Phenolic acids from plant foods can increase or decrease the mutation frequency to antibiotic resistance

Phenolic compounds are ubiquitous in plant foods, and they have been reported to have multiple biological effects. This study investigates the ability of derivatives of hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids to influence the development of ciprofloxacin resistance in the antibiotic-sensitive strain Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium. We have found that cinnamic acid and its hydroxy derivatives increase the frequency of mutations leading to ciprofloxacin resistance in comparison with spontaneous mutagenesis. Derivatives of hydroxybenzoic acid showed no or very little effect. Interestingly, gallic acid caused only phenotype resistance but not arising of mutant strains. Vanillic acid decreased spontaneous mutation frequency, leading to resistance not only to ciprofloxacin but also to tetracycline and gentamicin, and also decreased mutation frequency induced by 3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylic acid, sodium azide, and hydrogen peroxide leading to ciprofloxacin resistance.     

Integrated pest management of Tuta absoluta: practical implementations across different world regions

Journal of Pest Science - The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato...     

Body development, carcass, and meat quality of confined lambs fed increasing levels of whole rice meal

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of whole rice meal (WRM) inclusion in the concentrate upon body development, carcass traits, and meat quality of lambs. Twenty-four castrated lambs with an average initial body weight of 17.90?±?2.72 kg were randomly blocked according to two genetic groups (Corriedale and Texel by Corriedale crossbreds). Three isocaloric (11.3 MJ/kg of metabolizable energy) and isonitrogenous (17 % crude protein) diets were offered to the animals for 74 days. Diets consisted of 40 % forage and 60 % concentrate diet, on a dry matter basis, with 0, 15, or 30 % of WRM inclusion into the concentrate. Body growth (after slaughter), carcass, and meat traits were evaluated on each animal. Results obtained indicated that genotype did not affect body growth, carcass, and meat traits except for yellowness. No significant interaction between diet and genotype were detected. Inclusion of up to 30 % WRM did not significantly (P?>?0.05) affect body growth, carcass, and meat traits, except for meat color. Meat luminosity progressively increased (36.32?+?0.055X) while redness (15.13???0.03X) decreased with the inclusion of WRM in the diet, but still remained within acceptable values. The study indicates that WRM may be included up to 30 % in the concentrate replacing corn without adverse effects upon body development, carcass traits, and meat quality of lambs.     

Usefulness of the murine model to study the immune response against Histoplasma capsulatum infection

The present paper is an overview of the primary events that are associated with the histoplasmosis immune response in the murine model. Valuable data that have been recorded in the scientific literature have contributed to an improved understanding of the clinical course of this systemic mycosis, which is caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Data must be analyzed carefully, given that misinterpretation could be generated because most of the available information is based on experimental host–parasite interactions that used inappropriate proceedings, i.e., the non-natural route of infection with the parasitic and virulent fungal yeast-phase, which is not the usual infective phase of the etiological agent of this mycosis.     

Variation of the storage protein phaseolin in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from the Mediterranean area

Summary Variation of phaseolin, the major storage protein in Phaseolus vulgaris L., was analysed in seeds of a germplasm collection from the Mediterranean area. Results showed a number of subvariants differing from the reference patterns for the presence, absence or faintness of single polypeptides. Maximum concentration of variation was found in the Cyprus material. Sources and causes of variation are discussed.     

Immigrants Doing Business in a Mid‐sized Canadian City: Challenges,Opportunities, and Local Strategies in Kelowna,British Columbia

Lacking a tradition of settling immigrants and the appropriate infrastructure to integrate them, small‐ and medium‐sized cities often face the challenge of attracting and retaining immigrants. Using a mixed methods approach, this study compares the experiences of immigrant and non‐immigrant entrepreneurs in a mid‐sized Canadian city, Kelowna, British Columbia. A survey reveals different experiences between these two groups, with immigrants facing more challenges. In the absence of institutionally complete communities or strong ethnic economies, immigrants do not rely extensively on their own community resources, an element considered instrumental for immigrant business development in large cities. Compared to non‐immigrants, immigrant entrepreneurs have a more optimistic outlook on doing business in Kelowna; this is encouraging for a city trying hard to attract immigrant investment. Key informants recommended transforming the city into a more welcoming community, establishing appropriate support infrastructure, and removing potential institutional offsets. This paper adds new theoretical insights to the literature on immigrant entrepreneurship; all socio‐cultural, political‐institutional, and economic‐structural considerations are embedded in geography. The findings also have implications for growth strategies in small‐ and medium‐sized cities.     

Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers as a tool for the assessment of both genetic diversity and gene pool origin in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

In this study, we report the use of ISSR to assess genetic diversity and to determine the relationships among ten cultivars of common bean developed in Argentina and three materials from France. ISSR markers resolved two major groups corresponding to the Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools of common bean. We compared the results of previous analysis, performed with RAPD markers (Galván et al., 2001), with the results generated by means of ISSR. It appears that ISSR are better tools than RAPDs to identify beans by gene pool of origin though they did not revealed as many differences between individuals as RAPDs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic-diversity assessed by microsatellites in tropical maize populations submitted to a high-intensity reciprocal recurrent selection

BR-105 and BR-106 are important tropical maize populations, which were submitted to a high-intensity reciprocal recurrent selection, generating the IG-3 and IG-4synthetics. Using 30-microsatellite loci,we measured and compared the genetic diversity of these populations and their synthetics. The populations did not differ significantly regarding the amount of genetic diversity. As a consequence of selection, genetic variability losses, in terms of mean number of alleles per locus,proportion of polymorphic loci, and gene diversity did occur and were greater in the synthetic IG-3 than IG-4. In the synthetics, the number of loci in adherence to Hardy-Weinberg proportions was superior to that observed in the populations. The Wright's mean fixation index was higher than the mean value expected for outcrossing species (5%) indicating as light excess of homozygotic individuals in both populations. The genetic distances confirmed the favourable effects of one cycle of recurrent selection, as the synthetics became more isolated in comparison to the original populations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Antioxidizing potency of phenol compounds in olive oil mill wastewater

The antioxidizing potency of phenol compounds contained in olive oil mill wastewater (OOMWW) has been elucidated. Commercially available phenol standards at varying concentrations and the Rancimat oxidation test have been used. Refined purified olive oil was utilized as an oxidation lipid substrate. Synthetic antioxidants, such as 2,3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA), 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT), l-ascorbic acid, and gallates (commonly used as food preservatives), and other known chemicals endowed with antioxidizing properties have been employed as reference compounds. The OOMWW phenol compounds have been classified into different groups depending on their antioxidizing potency. This was significantly affected by the tested concentrations of the standards. Mixtures of phenol standards and other antioxidants (l-proline, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and alpha-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol) have also been tested. Many phenol compounds present in OOMWW showed antioxidizing potency higher compared to that of the less safe synthetic antioxidants and could therefore replace these in the industrial preservation of food items. They could also be used in combination with other natural antioxidants (e.g., tocopherols). In fact, some mixtures of antioxidants, owing also to the synergistic phenomena, showed strong antioxidizing potency.