Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 1577 in total

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  1. Fulltext Optimization of Protective Agents for The Freeze-Drying of Paenibacillus polymyxa Kp10 as a Potential Biofungicide
    Nasran HS, Mohd Yusof H, Halim M, Abdul Rahman N
    Molecules, 2020 Jun 04;25(11).
    PMID: 32512825 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25112618
    Anthracnose is a fungal disease causing major losses in crop production. Chemical fungicides widely used in crop plantations to combat fungal infections can be a threat to the environment and humans in the long term. Recently, biofungicides have gained much interest as an alternative to chemical fungicides due to their environmentally friendly nature. Biofungicide products in powder form can be formulated using the freeze-drying technique to provide convenient storage. Protective agent formulation is needed in maintaining the optimal viable cells of biofungicide products. In this study, 8.10 log colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL was the highest cell viability of Paenibacillus polymyxa Kp10 at 22 h during incubation. The effects of several selected protective agents on the viability of P. polymyxa Kp10 after freeze-drying were studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimizing formulation for the protective agents. The combination of lactose (10% w/v), skim milk (20% w/v), and sucrose (27.5% w/v) was found to be suitable for preserving P. polymyxa Kp10 during freeze-drying. Further, P. polymyxa Kp10 demonstrated the ability to inhibit fungal pathogens, Colletotrichum truncatum and C. gloeosporioides, at 60.18% and 66.52% of inhibition of radial growth, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Paenibacillus polymyxa/growth & development*
  2. Fulltext Genus Ophiorrhiza: A Review of Its Distribution, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities and Propagation
    Taher M, Shaari SS, Susanti D, Arbain D, Zakaria ZA
    Molecules, 2020 Jun 04;25(11).
    PMID: 32512727 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25112611
    Almost 50 species of Ophiorrhiza plants were reviewed in this work and the main objective is to critically analyse their distribution, phytochemical content, biological activity, and propagation. Moreover, the information would be useful in promoting the relevant uses of the plant, especially in the medicinal fields based on in vitro and in vivo studies. To this end, scientific sources, including theses, PubMed, Google Scholar, International Islamic University Malaysia IIUM EBSCO, PubChem, and Elsevier, were accessed for publications regarding the Ophiorrhiza genus in this review. Scientific literature regarding the Ophiorrhiza plants revealed their wide distribution across Asia and the neighbouring countries, whereby they were utilised as traditional medicine to treat various diseases. In particular, various active compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, were reported in the plant. Furthermore, the Ophiorrhiza species showed highly diverse biological activities, such as anti-cancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, and more. The genus propagation reported could produce a high quality and quantity of potent anticancer compound, namely camptothecin (CPT). Hence, it is believed that the relevant uses of natural compounds present in the plants can replace the existing crop of synthetic anticancer drugs associated with a multitude of unbearable side effects. Additionally, more future studies on the Ophiorrhiza species should be undertaken to establish the links between its traditional uses, active compounds, and pharmacological activities reported.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rubiaceae/growth & development
  3. Fulltext Late-spring frost risk between 1959 and 2017 decreased in North America but increased in Europe and Asia
    Zohner CM, Mo L, Renner SS, Svenning JC, Vitasse Y, Benito BM, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2020 06 02;117(22):12192-12200.
