day for tremors. The child responded well clinically.

First-time-use-of-integra-dermal-graft-as-an-alternative-for-buccal-mucosal-graft-urethroplasty-a-rare-case-report

The use of buccal mucosa grafts in urethral reconstruction for complex anterior urethral strictures has gained popularity over the years with very good outcomes reported in literature. Simultaneously newly launched integra dermal graft is been used as Onlay flap for postoperative hypospadias urethro-cutaneous fistula closure as reported in world wide literature. The aim of this case report is to compare pros and cons of use of Integra Dermal Graft as an alternative to staged Buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty in case of 13 years old boy with multiple postoperative hypospadias fistulae.

Strategic Application of Epigenetic Regulators for Efficient Neuronal Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts

Background and Objectives@#Cellular reprogramming in regenerative medicine holds great promise for treating patients with neurological disorders. In this regard, small molecule-mediated cellular conversion has attracted special attention because of its ease of reproducibility, applicability, and fewer safety concerns. However, currently available protocols for the direct conversion of somatic cells to neurons are limited in clinical application due of their complex nature, lengthy process, and low conversion efficiency. @*Methods@#and Results: Here, we report a new protocol involving chemical-based direct conversion of human fibroblasts (HF) to matured neuron-like cells with a short duration and high conversion efficiency using temporal and strategic dual epigenetic regulation. In this protocol, epigenetic modulation by inhibition of histone deacetylase and bromodomain enabled to overcome “recalcitrant” nature of adult fibroblasts and shorten the duration of neuronal reprogramming. We further observed that an extended epigenetic regulation is necessary to maintain the induced neuronal program to generate a homogenous population of neuron-like cells. @*Conclusions@#Therefore, our study provides a new protocol to produce neurons-like cells and highlights the need of proper epigenetic resetting to establish and maintain neuronal program in HF.

Uncontrolled hypertension in a rural population of Jammu and Kashmir

Aim: Evaluation of the status of uncontrolled hypertension in diagnosed hypertensives who had been advised drug treatment in the rural areas of 6 districts in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and also the risk factors associated with it. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional observational study conducted between August 2020 to July 2021 in the form of health camps in six government health centres in 6 different rural districts. The camps were focussed on patients with hypertension, diabetes with or without heart disease. The areas included Machil in Kupwara, Khan Sahib in Budgam, Rajpora and Hawal in Pulwama, Rainawari in the Srinagar, Banihal in Ramban, and Jagti in Jammu. Enrolled patients were examined for body weight, blood pressure (BP), random blood sugar and serum lipid profile. The definition of hypertension was as per the eighth Joint National Committee (JNC-8) guidelines. Results: A total of 600 patients (50.1% males) were evaluated. Of these 335 (55%) had history of being diagnosed hypertension and had been recommended drugs for BP control Male: Female ratio 1:0.8.211(63.5%) of these had un controlled blood pressures on measurement. Two or more drugs had been prescribed in 65 (30.8%) patients, 34 (16%) were taking only single drug and 112(53%) were not on any drug. Uncontrolled hypertension was seen more often in age group of 40e60 years (49%), subjects more than 60 years had it in 40%. The comparison of risk factors between patients with diagnosed hypertension with those without it revealed use of tobacco, consumption of salted tea, presence of diabetes, dyslipidaemia as significant factors for the presence of uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusion: Uncontrolled hypertension in known patients prescribed drugs is highly prevalent in the rural population of J&K. Steps to mitigate this problem are needed on top priority.

