Ecology, distribution mapping and population structure of Trichopus zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus (Arogyapacha)

Trichopus zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus (Bedd.) Burkill ex K. Narayanan (Arogyapacha) is an ethnomedically important perennial herb with a restricted distribution in the southern Western Ghats, India. Habitat specifications reveal that suitable areas for this species occur at elevations ranging from 100 to 1000 m above sea level. A study was conducted to gain insights into the ecology, distribution mapping and population structure of T. zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus in the Western Ghats. The spatial distribution of this endemic species showed significant variations among populations. Seven populations were identified, exhibiting large and small distributional patches, even within a single population. Anthropogenic activities and climate-related shifts in ecophysiology have impacted seed dispersal, canopy gap formation and seedling mortality, altering vegetation composition. Observations indicated a disturbed ecological niche, fragmented habitat and patchy occurrence of this species. The vegetation data for T. zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus showed significant variations among the seven populations. The Kulathupuzha population exhibited higher recruitment rates and density than others. Canopy cover analysis revealed that populations with closed canopies influenced seedling recruitment and density. However, populations with moderately closed canopies displayed variable characteristics, with Kulathupuzha standing out for its higher recruitment rate and reproductive capacity

ESTIMATED DAILY INTAKE AND EXPOSURE OF SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE THROUGH FOOD PRODUCTS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN OF TIRUPATI, INDIA

Objective: According to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) the preservatives, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate belong to permitted class II preservatives. The aim of this study is to determine the concentration levels of these preservatives in food products that are consumed by school children and to assess the chronic dietary exposure by conducting the Total Diet Study (TDS).Methods: The quantitative determination was carried out by UV spectrophotometer. The absorbance for sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate were measured at 228 and 250 nm respectively. The 24-hour diet recall method was used to estimate the amount of food ate in last 24 hours. For estimation of preservative exposure dietary modelling techniques were utilized which combine the amount of preservative concentration present in that food with the amount of food consumed. Then the dietary exposure was assessed by considering the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).Results: The results include chemical concentration levels of the foods analyzed as well as estimated dietary exposures and contributions to the exposure from different foods. The obtained mean concentration of sodium benzoate was found to be425 ppm for sauces, 161 ppm for pickles and 80 ppm for soft drinks. Potassium sorbate was found to be 130 ppm for fruit juices,302 ppm for jellies and 380 ppm for jams. The highest mean dietary exposure for both the preservatives was observed in children of 2-7 years age group, the percentage exposure of sodium benzoate was 33% of the ADI and potassium sorbate was 17 % of the ADI.Conclusion: This study can enlighten the public on the consumption of preservative containing food products within the limit and encourages to eating fresh preservative free foods.Â

Conservation of Garcinia imberti Bourd. through seeds

Garcinia imberti seeds were collected during 2015-2017 from Shangili, Cheenikkala and Bonaccord evergreen forests of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, the only abode of this endangered endemic species. Germinability of seeds were analysed through decoating, Gibberellic acid (GA3) and light inductive pre-treatments on fresh (62.8 % moisture content; MC) and desiccated (fast; 23.3% MC and slow; 30.5 % MC) seeds. The seed germination with impermeable coat (0.7-1.2 mm) was restricted which on decoating got enhanced. Application of GA3 along with exposure to light breaked dormancy within 4-6 days compared to non-treated seeds that took 238-254 days to germinate. Stored seeds behaviour revealed that seed moisture content and rate of germination were negatively correlated. Seed storage was found to be more efficient only up to 80 days at controlled seed banking conditions (20 ± 20C, 20 % relative humidity; RH). Both fast and slow desiccated seeds stored for 60 days in seed bank conditions exhibited 50.4 and 43.4 % of germination compared 39.4% germination of non-desiccated seeds. Hence fast desiccated and decoated G. imberti seeds pre-treated with GA3 on subsequent exposure to light alleviated dormancy. For seed banking, fast desiccated seeds with MC in between 40-20% are found to be promising

The feasibility of integrating alcohol risk-reduction counseling into existing VCT services in Kenya

This pretest-posttest separate-sample study with intervention and comparison groups documented the abilities and willingness of trained voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) service providers to integrate alcohol screening and risk reduction counseling into their routine service delivery. Pre-test (n=1073) and post-test data (n=1058) were collected from different clients exiting from 25 VCT centers. A 12-month intervention that required all VCT providers from the intervention groups to screen all VCT clients for their alcohol use and offer them brief risk reduction alcoholrelated counseling was implemented. At post-test, the intervention group clients (n=456) had better study outcomes than the comparison group clients (n=602). Intervention clients were more likely to report that their VCT service provider had: asked them about their alcohol use (83% vs. 41%:

Disaster risk from diarrhoeal diseases and WASH in South Africa and Botswana in MDG time

South Africa and Botswana are middle-income countries in the southern part of the African continent. They are also the two of the most developed countries in the region, where socio-economic situation is better than in many other parts of the African continent. The progression of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in these two countries can be seen as the setting stage for the disaster risk management understanding in the African region in the 21st century. This is done in this article for disaster risk management and waterborne diseases or water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions in Botswana and South Africa. The authors used an open-source on the mortality in children under 5 to develop a proxy indicator for disaster risk from WASH. This dependent variable is correlated with the access to improved water and sanitation sources or facilities, and the expected lifespan at birth of the South African population. The latter indicators are used as independent variables in correlations, and they are seen as expressions of vulnerability determinants in the WASH context in South Africa and Botswana. Results indicate that the strongest prevention of the death rates from the WASH-related diseases comes from the overall status of the healthcare system in Botswana and South Africa. Socio-economic parameter played limited to no role in the determination of the diarrhoeal disease disaster risk in both the studied countries. Contribution: Access to improved drinking water sources and improved sanitation facilities played a partial role as a controlling factor in determining the WASH-related death rates. The overall functioning of the healthcare system is the most dominant factor in the disaster risk from WASH in South Africa and Botswana

Cell Surface Remodeling of Mycobacterium abscessus under Cystic Fibrosis Airway Growth Conditions.

