p53 inhibits the proliferation of male germline stem cells from dairy goat cultured on poly-L-lysine

Male germline stem cells (mGSCs) can transmit genetic materials to the next generation and dedifferentiate into pluripotent stem cells. However, in livestock, mGSC lines are difficult to establish, because of the factors that affect their isolation and culture. The extracellular matrix serves as a substrate for attachment and affects the fate of these stem cells. Poly-L-lysine (PL), an extracellular matrix of choice, inhibits and/or kills cancer cells, and promotes the attachment of stem cells in culture. However, how it affects the characteristics and potentials of these stem cells in culture needs to be elucidated. Here, we isolated, enriched and cultured dairy goat mGSCs on five types of extracellular matrices. To explore the best extracellular matrix to use for culturing them, the characteristics and proliferation ability of the cells were determined. Results showed that the cells shared several characteristics with previously reported mGSCs, including the poor effect of PL on their proliferative and colony-forming abilities. Further examination showed upregulation of p53 expression in these cells, which could be inhibiting their proliferation. When a p53 inhibitor was included in the culture medium, it was confirmed to be responsible for the inhibition of proliferation in mGSCs. Optimal concentration of the inhibitor in the culture of these cells was 5 µM. Furthermore, addition of the p53 inhibitor increased the expression of the markers of self-renewal and cell cycle in goat mGSCs. In summary, suppressing p53 is beneficial for the proliferation of dairy goat mGSCs, cultured on PL.     

Clay and iron minerals in soils of the clay plains of Central Sudan

Surface soil samples from seven profiles from the central plains of Sudan were investigated using XRD, chemical analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy measured at 15K. Dioctahedral montmorillonite was the main constituent with different proportions of kaolinite and chlorite. Goethite was found as fine iron oxyhydroxide in all the samples, with haematite detected in two pedons. Crystallinity of the clays was observed to correlate negatively with the amount of free iron oxide in the soil. The influence of the climatic factors on the soil and its formation is discussed.     

Moisture content and dormancy in Striga asiatica seeds

Freshly harvested Striga asiatica L. seeds will germinate in response to a stimulant only after the passage of time, an after-ripening period, and exposure to moisture at a suitable temperature, a conditioning period. To investigate the role of seed moisture content in the regulation of the after-ripening period, seeds were placed in chambers having specific relative humidity of 6%, 14%, 33%, 75% and 91% for 30, 60, 90 and 150 days. The seeds were then conditioned and germination percentage, response to tetrazolium and seed moisture contents were measured. Seeds at moisture contents less than 10% at the start of conditioning had germination of greater than 93%. Seeds at moisture contents over 10% at the start of conditioning could germinate between 60% and 3%, with germination decreasing as seed moisture content at the start of conditioning increased. The highest moisture content (17%) and lowest germination percentage (3%) occurred in seeds stored at 91% relative humidity for 150 days. There was a linear relationship of a high degree of correlation (0.997) between a positive tetrazolium test and germination capacity. Germination capacity of seeds could be changed from 90% to 3% by prolonged storage in water (dilute benomyl solution), causing `wet dormancy', then returned to 90% germination by returning to dry storage. Seed moisture content at the beginning of conditioning appears to control the responsiveness of the seeds to germination stimulants. The implications of these findings to the control of the parasite are discussed.     

棕榈粕渣发酵饲料养殖肉牛应用效果研究

[目的]评价棕榈粕渣发酵饲料对肉牛养殖效果的影响,为棕榈粕渣发酵饲料产品的研发与应用提供依据。[方法]选用24头夏洛莱牛与当地黄牛的杂交育成牛为试验对象,随机分成Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组与对照组4个组。在育肥期(14~16月龄),对照组试验牛饲喂精料补充料和基础粗饲料(100%玉米秸秆),试验组Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组试验牛饲喂与对照组相同的精料补充料和分别用10%、20%、30%棕榈粕渣发酵饲料替代玉米秸秆的粗饲料,拴系饲养,进行饲养试验。经过分析肉牛的生长性能、健康状况、经济效益,评价其应用效果。[结果]在育肥期,以棕榈粕渣发酵饲料替代部分(10%、20%、30%)玉米秸秆作为肉牛粗饲料能达到同样的育肥效果;育肥过程中对照组及试验组杂交牛存活率均为100%,健康状况良好;各组盈利排序为试验组Ⅲ >试验组Ⅱ >试验组Ⅰ >对照组。[结论]含有棕榈粕渣发酵饲料的肉牛粗饲料可以降低养殖成本、提高经济效益。     

