Natural compounds derived from foods modulate nitric oxide production and oxidative status in epithelial lung cells

The effects of natural antioxidants on nitric oxide (NO) modulation and oxidative status were determined in rat epithelial lung cells (L-2). Cells were stimulated with cytokines and treated with one of the following: resveratrol, soybean saponin group B (SSB), quercetin, genistein, olive leaf polyphenol concentrate (OLPC), or N-acetyl-L-cystein (NAC). NAC had no effect on NO levels, whereas resveratrol and OLPC were found to be effective in reducing nitrite levels, modifying iNOS mRNA, and decreasing free radical production. OLPC affected the levels of MnSOD while resveratrol did not, indicating that they act via different pathways. Quercetin and genistein reduced nitrite levels without affecting iNOS levels, presumably by scavenging NO. SSB did not affect nitrite levels, but exposure did reduce iNOS mRNA expression and protein levels, possibly due to antioxidant activity. Naturally occurring antioxidants, in particular resveratrol and OLPC, may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.     

Protecting avocado trees from ambrosia beetles by repellents and mass trapping (push–pull): experiments and simulations

Journal of Pest Science - The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichhoff), is an ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infesting avocado branches Persea americana...     

Epinephrine: effect on uptake of iodine by dispersed cells of calf thyroid gland

In isolated thyroid cells I-epinephrine (0.1 and 10.0 micrograms per milliliter), norepinephrine and isoproterenol consistently stimulated the accumulation and organic binding of iodine. The effect was partially inhibited by phentolamine, but not propranolol, and hence may be mediated by alpha receptors. Theophylline did not mimic or enhance the epinephrine effect, suggesting that the latter may not result from activation of adenyl cyclase.     

Effect of shade regime on flower development,yield and quality in lisianthus

The effects of shading on lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) floral transition, plant development, flower yield and quality, and content of starch and soluble sugars were assessed in three cultivars, over two consecutive years. Shading nets affording 67% or 88% reduction in light intensity, were fitted at planting in the greenhouse for periods ranging from 3 to 8 weeks. Meristem morphology at floral transition was characterized by apical meristem widening and the appearance of two bract primordia. Floral transition time was affected by cultivars, but in general, longer and heavier shade treatments delayed floral transition; the longest delay (6 weeks) being recorded in Mariachi White under 88% shade for 7 weeks or under a combined shade treatment of 88% for 3 weeks followed by 67% for 5 weeks. Despite interactions between cultivar and shade treatment, consistent trends were discerned: the heaviest and most prolonged shading reduced yield (up to 40%), cut stem length (up to 15%), and number of flower buds/stem (up to 26%), within cultivar. Total carbohydrates levels were very low, and it is questionable whether changes observed in carbohydrate quantity following shade treatments had any effect on plant growth or flower yield. Rather, it appears that lisianthus is very dependent on current photosynthesis, so that even a brief shading interlude could reduce branching and flower quality. It may be concluded that the intensive shading usually applied is detrimental for lisianthus.     

Aspergillus niger,the causal agent of black mould disease in date fruits,infects and colonizes flowers and young fruitlets

Black mould, caused by Aspergillus niger, is the main fungal disease affecting date fruits. Symptoms develop inside the fruit, at the inner space between the pulp and the seed. This study focuses on the aetiology of black mould disease in Medjoul fruit. We followed symptom appearance naturally and after artificial A. niger inoculation at different development and maturity stages. Symptoms developed in only a short period during early fruit ripening. However, fruits were commonly colonized at earlier stages of development. Artificial inoculation of flowers and setting fruitlets increased the level of fruit colonization, while fungicide spraying at these stages decreased colonization. Several weeks following flower inoculation by A. niger, mycelium could be detected on degenerating stigmas and carpels as well as between the fruit and the calyx. Following inoculation with an A. niger strain expressing green fluorescent protein (A. niger^GFP), the pathogen was detected on stigmas of setting fruitlets but not within the stigmatic tissue or the transmitting tract of the carpel. The A. niger^GFP strain was detected during fruit development below the base of the large fruitlets and above the calyx surrounding the vascular bundle leading into the fruit. The results suggest that A. niger can infect and colonize flowers and setting fruitlets, grows on the degenerating carpels, and remains latent at a protected site at the base of the fruit until ripening. It then induces the typical black mould symptoms. The significance of these results for developing means to cope with the disease is discussed.