    PMID: 32393624 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1920816117
    Late-spring frosts (LSFs) affect the performance of plants and animals across the world's temperate and boreal zones, but despite their ecological and economic impact on agriculture and forestry, the geographic distribution and evolutionary impact of these frost events are poorly understood. Here, we analyze LSFs between 1959 and 2017 and the resistance strategies of Northern Hemisphere woody species to infer trees' adaptations for minimizing frost damage to their leaves and to forecast forest vulnerability under the ongoing changes in frost frequencies. Trait values on leaf-out and leaf-freezing resistance come from up to 1,500 temperate and boreal woody species cultivated in common gardens. We find that areas in which LSFs are common, such as eastern North America, harbor tree species with cautious (late-leafing) leaf-out strategies. Areas in which LSFs used to be unlikely, such as broad-leaved forests and shrublands in Europe and Asia, instead harbor opportunistic tree species (quickly reacting to warming air temperatures). LSFs in the latter regions are currently increasing, and given species' innate resistance strategies, we estimate that ∼35% of the European and ∼26% of the Asian temperate forest area, but only ∼10% of the North American, will experience increasing late-frost damage in the future. Our findings reveal region-specific changes in the spring-frost risk that can inform decision-making in land management, forestry, agriculture, and insurance policy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Trees/growth & development*; Plant Leaves/growth & development*
  4. Fulltext Effects of lysine and methionine in a low crude protein diet on the growth performance and gene expression of immunity genes in broilers
    Lee CY, Song AA, Loh TC, Abdul Rahim R
    Poult Sci, 2020 Jun;99(6):2916-2925.
    PMID: 32475425 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.013
    Globally, the poultry industry is 1 of the most advanced livestock industries. Feed contributes to the biggest proportion (65-70%) of the production cost. Most feed ingredients in Malaysia are imported, which contributes to the high food bill annually, and alternative feed formulation may help decrease the cost of poultry feed. Feed formulation are improved to efficiently meet the dietary requirements of the broilers and 1 of the ways is by reducing the level of crude protein in the diet while supplementing essential amino acids. In this study, the effects of methionine and lysine, which are the 2 most limiting amino acids in the chicken diet, were supplemented in a low crude protein diet, and its effects on the growth and expression of immunity genes such as MUC2, SLC, GAL6, and LEAP-2 were studied. A total of 300 Cobb500 broilers were tested with 10 different dietary treatments. Experimental treatment diets consist of high, standard, and low levels of methionine and lysine in the diet with reduced crude protein. The control group consists of diet with standard levels of lysine, methionine, and crude protein as recommended for Cobb500 broilers. Ribonucleic acid was extracted from the jejunum, spleen, and liver for gene expression analysis which was performed with real-time polymerase chain reaction using SYBR Green chemistry. Results of the growth performance at 6 wk showed improved feed conversion ratio when lysine was increased by 0.2% in a low crude protein diet at 1.96 ± 0.11. Gene expression of MUC2 gene in the jejunum showed a significant increase across all experimental diets with the treatment with higher lysine in low crude protein diet with the highest increase of 3.8 times as compared with the control diet. The other genes expressed in the spleen and liver were mostly downregulated. It was concluded that supplementation of high lysine with standard methionine in a low crude protein diet performed better in terms of lowest feed conversion ratio and high upregulation of MUC2 gene.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chickens/growth & development
  5. Purple urine with shock
    Seak CJ, Lim MWX, Seak JC, Goh ZNL, Seak CK
    QJM, 2020 06 01;113(6):434-435.
    PMID: 31816086 DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcz314
    Matched MeSH terms: Klebsiella pneumoniae/growth & development
  6. Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) improves water use efficiency and yield of hexaploid bread wheat
    Ma'arup R, Trethowan RM, Ahmed NU, Bramley H, Sharp PJ
    Plant Sci, 2020 Jun;295:110212.
    PMID: 32534607 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110212
    Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) is a potential source of new genetic diversity for the improvement of hexaploid bread wheat. Emmer wheat was crossed and backcrossed to bread wheat and 480 doubled haploids (DHs) were produced from BC1F1 plants with hexaploid appearance derived from 19 crossses. These DHs were screened under well-watered conditions (E1) in 2013 to identify high-yielding materials with similar phenology. One-hundred and eighty seven DH lines selected on this basis, 4 commercial bread wheat cultivars and 9 bread wheat parents were then evaluated in extensive field experiments under two contrasting moisture regimes in north-western NSW in 2014 and 2015. A significant range in the water-use-efficiency of grain production (WUEGrain) was observed among the emmer derivatives. Of these, 8 hexaploid lines developed from 8 different emmer wheat parents had significantly improved intrinsic water-use-efficiency (WUEintr) and instantaneous water-use-efficiency (WUEi) compared to their bread wheat recurrent parents. Accurate and large scale field-based phenotyping was effective in identifying emmer wheat derived lines with superior performance to their hexaploid bread wheat recurrent parents under moisture stress.
