Population fluctuation of Ephestia figulilella in Kerman province of Iran

Date palm is one of the most important products in Iran. Kerman province is one of the most important producers of this crop. Major areas of date palm cultivation in the province involve Bam, Jiroft and Shahdad. Date palm acreage of Shahdad is over 3500 hectares. Date palm varieties in Shahdad are Ghasb, Shamsaee and Bazmani. Ghasb date palm is most important in Shahdad that is classified as dry product. Date Palm trees have many pests such as the horned beetle dates, spider mite, leafhopper and moths; and according to the studies done in 2008–2009, Ephestia figulilella is the most important pest on fruit dates in Shadad, sometimes 90% of product is contaminated by this pest. This pest has four to five generations per year and overwintered as all of stages in storage and larvae in garden.     

Association between Farming and Chronic Energy Deficiency in Rural South India

Objective

To examine factors associated with chronic energy deficiency (CED) and anaemia in disadvantaged Indian adults who are mostly involved in subsistence farming.

Design

A cross-sectional study in which we collected information on socio-demographic factors, physical activity, anthropometry, blood haemoglobin concentration, and daily household food intake. These data were used to calculate body mass index (BMI), basal metabolic rate (BMR), daily energy expenditure, and energy and nutrient intake. Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with CED (defined as BMI<18 kg/m²) and anaemia.

Setting

The study was conducted in 12 villages, in the Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Subjects

Individuals aged 18 years and above, residing in the 12 villages, were eligible to participate.

Results

Data were available for 1178 individuals (45% male, median age 36 years (inter quartile range (IQR 27–50)). The prevalence of CED (38%) and anaemia (25%) was high. Farming was associated with CED in women (2.20, 95% CI: 1.39–3.49) and men (1.71, 95% CI: (1.06–2.74). Low income was also significantly associated with CED, while not completing high school was positively associated with anaemia. Median iron intake was high: 35.7 mg/day (IQR 26–46) in women and 43.4 mg/day (IQR 34–55) in men.

Conclusions

Farming is an important risk factor associated with CED in this rural Indian population and low dietary iron is not the main cause of anaemia. Better farming practice may help to reduce CED in this population.     

A two-way communication between microglial cells and angiogenic sprouts regulates angiogenesis in aortic ring cultures

Background

Myeloid cells have been associated with physiological and pathological angiogenesis, but their exact functions in these processes remain poorly defined. Monocyte-derived tissue macrophages of the CNS, or microglial cells, invade the mammalian retina before it becomes vascularized. Recent studies correlate the presence of microglia in the developing CNS with vascular network formation, but it is not clear whether the effect is directly caused by microglia and their contact with the endothelium.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We combined in vivo studies of the developing mouse retina with in vitro studies using the aortic ring model to address the role of microglia in developmental angiogenesis. Our in vivo analyses are consistent with previous findings that microglia are present at sites of endothelial tip-cell anastomosis, and genetic ablation of microglia caused a sparser vascular network associated with reduced number of filopodia-bearing sprouts. Addition of microglia in the aortic ring model was sufficient to stimulate vessel sprouting. The effect was independent of physical contact between microglia and endothelial cells, and could be partly mimicked using microglial cell-conditioned medium. Addition of VEGF-A promoted angiogenic sprouts of different morphology in comparison with the microglial cells, and inhibition of VEGF-A did not affect the microglia-induced angiogenic response, arguing that the proangiogenic factor(s) released by microglia is distinct from VEGF-A. Finally, microglia exhibited oriented migration towards the vessels in the aortic ring cultures.

Conclusions/Significance

Microglia stimulate vessel sprouting in the aortic ring cultures via a soluble microglial-derived product(s), rather than direct contact with endothelial cells. The observed migration of microglia towards the growing sprouts suggests that their position near endothelial tip-cells could result from attractive cues secreted by the vessels. Our data reveals a two-way communication between microglia and vessels that depends on soluble factors and should extend the understanding of how microglia promote vascular network formation.     

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms in Iranian patients with visceral leishmaniasis

The role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 in visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a disease caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania, has been shown in the recent leishmaniasis experimental studies. As genetic host factors play an important role in the susceptibility and/or resistance to VL, the association between TLR4 gene mutations [A896G and C1196T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] and VL was investigated. Genotyping of A896G (Asp299Gly) and C1196T (Thr399Ile) SNPs was performed in the patients with VL (N?=?122) and ethnically matched controls (N?=?155) using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method. When VL patients and the controls were compared, no statistically significant differences were observed in A896G and C1196T alleles and genotypes (P?>?0.05). The TLR4 A896G and C1196T were in moderate linkage disequilibrium in the controls and patients (r ²?=?0.497, 0.548 and D′?=?0.705, 0.808, respectively), and haplotypes reconstructed from these SNPs were not significantly different between the aforementioned study groups. In conclusion, based on the results, TLR4 gene polymorphisms at the positions 896 and 1196 cannot be regarded as the major contributors to VL susceptibility among the Iranian population.     

The Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor S1PR1 Restricts Sprouting Angiogenesis by Regulating the Interplay between VE-Cadherin and VEGFR2

Angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels arise from preexisting ones, is critical for embryonic development and is an integral part of many disease processes. Recent studies have provided detailed information on how angiogenic sprouts initiate, elongate, and branch, but less is known about how these processes cease. Here, we show that S1PR1, a receptor for the blood-borne bioactive lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), is critical for inhibition of angiogenesis and acquisition of vascular stability. Loss of S1PR1 leads to increased endothelial cell sprouting and the formation of ectopic vessel branches. Conversely, S1PR1 signaling inhibits angiogenic sprouting and enhances cell-to-cell adhesion. This correlates with inhibition of?vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A)-induced signaling and stabilization of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin localization at endothelial junctions. Our data suggest that S1PR1 signaling acts as a vascular-intrinsic stabilization mechanism, protecting developing blood vessels against aberrant angiogenic responses.     

Relationship between growth arrest and autophagy in midgut programmed cell death in Drosophila

Autophagy has been implicated in both cell survival and programmed cell death (PCD), and this may explain the apparently complex role of this catabolic process in tumourigenesis. Our previous studies have shown that caspases have little influence on Drosophila larval midgut PCD, whereas inhibition of autophagy severely delays midgut removal. To assess upstream signals that regulate autophagy and larval midgut degradation, we have examined the requirement of growth signalling pathways. Inhibition of the class I phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway prevents midgut growth, whereas ectopic PI3K and Ras signalling results in larger cells with decreased autophagy and delayed midgut degradation. Furthermore, premature induction of autophagy is sufficient to induce early midgut degradation. These data indicate that autophagy and the growth regulatory pathways have an important relationship during midgut PCD. Despite the roles of autophagy in both survival and death, our findings suggest that autophagy induction occurs in response to similar signals in both scenarios.     

Ultrasound complex enzymes assisted extraction and biochemical activities of polysaccharides from Epimedium leaves

Ultrasound complex enzymes (UCE) were used to extract crude polysaccharides (CEP) from Epimedium leaves. The response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was employed to further optimize the extraction conditions. The optimum conditions were: complex enzyme dose of 50, 250, 200, 100 U/g (papain, pectase, cellulase and α-amylase), extraction temperature 46.8 °C, ultrasound time 42.3 min, pH 4.28, and ultrasound power 311 W. Under these conditions, the experimental yield of CEP was 5.98%, which was well matched with the value predicted by the model. Three major polysaccharide fractions (EP-1, EP-2 and EP-3) were obtained by ultrafiltration, chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow and Sephadex G-100 column. Their chemical–physical characteristics were investigated using chemical methods, gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). Biochemical characterization of the polysaccharide fractions was evaluated on the basis of free radical scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), lymphocyte proliferation, macrophage phagocytosis and NK cell activity assay in vitro. The results showed that all fractions contained higher galacturonic acid (GalA) and galactose (Gal), possessed considerable antioxidant activity, and could promote proliferation of splenic lymphocytes, activate macrophages and enhance NK cells’ activity. UCE as a more effective and environment-friendly technique could be employed for extracting active ingredients from plant materials, extensively applied in pharmaceutical and food industries.