August 2009
Anti-inflammatory effects of ginsenosides from Panax ginseng and their structural analogs
Ginsenosides (G) are biologically active saponin compounds found in Panax ginseng. Although these compounds are reported to possess numerous biological activities, recent issues have arisen regarding their immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory roles in inflammatory cells. This is because 1) inflammation, managed by a large amount of different pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and...
August 2009
Genetic diversity analysis of the species of Gossypium by using RAPD markers
Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), a DNA polymorphism assay based on the amplification of random DNA segments with single primers of arbitrary nucleotide sequence, was utilized to measure the genetic distance among the species of Gossypium. Variations among 20 different species of Gossypium were analyzed with 63 random 10-mer primers using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Out of a total...
August 2009
First molecular detection and characterization of deformed wing virus (DWV) in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and mite (Varroa destructor) in Turkey
Deformed wing virus (DWV), a member of the genus iflavirus of the insect picorna-like viruses, is one of the most common honey bee viruses transmitted by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor during pupal stages, and is associated with wing deformities in adult honeybees. Although no data are available from Turkey up till now, DWV have been reported in many countries from all continents. In the present...
August 2009
Genetic analysis of cry1Ab gene in segregating populations of rice
Three transgenic Bt lines (Tarom Molaii, Neda and Nemat), all containing a synthetic cry1Ab gene were crossed with conventional rice varieties. The mode of resistance to striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis) in these lines was investigated through field studies and PCR analysis of progenies in F2 and BC1populations. The monogenic segregation of 3:1 and 1:1 were observed in segregating...
August 2009
Pheno- and genotyping of Pasteurella multocida isolated from goat in Iran
In this study, phenotype, capsular type and some virulence factors (pfha1, tbpA, and toxA) of caprine Pasteurella multocida were described in 10 isolates from goat. Two biochemical biovars were recognized among the isolates based on dulcitol and sorbitol fermentation. The isolates belonged to biovars P. multocida sub. multocida (80%) and P. multocida sub. septica (20%). Capsular typing of...
August 2009
Differentially expressed genes in the midgut of Silkworm infected with cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus
Understanding of the responsive and interactive mechanism between the host cells and Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is crucial to the diagnosis of CPV-caused disease and the development of new control measures. In this report, we employed suppression subtractive hybridization to compare differentially expressed genes in the midguts of CPV-infected and normal silkworm larvae. 36 genes and 20...
August 2009
Optimization of physical and biological parameters for transient expression of uidA gene in embryogenic callus of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) via particle bombardment
The objective of this study was to establish an efficient genetic transformation system in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) using particle bombardment. Somatic tissues derived from offshoots' meristem cultures were bombarded with genetic constructs harboring the uidA gene under control of the CaMV 35S or Act1 promoter. The effects of different physical, biological and DNA parameters were evaluated...
August 2009
The single-cell gel electrophoresis assay to determine apoptosis induced by siRNA in Colo 320 cells
The aim of the present study was to determine if the pattern of DNA fragmentation determined by the single cell gel electrophoresis assay can be used to determine apoptosis induced by siRNA in Colo 320 cells. When the frequency of appearance of apoptotic cells following was observed over a period of time, there was a significant increase in appearance of apoptosis when using single cell gel electrophoresis assay. The...
August 2009
Isolation and characterization of edible oil from wild olive
We report for the first time new edible oil extracted and quantified from fruit samples of wild olive (Olea cuspidata) possibly use for human consumption. Fruits and oil of wild olive were assessed for physical and chemical properties, while saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were quantified using gas chromatography. Results indicate that fruits of wild olive contain moisture (42.1 ± 1.6 - 60.7 ± 2.6%),...
May 2009
Intercropping peanut with traditional Chinese medicinal plants improves soil microcosm environment and peanut production in subtropical China
Many environmental issues affect peanut production in continuous monocropping system. Deterioration of soil microbial communities, especially for decrease in fungal diversity and increase in fungal pathogens, is widely hypothesized as a keyfactor for decreasing peanut production. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the changes in soil microbial...
