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The possibility of using radiation from a two-frequency pulsed copper vapor laser with wavelengths of 510.6 and 578.2 nm with an exposure of 30 to 120 s to stimulate the development of coniferous trees (spruce, pine, larch) with single seed irradiation is shown. The stimulation effect manifests itself at various early stages of development, such as the awakening of seeds in the aquatic environment in the first hours of the experiment (according to the electron absorption spectroscopy data), seed germination, and seedling growth under stressful cultivation conditions. Possible causes of light exposure to plant seeds are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of treatment of wheat seeds with a suspension culture of cells of endophytic bacteria of the strain Bacillus subtilis 26D and lines B. subtilis 26D+n, selected for tolerance to crude oil components, on the growth and biochemical characteristics of wheat plants Triticum aestivum L. in conditions of oil pollution of the soil was studied. It has been shown that seed inoculation with the line B. subtilis 26D+n stimulated the growth of seedlings and suppressed the development of oxidative stress under conditions of exposure to oil pollution in plants in comparison with the control and plants inoculated with the strain B. subtilis 26D. Accordingly, bacteria B. subtilis 26D+n contributed to more successful growth of wheat plants on oil-contaminated soils, which can be used to stimulate the growth of plants in such areas and to return some of them to economic circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of salt stress on Triticum aestivum L. plants inoculated with endophytic strains of B. subtilis was studied. The treatment of Triticum aestivum L. with endophytic bacterial strains of B. subtilis was shown to increase plant resistance to the stress factor. The inoculation reduced the development of oxidative stress and the entry of sodium ions into aboveground plant organs. The antistress effect of endophytic strains of B. subtilis and their ability to reduce the absorption of sodium ions by Triticum aestivum L. plants can be employed to promote plant growth during cultivation of crops on saline lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of drought on plants of Triticum aestivum L., Brоmopsis inеrmis L., Pisum sativum L., and Zea mays L. inoculated with endophytic strains of Bacillus subtilis bacteria were studied. Presowing treatment of seeds with these bacteria was found to boost plant resistance to water deficit, stimulate their growth, and suppress oxidative stress. Based on the ability of the tested strains to cause antistress effect and activate the antioxidant system, it is concluded that plant treatments with them may favor growing of agricultural crops under drought conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacterial strain Pseudomonas protegens DA1.2 was isolated from anthropogenic disturbed soil, studied, and identified. The isolate has potential for use in crop production: it synthesizes indolylacetic acid, promotes the mobilization of phosphorus from insoluble compounds, has nitrogenase activity, and shows antagonism against microscopic fungi from the genera Alternaria, Bipolaris, Botrytis, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia. The strain remains viable in herbicidal (Octapon Extra, Florax, Chistalan, Nanomet, Spetsnaz, Dicamba) solutions that are widely used to process crops of cultivated cereals and can be used in tank mixtures containing these herbicides. On a lit site, the simultaneous spraying of wheat plants with herbicide and a liquid culture of P. protegens DA1.2 stimulates root and shoots growth and normalizes the chlorophyll and proline content in the leaves. Field experience from 2019 on the field of the Baimak Division of the Bashkir Research Institute of Agriculture of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Science showed an 19–24% increase in yield after the use of bacterial culture against the background of the Nanomet and Chistalan herbicides. The results allow indicate that the culture of P. protegens DA1.2 is a promising growth stimulator and agent for a reduction of herbicide stress in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The young leaves of green tea become lighter in color than usual when protected from sunlight by a shading net for about two weeks while growing. These leaves are called “shaded white leaf tea” or SWLT. In the eluate of SWLT, the amount of amino acids (361 mg/L) was significantly higher than that in regular tea (53.5 mg/L). Since theanine and arginine, the first and second most abundant amino acids in SWLT, have significant antistress effects, we examined the antistress effect of SWLT on humans. SWLT or placebo green tea (3 g) was eluted with room-temperature water (500 mL). Participants consumed the tea for one week prior to pharmacy practice and continued for 10 days in the practice period. The state-trait anxiety inventory, an anxiety questionnaire, tended to be scored lower in the SWLT group than the placebo, but other stress markers showed no differences. The effect of the difference in SWLT components examined with mice showed that aspartic acid and asparagine, which are abundant in SWLT, counteracted the antistress effects of theanine and arginine. Large amounts of caffeine also interfered with SWLT’s antistress effect. Thus, SWLT, which is high in caffeine and amino acids, suppressed depressant behavior in mice.

