Oregano and its potential use as bioherbicide

Widespread use of synthetic herbicides in weed control could result in negative impact on human health and on the environment. Natural compounds could be successfully used as bioherbicides because they are potentially more environmental friendly and safe. Plants are an important source of active compounds. In particular, many species belonging to the Labiate family produce essential oils containing compounds that could act as natural herbicides. In this paper we report on preliminary studies about the effects on seed germination and plant growth of an oregano hybrid (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. virilidum × O. vulgare L. ssp. hirtum (Link) Iestwart). Experiments were done both in pots and in the field. Increasing amounts of chopped leaves and stems of oregano were added to the soil. In the pots, several weed species were sown, whereas naturally occurring infestation was evaluated in the field. In comparison with the control, a reduced number of weeds was observed where oregano biomass was added. The above-mentioned trend was more visible in the pots than in the field. The results suggest that the hybrid of oregano used in the trial could be an interesting source of natural compounds effective against weeds. Hence, further studies with this plant are likely to be successful

Cover crops and manure combined with commercial fertilizers differently affect yield and quality of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum l.) organically grown in puglia

Nitrogen is crucial for the productivity of agricultural systems, although there is a growing demand for alternative cultural practices that reduce the off-farm inputs of this fertilizer. Cover crops provide a suite of services; among these, they can affect soil nitrogen content. In addition, the use of manure can contribute to a decrease in nitrogen loads from external inputs. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in processing tomato grown under an organic system, the combined use of cover crops (i.e., Vicia faba var. minor, Triticum aestivum, and Raphanus sativus) or cattle manure, with reduced rates of commercial nitrogen fertilizers. The yield and some important qualitative characteristics of the tomato fruits were considered. V. faba was able to enhance the effects of the external input of nitrogen with respect to the yield. External inputs increased tocopherol content with respect to the control but only when it was integrated with manure. The content of carotenoids was not affected by commercial fertilizer alone; however, when it was supplied in addition to cattle manure or incorporation of R. sativus, a decrease in β-carotene was observed. Moreover, lycopene also decreased when T. aestivum or R. sativus were used as cover crops. We conclude that the sowing of nitrogen-fixing cover crops or the use of manure are good strategies for combining internal and external inputs for the sustainable production of processing tomato

Investigation into the effects of high-Z nano materials in proton therapy

High-Z nano materials have been previously shown to increase the amount of dose deposition within the tumour due to an increase in secondary electrons. This study evaluates the effects of high-Z nano materials in combination with protons, and the impact of proton energy, nanoparticle material and concentration. These effects were studied in silico through Monte Carlo simulation and experimentally through a phantom study, with particular attention to macroscale changes to the Bragg peak in the presence of nanoparticles. Three nanoparticle materials were simulated (gold, silver and platinum) at three concentrations (0.01, 0.1 and 6.5 mg ml(-1)) at two clinical proton energies (60 and 226 MeV). Simulations were verified experimentally using Gafchromic film measurements of gold nanoparticles suspended in water at two available high concentrations (5.5 mg ml(-1) and 1.1 mg ml(-1)). A significant change to Bragg peak features was evident, where at 226 MeV and 6.5 mg ml(-1), simulations of gold showed a 4.7 mm longitudinal shift of the distal edge and experimentally at 5.5 mg ml(-1), a shift of 2.2 mm. Simulations showed this effect to be material dependent, where platinum having the highest physical density caused the greatest shift with increasing concentration. A dose enhancement of 6%  ±  0.05 and 5%  ±  0.15 (60 MeV and 226 MeV, respectively) was evident with gold at 6.5 mg ml(-1) to water alone, compared to the 21%  ±  0.53 observed experimentally as dose to film with 5.5 mg ml(-1) of gold nanoparticles suspended in water at 226 MeV. The introduction of nanoparticles has strong potential to enhance dose in proton therapy, however the changes to the Bragg peak distribution that occur with high concentrations need to be accounted for to ensure tumour coverage

Evaluation of dittrichia viscosa (L.) greuter dried biomass for weed management

Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, a plant species common in the Mediterranean basin, produces several bioactive compounds, some of which have herbicidal effects. A number of greenhouse and field experiments were carried out in order to evaluate if these effects could be obtained also by using the whole plant biomass, to identify the efficacious doses, determine their effects on seed germination and weed emergence, and to evaluate influence of soil characteristics on biomass efficacy. The experiments carried out evidenced that: (i) the dried biomass completely hampers plant emergence when high doses (30–40 kg biomass m−3 of soil) are mixed into the soil, or delays it at a lower dose (10 kg m−3 ); (ii) the detrimental effects are not affected by soil type. The exploitation of the D. viscosa dried biomass appears to be a feasible option in weed management practices and its potential is discussed

