The Associations Between Tea and Coffee Drinking and Risk of Calcium-Oxalate Renal Stones

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Findings regarding the association between tea and coffee consumption and oxalate-calcium stone are sparse and uncertain. The purpose of this study was to...     

Mycorrhiza inoculation effects on seedling establishment,survival and morphological properties of Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam.

In this paper, the establishment and growth of medicinal species Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. were studied through inoculation with two mycorrhizal fungi species, Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices, in arid/semi-arid Bahar-Kish rangelands, Iran in 2012 and 2013. The root colonization percentage of Ziziphora, as well as their establishment and growth were enhanced in 2013 using G. mosseae. In this year, less rainfall and higher temperature decreased the survival, growth and morphological traits of the studied plants. Growth and establishment of the inoculated plants using G. intraradices improved in 2013, while inoculation with G. mosseae showed more beneficial effects in 2012. In both years, the strain, the growth and establishment percentage of seedlings in inoculated treatments with mycorrhizal species were significantly improved. According to the results, G. intraradices mycorrhizal fungi is recommended as a biological fertilizer in increasing the forage production and the initial establishment of Ziziphora in arid and semi-arid rangelands.     

Macrophages in bovine term placenta: An ultrastructural and molecular study

Retention of foetal membranes (RFM) is a major reproductive disorder in dairy cows. An appropriate immune response is important for a physiological expulsion of the foetal membranes at parturition. Our study aims to provide a deeper insight into characteristics of foetal and maternal macrophages in bovine term placenta. We used transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative RT-PCR to provide a deeper insight into characteristics of foetal and maternal macrophages in bovine term placenta. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to define macrophage polarization in foetal and maternal compartments of normal term placenta. Gene expression of factors involved in M1 polarization [interferon regulatory factor-5 (IRF5), interleukin (IL)-12A, IL12B] and in M2 polarization (IL10) were studied. Ultrastructurally, foetal macrophages showed an irregular shape and large vacuoles, whereas the maternal macrophages were spindle shaped. By immunohistochemistry, macrophages were identified by a strong staining with the lysosomal marker Lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 1 (LAMP-1), while myofibroblast in the maternal stroma was positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin. We used the LAMP-1 marker to compare the density of foetal stromal macrophages in placentas of cows with RFM and in controls, but no statistically significant difference was observed. RT-PCR showed a higher expression of all studied genes in the maternal compartment of the placenta and generally a higher expression of M1-, compared to M2-associated genes. Our results indicated that at parturition placental macrophages predominantly show the pro-inflammatory M1 polarization. The higher expression of all the target genes in the maternal compartment may denote that maternal macrophages in bovine term placenta are more frequent than foetal macrophages.