Objective: Various stressors induce stress responses through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axes, which are regulated, in part, by orexin. For example, secretion of orexin in the hypothalamus is increased in rats exposed to the stress of social isolation for 1 week. In this study, the antistress effects of Kampo medicine Yokukansan (YKS) via the regulation of orexin secretion were investigated using a rat model. Methods and results: The administration of 300 mg/kg per day of YKS to rats for 1 week significantly decreased the plasma orexin levels compared with non-treated rats, whereas the administration of 1,000 mg/kg of YKS had no effect on orexin levels. Therefore, 300 mg/kg of YKS was an effective dose for controlling orexin secretion. Subsequently, rats were divided into group-housed control (Con), individually housed stress (Stress), and individually housed YKS (300 mg/kg)-treated stress (Stress + YKS) groups. After 1 week, a resident-intruder aggression test was performed, and the plasma levels of orexin and corticosterone were measured. In the Stress group, aggressive behavior and the levels of corticosterone and orexin significantly increased compared with the Con group; however, these effects were inhibited in the Stress + YKS group. Further, an orexin receptor antagonist (TCS 1102; 10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered to rats exposed to isolation stress to determine whether orexin was involved in stress responses. Under these conditions, aggressive behavior and the level of corticosterone significantly decreased compared with the Stress group. Conclusion: These results suggest that orexin is involved in the control of stress response and that YKS exerts an antistress effect via the regulation of orexin secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lavender essential oil (LEO) was reported to improve sleep quality. We investigated the influence of aromatherapy by testing the effects of LEO on stress responses during a short-duration sleep in a single-blind, randomized, crossover trial. The subjects were twelve healthy adults who were nonsmokers without any known disease and who were not prescribed medications, and nine of these completed the study. After the subjects had fallen asleep, they were sprayed with LEO using an aroma diffuser. Before and after 90 min of sleep, α-amylase, chromogranin A (CgA), and cortisol levels in saliva were measured as objective stress indicators, and the Japanese version of the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist was used as a subjective indicator. A comparison of changes before and after sleep, with and without LEO, revealed that the cortisol level did not significantly change; however, α-amylase (p < 0.05) and CgA (p < 0.01) levels significantly decreased after LEO inhalation. A mood test indicated no change in mood before and after sleep, with or without LEO. Since α-amylase and CgA reflect the sympathetic nervous system response, these results indicate that LEO aromatherapy during a short-duration sleep cycle suppresses the stress response, especially that of the sympathetic nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to investigate the antistress effect of press tack needle (PTN) acupuncture treatment using rats with social isolation stress (SIS). Rats were divided into non-stress group (Grouped+sham), stress group (SIS+sham), and PTN-treated SIS group (SIS+PTN). Rats in the SIS+PTN and SIS+sham groups were housed alone for eight days. For the SIS+PTN group, a PTN (length, 0.3 or 1.2 mm) was fixed on the GV20 acupoint on day 7. We measured stress behavior based on the time the rats showed aggressive behavior and the levels of plasma corticosterone and orexin A on day 8. In addition, the orexin-1 receptor or orexin-2 receptor antagonist was administered to rats that were exposed to SIS. The duration of aggressive behavior was significantly prolonged in the SIS+sham group, and the prolonged duration was inhibited in the SIS+PTN (1.2 mm) group. The levels of plasma corticosterone and orexin A were significantly increased in the SIS+sham group; however, these increases were inhibited in the SIS+PTN group. The aggressive behavior was significantly reduced after the orexin-2 receptor antagonist was administered. These findings suggest that PTN treatment at GV20 may have an antistress effect, and the control of orexin is a mechanism underlying this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The young leaves of green tea become lighter in color than usual when protected from sunlight by a shading net for about two weeks while growing. These leaves are called "shaded white leaf tea" or SWLT. In the eluate of SWLT, the amount of amino acids (361 mg/L) was significantly higher than that in regular tea (53.5 mg/L). Since theanine and arginine, the first and second most abundant amino acids in SWLT, have significant antistress effects, we examined the antistress effect of SWLT on humans. SWLT or placebo green tea (3 g) was eluted with room-temperature water (500 mL). Participants consumed the tea for one week prior to pharmacy practice and continued for 10 days in the practice period. The state-trait anxiety inventory, an anxiety questionnaire, tended to be scored lower in the SWLT group than the placebo, but other stress markers showed no differences. The effect of the difference in SWLT components examined with mice showed that aspartic acid and asparagine, which are abundant in SWLT, counteracted the antistress effects of theanine and arginine. Large amounts of caffeine also interfered with SWLT's antistress effect. Thus, SWLT, which is high in caffeine and amino acids, suppressed depressant behavior in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]