Root Clumping Research Articles

Progressive quadriparesis and inflammation: A common disease, a rare presentation

A previously healthy, 10-years-old girl presented with progressively worsening pain and weakness of the limbs for the past 2 weeks. It initially started with low-grade fever lasting for 4 days followed by severe pain over bilateral lower and upper limbs. Gradually she became bed-ridden. On examination, she had severe neck rigidity, generalized tenderness all over the body, generalized hyperalgesia, hyporeflexia, bilateral extensor plantar response and toe-walking. An initial clinical diagnosis of Landry-Guillain Barry syndrome was considered. Nerve conduction study showed generalized, demyelinating polyneuropathy. She was administered IVIG and was evaluated for other causes of arachnoiditis. MRI brain and spine showed enhancement and clumping of nerve roots in the conus and cauda equina. CECT chest showed necrotic mediastinal lymphnodes. A final diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis with tuberculous arachnoiditis was considered and she was administered ATT, pulse methylprednisolone followed by maintenance oral corticosteroids. Currently, after 5 months of therapy, she has recovered clinically.

Lipomatosis of spinal epidural space, peritoneum, and renal sinus: a rare complication of long-term steroid therapy in a child with nephrotic syndrome

Excessive visceral adipose tissue proliferation, resulting in diffuse lipomatosis, is a rare complication of long-term steroid therapy. A 10-year-old boy presented with severe radicular back pain with limitation of lower limb movements. He was diagnosed with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and was on unregulated steroid therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed increased adipose tissue in the epidural space of the lumbo-sacral spine causing clumping of cauda equina nerve roots along with marked proliferation of fat in the renal sinus as well as peritoneum. He was started on pregabalin with tapering of steroids, following which there was a gradual decrease in pain and improvement of activity. Our patient had diffuse lipomatosis involving spinal epidural space, bilateral renal sinus, and peritoneum, secondary to steroid overuse. With the availability of advanced imaging techniques, the condition can be prevented by judicious and proper use of steroids with close follow-up for any untoward complications.

根鉢容量 150 ccのスギコンテナ苗の生存率と初期樹高成長は裸苗や根鉢容量 300 ccのコンテナ苗と異なるのか？ ：鹿児島県における春季植栽事例

根鉢容量 150 ccのスギコンテナ苗の生存率と初期樹高成長は裸苗や根鉢容量 300 ccのコンテナ苗と異なるのか？ ：鹿児島県における春季植栽事例

Drug exposure in pregnancy: Tizanidine

A 29-year-old pregnant woman was delivered by cesarean section under a combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. Thirty hours after an uneventful surgery, she complained of weakness in her lower extremities and developed fecal and urinary incontinence. Lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging showed thickening and clumping of cauda equina nerve roots at L2-3 level, consistent with the diagnosis of arachnoiditis. The patient was included in an intense rehabilitation program with a diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. Most of the symptoms resolved within a few days, but right side foot drop persisted for 2 years after the procedure. Because there was no other etiologies being noticed, we hypothesized that the hyperbaric bupivacaine neurotoxicity was likely to be the cause for this neurologic deficit.

An optimised in vitro protocol for mass production of Rhizophagus irregularis spores - for sustainable agriculture

The Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus (AMF) plays a symbiotic vital role in most of the plant species by maintaining health, nutrient availability, against water stress, heavy metal resistance, against dreadful diseases with higher yields. To reach the requirement of AMF, large scale production practices can be required to produce specific strain aseptic inoculum. Carrot roots were selected for mass production of mycorrhizal spores among tomato, potato, sweet potato, soybean, amaranths and carrots through root organ culturing method. Aggregated roots were cultured and developed as root clumps for continuous sub-culturing. With slight modification of root organ culture method and split plate method, in containers shown significant increase in the extra radical spore count. Maximum Rhizophagus irregularis spore count was achieved with molecular weight (MW) medium among three different media MW medium, M medium and MSR medium. Almost 99204±1438.10 R. irregularis propagules were achieved with sugar free MW medium per container in 90 days of incubation in dark. M medium fortified with 1% sugars yields 16236±1186.70 intraradical and 39458±1098.00 extra radical spores were observed. To achieve continuous production of Mycorrhizal inoculum, transformed callus root clumps were infected with R. irregularis. This AMF inoculum developed in the sugar free medium is less contagious and highly productive during the process of harvesting, packing, transportation and preserved for longer duration without much contaminants. Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Rhizophagus irregularis, root organ culture, endomycorrhizae.

