A new symptomatology was observed in celery (Apium graveolens) in Villena, Spain in 2008. Symptomatology included an abnormal amount of shoots per plant and curled stems. These vegetative disorders ...were associated with 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' and not with phytoplasmas. Samples from plant sap were immobilized on membranes based on the spot procedure and tested using a newly developed real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to detect 'Ca. L. solanacearum'. Then, a test kit was developed and validated by intralaboratory assays with an accuracy of 100%. Bacterial-like cells with typical morphology of 'Ca. Liberibacter' were observed using electron microscopy in celery plant tissues. A fifth haplotype of 'Ca. L. solanacearum', named E, was identified in celery and in carrot after analyzing partial sequences of 16S and 50S ribosomal RNA genes. From our results, celery (family Apiaceae) can be listed as a new natural host of this emerging bacterium.
ABSTRACT The application of biostimulants in agriculture has been studied to increase production while using smaller physical spaces and agricultural inputs to increase sustainability in production ...systems. Despite the promising results, there is a need to study the effects of joint applications of these products, identifying possible interactions during crop development. Thus, this study aimed to verify the biostimulant potential of the isolated and combined use of nicotinamide and Azospirillum brasilense during the initial growth of pumpkin plants in hydroponic cultivation. A completely randomized design with six treatments and four replicates was performed. The treatments were composed by the combination of the application of nicotinamide (foliar) and A. brasilense (foliar or applied in the hydroponic solution). Treatments increased the gas exchanges, particularly the assimilation rate and carboxylation efficiency, being superior to the control treatment. However, for growth characteristics, the isolated application of nicotinamide favored the development of the shoot and, when combined with A. brasilense via foliar, increased root growth. Thus, the application of nicotinamide and A. brasilense alone or together enhances the growth and gas exchanges of pumpkin plants grown in a hydroponic system, especially when using foliar application of A. brasilense. Whereby its action can be referred to as a biostimulant effect. Furthermore, the application method affects the efficiency and compatibility of the products applied. Therefore, foliar application is recommended.
RESUMO A aplicação de bioestimulantes na agricultura tem sido estudada para aumentar a produção, utilizando menores espaços físicos e menos insumos agrícolas, visando aumentar a sustentabilidade nos sistemas de produção. Apesar dos resultados promissores, há necessidade de estudar os efeitos de aplicações conjuntas destes produtos, identificando possíveis interações durante o desenvolvimento da cultura. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo verificar o potencial bioestimulante do uso isolado e combinado de nicotinamida e Azospirillum brasilense durante o crescimento inicial de plantas de abóbora em cultivo hidropônico. Os tratamentos foram compostos pela combinação da aplicação de nicotinamida (foliar) e A. brasilense (foliar ou aplicada em solução hidropônica). Foi realizado um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com seis tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos aumentaram as trocas gasosas, principalmente a taxa de assimilação e a eficiência de carboxilação, sendo superiores ao tratamento controle. Em complemento, para as características de crescimento, a aplicação isolada de nicotinamida favoreceu o desenvolvimento da parte aérea e, quando combinada com A. brasilense via foliar, aumentou o crescimento radicular. Assim, a aplicação de nicotinamida e A. brasilense isoladamente ou em conjunto potencializa o crescimento e as trocas gasosas de plantas de abóbora cultivadas em sistema hidropônico, principalmente quando se utiliza aplicação foliar de A. brasilense. Desta maneira, sua ação pode ser referida como efeito bioestimulante. Além disso, o método de aplicação afeta a eficiência e compatibilidade dos produtos aplicados, recomendando-se a aplicação foliar.
Solanum paniculatum L. (Solanaceae) is a plant native to South America where it is used in traditional medicine for different therapeutic indications. This study evaluated the chemical composition ...and the hepatoprotective and analgesic activities of S. paniculatum leaf extracts.
The chemical profile of an ethyl acetate partition (SPOE) of a S. paniculatum leaf infusion (SPAE) was analysed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESIMS). Liver protective effects of SPAE (600 and 1200 mg/kg bw, po), or SPOE (300 mg/kg bw, po) were evaluated in a C57BL/6 mouse model of acetaminophen (AP, 600 mg/kg bw, ip) hepatotoxicity by measuring alanine (ALT) and aspartate (AST) aminotransferase activity in the serum, and reduced glutathione (GSH), and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARs) levels in the hepatic tissue.
HPLC-ESIMS analysis of the SPOE fraction tentatively identified 35 flavonoids, esters of hydroxycinnamic acid and isomers of chlorogenic acid. SPAE (600 and 1200 mg/kg bw) and SPOE (300 mg/kg bw) antagonized the rise in ALT and AST, and the depletion of GSH, and elevation of TBARs levels in the liver caused by AP. The liver protective effects of SPOE (300 mg/kg bw) against AP-induced liver toxicity mimicked those of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC 300 or 600 mg/kg bw ip). The mouse writhing assay showed that SPOE (300 mg/kg bw po) has anti-nociceptive effects comparable to those of AP (180 mg/kg bw po).
