Pectin methylesterase from kiwi and kaki fruits: purification, characterization, and role of pH in the enzyme regulation and interaction with the kiwi proteinaceous inhibitor

Pectin methylesterase was purified from kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) and kaki fruit (Diospyros kaki). The pH values of the fruit homogenates were 3.5 and 6.2, respectively. The kiwi enzyme is localized in the cell wall and has a neutral-alkaline pI, whereas the kaki enzyme is localized in the soluble fraction and has a neutral-acidic pI. The molecular weights of the kiwi and kaki enzymes were 50 and 37 kDa, respectively. The two enzymes showed a similar salt and pH dependence of activity, and a different pH dependence of the inhibition by the kiwi proteinaceous inhibitor.     

Integrated chemical and biological evaluation of the quality of the River Lambro (Italy)

The aim of this study was to integrate hydrochemical and biological data in order to obtain a picture of the water quality along the River Lambro, considered to be one of the most polluted rivers in Italy. Biological sampling with artificial substrates was undertaken in February and May 1991 together with water sampling. Significant longitudinal variations between stations 1 and 2 were observed for temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen. Station 3 (Villanterio), situated on the southern tributary, showed a higher degree of pollution than the stations along the main course of the Lambro. E.B.I, and B.M.W.P. score gave a similar picture. A multivariate analysis (CCA) of the taxonomical and chemical data showed the greater influence of the environmental parameters conductivity and D.O. on the macroinvertebrate community structure. All the methods confirmed the strong impact of the Milan area on the river; two different environmental situations could be distinguished on the basis of characteristical groups of taxa. The artificial substrates combined with multivariate analysis proved to be a useful combination in the study of this river.     

Behaviour of Co, Fe, Mn and Ni in the Po Estuary (Italy)

The behaviour of Co, Fe, Mn, and Ni was investigated in the mixing area of the Po river in six surveys over the period March 1992 to June 1995 during low-to-medium solid load and flow conditions. The concentrations (nM) of dissolved elements for the riverine and marine end-members respectively were in the ranges 0.09 to 0.93 and 0.24 to 0.98 for Co, 10 to 53 and 5 to 20 for Ni, 12 to 87 and 5 to 33 for Fe, and 10 to 155 and 26 to 105 for Mn. Co and Mn behave non-conservatively in the Po estuary; an addition to the dissolved phase occurred for these elements that was more marked in the summer period. The concentrations of dissolved and particulate Ni decreased almost linearly with increase in salinity, with more marked variations in dissolved Ni concentration in winter than summer. The concentrations of dissolved and particulate Fe also varied conservatively with salinity. This unusual behaviour for dissolved Fe is attributed to the analytical procedure which excluded kinetically inert colloidal species.     

Invertebrates and nutrients in a Mediterranean vineyard mulched with subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

Summary In the 25-year-old vineyard of a farm near the Maremma National Park (Central Italy), replicate plots were established with a mulch of Trifolium subterraneum L. or cultivation and two levels of fertilizer. The mai objective of this research was to analyse responses by soil invertebrates and nutrients after introducing a herbaceous component into the system; the yield was also considered. The greater availability of organic substrate and the reduced cultivation as a result of green mulching increased the soil mesofauna biomass, especially detritivores. With time, a significant difference became evident between the populations of invertebrates present in the mulched plots and those in the cultivated plots. Over 2 years, most nutrients (Ca, K, P, and N) were significantly increased in the mulched plots compared to the cultivated plots. Grape yields were consistently higher in the bare plots. No significant differences were found in fertilizer effects.     

