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Soilless cultivation represents a promising method for the future of the horticulture industry as it offers advantages such as improved quality control over the growth environment and mitigation of uncertainties related to soil, water, and nutrient availability. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of different environments, specifically greenhouse (GH) and open-field (OF), on the growth, phenotypic characteristics, physio-biochemical properties, qualitative parameters, and antioxidant capacity of strawberries cultivated using a soilless system. The aforementioned parameters were measured in both the GH and OF settings. Our findings revealed that the growth, yield, and morphological parameters were significantly higher in the GH environment compared to the OF. However, when considering fruit quality indices such as fruit texture firmness, fruit dry matter percentage, taste index (TSS/TA ratio), and post-harvest shelf-life, the OF cultivation method exhibited significantly superior results. Moreover, various aspects, related to plant physiology and biochemistry, antioxidant enzyme activity, total antioxidant capacity (DPPH), vitamin C content, and secondary metabolites, were found to be significantly higher in the OF environment compared to the GH. Overall, the results of our study suggest that OF soilless cultivation outperforms GH cultivation in terms of fruit quality, antioxidant capacity, and post-harvest shelf-life. Despite the observed decrease in fruit growth and yield, soilless strawberries grown in OF are likely to yield a final product of higher quality and nutritional value compared to those cultivated in a GH environment. These findings highlight the potential of OF soilless cultivation as a viable approach for strawberry production, emphasizing the importance of considering not only yield but also qualitative aspects and the nutritional value. Further exploration and optimization of soilless cultivation techniques in OF settings could contribute to the advancement of sustainable horticultural practices.

Lallemantia iberica is an annual, herbaceous and drought tolerant plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, which is cultivated for its seeds. Diversity of 12 dragons head landraces were studied for phenotypic and genotypic variations using agro-morphological traits and some drought tolerance indices. Field study was conducted in the spring of 2013 as a randomized complete block design with three replicates in Maragheh. Results of analysis of variance showed that there was significant difference among the studied landraces for all agro-morphological traits under study between the experimental sites. Combined analysis for grain yield showed that there were significant differences between the experimental sites. The average grain yields were in the range of 730 to 1380 kg.ha-1 under complementary irrigated condition and from 360 to 680 kg.ha-1 under rainfed conditions. Kalibar and Nazarlo landraces for all parameters were highly drought tolerant. Cluster analysis grouped these populations into three distinct clusters. The results also indicated that plant height and days to flowering under complementary irrigation and main branches under rainfed conditions exhibited highest correlations with seed yields.

Unlabelled: Ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) is an estimate for the local intraocular blood flow, calculated as difference between the objective values for the diastolic or systolic systemic blood pressure (SBP) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) is an eye disorder that affects the optic nerve (ON) with progressive damage to full eye sight loss, being associated, but not always, with high intraocular pressure (IOP)., Aim: Numerous studies have pointed out that the intraocular vascular impairments could be a consequence of a broader, systemic blood flow alteration. As OPP, as an estimate, engulfs both SBP and IOP, it could be used to better evaluate the presence and evolution for POAG., Material and Methods: 26 POAG treated patients were included over one year time frame, with an age between 44 and 80. Three eye exams were made in the beginning, at 6 and 12 months interval, data being collected for: IOP, visual field test, OPP, OCT, retinal examination and SBP., Results: Although the treatment for high blood pressure was initiated, no major change was acknowledged in the median value for SBP (a mild drop in the systolic blood pressure from 127.5 mmHg to 125.8 mmHg). However, after the initiation of the POAG treatment a major improvement in the OPP could be established (a significant increase for the diastolic OPP from 58.9 mmHg to 64.2 mmHg)., Conclusions: This study suggests that OPP as an estimate for the real ocular blood flow, that includes both SBP and IOP, could be used to better predict POAG and also guide the effectiveness of its treatment.

We report a case of a 32-year-old man with chronic active Takayasu's arteritis complicated by cutaneous necrotizing vasculitis. Symptoms of the early phase of his disease coexisted with complications of the late phase.

Three hundred seventy-nine Kuwaiti patients with brucellosis were admitted to Adan General Hospital, Kuwait, during the period 1984-1985. Of these 231 were males and 148 were females. Diagnosis was based on symptoms and signs compatible with the disease and on the detection of significantly elevated antibody titer and/or positive blood culture. The primary means of exposure were the consumption of raw milk and contact with goats, sheep, or camels. Patients most frequently presented with fever (91%), chills (40%), sweats (39%), gastrointestinal symptoms (30%), headache (23%), respiratory symptoms (23%), and musculoskeletal symptoms (22%). The major signs were osteoarticular involvement (37%), hepatosplenomegaly (27%), and lymphadenopathy (9%). Different regimens of treatment were used, but the highest rate of cure was achieved with triple therapy--tetracycline, streptomycin, and rifampin.

