Agricultural practices for enhanced human health

Phytochemicals in vegetables are known to be responsible for protective effects against many human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and different types of cancer. Environmental conditions and physiological factors may modify the amounts of these compounds present in vegetables and fruits, but also crop management strategies could increase the production of phytochemicals. Therefore, the effects of mineral nutrition, soil composition and water content on the production of phytochemicals have been considered in the development of different fertilisation strategies, efficient water management and techniques such as grafting. Finally, the contents of health-promoting compounds in vegetables and fruits depend both quantitatively and qualitatively on their genetic bases. Thus, conventional breeding and genetic modification have been developed as new methodologies to enhance the nutritional properties of plants. M. C. Martínez-Ballesta, L. López-Pérez, M. Hernández, C. López-Berenguer, N. Fernández-García contributed equally.     

Osmotic versus toxic effects of NaCl on pepper plants

Water relations, mineral composition, growth and root morphology were studied in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv California Wonder). Two NaCl concentrations (30 and 60 mM) and two nutrient solutions in which the concentrations of macronutrients were increased were used to assess the ionic and osmotic effects of NaCl in these plants. The hydraulic conductivity (L_o), stomatal conductance (g_s), percentage of open stomata and pressure potential (Ψ_p) decreased with all treatments, in a similar way for 30 mM NaCl and for its iso-osmotic solution of macronutrients, however, the decrease was higher for 60 mM NaCl than for its iso-osmotic solution. Ion analyses also revealed that nutrient concentrations were altered greatly at 60 mM NaCl. Also, changes in morphology, such as increases in cortex cell size and in intercellular spaces, were detected. Therefore, at low salinity, the effect of NaCl was mainly osmotic, however, under higher salinity also the toxicity of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ participate.     

QSAR modeling and transmission electron microscopy stereology of altered mitochondrial ultrastructure of white blood cells in patients diagnosed as schizophrenic and treated with antipsychotic drugs.

Treatment of patients diagnosed as schizophrenic with antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) is known to cause occasional unexplained depletion of white blood cells, especially neutrophil granulocytes. It has been known for many years that neuroleptics can interfere with the mitochondrial respiratory chain in vitro. Because there has been a growing interest recently in mitochondrial targeting of drugs, and since a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model that predicts mitochondrial accumulation of neuroleptics has been published, we investigated the effects of neuroleptics on white blood cell mitochondria. Venous blood samples were collected from both patients undergoing treatment with neuroleptics and healthy volunteers. The samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy. The resulting images of white blood cells were analyzed using stereology to compare quantitatively mitochondrial morphology in the patient and control groups. We found that in patients, but not in controls, there was swelling of mitochondria and fragmentation of the mitochondrial cristae. There also were fewer mitochondria in patients than in controls, although due to the swelling of the organelles, the volume density of mitochondria in the two groups was not significantly different. Such changes are typical of a toxic insult. Consequently, it seems plausible that, since schizophrenia is not a disease considered to affect white blood cells per se, these changes probably are due to the medication.     

Habitat loss of a rainforest specialist pollinator fly as an indicator of conservation status of the South American Temperate Rainforests

We estimate habitat loss and fragmentation in a hoverfly, Aneriophora aureorufa, used as a representative forest specialist species. This species is a pollinator specialist of two native trees, forming a triad endemic to the South American Temperate Rainforest (SATR). We combine species distribution models with species-specific requirements to estimate the habitat range of A. aureorufa over two non-overlapping time periods (before human settlement to 2000, and from 2000 to 2014). We analyzed the predicted distribution range of A. aureorufa in Chile, quantifying habitat loss in both periods and fragmentation in the latter. In addition, we evaluated the representativeness of the Chilean protected areas system in relation to the current habitat of the species. We found that the total habitat of A. aureorufa decreased by 68.3% compared to historic pre-settlement levels; in the period 2000–2014 the loss was 4.9%. The northern zone was the most affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, with an estimated total loss of 89.9% from the historic period to 2014, with the loss of 238.2 km² per year between 2000 and 2014. Eighteen percent of the habitat of A. aureorufa occurs within protected areas. We found an overrepresentation in the southern zone (24.79%) and an underrepresentation in the northern zone (3.44%). We propose that forest specialist species of the northern zone of the SATR could be threatened due to the high pressure of habitat loss and the underrepresentation of the Chilean protected areas systems.