No abstract

Water availability and soil physicochemical properties are the most important factors for the establishment and growth of plant seedlings in arid and desert areas. Improving water use efficiency and soil properties are two major factors for sustainable development in these regions. Therefore, this research aimed to study the effectiveness of biological hydrogel (b), PLANTBAC vegetation layer (PB), sand (sa) and barley straw (st) with inter-row system on some soil properties, including N, Cl, Zn, Fe, clay, silt and sand percentages, and water use efficiency under the cultivation of Nitraria schoberi. This experiment was tested in a split plot design with 3 replications and 10 observations in 2015 during 2 years at Semnan province's Natural Resources Research Station. Data analysis was carried out in SAS software version 9.1.3. According to the results, the highest amount of Cl was obtained at non-micro catchment by straw and sand treatments, as well as at micro catchment by PB treatments. The highest amount of Zn was obtained at non-micro catchment by straw treatment (1.106). The results of mulch effect on Fe showed that four mulch treatments did not have significant difference with the control. Also, the highest amount of total N content was observed at micro catchment by hydrogel treatment. There was not any significant difference among environment and clay, silt and sand treatments and about plant establishment and, all four mulch treatments had significantly higher moisture content and establishment than the control. The results of mulch effect on water use efficiency showed that there was a significant difference between all four mulch treatments (P < 0.01

In order to study the effects of biocontrol agent (Bacillus subtilis) and Arbuscular mycorrhizal (Glomus mosseae) on the plant growth, peroxidase (POX) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, nutrient content, essential oil yield and root colonization of Thymus daenensis transplants, a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments was carried out at the Glasshouse, in 2011-2012. Treatments were included: 1-Glomus mosseae 2-Bacillus subtilis 3-co-inoculation of G. mosseae and B. subtilis and 4-no inoculated. Results showed that the Co-inoculation with G. mosseae and B. subtilis resulted 74% increase in shoot /root dry weight, increased dry herb yield by about 30% and stimulated essential oil yield by 14 % compared to uninoculated controls. The percent of root colonization in the plants inoculated with G. mosseae was more than 7 times higher compared to non-inoculated plants, but dual inoculation resulted in a 68 % reduction in root colonization compared to single inoculation with G. mosseae. The Zn content significantly increased about three times higher than the control plants after dual inoculation. All microbial inoculation treatments significantly increased the concentration of Thymol and carvacerol in T. daenensis plants with respect to the control plants. This study further revealed that the single inoculation with B. subtilis significantly enhanced PAL and pox activity compared to the other treatments. Our findings confirm that plants Co-inoculated with G. mosseae and B. subtilis during the nursery stage, can create a more synergistic effect that supports thyme (T. deneansis) quality and quantity yields in a sustainable cultivation

Background and Purpose: Oral health is a critical factor in the quality of life (QoL) of older adults in relation to their nutrition, mental health, and healthy social relationships. This study aimed to investigate oral problems and psychological status of older adults referred to a hospital and its relationship with cognition status, stress, anxiety, and depression. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 older adults referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Shiraz City, Iran. The “Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale”, the “Abbreviated Mental Test score”, and the “General Oral Health Assessment Index” were used to collect the required data. The Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression statistical tests were used to analyze the data in SPSS v. 26. P less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The Mean±SD age of the participants was 70.1±4.6 years. Their mean±SD score of oral health was 44.83±3.91, and the mean±SD cognitive status was 9.28±0.9. The results of correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the dimensions of mental health (cognitive status, stress, anxiety, depression) and oral health (P<0.05). According to the multiple linear regression model, there was a significant relationship between oral health and cognitive status (P=0.002) and between oral health and stress (P=0.015). Conclusion: The study’s results showed a correlation between mental health and oral health. Thus, one of the ways to improve the mental health of the elderly is to provide appropriate and timely dental intervention.

Objectives: Delirium is an acute and fluctuating change in the patient’s mental state associated with decreased alertness and impaired attention. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of delirium and its related factors in older adults hospitalized in selected hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Methods & Materials: This is a cross-sectional study. The study population consists of all the elderly hospitalized in the emergency and internal departments of Firoozabadi and Rasoul Akram hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Using a simple random sampling method, 300 eligible patients were selected for the study. To collect the required information, a demographic and medical history questionnaire and the 4AT test were used. Related blood biomarkers were also examined. After collection, the data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 24 using descriptive statistics (Mean±SD) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation test). The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The Mean age of patients was 70.91±8.77 years; 53% were male and 62% were married. Thirty-one percent were exposed to delirium and 43% had delirium. The patients’ delirium status had a significant relationship with the history of polypharmacy (r=0.503, P<0.001), independence in performing activities of daily living at home (r=0.404, P<0.001), history of hospitalization in the past month (r=0.390, P<0.001), hearing loss (r=0.362, P=0.001), vision loss (r=0.382, P=0.006), history of cognitive impairment (r=0.350, P=0.002), Parkinson’s disease (r=0.301, P=0.004), history of specialized treatment for depression (r=0.218, P=0.012), and chronic pain (r=0.251, P=0.043). Conclusion: Early diagnosis of delirium can prevent its adverse effects. It is necessary to identify the risk factors of this syndrome and provide appropriate and comprehensive interventions for the hospitalized elderly with delirium.