Foodborne illness caused by pathogenic Vibrios is generally associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood. Fish and other seafood can be contaminated with Vibrio species, natural ...inhabitants of the marine, estuarine, and freshwater environment. Pathogenic Vibrios of major public health concerns are
Vibrio cholerae
,
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
, and
Vibrio vulnificus
. Common symptoms of foodborne Vibrio infection include watery diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Administration of oral or intravenous rehydration salts solution is the mainstay for the management of cholera, and antibiotics are also used to shorten the duration of diarrhea and to limit further transmission of the disease. Currently, doxycycline, azithromycin, or ciprofloxacin are commonly used for
V. cholerae
, and doxycycline or quinolone are administered for
V. parahaemolyticus
, whereas doxycycline and a third-generation cephalosporin are recommended for
V. vulnificus
as initial treatment regimen. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Vibrios is increasingly common across the globe and a decrease in the effectiveness of commonly available antibiotics poses a global threat to public health. Recent progress in comparative genomic studies suggests that the genomes of the drug-resistant Vibrios harbor mobile genetic elements like plasmids, integrating conjugative elements, superintegron, transposable elements, and insertion sequences, which are the major carriers of genetic determinants encoding antimicrobial resistance. These mobile genetic elements are highly dynamic and could potentially propagate to other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). To combat the serious threat of rising AMR, it is crucial to develop strategies for robust surveillance, use of new/novel pharmaceuticals, and prevention of antibiotic misuse.
Any interaction of plants with phytopathogens involves the generation of various chemical molecules that are critical for activation of their defense machinery. One of the chemicals, salicylic acid ...(SA) induces systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants. The activation of SAR provides a broad-spectrum resistance against a wide range of related or unrelated pathogens. There has been considerable progress in the biochemical and molecular understanding of SAR activation in various plants. In addition, several chemicals including SA and its analogs are known to provide a direct or indirect defense against pathogens when applied to plants. Molecular mechanism of plant defense induced by synthetic chemical inducers is not very well understood. This review highlights the importance of salicylic acid and its most studied analog, Acibenzolar-S-methyl in inducing SAR and it also provides a description of other major chemical elicitors of plant defenses and their possible molecular mechanism.
•Several proteins interact with salicylic acid.•Salicylic acid plays a key role in mediating biotic and abiotic stress.•SABP2 is a key component of systemic acquired resistance.•NPR1/NPR3 are likely ...receptors for salicylic acid.•SABP2 is a likely receptor for methyl salicylic acid.
Salicylic acid (SA) is a key plant hormone that mediates host responses against microbial pathogens. Identification and characterization of SA-interacting/binding proteins is a topic which has always excited scientists studying microbial defense response in plants. It is likely that discovery of a true receptor for SA may greatly advance understanding of this important signaling pathway. SABP2 with its high affinity for SA was previously considered to be a SA receptor. Despite a great deal work we may still not have true a receptor for SA. It is also entirely possible that there may be more than one receptor for SA. This scenario is more likely given the diverse role of SA in various physiological processes in plants including, modulation of opening and closing of stomatal aperture, flowering, seedling germination, thermotolerance, photosynthesis, and drought tolerance. Recent identification of NPR3, NPR4 and NPR1 as potential SA receptors and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDHE2), several glutathione S transferases (GSTF) such as SA binding proteins have generated more interest in this field. Some of these SA binding proteins may have direct/indirect role in plant processes other than pathogen defense signaling. Development and use of new techniques with higher specificity to identify SA-interacting proteins have shown great promise and have resulted in the identification of several new SA interactors. This review focuses on SA interaction/binding proteins identified so far and their likely role in mediating plant defenses.