Anti-biofilm inhibitory synergistic effects of combinations of essential oils and antibiotics

In recent years, the increase of bacteria antibiotic-resistance has been a severe problem for public health. A useful solution could be to join some phytochemicals naturally present in essential oils (EOs) to the existing antibiotics, with the aim to increase their efficacy in therapies. According to in vitro studies, EOs and their components could show such effects. Among them, we studied the activity of Cinnammonum zeylanicum, Mentha piperita, Origanum vulgare, and Thymus vulgaris EOs on bacterial biofilm and their synergism when used in association with some common antibiotics such as norfloxacin, oxacillin, and gentamicin. The chemical composition of EOs was determined using gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. The EOs drug efficacy was evaluated on four different strains of Gram-positive bacteria forming biofilms. The synergistic effects were tested through the chequerboard microdilution method. The association EOs-antibiotics showed a strong destruction of the biofilm growth of the four bacterial species considered. The interaction of norfloxacin with EOs was the most effective in all the tested combinations against the strains object of this study. These preliminary results suggest the formulation of a new generation of antimicrobial agents based on a combination of antimicrobial compounds with different origin

Comparison between two treatment protocols with recombinant Human Erythropoietin (rHuEpo) in the treatment of late anemia in neonates with Rh-Isoimmunization

Objectve. The Rh-hemolytic disease can lead to a late anemia by hemolytic and hyporigenerative mechanism. We compared the effectiveness of rHuEPO in two care protocols that differ for doses of rHuEPO administrated and for timing of administration. Methods. A cohort of 14 neonates was investigated. The neonates were treated with two different protocols. Protocol A: a dose of 200 U/kg/day of rHuEpo administered subcutaneously starting from the end of the second week of life; Protocol B: a dose of 400 U/kg/day of rHuEpo administered subcutaneously starting from the end of the first week of life. Results. The hematocrit values in the protocol A group decreased during treatment (32,5% vs 25,2%), whereas the hematocrit value in protocol B group remained almost stable (38,7% vs 42,8%). The mean numbers of platelets remained stable in both groups while neutrophils increased in protocol A group and decreased in protocol B (p<0,05). Reticulocyte count increased during treatment in both groups, although only in protocol B group it was statistically significative (p<0,05). Conclusions. Our results suggest a similar efficacy between the two treatment protocols. Increasing doses of rHuEPO do not seem enhancing their effectiveness and the incidence of side effects

Synergistic activity of new diclofenac and essential oils combinations against different candida spp

According to recent studies, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) have shown a good antimicrobial and antifungal activity. Their association with essential oils (EOs) could be useful for the treatment of infections caused by Candida spp. The aim of this studyis to evaluate the synergistic antifungal activity of new combinations between Diclofenac Sodium Salt (DSS), a widely used NSAID, with EOs of Mentha × piperita, Pelargonium graveolens and Melaleuca alternifolia. The in-vitro antifungal activity was determined on different Candida strains. The determination of the chemical composition of EOs was carried out by gaschromatography-massspectrometry (GC-MS). Susceptibility testing of planktonic cells was performed by using the broth microdilution assay and checkerboard methods. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of DSS was in a range from 1.02 to 2.05 µg/mL reaching a MIC value of 0.05 µg/mL when combined with Pelargonium graveolens (FICI = 0.23–0.35) or Menthapiperita (FICI = 0.22–0.30) EOs. These preliminary results show thatthe combination of the EOs with DSS improves the antifungal activity on all the tested Candida strains

The prevalence and clinical relevance of p27 and cyclin E immunoreactivity in myelodysplastic syndromes

We report on p27 and cyclin E immunoreactivity (IR) in 86 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). No association was found between cyclin E IR and survival in the whole series. Cyclin E IR was more prevalent in patients with refractory anemia (RA) and RA with ringed sideroblasts (RARS) with poor survival, although this trend was not statistically significant

FISH characterization of t(8;12)(q12;p13) observed as the sole karyotypic anomaly in a myelodysplastic syndrome patient

We report a t(8;12)(q12; p13) as the sole cytogenetic anomaly in a patient with a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). By means of FISH, we mapped the genomic region involved in the breakpoint (bkp) on both chromosomes. The 12p13 bkp mapped between markers WI-664 and WI-9218, immediately distal to the breakpoint cluster region frequently involved in hematological neoplasms targeted by y964C10. The 8q12 bkp (not yet investigated by FISH) was characterized and found to occur between markers WI-3263 and D8S524 within the region recognized by y874E1