August 2009
Cloning and transformation of SCMV CP gene and regeneration of transgenic maize plants showing resistance to SCMV strain MDB
The coated protein gene of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV CP gene) was cloned from maize (Zea mays L.) leaves showing dwarf mosaic symptoms by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degraded primers. The results of sequencing and homologous comparison indicated that the cloned gene was from SCMV strain MDB, with 920 bp in length, including an open reading frame (ORF) encoding 219 amino...
August 2009
Effects of humidity level and IBA dose application on the softwood top cuttings of white mulberry (Morus alba L.) and black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) types
August 2009
Micropropagation of Plumbago zeylanica L.
In vitro propagation of Plumbago zeylanica was investigated to develop reliable protocols for direct and indirect shoot regeneration. Axillary shoot multiplication, callus induction and shoot regeneration from callus culture was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators. A maximum number of shoots (38 ± 1.3 per...
August 2009
Promotive effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid on the antioxidant system in Ginkgo biloba leaves
The effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a key precursor in the biosynthesis of porphyrins, at low levels (10 and 100 mg l-1) on the antioxidant system in Ginkgobiloba leaves were investigated. The results showed that ALA-treatment accelerated hydrogen peroxide accumulation and temporarily increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) at day 4 and 8. The...
August 2009
Direct in vitro regeneration of a medicinal tree Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent. through tissue culture
A simple and reliable protocol was developed through apical and axillary bud explants of Oroxylum indicum for multiple shoot regeneration. Effect of 2 cytokinins; BAP and KN, was studied. BAP at 4.43 µM proved better than KN with highest frequency of shoot initiation and maximum number of shoots initiated. Axillary bud showed significantly (p < 0.05) high shoot multiplication on MS medium with 4.43...
August 2009
Tissue culture as a plant production technique for horticultural crops
Over 100 years ago, Haberlandt envisioned the concept of plant tissue culture and provided the groundwork for the cultivation of plant cells, tissues and organs in culture. Initially plant tissue cultures arose as a research tool and focused on attempts to culture and study the development of small, isolated cells and segments of plant tissues. At the peak of the plant tissue culture era in the 1980s, in a relatively...
August 2009
A simple and low-cost strategy for micropropagation of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)
With the aim of transferring micropropagation techniques to cassava seed producers, a simple and low-cost medium for in vitro micropropagation was developed. CM6740-7 cassava cultivar from CIAT was used as planting material. Commercially available nutrients were used in order to...
August 2009
Effects of leaf area of downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.), common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) and boxelder (Acer negundo L.) seedling plants on diameter, height, volume and weight increments
In this study, the effects of the leaf area (l.a) and leaf area index (l.a.i) values on diameter, height and weight increments for various forest tree seedlings in Cankiri Kenbag forest nursery was investigated. 30 seedlings of 3 tree species which are downy oak (DO) (2+0) (Quercus pubescens Willd.), common ash (CA) (2+0) (Fraxinus excelsior L.) and boxelder (B) (2+0) (Acer negundo L.) were examined. The...
August 2009
Efficacy of four plant extracts in the control of root rot disease of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp)
A study on the use of ginger (Zingiber officinale), aloe (Aloe vera), bitter kola (Garcinia cola) and neem (Azadirachta indica) extracts in the control of root rot of cowpea caused by Pythium aphanidermatum was carried out in vitro and in the field (in vivo). They were evaluated for their antifungal activity over P. aphanidermatum, a rot fungus of many economic crops. Vegetative growth...
August 2009
Cryopreservation of seeds of lily [Lilium Iedebourii (Baker) Bioss]: Use of sucrose and dehydration
Cryopreservation of germplasm at liquid nitrogen (-196°C) is a perfect method for the long-term conservation of plant genetic resources. A cryopreservation process using dehydration was performed for seeds of lily [Lilium Iedebourii (Baker) Bioss]. Seeds were subjected to a rapid freezing protocol in liquid nitrogen following dehydration and treatment with 0.75 M sucrose for 1 h. Survival after freezing was nil...
August 2009
Antifungal activities of Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.:Fr) Karst and Lactarius vellereus (Pers.) Fr.
In this study, antifungal activities of Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.:Fr) Karst andLactarius vellereus (Pers.) Fr. extracts with chloroform and ethanol againstFusarium inflexum and Fusarium heterosporium were investigated. Mycelial discs (8 mm Ø) taken from actively growing margin of 7-day-old culture of each species and were placed in each extract medium. All species were...
