Haptens and monoclonal antibodies for immunoassay of imidazolinone herbicides

A set of haptens structurally resembling the herbicide imazethapyr (PURSUIT) was synthesized and used to derive monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and direct and indirect competition enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) which could detect imazethapyr, imazaquin (SCEPTER), imazapic (CADRE), and imazamox (RAPTOR) in the 3-30 ng/mL (parts per billion) range, and imazapyr (ARSENAL) and imazamethabenz-methyl (ASSERT) in the 300-500 ppb range. Two MAbs, 3A2 and 3A5, had affinities of 10-75 nM for imazethapyr. MAbs 1A5, 1D2, and 3A5 were specific for the S isomers of the herbicides. Some MAbs were stable in solutions containing up to 15% methanol and 5% acetonitrile in indirect EIAs. Plates coated with hapten conjugates for indirect EIA could be stored frozen. Selectivity for the imidazolinones by some MAbs varied with different coating conjugates. These MAbs and haptens should prove useful in immunochemical analysis and residue recovery methods for imazethapyr and other imidazolinone herbicides.     

Phylogeny of Astragalus in China: molecular evidence from the DNA sequences of 5S rRNA spacer, ITS, and 18S rRNA

Radix Astragali (root of Astragalus; Huangqi) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used as an immunostimulant, hepatoprotective, diuretic, antidiabetic, analgesic, expectorant, and sedative drug. Although the species of Radix Astragali have been defined as Astragalus membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongholicus in Pharmacopoeia of China, their taxonomy remains controversial. The phylogenetic relationships among 10 Astragalus taxa, which are commonly found in China including A. membranaceus, A. membranaceus var. mongholicus, Astragalus propinquus, Astragalus lepsensis, Astragalus aksuensis, Astragalus hoantchy, Astragalus hoantchy subsp. dshimensis,Astragalus lehmannianus, Astragalus sieversianus, and Astragalus austrosibiricus, were determined using the DNA sequences of the 5S ribosomal RNA (5S rRNA) spacer, internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), and 18S rRNA coding region. The 5S rRNA spacer, ITS, and 18S rRNA, amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the isolated genomic DNAs, were sequenced. By using neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony analyses, phylogenetic trees were mapped by their sequence diversity. A. membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongholicus shared the greatest sequence homology. In addition, A. propinquus shared a closer relationship with A. membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongholicus, while other Astragalus species were less closely related. This is the first paper to show the phylogenetic relationship of Astragalus species related to Radix Astragali in China by the molecular genetic approach.     

Chemical assessment of roots of Panax notoginseng in China: regional and seasonal variations in its active constituents

Root of Panax notoginseng (Radix Notoginseng, Sanqi) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and is mainly cultivated in Wenshan of Yunnan, China. The active constituents include saponin, dencichine, flavonoid, and polysaccharide; however, the levels of these components vary in different geographical regions of growth and also show a seasonal variation. By using high-performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometry, the contents of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside R(g1), R(b1), R(d), dencichine, flavonoid, and polysaccharide were determined and compared with Radix Notoginseng collected from different regions of growth in China, as well as from different seasons of harvest and market grades. Using the contents of these active constituents as markers, the best quality of Radix Notoginseng is found in the southwestern parts of Wenshan, and the best season for the harvest is September to October. In addition, the unseeded plants produced a better quality of Radix Notoginseng. The current results provide useful information for the quality control of Radix Notoginseng and its further development in establishing the good agriculture practice standard of P. notoginseng in China.     

A general synthetic procedure for heteropolyniobates

The heteropolyanions of W, Mo, and V, which have found numerous applications, are formed simply by acidification of solutions of their oxoanions. Under similar conditions, these oxoanion precursors are not available for Nb, and Nb-oxo chemistry is dominated by formation of the Lindquist ion [Nb6O19]8- only. However, heteropolyniobate formation is favored in hydrothermal reactions of aqueous, alkaline precursor mixtures. Here we give two examples of heteropolyniobates formed by this general reaction type: K12[Ti2O2][SiNb12O40].16H2O [1], which contains chains of silicododecaniobate Keggin ions, and Na14[H2Si4Nb16O56].45.5H2O [2], a new heteropolyanion structure type.     

