Assessment of the response of Plasmodiophora brassicae in contaminated horticultural land, using lime‐based fertilizer concentrations

Infection of brassica crops with the clubroot pathogen, Plasmodiophora brassicae, can result in stunted plant growth and wilting, which can severely affect crop yield. Determining P. brassicae infection within a field prior to crop planting has long posed a problem for choosing appropriate control treatments. The options for control of this pathogen are limited and in the UK and are based on adjusting pH with soil amendments. In this study quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was investigated for measurement of this pathogen in different control treatments. The qPCR was capable of reliably quantifying P. brassicae at levels greater than and including 103 resting spores/g soil. The assay was used to study the effect of lime‐based products (LimeX) on the incidence of the clubroot pathogen in field trials with broccoli crops grown on contaminated land. The results showed that variation occurred in clubroot resting spore levels in treated and untreated plots during the crop growing period. In year one there was a 96% decrease in spore load during the growth of the crop. Treatment with LimeX resulted in a greater marketable head weight of broccoli in 2 years of the field trials, and significantly reduced gall numbers on the roots in 1 year. The rate of lime (calcium carbonate) application was not found to have a significant effect in this study, however a greater reduction in clubroot was observed at higher LimeX concentrations

Exercise therapy in Type 2 diabetes

Structured exercise is considered an important cornerstone to achieve good glycemic control and improve cardiovascular risk profile in Type 2 diabetes. Current clinical guidelines acknowledge the therapeutic strength of exercise intervention. This paper reviews the wide pathophysiological problems associated with Type 2 diabetes and discusses the benefits of exercise therapy on phenotype characteristics, glycemic control and cardiovascular risk profile in Type 2 diabetes patients. Based on the currently available literature, it is concluded that Type 2 diabetes patients should be stimulated to participate in specifically designed exercise intervention programs. More attention should be paid to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal deconditioning as well as motivational factors to improve long-term treatment adherence and clinical efficacy. More clinical research is warranted to establish the efficacy of exercise intervention in a more differentiated approach for Type 2 diabetes subpopulations within different stages of the disease and various levels of co-morbidity

Voltammetric Detection of Damage to DNA by Arsenic Compounds at a DNA Biosensor

DNA biosensor can serve as a powerfull tool for simple in vitro tests of chemicaltoxicity. In this paper, damage to DNA attached to the surface of screen-printed carbonelectrode by arsenic compounds in solution is described. Using the Co(III) complex with1,10-phenanthroline, [Co(phen)3]3+ , as an electrochemical DNA marker and the Ru(II)complex with bipyridyne, [Ru(bipy)3]2+ , as a DNA oxidation catalyst, the portion of originaldsDNA which survives an incubation of the biosensor in the cleavage medium was evaluated.The model cleavage mixture was composed of an arsenic compound at 10-3 mol/Lconcentration corresponding to real contaminated water, 2x10-4 mol/L Fe(II) or Cu(II) ions asthe redox catalyst, and 1.5x10-2 mol/L hydrogen peroxide. DNA damage by arsenite,dimethylarsinic acid as the metabolic product of inorganic arsenic and widely used herbicide,as well as phenylarsonic acid and p-arsanilic acid as the representatives of feed additives wasfound in difference to arsenate

Voltammetric detection of damage to DNA by arsenic compounds at a DNA biosensor

Abstract: DNA biosensor can serve as a powerfull tool for simple in vitro tests of chemical toxicity. In this paper, damage to DNA attached to the surface of screen-printed carbon electrode by arsenic compounds in solution is described. Using the Co(III) complex with 1,10-phenanthroline, [Co(phen)3] 3+, as an electrochemical DNA marker and the Ru(II) complex with bipyridyne, [Ru(bipy)3] 2+, as a DNA oxidation catalyst, the portion of original dsDNA which survives an incubation of the biosensor in the cleavage medium was evaluated. The model cleavage mixture was composed of an arsenic compound at 10-3 mol/L concentration corresponding to real contaminated water, 2x10-4 mol/L Fe(II) or Cu(II) ions as the redox catalyst, and 1.5x10-2 mol/L hydrogen peroxide. DNA damage by arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid as the metabolic product of inorganic arsenic and widely used herbicide, as well as phenylarsonic acid and p-arsanilic acid as the representatives of feed additives was found in difference to arsenate

Detection of Antioxidative Activity of Plant Extracts at the DNA-Modified Screen-Printed Electrode

A simple procedure for the voltammetric detection of antioxidative activity of plant extracts based on the protection from DNA damage at the electrode surface is reported. A disposable electrochemical DNA biosensor fabricated as a carbon-based screen-printed electrode modified by a surface layer of the calf thymus double stranded (ds) DNA was used as a working electrode in combination with a silver/silver chloride reference electrode and a separate platinum auxiliary electrode. The [Co(phen)3]3+ ion served as the dsDNA redox marker and the [Fe(EDTA)]- complex with hydrogen peroxide under the electrochemical reduction of the iron atom were used as the DNA cleavage mixture. A remarkable antioxidative activity of phenolic antioxidants such as rosmarinic and caffeic acids as standards and the extracts of lemon balm, oregano, thyme and agrimony was found which is quite in agreement with an antiradical activity determined spectrophotometrically using 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical