Physical activity in prevention of cancer and better prognosis

Cancer is a multifactorial disease with genetic and environmental risk factors. Environmental factors may also be termed as modifiable risk factors and these contribute towards 35% of cancer related mortalities as reported by World Health Organization. Obesity is the leading risk factor in this regard, causing not only deaths due to cancer but also to many other diseases. Among different factors causing obesity, a major contributor is lack of physical activity. In this era of modern technology and digitalization, sedentary mode of life has become a part of life and is mostly unavoidable. At the same time, there is a rise in the incidence of cancer. In the olden times, people used to do all manual work, a lot of walk, exercise and had healthy life style. Such healthy life style may have prevented them from various diseases.             Physical activity as a therapy on daily basis, is associated with a reduction in incidence of various carcinomas. It may improve overall wellbeing of healthy people as well as diseases persons from various ailments. As it is a common proverb that, “prevention is better than cure”, physical activity serves as a preventive measure for various diseases and also for fitness of normal healthy people. Although it is a known fact, yet planned population studies are required to provide evidence. Instead of unorganized physical activities, a structured physical activity may help in improvement of condition of cancer patients, prevention of cancer, cancer related deaths as well we quality of life. Healthcare providers should guide the patients in this regard.             There is lack of awareness among physicians and mostly they don’t refer them to physical therapists. There is also lack of information regarding the implementation of the programs and regimens of physical exercises for different diseases and cancers. Physical therapists may guide the patients in terms of frequency, intensity, duration of exercises which may serve as a betterment of their condition.

Biodiversity of Diazotrophs in Rhizosphere of Potato Solanum Tuberosum L.

Potato is the third most important food crop which requires high fertilizer that leads to environmental pollution. The use of biofertilizer is environment friendly and cost effective hence is suitable for sustainable agriculture. In this study, 44 bacterial isolates including mostly Azospirillum, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Rhizobium spp. were isolated from potato rhizosphere of which 32 were able to fix atmospheric N2 and 29 showed indole acetic acid (IAA) production. Strains showed high metabolic and genetic diversity based on BioLog, ERIC and BOX-PCR analysis. Out of potential plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) tested for inoculation response in potato, it was observed that the N2 fixation (%Ndfa) decreases with the increase in applied N for Rhizobium sp. TN04 and Azospirillum sp. TN09 whereas no effect was observed for Azospirillum sp. TN03. Azospirillum sp. TN09 showed the highest %Ndfa among three tested isolates. Under field conditions, Azospirillum spp. TN03, TN09 and Rhizobium sp. TN04, Rhizobium sp. TN04 increased plant height (18%), dry weight (18.5%) tuber dry weight (14%) and tuber yield (19%). Azospirillum, Brevundimonas and Rhizobium spp. also maintain substantial population with potato roots. Metagenomics were employed to study total bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of potato from major potato growing areas of Punjab, Pakistan showed that structural community (based on 16S rRNA) is almost similar across all the regions whereas functional diversity (based on nifH) of diazotrophs is mostly variable. Abundance of diazotrophs (108-1010 copies of nifH g-1 of soil) changed among regions. Pyrosequencing of nifH validated maximum diversity in Sheikhupura (446 species) whereas minimum in Gujranwala area (291 species). Overall in the potato rhizosphere, most abundant class was α-proteobacteria followed by β-proteobacteria. The study concludes that abundance of different genera varies across different regions due to many biotic and abiotic factors. Azospirillum spp. TN03, TN09 and Rhizobium sp. TN04 omnipresent and have potential to improve potato yield up to 15-19% subsequently saving 50% nitrogenous fertilizer, are recommended as potential candidates for biofertilizer production for potato crop. The study also shows that potato harbor a diverse range of novel diazotrophs (not known earlier) which opens new horizons for future prospects.