Phosphorus (P) is the most important macronutrient next to nitrogen for the growth and development of plants. But often unavailable for plants because of its high reactivity with many soil constituents. Thus, the use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) as biofertilizers seems to be an effective way to resolve the soluble phosphorus availability in soil. The present study was conducted to isolate and characterize rock PSB associated with the rhizosphere of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from fourteen different wheat-growing sites of Meknes region in Morocco. A total of one hundred ninety-eight (198) rock PSBs were isolated employing NBRIP medium amended with rock phosphate (RP), out of which five strains (A17, A81, B26, B106, and B107) were selected for their strong ability to dissolve RP and were tested in vitro for plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits including production of indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and antifungal activity, as well as their response to the effect of extrinsic and intrinsic stress. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified these isolates belong to four genera, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Enterobacter. The phosphate solubilization index (SI) of selected isolates ranged between 2.3 and 2.7, and the amount of solubilized phosphorus in the liquid medium varied from 59.1 to 90.2 µg mL⁻¹. HPLC analysis revealed that all the selected isolates produced multiple organic acids (oxalic, citric, gluconic succinic, and fumaric acids) from glucose under aerobic conditions. Except for the A81 strain, all selected isolates were able to produce IAA ranging between 2.9 and 21.2 µg mL⁻¹. The isolates A17, B26, and B107 showed the ability to produce siderophores ranging from 79.3 to 20.8% siderophore units. Only two strains (A17 and B26) were able to produce HCN. All selected isolates showed good resistance against different environmental stresses like 10–50 °C temperature, 0.5–2 g L⁻¹ salt concentration and 4.5–9 pH range, and against different antibiotics. The antagonistic effect showed that among the five selected strains, only two strains (B26 and A17) were able to suppress the growth of tested fungi. This study clearly indicates that our selected rock PSBs can be used as biofertilizers for grain crops after studying their interaction with the host crop and field evaluation.

Aims: The objective of this research was to isolate phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) from faba bean rhizosphere in Meknes region and evaluate in vitro their potential for P solubilization as well as their response to the effect of temperature, NaCl, pH and antibiotics. Study Design: Rhizosphere soil and root nodules from faba bean crop in different sites from Meknes region were collected for the study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biology (Soil & Environment Microbiology Unit) Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco; between February and August 2014. Methodology: Four strains, which retained their P-solubilizing ability after repeated subculturing, from a total of seventy eight isolates were purified, characterized and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: The isolates were closely related to Pseudomonas cedrina (PT19), Rahnella aquatilis HX2 (P24), Rhizobium nepotum (BSP30) and Rhizobium tibeticum (Rh8). P solubilization index of these isolates ranged from 1, 57-2, 88 in tricalcium phosphate amended National Botanical Research Institute's Phosphate (NBRIP) agar medium. Amount of phosphate solubilized ranged from 62.45 to 119.95 mg P L^-1 and drop in pH of the medium ranged from 7 to 3.5. Besides, these strains exhibited resistance to several antibiotics. Conclusion: The ability of the PSB to solubilize insoluble P and their adaptation to environmental conditions add value to these strains, which could lead to improved inoculants to increase the available phosphorus in the soil for faba bean plant growth and to promote sustainable agriculture.

This study focused on revealing the correlations between rock phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) counts and differing properties of the rhizosphere soil. One hundred and thirty-two samples of rhizosphere soil of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) were collected and analyzed from 14 agricultural areas in Meknes, Morocco. The results revealed that all the samples were inhabited with indigenous PSB ranging from 3.55 to 0.002 (×10⁵ CFU/g soil). The correlations between PSB counts and cation exchange capacity, available phosphorus (P), and pH were insignificant; on the contrary, a highly significant correlation (p ≤ 0.01) was found between the numbers of PSB and total soil bacteria (TB) (r = 0.80), total nitrogen (N) (r = 0.86), and organic matter (r = 0.90). This research enhances our knowledge on PSB population and their interaction with physical, chemical, and biological properties of the rhizosphere soil of faba bean to provide a new index for better use in organic agricultural practices.

Background: Previous research has shown that variants in the AMPD1 gene, which encodes the adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1) protein, may affect energy supply of the muscle and fatigue resistance during high-intensity exercise. A single nucleotide substitution in this gene, specifically a cytosine-to-thymine substitution (c.34C > T; rs17602729), results in a nonsense mutation that causes a deficiency in the AMPD1 protein. Deficiency of the AMPD1 protein due to this polymorphism can influence exercise performance, ultimately affecting the likelihood of reaching the status of elite endurance or power athlete. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the distribution of CC, CT, and TT genotypes of the AMPD1 c.34C > T polymorphism (rs17602729) in endurance and power athletes to assess potential associations between this polymorphism and elite athlete status. Methods: Studies investigating genotype distribution in the AMPD1 c.34C > T (rs17602729) polymorphism in endurance and/or power athletes were searched for in four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct). The studies were selected and the genotypic and allelic frequencies of the AMPD1 c.34C > T (rs17602729) polymorphism were extracted if data for endurance and/or power athletes were compared with controls (non-athletes). Meta-analyses were computed using fixed or random effects models to calculate odds ratios (OR) with confidence interval (95% CI). Heterogeneity of the meta-analyses was reported using I ² statistics. Results: After examining 1229 studies on the distribution of the AMPD1 c.34C > T (rs17602729) polymorphism in endurance and/or power athletes, 20 studies were considered eligible to be included in our meta-analysis. The studies were conducted in 11 different countries, including 5717 participants. There was a higher frequency of the CC genotype (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.40–2.12; p < 0.00001) in endurance athletes compared with non-athletic controls with a lower frequency of CT (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.49–0.75; p < 0.00001) and TT genotypes in endurance athletes versus non-athletic controls (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.19–0.97; p = 0.04). A higher frequency of the CC genotype was also observed in power athletes compared with controls (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.69–2.78; p < 0.00001) with a lower frequency of the CT (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.39–0.65; p < 0.00001) and TT genotypes (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.09–0.68; p = 0.007) in power athletes compared with controls. Overall, the genotype distribution of the AMPD1 c.34C > T polymorphism (rs17602729) was similar in endurance and power athletes (OR between 0.76 and 1.39; p = 0.47–0.72). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the CC genotype was overrepresented in endurance and power athletes compared with controls, suggesting that possessing two copies of the C allele of the AMPD1 c.34C > T (rs17602729) polymorphism may be associated with a 1.72–2.17 times greater likelihood of achieving elite or sub-elite athlete status in disciplines reliant on aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways. No statistically significant differences were found in the AMPD1 genotype distribution between endurance and power athletes.

The emergence of a novel coronavirus that later on rendered a global pandemic, caused desperation within the communities and drove increased interest in exploring medicinal plant–based therapeutics to treat and prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus infections. Many medicinal plants have been reported to have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects that hinder, cure, or ease the symptoms of COVID-19 infection. This exploratory study seeks to dock the active components of Cannabis sativa, a natural plant with several pharmacological and biological properties, with the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor. A total of 3 C. sativa active components have been found to bind to the ACE2 protein active site and could inhibit spike binding, although they do not compete directly with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. 6-Prenylapigenin, cannabivarin (CBN-C3), and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A (Δ8-THCA) have a greater affinity (−8.3, −8.3, and −8.0 kcal/mol, respectively) and satisfactory interaction with ACE2 than its inhibitor MLN-4760 (−7.1 kcal/mol). These potential drugs with higher affinity for the ACE2 receptor and adequate absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) values are candidates for treating or preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections. In vitro and in vivo investigations are needed to evaluate further the efficacy and toxicity of these hit compounds.