Influence of flavonols as in vitro on low density lipoprotein glycation

INTRODUCTION: The non-enzymatic glycation of Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is a naturally occurring chemical modification of apolipoprotein B as a result of condensation between lysine residues and glucose. Glycated LDL is poorly recognized by LDL receptors and initiates different processes that can be considered proatherogenic. Thus, LDL glycation may contribute in the increased atherosclerotic risk of patients with diabetes. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of naturally occurring flavonols on LDL glycation in vitro. METHODS: In this study, LDL was isolated from EDTA-plasma by ultracentrifugation using a single step discontinuous gradient. Then, glucose was added to LDL and LDL glycation level was estimated in absence and presence of flavonols by sodium periodate assay. RESULTS: This study was showed that five flavonols: quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, rutin and morin decreased LDL glycation in a dose-dependent manner. Also, it was demonstrated this nutrients decreased electrophoretic mobility of glycated LDL. CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation show that flavonols probably with their antioxidant properties inhibited LDL glycation and thus may have a role in ameliorating atherosclerotic risk of patients with diabetes mellitus.     

Water deficit effects on caraway (Carum carvi L.) growth, essential oil and fatty acid composition

The Mediterranean region suffers of drought which affects plant behaviour regarding biochemical responses. Accordingly, the effects of water deficit on growth, essential oil and fatty acid composition of caraway (Carum carvi L.) seeds were investigated. Plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control, moderate water deficit and severe water deficit. Plant growth (height, fresh and dry matter weight) was significantly reduced by severe water deficit. This last caused also important reductions of the seed yield and yield components. Drought decreased significantly seed total fatty acid contents and particularly the petroselinic ones whose proportions decreased significantly by 12.17 and 18.47%, in comparison with the control, under moderate water deficit and severe water deficit, respectively. Besides, moderate water deficit increased the essential oil yield (expressed as g/100 g on the basis of dry matter weight). The main essential oil constituents were carvone and limonene which showed an increasing of their contents under water deficit levels. Thus, water deficit induced a significant reduction in growth parameters and fatty acid content, and an increase in the essential oil compounds. These bioactive compounds have been required in many industrial products.     

AO tubular external fixation vs. unreamed intramedullary nailing in open grade IIIA-IIIB tibial shaft fractures: a single-center randomized clinical trial

Although the intramedullary nailing is thought to be the method of choice for treatment of closed tibial shaft, there is ongoing debate on the optimal surgical approach in patients with open types of these fractures. In addition, choosing between the reamed and unreamed intramedullary nailing is still an issue for the orthopedic surgeons. In present study, we aimed to compare the outcome and consequences of OA tubular external fixation vs. unreamed intramedullary nailing in open grade IIIA-IIIB tibial shaft fractures. In a randomized clinical trial, 50 patients with open tibial shaft fractures (grades IIIA-IIIB) were recruited in Tabriz Shohada teaching centre in a 2-year period of time. They randomized in two equal groups underwent either AO tubular external fixation or unreamed intramedullary nailing. These 2 groups were matched for sex, age and fracture-grade. The follow-up time was one year. Union time, surgical outcome, postoperative complications and the ambulation time were compared between the two groups. Twenty five patients, 20 males and 5 females with a mean age of 30.80 +/- 5.24 years were allocated in unreamed intramedullary group and 25 other patients, 22 males and 3 females with a mean age of 28.92 +/- 8.88 years were studied in the external fixation group (p = 0.70 and 0.37, respectively). The two groups were matched for sex (p = 0.70) and age (p = 0.37). The time of union was 3, 4, 5 and 6 < or = weeks after operation in 28, 12, 32 and 28% of the cases in unreamed intramedullary group vs. 4, 12, 48 and 36% of the cases in external fixation group, respectively (p = 0.14). Post-operative infection, soft tissue injury, malunion and nonunion were documented in 16, 8, 0 and 4% of the cases in unreamed intramedullary group vs. 32, 12, 24 and 8% of the cases in external fixation group, respectively (p = 0.19, 0.50, 0.02 and 0.50, respectively). The mean ambulation time after operation was 2.92 +/- 2.43 weeks in the unreamed intramedullary nailing group vs. 2.68 +/- 2.14 weeks in the external fixation group (p = 0.71). Our results are in favor of unreamed intramedullary nailing against external fixation in treatment of open tibial shaft fractures.     