August 2009
The population abundance, distribution pattern and culture studies of isolated microalgal strains from selective sampling sites along the south east coast of India
The present study was conducted to understand the microalgal dynamics and surveillance in the selective sites along the south east coast of India. Algal isolation was carried out in 61 sampling stations characterized by different ecological features. In total 10 microalgal species were isolated under laboratory condition from the collected samples. The composition of microalgal distribution and their surveillance were...
August 2009
Influence of pH, temperature and glucose on biodegradation of 4-aminophenol by a novel bacterial strain, Pseudomonas sp. ST-4
Aromatic compounds such as 4-aminophenol are toxic to the environment and thusshould be eliminated effectively. Biodegradation of aromatic compounds is an efficient and environment friendly technique as addition of selected microbes does not add any kind of pollutants and actively remove even the most recalcitrant pollutants. We investigated the...
August 2009
Bioactivity of Ulva lactuca L. acetone extract on germination and growth of lettuce and tomato plants
Ethanol, butanol and acetone extracts of Ulva lactuca L. (Chlorophyta) at concentrations 10, 30, 100 and 300 ppm for each were applied to determine their biological activity under laboratory conditions using etiolated wheat's coleoptile growth bioassay. Acetone extract was the most active one and was selected to investigate the allelopathic potential on lettuce and tomato's seed germination and...
August 2009
Application of Aspergillus niger SA1 for the enhanced bioremoval of azo dyes in Simulated Textile Effluent
Biological remediation is always envisaged as cost effective and eco-friendly for the treatment of recalcitrant dyes and effluents. Aspergillus niger SA1, a brown rot fungi, isolated from storage pond of textile wastewater, showed a great mineralizing ability for azo dyes, acid red (AR) 151 and orange (Or) II. Decolorization assays were carried out for 24 h, by taking 100 ml of dye containing Simulated Textile...
August 2009
The immunotoxicity of Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis and Galenia africana
Increased use of pesticides has resulted in increased concern about the adverse effects on non-target organisms, including humans. Due to increasing awareness there is great pressure to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides. An alternative to the use of synthetic pesticides is the exploitation of natural botanical products with pesticidal potential. D. rhinocerotis and G. africana exhibit...
August 2009
Laboratory based degradation of light crude oil by aquatic phycomycetes
Water samples were collected from Dundaye river (an offshoot of sokoto river Rima) using sterile conical flasks. The samples were immediately transported to the Microbiology Laboratory and introduced into petri dishes containing hemp seeds (Crotalaria juncea) and allowed to stand on the bench. The hemp seeds served as baits, after five days a whitish cottony growth surrounding the seeds was observed. The growth was...
August 2009
Sporangiospore-to-yeast conversion: Model for morphogenesis
This report reviewed the specific characteristics of Mucor circinelloides in solid cultures and its capacity for multiple anamorphic expressions in synthetic broth, including holoblastic, holothallic, enterothallic conidia, and vesicular conidia head group as well as yeast cells. Attempt was made to show that the sequence of events in the conversion process, with inherent cytosolic nucleation and protoplast...
August 2009
Production of alkaline protease and larvicidal biopesticides by an Egyptian Bacillus sphaericus isolate
One strain, isolated from Egyptian soil, was identified as Bacillus sphaericus with powerful larvicidal toxicity against C. pipiens and extra-cellular production of alkaline protease (AP) in the growth medium. The pH adjustment of the growth medium between 6.0 and 7.5 resulted in the highest AP activity, peaking at pH 6.5. AP crude preparations exhibited optimum activity at pH 10 and at temperature...
August 2009
Secondary metabolites induction in Mammillaria huitzilopochtli (Cactaceae) and evaluation of the fungicidal activity
Bioactive compounds isolated from Mammillaria huitzilopochtli were evaluated in a biological activity test (% inhibition) against eight phytopathogen fungi. The fungi evaluated were: Cladosporium sp., Phoma sp., Alternaria sp., Rhizoctonia sp.,Fusarium sp., Fusarium moniliforme, Helmintosporium sp. and Phaecilomyces sp. A suspension...
August 2009
Optimizing cellulase production of Penicillium waksmanii F10-2 with response surface methodology
Cellulase is an enzyme complex which breaks down cellulose to ß-glucose. It has been used widely in commercial food processing, textile industry and laundry detergents. In this article, medium composition and fermentation conditions forPenicillium waksmanii F10-2, an isolated cellulase production strain, are studied. Wheat straw and peptone are found to be the most promising and effective carbon and nitrogen...
August 2009
Antioxidant activities of extracts from areca (Areca catectu L.) flower, husk and seed
The antioxidant activities of areca (Areca catectu L.) flower, husk and seed extracts were evaluated using 3 complementary in vitro assays, inhibition of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) radicals, inhibition of hydroxyl radicals and reducing power system. The EC50 values were calculated for all the methods in order to evaluate the antioxidant efficiency of areca extracts. The phenol and...
August 2009
The biochemical textural and sensory properties of frozen stored (-22ËšC) king scallop (Pecten maxinus) meats
Post-rigor king scallop meats (Pecten maximus) were frozen individually for 24 h at -80°C and kept vacuum packed at -22°C for up to 301 days. Sampling was carried out on fresh meats and at days 1, 28, 91, 154, 210 and 301 of frozen storage. Tests related to muscle integrity (β-hydroxy-acyl-coenzyme –A dehydrogenase activities in muscle extracts), myofibrillar protein...
August 2009
Cholesteryl cytofectin-oligodeoxyribonucleotide lipoplexes: Protection against serum nuclease digestion and interaction with mammalian cells in vitro
Submicron unilamellar cationic liposomes constructed from equimolar amounts of a cholesteryl cytofectin 3β[N-(N’,N’-dimethylaminopropane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (Chol-T) and dioleoylphosphati-dylethanolamine (DOPE) were shown to bind a model antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) dT18 in a saturable manner to afford electropositive lipoplexes. Liposomes imparted to the ODN [3H]dT18A7 full...
August 2009
Detection of mutations in the gyrA of clinical Salmonella spp.
The high prevalence of resistance to nalidixic acid and reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin of Salmonella spp. obtained from stool samples of neonates presenting with acute diarrhea in 2001 at the King Edward VIII hospital in Durban, South Africa, prompted this study to determine if there were any mutations in the QRDR of these isolates and to search for the qnrA gene. All isolates with nalidixic...
August 2009
Cloning, expression and purification of 10 kd culture filtrared protein (CFP-10) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a well-known infectious disease in human beings and domestic animals since ancient times. Tuberculin skin test as the only indicator of latent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a low specificity and sensitivity value. This test also cannot distinguish between tuberculosis infection andMycobacterium bovis BCG vaccination, or exposure to environmental mycobacteria. Recent...
August 2009
Antibiotic susceptibility pattern and ESBL prevalence in nosocomial Escherichia coli from urinary tract infections in Pakistan
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most prevalent infections worldwide, mostly caused by Escherichia coli. These bacteria also produce enzymes called extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL) which render penicillins and cephalosporins inactive. The present study included 116 E. coli, isolated from urine of in-patients suffering from UTI. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and ESBL detection were carried...
August 2009
Studies on antioxidant and antiradical activities of Dolichos biflorus seed extract
The antioxidant potential of 70% methanolic extract of Dolichos biflorus seeds was assessed using different tests including total antioxidant activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, nitric oxide radical scavenging, hypochlorous acid scavenging, reducing power and lipid peroxidation. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also evaluated. The extract was found to be an...
August 2009
Impacts of site effects on losses of oriental spruce during Dendroctonus micans (Kug.) outbreaks in Turkey
The study showed some site and stand factors affecting host colonization, quantitative and qualitative losses in wood of oriental spruce as a source of raw material during the outbreak of Dendroctonus micans (Kug.). A total of 22.8 million m3 standing trees were damaged. In 11.43 million m3 standing trees infestations were observed and 6.96 million m3 of trees were cut which occupied 120,000 ha...