    Matched MeSH terms: Triticum/growth & development
  7. Fulltext Ecological and Ontogenetic Components of Larval Lake Sturgeon Gut Microbiota Assembly, Successional Dynamics, and Ecological Evaluation of Neutral Community Processes
    Abdul Razak S, Scribner KT
    Appl Environ Microbiol, 2020 05 05;86(10).
    PMID: 32169941 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02662-19
    Gastrointestinal (GI) or gut microbiotas play essential roles in host development and physiology. These roles are influenced partly by the microbial community composition. During early developmental stages, the ecological processes underlying the assembly and successional changes in host GI community composition are influenced by numerous factors, including dispersal from the surrounding environment, age-dependent changes in the gut environment, and changes in dietary regimes. However, the relative importance of these factors to the gut microbiota is not well understood. We examined the effects of environmental (diet and water sources) and host early ontogenetic development on the diversity of and the compositional changes in the gut microbiota of a primitive teleost fish, the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), based on massively parallel sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Fish larvae were raised in environments that differed in water source (stream versus filtered groundwater) and diet (supplemented versus nonsupplemented Artemia fish). We quantified the gut microbial community structure at three stages (prefeeding and 1 and 2 weeks after exogenous feeding began). The diversity declined and the community composition differed significantly among stages; however, only modest differences associated with dietary or water source treatments were documented. Many taxa present in the gut were over- or underrepresented relative to neutral expectations in each sampling period. The findings indicate dynamic relationships between the gut microbiota composition and host gastrointestinal physiology, with comparatively smaller influences being associated with the rearing environments. Neutral models of community assembly could not be rejected, but selectivity associated with microbe-host GI tract interactions through early ontogenetic stages was evident. The results have implications for sturgeon conservation and aquaculture production specifically and applications of microbe-based management in teleost fish generally.IMPORTANCE We quantified the effects of environment (diet and water sources) and host early ontogenetic development on the diversity of and compositional changes in gut microbial communities based on massively parallel sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes from the GI tracts of larval lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). The gut microbial community diversity declined and the community composition differed significantly among ontogenetic stages; however, only modest differences associated with dietary or water source treatments were documented. Selectivity associated with microbe-host GI tract interactions through early ontogenetic stages was evident. The results have implications for lake sturgeon and early larval ecology and survival in their natural habitat and for conservation and aquaculture production specifically, as well as applications of microbe-based management in teleost fish generally.
    Matched MeSH terms: Fishes/growth & development
  8. Fulltext Efficacy of metabolites of a Streptomyces strain (AS1) to control growth and mycotoxin production by Penicillium verrucosum, Fusarium verticillioides and Aspergillus fumigatus in culture
    Danial AM, Medina A, Sulyok M, Magan N
    Mycotoxin Res, 2020 May;36(2):225-234.
