Buah Mengkudu (Morinda Citrifolia L.) sebagai Pengadsorbi Minyak Jelantah

The used and storage of cooking oil that has not been done properly can lead to exessive water content in the oil. Thus, this can degrade the quality of the oil and fried foods, and turn to interfere health. The aim of this study was to determine teh quality of used cooking oil after adsorbed by mengkudu or noni (morinda citrifolia L.) powder. The quality of the oil was determined based on the free fatty acids content, peroxide numbers, moisture and dirt content before and after adsorbased by using the titration method in determining the FFA content and peroxide number, while the water content and impurities levels were determined by using a closed oven method. The quality standard of good oil is based on the Indonesian National Standard (SNI), i.e. the maximum free fatty acid content of 0.3%, the maximum peroxide numbers of 2 meq.O2/kg, the maximum water contens of 0.3%, and the impurities level of 1.0%. The result indicated that the quality of used cooking oil before adsorption was not in accordance with the quality standards of oil. The quality of oil improved after adsorption with 5 grams, 10 grams and 15 grams of noni powder of 100 ml waste cooking oil, and the best absorbent numbers, moisture content, and dirt with 15 grams were 0.2%, 2 meq.O2/kg, 0.09%. This is showed that the quality of the used cooking oil to be better after the addition of noni powder served as an adsorbent

A multi-scale analysis of bull sperm methylome revealed both species peculiarities and conserved tissue-specific

peer-reviewedBackground: Spermatozoa have a remarkable epigenome in line with their degree of specialization, their unique nature and different requirements for successful fertilization. Accordingly, perturbations in the establishment of DNA methylation patterns during male germ cell differentiation have been associated with infertility in several species.Background: Spermatozoa have a remarkable epigenResults: The quantification of DNA methylation at CCGG sites using luminometric methylation assay (LUMA) highlighted the undermethylation of bull sperm compared to the sperm of rams, stallions, mice, goats and men. Total blood cells displayed a similarly high level of methylation in bulls and rams, suggesting that undermethylation of the bovine genome was specific to sperm. Annotation of CCGG sites in different species revealed no striking bias in the distribution of genome features targeted by LUMA that could explain undermethylation of bull sperm. To map DNA methylation at a genome-wide scale, bull sperm was compared with bovine liver, fibroblasts and monocytes using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and immunoprecipitation of methylated DNA followed by microarray hybridization (MeDIP-chip). These two methods exhibited differences in terms of genome coverage, and consistently, two independent sets of sequences differentially methylated in sperm and somatic cells were identified for RRBS and MeDIP-chip. Remarkably, in the two sets most of the differentially methylated sequences were hypomethylated in sperm. In agreement with previous studies in other species, the sequences that were specifically hypomethylated in bull sperm targeted processes relevant to the germline differentiation program (piRNA metabolism, meiosis, spermatogenesis) and sperm functions (cell adhesion, fertilization), as well as satellites and rDNA repeats. Conclusions: These results highlight the undermethylation of bull spermatozoa when compared with both bovine somatic cells and the sperm of other mammals, and raise questions regarding the dynamics of DNA methylation in bovine male germline. Whether sperm undermethylation has potential interactions with structural variation in the cattle genome may deserve further attention. While bull semen is widely used in artificial insemination, the literature describing DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa is still scarce. The purpose of this study was therefore to characterize the bull sperm methylome relative to both bovine somatic cells and the sperm of other mammals through a multiscale analysis

Defective germline reprogramming rewires the spermatogonial transcriptome.

Defective germline reprogramming in Piwil4 (Miwi2)- and Dnmt3l-deficient mice results in the failure to reestablish transposon silencing, meiotic arrest and progressive loss of spermatogonia. Here we sought to understand the molecular basis for this spermatogonial dysfunction. Through a combination of imaging, conditional genetics and transcriptome analysis, we demonstrate that germ cell elimination in the respective mutants arises as a result of defective de novo genome methylation during reprogramming rather than because of a function for the respective factors within spermatogonia. In both Miwi2-/- and Dnmt3l-/- spermatogonia, the intracisternal-A particle (IAP) family of endogenous retroviruses is derepressed, but, in contrast to meiotic cells, DNA damage is not observed. Instead, we find that unmethylated IAP promoters rewire the spermatogonial transcriptome by driving expression of neighboring genes. Finally, spermatogonial numbers, proliferation and differentiation are altered in Miwi2-/- and Dnmt3l-/- mice. In summary, defective reprogramming deregulates the spermatogonial transcriptome and may underlie spermatogonial dysfunction

The impact of transposable element activity on therapeutically relevant human stem cells

