A review of pest surveillance techniques for detecting quarantine pests in Europe

This paper provides reviews of the most commonly used methods to detect plant pests belonging to groups of invasive organisms with high economic relevance, including Coleoptera (bark beetles, flathead borers, leaf beetles, longhorn beetles, weevils), Diptera (cone and seed flies, fruit flies), Homoptera (aphids, leafhoppers and psyllids, whiteflies), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Thysanoptera (thrips), bacteria (potato brown rot Ralstonia solanacearum) and fungi (pitch canker disease Gibberella circinata, brown rot disease Monilinia fructicola). Future perspectives in detection methods are discussed, with particular reference to the considerable increase in the volume, commodity type and origins of trade in plant material from third countries, the introduction of new crops, the continuous expansion of the EU with new border countries being added, and the impact of climate change affecting the geographical boundaries of pests and their vectors.     

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of Spirulina and Chlorella water extracts

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver disease that will further develop to cirrhosis if severe damage continues to form. A potential treatment for liver fibrosis is to inhibit activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC) proliferation and, subsequently, to induce HSC apoptosis. It has been reported that antioxidants are able to inhibit the proliferation of HSCs. In this study, the aqueous extract of spirulina was chosen as the source of antioxidant to investigate the inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HSC. The growth inhibitory effects of aqueous spirulina and chlorella extract on human liver cancer cells, HepG2, were also studied and compared in pairs. Results indicated that the total phenol content of spirulina was almost five times greater than that of chlorella (6.86 +/- 0.58 vs 1.44 +/- 0.04 mg tannic acid equivalent/g of algae powder, respectively). The antioxidant activity of spirulina determined by the ABTS*+ method was higher than chlorella (EC50: 72.44 +/- 0.24 micromol of trolox equivalent/g of spirulina extract vs 56.09 +/- 1.99 micromol of trolox equivalent/g of chlorella extract). Results of DPPH* assay also showed a similar trend as the ABTS*+ assay (EC50: 19.39 +/- 0.65 micromol of ascorbic acid equivalent/g of spirulina extract vs 14.04 +/- 1.06 micromol of ascorbic acid equivalent/g of chlorella extract). The aqueous extracts of these two algae both showed antiproliferative effects on HSC and HepG2, but spirulina was a stronger inhibitor than chlorella. Annexin-V staining showed that aqueous extract of spirulina induced apoptosis of HSC after 12 h of treatment. In addition, the aqueous extract of spirulina triggered a cell cycle arrest of HSC at the G2/M phase.     

Coxiella burnetii associated placental lesions and infection level in parturient cows

Cotyledons (n=170) from dairy cattle were analysed for Coxiella burnetii by real-time (rt) PCR targeting the IS1111a and icd genes. Positive cases (n=90) and a random selection of negative cases (n=20) were examined by histology, immunohistochemistry and, if infection level was high, by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. PCR results were compared to bulk tank milk (BTM) antibody levels. Placental infection was detected in cows from herds at all BTM antibody levels. However the likelihood of placental infection was generally higher in herds with intermediate or high BMT antibody levels than in herds with low antibody levels. Histological examination revealed a range of mostly mild cotyledonary changes; C. burnetii infection was only rarely associated with inflammation. This may explain why bovine Q fever is usually not clinically apparent. Nevertheless, infected cattle will shed C. burnetii at calving and this can occur even in herds without BTM antibodies.     

Podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin in Juniperus bermudiana and 12 other Juniperus species: optimization of extraction, method validation, and quantification

The lignans podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin are secondary metabolites with potent pharmaceutical applications in cancer therapy. However, the supply of podophyllotoxin from its current natural source, Podophyllum hexandrum, is becoming increasingly problematic, and alternative sources are therefore urgently needed. So far, podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin have been found in some Juniperus species, although at low levels in most cases. Moreover, extraction protocols deserve optimization. This study aimed at developing and validating an efficient extraction protocol of podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin from Juniperus species and applying it to 13 Juniperus species, among which some had never been previously analyzed. Juniperus bermudiana was used for the development and validation of an extraction protocol for podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin allowing extraction yields of up to 22.6 mg/g DW of podophyllotoxin and 4.4 mg/g DW deoxypodophyllotoxin, the highest values found in leaf extract of Juniperus. The optimized extraction protocol and HPLC separation from DAD or MS detections were established and validated to investigate podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin contents in aerial parts of 12 other Juniperus species. This allowed either higher yields to be obtained in some species reported to contain these two compounds or the occurrence of these compounds in some other species to be reported for the first time. This efficient protocol allows effective extraction of podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin from aerial parts of Juniperus species, which could therefore constitute interesting alternative sources of these valuable metabolites.     

Photodegradation of the herbicide imazethapyr in aqueous solution: effects of wavelength, pH, and natural organic matter (NOM) and analysis of photoproducts

The photodegradation of imazethapyr, 5-ethyl-2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydroimidazol-1H-3-yl)nicotinic acid, has been investigated in phosphate buffers and in buffered solutions containing natural organic matter (NOM). Imazethapyr degrades most quickly under 253.7 nm light and at pH values >4. The presence of NOM in solution caused the reaction rate constants for the photodegradation to decrease, with higher concentrations of NOM having a larger effect. Calculations suggest light screening is the major effect of the NOM. Seven photoproducts have been identified, and a photodegradation mechanism is proposed.     

Assessing phytoremediation potentials of selected tropical plants for acrylamide

Purpose  

Environmentally hazardous and health risk substances in animals and humans in the environment have increased as a result of continuing anthropogenic activities. Examples of these activities are food processing, laboratory, food production, industrial, and other relative activities that use various forms of acrylamide. All acrylamide in the environment are manmade. It is the building block for the polymer, polyacrylamide, which is considered to be a nontoxic additive. However, if the polymerization process is not perfect and complete, the polyacrylamide may still contain acrylamide which is toxic and may pose risks and hazards to the environment. Another form of acrylamide that may pose danger as well in the environment is the acrylamide monomer, which is also a very toxic organic substance that could affect the central nervous system of humans and is likely to be carcinogenic. Phytoremediation could be a tool to somehow absorb this neurotoxic agent and lessen the contamination in the soil. This technology could lessen the soil and water contamination by acrylamide thereby limiting the exposure of animals and humans. This study may also help solve the problem of disposing contaminated acrylamide waste materials. This study was conducted to achieve the following objectives: (1) to evaluate phytoremediation potentials of some selected tropical plants in acrylamide-contaminated soil, (2) to compare the performance of tropical plants in absorbing acrylamide through accumulation in their roots and shoots, and (3) to determine the outcome of acrylamide in the soil after treatment using the test plants with phytoremediation potentials.     

Field investigations and multi‐indicators for shallow water lagoon management: perspective for societal benefit

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