Understanding the physiological processes underlying the ability of Mycobacterium abscessus to become a chronic pathogen of the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung is important to the development of prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to better control and treat pulmonary infections caused by these bacteria. Gene expression profiling of a diversity of M. abscessus complex isolates points to amino acids being significant sources of carbon and energy for M. abscessus in both CF sputum and synthetic CF medium and to the bacterium undergoing an important metabolic reprogramming in order to adapt to this particular nutritional environment. Cell envelope analyses conducted on the same representative isolates further revealed unexpected structural alterations in major cell surface glycolipids known as the glycopeptidolipids (GPLs). Besides showing an increase in triglycosylated forms of these lipids, CF sputum- and synthetic CF medium-grown isolates presented as yet unknown forms of GPLs representing as much as 10% to 20% of the total GPL content of the cells, in which the classical amino alcohol located at the carboxy terminal of the peptide, alaninol, is replaced with the branched-chain amino alcohol leucinol. Importantly, both these lipid changes were exacerbated by the presence of mucin in the culture medium. Collectively, our results reveal potential new drug targets against M. abscessus in the CF airway and point to mucin as an important host signal modulating the cell surface composition of this pathogen

Regulation of mycolactone, the Mycobacterium ulcerans toxin, depends on nutrient source

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium ulcerans, a slow-growing environmental bacterium, is the etiologic agent of Buruli ulcer, a necrotic skin disease. Skin lesions are caused by mycolactone, the main virulence factor of M. ulcerans, with dermonecrotic (destruction of the skin and soft tissues) and immunosuppressive activities. This toxin is secreted in vesicles that enhance its biological activities. Nowadays, it is well established that the main reservoir of the bacilli is localized in the aquatic environment where the bacillus may be able to colonize different niches. Here we report that plant polysaccharides stimulate M. ulcerans growth and are implicated in toxin synthesis regulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, by selecting various algal components, we have identified plant-specific carbohydrates, particularly glucose polymers, capable of stimulating M. ulcerans growth in vitro. Furthermore, we underscored for the first time culture conditions under which the polyketide toxin mycolactone, the sole virulence factor of M. ulcerans identified to date, is down-regulated. Using a quantitative proteomic approach and analyzing transcript levels by RT-qPCR, we demonstrated that its regulation is not at the transcriptional or translational levels but must involve another type of regulation. M. ulcerans produces membrane vesicles, as other mycobacterial species, in which are the mycolactone is concentrated. By transmission electron microscopy, we observed that the production of vesicles is independent from the toxin production. Concomitant with this observed decrease in mycolactone production, the production of mycobacterial siderophores known as mycobactins was enhanced. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This work is the first step in the identification of the mechanisms involved in mycolactone regulation and paves the way for the discovery of putative new drug targets in the future

Acylation of glycerolipids in mycobacteria

We report on the existence of two phosphatidic acid biosynthetic pathways in mycobacteria, a classical one wherein the acylation of the sn-1 position of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) precedes that of sn-2 and another wherein acylations proceed in the reverse order. Two unique acyltransferases, PlsM and PlsB2, participate in both pathways and hold the key to the unusual positional distribution of acyl chains typifying mycobacterial glycerolipids wherein unsaturated substituents principally esterify position sn-1 and palmitoyl principally occupies position sn-2. While PlsM selectively transfers a palmitoyl chain to the sn-2 position of G3P and sn-1-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), PlsB2 preferentially transfers a stearoyl or oleoyl chain to the sn-1 position of G3P and an oleyl chain to sn-2-LPA. PlsM is the first example of an sn-2 G3P acyltransferase outside the plant kingdom and PlsB2 the first example of a 2-acyl-G3P acyltransferase. Both enzymes are unique in their ability to catalyze acyl transfer to both G3P and LPA.This work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants AI064798 and AI155674 (to M.J.) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grants BFU2016-77427-C2-2-R, PID2019-105649RB-I00 and PID2022-138694OB-I00 (to M.E.G.).Peer reviewe

Globally, songs and instrumental melodies are slower and higher and use more stable pitches than speech: a Registered Report

Both music and language are found in all known human societies, yet no studies have compared similarities and differences between song, speech, and instrumental music on a global scale. In this Registered Report, we analyzed two global datasets: (i) 300 annotated audio recordings representing matched sets of traditional songs, recited lyrics, conversational speech, and instrumental melodies from our 75 coauthors speaking 55 languages; and (ii) 418 previously published adult-directed song and speech recordings from 209 individuals speaking 16 languages. Of our six preregistered predictions, five were strongly supported: Relative to speech, songs use (i) higher pitch, (ii) slower temporal rate, and (iii) more stable pitches, while both songs and speech used similar (iv) pitch interval size and (v) timbral brightness. Exploratory analyses suggest that features vary along a “musi-linguistic” continuum when including instrumental melodies and recited lyrics. Our study provides strong empirical evidence of cross-cultural regularities in music and speech

Cattle feedlot operations at Sodaco Farms

n/