April 2013
Optimization of chemiluminescent detection of mitochondrial RNA-protein interaction by nonradioactive mobility shift
RNA mobility shift is one among many procedures used to study RNA-protein interaction. Yet, there are some limitations for the radioactive RNA mobility shift including; 1) the risk of using radiolabeled nucleotides, 2) the long time to get the results; this could range from days to weeks, and 3) its high cost as compared to nonradioactive techniques. In this study, we optimized a nonradioactive procedure...
April 2013
Investigation of DNA changes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) induced by cadmium using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis
In recent years, many plants have been used as bioindicators or living indices and several experiments have been conducted to evaluate the genotoxic effects of environmental pollution on plant species. Plants such as Arabidopsis and barley have been used as biological indicators by several researchers and have been able to identify DNA changes using molecular markers. This study was conducted on wheat as an...
April 2013
Seed cryopreservation of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl
Fraxinus angustifolia is used for afforestation and for production of both valuable timber and manna, a substance with pharmacological applications. The aim of this research was to establish the optimized condition for cryopreservation of F. angustifolia seeds, in order to protect the germplasm of this species. Germination percentage and mean time of germination of non-treated...
April 2013
Anticoagulant property of sulphated polysaccharides extracted from marine brown algae collected from Mandapam Island, India
The marine brown algae: Sargassum tenerrimum, Sargassum wightii, Turbinaria conoides, Turbinaria ornata and Padina tetrastromatica were collected from Mandapam Island, India. The crude sulphated polysaccharides (SPS) were extracted using hot water and examined for anticoagulation activity. The sugar, sulphate and protein in crude SPS were analyzed. The presence of sulphated polysaccharide...
April 2013
The effects of three different grinding methods in DNA extraction of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp)
Rapid DNA extraction is a prerequisite for molecular studies. Generally, plant tissue is ground in liquid nitrogen to isolate DNA; but, liquid nitrogen is dangerous and volatile. Besides, liquid nitrogen is not always available in many developing countries. To investigate if high quality DNA could be obtained for downstream PCR analysis without liquid nitrogen, the cowpea DNA was extracted by Hexadecyl...
April 2013
Distribution and metabolism of ascorbic acid in pear fruits (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai cv. Aikansui)
Ascorbate accumulation levels, distribution and key enzyme activities involved in synthesizing via Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway and recycling in different pear fruit tissues during development were studied. Results show that the ascorbate contents increased with the fruit development, and reached the highest titers in 30 days after anthesis (DAA), then decreased and maintained a level. The higher contents of...
April 2013
Effect of some botanical extracts on post-harvest losses of yam (Dioscorea rotundata) in improved yam barn in Nigeria
Two storage experiments in an improved yam barn were carried out simultaneously at two locations in southern Nigeria to determine the influence of cultivar, botanical storage treatments and storage environments on the shelf life of yam (Dioscorea rotundata). The experiments were conducted from January to July. The temperature use efficiency (TUE) of the storage barn in Umudike increased with increase in time...
April 2013
Correlation and path analysis for yield and yield components in sunflower (Helianthus annus. L)
Ten (10) sunflower genotypes were evaluated in a triplicated randomized complete blocked design in field for plant height, stem diameter at base, internodal length, head diameter, number of whorls head-1, achene weight head-1, 100-achene weight, achene oil and protein content. Association among various plant traits and direct and indirect effects of various traits on achene weight head-1 were estimated....
April 2013
Influence of plant growth regulators on somatic embryogenesis induction from inner teguments of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seeds
Generating somatic embryos from the inner teguments of hevea seeds is difficult. Like other ligneous plants, the rubber-tree is generally considered to be recalcitrant with regard to somatic embryogenesis. In this study, the ability of callus from inner integument explants to develop embryogenic callus lines was highlighted. Combination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid...
April 2013
Efficacy of botanical powders and cooking oils against Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cereallela O. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in stored maize
During storage, maize grains are severely destroyed by insects and other pests. One of the most important causes of grain loss in stored maize is the damage caused by Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cereallela O. A study was conducted to evaluate selected locally available botanical powders and two cooking oils for their effectiveness as grain protectants against S. cereallela at Jimma...
April 2013
Biological parameters of the non-target pest Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton
In the present work, we aimed to evaluate: 1) the influence of the Cry1Ac protein expressed by the genetically modified cotton variety (Bt) NuOpal, on the biological parameters of a non-target pest, Aphis gossypii, reared under laboratory conditions; 2) the influence of plant age on aphid development. Cotton cultivars were grown following technical advice. In the laboratory, the aphids were separated...
April 2013
Antimicrobial activity of Xylopia aethiopica, Aframomum melegueta and Piper guineense ethanolic extracts and the potential of using Xylopia aethiopica to preserve fresh orange juice
Antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of Xylopia aethiopica, Aframomum melegueta and Piper guineense fruits were assayed against fourteen (14) microorganisms commonly associated with food poisoning and/or food spoilage. The microorganisms were Bacillus subtilis IAM1069, Bacillus cereus IFO 13494,Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209p, Escherichia...
April 2013
Effect of environment and cultivar on the expression of banana streak disease symptoms in Kenya
Banana (Musa spp.) is grown for subsistence and income generation by 80% of small scale farmers all year round in Kenya hence it is an important food security crop. However viral diseases such as banana streak disease (BSD), caused by Banana streak virus, hamper the production of the crop. BSV has been reported to be present in all the commercial banana cultivars in Kenya. Tissue culture materials of 15...
April 2013
Effects of different combinations of hoagland’s solution and Azolla filiculoides on photosynthesis and chlorophyll content in Beta vulgaris subsp. Cycla ‘fordhook giant’ grown in hydroponic cultures
The assessments of photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, evapotranspiration,intercellular CO2 concentration and chlorophyll content in Beta vulgaris subsp. cycla‘Fordhook Giant’ grown in hydroponic cultures containing different compositions of hydroponic solutions were evaluated in this study. The aim of the study was to quantify the effects of different combinations of...
April 2013
A low-cost Lactobacillus salivarius L29 growth medium containing molasses and corn steep liquor allows the attainment of high levels of cell mass and lactic acid production
The aim of the present work was to formulate a Lactobacillus salivarius L29 industrial fermentation medium. High cell numbers and good levels of lactic acid by a L. salivarius L29 were obtained after shake flask fermentation using molasses as the sole carbon source and corn steep liquor (CSL (industrial grade); an organic source of N) as the principal nitrogen...
April 2013
Demulsification capabilities of a Microbacterium species for breaking water-in-crude oil emulsions
A bacterium strain belonging to Microbacterium sp., isolated from oily sludge samples of Siri Island in the south of Iran, produced a strong, thermo stable microbial demulsifier (Yx/s=0.663, Yp/s=0.204, productivity=0.185 g L-1 h-1) on glucose as a sole carbon source supplemented with yeast extract. The optimum values of temperature, inoculum concentration, pH and culture age for...
April 2013
Development and evaluation of a plant-based air filter system for bacterial growth control
We investigated a novel plant-based air filter system for bacterial growth control. The volatile components released from the experimental plant (Cupressus macrocarpa) were used as the basis of the bacterial growth control and inhibition. We monitored the effect of light on the gas exhausted from the system, and we found that the presence of light induced an increase in the O2 concentration and a...
April 2013
The combined effects of starvation and pH on the virulence of Shigella sonnei ATCC25931
Shigella sonnei encounter numerous different stresses during their growth, survival and infection. In this study, the effect of stress response to pH and starvation wasinvestigated. We studied the survival, adhesion and the morphology of Shigella after its incubation in several pH. Our results show that after 2 h of incubation, the rate of cell survival was proportional to...
April 2013
Effect of the lactoperoxidase system on proteolysis and physicochemical changes in ultra high temperature milk during storage
Indirect semi-skimmed ultra high temperature (UHT) milk was made from refrigerated milk preserved by the lactoperoxidase system (LPS). The effect of the LPS on the physicochemical and biochemical properties of UHT milk during storage period of 6 months at 30°C was assessed. The levels of soluble nitrogen at pH 4.6 and non protein nitrogen in all UHT milk samples increased during storage....
April 2013
In silico modeling of lipase H
LAH 2 is a type of autosomal recessive hypotrichosis that affect hairs, eyebrows, scalp and eyelashes. Mutations in Lipase H gene result in LAH 2. Changes that result from mutation on physiochemical properties, post-translational modifications, functional sites, secondary structure and tertiary structure lipase H gene (LIPH) at molecular level were analyzed in the current study. Results indicate...
