Physiological Responses of Contrasting Rice Genotypes to Salt Stress at Reproductive Stage

Salinity is a major abiotic stress affecting plant growth and productivity. Considerable genetic variation is present in rice in response to salt stress, with higher sensitivity during early seedling and reproductive stage. In this study, physiological changes in leaves and developing panicles of rice genotypes(IR686, Sadri, Rc222, CSR28, IR670 and Pokkali) contrasting in salt tolerance at the reproductive stage were evaluated in greenhouse experiment under salt stress. The results showed that IR670 and the tolerant-check Pokkali maintained lower Na~+/K~+ ratio, less reduction in chlorophyll concentration, lower malondialdehyde(MDA) production, higher concentrations of reduced ascorbate(reduced AsA), higher proline accumulation and lower percentage reduction in pollen viability than the salt-sensitive genotypes under salt stress. The higher concentration of reduced AsA suggests an efficient ROS-scavenging system. Physiological measurements and pollen viability analysis revealed that Sadri(moderately tolerant at the seedling stage) is sensitive to salt stress at the flowering stage. The findings will be useful in breeding salt tolerant varieties at both seedling and reproductive stages by selecting appropriate genotypes and phenotypes.     

Trends in dietary patterns and compliance with World Health Organization recommendations: a cross-country analysis

OBJECTIVES: To investigate time patterns of compliance with nutrient goals recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). DESIGN: A single aggregated indicator of distance from the key WHO recommendations for a healthy diet is built using FAOSTAT intake data, bounded between 0 (maximum possible distance from goals) and 1 (perfect adherence). Two hypotheses are tested for different country groupings: (1) whether adherence has improved over time; and (2) whether cross-country disparities in terms of diet healthiness have decreased. SETTING: One hundred and forty-nine countries, including 26 countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and 115 developing countries (including 43 least developed countries), with yearly data over the period 1961-2002. RESULTS: The Recommendation Compliance Index (RCI) shows significant improvements in adherence to WHO goals for both developing and especially OECD countries. The latter group of countries show the highest levels of the RCI and the largest increase over time, especially between 1981 and 2002. No improvement is detected for least developed countries. A reduction in disparities (convergence of the RCI) is observed only within the OECD grouping. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to healthy eating guidelines depends on economic development. Diets are improving and converging in advanced economies, but developing and especially least developed countries are still far from meeting WHO nutrition goals. This confirms findings on the double burden of malnutrition and suggests that economic drivers are more relevant than socio-cultural factors in determining the healthiness of diets.     

Enrichment and diversity of plant-probiotic microorganisms in the rhizosphere of hybrid maize during four growth cycles

The population dynamics of naturally-occurring antibiotic producing and nitrogen fixing rhizobacteria, as well as of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was investigated for a hybrid of maize (Lo964×Lo1016) in comparison to its two parental lines (Lo964 and Lo1016), during four successive 5-week-long growth cycles in the same pot. Beneficial rhizobacteria, such as nitrogen fixers and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) and pyrrolnitrin (PRN) producers, as well as AMF were stimulated in the hybrid rhizosphere earlier than in those of the two parental lines. In fact, they were molecularly detected in all rhizospheric samples of the hybrid, independently of the cycle, whereas for the parental lines positive detections occurred only for samples collected after at least two growth cycles. Interestingly, a MPN-PCR approach on rhizospheric DNA samples indicated that, when detected, beneficial rhizobacteria reached similar density in all maize genotypes (2×10³ to 2.2×10⁴ target DNA sequences/g^?1 of root). Concerning the AMF, even if the three maize genotypes were cultivated in the same soil, it appears that each maize genotype stimulates the AMF population differently. Both the hybrid and the Lo964 line were able to select, in the observed time period, their own adapted phylogenetic AMF subgroups (Glomus A for the hybrid, Archeospora for Lo964), whereas the Lo1016 line was not.     

Effects of breed and different lipid dietary supplements on beef quality

Focus of this study was to evaluate the most suitable breed/crossbred and the appropriate nutritional strategies to increase marbling in beef muscle and to improve its healthy properties, in particular the n‐3 fatty acids content. One hundred and seventy‐six heifers of three crossbreed commonly reared by Emilia‐Romagna farmers: 48 Bleu Belge × Freisian (ITA), 48 Charolais × Aubrac (FRA), and 80 Angus (ANG) were used. Animals of each breed were randomly subdivided in two experimental groups that received two diets, differing for the dietary lipid source. Control group (C) received a basal diet containing protected vegetable fats, whereas treated one (T) received the same basal diet supplemented with 0.9 kg/head/day of extruded flaxseed. After slaughtering, a sample of Longissimus thoracis was collected from each animal for meat quality analysis. Our results demonstrated that, in a shorter fattening period, ANG animals obtained the best dry matter intake, average daily gain and the best fattening scores. ITA and ANG meat presented the highest marbling scores. ANG breed had the highest amount of C18:1, the highest unsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio and the lowest n‐6/n‐3 ratio. The T animals, independently from breed, showed the highest amount of α‐linolenic acid (ALA). In addition, ANG‐T meat presented the highest ALA content.     