Imaging Appearance of Advanced Chronic Adhesive Arachnoiditis: A Retrospective Review.

Chronic adhesive arachnoiditis (CAA) is rare and has potentially devastating clinical consequences. The objective of this article is to review the clinical features of CAA and describe its appearance on imaging, to increase radiologists' awareness of this challenging diagnosis. Twenty-nine cases of advanced CAA seen at our institution over 18 years (1995-2013) were retrospectively reviewed. Chart review was performed, with attention given to data on clinical presentation, suspected cause, and interventions performed. All patients underwent MRI, and seven patients also underwent CT myelography. Clinical and imaging features were evaluated and categorized. The 29 patients ranged in age from 23 to 96 years and included 11 women and 18 men. Suspected underlying causative factors included trauma (n = 10), prior surgery (n = 9), nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 7), infection (n = 3), myelography with iophendylate used as contrast medium (n = 1), Guillain-Barré syndrome (n = 1), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 1), and unknown causes (n = 1). Imaging characteristics include loculated CSF collections (n = 23), nerve root clumping, enhancement, and displacement (n = 15), cord swelling with increased T2 signal (n = 12), arachnoid septations (n = 11), cord atrophy (n = 6), syrinx (n = 5), and intrathecal calcifications (n = 3). Ten patients underwent surgical procedures, and most had only brief clinical improvement. CAA is a rare cause of devastating neurologic symptoms and chronic pain. The imaging features of CAA range from subtle to severe. Advanced arachnoiditis can present with spinal cord swelling and syrinx formation, which can mimic other disease processes. Inclusion of advanced CAA in the differential diagnosis can prevent unnecessary interventions.

Partial cauda equina syndrome after an uneventful minimally invasive microdiscectomy in a patient with Crohn's disease

Cauda equina syndrome is a serious condition resulting from dysfunction of the lumbosacral nerve roots and characterized by impairment of bladder, bowel, sexual and lower limb functions. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who had Crohn's disease for more than twenty years. The patient was undergoing immunotherapy with infliximab and developed a partial cauda equina syndrome after an uneventful minimally invasive microdiscectomy (L5–S1) that completely cured her sciatica. A postoperative magnetic resonance imaging examination showed root clumping but no compressive lesion. We discuss a possible relationship between the cauda equina syndrome and the patient's active Crohn's disease, treatment and surgery.

The clinical significance of equivocal findings on spinal MRI in children with medulloblastoma.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood, with cerebrospinal fluid spread the most common site of metastasis. Currently, children diagnosed with MB and evidence of spinal metastasis are treated with an increased dose of craniospinal radiation (CSI). This report reviewed equivocal abnormalities including nerve root clumping, linear vascular enhancement, nerve root enhancement and/or other vague findings on spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to elucidate their prognostic significance and aid in risk stratification. This retrospective cohort study identified children (≥3 years) diagnosed with MB between 1988 and 2012. Children treated with upfront CSI were included, and staging spine MRI must have been done preoperatively or within 72 hr of primary tumor resection. Initial MRI of the spine was assessed by two independent reviewers blinded to outcome to evaluate for equivocal findings. Survival analysis was done to determine impact on prognosis. One hundred of 157 patients were eligible for the analysis. Equivocal findings were identified in 48 (48%) patients, with MRI done preoperatively in 45 (94%) patients. Analysis by subgroup identified a higher proportion of equivocal findings in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup (P = 0.007). Five-year overall survival (OS) in children with equivocal findings compared to those with normal MRI was not different, 80 vs. 84.8% respectively, while OS in M3 patients was worse at 54.7% (P = 0.02). A higher proportion of equivocal findings was identified in the SHH subgroup. This institutional retrospective review demonstrates equivocal findings are common, not associated with decreased OS and should not prompt increased dose of CSI.

A soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) model for simulating tree transpiration with a soil multi-compartment solution

A soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) model for simulating tree transpiration (Ep) with variable water stress and water distribution in the soil is presented. The model couples a sun/shade approach for the canopy with a discrete representation of the soil in different layers and compartments. To test its performance, the outputs from the simulations are compared to those from an experiment using trees of olive ‘Picual’ and almond ‘Marinada’ with the root system split into two. Trees are subjected to different irrigation phases in which one side of the root system is dried out while the other is kept wet. The model is able to accurately predict Ep (R2 and the efficiency factor (EF) around 0.9) in the two species studied. The use of a function that modulates the uptake capacity of a root according to the soil water content was necessary to track the fluxes observed from each split part. It was also appropriate to account for root clumping to match the measured and modelled leaf water potential. Coupling the sun/shade approach with the soil multi-compartment solution provides a useful tool to explore tree Ep for different degrees of water availability and distribution.