    PMID: 31960351 DOI: 10.1007/s12550-020-00388-7
    The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of metabolites of a Streptomyces strain AS1 on (a) spore germination, (b) mycelial growth, (c) control of mycotoxins produced by Penicillium verrucosum (ochratoxin A, OTA), Fusarium verticillioides (fumonisins, FUMs) and Aspergillus fumigatus (gliotoxin) and (d) identify the predominant metabolites involved in control. Initial screening showed that the Streptomyces AS1 strain was able to inhibit the mycelial growth of the three species at a distance, due to the release of secondary metabolites. A macroscopic screening system showed that the overall Index of Dominance against all three toxigenic fungi was inhibition at a distance. Subsequent studies showed that the metabolite mixture from the Streptomyces AS1 strain was very effective at inhibiting conidial germination of P. verrucosum, but less so against conidia of A. fumigatus and F. verticillioides. The efficacy was confirmed in studies on a conducive semi-solid YES medium in BioScreen C assays. Using the BioScreen C and the criteria of Time to Detection (TTD) at an OD = 0.1 showed good efficacy against P. verrucosum when treated with the Streptomyces AS1 extract at 0.95 and 0.99 water activity (aw) when compared to the other two species tested, indicating good efficacy. The effective dose for 50% control of growth (ED50) at 0.95 and 0.99 aw were approx. 0.005 ng/ml and 0.15 μg/ml, respectively, with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at both aw levels requiring > 40 μg/ml. In addition, OTA production was completely inhibited by 2.5 μg/ml AS1 extract at both aw levels in the in vitro assays. Ten metabolites were identified with four of these being predominant in concentrations > 2 μg/g dry weight biomass. These were identified as valinomycin, cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr), cyclo(L-Pro-L-Val) and brevianamide F.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aspergillus fumigatus/growth & development*; Fusarium/growth & development*; Penicillium/growth & development*; Mycelium/growth & development
  9. Metagenomic Analysis of the Effect of Enteromorpha prolifera Bloom on Microbial Community and Function in Aquaculture Environment
    Sun F, Wang C, Chen H, Zheng Z
    Curr Microbiol, 2020 May;77(5):816-825.
    PMID: 31927597 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01862-x
    Enteromorpha prolifera blooms considerably affected coastal environments in recent years. However, the effects of E. prolifera on microbial ecology and function remained unknown. In this study, metagenomic sequencing was used to investigate the effect of E. prolifera bloom on the microbial communities and functional genes in an aquaculture environment. Results showed that E. prolifera bloom could significantly alter the microbial composition and abundance, and heterotrophic bacteria comprised the major groups in the E. prolifera bloom pond, which was dominated by Actinomycetales and Flavobacteriales. The study indicated that viruses played an important role in shaping the microbial community and diversity during E. prolifera bloom. These viruses affected various dominant microbial taxa (such as Rhodobacteraceae, Synechococcus, and Prochlorococcus), which produced an obvious impact on potential nutrient transformation. Functional annotation analysis indicated that E. prolifera bloom would considerably shift the metabolism function by altering the structure and abundance of the microbial community. E. prolifera bloom pond had the low ability of potential metabolic capabilities of nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphate, whereas promoted gene abundance of genetic information processing. These changes in the microbial community and function could produce serious effect on aquaculture ecosystem.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ulva/growth & development
  10. Enhanced Degradation of Diesel Oil by Using Biofilms Formed by Indigenous Purple Photosynthetic Bacteria from Oil-Contaminated Coasts of Vietnam on Different Carriers
    Nhi-Cong LT, Lien DT, Gupta BS, Mai CTN, Ha HP, Nguyet NTM, et al.
    Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2020 May;191(1):313-330.
    PMID: 31853877 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-019-03203-x
    Oil pollution in marine environment caused by oil spillage has been a main threat to the ecosystem including the ocean life and to the human being. In this research, three indigenous purple photosynthetic strains Rhodopseudomonas sp. DD4, DQ41, and FO2 were isolated from oil-contaminated coastal zones in Vietnam. The cells of these strains were immobilized on different carriers including cinder beads (CB), coconut fiber (CF), and polyurethane foam (PUF) for diesel oil removal from artificial seawater. The mixed biofilm formed by using CB, CF, and PUF as immobilization supports degraded 90, 91, and 95% of diesel oil (DO) with the initial concentration of 17.2 g/L, respectively, after 14 days of incubation. The adsorption of DO on different systems was accountable for the removal of 12-16% hydrocarbons for different carriers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on diesel oil degradation by purple photosynthetic bacterial biofilms on different carriers. Moreover, using carriers attaching purple photosynthetic bacteria to remove diesel oil in large scale is considered as an essential method for the improvement of a cost-effective and efficient bioremediation manner. This study can be a promising approach to eliminate DO from oil-contaminated seawater.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/growth & development*
  11. Montmorillonite-based polyacrylamide hydrogel rings for controlled vaginal drug delivery
    Sharifzadeh G, Hezaveh H, Muhamad II, Hashim S, Khairuddin N
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2020 May;110:110609.
