Les vitamines du groupe B dans les aliments végétaux au Sud Vietnam

Résumé Les recherches sur la teneur en vitamines du groupe B (thiamine, riboflavine, nicotinamide) faites sur 135 végétaux alimentaires du Sud Vietnam, montrent que les plantes riches en thiamine sont rares; ce sont surtout les graines et quelques rares feuilles(Sesbania grandiflora Pers. 0,365 mg% de partie comestible) et fruit (pulpe deTamarindus indica L. 0,374 mg %:Durio Zibethinus Murr. 0,300 mg %).Les bonnes sources de riboflavine sont aussi rares mais ce sont essentiellement les légumes à feuilles vertes dont spécialementIpomoea aquatica Forsk. 0,500 mg % et un champignonVolvaria esculenta Massee 0,350 mg %.Enfin la nicotinamide se trouve en quantité importante dans les plantes alimentaires étudiées et sa répartition est assez variée. Les teneurs les plus élevées se trouvent dans les graines comme:Arachis hypogea L. 12 mg %,Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. 8,450 mg %Sesamum indicum L. 5,970 mg %.

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Summary The vitamins of the B group (thiamine, riboflavine, nicotin amide) were analysed in 135 edible plants from South-Vietnam. The plants rich in thiamine are rare; some seeds, rarer leaves(Sesbania grandiflora Pers. 0.365 mg % of the edible part) and fruits (pulp ofTamarus Indica L. 0.374 mg %,Durio Zibethinus Murr 0.3 mg %) were found.The rich sources of riboflavine are equally rare; into the group belong especially green leaves, in particularIpomoea aquatica Forsk, 0.5 mg % and a fungus,Volvaria esculenta Massee 0.35 mg %.Nicotinamide is found in greater quantities in the analysed plants, the allotment being rather great. The greatest amounts have been found in the seeds:Arachis hypogea L. 12 mg %,Citrullus vulgaris Schrad 8.45 mg %Sesamum Indicum L. 5.97 mg %.

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Zusammenfassung Die Vitamine der B-Gruppe (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Nicotinsäureamid) wurden in 135 essbaren Pflanzen aus Süd-Vietnam bestimmt. Thiamin-reiche Pflanzen sind selten: manche Samen, seltener manche Blätter,(Sesbania grandiflora Pers. 0,365 mg % des essbaren Teiles) und Früchte (Fleisch vonTamarindus indica L. 0,374 mg %,Durio Zibethinus Murr 0,3 mg %).Gute Quellen an Riboflavin sind ebenso selten. Solche sind besonders grüne Blätter, namentlich vonIpomoea aquatica Forsk, 0,5 mg %, und ein Pilz,Volvaria esculenta Massee 0,35 mg %.Nicotinsäureamid findet sich in wechselnden Mengen in den untersuchten Pflanzen. Die höchsten Gehalte sind in Samen zu finden:Arachis hypogea L. 12 mg %,Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. 8,45 mg %,Sesamum indicum L. 5,97 mg %.

     

Identification of a novel locus Rmo2 conditioning resistance in barley to host-specific subgroups of Magnaporthe oryzae

Barley cultivars show various patterns of resistance against isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae and M. grisea. Genetic mechanisms of the resistance of five representative barley cultivars were examined using a highly susceptible barley cultivar, 'Nigrate', as a common parent of genetic crosses. The resistance of the five cultivars against Setaria, Oryza, Eleusine, and Triticum isolates of M. oryzae was all attributed to a single locus, designated as Rmo2. Nevertheless, the Rmo2 locus in each cultivar was effective against a different range of isolates. Genetic analyses of pathogenicity suggested that each cultivar carries an allele at the Rmo2 locus that recognizes a different range of avirulence genes. One allele, Rmo2.a, corresponded to PWT1, which conditioned the avirulence of Setaria and Oryza isolates on wheat, in a gene-for-gene manner. The other alleles, Rmo2.b, Rmo2.c, and Rmo2.d, corresponded to more than one avirulence gene. On the other hand, the resistance of those cultivars to another species, M. grisea, was conditioned by another locus, designated as Rmo3. These results suggest that Rmo2 is effective against a broad range of blast isolates but is specific to M. oryzae. Molecular mapping revealed that Rmo2 is located on the 7H chromosome.     