High-Resolution MRI Findings following Trigeminal Rhizotomy.

Patients with trigeminal neuralgia often undergo trigeminal rhizotomy via radiofrequency thermocoagulation or glycerol injection for treatment of symptoms. To date, radiologic changes in patients with trigeminal neuralgia post-rhizotomy have not been described, to our knowledge. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients after trigeminal rhizotomy to characterize post-rhizotomy changes on 3D high-resolution MR imaging. A retrospective review of trigeminal neuralgia protocol studies was performed in 26 patients after rhizotomy compared with 54 treatment-naïve subjects with trigeminal neuralgia. Examinations were reviewed independently by 2 neuroradiologists blinded to the side of symptoms and treatment history. The symmetry of Meckel's cave on constructive interference in steady-state and the presence of contrast enhancement within the trigeminal nerves on volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination images were assessed subjectively. The signal intensity of Meckel's cave was measured on coronal noncontrast constructive interference in steady-state imaging on each side. Post-rhizotomy changes included subjective clumping of nerve roots and/or decreased constructive interference in steady-state signal intensity within Meckel's cave, which was identified in 17/26 (65%) patients after rhizotomy and 3/54 (6%) treatment-naïve patients (P < .001). Constructive interference in steady-state signal intensity within Meckel's cave was, on average, 13% lower on the side of the rhizotomy in patients posttreatment compared with a 1% difference in controls (P < .001). Small regions of temporal encephalomalacia were noted in 8/26 (31%) patients after rhizotomy and 0/54 (0%) treatment-naïve patients (P < .001). Post-trigeminal rhizotomy findings frequently include nerve clumping and decreased constructive interference in steady-state signal intensity in Meckel's cave. Small areas of temporal lobe encephalomalacia are encountered less frequently.

Normal Cerebellar Metabolism in a Patient with Superficial Siderosis

Normal Cerebellar Metabolism in a Patient with Superficial Siderosis

Return of aboveground nutrients by switchgrass into the surrounding soil during senescence

Background: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a crop that holds promise for cellulosic biofuel production. To minimize fertilizer costs, farmers prefer to reduce crop removal of nutrients from the soil when biomass is harvested. The objective of this study was to monitor, from May 2008–November 2009 at Portageville (MO, USA), the nutrient concentration in the soil, switchgrass roots and rhizomes in a 20-year-old switchgrass field. Soil and tissue samples were collected to determine the sink of the nutrients lost in the aboveground biomass during senescence of the plant. Results: Nutrient concentration in switchgrass biomass decreased from July to the end of the season. In general, as switchgrass senesced, the nutrient concentration of the roots did not significantly change, whereas that of the rhizomes increased. Soil test results varied depending on where samples were collected relative to switchgrass root clumps. Generally, soil samples collected from the clump showed the highest evidence of nutrients returning to the soil from the aboveground biomass; however, some of this could be due to root breakage during sampling. Soil ammonium acetate extracted K in the clumps and averaged 218 kg K kg-1 soil in October, compared with 302 mg K kg-1 soil in November. Soil NO3-N content in the clumps in November was 5.5 mg kg-1 soil, compared with 1.5 mg kg-1 soil in October. Conclusion: This study provided evidence of nutrient recycling in the field by switchgrass plants and supports the concept of a reverse flow of nutrients to soil at the end of the season. The harvest of switchgrass late in November will help minimize the nutrient removal and maximize biomass yield.

Arachnoiditis Following Caudal Epidural Injections for the Lumbo-Sacral Radicular Pain

Caudal epidural steroid injection is a very common intervention in treatment of low back pain and sciatica symptoms. Although extensively used, it is not devoid of complications. A few reports of chemical and infective arachnoiditis exist following lumbar epidural anaesthesia, but none following a caudal epidural steroid injection.We report a case of arachnoiditis following caudal epidural steroid injections for lumbar radiculopathy. The patient presented with contralateral sciatica, worsening low back pain and urinary retention few days following the injection, followed by worsening motor functions in L4/L5/S1 myotomes with resultant dense foot drop. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging suggested infective arachnoiditis with diffuse enhancement and clumping of the nerve roots within the lumbar and sacral thecal sac. As the number of injections in the management of back pain and lumbo-sacral radicular pain is increasing annually, it is imperative to have a thorough understanding of this potentially dangerous complication and educate the patients appropriately.

