High salinity mitigates crop productivity and quality. Plant growth-promoting soil rhizobacteria (PGPR) improve plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance via mediating various physiological and molecular mechanisms. This study investigated the effects of the PGPR strain Serratia liquefaciens KM4 on the growth and physiological and molecular responsiveness of maize (Zea mays L.) plants under salinity stress (0, 80, and 160 mM NaCl). High salinity significantly reduced plant growth and biomass production, nutrient uptake, leaf relative water content, pigment content, leaf gas exchange attributes, and total flavonoid and phenolic contents in maize. However, osmolyte content (e.g., soluble proteins, proline, and free amino acids), oxidative stress markers, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants levels were increased in maize under high salinity. On the other hand, Serratia liquefaciens KM4 inoculation significantly reduced oxidative stress markers, but increased the maize growth and biomass production along with better leaf gas exchange, osmoregulation, antioxidant defense systems, and nutrient uptake under salt stress. Moreover, it was found that all these improvements were accompanied with the upregulation of stress-related genes (APX, CAT, SOD, RBCS, RBCL, H+-PPase, HKT1, and NHX1), and downregulation of the key gene in ABA biosynthesis (NCED). Taken together, the results demonstrate the beneficial role of Serratia liquefaciens KM4 in improving plant growth and salt stress tolerance in maize by regulating ion homeostasis, redox potential, leaf gas exchange, and stress-related genes expression.

The faba bean genotypes Hassawi-3 and ILB-4347 were evaluated under three different NaCl treatments (50 mM, 100 mM, and 150 mM) for growth, physiological parameters, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in leaves. Salinity stress significantly reduced the growth and biomass yield of both genotypes. Calcium (Ca 2+), magnesium (Mg 2+), and potassium (K +) contents were reduced, whereas sodium content was increased in both genotypes with increasing NaCl concentration. Higher levels of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , and K + /Na + ratio, along with lower Na + accumulation were observed in ILB-4347 than those in the Hassawi-3 genotype. Chlorophyll, carotene, leaf relative water content (LRWC), proline, and protein content were reduced (by 54.61%, 51.51%, 42.33%, 105.19% and 44.80% in Hassawi-3 and 35.29%, 38.29%, 31.92%, 113.93% and 34.80% in ILB-4347) these effects were treatment and genotype dependent. Salinity stress significantly enhanced hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and electrolyte leakage (EL) in both genotypes; however, Hassawi-3 showed more accumulation compared to ILB-4347. Both genotypes subjected to salt stress showed enhancement in total antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and ascorbic acid (AsA) content. These results indicate that ILB-4347 is more tolerant than the Hassawi-3 genotype against salt stress and could be used as part of a better strategy to reclaim salt affected soils.

A study was conducted to evaluate the role of salicylic acid (SA; 0, 0.5 and 0.75 mM) on the growth and activity of antioxidant enzymes and biochemical attributes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.cv. Sods 1) under salinity stress. Salinity exposure (0, 25, 75 and 125 mM NaCl) reduced growth of wheat significantly by reducing the fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, leaf development and inducing necrosis on old leaves. Lipid peroxidation and production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) increased by 3.37 fold and 2.54 fold, respectively, while membrane stability declined with 125 mM NaCl concentration which were however, ameliorated by the application of SA. Under normal conditions, application of SA (0.5 mM) improved growth significantly compared to the untreated controls. Salinity (125 mM) stress enhanced the accumulation of proline (4.63 fold), carbohydrates (39.61%), free amino acids (9.44) and protein content (7.91%) which were further stimulated by application of SA leading to better stress adaptation. Application of SA to salinity stressed upregulated the activity of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, CAT and APX by 1.76 fold, 2.25 fold and 2.22 fold, respectively leading to better elimination of reactive oxygen species and protection against oxidative stress. Moreover, excess uptake of Na in salinity stressed plants reduced the uptake of K + and initiated leaf necrosis. However, application of SA mitigated these negative effects to considerable extent. In conclusion, salinity stress adversely affected the growth and development of wheat plants. However, supplementation of proper dosage of SA mitigated these negative effects of salinity through the modulation of the levels of osmolytes, activities of antioxidant enzymes and uptake of essential elements.

Background and objectiveUnlike weight stigma, internalized weight stigma (IWS) may be a common but still underreported problem. With the recent emergence of studies investigating its various aspects in Arab-speaking countries, there is still scant data on its incidence and severity in the literature. In light of this, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of IWS and its association with psychiatric disorders and sociodemographic factors among overweight and obese individuals in a sample from a Saudi population. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among a Saudi population using a convenience sample technique and 868 individuals were enrolled to participate in this study. They were asked to fill out an electronic questionnaire about IWS, demographics, and other parameters such as Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7. The association was tested using an independent t-test and chisquare test. ResultsThe overall prevalence of internalized stigma in this study was 57%. Higher levels of internalization were more prevalent among younger respondents. We found that females were more prone to internalize weight stigma, at a slightly higher rate than males (59.26% vs. 53.66%), but this difference was not statistically significant. The other sociodemographic factors associated with higher internalization were as follows: being widowed, married, retired, or housewife. Those with higher IWS levels were individuals with higher BMI and with previous experiences of weight stigma. In addition, higher internalization was associated with the development of severe depression and anxiety (p<0.001). ConclusionThe prevalence of IWS among overweight and obese individuals was found to be high, and it is highly associated with the development of severe depression and anxiety. There is a need to raise awareness about obesity stigma to help tackle IWS in overweight and obese individuals and to promote their quality of life.

Salt stress has detrimental effects on plant growth and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that are involved in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation. In this study, small RNA sequencing was employed to identify the salt stress-responsive miRNAs of the salt-sensitive Hassawi-3 and the salt-tolerant ILB4347 genotypes of faba bean, growing under salt stress. A total of 527 miRNAs in Hassawi-3 plants, and 693 miRNAs in ILB4347 plants, were found to be differentially expressed. Additionally, 284 upregulated and 243 downregulated miRNAs in Hassawi-3, and 298 upregulated and 395 downregulated miRNAs in ILB4347 plants growing in control and stress conditions were recorded. Target prediction and annotation revealed that these miRNAs regulate specific salt-responsive genes, which primarily included genes encoding transcription factors and laccases, superoxide dismutase, plantacyanin, and F-box proteins. The salt-responsive miRNAs and their targets were functionally enriched by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, which showed that the miRNAs were involved in salt stress-related biological pathways, including the ABC transporter pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, among others, suggesting that the miRNAs play an important role in the salt stress tolerance of the ILB4347 genotype. These results offer a novel understanding of the regulatory role of miRNAs in the salt response of the salt-tolerant ILB4347 and the salt-sensitive Hassawi-3 faba bean genotypes.