Immunoblotting, ELISA and culture evidence for Chlamydiaceae in sows on 258 Belgian farms

The prevalence of Chlamydiaceae infections on 258 closed pig breeding farms in Belgium was examined. For this purpose, 258 farms were randomly selected in the provinces West-Vlaanderen (44%), Oost-Vlaanderen (20%), Antwerpen (10%) and Vlaams-Brabant (6%). Of all farms examined, 96.5% were positive for Chlamydia-specific antibodies in ELISA and most were moderately to strongly positive. ELISA results revealed only 9 (3.5%) sero-negative farms. None of the ELISA negative sera reacted in immunoblotting. Only 212 of 249 ELISA positive sera reacted positive in immunoblotting. Additionally, 23 autopsy samples were examined by isolation in Vero cells. The major outer membrane sequence of the one isolate obtained showed 98.6% amino acid homology to the one of Chlamydophila psittaci strain CP3, formerly isolated from a pigeon. Present observations indicate that chlamydial infections are nearly endemic in the Belgian pig population and that Belgian pigs can become infected with C. psittaci. Nevertheless, the role and significance of Chlamydiaceae as pathogens in pigs remain unsolved and require further investigation.     

High yield and nutritional quality of rice for animal feed achieved by continuous irrigation with treated municipal wastewater

Paddy and Water Environment - Two consecutive pilot-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the potential reuse of treated municipal wastewater (TWW) as an irrigation source for cultivating...     

New Deoxyisoaustamide Derivatives from the Coral-Derived Fungus Penicillium dimorphosporum KMM 4689

Seven new deoxyisoaustamide derivatives (1–7) together with known compounds (8–10) were isolated from the coral-derived fungus Penicillium dimorphosporum KMM 4689. Their structures were established using spectroscopic methods, X-ray diffraction analysis and by comparison with related known compounds. The absolute configurations of some alkaloids were determined based on CD and NOESY data as well as biogenetic considerations. The cytotoxic and neuroprotective activities of some of the isolated compounds were examined and structure-activity relationships were pointed out. New deoxyisoaustamides 4–6 at concentration of 1 µM revealed a statistical increase of PQ(paraquat)-treated Neuro-2a cell viability by 30–39%.     

Comparative energy and economic analyses of conventional and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods of rice production in Thai Nguyen Province,Vietnam

The consumption of energy inputs in agricultural production has been increasing rapidly during the past decades. However, given the limitations and costs of non-renewable energy, increasing production while using the least energy possible has become a major concern of most nations. Prompted by this concern, we conducted a face-to-face survey of 90 farming households in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, to find out how energy is being used in agriculture and, specifically, in their rice production. Through analysis of energy input–output balances, combined with economic efficiency analysis, a comparison was made of conventional and SRI methods of rice production. The study found that applying the SRI method can save around 23% of energy inputs, while increasing energy outputs by 11%. Economic benefits per hectare also rise by more than 8 million dong (USD 364) compared to those under the conventional cultivation system. The study also showed conflicts between the energy and economic balances for manual compared with machine ploughing operations. This study contributes to providing an overview of energy consumption in rice cultivation at the household level. Its findings can help stakeholders to assess current policies and make better decisions on the uses of energy in agricultural production. In addition, the comprehensive approach taken here to analysing energy use and efficiency could expand the analysis and comparison of energy uses at sectoral or activity level—still a new field in Vietnam and many other countries.     

