Purpose Peat-based substrates constitute the preferred media in conventional and organic nursery production. Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in environmental impacts associated with peat extraction that has increased with the demand of these non-renewable substrates. The re-use of organic wastes as substrate seems to be good solution to substitute commercial peat. This study evaluates date-palm peat (wastes of date-palm branches base locally known as "Kornef") as an alternative nursery substrate. Methods The research was conducted in a completely block randomized design with a linear substitution (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) of peat with date-palm waste peat for transplant production of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Different physicochemical parameters (porosity, bulk density, pH, and CEC) of cultivation substrates were measured. The growth parameters (leaves number, leaves area, length, chlorophyll values, fresh and dry weight of seedlings) were evaluated at the end of growth period (when the seedling reached the commercial transplanting size). ResultsThe results showed that date-palm waste peat is an appropriate media for nursery production, showing similar properties with commercial peat and best plant response with 25 and 50% substitution. Conclusions In view of low cost, availability and large area of date-palm cultivation in Tunisia and over the world, it seems that peat can be replaced with substrate of date-palm wastes in the horticulture sector.Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
We report a rare case of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated ischemic colitis and transverse myelitis (TM) occurring precociously after renal transplantation. A 57-year-old male was transplanted with a cadaveric kidney on 5 June 2009. The patient was CMV seropositive and the donor was seronegative. Transplantation was followed shortly by TM, which resulted in paraplegia. The results of magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord showed abnormalities. Twenty days after transplantation, he developed abdominal pain with melena and was diagnosed as having CMV-associated ischemic colitis confirmed by colonoscopy and biopsy. Serological data and identification of the viral genome by polymerase chain reaction were confirmatory for CMV. Treatment consisted of intravenous ganciclovir, followed by polyvalent immunoglobulin. The outcome was favorable. Symptomatic CMV infection is relatively common among the renal transplant population. Early colonoscopy is beneficial for making a quick diagnosis and therefore helps to institute a prompt management of CMV colitis. Myelitis is less common in transplant recipients and diagnosis, therefore, was more difficult.
Benzodiazepines like nitrazepam are extensively used, both as prescribed medications and as illicit drug substitutes, and therefore detection is of prime importance. In this work, the electrochemical detection of nitrazepam using a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) modified electrode was investigated. The nitrogen-rich carbon material i.e., g-C3N4 was easily synthesized by the thermal condensation method using melamine as a precursor. The platinum electrode was modified by synthesized material and its electrochemical activity was tested using a three-electrode set-up. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed the effective detection of nitrazepam. The detection at different concentrations was analyzed using CV and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The detection limit of 0.02 µM was found with the linear dynamic range of nitrazepam. A repeatability experiment was conducted to check the stability of the proposed electrode. This study confirms the potential use of g-C3N4 as an effective and stable electrode material for the detector in the field of pharmaceuticals and health care.
Adrenal function and aging have been the object of intense interest recently, especially as regards dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), which is of major importance, since it is distinct from cortisol and aldosterone in declining with age. In a group of healthy old Tunisians, we investigated the association between cortisol and DHEA-S, on the one hand, and age, sex, lifestyle, physical health, including the body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and smoking indicators, on the other hand. We observed that cortisol concentrations did not change with aging, while DHEA-S concentrations decrease with age in both sexes. Cortisol/ DHEA-S ratio, however, increases with aging. Our results revealed that DHEA-S levels are affected neither by physical activity nor by weight. It appears also that current smoking could not affect the level of DHEA-S. Relationships were found between DHEA-S concentrations and BMI, then between DHEA-S levels and serum cholesterol, triglycerides and calcium. No modification in the morning serum cortisol was found to be associated with aging. Decrease in DHEA-S levels is, however, clearly associated with this phenomenon. High cortisol/DHEA-S ratio accelerates the occurrence of some adult diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, dementia, and osteoporosis. Generally, the adrenal insufficiency marked by a cognitive impairment, immune disorders, sexual dysfunction, and scores for depression and anxiety can be corrected by a replacement of deficient DHEA-S.
-Thirteen populations of wild roses (Rosa L.) growing in northern and central Tunisia have been used for studies on the discrimination between accessions and populations. Thirty-eight morphological characters related to the branches, prickles, leaves and corymbs were measured on the collected accessions to study the phenotypic diversity among and within species. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses (PCA and HCA) separated rose accessions into two distinctive groups and eight subgroups. A taxonomic interpretation of the morphological variability has shown that Tunisian rose populations belong to two sections (Synstylae and Caninae) of the genus Rosa. Moreover, they have been identifi ed as seven separated taxa: R. sempervirens L., R. sempervirens var. submoshata Rouy., R. sempervirens var. prostrata Lindl. belonging to Synstylae section and R. canina L., R. agrestis Savi., R. micrantha Smith. and R. dumetorum Thuill. belonging to Caninae section. PCA and HCA proved that morphological characters used in taxonomic identifi cation such as styles form, leaf and leafl ets length, number of fl owers by corymb, leafl et serration, presence of glands in leafl et, peduncle, receptacle and sepal have a high value of discrimination, and have been very successful in morphological identifi cation.
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