Surface morphology of eggs of Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Candan, S., Suludere, Z. and Bayrakdar, F. 2007. Surface morphology of eggs of Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 88 : 000–000. Filaments covering the egg batches and chorion structure were studied both by light and scanning electron microscopy in the brown‐tailed moth Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758). Females lay eggs in masses on the underside of apple leaves. The egg batches are covered with brown hairs derived from the bodies of the female. Each female lays about 200–400 eggs. The spherical eggs are about 0.84 mm long and 0.47 mm wide. Newly deposited eggs are golden‐yellow and darken after the onset of embryonic development. The micropylar area appears somewhat depressed and has a circular outline. The region is surrounded by a rosette of 10–12 petal‐shaped primary cells, which are completely surrounded by a series of secondary and tertiary cells. The remainder of the egg is largely smooth, but shows aeropyles. These are located in the corners of ill‐defined polygons.     

Anticandidal activity of hetero-dinuclear copper(II) Mn(II) Schiff base and its potential action of the mechanism

Invasive fungal infections are one of the major challenges especially for immunosuppressed patients since they are drug resistant and pathogen to patients. Therefore, developing new, efficient and nonresistant antifungal agents have been a primary focus of international research. In the current study, a novel Schiff base [hetero-dinuclear copper(II) Mn(II) complex] (SB) derivative was investigated for its anticandidal activity against Candida albicans and possible mechanisms inducing cell death. The results revealed that SB treatment induces apoptotic and necrotic pathways in C. albicans ATCC10231 strain. Intracellular reactive oxygen species production determined by 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining was triggered by SB and amphotericin B administrations in a dose-dependent manner. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that SB exposure resulted in regulation of critical development and stress related gene expressions. SB treatment directly upregulated expression of stress related genes, DDR48 and RIM101, while suppressed important cell signaling and antibiotic resistance acquiring related genes such as HSP90, ERG11 and EFG1. Furthermore, CaMCA1 mRNA levels were found to be significantly high in SB-treated yeast cells, indicating possible caspase-like mechanism activation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed that SB treatment led to severe cell wall integrity disruption and wrinkling. The study will encourage development of SB-based anticandidal regimens but further studies are highly warranted to understand limitations and the extended use in the routine.     

The relationships among the levels of oxidative and antioxidative parameters,FEV1 and prolidase activity in COPD

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive condition characterized by poorly reversible airflow limitations associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung.

Methods: We investigated whether prolidase levels in serum, total antioxidant status, total oxidative status (TOS), and the oxidative stress index (OSI) were associated with the etiopathogenesis of COPD, and whether there is a relationship between prolidase activity and oxidative parameters and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with COPD. This study included 91 patients with COPD and 15 control cases. Routine haematological and biochemical parameters were determined in all patients. All subjects were fully informed about the study and provided consent.

Results: The mean age of the patients with COPD was 61.3?±?10.5 years and that of the control group was 56.2?±?12.1 years. The control group had a significantly higher plasma prolidase level than that in the COPD group. TOS and OSI levels in the control group were significantly lower than those in the COPD group. However, no significant differences were found in TALs or CIMT levels between the COPD and control groups. A negative correlation was detected between prolidase activity and age; however, no significant difference in age was observed between the two groups.

Conclusion: These results indicate that prolidase activity decreases in patients with COPD.     

High-throughput SNP genotyping of modern and wild emmer wheat for yield and root morphology using a combined association and linkage analysis

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum Desf.) is a major world crop that is grown primarily in areas of the world that experience periodic drought, and therefore, breeding climate-resilient durum wheat is a priority. High-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping techniques have greatly increased the power of linkage and association mapping analyses for bread wheat, but as yet there is no durum wheat-specific platform available. In this study, we evaluate the new 384HT Wheat Breeders Array for its usefulness in tetraploid wheat breeding by genotyping a breeding population of F₆ hybrids, derived from multiple crosses between T. durum cultivars and wild and cultivated emmer wheat accessions. Using a combined linkage and association mapping approach, we generated a genetic map including 1345 SNP markers, and identified markers linked to 6 QTLs for coleoptile length (2), heading date (1), anthocyanin accumulation (1) and osmotic stress tolerance (2). We also developed a straightforward approach for combining genetic data from multiple families of limited size that will be useful for evaluating and mapping pre-existing breeding material.     

Studies on hydrazone derivatives as antifungal agents

The increasing clinical importance of drug-resistant fungal pathogens has urged additional need to fungal research and new antifungal compound development. For this purpose, some N-(1-benzyl-2-phenylethylidene)-N'-[4-(aryl)thiazol-2-yl]hydrazone (1a-e) and N-(1-phenylbutylidene)-N'-[4-(aryl)thiazol-2-yl]hydrazone (2a-e) derivatives were synthesised and evaluated for antifungal activity. Their antifungal activities against standard and clinical strands of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida utilis, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida zeylanoides, and Candida parapsilosis were investigated. A significant level of activity was observed.     

The bimodal regulation of vascular function by superoxide anion: role of endothelium

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in vascular homeostasis. This study investigated whether O(2) (*-), the foundationmolecule of all ROS, regulates vasomotor function. Hence, vascular reactivity was measured using rat thoracic aortas exposed to an O(2) (*-) generator (pyrogallol) which dose-dependently regulated both alpha-adrenergic agonist-mediated contractility to phenylephrine and endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine. Pyrogallol improved and attenuated responses to acetylcholine at its lower (10 nM - 1 microM) and higher (10 - 100 microM) concentrations, respectively while producing the inverse effects with phenylephrine. The endothelial inactivation by L-NAME abolished acetylcholine-induced vasodilatations but increased phenylephrine and KCl-induced vasoconstrictions regardless of the pyrogallol dose used. Relaxant responses to sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, were not affected by pyrogallol. Other ROS i.e. peroxynitrite and H(2)O(2) that may be produced during experiments did not alter vascular functions. These findings suggest that the nature of O(2) (*-)-evoked vascular function is determined by its local concentration and the presence of a functional endothelium.     

Evaluating the diagnostic significance of nuclear grooves in thyroid fine needle aspirates with a semiquantitative approach

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the diagnostic significance of nuclear grooves in thyroid fine needle aspirates, to search for other associated nuclear features and to identify possible diagnostic pitfalls. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 67 fine needle aspiration cases were retrospectively reviewed for selected nuclear features, including grooves, intranuclear cytoplasmic invaginations, enlargement, pleomorphism and status of nucleoli. A semiquantitative method was used to estimate the percentage of nuclear grooves in 5 high-power fields with the most frequent nuclear grooves. RESULTS: Unequivocal intranuclear cytoplasmic invaginations were a specific diagnostic feature of papillary carcinoma. In the absence of intranuclear cytoplasmic invaginations, the presence of > or = 20% nuclear grooves was virtually diagnostic of thyroid neoplasms, predominantly papillary carcinoma. Less than 10% of nuclear grooves virtually eliminated the possibility of papillary carcinoma. However, 10-19% of nuclear grooves may be seen in papillary carcinoma and benign lesions; therefore, such cases fell into the diagnostic category of "atypical cytology" or "indeterminate" cytology. Nuclear enlargement with elongation was a readily identifiable feature usually associated with nuclear grooves. Significant pleomorphism was more commonly seen in papillary carcinoma than in benign lesions. CONCLUSION: A semiquantitative method is helpful when nuclear grooves are encountered in thyroid cytology in the absence of other diagnostic features. It can significantly improve the diagnostic specificity of nuclear grooves for papillary carcinoma.     

Evaluation of plastic-composite supports in repeated fed-batch biofilm lactic acid fermentation by Lactobacillus casei

A customized stirred-tank biofilm reactor was designed for plastic-composite supports (PCS). In repeated-batch studies, the PCS-biofilm reactors outperformed the suspended-cell reactors by demonstrating higher lactic acid productivities (2.45 g l(-1) h(-1) vs 1.75 g l(-1) h(-1)) and greater glucose consumption rates (3.27 g l(-1) h(-1) vs 2.09 g l(-1) h(-1)). In the repeated fed-batch studies, reactors were spiked periodically with concentrated glucose (75%) to maintain a concentration of approximately 80 g of glucose l(-1) in the bioreactor. In suspended-cell fermentations with 10 g of yeast extract (YE) l(-1) and zero, one, two, and three glucose spikes, the lactic acid productivities were 2.64, 1.58, 0.80, and 0.62 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively. In comparison, biofilm reactors with 7 g of YE l(-1) and zero, one, two, and three glucose spikes achieved lactic acid productivities of 4.20, 2.78, 0.66, and 0.94 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively. The use of nystatin (30 U ml(-1)) subdued the contaminating yeast population with no effect on the lactic acid productivity of the biofilm reactors, but it did affect productivity in the suspended-cell bioreactor. Overall, in repeated fed-batch fermentations, the biofilm reactors consistently outperformed the suspended-cell bioreactors, required less YE, and produced up to 146 g of lactic acid l(-1) with 7 g of YE l(-1), whereas the suspended-cell reactor produced 132 g l(-1) with 10 g of YE l(-1).     

Analysis of the volatile components of five Turkish Rhododendron species by headspace solid-phase microextraction and GC-MS (HS-SPME-GC-MS)

Volatile constituents of various solvent extracts (n-hexane, CH2Cl2, H2O) of 15 different organs (leaves, flowers, fruits) of five Rhododendron species (Ericaceae) growing in Turkey were trapped with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique and analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 200 compounds were detected and identified from organic extracts, while the water extracts contained only traces of few volatiles. The CH2Cl2 extract of the R. luteum flowers was found to exhibit the most diverse composition: 34 compounds were identified, with benzyl alcohol (16.6%), limonene (14.6%) and p-cymene (8.4%) being the major compounds. The CH2Cl2-solubles of R. x sochadzeae leaves contained only phenyl ethyl alcohol. This study indicated appreciable intra-specific variations in volatile compositions within the genus. Different anatomical parts also showed altered volatile profiles. This is the first application of HS-SPME-GC-MS on the volatiles of Rhododendron species.