The effect of simulated rat damage on irrigated rice yield and compensation

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of simulated rat damage on grain yield in irrigated lowland rice in An Giang province, in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Rat damage was simulated by making a 45° cut at the base of the rice tillers about 3–5 cm above the soil surface. 0% (control), 5%, 10%, 25% and 50% of the tillers were removed at the tillering (25 days after sowing, DAS), panicle initiation (43 DAS), flowering (72 DAS) and ripening (87 DAS) stages. The total number of mature tillers, immature tillers and percent filled grains, the weight of 1000 grains and grain yields were recorded. The rice crop completely compensated by increased tillering and yield for tillers damaged up to 50% at the tillering stage. However, the damage and yield loss were highly variable. The ability of the rice crop to compensate at later stages progressively reduced. The implications for managing rat damage to rice crops are (1) rodent control activities should be applied before 10% of tillers are damaged at the tillering stage, and (2) a well balanced nitrogen supply during the tillering stage could potentially assist the rice plants to better compensate for rat damage.     

Anti-Inflammatory Components of the Starfish Astropecten polyacanthus

Inflammation is important in biomedical research, because it plays a key role in inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, allergies, asthma, and even cancer. In the present study, we describe the inhibitory effect of crude extracts and steroids isolated from the starfish Astropecten polyacanthus on pro-inflammatory cytokine (Interleukin-12 (IL-12) p40, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Among those tested, compounds 5 and 7 showed potent inhibitory effects on the production of all three pro-inflammatory cytokines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.82 ± 0.11 to 7.00 ± 0.16 μM. Potent inhibitory activities were also observed for compound 1 on the production of IL-12 p40 and IL-6 with values of 3.96 ± 0.12 and 4.07 ± 0.13 μM, respectively, and for compounds 3 and 4 on the production of IL-12 p40 with values of 6.55 ± 0.18 and 5.06 ± 0.16 μM, respectively. Moreover, compounds 2 (IC₅₀ = 34.86 ± 0.31 μM) and 6 (IC₅₀ = 79.05 ± 2.05 μM) exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on the production of IL-12 p40, whereas compounds 3 (IC₅₀ = 22.80 ± 0.21 μM) and 4 (IC₅₀ = 16.73 ± 0.25 μM) moderately inhibited the production of TNF-α and IL-6, respectively.     

Penicillinolide A: A New Anti-Inflammatory Metabolite from the Marine Fungus Penicillium sp. SF-5292

In the course of studies on bioactive metabolites from marine fungi, a new 10-membered lactone, named penicillinolide A (1) was isolated from the organic extract of Penicillium sp. SF-5292 as a potential anti-inflammatory compound. The structure of penicillinolide A (1) was mainly determined by analysis of NMR and MS data and Mosher’s method. Penicillinolide A (1) inhibited the production of NO and PGE₂ due to inhibition of the expression of iNOS and COX-2. Penicillinolide A (1) also reduced TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 production, and these anti-inflammatory effects were shown to be correlated with the suppression of the phosphorylation and degradation of IκB-α, NF-κB nuclear translocation, and NF-κB DNA binding activity. In addition, using inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (SnPP), a competitive inhibitor of HO activity, it was verified that the inhibitory effects of compound 1 on the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and NF-κB DNA binding activity were partially associated with HO-1 expression through Nrf2 nuclear translocation.     

A reversibly switching surface

We report the design of surfaces that exhibit dynamic changes in interfacial properties, such as wettability, in response to an electrical potential. The change in wetting behavior was caused by surface-confined, single-layered molecules undergoing conformational transitions between a hydrophilic and a moderately hydrophobic state. Reversible conformational transitions were confirmed at a molecular level with the use of sum-frequency generation spectroscopy and at a macroscopic level with the use of contact angle measurements. This type of surface design enables amplification of molecular-level conformational transitions to macroscopic changes in surface properties without altering the chemical identity of the surface. Such reversibly switching surfaces may open previously unknown opportunities in interfacial engineering.