Exploring the Role of Management in the Coproduction of Ecosystem Services from Spanish Wooded Rangelands

The wood pastures or hardwood rangelands of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula are complex social-ecological systems created from the long-term interaction of society and the landscape. Dehesa, oak woodlands managed for grazing, cropping, and other forms of production, is the most common rangeland system and one of the most distinctive landscapes. Traditionally characterized by multifunctional low-intensity management that enhances a wide range of ecosystem services, current management has shifted from the traditional toward more intensified models. This paper assesses the coproduction of ecosystem services on dehesa properties by exploring the relationship between biophysical and sociocultural factors and dehesa management practices. Based on 42 surveys we analyze 16 quantitative indicators using multivariate techniques. The results indicate that there are four main dehesa types as defined by their characteristics and management: large heterogeneous operations with diverse products; small and homogeneous operations focused on a reduced number of products; medium-large properties focused on crop production; and midsized properties with easy public access. Management is the result of the dynamics of interacting biophysical and sociocultural factors that influence manager priorities and investments. Management decisions group around the degree of multifunctionality of the operation, the relative importance of crop production, the degree of grazing pressure in the system, and how restrictive public access policy is. We find that in the study area, interactions between all the previously mentioned elements covary consistently, generating bundles of ecosystem services associated with each of three management models based on the intensity of management.     

Tissue disposition of azithromycin after intravenous and intramuscular administration to rabbits

Tissue disposition of azithromycin after intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injection at a single dose rate of 10mg/kg bodyweight were investigated in rabbits using a modified agar diffusion bioassay for determining tissue concentrations. The pharmacokinetic behaviour of azithromycin was characterized by low and sustained plasma concentrations but high and persistent tissue concentrations. Kinetic parameters indicated a high retention of the drug in peripheral compartments. The plasma half-lives after IV and IM administrations were similar being 21.8h and 23.1h, respectively, while the half-lives obtained in tissues after IV and IM administration were at least 1.4 and 1.9 times longer than in plasma, respectively. The highest tissue concentrations were found in bile, liver and spleen whereas the lowest ones were found in skeletal muscle (although they were higher than those in plasma). From the results of the single administration in this study an IM dosage regimen can be proposed that achieves minimum concentrations over 2mg/L in rabbits: three doses of 4-5mg/kg/day would provide suitable therapeutic concentrations in pulmonary tissues over seven days.     

Flavonoid-induced autophagy in hormone sensitive breast cancer cells

The activity of 8-prenylapigenin (8-PA) and its 3'-methoxylated analogue isocannflavin B (IsoB) was investigated in estrogen-dependent T47-D and estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. 8-PA showed a biphasic effect on T47-D cell proliferation, while no significant effect was observed on MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, IsoB exhibited only an inhibitory effect on T47-D cell proliferation, accompanied by the appearance of an intense intracytoplasmic vacuolization of autophagic origin. Moreover, biochemical analysis showed that IsoB reduced Akt phosphorylation and p21^Cip1 expression in T47-D cells. These data show that the prenylflavone moiety is a versatile platform for the induction and modulation of bioactivity.     

Modeling the Inclusion of Fish Powder and Fish Oil into Extruded Snacks by Response Surface Methodology

ABSTRACT

Extrusion cooking plays an important role in the production of puffed snacks, which enjoy wide acceptance all over the world and are potential vehicles for increasing the consumption of n-3 fatty acids. Response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design was adopted to investigate the effects of four independent variables (fish powder, fish oil, moisture, and screw speed) at five levels on expansion ratio, breaking strength index, hardness, color, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). A second order polynomial model was used to study the main, interactive, and quadratic effects of the independent variables and to explain the relationship between the responses and independent variables. Moisture was found to be the most significant factor (p < 0.001) influencing expansion ratio, breaking strength index, and color. Inclusion of fish powder and fish oil were found to be negatively associated with the expansion characteristics, resulting in decreased lipid oxidation due to less exposed surface area of the extrudates to air. Further, the absence of linear effect of fish powder and fish oil on TBARS demonstrated the possibility to incorporate higher levels of these ingredients to produce oxidatively stable extruded snacks rich in fish proteins.     

Evaluation of the Effective Inactivation of Enteric Bacteria and Viruses From Swine Effluent and Sludge at Tropical Temperatures

The safe recycling of organic wastes such as the nutrients obtained from agriculture activities is a relevant aspect of the “One Health” strategy, a worldwide initiative including all aspects of health care for humans and animals, as well as aspects related to the conservation and development of the environment. It represents an important opportunity to mitigate the potential impact of microbial pathogens likely present in nutrient natural sources, as digestate, when applied to land as fertilizers. The objectives of the current study were to determine the inactivation of enteric microorganisms in swine digestate (effluent and sludge) during storage in anaerobic conditions and at different ambient temperatures of tropical zones (16, 22, and 37 °C). Human adenovirus 2 (HAdV-2), bacteriophage PhiX-174, and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) were used as enteric microbial models to determine the minimum storage time required to reduce at least 3log of enteric microorganisms load in both matrices at the mentioned temperatures. The minimum storage time required for S. typhimurium was shorter than those observed for viruses at 37 °C, while reduction of at least 3log for S. typhimurium was observed after just 1 day; 20 and 90 days were needed for similar reductions for HAdV-2 and PhiX-174, respectively. Similar results were also observed at lower temperatures: 30 and 45 days were needed for S. typhimurium at 22 and 16 °C, respectively, but 30 and 90 days were needed at 22 °C for HAdV-2 PhiX-174, respectively, or 90 and 120 days at 16 °C for HAdV-2 PhiX-174, respectively. This is a pioneering study on the evaluation of inactivation of enteric viruses in swine digestate in usual tropical ambient temperatures; it demonstrates that the time for a considerable inactivation is longer than that observed for a enteric microorganisms (S. typhimurium), and shows that the storage of swine digestate at the referred temperatures can be used as a low-cost post-treatment to inactivate enteric microorganisms, allowing a further use as safer fertilizer.