Dynamics of soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m throughout the entire rotation in Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Although highly weathered soils cover considerable areas in tropical regions, little is known about exploration by roots in deep soil layers. Intensively managed Eucalyptus plantations are simple forest ecosystems that can provide an insight into the belowground growth strategy of fast-growing tropical trees. Fast exploration of deep soil layers by eucalypt fine roots may contribute to achieving a gross primary production that is among the highest in the world for forests. Soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m was studied throughout the complete cycle in Eucalyptus grandis plantations managed in short rotation. Intersects of fine roots, less than 1 mm in diameter, and medium-sized roots, 1–3 mm in diameter, were counted on trench walls in a chronosequence of 1-, 2-, 3.5-, and 6-year-old plantations on a sandy soil, as well as in an adjacent 6-year-old stand growing in a clayey soil. Two soil profiles were studied down to a depth of 10 m in each stand (down to 6 m at ages 1 and 2 years) and 4 soil profiles down to 1.5–3.0 m deep. The root intersects were counted on 224 m2 of trench walls in 15 pits. Monitoring the soil water content showed that, after clear-cutting, almost all the available water stored down to a depth of 7 m was taken up by tree roots within 1.1 year of planting. The soil space was explored intensively by fine roots down to a depth of 3 m from 1 year after planting, with an increase in anisotropy in the upper layers throughout the rotation. About 60% of fine root intersects were found at a depth of more than 1 m, irrespective of stand age. The root distribution was isotropic in deep soil layers and kriged maps showed fine root clumping. A considerable volume of soil was explored by fine roots in eucalypt plantations on deep tropical soils, which might prevent water and nutrient losses by deep drainage after canopy closure and contribute to maximizing resource uses.

Regeneration and growth of peony (Paeonia spp.) in vitro

Vegetative propagation of peony is usually carried out by grafting onto herbaceous peony roots (tree peony) or by dividing tuberous root clumps (herbaceous peony). However, conventional propagation is time-consuming and too slow for a large production and therefore &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;i/&gt; methods have been developed. The regeneration ability of different organs of herbaceous and tree peony has been reported in this review. The role of exogenous and endogenous growth regulators in the differentiation and growth of shoots, roots and somatic embryos is presented. The problem of dormancy in the somatic embryos and in the shoots or plants propagated &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;i/&gt; are also discussed.

Development of an efficient CFD-simulation method to optimize the structure parameters of an airlift sonobioreactor

A two-dimensional CFD model was developed for optimizing the structure design of an airlift sonobioreactor for hairy root culture, and a height to diameter ratio of 4 was found suitable for hairy root culture because both oxygen interphase mass transfer rate and liquid flow rate were high in the whole culture process. The installation position of ultrasound transducers was optimized with the help of CFD simulation, the ultrasound transducers set at three layers around the bioreactor wall gave the highest TKE value, turbulent dissipation rate and liquid flow rate among all installation positions tested, which is positive for the dissolved oxygen mass transfer into the center of hairy root clumps. The optimized structure of the airlift sonobioreactor provided great mass transfer performance and sharply reduced the gradient of dissolved oxygen in root domain. The detection results of dissolved oxygen concentration in hairy root clumps before and after ultrasound stimulation proved that ultrasound could enhance the mass transfer of dissolved oxygen into root clumps, which is an advantage for hairy root growth and secondary metabolite accumulation.