Targeted proteomics-based analysis of technical enzymes from fungal origin in baked products

The application of technical enzymes is a potential tool in modulating the dough and baking quality of cereal products. No endogenous amylases (α- and β-forms) are present in mature wheat grains; they may be synthesized or activated during germination. Hence, microbial α-amylases are added to the dough, being resistant to the endogenous α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors. Here, we report on the initial identification of two technical enzymes from a commercial sample based on an in-gel tryptic digestion coupled with MALDI-MS analysis. The primary component of the protein fraction with 51.3 kDa was α-amylase from Aspergillus species. A second major protein with 24.8 kDa was identified as endo-1,4-xylanase from Thermomyces lanuginosus. In the following experimental work up, a targeted proteomics approach utilizing the combination of specific proteolytic digestion of the added amylase and xylanase in wheat flour, dough or baked products, solid phase extraction of released peptides and their detection using LC-MS/MS was optimized. The targeted (MRM) MS/MS peptide signals showed that the peptide “ALSSALHER” (MW = 983) originating from amylase and “GWNPGLNAR” (MW = 983) from xylanase can be used to identify the corresponding technical enzymes added. Consequently, locally available baked products were tested and found to contain these enzymes as supplementary ingredients.     

盆栽百合的生产

百合可以分为两个大类:东方百合系列和亚洲百合系列。亚洲百合系列的自然花期为春末和夏初,东方百合系列则为夏末。生产者只要有基本的生产知识,对品种的特性熟悉,再配合上较好的温室控制,就可以生产出标准的盆花来。     

Fast and non-invasive PCR sexing of primates: apes, Old World monkeys, New World monkeys and Strepsirrhines

Background  

One of the key tools for determining the social structure of wild and endangered primates is the ability to sex DNA from small amounts of non-invasive samples that are likely to include highly degraded DNA. Traditional markers for molecular sex determination of primates are developed on the basis of the human sequence and are often non-functional in distantly related primate species. Hence, it is highly desirable to develop markers that simultaneously detect Y- and X-chromosome specific sequences and also work across many species.     

Ultrasonic extraction of phenols from olive mill wastewater: comparison with conventional methods

Recovery of phenols from olive mill wastewater (OMWW) was studied, comparing five sample preparation methods: filtration, solid-phase (SPE), liquid-liquid (LLE) and ultrasonic (US)-assisted extraction of liquid and solid (freeze-dried) OMWW. Results showed that ultrasonication is a good alternative to conventional solvent extractions, providing higher recoveries at both levels of individual and total phenol yields. Sonication of liquid OMWW in organic solvent was more efficient vs its nonassisted counterpart (agitation), but did not provide a representative phenol chromatogram due to ethyl acetate use. By contrast, the US-assisted extraction of freeze-dried OMWW (3 × 20 min) in 100% methanol (1.5 g/25 mL, w/v) offered the highest qualitative-quantitative phenol yields without any US-induced alterations. Moreover, freeze-drying is an excellent preservation of initial liquid OMWW, holding a great potential for delayed analysis. This study is also the first report that Slovenian OMWW may be utilized as a valuable source of phenols, especially hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol.     

Chemical and biological assessment of Angelicae Sinensis Radix after processing with wine: an orthogonal array design to reveal the optimized conditions

The roots of Angelica sinensis [Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR)] have been used as a common health food supplement for women's care for thousands of years in China. According to Asian tradition, ASR could be processed with the treatment of wine, which subsequently promoted the biological functions of ASR. By chemical and biological assessments, an orthogonal array design was employed here to determine the roles of three variable parameters in the processing of ASR, including oven temperature, baking time, and flipping frequency. The results suggested that oven temperature and baking time were two significant factors, while flipping frequency was a subordinate factor. The optimized condition of processing with wine therefore was considered to be heating in an oven at 80 °C for 90 min with flipping twice per hour. Under the optimized processing conditions, the solubilities of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide from ASR were markedly increased and decreased, respectively. In parallel, the biological functions of processed ASR were enhanced in both anti-platelet aggregation and estrogenic activation; these increased functions could be a result of the altered levels of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide in wine-processed ASR. Thus, the chemical and biological assessment of the processed ASR was in full accordance with the Chinese old tradition.     

Dyspnoea and pulmonary consolidation in a cat with T-cell lymphoma

A 13-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat presented with an acute onset of dyspnoea. Thoracic radiographs revealed marked, bilateral, caudal lung lobe consolidation. A diagnosis of anatomically mixed T-cell lymphoma with pulmonary, renal and alimentary involvement was confirmed on histopathology. Pulmonary involvement in cases of feline lymphoma is uncommon and the radiographic appearance of pulmonary lymphoma is highly variable. Lung lobe consolidation has been described with primary lung tumours in cats, but not previously in association with pulmonary lymphoma. This unusual presentation serves to alert practitioners to the possibility of lymphoma as a cause of severe bronchopulmonary disease in the cat.