Model study on the effect of 15 phenolic olive mill wastewater constituents on seed germination and Vibrio fischeri metabolism

Olive mill wastewaters (OMW) can be a severe problem when disposed of as untreated because of their high organic load, elevated concentration of polyphenols, and moderately low biodegradability. In the present study, the acute toxicity of 15 compounds with low molecular weight (<350 Da), catechol, four benzoic acids, three phenylacetic acids, three phenylethanols, and four cinnamic acids, already isolated from the reverse osmosis in the fractionation of OMW, was assessed on the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and on the seeds of two dicotyledonous species Cucumis sativus and Lepidium sativum, and on one monocotyledon Sorghum bicolor. Results of phytotoxicity showed that the most toxic compounds were catechol (EC50s ranging from 0.40 mmol/L for S. bicolor to 1.09 for C. sativus) and hydroxytyrosol, (EC50s ranging from 0.47 mmol/L for S. bicolor to 1.55 for C. sativus) while the toxic potential on bacteria was particularly elevated with EC50 values 1 or 2 orders less than phytotoxicity. These results suggested that the risk of OMW disposal may be more elevated for the water compartment than for the soil.     

The Bovine Tuberculosis Campaign in Mexico： Present and Perspectives

Mexico is considered by different international organizations as a country where the bovine tuberculosis is an endemic problem. However, there are important and consistent improvements in eradicating the disease by the implementation of government policies and with the livestock organization support. The current situation of the program shows good results regarding decreasing the prevalence, and as a consequence, the risk of this disease for public health and animal health, as well as the improvement in animal production and international and national trade. Today, the bovine tuberculosis distribution is almost known in Mexico. In addition, a series of controls and indicators have been established, which allow maintain consistency and reliability in the data that are managed and analyzed.     

The mutational landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common, morbid, and frequently lethal malignancy. To uncover its mutational spectrum, we analyzed whole-exome sequencing data from 74 tumor-normal pairs. The majority exhibited a mutational profile consistent with tobacco exposure; human papillomavirus was detectable by sequencing DNA from infected tumors. In addition to identifying previously known HNSCC genes (TP53, CDKN2A, PTEN, PIK3CA, and HRAS), our analysis revealed many genes not previously implicated in this malignancy. At least 30% of cases harbored mutations in genes that regulate squamous differentiation (for example, NOTCH1, IRF6, and TP63), implicating its dysregulation as a major driver of HNSCC carcinogenesis. More generally, the results indicate the ability of large-scale sequencing to reveal fundamental tumorigenic mechanisms.     

Ambient-temperature isolation of a compound with a boron-boron triple bond

Homoatomic triple bonds between main-group elements have been restricted to alkynes, dinitrogen, and a handful of reactive compounds featuring trans-bent heavier elements of groups 13 and 14. Previous attempts to prepare a compound with a boron-boron triple bond that is stable at ambient temperature have been unsuccessful, despite numerous computational studies predicting their viability. We found that reduction of a bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)-stabilized tetrabromodiborane with either two or four equivalents of sodium naphthalenide, a one-electron reducing agent, yields isolable diborene and diboryne compounds. Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterization confirm that the latter is a halide-free linear system containing a boron-boron triple bond.     

Changes in Phenolic Compounds in Garlic (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium sativum</Emphasis> L.) Owing to the Cultivar and Location of Growth

The contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were determined in selected garlic cultivars grown at four locations. The total phenolic content varied from 3.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dry matter (dm) to 10.8 mg GAE/g of dm with a mean value of 6.5 mg GAE/g of dm. The myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin flavonoids were not detected in any of the samples. Caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the major phenolic acids found with mean values of 2.9 mg/kg of dm and 2.6 mg/kg of dm, respectively. The mean contents of vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids were comparable (0.4–0.8 mg/kg of dm), and the level of sinapic acid was negligible (< 0.1 mg/kg of dm). There was a significant effect of location but an insignificant effect of genotype on contents of caffeic, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids. However, genotype but not location affected the contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid. On average, the white garlic cultivars and Chinese garlic cultivars contained higher contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid than the purple garlic cultivars. However, the differences in the total phenolic content between the purple and white garlic cultivars were not significant.     

