Effects of Fermentation Conditions Using Lactobacillus plantarum on the Charantin,Stigmasterol Glucoside and β-sitosterol Glucoside Contents of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.) Juice

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Bitter gourd fruits contain high amounts of charantin, stigmasterol glucoside and β-sitosterol glucoside, which have been shown to provide health benefits for...     

Combined use of optical and radar satellite data for the detection of tillage and irrigation operations: Case study in Central Morocco

The objective of this study is to present a new application of optical and radar remote sensing with high spatial (∼10 m) and temporal (a few days) resolutions for the detection of tillage and irrigation operations. The analysis was performed for irrigated wheat crops in the semi-arid Tensift/Marrakech plain (Central Morocco) using three FORMOSAT-2 images and two ASAR images acquired within one week at the beginning of the 2005/2006 agricultural season.The approach we developed uses simple mapping algorithms (band thresholding and decision tree) for the characterisation of soil surface states. The first images acquired by FORMOSAT and ASAR were processed to classify fields into three main categories: ploughed (in depth), prepared to be sown (harrowed), and not ploughed-not harrowed. This information was combined with a change detection analysis based on multitemporal images to identify harrowing and irrigation operations which occurred between two satellite observations.The performance of the algorithm was evaluated using data related to land use and agricultural practices collected on 124 fields. The analysis shows that drastic changes of surface states caused by ploughing or irrigation are detected without ambiguity (consistency index of 96%). This study provided evidence that optical and radar data contain complementary information for the detection of agricultural operations at the beginning of agricultural season. This information could be useful in regional decision support systems to refine crop calendars and to improve prediction of crop water needs over large areas.     

Mass selection for small‐sized cysts in Artemia franciscana produced in Vinh Chau salt ponds,Vietnam

Unidirectional mass truncation selection for small‐sized cysts was carried out on brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana Kellogg 1906), Vinh Chau strain, Vietnam, through cyst sieving and then culturing the selected individuals (<5% of the population) under field and laboratory conditions over two successive generations (F₁ and F₂). The results showed that at both culture scales, the cyst size of the selected line was smaller (P < 0.05) compared with the control (non‐selected) line, illustrating that there was a response to selection. The cyst size decreased about 3% per generation and the accumulated gain on the target trait was in the range 5.82–6.07% at the end of the selection process compared with the base population. The realized heritability estimation (h²) for cyst size was 0.23 ± 0.06 and 0.74 ± 0.19 in the field trials and 0.34 and 0.51 in the laboratory test for the F₁ and F₂ generation respectively. The variations found between the respective trials may be explained as the result of environmental interaction with the selection process, but the results show that a selection program for small‐sized cysts in Artemia by mass selection is possible.     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Alginate Lyase from a Marine Streptomyces Species Isolated from Seaweed

Alginate, a natural polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, is finding multiple applications in biomedicine via its transformation through chemical, physical, and, increasingly, enzymatic processes. In this study a novel alginate lyase, AlyDS44, was purified and characterized from a marine actinobacterium, Streptomyces luridiscabiei, which was isolated from decomposing seaweed. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 108.6 U/mg, with a molecular weight of 28.6 kDa, and was composed of 260 amino acid residues. AlyDS44 is a bifunctional alginate lyase, active on both polyguluronate and polymannuronate, though it preferentially degrades polyguluronate. The optimal pH of this enzyme is 8.5 and the optimal temperature is 45 °C. It is a salt-tolerant alginate lyase with an optimal activity at 0.6 M NaCl. Metal ions Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Fe²⁺ increased the alginate degrading activity, but it was inhibited in the presence of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The highly conserved regions of its amino acid sequences indicated that AlyDS44 belongs to the polysaccharide lyase family 7. The main breakdown products of the enzyme on alginate were disaccharides, trisaccharides, and tetrasaccharides, which demonstrated that this enzyme acted as an endo-type alginate lyase. AlyDS44 is a novel enzyme, with the potential for efficient production of alginate oligosaccharides with low degrees of polymerization.     

