Dry and wet spells at Itabaina (NE Brazil)

Results of a study of dry and wet spells at Itabaina, a semi-arid station in northeast Brazil, are presented in this paper. Frequency distributions of dry spells of different durations at the station are compared with those derived from three statistical models. It is found that the Eggenberger-Polya and the geometric model provide better results than the logarithmic model. Frequency distribution of wet spells during the three rainiest months of the year shows that rainfall persistency reaches a maximum value on the fifth day of a rainy spell

Response of NPK fertigation on pheno-physiological status of Citrus sinensis Osbeck cv. Mosambi under high density planting

The field experiment was conducted during 2013-14 to study the effects of fertigation on the phenology and physiological status of Citrus sinensis cv. Mosambi. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with seven fertigation level, viz. T1- 120% of RDF; T2- 100% of RDF; T3- 80% of RDF; T4- 60% of RDF; T5- 40% of RDF; T6- Full dose in basal with drip irrigation and T7- Full dose in basal without drip irrigation and each treatment were replicated three times. Results obtained showed that increase in plant height (36.75 cm), trunk girth (4.67 cm), canopy volume (1.83 m3), leaf area index (5.51) and growth of current season shoot (9.42 cm2) of the plant were more responsive to higher dose of fertigation i.e. T1 followed by T2. The treatment effect was not marked on reproductive growth as expressed in terms of bud emergence, full bloom, fruit set and duration of bud emergence to maturity. The tree physiological parameters viz. total chlorophyll (2.65 mg/g), net photosynthesis rate (6.83 μmol CO2 /m2/sec), stomatal conductance (0.18 mol/m2/sec) and leaf area (31.9 cm2) were also higher under treatment receiving higher dose of fertigation i.e. T1. Therefore, on the basis of results obtained, treatment 120% RDF found superior in maintaining pheno-physiological status of mosambi plant under high density planting

Human milk banking: One year experience from a tertiary care centre

Introduction: A human milk bank (HMB) systematically collects, screens, processes, and dispenses excess milk donated by healthy nursing mothers. First HMB of Asia was established in the year 1989 in Mumbai, but there are still insufficient milk banks in India. Objective: This study aimed to provide our experience in the past 1 year. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted in the HMB of a tertiary care institution. The data were collected from donor forms and other milk bank records in the milk bank. All the demographic details and bacteriological data were collected. Results: There were 1168 donors with no extramural donors. Of these, 882 donors had term babies and 286 had preterm babies. The mean age of the donor population was 23.53±3.27 years. On the analysis of the volume of milk donated, the mean volume was 77.62±51.26 ml. A total of 90,660 ml of human milk was collected during the study period of 1 year. The bacteriological culture of the donor milk showed growth in 42 (3.6%) samples and was discarded. Klebsiella (2.39%) was the most common organism followed by Escherichia coli (0.44%) and Staphylococcus (0.35%). There were 1424 recipients and about 74% of them, were preterm babies. There were no extramural recipients. Conclusion: For a large number of preterm babies and the neonates without breast milk in India, pasteurized donor human milk will be the best source of nutrition. Hence, number of HMBs will improve the neonatal survival and reduce the morbidity

Estimation of incoming global solar radiation and its diffuse component at the surface in Paraiba state (NE Brazil)

Results of a study on the estimation of mean monthly values of incoming global solar radiation and its diffuse component at some stations in Paraiba state (NE Brazil) are presented in this paper. Radiation data at four stations is used. ˚Angstr¨om-type equations are derived for the estimation of global radiation and the diffuse fraction of global radiation is expressed in terms of the clearness index and the sunshine ratio. The applicability of previously reported equations for stations in this region is investigated

Acute Ethanol-Induced Liver Injury is Prevented by Betaine Administration

Binge drinking is the most common form of excessive alcohol use. Repeated episodes of binge drinking cause multiple organ injuries, including liver damage. We previously demonstrated that chronic ethanol administration causes a decline in the intrahepatic ratio of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). This decline causes impairments in essential methylation reactions that result in alcohol-induced fatty liver (steatosis) and other features of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). Co-treatment with betaine during chronic ethanol feeding, normalizes hepatocellular SAM:SAH ratio and alleviates many features of liver damage including steatosis. Here, we sought to examine whether betaine treatment similarly protects against liver injury in an alcohol binge-drinking model. We hypothesized that ethanol binge with prior or simultaneous betaine administration would prevent or attenuate acute alcohol-induced liver damage. Male C57Bl/6 mice were gavaged twice, 12 h apart, with either 6 g ethanol/kg BW or with an equal volume/kg BW of 0.9% NaCl. Two separate groups of mice (n = 5/group) were gavaged with 4 g betaine/kg BW, either 2 h before or simultaneously with the ethanol or saline gavages. All mice were sacrificed 8 h after the last gavage and serum and liver parameters were quantified. Ethanol binges caused a 50% decrease in hepatic SAM:SAH ratio and a \u3e3-fold rise in liver triglycerides (p ≤ 0.05). These latter changes were accompanied by elevated serum AST and ALT activities and blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) that were ∼three-times higher than the legal limit of intoxication in humans. Mice that were treated with betaine 2 h before or simultaneously with the ethanol binges exhibited similar BAC as in mice given ethanol-alone. Both betaine treatments significantly elevated hepatic SAM levels thereby normalizing the SAM:SAH ratio and attenuating hepatic steatosis and other injury parameters, compared with mice given ethanol alone. Simultaneous betaine co-administration with ethanol was more effective in preventing or attenuating liver injury than betaine given before ethanol gavage. Our findings confirm the potential therapeutic value of betaine administration in preventing liver injury after binge drinking in an animal model