A Bedouin family is described with an unusual form of spinocerebellar degeneration. Spastic ataxia was found to be associated with congenital cataracts, macular corneal dystrophy and non-axial myopia, in the absence of retardation of somatic or mental maturation. Immunological abnormalities were common. Genetic analysis revealed that the pedigree is expressing the transmission and segregation of a single mutant autosomal recessive gene.

Brucellosis rarely can present with involvement restricted to the nervous system. We describe a total of 19 cases of neurobrucellosis in whom the clinical presentation lay in three distinct categories. The first was an acute presentation with meningoencephalitis. The disease also presented in a chronic form where the brunt of the illness can either be in the peripheral or the central nervous system (CNS). The chronic peripheral form is that of a proximal polyradiculoneuropathy. The central form is that of diffuse CNS involvement, predominantly with myelitis or cerebellar involvement with or without cranial nerve palsies. Although the two chronic forms, 'peripheral' and 'central', are distinct, some overlap is possible. This was not observed for the acute form. The pathology of the three presentations may be different, being a direct effect of infection in the acute form, and an immune-related process, possibly demyelinating in nature, in the chronic forms. The response to treatment in the acute and chronic forms is also different, being much better in the acute form. Awareness of the condition and performance of the appropriate serological tests will differentiate neurobrucellosis from other chronic CNS infections, especially tuberculosis and neurosyphilis.

Of 452 patients with brucellosis, 169 (111 male and 58 female) had osteoarticular complications. Brucella melitensis was isolated from the blood in 7.7% of the cases. Fever, chills, arthralgia, backache, high levels of C-reactive protein, positive rheumatoid factor, and splenomegaly were more frequent in osteoarticular brucellosis than in nonosteoarticular disease. Arthritis occurred in the hip joint in 90 cases (53%), knees in 61 (36%), sacroiliacs in 33 (20%), ankles in 25 (15%), elbows in nine (5.3%), shoulders in eight (5%), wrists in six (3.5%), and sternoclavicular arthritis occurred in three cases (1.8%). Spondylitis occurred in 10 cases (6%), osteomyelitis in four (2.4%), and tendinitis or bursitis in two (1.2%). Treatment with tetracycline or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) alone (four to eight weeks) or in combination with streptomycin (two to four weeks) resulted in a relapse rate of 16.6%. No relapses occurred in seven patients treated with repeated four- to six-weeks courses of rifampin plus tetracycline or TMP-SMZ plus streptomycin.

The case of a young shepherd with Brucella melitensis aortic valve endocarditis is presented. His illness ran an afebrile course and was also complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), nephritis, hepatitis and peritonitis, all of which responded well to supportive measures and a combination of tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and amikacin sulphate. The fact that even the most severe case of brucellosis can present without fever is stressed.

A case is presented of a young female with a paraneoplastic subacute cerebellar degeneration, parkinsonian syndrome, autonomic disturbance, profound depression, myopathy and cardiomyopathy. Her paraneoplastic affection preceded the actual detection of carcinoma of the breast by nine months. Block dissection of the carcinoma resulted in alleviation of her muscle weakness and a return of the electrocardiogram to normal.

Diagnosis of brucella meningitis was made in 10 patients by serological tests on blood and cerebrospinal fluid using Rose Bengal, standard agglutination, indirect immunofluorescent and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests and by blood and CSF culture. All patients had significantly elevated antibody titres. In three Br. melitensis was isolated both from blood and CSF and in a further three from blood only. Eight patients were 30 years old or less and seven were female. Seven patients had a history of contact with livestock and had consumed raw milk. Meningitis occurred in five, meningoencephalitis with hemiplegia in one, paraplegia and cranial nerve palsies in one and psychosis and/or nightmares in three. Transient Parkinsonism was seen in one patient and generalized rigidity and non-Parkinsonian tremors in another. Computerized tomography revealed ventricular dilation in one patient and punctate hyperdense, non-enhancing shadows in the lentiform nuclei in two others. Treatment with a combination of tetracycline, rifampicin and streptomycin was successful.

Twenty-nine patients with Behçet's disease were studied. Of these, 17 patients were followed up for a mean duration of 37 months and 12 for a mean of 18 months. Male to female ratio was 3.1:1. Of the 29 patients, 26 were Arab, 2 Asian and 1 Black African. The prevalence in the country was 2.1:100,000 population, in Kuwaitis 1.58:100,000, in non-Kuwaiti Arabs, 2.9:100,000 and in non-Arabs, 1.35:100,000 population. The frequencies of the various manifestations were: oral ulcers, 100%; genital ulcers, 93%; skin manifestations, 76%; arthropathy and ocular disease, 69% each; psychiatric disorders, 38%; vascular complications and positive Pathergy test, 34% each; gastrointestinal symptoms, 21%; oesophageal and CNS involvement, 14% each; and peritonism, renal and pulmonary involvement, 7% each. Kuwaiti bedouins seemed to be resistant to the disease, probably due to environmental and/or dietary factors. The hot arid climate of the Gulf had no effect on the course of the disease once it had developed.