Salinity assessment of groundwater for irrigation to prevent soil salinization

Electrical conductivity( EC) is considered as the most important indicator for assessment of groundwater quality. Determination of suitable interpolation method for derivation of groundwater quality variables map such as EC is dependent on region conditions and existence of enough data. For determining groundwater EC,341 groundwater samples were randomly collected from the central regions of Guilan province,paddy soils,in northern Iran. Interpolation methods including inverse distance weighting( IDW),global polynomial interpolation( GPI),local polynomial interpolation( LPI),radial basis function( RBF),ordinary kriging( OK) and empirical Bayesian Kriging( EBK) were used to generate spatial distribution of groundwater EC. The results indicate that EBK is a superior method with the least RMSE,MAE and the highest R2. The generated maps can be used to identify the regions in the studied area where groundwater could be allowed to be extracted and utilized by farmers to reduce adverse effect of the scarcity of surface water.     

Detection and molecular characterization of bovine leukemia virus in beef cattle presented for slaughter in Egypt

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the etiological agent of enzootic bovine leukosis, the most common neoplastic disease of cattle worldwide and a serious problem for the cattle industry. Previous studies have shown the molecular prevalence of BLV and the coexistence of BLV genotype-1 and -4 in Egyptian dairy cattle; however, the molecular characteristics of BLV in Egyptian beef cattle are unknown. Therefore, we collected blood samples of 168 beef cattle from slaughterhouses in three governorates in Egypt. Based on BLV-CoCoMo-qPCR-2 targeting long terminal repeats and nested PCR targeting the env-gp51 gene, the BLV provirus infection rates were found to be 47/168 (28.0%) and 42/168 (25.0%), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 501 bp of the BLV env-gp51 gene from 42 BLV isolates revealed that at least six distinctive strains (b, e, f, g, x, and z) were prevalent in cattle across the examined regions. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the 420 bp sequence of the BLV env-gp51 region of the six strains against 11 known genotypes showed that the strains b, e, f, and g were clustered into genotype-1, and strains x and z were clustered into genotype-4. Our results also indicated that strains b and x exist in both dairy and beef cattle in Egypt. The present study is the first to detect and genotype BLV among beef cattle in Egypt.     

Analysis of Isoflavone Contents in Vegetable Soybeans

In addition to oil and soyfoods, soybean is also produced for vegetable use. The importance of consuming vegetable soybean for the prevention of chronic diseases is well documented. The objectives of this study were to determine the magnitude of genotype × year interactions for isoflavone concentration and pattern, estimate heritabilities, and identify genotypes with a stable isoflavone concentration and pattern. Thirty-one soybean genotypes from maturity groups (MGs) III to VI were grown at Randolph Research Farm of Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia, during 3 years. The genotypes were harvested at immature green pod stage (R6–R7) and analyzed for isoflavone contents. Significant (P<0.05) differences among the genotypes were found for genistein, daidzein, glycitein, and total isoflavones. The genotype × year interactions were also significant (P<0.05) for the seed traits analyzed, indicating that the performance of the genotype changes from year to year. However, genotypes Pella and Aoda consistently showed with higher means than the overall means for all the seed traits throughout the 3 years. MG differences were also observed for genistein, daidzein, and total isoflavone content. Low- to moderate-heritability estimates of 54, 45, 58, and 64% were observed for genistein, daidzein, glycitein, and total isoflavone content, respectively, suggesting that the seed traits are equally influenced by environments and genetic variations. In general, for all seed traits with the exception of daidzein, the percentage contribution of genotype to the total sum of square was higher than the genotype × year interaction. The seed traits were interdependent and the associations among them were positive and significant suggesting that simultaneous selection and improvements are possible.     

Symptom remission in spiked sandal trees by infusion of tetracycline antibiotics

Spike disease of sandal has recently been recorded in Kerala. For chemotherapy of the diseased trees a gravity-flow infusion technique was used to compare tetracycline compounds. All the compounds, including doxycycline and oxytetracycline, were effective when 500 mg per tree was infused in 500 ml water, but disease remission lasted for 4 months only. Repeated infusions failed to give complete remission. Increasing the concentration of tetracycline to 4–8 g per tree gave remission for 7–8 months; at 12 g per tree, phototoxicity was observed.