Effectiveness of linseed oil filled microcapsules was investigated for healing of cracks generated in paint/coatings. Microcapsules were prepared by
in situ polymerization of urea–formaldehyde resin ...to form shell over linseed oil droplets. Characteristics of these capsules were studied by FTIR, TGA/DSC, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and particle size analyzer. Mechanical stability was determined by stirring microcapsules in different solvents and resin solutions. Cracks in a paint film were successfully healed when linseed oil was released from microcapsules ruptured under simulated mechanical action. Linseed oil healed area was found to prevent corrosion of the substrate.
In plants, the mobile signal for systemic acquired resistance (SAR), an organism-wide state of enhanced defense to subsequent infections, has been elusive. By stimulating immune responses in mosaic ...tobacco plants created by grafting different genetic backgrounds, we showed that the methyl salicylate (MeSA) esterase activity of salicylic acid-binding protein 2 (SABP2), which converts MeSA into salicylic acid (SA), is required for SAR signal perception in systemic tissue, the tissue that does not receive the primary (initial) infection. Moreover, in plants expressing mutant SABP2 with unregulated MeSA esterase activity in SAR signal-generating, primary infected leaves, SAR was compromised and the associated increase in MeSA levels was suppressed in primary infected leaves, their phloem exudates, and systemic leaves. SAR was also blocked when SA methyl transferase (which converts SA to MeSA) was silenced in primary infected leaves, and MeSA treatment of lower leaves induced SAR in upper untreated leaves. Therefore, we conclude that MeSA is a SAR signal in tobacco.
In this paper we report the structural, electronic and optical properties of ZnO nanocrystals synthesized by a facile chemical method. ZnO nanoparticles prepared by this method were investigated ...employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Atomic force microscope (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV–Visible and Fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy. In order to study the effect of annealing on ZnO nanoparticles, we have analyzed pre- and post-annealed nanoparticles. It was observed that annealing treatment removes the impurities and consequently enhances the purity of ZnO nanoparticles without influencing their wurtzite phase. The absorption and excitation transitions occurring in annealed ZnO nanoparticles are similar to those in unannealed ZnO; however, some fluorescence emissions are altered. On the one hand, annealing assists in obtaining the pure ZnO nanoparticles without affecting their size and crystal structure; on the other hand channels of radiative combination are affected by the annealing process.
Abstract Background Neovasculogenesis, vital for wound healing, gets compromised in diabetics patients, which consequently delayed wound healing. Previous studies have shown curcumin as both a ...stimulatory and an inhibitory agent in the neovasculogenesis process. So, present study was aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin on wound healing in diabetic rats and to explore the expressions of the various factors involved in neovasculogenesis. Materials and methods Open excisional diabetic wound was created in sixty rats and divided into three groups viz. i) control, ii) pluronic gel-treated, and iii) curcumin-treated. The pluronic F-127 gel (25%) and curcumin (0.3%) in the pluronic gel were topically applied once daily for 19 d. The wound healing and neovasculogenesis among these groups were evaluated by gross appearance of wounds and microscopically by hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry for CD31, messenger RNA expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 , hypoxia-inducible growth factor-1alpha, stromal cell-derived growth factor-1alpha, and heme oxygenase-1, and Western blotting studies of VEGF and TGF-β1 in granulation and/or healing tissue on days 3, 7, 14, and 19. Results Curcumin application caused markedly fast wound closure with well-formed granulation tissue dominated by fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, and complete early regenerated epithelial layer. Immunohistochemistry for CD31 revealed well-formed blood vessels with increased microvessel density on days 3, 7, and 14 in the curcumin-treated group. Expressions of VEGF and TGF-β1 on days 3, 7, and 14, hypoxia-inducible growth factor-1alpha, stromal cell-derived growth factor-1alpha, and heme oxygenase-1 on days 3 and 7 were increased in curcumin-treated diabetic rats, as compared with other groups. Conclusions Curcumin enhanced the neovasculogenesis and accelerated the wound healing in diabetic rats by increased expressions of various factors.