Human stem cells harbor significant potential for basic and clinical translational research as well as regenerative medicine. Currently ~ 3000 adult and ~ 30 pluripotent stem cell-based, interventional clinical trials are ongoing worldwide, and numbers are increasing continuously. Although stem cells are promising cell sources to treat a wide range of human diseases, there are also concerns regarding potential risks associated with their clinical use, including genomic instability and tumorigenesis concerns. Thus, a deeper understanding of the factors and molecular mechanisms contributing to stem cell genome stability are a prerequisite to harnessing their therapeutic potential for degenerative diseases. Chemical and physical factors are known to influence the stability of stem cell genomes, together with random mutations and Copy Number Variants (CNVs) that accumulated in cultured human stem cells. Here we review the activity of endogenous transposable elements (TEs) in human multipotent and pluripotent stem cells, and the consequences of their mobility for genomic integrity and host gene expression. We describe transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms antagonizing the spread of TEs in the human genome, and highlight those that are more prevalent in multipotent and pluripotent stem cells. Notably, TEs do not only represent a source of mutations/CNVs in genomes, but are also often harnessed as tools to engineer the stem cell genome; thus, we also describe and discuss the most widely applied transposon-based tools and highlight the most relevant areas of their biomedical applications in stem cells. Taken together, this review will contribute to the assessment of the risk that endogenous TE activity and the application of genetically engineered TEs constitute for the biosafety of stem cells to be used for substitutive and regenerative cell therapiesS.R.H. and P.T.R. are funded by the Government of Spain (MINECO, RYC-2016- 21395 and SAF2015–71589-P [S.R.H.]; PEJ-2014-A-31985 and SAF2015–71589- P [P.T.R.]). GGS is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany (FKZ2518FSB403)

Immuno-metabolic profile of patients with psychotic disorders and metabolic syndrome. Results from the FACE-SZ cohort

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a highly prevalent and harmful medical disorder often comorbid with psychosis where it can contribute to cardiovascular complications. As immune dysfunction is a key shared component of both MetS and schizophrenia (SZ), this study investigated the relationship between immune alterations and MetS in patients with SZ, whilst controlling the impact of confounding clinical characteristics including psychiatric symptoms and comorbidities, history of childhood maltreatment and psychotropic treatments. Method: A total of 310 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for SZ or schizoaffective disorders (SZA), with or without MetS, were systematically assessed and included in the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia (FACE-SZ) cohort. Detailed clinical characteristics of patients, including psychotic symptomatology, psychiatric comorbidities and history of childhood maltreatment were recorded and the serum levels of 18 cytokines were measured. A penalized regression method was performed to analyze associations between inflammation and MetS, whilst controlling for confounding factors. Results: Of the total sample, 25% of patients had MetS. Eight cytokines were above the lower limit of detection (LLOD) in more than 90% of the samples and retained in downstream analysis. Using a conservative Variable Inclusion Probability (VIP) of 75%, we found that elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-12/23 p40 and IL-16 and lower levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were associated with MetS. As for clinical variables, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), diagnosis of SZ (not SZA), age at the first episode of psychosis (FEP), alcohol abuse, current tobacco smoking, and treatment with antidepressants and anxiolytics were all associated with MetS. Conclusion: We have identified five cytokines associated with MetS in SZ suggesting that patients with psychotic disorders and MetS are characterized by a specific “immuno-metabolic” profile. This may help to design tailored treatments for this subgroup of patients with both psychotic disorders and MetS, taking one more step towards precision medicine in psychiatry. © 2022 The AuthorsImmuno-Génétique, Inflammation, retro-Virus, Environnement : de l'étiopathogénie des troubles psychotiques aux modèles animauxRéseau d'Innovation sur les Voies de Signalisation en Sciences de la Vi

From goodwill to good deals: FELDA land resettlement scheme and the ascendancy of the landless poor in Malaysia

Land resettlement schemes are commonly used in the developing countries to leverage poor peoples access to land for shelter, food production, or boosting rural development. Unfortunately, not many resettlement schemes have effectively solved the problems they were designed to tackle. For researchers and policymakers in particular, part of the problem has been the lack of enabling analytical tools for holistic and an in-depth analysis of the trajectories of the few successful models of land resettlement schemes. The current study examines the features of one of the most successful land resettlement initiatives, namely the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) scheme in Malaysia. Established in 1956, the scheme comprises over 400 settler communities that cover about 16 of Malaysias total land area. The FELDA scheme has tremendously transformed the lives of the landless population through provision of shelter, jobs, income from agribusiness shareholding, and ownership of highly valorised land titles. This study combined the path dependency approach and Earth system governance analytic tools to examine the trajectories and multidimensional features that make the FELDA scheme a good example to reckon with. Thus, broadening researchers and policymakers appreciation of the role of analytical dimensions is a major contribution of this study to the current debates on the pro-poor land governance strategies in the Global South. Finally, the study shines some light at the role of land governance in streamlining land development and goals of sustainable national planning

Perception of rural farmers on pesticide use in vegetable production

Abstract. In rural areas of Bangladesh, farmers use various types of pesticides without thinking about the effects of these pesticides on deteriorating and polluting the environment. As a result, the present study examined the rural farmers’ perception on pesticide use for vegetable production. The study was conducted in four villages of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh. A total of 110 vegetables farmers were selected as sample for the study. Interview schedule was employed for collection of primary data. Simple statistics was used for analysis, viz. frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, while correlation was employed to test the relationship between the selected socioeconomic characteristics and perception of the farmers on pesticide use in vegetable cultivation. Findings revealed that most of the respondents were over 35 years old, had high literacy level, 7 or less family members, contacted various information sources, received training (64.55%), earned low (78.2%) income annually and slightly above half (52.73%) participated in organizations. A greater majority of the respondents had favorable to highly favorable perception on pesticide use in vegetable production. Also, most of the respondents faced myriad of difficulties in dealing with pesticide, especially eye and skin difficulties. Organizational participation (r = 0.220) showed significant relationship with perception on pesticide use in vegetable production. Therefore, information dissemination should be improved by the government in order to increase awareness on safe use of pesticides, as well as establish centres for surveillance, prevention, and management of difficulties associated with dealing with pesticides