Isolation And Characterization Of Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase (Pal) And Other Defence Response Genes From Oil Palm (Elaies Guineensis Jacq.)

Enhanced disease resistance and plant defense response against pathogen attack and environmental stresses have always been important targets of plant biotechnology. The activation of the defense response requires the recognition of an elicitor and the subsequent initiation of a signal transduction pathway, which then leads to the activation of defense genes and the production of phytoalexins. Plants respond to pathogen attack and environmental stimuli by activating a wide variety of defense reactions including transcriptional activation of genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, accumulation of antimicrobial phytoalexins, and ethylene production. Phenylpropanoid metabolism is a plant specific pathway that leads to the production of secondary metabolites including isoflavonoid phytoalexins, lignin, flavonoid pigments and UV protectants such as furanocoumarin. Here, we report the isolation of several , different clones that are involved in the plant defense response by screening of oil palm zygotic embryo and suspension culture cDNA libraries.These clones include phenylalanine ammonia- lyase (PAL) (4-4A, II F I and 12B1), S-adenosylmethionine synthetase I (Adomet synthetase I) (11 AI), peroxidase (7 A2), chitinase III (4A3), calmodulin (3E2), and beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) (3G 1)

Optimal Aeration Management Strategy for A Small-Scale Food Waste Composting

Food waste is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions when it ends up in landfills. Composting is a sustainable solution to this problem, but it requires controlled and continuous airflow for optimal performance. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of aeration rates and airflow directions on food waste composting using a closed system with forced aeration. Air was entered into the composting vessel in three directions, which were upward, downward, and a combination of both directions. Each direction was run at aeration rates of 0.1, 0.4, and 0.7 L/min. The findings show that the compost pile aerated at 0.4 L/min by using two-directional airflow can reach the thermophilic temperature within half of the day. The compost pile achieved temperature of 40.94°C after 10.5 hours. Although the compost experienced slightly high in moisture loss (4.3%), the compost still attained the standard values for maturity. The compost produced from food waste could be applied in soil to improve its fertility

Computational ligand–receptor docking simulation of piperine with apoptosis-associated factors

Although widely known for its antioxidant properties, piperine’s (a compound from the pepper plant) physiologic involvement in apoptosis (programmed cell death) is unclear. As a prerequisite to unravel its role in this process, computational approaches simulating ligand–receptor docking are sought. Herein, we report the simulated binding of piperine with major apoptotic proteins via combined deployment of AutoDock suite (AutoDock Vina), PyMOL, and LigPlot + software. Our results demonstrated varied binding affinity toward the different apoptosis-associated proteins with a higher to lower affinity pattern in the order of TNFR-1 > Caspase-3 > TNF-α > Caspase-8 > Bcl-2 > Caspase-9 > Bax. Docking scores for all receptor–ligand interactions indicate a strong likelihood of impromptu receptor–ligand binding. Molecularly, the simulated analysis revealed hydrophobic interactions in all receptor–ligand models studied. Receptor–piperine complexes involving TNFR-1 and Caspase-8 showed single hydrogen bonding whereas amino acid residues of TNF-α exhibited double hydrogen bonding to piperine. In the TNFR-1-piperine complex (receptor–ligand docked model with strongest binding affinity) the hydrophobic interaction involves amino acid residues of SER74, LYS75, ASN110 (2), THR94, CYS96, VAL95, and PHE112. Our findings provide novel in silico evidence of piperine’s binding affinity toward apoptosis-associated proteins and the high likelihood of its influence on apoptosis reaction via the extrinsic pathway

Evaluation of Deep Learning for Image-based Black Pepper Disease and Nutrient Deficiency Classification

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) diseases and nutrient deficiency can often be observed based on the symptoms exerted on its leaves. This paper aimed to investigate the effectiveness of employing a deep learning approach to classify black pepper disease and nutrient deficiency based on leaf images. We constructed a customized convolutionary neural network to determine how its training parameters would affect the prediction performances. Another two deep learning neural networks VGG16 and Inception V3, are also employed for comparisons. We have sampled 947 images from farms in Sarawak consisted of 8 classes in total. Image augmentation is performed on the images to produce a total of 9532 images. The result shows that the customized CNN performed slightly better than the other two deep learning approaches at a 0.98 sensitivity rate. Furthermore, image augmentation contributed to improving prediction performance for all the deep learning models. This study has demonstrated that deep learning is a feasible approach for classifying black pepper diseases and nutrient deficiency based on leaf images

Cytoprotective and Cytotoxic Effects of Rice Bran Extracts in Rat H9c2(2-1) Cardiomyocytes

