Liming as an ameliorator of copper toxicity in black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.)

This study aimed to assess the effect of liming as an ameliorator of copper (Cu) toxicity in black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) grown in soil with a sandy texture. The treatments were soil supplementation with increasing doses of lime (0.0, 0.5 and 1.0 g kg^?1) and two of Cu (0 and 50 mg kg^?1). Pre-germinated black oat seeds were sown for 30 days in the soil, subsequently, the plant height, root and shoot dry mass and concentration of total chlorophyll, chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids and total soluble carbohydrates and starch were analyzed. The dose of 50 mg kg^?1 soil Cu caused a toxic effect on black oat plant growth and development, affected the internal distribution of nutrients, decreased the leaf chlorophyll concentration and increased the leaf concentration of total soluble carbohydrates and starch. Increasing lime doses ameliorated the toxic effects of Cu.     

New organic substrates and boron fertilizing for production of yellow passion fruit seedlings

The identification of alternative substrates suitable for seedling production is very important, while boron nutrition is also relevant due to plant requirement and its difficult management. Thus, four experiments were carried out from October 2012 to April 2013 to evaluate the effect of substrates using decomposed buriti (Mauritia vinifera Mart.) stem (DBS) and boron fertilizing for seedling production of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims). The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial scheme 6 × 2 + 1, referring to the substrates [S1: DBS, S2: soil and sand 1:1 (20%) + DBS (80%), S3: soil and sand 1:1 (40%) + DBS (60%), S4: soil and sand 1:1 (60%) + DBS (40%), S5: soil and sand 1:1 (80%) + DBS (20%), S6: commercial substrate (additional treatment) and S7: soil, sand and manure 1:1:2] with and without boron. The seedling emergence, emergence rate, plant height, stem diameter, root length, root volume and dry mass of roots and shoots were recorded. The substrates S2 (without B fertilizing) and S4 (B fertilized with 0.5 mg dm^?3) produced seedlings with more than 3.0 g of shoot dry mass and at least 30 cm in height, and can be used for production of high-quality yellow passion fruit seedlings.     

Nutritive evaluation of the seed,germinated seed,and string bean of Erythrina americana and the detoxification of the material by boiling

The nutritive and toxicological values of the dry seeds, germinated seeds, and string beans of Erythrina americana were studied using raw and boiled samples. Raw germinated seeds had a higher protein content and lower fiber content than dry seeds. The whole string bean had lower protein content and higher fiber content. However, the seeds of the green pod showed the same protein concentration as the dry seeds (dry basis). Boiling and elimination of broth was beneficial in diminishing the alkaloid concentration in all the samples. The trypsin inhibitors, lectins, and tannins were also diminished as was expected. The raw string bean showed the lowest LD(50). Although the total essential amino acids content of the boiled germinated seeds was increased, the quality of protein, protein efficiency ratio (PER), was lower than in boiled dry seeds, and in these, the PER was similar to the control (casein). The present results suggest that for the protein quality and low alkaloid content, the boiled dry seeds and string beans could be used for animal feeding. It could be interesting to test the raw string beans in ruminants since in this stage E. americana showed the lowest toxicity.     

Proteome analysis of the sarcoplasmic fraction of pig semimembranosus muscle: implications on meat color development

Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to investigate sarcoplasmic protein expression in pig Semimembranosus muscles sampled 20 min after slaughter. Two groups (light and dark) of 12 animals were selected from 1000 pigs, based on meat L values measured 36 h postmortem. Twenty-two proteins or fragments (p < 0.05) were differentially expressed. Muscles leading to darker meat had a more oxidative metabolism, indicated by more abundant mitochondrial enzymes of the respiratory chain, hemoglobin, and chaperone or regulator proteins (HSP27, alphaB-crystallin, and glucose-regulated protein 58 kDa). Conversely, enzymes of glycolysis were overexpressed in the lighter group. Such samples were also characterized by higher levels of glutathione S-transferase omega, which can activate the RyR calcium channels, and higher levels of cyclophilin D. This protein pattern is likely to have severe implications on postmortem metabolism, namely, acceleration of ATP depletion and pH fall and subsequent enhanced protein denaturation, well-known to induce discoloration.     

Rapid sedimentological and biological assessment of hydrocarbon contaminated sediments

It is possible to rapidly detect the presence of high concentrations of sediment associated hydrocarbons using a sediment profile camera and simultaneously evaluate the general sedimentological and biological character of a contaminated area. In sediments that were heavily contaminated with hydrocarbons from spills and chronic long-term additions the presence of hydrocarbons was seen about 50% of the time in the sediment profile images as unique features, ‘H spots’. The presence of these features was related to the concentration of hydrocarbons in the sediment. In highly contaminated muddy sediments ‘H spots’ were found in images collected at stations that had from 270 to 610 ppt total hydrocarbons. Sedimentological and biological information obtained from the sediment profile images confirmed the impacted nature of Elizabeth River sediments. Sediment profile imaging provide a means of obtaining an overall evaluation of the quality of a habitat and impacts on that habitat from pollution related environmental disturbances. While qualitative, an advantage of sediment profile image data is that they can be evaluated in less than a day and used to quickly locate inclusions of hydrocarbons in the sediments for further quantitative chemical or biological sampling, or mapping of heavily contaminated areas.     

