Effects of preharvest factors and postharvest treatments on fruit quality of Prunus domestica L.

Der Verzehr von Pflaumen ist derzeit sehr gering. Häufig wird unbefriedigende Fruchtqualität aufgrund unreif geernteter Früchte als Ursache genannt. Um eine hohe Fruchtqualität zu erzeugen ist es nötig, Vorerntebedingungen wie Fruchtbehang und Bodeneigenschaften optimal zu gestalten und die Früchte im richtigen Reifestadium zu ernten. Die Ziele dieses Projektes waren daher 1. die Untersuchung des Einflusses und interaktiver Effekte von Bodeneigenschaften, Fruchtbehang und Baumwasserzustand auf die Qualität von ''Jojo'' und ''Tophit plus'' Pflaumen. 2. den Effekt unterschiedlicher Pflücktermine auf die innere und äußere Fruchtqualität zu bewerten. 3. das Potenzial der Laserlichtrückstreubildanalyse als neues zerstörungsfreies Verfahren zur Bewertung der Fruchtqualität abzuschätzen. Die Untersuchungen wurden 2011 bis 2013 durchgeführt. Zur Bewertung der Vorernteeinflüsse wurden Früchte dreimal vor sowie am kommerziellen Erntetermin geerntet und im Labor untersucht. Dann wurden sie für 28 Tage bei 2°C und zusätzlich 2 Tage bei 20°C bei 90% rF gelagert. Während dieser Zeit wurden Früchte jeder Behandlungsgruppe nach 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 und 30 Tagen analysiert. Früchte von Bäumen mit geringerem Fruchtbehang von Böden mit geringen ECa Werten wiesen die höchsten SSC und Trockenmassegehalte, solche von Bäumen mit geringem Fruchtbehang und von Böden mit hohem ECa die höchste Frischmasse auf. Gut wasserversorgte Bäume hatten niedrigere Fruchterträge, ihre Früchte transpirierten verstärkt und hatten geringere Zucker- und Trockenmassegehalte als Pflaumen von Bäumen mit schlechter Wasserversorgung. Die späten Ernte von ''Jojo'' Pflaumen, vorzugsweise ca. 137 Tage nach der Vollblüte, ergab die beste Fruchtqualität. Diese Früchte besaßen die höchste Frischmasse und die geringste Transpiration. Laserlichtrückstreumessungen bei 532 und 785 nm zeigten, dass diese zerstörungsfreie Methode für die Analyse von Qualitätsparametern wie Anthocyangehalt und Fruchtfleischfestigkeit gut geeignet ist.Plum consumption does not meet its potential, most probably because of a non-uniform fruit quality and lack of fully-mature fruit. It is necessary to manage preharvest conditions such as crop load and soil properties optimally in order to obtain high quality plums and to harvest the fruit in ripe stage. In this study, (1) the effects of soil ECa, crop load and maximum daily trunk shrinkage (MDS) on various fruit quality parameters of two European plum cultivars ''Jojo'' und ''Tophit plus'') (2) the internal and external fruit quality as it relates to harvest time were investigated. The investigation of plums was carried out in an experimental orchard in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Fruit of selected trees were sampled and subjected to laboratory measurements three times before and at the commercial harvest. At the commercial harvest, plums were stored at 2 °C and 90% RH for up to 28 days plus 2 days at 20 °C. During storage, fruit of each treatment were sampled after 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 30 days in order to analyse the physicochemical quality. In addition, the optical properties of samples were non-destructively evaluated through laser light backscattering imaging (LLBI). Fruit from low crop load trees grown under low ECa had the highest SSC and dry matter content, while those from low crop load trees under high ECa showed the highest fresh mass in 2013. Moreover, low MDS trees had lower total fruit yield, and fruit had higher transpiration, lower SSC, and dry matter content than those grown on trees with high MDS. Fruit quality was best when plums had been harvested late, preferably at the 3rd harvest date (137 DAFB) in this study. These fruit had the highest fresh mass and lowest transpiration. Furthermore, the results of LLBI measured at 532 nm and 785 nm showed an encouraging potential to predict quality parameters of plums such as anthocyanin content and fruit firmness

Vitamins E and C May Differ in Their Effect on Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

A recent meta-analysis by Su et al. compared 12 different prophylactic interventions against contrast medium–induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI). In their meta-analysis, Su et al. pooled different vitamins to a single group of “vitamins and analogues” but in so doing did not take into account that vitamin C is water soluble whereas vitamin E is fat soluble, and therefore their relative effects might be different... Su et al. had identified 3 randomized trials on vitamin E prophylaxis against CIAKI. We pooled the results of these 3 studies and calculated a pooled estimate of RR = 0.38 (95% CI 0.24-0.62), indicating that vitamin E significantly prevented CIAKI.Non peer reviewe

Vitamin E May Protect Against Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

McCullough et al. (1) reviewed the pathophysiology and treatment options for contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). They stated that no effective adjunctive pharmaceutical had been demonstrated that either prevented or treated CI-AKI. However, they also suggested that of the agents being investigated, statins were the most promising. We would like to point out that strong evidence has also emerged regarding the effect of vitamin E against CI-AKI, which was not mentioned in their review.Non peer reviewe

Molecular and hormonal regulation of angiogenesis in proliferative endometrium

Angiogenesis is a hallmark of wound healing, the menstrual cycle, cancer, and various ischemic and inflammatory diseases. A rich variety of pro and anti-angiogenic molecules have already been identified. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an interesting inducer of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, because it is a highly specific mitogen for endothelial cells. Signal transduction involves binding to tyrosine kinase receptors and results in endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and new vessel formation. In this article, the role of VEGF and other growth factors in the pathology of dysfunctional uterine bleeding is reviewed. We also discuss the role of VEGF expression and interaction with extracellular matrix that lead to possible inhibition or stimulation of Angiogenic factor on endometrium of dysfunctional uterine bleeding patients