Non-traditional tools for predicting coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND The traditional coronary calcium score (CCS) is a time-tested tool for the evaluation of coronary atherosclerosis and predictor of future cardiovascular events. Non-traditional tools can also have a value in predicting and detecting subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS We studied the role of CCS, the traditional CAD risk predictor, and the less-recognized, non-traditional risk factors, i.e. epicardial fat volume (EFV) and thoracic extracoronary calcium (ECC), to assess the degree of subclinical CAD. In this cross-sectional observational study, we included 950 Indian patients (suspected to have CAD). Coronary computed tomography angiography was performed. Estimation of CCS, EFV and thoracic ECC was done. RESULTS A CCS of 0 was seen in 583 patients (61.4%). Of these, 492 patients had normal coronary angiogram but 91 patients had CAD. The median values of EFV were statistically significantly higher in the ‘CAD present and CCS 0’ group compared to the ‘CAD absent and CCS 0’ group (p<0.001). The presence of thoracic ECC involving at least a single site was seen in only 6 of these 91 patients. When both EFV and CCS were considered together for the detection of CAD, the sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) were improved compared to either of these in isolation. When ECC was taken together with CCS and EFV, no further improvement in sensitivity or NPV was observed. CONCLUSION The combined use of traditional CCS along with non-traditional EFV may guide us in better profiling cardiovascular risk and supplement the various traditional cardiovascular risk factors/scores.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CASE BASED LEARNING WITH TRADITIONAL TEACHING METHODS IN BIOCHEMISTRY FOR FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS

Background: Case based learning (CBL), is a learning method aids learner to reorganize, elaborate their information and provide connection between current and new information. Moreover CBL is student centered, taken in small groups where teacher acts as facilitator or guide. This study was planned to perceive the need for initiating CBL, this study aimed to compare the biochemistry teaching among first year medical students with that of traditional teaching. Methods This is an observational study conducted from August 2021 to December 2021. This research study was conducted on 99 students of First year MBBS students. Ten ideal case scenarios on the topic of protein energy malnutrition(PEM) in children and acid base balance were prepared, and pre validated by the faculty of Biochemistry, Paediatrics and Surgery medical education department in our institution. CBL was introduced and total three sessions were conducted and compared with traditional teaching. Results The mean (±SD) value of the score of gain in knowledge was 3.90±1.86 (n=99) for the batch of students who attended case based learning while the mean (±SD) gain in knowledge for the batch who underwent, traditional learning ( TL) was 2.60±2.29 (n=99). A paired t-test comparing didactic lectures with self-directed learning showed that the scores following didactic lectures were more compared to SDL and the results were statistically significant. An unpaired t-test comparing case based learning to SDL also showed statistically significant gain in knowledge following didactic lectures. Conclusion This study clearly showed that CBL is more effective over traditional teaching for our first year MBBS students and for covering a wider area.

Is Regular Probiotic Practice Safe for Management of Sepsis? / 中国结合医学杂志

For decades, the gut has been thought to play an important role in sepsis pathogenesis. Sepsis is a serious life-threatening, chronic condition of an infection caused by dysregulated host immune response in most of the intensive care unit patients. Probiotics have dual roles in polymicrobial sepsis i.e. probiotics may induce sepsis in many cases and may prevent its prognosis in many cases. Experimental evidence from both pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that probiotic therapy ameliorates various inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-6, etc., in septicemia. In addition, probiotic use was also found to reduce the severity of pathological conditions associated with irritable bowel disorder and prevent development of endocarditis in septicemia. On contrary, probiotic therapy in neonatal and athymic adult mice fail to provide any beneficial effects on mortality and sepsis-induced inflammation. Importantly, in few clinical trials probiotic use was found to aggravate sepsis by promoting inflammatory cascade rather than suppressing it. This review discusses various studies regarding the beneficial or harmful effects associated with probiotic therapy in sepsis.

Comparison of nebulized dexmedetomidine and ketamine for premedication in pediatric patients undergoing hernia repair surgery: a randomized comparative trial

Allaying anxiety and providing calm children in the operating room is a challenging task for anesthesiologists. This study was designed to compare the use of nebulized dexmedetomidine and ketamine for premedication in pediatric patients under general anesthesia. Methods: Seventy patients, aged 2 to 8 years of both sexes, with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I/II scheduled for hernia repair surgery under general anesthesia, were randomized to two equal groups using a computer-generated random number table. Patients in group D received dexmedetomidine (2 µg/kg), and patients in group K received ketamine (2 mg/kg) by a jet nebulizer before the induction of anesthesia. The study’s primary objective was comparing the level of sedation, which was achieved at 30 min after a study drug administration using the Ramsay sedation scale, between the two groups. The secondary objectives were the two-group comparison of parental separation anxiety scale, acceptance of the mask, hemodynamic variables, recovery time, incidence of emergence agitation, and adverse events. Results: The median Ramsay sedation scale at 30 min was 3 (1–4) in group D and 3 (1–3) in group K (P = 0.002). Patients in group D had a more acceptable parental separation anxiety scale (P = 0.001) and a satisfactory mask acceptance scale (P = 0.042). Conclusions: Nebulized dexmedetomidine (2 µg/kg) provided better sedation along with smooth parental separation and satisfactory mask acceptance during induction of anesthesia with a similar emergence agitation profile and adverse reactions compared to nebulized ketamine in pediatric patients.