    PMID: 32204060 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.110609
    Vaginal drug delivery is regarded as a promising route against women-related health issues such as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. However, only a very few studies have been reported on the use of hydrogel rings with low cytotoxicity for vaginal drug delivery applications. Moreover, the effect of nanoparticles on hydrogel vaginal rings has not been clearly evaluated. To overcome these challenges, we hereby developed nanocomposite hydrogel rings based on polyacrylamide-sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-montmorillonite nanoparticles in the ring-shaped aluminum mold for controlled drug delivery. The hydrogel rings were synthesized by using N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl ethylene diamine, and ammonium persulfate, as a crosslinker, accelerator, and initiator, respectively. The obtained rings were 5.5 cm in diameters and 0.5 cm in rims. Chemical structures of the nanocomposite rings were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopies. Additionally, the swelling ratio of hydrogels was appeared to be adjusted by the introduction of nanoparticles. In vitro release experiment of methylene blue, as a hydrophilic model drug, revealed that the nanocomposite rings could not only reduce burst effect (almost more than twice), but also achieve prolonged release for 15 days in the vaginal fluid simulant which mimic the vaginal conditions at pH of almost 4.2, and a temperature of 37 °C. Importantly, the resultant hydrogel rings with or without various concentrations of montmorillonite showed low cytotoxicity toward human skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, different antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli were observed for various concentrations of montmorillonite in hydrogels. These results suggest the great potential of montmorillonite-based hydrogel rings for vaginal drug delivery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/growth & development*
  12. Fulltext The effect of tillage systems on phosphorus distribution and forms in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil under maize (Zea mays L.) in Northeast China
    Xomphoutheb T, Jiao S, Guo X, Mabagala FS, Sui B, Wang H, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 04 20;10(1):6574.
    PMID: 32313140 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63567-7
    An appropriate tillage method must be implemented by maize growers to improve phosphorus dynamics in the soil in order to increase phosphorus uptake by plant. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tillage systems on phosphorus and its fractions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils under maize. An experimental field was established, with phosphate fertilizers applied to four treatment plots: continuous rotary tillage (CR), continuous no-tillage (CN), plowing-rotary tillage (PR), and plowing-no tillage (PN). Under the different tillage methods, the available P was increased in the non-rhizosphere region. However, the concentration of available P was reduced in the rhizosphere soil region. The soil available P decreased with the age of the crop until the maize reached physiological maturity. The non-rhizosphere region had 132.9%, 82.5%, 259.8%, and 148.4% more available P than the rhizosphere region under the CR, PR, CN, and PN treatments, respectively. The continuous no-tillage method (CN) improved the uptake of soil phosphate by maize. The concentrations of Ca2-P, Ca8-P, Fe-P, Al-P and O-P at the maturity stage were significantly lower than other seedling stages. However, there was no significant relationship between total P and the P fractions. Therefore, a continuous no-tillage method (CN) can be used by farmers to improve phosphorus availability for spring maize. Soil management practices minimizing soil disturbance can be used to impove phosphorus availability for maize roots, increase alkaline phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere soil and increase the abundance of different phosphorus fractions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays/growth & development; Plant Roots/growth & development
  13. Fulltext Transcriptome-wide shift from photosynthesis and energy metabolism upon endogenous fluid protein depletion in young Nepenthes ampullaria pitchers
    Goh HH, Baharin A, Mohd Salleh F', Ravee R, Wan Zakaria WNA, Mohd Noor N
    Sci Rep, 2020 04 20;10(1):6575.