C, N and their Stable Isotopes in Suspended and Sedimented Matter from the PO Estuary (Italy)

C and N content, C/N (atomic) ratio, and C and N isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were determined on suspended particulate matter and sediment samples obtained from riverine, estuarine and marine environments in two cruises (September 1995 and March 1996) in the Po estuary (Italy). Isotopic tracers of C and N, reported for the first time for this environment, gave information on sources of organic matter and their distributions. An end-member mixing model based on δ¹³C values was applied to estimate the relative importance of riverine and marine sources of organic matter in suspended particulate matter and sediments.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Land Restoration Interventions in Dry Lands by Multitemporal Remote Sensing – A Case Study in Ouled DLIM (Marrakech,Morocco)

Atriplex nummularia has been extensively planted in Northern Africa to combat desertification. However, few studies evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions. This study aimed at assessing the dynamic performance of a number of Atriplex plantations located in the Marrakech province in terms of multitemporal dry biomass production. Three SPOT 5 images (2004, 2008 and 2012) and field biomass measurements were integrated to quantify the dry biomass production dynamics of plantations established from 1996 to 2007. Different plant ages covered the whole plant life cycle curve. Vegetation indices were derived from the images and those of 2012 were coupled to the measured biomass of 2012 to formulate biomass models. An analysis of shrub biomass production was conducted in plantations and in adjacent rangelands, covering varying degree of plant development, and an estimate of the economic benefits generated by the plantations in terms of available fodder biomass was performed. The results show that, on average, the plantation sites produced 2·21 to 3·61 Mg ha⁻¹ of dry biomass more than the surrounding rangelands. The best performing plantations yielded even greater differences, up to more than 7 Mg ha⁻¹. It was observed that the most performing plantations, while contributing to mitigating land degradation, have generated economic value and could compensate the economic cost of the intervention even under drought conditions. However, in several cases the plantation performance was far from sustainability, particularly due to poor management (early and/or over grazing), revealing that management is a critical factor for the success of this restoration practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Minor components of olive oil modulate proatherogenic adhesion molecules involved in endothelial activation

The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of coronary artery disease as a consequence of its high content of antioxidants, namely, hydroxytyrosol (HT) and oleuropein aglycone (OleA), typical of virgin olive oil. Because intercellular and vascular cell adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) and E-selectin are crucial for endothelial activation, the role of the phenolic extract from extra virgin olive oil (OPE), OleA, HT, and homovanillyl alcohol (HVA) on cell surface and mRNA expression in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) was evaluated. OPE strongly reduced cell surface expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 at concentrations physiologically relevant (IC50 < 1 microM), linked to a reduction in mRNA levels. OleA and HT were the main components responsible for these effects. HVA inhibited cell surface expression of all the adhesion molecules, whereas the effect on mRNA expression was weaker. These results supply new insights on the protective role of olive oil against vascular risk through the down-regulation of adhesion molecules involved in early atherogenesis.     

Hydrolysis and transformation of grape glycosidically bound volatile compounds during fermentation with three Saccharomyces yeast strains

The ability of three Saccharomyces wine yeasts (S. cerevisiae AWRI 838, S. cerevisiae AWRI 1537, and S. bayanus AWRI 1375) to liberate volatile compounds from sugar-bound aroma precursors was investigated using synthetic and grape glycosides under different experimental conditions. In model systems involving the incubation of yeast cells with either synthetic or grape-derived glycosides under conditions more favorable for glycosidase activities and less favorable for acid-catalyzed hydrolysis (pH 5.0 and 30 degrees C), all yeast strains studied proved to be capable of hydrolyzing glycosides, with S. bayanus AWRI 1375 displaying greater hydrolytic activity than S. cerevisiae AWRI 838 and AWRI 1537. During the fermentation of a chemically defined grape juice-like medium containing glycosidic precursors extracted from Vitis vinifera cv. White Frontignac (synonym Muscat à Petit Grains Blanc), all yeasts promoted a significant hydrolysis of different precursors, which varied according to the chemical structures of both the sugar and the aglycon moieties, as determined by GC-MS analysis of trifluoroacetylated derivatives. Hydrolysis of the White Frontignac derived glycosidic precursors during fermentation resulted in the release of monoterepene alcohols, terpene oxides, terpene diols, and 3-oxo-alpha-ionol, demonstrating the significant potential of these yeast strains to contribute to wine varietal volatile composition during alcoholic fermentation.     

Electrochemotherapy for the treatment of recurring aponeurotic fibromatosis in a dog

This paper reports the clinical findings, histopathology, and clinical outcome of a rare case of aponeurotic fibromatosis in a dog. The dog was treated with 4 courses of electrochemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and bleomycin. There was complete remission and the dog was still disease-free after 18 months.