Use of Foley's catheter as a tourniquet for the management of vascular lesion of lip in Mowat-Wilson syndrome

Background: Vascular malformation of lower lip is a very rare anomaly. The lesion leads to facial asymmetry, difficulty in speech and eating and drooling of saliva. Treatment goals include symmetrical reconstruction of the lip with minimal scarring, provide adequate bulk for the reconstruction of vermillion, in toto removal of the lesion and prevent recurrence. The most common complication during surgical removal of these lesions includes blood loss and profuse bleeding which leads to poor visibility, increased operation time and postoperative requirement of blood transfusion. Therefore, the use of sclerosing agent is recommended before surgical removal. This may help in decreasing bleeding during surgery but not in all cases. Case Report: Here, we report the use of Foley's catheter for the management of a high flow lesion of lower lip in a 12-year-old patient diagnosed with Mowat-Wilson syndrome. This technique helped in providing bloodless field which lead to minimal blood loss and good visibility intraoperatively.

Effectiveness of four ultrasonographic parameters as predictors of difficult intubation in patients without anticipated difficult airway / 대한마취과학회지

Background@#Predicting difficult intubation (DI) is a key challenge, as no single clinical predictor is sufficiently valid to predict the outcome. We evaluated the effectiveness of four upper airway ultrasonographic parameters in predicting DI. The validity of the models using combinations of ultrasonography-based parameters was also investigated. @*Methods@#This prospective, observational, double-blinded cohort trial enrolled 1,043 surgical patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–III without anticipated difficult airway. Preoperatively, their tongue thickness (TT), invisibility of hyoid bone (VH), and anterior neck soft tissue thickness from the skin to thyrohyoid membrane (ST) and hyoid bone (SH) were measured by sublingual and submandibular ultrasonography. The logistic regression, Youden index, and receiver operator characteristic analysis results were reported. @*Results@#Overall, 58 (5.6%) patients were classified as DI. The TT, SH, ST, and VH had accuracies of 78.4%, 85.0%, 84.7%, and 84.9%, respectively. The optimal values of TT, SH, and ST for predicting DI were > 5.8 cm (sensitivity, 84.5%; specificity; 78.1%; AUC, 0.880), > 1.4 cm (sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 85.2%; AUC, 0.898), and > 2.4 cm (sensitivity, 75.9%; specificity, 85.2%; AUC, 0.885), respectively. VH had a sensitivity and specificity of 72.4% and 85.6% (AUC, 0.790. The AUC values of the five models (with combinations of three or four parameters) ranged from 0.975–0.992. ST and VH had a significant impact on the individual models. @*Conclusions@#SH had the best accuracy. Individual parameters showed limited validity. The model including all four parameters offered the best diagnostic value.

Association of Serum Bilirubin with Acute Ischemic Stroke – An Observational Study

@#Introduction: Stroke is a common cause of mortality and morbidity and has an increasing prevalence across the world.1 Bilirubin is now being considered an antioxidant which increases in response to diseases associated with increased oxidative stress. Hence the present observational study was undertaken to assess the bilirubin levels with the outcome of acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This observational study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2018 on 64 ischemic stroke patients admitted at KLE’S Dr. Prabhakar kore hospital at Belagavi, Karnataka. All adult patients above 18 years of age presenting with cerebrovascular accident and proved as ischemic stroke on CT scan or MRI scan were included. The patients were empirically divided into different Groups based on the bilirubin level. They were then analysed with their NIHSS scores for assessing stroke severity. Results: A total of 64 patients were included in the final analysis. The mean total bilirubin level in the patients was 0.68±0.34 mg/dl ( mean±SD). 34.3% (22) of ischemic stroke patients in the study had serum total bilirubin levels 0.7 mg/dl or more. Mean NIHSS Score for Group 1(Low) total bilirubin group was 9.37 and for Group 2(High) bilirubin group was 10.9, which was statistically not significant. This indicates that there was no significant correlation between total bilirubin and severity of symptoms at the time of admission.There was no statistically significant correlation between NIHSS and direct bilirubin levels Conclusion: The current study has documented no association between the bilirubin levels and stroke severity and prognosis.

