Synthesis of Semiochemicals via Olefin Metathesis

Semiochemicals are substances or mixtures that carry messages and are used for communication between individuals of the same or different species. Semiochemicals that are used in pest control are called biopesticides. Conventional pesticides, which are generally synthetically derived and unnatural, inactivate or kill the pests, whereas biopesticides are naturally occurring compounds that attract insects to a trap or interfere with their reproduction. There are several advantages to biopesticides. Compared with conventional pesticides, biochemical-based pesticides are often less toxic and therefore have a significantly lower impact on human health and the environment. Moreover, biopesticides are pest-selective and as such do not negatively impact other organisms such as insects, mammals, or birds. Other advantages of biopesticides include high potency, meaning that smaller amounts of biopesticide are required, less resistance by target organisms, and the ability to biodegrade more quickly than conventional pesticides. Although biochemical-based pesticides are very promising materials, their production is often cumbersome, and their application is often limited. To date, most biopesticides have been synthesized by multistep, classical organic reactions that are not economical and have high environmental impact. However, in recent decades many efforts have been made to implement cost-effective and safer chemical procedures for the widespread application of biochemical-based pesticides. The purpose of this Perspective is to draw the attention of the green chemistry community to the applicability of olefin metathesis reactions in environmentally benign and cost-effective biopesticide synthesis. We review seminal work on the total synthesis of biopesticides using olefin metathesis as a key reaction step, and in doing so, we hope to inspire new ideas for forthcoming olefin-metathesis-based biopesticide development

Analysis of serum lipid profile in adult female smokers in Erbil city, Kurdistan region of Iraq

Background: There are few studies demonstrated the association between smoking and lipid profile in female adult smokers. Materials and Methods: This study conducted to determine and compare the serum lipid profile of female adult smokers with non-female smokers, known as controls. In 180 female subjects, the level of serum lipid profile measured. Results: Of these, 110 were smokers and 70 non-smokers (control) aged between 25 and 50 years. The study involved only smokers who had smoked for more than 5 years. Our result revealed that mean serum of total cholesterol (275.2 ± 32.6 mg/dl), triacylglycerol (188.4 ± 56.42 mg/dl), very low density lipoprotein (36.6 ± 14.2 mg/dl), low density lipoprotein (133.21 ± 9.81 mg/dl) were significantly higher in female smokers as compared to non-female smokers with mean of serum total cholesterol (172.3 ± 18.6 mg/dl), very low density lipoprotein (21.8 ± 9.6 mg/dl), triglyceride (108 ± 8.84 mg/dl), low density lipoprotein (94.54 ± 8.5 mg/dl). However, the mean of serum value for high density lipoprotein cholesterol in chronic female smokers was lower (44.6 ± 4.6 mg/dl) than in non-female smokers (55.3 ± 8.2 mg/dl). Conclusion: This study indicated that smoking cigarettes in female cause’s dyslipidemia, resulting in increased risk of cardiovascular disease among smokers

Interlaboratory evaluation of an ELISA performed using a robotic automatic workstation versus manually testing for screening of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Choleraesuis antibodies in pig serum

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect antibodies directed against Salmonella spp. in porcine serum. This assay is based on the Exiqon VetScreen TM Salmonella Covalent Mix-ELISA 96-well microtiter plates (Jauho et al, 2000). These microtiter plates are photochemically coated with Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella choleraesuis PS- antigens 1,4,5,6,7, and 12 using the ExiqonDs patented photochemical method for covalent coupling of ligands to polymer surfaces (Wiuff et al, 2000). The assay was developed using an automatic robotic workstation. The Exiqon VetScreen TM Salmonella Covalent Mix-ELISA plates do not require any blocking steps. The developed assay showed 30 minutes incubation time for porcine serum samples as optimal, thereby giving a total assay time of two hours. In order to evaluate the assay, a comparison study between the FSD, Canada; Exiqon, Copenhagen Denmark was performed. A panel of positive and negative porcine serum samples was tested. The tests were carried out using a robotic automatic workstation and using a manually performed assay in three different laboratories (Exiqon and Danish Veterinary Lab, Denmark; Svanova, Sweden).The developed assay showed high specificity, sensitivity and excellent reproducibility. The interlaboratory study gave results of substantial agreement. No difference between manual and robotized performance could be identified. The automated ELISA can be used in high throughput screening of swine Salmonella spp. antibodies in seroprevalence studies

Effect of Organic Manure, tuber weight and ascorbic acid spraying on some vegetative parameters and marketable yield of potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) grown in sandy soil

         Field experiment was conducted in AL-Najaf Governorate during the season of 2011 in two cultivations (spring and autumn) .The aim was to study the effect of different concentrations of organic manure ,different sizes of tuber seeds and Ascorbic acid spraying on growth and yield of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Proventa.         The experiment included 24 treatments, i.e. the interactions of four levels of organic manure (0, 75,100 and 125 kg/furrow), three tuber sizes (big, medium and small) and two concentration of ascorbic acid (0 and 150 mg/l.,the ascorbic acid was sprayed twice during the growing season with 15 days intervals, that was done on 45 days from cultivations.     Factorial experiment conducted with Randomized Complete Block Design (R. C. B. D.)  was used with three replications. Means were compared according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test at probability of 0.05.         Results can be summarized as follow:1- The use of different amounts of organic manure had significant effect on all measured vegetative growth parameters (plant length, aerial stem number and shoot dry weight(g),125 kg/furrow gave the highest means for the measured parameters for both cultivations. On the other hand , tuber size that used in cultivation plants produced from big size tuber gave significantly bigger plants with higher means for measured parameters compared to that plants produced from small and medium tuber.         Meanwhile, ascorbic acid addition on vegetative growth had a positive significant effect on most measured parameters. The interaction among the three factors gave the same trends on vegetative growth parameters.2- There were significant effects for the use of organic manure on marketable yield for both cultivations. Treatment of 125 kg/furrow gave the highest means for the measured parameters compared to control treatment that gave the least means values. Moreover, the size of used tuber at cultivation produced significant effects on marketable yield for both seasons. Bigger tubers produced the highest marketable yield compared to that plants produced from medium and small tuber size at cultivation for both seasons.         Ascorbic acid spraying gave higher amount of marketable yield compared to non sprayed plants (control)

Assessment of the First Commercial ELISA Kit for the Diagnosis of Theileria annulata

The present study assesses the efficacy of SVANOVIR Theileria annulata-Ab, the first commercial ELISA kit for the diagnosis of Theileria annulata infection in cattle based on a recombinant protein known as T. annulata surface protein (TaSp). As a reference test, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay depending on T. annulata merozoite surface antigen (Tams-1) was applied. A total of 468 blood samples as well as serum samples were randomly collected from cattle and tested in the PCR as well as in the ELISA developed in this study. Moreover, all samples were also analyzed by conventional Giemsa-stained blood smear. The results of this study revealed a good correlation between the results obtained by PCR and the ELISA, whereas all PCR positive samples scored correctly positive in the ELISA and 73 of the 125 PCR negative samples scored correctly negative. Taken together, a sensitivity of 91.25% and a specificity of 78.4% were recorded, when compared to the PCR data. In conclusion, the SVANOVIR Theileria annulata-Ab is a suitable diagnostic assay for use in the diagnosis and epidemiological surveys of Theileria annulata infection in chronic and carrier animals

The Essential Pheromonal Elements of the Mouse Preputial Gland in Castrated Treated Mice

The present study investigated the 1effects of both castration and manipulation of castrated1 subjects with 0.1 ml of 50µg/kg/day of testosterone at 3 weeks of age for 6 weeks on the pheromonal and histological structure of male mice preputial gland.   The preputial gland results from the control intact group showed that six essential pheromonal compounds are present, whereas the glandular structure revealed well-developed acini with basement membrane and connective tissue around most of them. These findings also showed that castration has deleterious effects on the essential pheromonal compounds which are reduced to two compounds only (the α.-Farnesene and 1- Tetradecanol) as well as the histological sections from such subject appeared many atrophied vacuolated acini. On the other hand, treatment of castrated animals with such dose of testosterone did not show any marked effects on the essential pheromonal compounds but it was able to restore the activities of acinar development as showed by many hypertrophied alveoli

Assessment of the First Commercial ELISA Kit for the Diagnosis of Theileria annulata

The present study assesses the efficacy of SVANOVIR Theileria annulata-Ab, the first commercial ELISA kit for the diagnosis of Theileria annulata infection in cattle based on a recombinant protein known as T. annulata surface protein (TaSp). As a reference test, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay depending on T. annulata merozoite surface antigen (Tams-1) was applied. A total of 468 blood samples as well as serum samples were randomly collected from cattle and tested in the PCR as well as in the ELISA developed in this study. Moreover, all samples were also analyzed by conventional Giemsa-stained blood smear. The results of this study revealed a good correlation between the results obtained by PCR and the ELISA, whereas all PCR positive samples scored correctly positive in the ELISA and 73 of the 125 PCR negative samples scored correctly negative. Taken together, a sensitivity of 91.25% and a specificity of 78.4% were recorded, when compared to the PCR data. In conclusion, the SVANOVIR Theileria annulataAb is a suitable diagnostic assay for use in the diagnosis and epidemiological surveys of Theileria annulata infection in chronic and carrier animals

Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) imaging: a novel stroboscopic LED ring-based imaging modality for clinical assessment of the microcirculation

Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) imaging, a stroboscopic LED ring-based imaging modality, is introduced for clinical observation of the microcirculation. SDF imaging is validated by comparison to Orthogonal Polarization Spectral imaging. Nailfold capillary diameters and red blood cell velocities were measured using both techniques and equal quantitative results were obtained. An image quality system was developed to quantitatively compare the quality of sublingually-acquired microcirculatory images using OPS and SDF imaging. Venular contrast, sharpness, and quality were shown to be comparable for OPS and SDF imaging. However, capillary contrast and quality were shown to be significantly higher using SDF imaging. Venular granularity, in addition, was more clearly observable using SDF imagin