Tachyon Inflation in Teleparallel Gravity

We present a tachyonic field inflationary model in a teleparallel framework. We show that tachyonic coupled with the f(T) gravity model can describe the inflation era in which f(T) is an arbitrary function of torsion scalar T. For this purpose, dynamical behavior of the tachyonic field in different potentials is studied, it is shown that the tachyonic field with these potentials can be an effective candidate for inflation. Then, we discuss slow-roll conditions and show that by the appropriate choice of the parameters, the inflation era can be explained via this model. Finally, we argue that our model not only satisfies the result of BICEP2, Keck Array and Plank for the upper limit of $r < .012$ but also, the obtained value for spectral index $n_{s}$ is compatible with the results of Plank and also Plank + WMAP + HighL + BAO at the 68% confidence level.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Role of angiogenic factors in recurrent pregnancy loss

Women with recurrent miscarriage (RM) often have abnormal NK cell activity. Uterine NK cells produce angiogenic factors and various interleukins. Human endometrium that expresses a variety of angiogenic growth factors and cytokines (NK-cell) may play a critical role in the abnormal endometrial angiogenesis which affect both conception and fetal development. Women with RM also have intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) after conception. It has been shown 12-15% of women in their initial stage of pregnancies miscarry. The occurrence of miscarriage is known as having three or more continues miscarriage. This percentage is from 0.3 to 0.8% of all diagnosed pregnancies. Recurrent miscarriages have multiple aetiology. In this review article we will discuss a number of factors that may link to pregnancy complication. We focus on endometrial angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), human endothelium expresses messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) encoding VEGF-C, placenta growth factor (PlGF). The angiopoietins 1,2 and receptor for VEGF-A, VEGF-C, PIGF. The role of NK-cell, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-15 that may lead to up-regulation of VEGF-C and Ang-2 in secretory endometrium.

Seasonal changes in dendrometer-derived stem variation in apple trees grown in temperate climate

Studies of daily changes in tree trunk diameter provide valuable information concerning growth patterns and their relationships with varying environmental conditions. To date, very few experiments with fruit trees evaluated the effects of climate variation on trunk shrinkage and the duration of the contraction and recovery phases and of growth. In this study, electronic dendrometers continuously monitored trunk diameter and trunk water storage dynamics of drip-irrigated ‘Gala’ apple trees (Malus x domestica Borkh.) during three growing seasons, which differed significantly in temperature, precipitation, air humidity and solar irradiation. It was found that trunk diameter and meteorological variables were closely related, even when excluding the effects of soil water limitations. During each growing season, the durations of the daily contraction phase began to increase with increasing water vapour partial pressure deficit, and decreased again in autumn, when vapour partial pressure decreased. Throughout the season, the duration of the growth phase tended to change inversely to that of both contraction and recovery phase. The relationship between maximum trunk shrinkage and vapour partial pressure was higher post than pre harvest for all years studied. The duration of contraction, recovery, and growth phases may provide valuable information concerning seasonal changes and environmental drivers of water storage dynamics in apple trees

Body Image, Quality of Life, and Their Predicting Factors in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Pregnancy can influence women’s psychological health, including body image and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the relationship between body image and quality of life and their predicting factors in pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 pregnant women referred to health centers in Ilam City, Iran. Participants were selected using a random sampling method. Data collection tools comprised a sociodemographic questionnaire, Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), and quality of life questionnaire (Short Form-12). Data were analyzed using statistical software. The mean ± SD of body image concern and quality of life was estimated at 31.77 ± 9.86 and 54.62 ± 15.71, respectively. There was a significant and negative correlation between body image and quality of life (p-value = 0.001, r = -0.313). Also, the most important predictors of body image were vitality, body mass index (BMI), general health, and unintended pregnancy, respectively, and body dissatisfaction was the most significant predictor of quality of life. This study revealed some variables affecting pregnant women’s body image and quality of life. Further studies are required to consider other factors influencing body image and quality of life among pregnant women

White blood cell count to mean platelet volume ratio as a novel non-invasive marker predicting long-term outcomes in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome

Background: Total white blood cell (WBC) count and mean platelet volume have previously been shown to predict outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. In this prospective study, we sought to determine the prognostic value of baseline WBC count to mean platelet volume ratio (WMR) in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Methods: A total of 490 patients with NSTE-ACS were prospectively enrolled. The relationship between baseline WMR and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) incidence was assessed during a mean follow-up of 330.8 ± 38 days. Results: The patients’ mean age was 60.4 ± 12.9 year, 59% of them were male. The patients were categorized into two groups based on WMR values, high- and low-WMR groups (&lt; 755 vs. ≥ 755). The incidence of MACE was significantly higher in high-WMR compared with that of low-WMR group (22.4% vs. 10.7%, p &lt; 0.001). Total WBC counts (median 7.9 vs. 6.9 ×103/μL, p = 0.004), neutrophil count (median 4.6 vs. 4.2 ×103/μL, p = 0.021), and WMR (median 863.2 vs. 731.5, p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the MACE-positive than MACE-negative group. The high-WMR was found to be significantly associated with the MACE-free survival rate (p &lt; 0.001). In an adjusted cox regression model, the elevated WMR was independently predicted the incidence of MACE (hazard ratio 2.419, 95% CI 1.515–3.862, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: The elevated baseline WMR independently predicted the MACE incidence in patients with NSTE-ACS during long-term follow-up.