This study was aimed at preliminarily assessing the cytoprotective and antioxidative effects of rice bran extracts (RBEs) from a Sarawak local rice variety (local name: “BJLN”) and a commercial rice variety, “MR219,” on oxidative stress in rat H9c2(2-1) cardiomyocytes. The cardiomyocytes were incubated with different concentrations of RBE and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively, to identify their respective IC50 values and safe dose ranges. Two nonlethal and close-to-IC50 doses of RBE were selected to evaluate their respective effects on H2O2 induced oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. Both RBEs showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity effects on cardiomyocytes. H2O2 induction of cardiomyocytes pretreated with RBE further revealed the dose-dependent cytoprotective and antioxidative effects of RBE via an increase in IC50 values of H2O2. Preliminary analyses of induction effects of RBE and H2O2 on cellular antioxidant enzyme, catalase (CAT), also revealed their potential in regulating these activities and expression profile of related gene on oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. Pretreated cardiomyocytes significantly upregulated the enzymatic activity and expression level of CAT under the exposure of H2O2 induced oxidative stress. This preliminary study has demonstrated the potential antioxidant effects of RBE in alleviating H2O2-mediated oxidative injuries via upregulation in enzymatic activities and expression levels of CAT

Synthesis and Anticancer Activities of 4-[(Halophenyl)diazenyl]phenol and 4-[(Halophenyl)diazenyl]phenyl Aspirinate Derivatives against Nasopharyngeal Cancer Cell Lines

Aspirin and azo derivatives have been widely studied and have drawn considerable attention due to diverse biological activities. In this study, a series of 4-[(halophenyl)diazenyl]phenyl aspirinate derivatives were synthesized from the reaction of aspirin with 4-[(halophenyl)diazenyl]phenol via esterification, in the presence of DCC/DMAP in DCM with overall yield of 45–54%. 4- [(Halophenyl)diazenyl]phenol was prepared prior to esterification fromcoupling reaction of aniline derivatives and phenol in basic solution. All compounds were characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies. All compounds were screened for their anticancer activities against nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) HK-1 cell lines and the viability of cultured cells was determined by MTS [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxylmethoxylphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium]- based colorimetric assay. 4-[(E)-(Fluorophenyl)diazenyl]phenol showed the highest anticancer activity against NPC HK-1 cell lines compared to other synthesized compounds. 4-[(Halophenyl)diazenyl]phenyl aspirinate showed low cytotoxicity against NPC HK-1 cell lines compared to 4-[(halophenyl)diazenyl]phenol but better anticancer activity than aspirin alone

In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of thioureaderivatives bearing Salix sp. constituent againstHK-1 cell lines

In searching for drugs from natural product scaffolds has gained inter-est among researchers. In this study, a series of twelve halogenatedthiourea (ATX 1-12)viachemical modification of aspirin (a naturalproduct derivative) and evaluated for cytotoxic activity against naso-pharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines, HK-1 via MTS-based colorimetricassay. The cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that halogens atmetapos-ition ofATXshowed promising activity against HK-1 cells (IC50value�15mM) in comparison to cisplatin, a positive cytotoxic drug (IC50value¼8.9 ± 1.9mM).ATX 11, bearing iodine atmetaposition, showed robustcytotoxicity against HK-1 cells with an IC50value of 4.7 ± 0.7mM.Molecular docking interactions betweenATX 11and cyclooxygenase-2demonstrated a robust binding affinity value of�8.1 kcal/mol as com-pared to aspirin’sbindingaffinityvalueof�6.4 kcal/mol. The findingsrepresent a promising lead molecule from natural product with excel-lent cytotoxic activity against NPC cell lines

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Identification of Potential p38γ Inhibitors via In Silico Screening, In Vitro Bioassay and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

Protein kinase p38γ is an attractive target against cancer because it plays a pivotal role in cancer cell proliferation by phosphorylating the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor protein. Therefore, inhibition of p38γ with active small molecules represents an attractive alternative for developing anti-cancer drugs. In this work, we present a rigorous and systematic virtual screening framework to identify potential p38γ inhibitors against cancer. We combined the use of machine learning-based quantitative structure activity relationship modelling with conventional computer-aided drug discovery techniques, namely molecular docking and ligand-based methods, to identify potential p38γ inhibitors. The hit compounds were filtered using negative design techniques and then assessed for their binding stability with p38γ through molecular dynamics simulations. To this end, we identified a promising compound that inhibits p38γ activity at nanomolar concentrations and hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth in vitro in the low micromolar range. This hit compound could serve as a potential scaffold for further development of a potent p38γ inhibitor against cancer