Efficacy of a hydroxytyrosol-rich preparation from olive mill wastewater for control of olive psyllid, Euphyllura olivina, infestations

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is a problematic by-product in Mediterranean countries. Despite this, it is a raw material that is an unfailing source of bioactive molecules. A hydroxytyrosol-rich preparation (HRP) (49.6% weight:dry weight) was extracted from fresh OMW using a hydrolysis and post-hydrolysis purification process. The field efficacy of HRP as a spray treatment (2500 l ha⁻¹) against olive psyllid, Euphyllura olivina (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), was evaluated in 2008 and 2009 in a drip-irrigated olive orchard.The HRP showed strong insecticidal activity against E. olivina at a concentration of 2 g l⁻¹ hydroxytyrosol. Application of HRP resulted in 41.1 and 72.1% control of nymphs and adults, respectively. However, HRP application did not reduce egg hatch. Neither phytotoxicity nor toxicity to auxiliary-fauna was recorded with concentrations of 1.25 g l⁻¹ or 2 g l⁻¹ HRP. But, the 2.5 g l⁻¹ concentration was slightly phytotoxic, especially at the E and F floral phenological stages of the grapes. HRP offers a natural and effective extract for control of olive psyllid and opens a new opportunity for the reuse of OMW.     

Inheritance of an insecticidal gene (cry1Ab) in genetically modified cotton

The present study was conducted to evaluate inheritance pattern of insecticidal gene (Cry1Ab) in F₁ and F₂ generations derived from six combinations of crosses made between two transgenic lines (CEMB-3 and CEMB-11) and two non transgenic lines (MNH-93 and CIM-482). PCR, southern blot, western dot blot assay and lab biotoxicity assay were used to confirm the gene integration and expression of insecticidal gene in successive generations. The insecticidal gene was stably integrated in the genome of all F₁ plants showing the dominant nature of introduced gene (cry1Ab). Furthermore, heterosis, heterobeltiosis, heritability and genetic advance studies of Bt gene were also conducted. Heterosis and heterobeltiosis were estimated for five characters i.e. cotton yield per plant, no. of bolls per plant, boll weight, ginning out turn % age and laboratory bioassay results. The heterosis and heterobeltiosis ranged from??15.19 to 107.07% and 18.58 to 98.79%, respectively for yield per plant; from ?20.34 to 81.36% and ?20.34 to 81.36%, respectively for number of bolls per plant; from -6.96 to 21.38% and ?9.30 to 9.99%, respectively for boll weight; from 13.02 to 26.44% and ?0.52 to 26.17%, respectively for ginning outturn; and from ?8.11 to 36.23% and ?5.56 to 23.68%, respectively for mortality % age of Heliothis larvae in laboratory bioassays. The Broad Sense Heritability and Genetic Advance for insect resistance in Bt versus non-Bt crosses were calculated. Both of these were high in four out of six hybrids. Our data recorded showed that these transgenic lines are an excellent source of germplasm to be used in conventional breeding programme.     

Physical land suitability evaluation for specific cereal crops using GIS at Mashhad Plain, Northeast of Iran

Land evaluation is the process of predicting land use potential on the basis of its attributes. In the present study, the physical land suitability evaluation approach was investigated for specific cereal crops including irrigated wheat, barley, grain maize and sorghum, based on FAO land evaluation frameworks (FAO, 1976, 1983, 1985) and the proposed method by Sys et al. (1991) at Mashhad Plain, Northeast Iran. Twenty eight soil profiles were studied on seven land units by a precise soil survey and their morphological and physicochemical properties were determined. Climatic and land qualities/characteristics of four cereal crops were determined using the tables of crop requirements developed by Sys et al. (1993). An interpolation function was used to map values to scores in terms of land qualities/characteristics for land utilization types and the evaluation was carried out according to parametric approaches. The interpolation technique using GIS functions helped in managing the spatial data and visualizing the results. Our results indicated that the most important limiting factors for irrigated wheat and barley cultivations are soil physical and fertility/chemical properties, while the production of irrigated grain maize and sorghum is mainly limited by climatic conditions at Mashhad Plain. It was shown that all land units suitable for irrigated wheat cultivation overlap with that of barley, whereas the same limiting factors resulted in the overlapping of the irrigated grain maize production area with that of sorghum. The results of the physical land suitability evaluation for specific cereal crops indicated the priority of irrigated barley and wheat cultivations over irrigated grain maize and sorghum at the study area.