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【Background】 Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer is often used by farmers in China as an insurance to guarantee winter wheat yield despite its detrimental impact on the environments such as leaching to groundwater and development of eutrophication. Breeding new varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency is an alternative to sustain wheat production without compromising the environment. 【Objective】 The objective of this paper is to experimentally compare the difference in nitrogen uptake and translocation between different varieties of winter wheat in response to nitrogen fertilization in the loess plateau of China. 【Method】 The experiment was conducted from 09/2018 to 07/2019 at Taigu experimental station of Shanxi Agricultural University. We compared six cultivars: Liangxing 99, Hanmai 13, Shannong 22, Liangxing 77, Yannong 999 and Shannong 29. Added to each cultivar was two nitrogen fertilizations: 150 kg/hm2 and 270 kg/hm2. In each treatment, we analyzed the relationship between wheat yield and N use efficiency (NUE) as well as N translocation. 【Result】 The varieties Shannong-29, Hanmai-13 and Yannnong-999 were more N-use efficient. Compared with other three varieties, they saw a significant increase in N accumulation in grains and pre-anthesis N translocation and post-anthesis N accumulation; their grain yield and NUE thus increased by 17.85%~22.35% and 9.20%~12.31%, respectively, due to the increased N uptake from the 20~200 cm soil. Fertilization also affected N translocation and accumulation. For the three N-efficient varieties, increasing N application from 150 kg/hm2 to 270 kg/hm2 significantly reduced N accumulation in stem, sheath, leaves and the grains, but boosted pre-anthesis N translocation in stem, sheath and leaves, and post-anthesis N accumulation in the grains. These combined to increase average grain yield and NUE by 11.98% and 4.89%, respectively. For the varieties with low N use efficiency, increasing N application also boosted N accumulation in their grains though not as significant as in other varieties. For the same variety, its yield, NUE and N content in the grains were all positively correlated with pre-anthesis N translocation, especially for the varieties with high NUE. 【Conclusion】 Wheat varieties with high NUE gave high yield because they are more efficient to translocate N from organs to the grains. Pre-anthesis N translocation in stem, sheath and leaves can be used as a proxy for NUE. In terms of fertilization, increasing N fertilizer application from 150 kg/hm2 to 270 kg/hm2 can promote yield and NUE, especially the varieties with high NUE.

This study aims to understand the influence of nitrogen accumulation, fungal endophyte, yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and grain nutritional quality parameters on the yield of quinoa in some areas of China. The endophytic microbial community in plants plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, and health, especially in quinoa plants under different nitrogen fertilizer levels. The results from the present study indicated that appropriate nitrogen application significantly enhanced the nitrogen accumulation and yield of quinoa grains during maturity, increasing by 34.54–42.18% and 14.59–30.71%, respectively. Concurrently, protein content, amylose, total starch, ash, and fat content also increased, with respective growth rates of 1.15–18.18%, 30.74–42.53%, 6.40–12.40%, 1.94–21.94%, and 5.32–22.22%. Our constructed interaction network of bacterial and fungal communities revealed that bacteria outnumbered fungi significantly, and most of them exhibited synergistic interactions. The moderate increase in N150 was beneficial for increasing quinoa yield, achieving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of over 20%. The N210 was increased, and both the yield and NUE significantly decreased. This study provides novel insights into the impact of nitrogen fertilizer on quinoa growth and microbial communities, which are crucial for achieving agricultural sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was designed to investigate the best sowing method that encourages dry matter accumulation to increase dryland wheat yield, grain quality, and protein content. Three different seeding methods were applied: (I) wide-space sowing (WSS), (II) furrow sowing, and (III) drill sowing. Two nitrogen levels, namely low nitrogen (N1) and high nitrogen (N2), were also applied, and the pure nitrogen was 150 kg ha−1 and 210 kg ha−1, respectively. Wide-space sowing significantly increased the ears and yield production, the maximum, and average grain-filling rate while furrow sowing delayed the disappearance of the population after anthesis, increased the duration of grain filling, and then significantly increased the number of spikes and the 1000-grain weight increased, respectively. Drill sowing compared to wide-space sowing significantly increased the content of nitrogen in the grain of the nitrogen harvest index, and it increased the content of protein and the yield of protein, respectively. In addition, the grain yield and protein yield of wide-precision sowing were significantly higher than that of trench sowing. Our findings suggest that wide-space sowing was beneficial for increasing water consumption during the growth period, increasing the tiller dynamics, improving the plant dry matter quality, and increasing the grain protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: About 60% of the annual precipitation in the Loess Plateau occurs during the summer fallow season, and does not align with the wheat growing season. In addition, the nitrogen use efficiency is low in this area because nutrient availability is affected by drought. As a result, rainwater storage during the summer fallow season is very important to increasing nitrogen use efficiency, and to the stable production of dryland wheat in the Loess Plateau. Methods: A 3-year field experiment in the eastern part of the Loess Plateau was conducted with two tillage methods (no tillage (NT) and deep ploughing (DP)) and five N rates (0, 120, 150, 180, and 210 kg N ha-1) to study the effect of tillage on soil water utilization, plant nitrogen utilization, and wheat yield. Result: Compared to NT, DP showed a larger increase in soil water storage (SWSf) and precipitation storage efficiency (PSEf) during the two dry summer fallow seasons than in the normal summer fallow season. DP substantially increased the pre-anthesis soil water consumption (SWCpre) and N translocation. The average yield under DP was 12.46% and 14.92-18.29% higher than under NT in the normal and dry seasons, respectively. A 1 mm increase in SWCpre could increase grain yield by 25.28 kg ha-1, water use efficiency (WUE) by 0.069 kg ha-1 mm-1, and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) by 0.029 kg kg-1. DP could reduce the N rate by 11.49-53.34% in the normal seasons and 40.97-65.07% in the dry seasons compared to the same highest point of yield, WUE, and NUtE under NT. Conclusion: Deep ploughing in the summer fallow season, paired with optimized N application, could help increase wheat yield and nitrogen efficiency in dryland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple crop worldwide, and its yield has improved since the green revolution, which was attributed to chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. However, regular N application decreases N use efficiency (NUE, the ratio of grain dry matter yield to N supply from soil and fertilizer). Various practices have been implemented to maintain high crop yield and improve NUE. Nowadays, the enhanced sowing method, i.e., wide space sowing (WS), has improved the productivity of wheat crops. However, how the sowing method and N application rate affect N use and yield productivity has not been fully elucidated. Field experiments with treatments using two sowing methods (WS, and drill sowing, DS) and four N application rates (0, 180, 240, and 300 kg ha-1, represented as N0, N180, N240, and N300, respectively) were conducted from 2017 to 2019. The results showed that grain yield under WS was 13.57-16.38% higher than that under DS. The yield advantage under WS was attributed to an increased ear number. Both the higher stem and productive stem percentage accounted for the increased ear number under WS. Higher total N quantity and larger leaf area index at anthesis under WS contributed to higher dry matter production, resulting in higher grain yield. Higher dry matter production was due to pre-anthesis dry weight and post-anthesis dry weight. The wheat crop under WS had a 12.44-15.00% higher NUE than that under DS. The increased NUE under WS was attributed to higher N uptake efficiency (the ratio of total N quantity at maturity to N supply from soil and fertilizer), which was the result of greater total N quantity. The higher total N quantity under WS was due to both higher pre-anthesis N uptake and post-anthesis N uptake. Remarkably, compared to DS with 240 kg N ha-1, WS with 180 kg N ha-1 had almost equal grain yield, dry matter, and total N quantity. Therefore, wheat crops under WS could achieve both high NUE and grain yield simultaneously with only moderate N fertilizer in South Shanxi, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many COVID-19 patients presented with detrimental features, such as impaired respiratory function, physical capacity, and overall poor quality of life. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation on COVID-19 patients. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 2019 to 2021. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO with the registration number CRD42021273618. We performed statistical analyses via random effects and expressed the outcomes as standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous variables, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: We included six trials involving 432 patients. The primary outcome showed a significant improvement in physical function (SMD 0.83, 95% CI −0.58 to 1.09; p < 0.001; four trials, 266 participants; high-quality evidence). There was significant difference in anxiety (SMD −0.80, 95% CI −1.23 to −0.37; p = 0.003), physical activity intensity levels (SMD −1.27, 95% CI −2.23 to −0.32; p = 0.009), sleep quality (MD −0.05, 95% CI −0.83 to −0.16; p = 0.004), peripheral muscle performance of lower limbs (SMD 0.90, 95% CI −0.60 to 1.20; p < 0.001), and dyspnoea outcomes (SMD −0.55, 95% CI −0.87 to −0.23; p = 0.007). Conclusions: Pulmonary rehabilitation is an effective adjuvant therapy that minimizes COVID-19 severity in the intervention group compared to the conventional treatment. The findings of this study will need to be considered in the framework of the clinical outcome as observed in the intervention outcome. Additionally, safer data on guideline rehabilitation would be needed to examine whether pulmonary rehabilitation would be a fruitful intervention to reduce COVID-19 severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze association of thrombocytopenia with severity of COVID-19 disease. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi during the month of Apr 2020. Methodology: Study population consisted of 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection admitted in Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH), Rawalpindi. Cases were confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed on pharyngeal swabs. Patients were divided into two groups critical and non critical after obtaining the informed consent and approval from the ethical committee. Platelet counts were collected and categorized as 0-50, 51-100, 101-150 and more than 150. Results: Mean age of the study population was 43.57 ± 14.4 years Thrombocytopenia was present in 33.33% of critical and 12.85% of non critical patients. Out of total 100 patients 4 deceased and 96 survived. Among all the patients with thrombocytopenia (n=19) there were 21.05% non survivors and 78.94% survivors. Significant thrombocytopenia was seen among 4 non survivor cases, 3 were placed in first category (PLT˂ 50) and 1 was placed in second category (plt 51-100). Out of 10 critical patients with thrombocytopenia 40% could not survive. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia has a significant association with COVID-19 patients and is associated with high mortality rate. It is a reliable marker for clinicians as these patients have high mortality and are more prone to develop complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]