Direct measurement of groundwater uptake through tree roots in a cave

AbstractRecent intensive research investigating groundwater extraction of Pinus radiata D. Don plantations in south east South Australia has focused on measurement of sapflow rates in P. radiata stems above ground. An extended dry period in summer 2001 provided an opportunity to install sapflow sensors in a P. radiata root clump, which extended through a limestone cave to an unconfined aquifer approximately 14 m below the surface. Over 5 days in March 2001, sapflow velocities were monitored in three individual roots extending from a 58‐year‐old P. radiata tree. A second sensor set installed in the tree stem enabled direct comparison of water flow through the tree stem and roots. Sap‐flux density averaged 0·840 m3 m−2 day−1 and 0·240 m3 m−2 day−1, in the roots and stem, respectively. Sapwood cross‐sectional area of the root clump was 0·012 m2 compared to 0·193 m2 for the main tree stem. Total water flow through the stem over 5 days, averaged 0·046 m3 day−1 compared to 0·010 m3 day−1 through the root clump. Thus, at least 22% of tree water use came directly from the unconfined aquifer via these roots. The tree was possibly obtaining more than 22% of its water from this source, if additional tree roots had aquifer access. These results present direct evidence that P. radiata trees can extract water from an unconfined aquifer at depth, if their roots are able to reach the watertable, providing direct support to intensive water balance studies in the region that infer groundwater extraction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of mass transfer behavior in a bioreactor for hairy root culture. I. Model development and experimental validation

A two-dimensional axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model based on a porous media model and a discrete population balance model was established to investigate the hydrodynamics and mass transfer behavior in an airlift bioreactor for hairy root culture.During the hairy root culture of Echinacea purpurea, liquid and gas velocity, gas holdup, mass transfer rate, as well as oxygen concentration distribution in the airlift bioreactor were simulated by this CFD model. Simulative results indicated that liquid flow and turbulence played a dominant role in oxygen mass transfer in the growth domain of the hairy root culture. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the hairy root clump increased from the bottom to the top of the bioreactor cultured with the hairy roots, which was verified by the experimental detection of dissolved oxygen concentration in the hairy root clump. This methodology provided insight understanding on the complex system of hairy root culture and will help to eventually guide the bioreactor design and process intensification of large-scale hairy root culture.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of mass-transfer behavior in a bioreactor for hairy root culture. II. Analysis of ultrasound-intensified process

Recently, cichoric acid production from hairy roots of Echinacea purpurea was significantly improved by ultrasound stimulation in an airlift bioreactor. In this article, the possible mechanism on ultrasound-intensified hairy root culture of E. purpurea in the bioreactor was elucidated with the help of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, membrane permeability detection, dissolved oxygen concentration detection, confocal laser-scanning microscopy (LSM) observation, and phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL) activity analysis. The CFD model developed in Part I was used to simulate the hydrodynamics and oxygen mass transfer in hairy root bioreactor culture stimulated by ultrasound. A dynamic mesh model combined with a changing Schmidt number method was used for the simulation of the ultrasound field. Simulation results and experimental data illustrated that ultrasound intensified oxygen mass transfer in the hairy root clump, which subsequently stimulated root growth and cichoric acid biosynthesis. Ultrasound increased the hairy root membrane permeability, and a high root membrane permeability of 0.359 h(-1) was observed at the bottom region in the bioreactor. LSM observation showed that the change in the membrane permeability recovered to normal in the further culture after ultrasound stimulation. PAL activity in the hairy roots was stimulated by ultrasound increase and was correlated well to cichoric acid accumulation in the hairy roots of E. purpurea.

Characterization of root-yield-1.06, a major constitutive QTL for root and agronomic traits in maize across water regimes

A previous study on maize F(2:3) families derived from Lo964xLo1016 highlighted one QTL in bin 1.06 (hereafter named root-yield-1.06) affecting root and agronomic traits of plants grown in well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) conditions. Starting from different F(4) families, two pairs of near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed at root-yield-1.06. The objective of this study was to evaluate root-yield-1.06 effects across different water regimes, genetic backgrounds, and inbreeding levels. The NILs per se and their crosses with Lo1016 and Lo964 were tested in 2008 and 2009 near to Bologna, with the well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) treatments providing, on average, 70 mm and 35 mm of water, respectively. For NILs per se, the interactions QTL x water regime and QTL x family were negligible in most cases; the QTL additive effects across families were significant for several traits, especially root clump weight. For NILs crosses, analogously to NILs per se, the interactions were generally negligible and the additive effects across water regimes and families were significant for most traits, especially grain yield. A meta-analysis carried out considering the QTLs described in this and previous studies inferred one single locus as responsible for the effects on roots and agronomic traits. Our results show that root-yield-1.06 has a major constitutive effect on root traits, plant vigour and productivity across water regimes, genetic backgrounds, and inbreeding levels. These features suggest that root-yield-1.06 is a valuable candidate for cloning the sequence underlying its effects and for marker-assisted selection to improve yield stability in maize.