Effectiveness of four ultrasonographic parameters as predictors of difficult intubation in patients without anticipated difficult airway / 대한마취과학회지

Background@#Predicting difficult intubation (DI) is a key challenge, as no single clinical predictor is sufficiently valid to predict the outcome. We evaluated the effectiveness of four upper airway ultrasonographic parameters in predicting DI. The validity of the models using combinations of ultrasonography-based parameters was also investigated. @*Methods@#This prospective, observational, double-blinded cohort trial enrolled 1,043 surgical patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–III without anticipated difficult airway. Preoperatively, their tongue thickness (TT), invisibility of hyoid bone (VH), and anterior neck soft tissue thickness from the skin to thyrohyoid membrane (ST) and hyoid bone (SH) were measured by sublingual and submandibular ultrasonography. The logistic regression, Youden index, and receiver operator characteristic analysis results were reported. @*Results@#Overall, 58 (5.6%) patients were classified as DI. The TT, SH, ST, and VH had accuracies of 78.4%, 85.0%, 84.7%, and 84.9%, respectively. The optimal values of TT, SH, and ST for predicting DI were > 5.8 cm (sensitivity, 84.5%; specificity; 78.1%; AUC, 0.880), > 1.4 cm (sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 85.2%; AUC, 0.898), and > 2.4 cm (sensitivity, 75.9%; specificity, 85.2%; AUC, 0.885), respectively. VH had a sensitivity and specificity of 72.4% and 85.6% (AUC, 0.790. The AUC values of the five models (with combinations of three or four parameters) ranged from 0.975–0.992. ST and VH had a significant impact on the individual models. @*Conclusions@#SH had the best accuracy. Individual parameters showed limited validity. The model including all four parameters offered the best diagnostic value.

Fat Necrosis in Axillary Lipoma after FNAC - A Case Report

Lipomas are benign soft tissue tumours having mature adipose tissue. These lesions are the most common soft tissue tumours, accounting for approximately 50 % of all soft tissue tumours.1 Lipomas are mostly located within the superficial soft tissues of the extremities, back, and neck. These lesions are asymptomatic, but due to the superficial location these lesions, they commonly present less than 5 cm in size.2 Lipomas deep to the superficial fascia also occur, but are rare. These lesions may be intramuscular or intermuscular and mostly occur in the lower extremity. Following accidental trauma fat necrosis can be seen, and the patient presents with pain at the site of lipoma with discoloration of skin. It can be confidently diagnosed on ultra-sonography, without further need of any investigation. Here, we are discussing USG, Doppler and Strain Elastography imaging findings in a middle-aged lady having fat necrosis within axillary lipoma. Lipoma are relatively common benign lesions and can arise from anywhere in the body. Fat necrosis is common following accidental trauma.

Importance of Ultrasonography in Inspissated Bile Syndrome in a Neonate - A Case Report

Neonatal cholestasis is the diagnostic dilemma in clinical practice.1 It is a serious condition with the varied aetiological factors. Biliary atresia, hepatitis, choledochal cyst are common causes in neonates. Intrahepatic and extrahepatic causes can be easily differentiated by radiological investigations.2 Inspissated bile syndrome is a rare cause of neonatal jaundice.3,4 Predisposing factors for the development of inspissated bile in neonates include haemolysis, prematurity, parenteral nutrition, sepsis, and diuretic therapy.5 Ultrasonography is valuable in diagnosing the causes of obstructive jaundice especially in neonates where computed tomography scan cannot be done due to radiation exposure and MRI cannot be done due to the motion artefacts. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy single-photon emission computer tomography (HBS SPECT) is the most reliable diagnostic method. Generally, inspissated bile resolves spontaneously, but sometimes patient needs ursodeoxycholic acid. Rarely surgical drainage is also needed.Inspissated bile syndrome is a rare cause of neonatal jaundice. It is extrahepatic obstruction due to sludge of inspissated bile. We present a case of 8 days old child who presented with jaundice. Total bilirubin was raised mainly due to high levels of unconjugated bilirubin.