The indoor cultivation of lettuce in a vertical hydroponic system (VHS) under artificial lighting is an energy-intensive process incurring a high energy cost. This study determines the optimal daily ...light integral (DLI) as a function of photoperiod on the physiological, morphological, and nutritional parameters, as well as the resource use efficiency of iceberg lettuce (cv. Glendana) grown in an indoor VHS. Seedlings were grown in a photoperiod of 12 h, 16 h, and 20 h with a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 200 µmol m
s
using white LED lights. The results obtained were compared with VHS without artificial lights inside the greenhouse. The DLI values for 12 h, 16 h, and 20 h were 8.64, 11.5, and 14.4 mol m
day
, respectively. The shoot fresh weight at harvest increased from 275.5 to 393 g as the DLI increased from 8.64 to 11.5 mol m
day
. DLI of 14.4 mol m
day
had a negative impact on fresh weight, dry weight, and leaf area. The transition from VHS without artificial lights to VHS with artificial lights resulted in a 60% increase in fresh weight. Significantly higher water use efficiency of 71 g FW/L and energy use efficiency of 206.31 g FW/kWh were observed under a DLI of 11.5 mol m
day
. The study recommends an optimal DLI of 11.5 mol m
day
for iceberg lettuce grown in an indoor vertical hydroponic system.
Eukaryotic gene transcription is regulated at many steps, including RNA polymerase II (Pol II) recruitment, transcription initiation, promoter-proximal Pol II pause release, and transcription ...termination; however, mechanisms regulating transcription during productive elongation remain poorly understood. Enhancers, which activate gene transcription, themselves undergo Pol II-mediated transcription, but our understanding of enhancer transcription and enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) remains incomplete. Here we show that transcription at intragenic enhancers interferes with and attenuates host gene transcription during productive elongation. While the extent of attenuation correlates positively with nascent eRNA expression, the act of intragenic enhancer transcription alone, but not eRNAs, explains the attenuation. Through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletions, we demonstrate a physiological role for intragenic enhancer-mediated transcription attenuation in cell fate determination. We propose that intragenic enhancers not only enhance transcription of one or more genes from a distance but also fine-tune transcription of their host gene through transcription interference, facilitating differential utilization of the same regulatory element for disparate functions.
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•Intragenic enhancers, besides activating genes, also attenuate host gene expression•Transcription at intragenic enhancers interferes with host gene transcription•The act of enhancer transcription alone, but not the eRNA, explains the attenuation•Intragenic enhancer-mediated attenuation determines cell fate choice
Cinghu et al. report an unanticipated role for intragenic enhancers in attenuating host gene expression. They show that transcription at intragenic enhancers interferes with and attenuates host gene transcription during productive elongation. Genetic experiments reveal a physiological role for intragenic enhancer-mediated attenuation in cell fate choice during embryonic stem cell differentiation.
Sputum microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF are the primary rapid diagnostic methods for tuberculosis (TB) in Nepal. However, disagreements among Xpert, microscopy, and culture, for example, cases that are ...Xpert positive and microscopy negative, are frequently observed in Nepal, including in our reference laboratory. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Xpert with that of culture and microscopy for the diagnosis of TB in Nepal. A total of 125 TB suspected sputum samples were processed for Xpert microscopy and culture. Comparison of the Xpert results to the culture results showed 100% sensitivity and 97.4% specificity, with excellent agreement (kappa coefficient = 0.96), whereas comparison of microscopy to culture showed 43.2% sensitivity and 98.7% specificity, with moderate agreement (kappa coefficient = 0.4). The sensitivity and specificity of microscopy, when compared with Xpert, were 43.5% and 100%, respectively. Importantly, the majority of the Xpert-positive samples with medium MTB detection and all samples with low and very low MTB detection were missed by microscopy. Our study showed that Xpert MTB/RIF is a reliable tool for the diagnosis and management of TB in Nepal. However, because of its high cost and lack of sustainability, alternative simple, rapid diagnostic methods with similar high efficiency would be helpful for controlling TB in Nepal.
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