Efficient and reliable propagation and rooting of foetid juniper (Juniperus foetidissima Willd.), as an endangered plant under in vitro condition

In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant - Foetid juniper (Juniperus foetidissima Willd.) is one of the most important coniferous species faced with multiple threats and it is...     

Defense against malware propagation in complex heterogeneous networks

Cluster Computing - Devising appropriate defense strategies against malware propagation in complex networks with minimal budget is a challenging problem in research community. This paper studies...     

Endophytic Penicillium species secretes mycophenolic acid that inhibits the growth of phytopathogenic fungi

The worldwide demand for reduced and restricted use of pesticides in agriculture due to serious environmental effects, health risks and the development of pathogen resistance calls for the discovery of new bioactive compounds. In the medical field, antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have become a major threat to man, increasing mortality. Endophytes are endosymbiotic microorganisms that inhabit plant tissues without causing any visible damage to their host. Many endophytes secrete secondary metabolites with biological activity against a broad range of pathogens, making them potential candidates for novel drugs and alternative pesticides of natural origin. We isolated endophytes from wild plants in Israel, focusing on endophytes that secrete secondary metabolites with biological activity. We isolated 302 different endophytes from 30 different wild plants; 70 of them exhibited biological activity against phytopathogens. One biologically active fungal endophyte from the genus Penicillium, isolated from a squill (Urginea maritima) leaf, was further examined. Chloroform-based extraction of its growth medium was similarly active against phytopathogens. High-performance liquid chromatography separation followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis revealed a single compound—mycophenolic acid—as the main contributor to the biological activity of the organic extract.     

Kit ligand and glial‐derived neurotrophic factor as alternative supplements for activation and development of ovine preantral follicles in vitro

In vitro growth of preantral follicles has the potential to produce considerable numbers of competent oocytes for use in medicine, agriculture, and even wildlife conservation. The critical regulatory role of growth factors and hormones in the development of preantral follicles has been established. This study investigated the effect of glial‐derived neurotropic factor (GDNF) and kit ligand (KL) on the in vitro development of ovine preantral follicles. Results indicated that both GDNF and KL significantly improved activation of primordial follicles, similar to co‐addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which are commonly used for in vitro follicular development. Importantly, GDNF had a more profound effect on follicle health, development, and differentiation compared with KL alone. Furthermore, the combination of GDNF and KL in the presence of EGF and bFGF had a positive, synergic effect on health, development, and differentiation of preantral follicles, as determined by histological and hormonal assessments. The results of this study may provide a foundation for further studies that will unravel the molecular mechanisms of follicular development to further improve the current status of in vitro preantral follicle culture. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 35–47, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

High yellow pigments production by root culture of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carthamus tinctorius</Emphasis> and its release in medium under gas oil treatment

In this study, the ability of safflower-isolated root cultures to produce yellow pigments was tested. Initially, the growth of isolated roots in static liquid medium was evaluated with different volumes of culture medium. A volume of 6 ml of medium per flask of 250 ml gave the best growth performance and, in this condition of culture, production of pigments from isolated roots treated or not by light has been determined by spectrophotometry (321 and 400 nm). Under these conditions, the production of yellow pigments amounted to 13.18 mg g⁻¹ fresh weight and the light stimulated the synthesis of these pigments by isolated roots. Total yellow pigments of 24.12, 38.91 and 46.38 mg g⁻¹ fresh weight was produced by the roots treated with 9, 13.5 and 18% (v/v) gas oil, respectively, representing high values of production. The pigments were released in large quantities in the medium. The increased synthesis of pigments as a result of gas oil treatment was accompanied by a reduction of the peroxidase activity of roots. Given the high production of yellow pigments, systems of isolated root culture could be considered for the study of a larger scale production of safflower pigments widely used for various industrial purposes.     

Upregulation of Toll-like receptor 4 through anti-miR-Let-7a enhances blastocyst attachment to endometrial cells in mice

Despite encouraging advances in fertility technology, the success rate of an ongoing pregnancy is relatively low and predominantly associated with implantation failure. Inflammatory responses are beneficial in the fetomaternal interface and supposedly accelerate the chances for successful implantation. The current study aims to determine the effect of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) overexpression in mouse blastocysts via Let-7a downregulation using intracytoplasmic sperm injection-sperm-mediated gene transfer on embryo attachment rate. The pLenti-III-GFP-miR-Off-Let-7a vector was transmitted to oocytes derived via in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vivo oocytes by using NaOH-treated spermatozoa. Let-7a and TLR4 expression levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunocytochemistry, and western blot analysis in both oocytes and embryos. Blastocyst adhesion on the endometrial cells was monitored by microscopic analysis. qRT-PCR results showed that Let-7a expression decreased in the IVM (GV-MII) oocytes compared to the in vivo oocyte (MII) group (p < .05). TLR4 showed a higher expression in GV-MII oocytes at both the gene and protein levels (p < .05). Following anti-miR-Let-7a transmission, the TLR4 expression level was significantly upregulated in embryos compared with the control groups (p < .05). Attachment and migration of trophoblasts cells towards endometrial cells dramatically increased compared to the control group (p < .05). Based on our results, we concluded that Let-7a might mediate embryo attachment through regulation of TLR4 expression levels.     

Bacterial infections in the early period after liver transplantation in adults: A prospective single-center cohort study

Liver transplantation (LT) is a potentially curative treatment for terminal stage hepatic diseases. Bacterial infections are the main causes of mortality and morbidity in the early period after LT. Identifying the risk factors could help in minimizing their development. We prospectively investigated the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of bacterial infections among the recipients during hospitalization after LT and assigned a predictive score. All 389 consecutive adults who underwent LT at the main referral hospital of LT in Iran during 1 year were enrolled prospectively in a cohort study. Infection group consisted of 143 recipients (36.8%). Urinary tract and surgical site infections were the most frequent ones. Gram-negative bacteria were more prevalent than Gram-positive ones. Independent risk factors were female sex (relative risks = 2.13), age ≤ 43.5 years (3.70), hospital stay ≥ 9.5 days (5.22), abdominal reoperation (3.03), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci colonization (5.52), hospitalization 3 months prior to LT (3.25), mechanical ventilation ≥48 hr (4.93), and renal replacement therapies (13.40). We developed a risk score for the prediction of bacterial infections with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.81–0.89) with sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 64%. In the infection group, mortality was higher than in controls (18.9% vs. 2.0%) with longer hospitalization (16 vs. 10 days; P < 0.001). We detected a high rate of bacterial infections leading to longer hospital stay and higher mortality rate. The formulated risk score can help predict bacterial infections; however, it requires clinical validation in further studies.     

Cultivation of Tetraselmis suecica using a fishmeal factory effluent: effect on the growth,biochemical composition,and nutrient removal

One of the main effluents from fishmeal plants is stickwater (STW) that causes a considerable number of environmental hazards. This study aimed to replace standard growth medium (F/2; as an enriched solution for growing most of the marine microalgae) of Tetraselmis suecica with different ratios of STW from a kilka fishmeal plant including 0% (control), 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Results showed that the highest nutrient removal efficacy was obtained in 75% STW treatment, followed by the highest algal cell density (1.23 × 10⁷ cells mL^?1) (P <0.05). A significant increase in the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b) and lipid productivity was recorded in 75% STW treatment compared to others (P <0.05). The maximum contents of carotenoids and crude protein were obtained in 100% and 50% STW groups, respectively. The levels of saturated and monosaturated fatty acids were significantly increased by increasing the inclusion ratio of STW from 50 to 100% (P <0.05). However, the lowest level of polyunsaturated fatty acids was measured in 100% STW treatment. Overall, replacing F/2 with STW up to 75% is feasible to culture T. suecica with the highest biomass and lipid productivity.