    PMID: 32313042 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63696-z
    Carnivorous pitcher plants produce specialised pitcher organs containing secretory glands, which secrete acidic fluids with hydrolytic enzymes for prey digestion and nutrient absorption. The content of pitcher fluids has been the focus of many fluid protein profiling studies. These studies suggest an evolutionary convergence of a conserved group of similar enzymes in diverse families of pitcher plants. A recent study showed that endogenous proteins were replenished in the pitcher fluid, which indicates a feedback mechanism in protein secretion. This poses an interesting question on the physiological effect of plant protein loss. However, there is no study to date that describes the pitcher response to endogenous protein depletion. To address this gap of knowledge, we previously performed a comparative RNA-sequencing experiment of newly opened pitchers (D0) against pitchers after 3 days of opening (D3C) and pitchers with filtered endogenous proteins (>10 kDa) upon pitcher opening (D3L). Nepenthes ampullaria was chosen as a model study species due to their abundance and unique feeding behaviour on leaf litters. The analysis of unigenes with top 1% abundance found protein translation and stress response to be overrepresented in D0, compared to cell wall related, transport, and signalling for D3L. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis identified DEGs with functional enrichment in protein regulation, secondary metabolism, intracellular trafficking, secretion, and vesicular transport. The transcriptomic landscape of the pitcher dramatically shifted towards intracellular transport and defence response at the expense of energy metabolism and photosynthesis upon endogenous protein depletion. This is supported by secretome, transportome, and transcription factor analysis with RT-qPCR validation based on independent samples. This study provides the first glimpse into the molecular responses of pitchers to protein loss with implications to future cost/benefit analysis of carnivorous pitcher plant energetics and resource allocation for adaptation in stochastic environments.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sarraceniaceae/growth & development
  14. Fulltext Carbon declines along tropical forest edges correspond to heterogeneous effects on canopy structure and function
    Ordway EM, Asner GP
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2020 04 07;117(14):7863-7870.
    PMID: 32229568 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914420117
    Nearly 20% of tropical forests are within 100 m of a nonforest edge, a consequence of rapid deforestation for agriculture. Despite widespread conversion, roughly 1.2 billion ha of tropical forest remain, constituting the largest terrestrial component of the global carbon budget. Effects of deforestation on carbon dynamics in remnant forests, and spatial variation in underlying changes in structure and function at the plant scale, remain highly uncertain. Using airborne imaging spectroscopy and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, we mapped and quantified changes in forest structure and foliar characteristics along forest/oil palm boundaries in Malaysian Borneo to understand spatial and temporal variation in the influence of edges on aboveground carbon and associated changes in ecosystem structure and function. We uncovered declines in aboveground carbon averaging 22% along edges that extended over 100 m into the forest. Aboveground carbon losses were correlated with significant reductions in canopy height and leaf mass per area and increased foliar phosphorus, three plant traits related to light capture and growth. Carbon declines amplified with edge age. Our results indicate that carbon losses along forest edges can arise from multiple, distinct effects on canopy structure and function that vary with edge age and environmental conditions, pointing to a need for consideration of differences in ecosystem sensitivity when developing land-use and conservation strategies. Our findings reveal that, although edge effects on ecosystem structure and function vary, forests neighboring agricultural plantations are consistently vulnerable to long-lasting negative effects on fundamental ecosystem characteristics controlling primary productivity and carbon storage.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/growth & development
  15. Bridging the food security gap: an information-led approach to connect dietary nutrition, food composition and crop production
    Azman Halimi R, Barkla BJ, Andrés-Hernandéz L, Mayes S, King GJ
    J Sci Food Agric, 2020 Mar 15;100(4):1495-1504.
    PMID: 31756768 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.10157
    BACKGROUND: Food security is recognized as a major global challenge, yet human food-chain systems are inherently not geared towards nutrition, with decisions on crop and cultivar choice not informed by dietary composition. Currently, food compositional tables and databases (FCT/FCDB) are the primary information sources for decisions relating to dietary intake. However, these only present single mean values representing major components. Establishment of a systematic controlled vocabulary to fill this gap requires representation of a more complex set of semantic relationships between terms used to describe nutritional composition and dietary function.