Elevated S-Adenosylhomocysteine Induces Adipocyte Dysfunction to Promote Alcohol-Associated Liver Steatosis

It has been previously shown that chronic ethanol administration-induced increase in adipose tissue lipolysis and reduction in the secretion of protective adipokines collectively contribute to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) pathogenesis. Further studies have revealed that increased adipose S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) levels generate methylation defects that promote lipolysis. Here, we hypothesized that increased intracellular SAH alone causes additional related pathological changes in adipose tissue as seen with alcohol administration. To test this, we used 3-deazaadenosine (DZA), which selectively elevates intracellular SAH levels by blocking its hydrolysis. Fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated in vitro for 48 h with DZA and analysed for lipolysis, adipokine release and differentiation status. DZA treatment enhanced adipocyte lipolysis, as judged by lower levels of intracellular triglycerides, reduced lipid droplet sizes and higher levels of glycerol and free fatty acids released into the culture medium. These findings coincided with activation of both adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone sensitive lipase. DZA treatment also significantly reduced adipocyte differentiation factors, impaired adiponectin and leptin secretion but increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, TNF and MCP-1. Together, our results demonstrate that elevation of intracellular SAH alone by DZA treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes induces lipolysis and dysregulates adipokine secretion. Selective elevation of intracellular SAH by DZA treatment mimics ethanol\u27s effects and induces adipose dysfunction. We conclude that alcohol-induced elevations in adipose SAH levels contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of ALD

Alcoholic vs non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats: distinct differences in endocytosis and vesicle trafficking despite similar pathology

Background: Non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD and AFLD, respectively) are major health problems, as patients with either condition can progress to hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Although histologically similar, key differences likely exist in these two models. For example, altered content of several vesicle trafficking proteins have been identified in AFLD, but their content in NAFLD is unknown. In this study, we compared select parameters in NAFLD and AFLD in a rat model. Methods: We fed either Lieber- DeCarli liquid control or alcohol-containing (35 % as calories) diet (AFLD model) or lean or high-fat (12 or 60 % derived from fat, respectively) pellets (NAFLD model) for 8–10 weeks, n = 8 in each model. Serum, hepatocytes and liver tissue were analyzed. Liver injury markers were measured in serum, triglyceride content and endocytosis (binding and internalization of 125I- asialoorosomucoid) was measured in isolated hepatocytes, and content of selected trafficking proteins (Rab3D, Rab7 and Rab18) were determined in whole liver tissue. Results: Although liver injury markers and triglyceride content were similar in both models, binding and internalization of 125I- asialoorosomucoid was significantly impaired in the hepatocytes from AFLD, but not NAFLD, animals. In addition, protein content of the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) and three trafficking proteins, Rab3D, Rab7and Rab18, were significantly decreased after alcohol, but not high-fat feeding. Levels of protein carbonylation, amount of glutathione stores, and lipid peroxidation were similar irrespective of the insult to the livers that resulted in fatty liver. Conclusion: Impairments in protein trafficking in AFLD are likely a direct result of alcohol administration, and not a function of fatty liver

Biotransformation of artemisinin mediated through fungal strains for obtaining derivatives with novel activities

Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone, is the active antimalarial constituent of Artemisia annua. Several fungal strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Picchia pastoris were used to biotransform artemisinin. Among these strains, A. flavus was the only microorganism capable of transforming artemisinin to deoxyartemisinin in higher yields than the previous reports. The structure of deoxyartemisinin was elucidated by spectroscopy. Deoxyartemisinin showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and S. mutans at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1 mg/mL compared to artemisinin whose MIC was >2 mg/mL

Berberine, a popular dietary supplement for human and animal health: Quantitative research literature analysis a review

Berberine is an alkaloid with a wide range of reported beneficial health effects. The current work provides an extensive literature analysis on berberine. Bibliometric data were identified by means of the search string TOPIC=(berberin* OR umbellatine*), which yielded 5,547 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection electronic database. The VOSviewer software generated bubble maps to visualize semantic terms with citation results. The ratio of original articles to reviews was 13.6:1. The literature has been growing more quickly since the 2010s. Major contributing countries were China, the United States, India, Japan, and South Korea. Most of the publications appeared in journals specialized in pharmacology pharmacy, biochemistry molecular biology, chemistry, and plant science. Some of the frequently mentioned chemicals/chemical classes were alkaloid, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, coptisine, isoquinoline, and sanguinarine. The prevalent medical conditions under investigation included Alzheimers disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.Acknowledge the support by the Polish KNOW (LeadingNational Research Centre) Scientific Consortium “Healthy Animal-Safe Food,” decision of Ministry of Science and Higher Education No. 05-1/KNOW2/2015 and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (Homing/2017-4/41). Antoni Sureda has been supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III (Project CIBEROBN CB12/03/30038). Joanna Feder-Kubis was financed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the Faculty of Chemistry of Wrocław University of Science and Technology.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio