Isolation of Two Plasticizers,Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate,from Capparis spinosa L. Leaves

Many plants have been known to be contaminated and accumulate plasticizers from the environment, including water sources, soil, and atmosphere. Plasticizers are used to confer elasticity and flexibility to various fiber and plastic products. Consumption of plasticizers can lead to many adverse effects on human health, including reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, and cancer. Herein, we report for the first time that two plasticizers, bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), have been isolated from the leaves of Capparis spinosa L. (the caper bush), a plant that is widely used in food seasonings and traditional medicine. 297 mg/kg of DEHT and 48 mg/kg of DEHP were isolated from dried and grounded C. spinosa L. leaves using column chromatography and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Our study adds to the increase in the detection of plasticizers in our food and medicinal plants and to the alarming concern about their potential adverse effects on human health.     

Comparative Efficacy of Weed Control Practices for Parthenium Weed and Sunflower Crop under Varying Tillage Systems

Parthenium poses serious threat to modern crop production system and necessitate evaluating control practices for its effective management. Efficacy of different weed control practices for controlling parthenium was explored in conventional and deep tillage systems in the field conditions. Hand hoeing (20 and 35 days after emergence), S-Metolachlor (pre-emergence herbicide), sorghum straw mulch @ 5 tons ha^-1 and combination of hand hoeing and sorghum straw mulch (hand hoeing at 20 and straw mulch at 35 days after emergence) were used as weed control practice. Weedy check where no weed control measure was applied was also included in this experiment for comparison. Results concluded that the all weed management treatments significantly reduced parthenium density, its fresh and dry biomass during both the years of study as compared to weedy check. Maximum sunflower achene yield was recorded in hand hoeing (20 and 35 days after emergence) in combination with deep tillage. So, mold bold plough used for the purpose of deep tillage should be encouraged for better control of parthenium and higher achene yield of sunflower crop (3293.3 kg ha^-1 in 2017 and 3221.3 kg ha^-1 in 2018). Moreover, is also inferred that total dose of herbicide might be reduced by using hoeing and mulching in an integrated way.     

Recent developments in bioreactor scale production of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological plastics that are sustainable alternative to synthetic ones. Numerous microorganisms have been identified as PHAs...     

Stilbenoids from the stem of Gnetum latifolium (Gnetaceae)

An acetone extract of the stem of Gnetum latifolium Blume afforded the stilbene trimer (latifolol) together with five known stilbenoids (gnetin E, gnetin D, gnetin C, (-)epsilon -viniferin and resveratrol). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence, in particular by using 2D NMR methods.     

9,10-seco-9,19-Cyclolanostane arabinosides from the roots of Actaea podocarpa

Seven 9,10-seco-9,19-cyclolanostane arabinosides, named podocarpasides A-G (1-7), were isolated from the roots of Actaea podocarpa DC., a species closely related to black cohosh (a well known dietary supplement). Their structures were determined with the help of spectroscopic data including extensive 2D NMR spectroscopy. The isolates were found inactive, when tested for cytotoxic, estrogenic, and antioxidant activities in cell based assays. They were also tested for anticomplement activity against the classical pathway of complement system and only podocarpaside C (3) inhibited modest complement activity with an IC50 value of 200 microM.     

Severe retinitis pigmentosa mapped to 4p15 and associated with a novel mutation in the PROM1 gene

Mutation in the PROM1 gene previously has been identified in one family with retinal degeneration for which neither ERG recordings nor detailed information about visual impairment is available. A large family with multiple individuals affected by retinal degeneration was ascertained in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The visual acuity of all affected patients in the family was severely compromised beginning in early childhood. The retinal disease in this family is a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) accompanied by macular degeneration. Fundus changes advanced with age. Choriocapillaris atrophy and posterior RPE atrophy were obvious allowing visualization of the large choroidal vessels in patients over 40 years of age. Rod and cone responses on ERG recordings were extinguished in patient’s teens. A genome-wide scan mapped the disease to a 34.7 cM region of chromosome 4p14–p16 between D4S1599 and D4S405. A maximum lod score of 3.96 with D4S403 and D4S391 is seen at θ = 0. Sequence analysis of PROM1 located in the linkage interval identified a c.1726C>T homozygous transition in exon 15: resulting in p.Gln576X in the translated protein. This mutation is found in a homozygous state in all six affected individuals and was heterozygous in five of the six unaffected family members examined. The mutation was not detected in 192 chromosomes of unrelated control individuals of the same ethnicity and from the same region. This delineates the phenotypic characteristics of retinopathy caused by mutations in PROM1. Qingjiong Zhang, Fareeha Zulfiqar, Xueshan Xiao, Sheikh Riazuddin and J. Fielding Hejtmancik contributed equally.     

Improved production of biosurfactant by a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> mutant using vegetable oil refinery wastes

Biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa EBN-8 mutant was studied in shake flasks on separate wastes from canola, soybean and corn oil refineries. Of the substrates tested, canola oil refinery waste (COD=20 g l⁻¹) supplemented with sodium nitrate (at COD/N=20) showed the best microbial growth (4.50 g l⁻¹) and rhamnolipid production (8.50 g l⁻¹), at 10 d of incubation with the specific growth rate of 0.316 h⁻¹ and specific product yield of 0.597 g g⁻¹ h. Its cell-free supernatant showed the critical micelle dilution (CMD) of 150 and surface tension (ST) of 28.5 mN m⁻¹.     

The role of prophage-like elements in the diversity of Salmonella enterica serovars

The Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi CT18 (S.Typhi) chromosome harbours seven distinct prophage-like elements, some of which may encode functional bacteriophages. In silico analyses were used to investigate these regions in S.Typhi CT18, and ultimately compare these integrated bacteriophages against 40 other Salmonella isolates using DNA microarray technology. S.Typhi CT18 contains prophages that show similarity to the lambda, Mu, P2 and P4 bacteriophage families. When compared to other S.Typhi isolates, these elements were generally conserved, supporting a clonal origin of this serovar. However, distinct variation was detected within a broad range of Salmonella serovars; many of the prophage regions are predicted to be specific to S.Typhi. Some of the P2 family prophage analysed have the potential to carry non-essential "cargo" genes within the hyper-variable tail region, an observation that suggests that these bacteriophage may confer a level of specialisation on their host. Lysogenic bacteriophages therefore play a crucial role in the generation of genetic diversity within S.enterica.