The role of dietary methionine concentrations on growth,metabolism and N‐retention in cobia (Rachycentron canadum) at elevated water temperatures

This study determined impacts of dietary methionine concentrations at two temperatures on growth, feeding efficiency and N‐metabolites in juvenile cobia. Methionine concentrations of the experimental diets were deficient (M9; 9 g/kg), sufficient (M12; 12 g/kg) and surplus (M16, 16 g/kg). Water temperature was normal (30°C) or elevated (34°C). Twenty cobia in triplicate tanks were fed the experimental diets for 6 weeks. Both methionine and temperature affected cobia's growth and feeding efficiency. Cobia fed M9 performed lower than the fish fed M12 and M16 diets. Additionally, cobia reared at 34°C performed poorer than at 30°C, probably due to lower voluntary feed intake in the fish reared at 34°C. Protein efficiency ratio and protein productive value in cobia fed M9 diet were less than M12 or M16 diets. This was confirmed with the improved retentions of indispensable amino acids (AAs). No interactions between methionine and temperature were observed in growth and protein accretion. At 30°C, CF improved, while HSI and VSI declined upon methionine supplementation levels. Of which an interaction between temperature and methionine was present. Plasma, muscle and liver free AA and N‐metabolites were affected by methionine and temperature. Furthermore, temperature affected cobia's lipid class composition, resulting in increased phospholipids and cholesterol at 34°C.     

Cytotoxic constituents from Plumbago zeylanica

The bioassay-guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extract of aerial parts of Plumbago zeylanica led to the isolation of beta-sitosterol, beta-sitosteryl-3beta-glucopyranoside, beta-sitosteryl-3beta-glucopyranoside-6'-O-palmitate (1), lupenone, lupeol acetate, plumbagin and trilinolein. Compound 1 showed cytotoxic activity against MCF7 and Bowes cancer cell lines (IC50 113 microM and 152 microM, respectively), beta-sitosterol inhibited Bowes cell growth (IC50 36.5 microM) and plumbagin was cytotoxic against MCF7 and Bowes cells (IC50 1.28 microM and 1.39 microM, respectively).     

Trends in overweight by socio-economic status in Vietnam: 1992 to 2002

OBJECTIVE: To explore socio-economic factors associated with rising rates of overweight among Vietnamese adults. DESIGN: The study was based on three national surveys of socio-economic factors and health conducted over a 10-year period. The studies were: the Vietnamese Living Standard Survey 1992-1993 (11 982 participants); the Vietnamese Living Standard Survey 1997-1998 (15 975 participants); and the Vietnamese National Health Survey 2001-2002 (94 656 participants). SUBJECTS: Male and female adults >18 years old were stratified by gender, age group, area of residence, occupation, education and relative food expenditures. Overweight was defined using body mass index (BMI) > or = 25 kg m(-2). RESULTS: Overweight rates in Vietnam more than doubled between 1992 and 2002 (from 2.0 to 5.7%). Significant increases were observed for men and women, in urban and rural areas, and for all age groups. In univariate analyses, both age and higher socio-economic status were associated with higher rates of overweight. Using the most recent survey, urban populations were more likely to be overweight than rural ones (odds ratio (OR) = 1.79), white-collar workers were more likely to be overweight than manual labourers (OR = 1.95) and persons in the top level of food expenditures were more likely to be overweight than persons in the bottom level (OR = 4.96) after adjustment for other factors. Education was inversely associated with overweight after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSION: Economic growth and improved standard of living are associated with higher rates of overweight in nations in early stages of economic development. In Vietnam, higher rates of overweight were observed among the higher income and occupation groups.     

Molecular epidemiology of Newcastle disease viruses in Vietnam

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry in Southeast Asia. In the present study, 12 field isolates of NDV were recovered from dead village chickens in Vietnam between 2007 and 2012, and were characterized. All the field isolates were classified as velogenic. Based on the sequence analysis of the F variable region, two distinct genetic groups (Vietnam genetic groups G1 and G2) were recognized. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the 12 field isolates fell into the class II genotype VII cluster. Ten of the field isolates, classified as Vietnam genetic group G1, were closely related to VIIh viruses that had been isolated from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia since the mid-2000s, while the other two field isolates, of Vietnam genetic group G2, clustered with VIId viruses, which were predominantly circulating in China and Far East Asia. Our results indicate that genotype VII viruses, especially VIIh viruses, are predominantly responsible for the recent epizootic of the disease in Vietnam.