This study suggests that an extract of S. paniculatum leaves (SPOE), rich in phenolic compounds, is a promising herbal drug to prevent and treat AP poisoning and presents analgesic properties as well.
To evaluate serum ferritin measured within 48 hours of admission as a prognostic marker and examine the association with unfavorable outcomes in a population of pediatric patients with sepsis and ...high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in which this biomarker is routinely measured.
Retrospective cohort study.
PICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital in a middle-income country in South America.
All patients 6 months to 18 years old (n = 350) admitted with a diagnosis of sepsis, suspected or proven, were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were length of PICU stay less than 8 hours and inherited or acquired disorder of iron metabolism that could interfere with serum ferritin levels.
None.
Three-hundred twelve patients had their ferritin levels measured within 48 hours, and only 38 did not. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL and mean corpuscular volume < 80 fl was 40.3%. The median of the highest serum ferritin level within 48 hours was 150.5 ng/mL (interquartile range, 82.25-362 ng/mL), being associated with mortality (p < 0.001; Exp(B), 5.170; 95% CI, 2.619-10.205). A 10-fold increase in ferritin level was associated with a five-fold increase in mortality. There was a monotonic increase in mortality with increasing ferritin levels (p < 0.05). Regarding the discriminatory power of ferritin for mortality, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.787 (95% CI, 0.737-0.83; p < 0.0001).
Serum ferritin at lower thresholds predicts mortality in children with sepsis admitted to the ICU in a middle-income country with high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia.
This article presents the development of an active thermography algorithm capable of detecting defects in materials, based on the techniques of Thermographic Signal Reconstruction (TSR), Thermal ...Contrast (TC) and the physical principles of heat transfer. The results obtained from this algorithm are compared to the TSR technique and the raw thermogram obtained by stepped thermography inspection. Experimentally, a short thermal pulse is used and the surface temperature of the sample is monitored over time with an infrared camera. Due to the volume of data, the first step is data compression. Newton's law of cooling was used to store the normalized temperature data pixel-by-pixel over time and a compression ratio of 99% was obtained. The main contributions of the developed algorithm are: only four parameters for data compression and the concept of change in the direction of the heat flow to delimit the edges of the defects, where the borders are identified with a remarkable accuracy. Some well known image processing technique are also integrated to improve the thermal analysis: edge detection/interface between the sample and the image background; consolidation in a single image by aggregating the indicators referring to the concept of cooling/heating time constant, maximum thermal amplitude and contrast.
Complete nucleotide sequences were determined for two plasmids bearing rmtD group 16S rRNA methyltransferase genes. pKp64/11 was 78 kb in size, belonged to the IncL/M group, and harbored blaTEM-1b, ...sul1, qacEΔ1, dfrA22, and rmtD1 across two multidrug resistance regions (MRRs). pKp368/10 was 170 kb in size, belonged to the IncA/C group, and harbored acrB, sul1, qacEΔ1, ant(3″)-Ia, aac(6')-Ib, cat, rmtD2, and blaCTX-M-8 across three MRRs. The rmtD-containing regions shared a conserved motif, suggesting a common origin for the two rmtD alleles.
Distinct parts of Solanum torvum Swartz. (Solanaceae) are popularly used for a variety of therapeutic purposes. This study determined the phytochemical composition of a phenolic fraction of S. torvum ...leaf aqueous extract and investigated its antioxidant and liver-protective properties. A phenolic compound-enriched fraction, or phenolic fraction (STLAE-PF) of an infusion (STLAE) of S. torvum leaves, was tested in vitro (antagonism of H
2
O
2
in cytotoxicity and DCF assays with HepG2/C3A cells), and in vivo for antioxidant activity and protective effects against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury in mice. Thirty-eight compounds (flavonoids, esters of hydroxycinnamic acid, and chlorogenic acid isomers) were tentatively identified (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry) in the STLAE-PF fraction. In vitro assays in HepG2/C3A cells showed that STLAE-PF and some flavonoids contained in this phenolic fraction, at noncytotoxic levels, antagonized in a concentration-dependent manner the effects of a powerful oxidant agent (H
2
O
2
). In C57BL/6 mice, oral administration of STLAE (600 and 1,200 mg/kg bw) or STLAE-PF (300 mg/kg bw) prevented the rise in serum transaminases (ALT and AST), depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) and elevation of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARs) levels in the liver caused by APAP (600 mg/kg bw, i.p.). The hepatoprotective effects of STLAE-PF (300 mg/kg bw) against APAP-caused liver injury were comparable to those of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC 300 or 600 mg/kg bw i.p.). These findings indicate that a phenolic fraction of S. torvum leaf extract (STLAE-PF) is a new phytotherapeutic agent potentially useful for preventing/treating liver injury caused by APAP overdosing.
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