    RESULTS: We carried out a survey of 11 FCT/FCDB and 177 peer-reviewed papers describing variation in nutritional composition and dietary function for food crops to identify a comprehensive set of terms to construct a controlled vocabulary. We used this information to generate a Crop Dietary Nutrition Data Framework (CDN-DF), which incorporates controlled vocabularies systematically organized into major classes representing nutritional components and dietary functions. We demonstrate the value of the CDN-DF for comparison of equivalent components between crop species or cultivars, for identifying data gaps and potential for formal meta-analysis. The CDN-DF also enabled us to explore relationships between nutritional components and the functional attributes of food.

    CONCLUSION: We have generated a structured crop dietary nutrition data framework, which is generally applicable to the collation and comparison of data relevant to crop researchers, breeders, and other stakeholders, and will facilitate dialogue with nutritionists. It is currently guiding the establishment of a more robust formal ontology. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

    Matched MeSH terms: Crops, Agricultural/growth & development
  16. Fulltext Rhizodegradation of Petroleum Oily Sludge-contaminated Soil Using Cajanus cajan Increases the Diversity of Soil Microbial Community
    Allamin IA, Halmi MIE, Yasid NA, Ahmad SA, Abdullah SRS, Shukor Y
    Sci Rep, 2020 Mar 05;10(1):4094.
    PMID: 32139706 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60668-1
    Most components of petroleum oily sludge (POS) are toxic, mutagenic and cancer-causing. Often bioremediation using microorganisms is hindered by the toxicity of POS. Under this circumstance, phytoremediation is the main option as it can overcome the toxicity of POS. Cajanus cajan a legume plant, was evaluated as a phyto-remediating agent for petroleum oily sludge-spiked soil. Culture dependent and independent methods were used to determine the rhizosphere microorganisms' composition. Degradation rates were estimated gravimetrically. The population of total heterotrophic bacteria (THRB) was significantly higher in the uncontaminated soil compared to the contaminated rhizosphere soil with C. cajan, but the population of hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria (HUB) was higher in the contaminated rhizosphere soil. The results show that for 1 to 3% oily sludge concentrations, an increase in microbial counts for all treatments from day 0 to 90 d was observed with the contaminated rhizosphere CR showing the highest significant increase (p  
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Roots/growth & development; Cajanus/growth & development
  17. Regeneration of testis tissue after ectopic implantation of porcine testis cell aggregates in mice: improved consistency of outcomes and in situ monitoring
    Awang-Junaidi AH, Singh J, Honaramooz A
    Reprod Fertil Dev, 2020 Mar;32(6):594-609.
    PMID: 32051087 DOI: 10.1071/RD19043
    Ectopic implantation of donor testis cell aggregates in recipient mice results in de novo formation or regeneration of testis tissue and, as such, provides a unique invivo model for the study of testis development. However, currently the results are inconsistent and the efficiency of the model remains low. This study was designed to: (1) examine several factors that can potentially improve the consistency and efficiency of this model and (2) explore the use of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) for the non-invasive invivo evaluation of implants. Testis cell aggregates, containing ~40% gonocytes, from 1-week-old donor piglets were implanted under the back skin of immunodeficient mice through skin incisions using gel matrices or through subcutaneous injection without using gel matrices. The addition of gel matrices led to inconsistent tissue development; gelatin had the greatest development, followed by collagen, whereas agarose resulted in poor development. The results also depended on the implanted cell numbers since implants with 100×106 cells were larger than those with 50×106 cells. The injection approach for cell implantation was less invasive and resulted in more consistent and efficient testis tissue development. UBM provided promising results as a means of non-invasive monitoring of implants.
