Laticiferous plants of economic importance

Gutta-gums figure prominently in international trade. For more than 100 years the United States has been, and continues to be, the principal cousumer of these raw materials. Trade reports issued by the U. S. Department of Commerce indicate that during 1960 approximately 11,717,000 pounds of these forest products, with an aggregate value of $6,536,792, were imported, mostly from Malaysia, Central America, and northern South America. These commodities are still furnished mainly by “wild” trees. Plantation development has been limited to small-scale propagation of guttapercha (Palaquium gutta Burck) in Indonesia and Malaya and recently of chilte (Cnidoscolus spp.) in western Mexico. In comparison with Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. Juss.) Muell. Arg., Castilla elastica Cerv., and other species of rubber, relatively little has been published on the sources of gutta-gums.     

Laticiferous plants of economic importance II

The genus Cnidoscolus, of the Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae), is a homogeneous group of herbs. shrubs or small to medium-sized trees indigenous to tropical America, with a few species extending to subtropical and temperate regions. The generic name, derived from the Greek meaning nettle and spine, alludes to the painfully stinging hairs frequently present. Two species of chilte growing in west-central Mexico are now utilized in industry as a source of gutta-like material with high hydrocarbon and resin content.     

Name changes in fungi of economic importance

International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF)     

Natural killers and their physiological importance

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are a distinct subset of mononuclear cells that rapidly kill certain tumor cell lines and even normal cells without a prior sensibilization to the targets. Probably, NK cells are the "first line of defence" in the body against foreign agents. A hypothesis about the role of NK cells in the natural antitumor resistance and in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation has recently been confirmed.     

Probiotics importance and their immunomodulatory properties

Mammalian intestine contains a large diversity of commensal microbiota, which is far more than the number of host cells. Probiotics play an insecure and protective role against the colonization of intestinal pathogenic microbes and increase mucosal integrity by stimulating epithelial cells. Probiotics have innate capabilities in many ways, including receptor antagonism, receptor expression, binding and expression of adapter proteins, expression of negative regulatory signal molecules, induction of microRNAs, endotoxin tolerance, and ultimately secretion of immunomodulatory proteins, lipids, and metabolites to modulate the immune system. Probiotic bacteria can affect homeostasis, inflammation, and immunopathology through direct or indirect effects on signaling pathways as immunosuppressant or activators. Probiotics suppress inflammation by inhibiting various signaling pathways such as the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κβ) pathway, possibly related to alterations in mitogen-activated protein kinases and pattern recognition receptors pathways. Probiotics can also inhibit the binding of lipopolysaccharides to the CD14 receptor, thereby reducing the overall activation of NF-κβ and producing proinflammatory cytokines. Some effects of modulation by probiotics include cytokine production by epithelial cells, increased mucin secretion, increased activity of phagocytosis, and activation of T and natural killer T cells, stimulation of immunoglobulin A production and decreased T cell proliferation. Intestinal microbiota has a major impact on the systemic immune system. Specific microbiota controls the differentiation of cells in lamina propria, in which Th17 cells secrete interleukin 17. The presence of Th17 and Treg cells in the small intestine is associated with intestinal microbiota, with the preferential Treg differentiation and the absence of Th17 cells, possibly reflecting alterations in the lamina propria cytokines and the intestinal gut microbiota.     

生态系统服务功能及其生态经济价值评价

生态系统服务功能是指生态系统与生态过程所形成及所维持的人类赖以生存的自然环境条件与效用。它不仅为人类提供了食品、医药及其它生产生活原料,更重要的是维持了人类赖以生存的生命支持系统,维持生命物质的生物地化循环与水文循环,维持生物物种与遗传多样性,净化环境,维持大气化学的平衡与稳定。人们逐步认识到,生态服务功能是人类生存与现代文明的基础。近年来生态系统服务功能的研究已引起了人们的广泛重视,生态学家、经济学家纷纷探讨生态系统服务功能的内涵与定量评价方法,并已成为当前生态学与生态经济学研究的前沿课题。本文拟系统地分析生态系统服务功能的研究进展与趋势,生态系统服务功能价值的评估方法,并探讨生态系统服务功能及其与可持续发展研究的关系.     

Laticiferous plants of economic importance III. Couma species

The commercial use of the exudation of several species of Couma as a source of gutta-gum is of recent development. Although the edible fruits have been known in the Amazon basin since prehistoric time, and the coagulated latex, or coagulum, is favored by the South American Indian for caulking dugouts and canoes, the utilization of this gutta-gum in industry, especially in the United States, began only about 30 years ago.     

Pathways of cell death and their biological importance

The characteristic and the critical review of the data on clinical and biological importance of apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, mitotic catastrophe, autophagocytosis and senescence are presented here.     

Micropropagation of Anacardiaceae species of economic importance: advances and future prospects

The Anacardiaceae family comprises tropical and subtropical deciduous trees with growing economic potential namely, Pistacia vera L. (pistachio), Mangifera indica L. (mango), Anacardium occidentale L. (cashew), and Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. subsp. caffra (Sond.) Kokwaro (marula). The rich gene pool offered by their respective wide genetic diversity as well as the greater adaptation to semi-arid environments makes these species ideal candidates for the development of future commercial cultivars. Some notable achievements have been recorded in the micropropagation of these Anacardiaceae species in the order M. indica > P. vera > A. occidentale > S. birrea subsp. caffra. This review highlights advances, challenges, and future prospects in micropropagation research of these Anacardiaceae family members for the past three decades. In addition, the review discusses the potential of liquid cultures and synthetic seed encapsulation technologies in the development of future research strategies.