Iron transport in plants: Future research in view of a plant nutritionist and a molecular biologist

Iron is attractive to plant physiologists since J. Sachs has proven in 1868 the essentiality and the possible leaf uptake of Fe. It lasted about 100 years before the principal processes for Fe mobilization in the rhizosphere were discovered and classified as two distinct strategies for Fe acquisition. During the 80's and 90's of the last century the uptake of Fe²⁺ and Fe^III-phytosiderophores by specific transporters in strategy I- and strategy II-plants, respectively, were postulated without any application of the new approaching molecular techniques. In the following decade, the various transporters for Fe uptake by roots, such as AtIRT1 in Arabidopsis or ZmYS1 in maize and their possible regulation were characterized. In the following years with fast developing molecular approaches further Fe trans ortsrs were genetically described with often only vague physiological functions. In view of a plant nutritionist, besides uptake processes by roots, the following transport processes within the respective target tissue have to be considered by molecular biologists in more detail: 1) radial transfer of Fe from the root cortex through the endodermis, 2) xylem loading in roots, 3) transfer of Fe from xylem to phloem via transfer cells, 4) phloem loading with Fe in source leaves and retranslocation to sink organs, and 5) remobilization and retranslocation via the phloem during senescence of perennial plants. The importance of these various specific transport processes for a well-regulated Fe homeostasis in plants and new strategies to identify and characterize proteins involved in Fe transport and homeostasis will be discussed.     

Chocolate is a powerful ex vivo and in vivo antioxidant, an antiatherosclerotic agent in an animal model, and a significant contributor to antioxidants in the European and American Diets

Chocolate today is often viewed as a food or snack with little nutritional value. The high saturated fat content of chocolate has also contributed to the belief that its consumption increases the risk of heart disease. However, recent human studies have proven that chocolate has beneficial effects on some pathogenic mechanisms of heart disease such as endothelial function and blood pressure. Although the antioxidant properties of chocolate have been known for some time, there has been no examination of its place in the U.S. diet as a source of antioxidants. This paper demonstrates that chocolate makes a significant contribution to U.S. per capita dietary antioxidants and by inference the European Community's. In the U.S. diet chocolate is the third highest daily per capita antioxidant source. An ex vivo study shows that epicatechin, a major polyphenol in chocolate and chocolate extracts, is a powerful inhibitor of plasma lipid oxidation due to polyphenols' ability to bind to lower density lipoproteins. Conversely, the fat from chocolate alone is a pro-oxidant in this model. This is also demonstrated in an in vivo human study. After consumption of dark chocolate and cocoa powder, the lower density lipoproteins isolated from plasma were protected from oxidation compared to the lipoproteins isolated after cocoa butter consumption, which were put under oxidative stress. In an animal model of atherosclerosis, cocoa powder at a human dose equivalent of two dark chocolate bars per day significantly inhibited atherosclerosis, lowered cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides, raised high-density lipoprotein, and protected the lower density lipoproteins from oxidation. Chocolate has thus been shown to have potential beneficial effects with respect to heart disease.     

Reproductive behavior in hair sheep rams under tropical conditions

The reproductive efficiency of sheep herds depends to a great extent on the ram. Male reproductive evaluation allows to select for the best and eliminate those with reproductive problems. The objective was to evaluate the effect of breed and age group on the reproductive behavior of hair sheep rams in the tropics of Mexico. Pelibuey (n?=?42), Blackbelly (n?=?30), Dorper (n?=?44), and Katahdin (n?=?30) rams of two age groups: young (n?=?74, 1–1.5 years old) and adult (n?=?72, 2–4 years old) were evaluated. Serving capacity (10-min duration) and breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) tests were carried out in each ram. In the first test, rams were classified as suitable and unsuitable, and in the BSE test, they were classified as satisfactory, questionable, or unsatisfactory. The response variables were analyzed using chi-square test or analyses of variance (ANOVA). ANOVA included the fixed effects of breed, age group, and their interaction. In the serving capacity test, 79.5% of the rams were considered suitable, with no breed differences (P?>?0.05). Adult rams (90.3%) had the highest proportion of suitable rams (P?<?0.05). In the BSE test, 80.2% of the rams were satisfactory; only breed being significant (P?<?0.05). Pelibuey breed had the highest proportion of satisfactory rams (91.4%). Breed × age interaction was no significant for any trait. After serving capacity and BSE tests, a high proportion of rams was found not suitable for reproduction (36.3%), which is expected to cause low fertility in the flock.

     

Note:In vitro antagonism of actinomycetes isolated from fungus-growing ants against plant pathogenic fungi

Fungus-growing ants have been found recently to be symbiotic with actinomycetes living on the ant’s cuticle; these bacteria are inhibitory to soil fungi that are detrimental to the ants’ fungus gardens. In order to investigate whether actinomycetes found on the cuticle of attine ants also had inhibitory properties against plant pathogenic fungi, we isolated 32 strains of actinomycetes from fungus-growing ants (Atta, Trachymyrmex, andCyphomyrmex), from the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. Of the actinomycetes tested against selected plant pathogenic fungi (Alternaria solani, Aspergillus flavus, Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium sp.) on Czapek-Dox agar medium, 13 isolates inhibited at least one of the fungi.C. lindemuthianum was inhibited by 11 actinomycetes, andRhizoctonia by three. An actinomycete strain isolated fromCyphomyrmex rimosus inhibited all five fungi tested. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 30, 2008.     

A bacterial protein enhances the release and efficacy of liposomal cancer drugs

Clostridium novyi-NT is an anaerobic bacterium that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. Because C. novyi-NT lyses red blood cells, we hypothesized that its membrane-disrupting properties could be exploited to enhance the release of liposome-encapsulated drugs within tumors. Here, we show that treatment of mice bearing large, established tumors with C. novyi-NT plus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin often led to eradication of the tumors. The bacterial factor responsible for the enhanced drug release was identified as a previously unrecognized protein termed liposomase. This protein could potentially be incorporated into diverse experimental approaches for the specific delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.