April 2013
Prehydrolyzed dietary protein reduces gastrocnemial DNA without impairing physical capacity in the rat
Previous studies have shown that hydrolyzed proteins exhibit antioxidant properties and may confer physical and physiological advantages when consumed by the exercising rat. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of feeding either intact (I) and partly hydrolyzed (H) milk whey proteins on gastrocnemial DNA contents and protein metabolism in exercising Wistar rats. Protein synthesis and...
April 2013
In vitro study of antiamoebic activity of methanol extract of fruit of Pimpinella anisum on trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica HM1-IMSS
The aniseed plant Pimpinella anisum (Saunf-Hindi) is one of the most ancient medicinal plants used by man. Currently, this plant has several uses in the food industry as spice, whereas in the pharmacopoeia, it is used as an expectorant in digestive disturbances, as mild diuretic, and as insect repellent in external use. In this paper, we evaluated the biological activity of methanolic extract...
April 2013
Characterization of a newly isolated Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus PS-5 with self-flocculation property and optimization pathway for 5-aminolevulinic acid production
Six strains of phototrophic purple non-sulfur bacteria were isolated from paddy soil, lake water and pond sediment samples. They showed the ability to produce 5-aminolevulinic acid under anaerobic-light (3,000 lux) condition. A selected strain, designated as PS-5, produced the highest 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) concentration (45.10 mM) and productivity (0.94 mM h-1) in glutamate-malate (GM) medium...
April 2013
The effects of salinity on growth of goldfish, Carassius auratus and crucian carp, Carassius carassius
The effects of four different salinities (SW, 50% SW, 100% SW and 150% SW) on specific growth rate, weight gain, food intake and survival of goldfish and crucian carp were investigated for 20 days. Both species were respectively adapted to water source, which has salinity of 8 ppt in the experimental unit for one month and then transferred to SW (8 ppt), 50% SW (12 ppt), 100% SW (16 ppt) and 150% SW (20 ppt)...
April 2013
Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analysis of the genetic structure of Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) in southeast China coast
Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) is a Xiphosura animal of significant commercial importance and in danger of extinction in China. To better estimate how genetic structure can be used to obtain a conservation perspective of the species, genetic variation was examined in nine locations covering its distributing range in the coast of Chinese mainland using ten nuclear microsatellite DNA...
April 2013
Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) expression on polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes during perinatal period of dairy cow
To establish a foundation for further researches on the improvement of polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMN) functions in dairy cow during perinatal period, the counting of PMN, as well as the mRNA and protein expression of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) on PMN was studied during this critical period. Blood samples were taken 21, 14 and 7 days, and at calving (0) day before expected calving time, and 7,...
April 2013
Study of reproductive toxicity of Combretum leprosum Mart and Eicher in female Wistar rats
Most plants culturally used in Brazil for medicine do not have pre-clinical studies of reproductive toxicity, therefore risks of using such products on the reproductive system are unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate possible reproductive toxicity of ethanolic extract of Combretum leprosum Mart and Eicher (EECL) in female Wistar rats. The animals, weighing between 180 to 250 g, were...
April 2013
Protective effect of zinc against cadmium toxicity on pregnant rats and their fetuses at morphological, physiological and molecular level
Cadmium is a potent teratogen in laboratory animals, causing exencephaly when administered at early stages of development. Due to its heterogenicity with respect to molecular targets, the mechanisms behind cadmium toxicity are not well understood. In the present study, 40 pregnant rats (Sprague-Dawley) were divided into four groups (10 each); first group served as the control (G1), the second group (G2)...
April 2013
Report of Bufo tihamicus karyotype from Saudi Arabia
This study gives a description of the Karyotype of the Tihama toad Bufo tihamicusfrom Saudi Arabia. Samples of males and females of Bufo tihamicus Parker were collected from Gazan Province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The karyotype consists of a diploid number 2n = 22 and the fundamental number NF = 44 in both of the sexes. No heteromorphism in relation to sex chromosome pair was...
April 2013
Characterization of Salmonella enterica Ituri isolated from diseased poultry in Nigeria
Salmonella enterica Ituri is an uncommon serotype associated with poultry disease. One of the serotype isolated from a poultry disease in Nigeria was characterized by serotyping and screening for the presence of Salmonella genomic island 1(SGI1) as a possible factor responsible for its involvement in a poultry disease outbreak. Despite the similarities in the antibiotic sensitivities patterns...
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