    Matched MeSH terms: Testis/growth & development
  18. Mapping and identification of potential target genes from short-RNA seq for the control of Pieris rapae larvae
    Senthil Kumar R, Srinivasan R, Rawdzah MA, Malini P
    Genomics, 2020 03;112(2):1464-1476.
    PMID: 31450005 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.08.017
    Pieris rapae is a serious pest of brassicas worldwide. We performed de novo assembly of P. rapae transcriptome by next-generation sequencing and assembled approximately 65,727,422 clean paired-end reads into 32,118 unigenes, of which 13,585 were mapped to 255 pathways in the KEGG database. A total of 6173 novel transcripts were identified from reads directly mapped to P. rapae genome. Additionally, 1490 SSRs, 301,377 SNPs, and 29,284 InDels were identified as potential molecular markers to explore polymorphism within P. rapae populations. We screened and mapped 36 transcripts related to OBP, CSP, SNMP, PBAN, and OR. We analyzed the expression profiles of 7 selected genes involved in pheromone transport and degradation by quantitative real-time PCR; these genes are sex-specific and differentially expressed in the developmental stages. Overall, the comprehensive transcriptome resources described in this study could help understand and identify molecular targets particularly reproduction-related genes for developing effective P. rapae management tools.
    Matched MeSH terms: Larva/growth & development; Lepidoptera/growth & development
  19. Fulltext Phytopathogenic organisms and mycotoxigenic fungi: Why do we control one and neglect the other? A biological control perspective in Malaysia
    Yazid SNE, Jinap S, Ismail SI, Magan N, Samsudin NIP
    Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf, 2020 03;19(2):643-669.
    PMID: 33325175 DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.12541
    In this review, we present the current information on development and applications of biological control against phytopathogenic organisms as well as mycotoxigenic fungi in Malaysia as part of the integrated pest management (IPM) programs in a collective effort to achieve food security. Although the biological control of phytopathogenic organisms of economically important crops is well established and widely practiced in Malaysia with considerable success, the same cannot be said for mycotoxigenic fungi. This is surprising because the year round hot and humid Malaysian tropical climate is very conducive for the colonization of mycotoxigenic fungi and the potential contamination with mycotoxins. This suggests that less focus has been made on the control of mycotoxigenic species in the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium in Malaysia, despite the food security and health implications of exposure to the mycotoxins produced by these species. At present, there is limited research in Malaysia related to biological control of the key mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, Fusarium-related mycotoxins, and ochratoxin A, in key food and feed chains. The expected threats of climate change, its impacts on both plant physiology and the proliferation of mycotoxigenic fungi, and the contamination of food and feed commodities with mycotoxins, including the discovery of masked mycotoxins, will pose significant new global challenges that will impact on mycotoxin management strategies in food and feed crops worldwide. Future research, especially in Malaysia, should urgently focus on these challenges to develop IPM strategies that include biological control for minimizing mycotoxins in economically important food and feed chains for the benefit of ensuring food safety and food security under climate change scenarios.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aspergillus/growth & development; Fungi/growth & development*; Fusarium/growth & development; Penicillium/growth & development
  20. Effects of Soil Amendments on Microbial Activities in a Typical Cd-Contaminated Purple Field Soil, Southwestern China
    Wang W, Zhou F, Chang Y, Cui J, He D, Du J, et al.
    Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2020 Mar;104(3):380-385.
    PMID: 31932904 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-020-02786-0
    In this study, three soil amendments (inorganic, liming, or organic-inorganic materials) were used in a Cd-contaminated purple field soil to investigate their impacts on soil Cd availability, enzyme (urease, catalase, sucrase, and acid phosphatase) activities, microbial biomass (carbon/nitrogen) and type (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes) in mustard and corn trials. Results showed that soil amendments generally decreased soil exchangeable Cd, fungi and bacterial populations while increasing the activities of all the four soil enzymes tested, microbial biomass carbon and populations of actinomycetes (p  0.05) whereas stronger effects appeared in soil organic matter and available nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium; p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Bacteria/growth & development; Fungi/growth & development
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