Astaxanthin treatment reduced oxidative induced pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in U937: SHP-1 as a novel biological target

It has been suggested that oxidative stress activates various intracellular signaling pathways leading to secretion of a variety of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. SHP-1 is a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) which acts as a negative regulator of immune cytokine signaling. However, intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), generated endogenously upon stimulation and exogenously from environmental oxidants, has been known to be involved in the process of intracellular signaling through inhibiting various PTPs, including SHP-1. In this study, we investigated the potential role of astaxanthin, an antioxidant marine carotenoid, in re-establishing SHP-1 negative regulation on pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in U-937 cell line stimulated with oxidative stimulus. ELISA measurement suggested that ASTA treatment (10 μM) reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) induced through H(2)O(2), (100 μM). Furthermore, this property is elicited by restoration of basal SHP-1 protein expression level and reduced NF-κB (p65) nuclear expression, as showed by western blotting experiments.     

Effect of the addition of diatoms (Navicula spp.) and rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) on water quality and growth of the Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae reared in a biofloc system

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of Navicula spp. and Brachionus plicatilis on water quality and growth of postlarvae shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei reared in a biofloc system. Four treatments were considered: a control (biofloc system – BFT); BFT with the addition of Navicula spp. (BFT‐N); BFT with the addition of Brachionus plicatilis (BFT‐B) and BFT with the addition of Navicula spp. and Brachionus plicatilis (BFT‐NB), each in triplicate. Shrimp (16.2 ± 0.03 mg) were stocked at a density of 2500 shrimp m^?3 and plankton were added on days 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 at a density of 5 × 10⁴ cells mL^?1 (Navicula spp.) and 30 organisms L^?1 (Brachionus plicatilis). The shrimp were fed a formulated feed in four daily rations composed of 40% crude protein and 8% lipids. Significant differences between treatments were observed for final weight, yield, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and protein content of the shrimp. The combined plankton addition of Navicula spp. and B. plicatilis had better performance parameters, indicating their benefit as natural food sources for postlarvae L. vannamei in biofloc systems.     

Probiotic effect of Streptomyces spp. on shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) postlarvae challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The effect of Streptomyces strains RL8 and N7 on the growth, survival and histological structure of the hepatopancreas of Litopenaeus vannamei was determined. Shrimp post‐larvae of 0.02 ± 0.01 g were fed with diets supplemented with Streptomyces spp. RL8 and N7 at 10⁸ CFU g^?1 of feed for 30 days, followed by challenge with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Toxicity was also assessed by recording the mortality associated with the use of 1‐100 g/L of cell mass and 10⁸‐10¹⁰ CFU/g of feed of these strains in Artemia salina and L. vannamei, respectively. The group treated with Streptomyces sp. RL8 had significantly better weight gain (0.62 ± 0.18 g) and survival rates (84.44 ± 5.7%) after challenge, whereas the one fed with Streptomyces sp. N7 showed significantly higher survival rate (57.77 ± 6.8%) than the control group (0.55 ± 0.20 g and 11.11 ± 9.0%, respectively). The hepatopancreas of Streptomyces‐fed shrimps showed better histological integrity with significantly lower degree of atrophy and necrotic tubules than their unfed counterpart. No toxicity associated with these strains was found. Consequently, they can be excellent probiotic candidates to improve the physiological status and prevent infectious diseases of cultured L. vannamei.     

Dynamic stock model for analysing semi‐intensive production of whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus (Penaeus) vannamei affected by the acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease: Assessment of disease severity indicators and relationships with pond water quality parameters

The production of Litopenaeus vannamei was analysed when affected by the acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease using a dynamic stock model and primary data of seven production cycles from a shrimp farm in Mexico from 2013 to 2016. Significant results (p < .05) of the correlation analysis indicated that during those years mortalities by the disease were more severe when water salinity was high and productivity was low. Significant results from ANOVA showed that throughout the period, disease severity and salinity diminished while pond productivity initially declined but subsequently improved. Significant results from regression analyses conducted for each production cycle also indicated the importance of salinity and productivity on disease severity and showed that early mortality by the disease occurred in ponds with warmer water. Within the observed range of water quality parameters, increases of 1 cm in water transparency and 1 g/L in salinity resulted in increments within 0.17%–0.25% and 1.7%–3.1% in shrimp mortality by the disease. When increases of 1°C in water temperature were recorded, outbreaks occurred 0.2–1.57 weeks earlier. In conclusion, the disease strongly determines the dynamics of shrimp production, and the role of salinity, productivity and temperature is worthy of further delving.