August 2009
Effects of diazinon on blood parameters in the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of diazinon [0,0-diethyl 0-(2-isopropyl-6-methylpyrimidin-4yl) phosphorothioate] on cultured and wild African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). The effect was assessed based on results of acute toxicity tests and on a comparison of results of haematological examination of a control and an experimental group exposed to DiazintolR pesticide preparation (active substance 162...
August 2009
Effect of graded levels of phosphorus on growth and mineral concentration in giant African catfish Heterobranchus bidorsalis
Eleven diets (D1 - D11), designated as treatments (T1 - T11), supplemented with different levels of inorganic phosphorus (P) (CaHPO4) were fed to Heterobranchus bidorsalis (10.8 ± 0.02 g) to determine the optimum P requirement. D1 - D11 contained total P of 10.2, 10.4, 11.0, 11.9, 12.3, 12.6, 13.4, 13.9, 14.2 14.7 and 15.4 g kg-1 respectively. After 84 days of feeding trial, there was...
August 2009
Effect of different dietary protein levels on growth performance and feed utilization of hybrid catfish (Heterobranchus bidorsalis x Clarias anguillaris) fry in north-east Nigeria
The effect of different dietary protein levels on growth performance and feed utilization of hybrid catfish Heterobranchus bidorsalis (male) x Clarias anguillaris(female) larvae in north-east Nigeria were carried out in circular plastic trough (40 cm diameter x 30 cm deep) indoors. Five dietary protein levels 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55% were tried in triplicates. The result showed an increase in the growth...
August 2009
Impacts of impregnation with boric acid and borax on the red colour tone of some hardwoods and varnishes
This study was performed to determine the impacts of impregnation with boric acid and borax on the red colour tone of some hardwoods and varnishes. For this purpose, the test specimens prepared from Oriental beech (Fagus orientalisLipsky) and European oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) wood which met the requirements of ASTM D 358 are impregnated with boric acid and borax according to ASTM D 1413-99 by vacuum...
August 2009
Differentiation of Lactobacillus-probiotic strains by visual comparison of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles
In the present study, distinctive RAPD fingerprints were generated for 12Lactobacillus-probiotic strains from 5 Lactobacillus species (L. brevis, L. reuteri, L. gallinarium, L. salivarius and L. panis) after optimization of the RAPD parameters such as MgCl2, Taq polymerase, primer concentration and type of primer. The strains were differentiated under the same PCR protocol but...
August 2009
Comparative study of some mechanical and release properties of paracetamol tablets formulated with cashew tree gum, povidone and gelatin as binders
The mechanical and release properties of paracetamol tablets formulated with cashew gum (CAG), povidone (PVP) and gelatin (GEL) as binders were studied and compared. The parameters studied were tensile strength (TS), brittle fracture index (BFI), friability (F), disintegration time (DT) and percentage drug released (PDR). Results showed that the TS and BFI values of tablets formulated with CAG were the lowest at all...
August 2009
Retinoic acid effects on nuclear maturation of bovine oocytes in vitro
In the present study, the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (t-RA) administration duringin vitro maturation (IVM) on bovine oocytes maturation was determined. Concentrations of t-RA (RA; 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 µM) and 0.1% ethanol (vehicle) were included in the maturation medium. Ovaries collected from the local abattoir were transported to the laboratory in in 0.9% NaCl with 100 IU/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml...
August 2009
Sex ratio of lambs born from assisted reproductive technologies
The objective of the present study was to investigate sex ratio of offspring resulting from superstimulated donors from two different breeds and artificially inseminated ewes from three different breeds. Romanov (n = 5) and Charollais (n = 6) (2 - 7 years of age) donors were superovulated using FSH-p with 400 mg NIH-FSH-P1 (total of 20 mg). Six days embryos were recovered surgically and grade 1 embryos...
August 2009
Silage quality, dry matter intake and digestibility by West African dwarf sheep of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv Ntchisi) harvested at 4 and 12 week regrowths
An all year round pasture is not always guaranteed in the tropics especially in Nigeria as half of the period is a dry season. In order to circumvent the pasture scarcity during drought, silage making is paramount. In this vein, nutritive value of silage made from Guinea grass (GG) frequently harvested at 4 and 12 week regrowth was assessed by West African dwarf (WAD) sheep. Four weeks GG (4WGG) and 12 weeks GG (12WGG)...
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