Ultrasonographic Examination of Peripheral Nerves in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Diabetes has been a major problem in India. Its slow growth is associated with many complications, most common being peripheral neuropathy. An easy and cheap investigation to diagnose the neuropathy may help in early diagnosis and decrease the economic burden on the society. The purpose of the study was to assess the usefulness of ultrasonography (USG) in the evaluation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).METHODSFifty adult diabetic patients with clinically diagnosed DPN and 50 diabetics without DPN were included in the study. USG of the medial, ulnar, and common peroneal nerves was done. The mean cross-sectional area (CSA) of the involved nerves was measured in the two groups at identical positions. The CSA was compared between the two groups, and Student t-test was applied to assess statistical significance.RESULTSThe mean thickness of median nerve among diabetics without DPN was significantly less at 5 cms proximal to wrist (7.34 ± 1.24 vs 11.12 ± 1.56, p<0.0001); was significantly less at mid-forearm (6.84 ± 0.77 vs 10.36 ± 1.72, p<0.0001); and was significantly less at elbow (7.36 ± 0.75 vs 10.2 ± 1.64, p<0.0001). The mean thickness of ulnar nerve among diabetics without DPN was significantly less at wrist joint (6.98 ± 0.89 vs 8.44 ± 1.34, p<0.0001); and was significantly less behind medial epicondyle (7.44 ± 0.93 vs 9.36 ± 0.98, p<0.0001). The mean thickness of common peroneal nerve among diabetics without DPN was significantly less at neck of fibula (7.26 ± 1.34 vs 9.3 ± 1.67, P<0.0001); and the mean thickness of posterior tibial nerve was also significantly less at 5 cms above medial malleolus (7.06 ± 1.25 vs 9.16 ± 1.61, P<0.0001). There was a significant increase in the CSA of the median, ulnar, posterior tibial and common peroneal, in DPN patients as compared to diabetics without DPN (p<0.05).CONCLUSIONSUSG demonstrates a morphological change in patients with DPN in the form of an increase in CSAs, which was statistically significant. USG can objectively complement other diagnostic investigations such as nerve conduction studies. High resolution ultrasonography of peripheral nerves has the potential to become the investigation of first choice for the evaluation of DPN.

Cr(VI) toxicity inhibits microbe enhanced plant growth promotion without affecting bioremediation potential

Hexavalent Chromium [Cr(VI)], a toxic inorganic pollutant of agriculture soil derived from variousanthropogenic industrial sources, disturbs vegetation and contaminates the food chain. Chromate microbialtoxicity was studied using plant growth-promoting chromate reducing Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCCP15442 (P15). With a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1,250 µg/ml Cr(VI), the isolate is capable of 98%bioreduction of 100 µg/ml Cr(VI) in 24 hours and 83% of 500 µg/ml Cr(VI) in 72 hours. Additionally, P15shows tolerance to cross heavy metal pollutants (Cd, Pb, and Zn), halotolerance, and the production of plantgrowth-promoting substance, such as indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and phosphate solubilization in thepresence and absence of Cr(VI). This study also reports that 100 and 250 µg/ml Cr(VI) decreases the productionof IAA, siderophore, and phosphate solubilization without affecting the growth or Cr(VI) bioreduction ability.In Vigna mungo seed bacterization assay, P15 is capable of enhancing root and shoot length in absence ofCr(VI) and reversing toxic effects of 100 µg/ml Cr(VI). No enhancement of plant parameters was observed athigher Cr(VI) concentrations, except reversal of Cr toxicity. These data are indication of the detrimental effectof Cr(VI) pollution on rhizospheric microbial flora associated with plant growth-promoting activities.