Bioactive peptides in plant-derived foodstuffs

A literature survey covering the presence of bioactive peptides in plant-derived foodstuffs is presented. Examples are given of plant peptides associated with a beneficial effect on human health. The main bioactive effects of these peptides are defined and their mechanism of action described, when known. Current understanding of the way in which these molecules are adsorbed, distributed, metabolized and finally excreted is discussed. A particular focus is given to potentially immunomodulatory peptides. The leading analytical assay methods used to evaluate their activity are outlined. Inspection of crop proteomic data revealed that at least 6000 proteins may harbour bioactive peptides. The analysis of these proteins using a Gene Ontology approach has provided a number of insights regarding their occurrence and relevance

Application of Microbial Consortia and biochar for sustainable Lettuce and Rocket cultivation

Agricultural practices are moving to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach. The use of microbial biostimulants is a promising ecological innovation that can complement traditional agricultural approaches. Microorganisms can have a direct action on the crop through the establishment of a mutual symbiotic association (e.g., Mycorrhiza), or indirectly by increasing the nutrients’ bioavailability to plants. There are also some microbial species (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus spp, Burkholderia, and others) which are recognised as Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms (PGPM) and they can induce molecular, biochemical, physiological, and morpho-anatomical responses in plants that can both influence crop productivity and protect plants from diseases and abiotic stresses. Biochar, a heterogeneous carbon-rich substance produced by the pyrolysis of vegetable biomass, is characterised by chemical-physical properties, such as porosity and elemental composition that make it an efficient amendment and a soil improver. Moreover, the characteristics of the biochar and its structure are suitable for a superficial and internal bacterial colonization, making it a growth habitat favorable to microbial proliferation. In recent years, the interest for the consumption of fruits and vegetables characterized by a high content of bioactive substances has strongly increased. It is known that these are beneficial because besides providing essential nutrients for the human body, they have positive effects on human health. Among these ‘baby leaves’ vegetables are gaining popularity among consumers worldwide, as they represent a good source of minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals of considerable antioxidant potential. In this work, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) two widely utilized baby leaves vegetables, were grown in controlled conditions in a glasshouse in the presence of microbial consortia composed by different plant growth promoting bacteria and fungi. The consortia were applied by seed coating or directly to soil in the presence of biochar as a carrier. Furthermore, to test the synergic effect of biochar and bacterial and fungal consortia, an experiment conducted both in greenhouses and field conditions has been set up on lettuce plants. The effects of the growing conditions on the plants physiological status have been periodically evaluated measuring leaves chlorophyll content (SPAD) and leaf transpiration rate (AP4 porometer). In the short period, germination efficiency, shoots and roots lengths were also evaluated. At the end of the experiment, biomass and leaves water content were evaluated; samples of leaves were collected and analysed for the content of different metabolites as polyphenolic compounds, carotenoids, chlorophylls, together with the antioxidants potential. The research is supported by the project ‘Shelf-life, quality and safety of high-convenience fruit and vegetables’ (POFACS, n. ARS01_00640)

Constitutive expression of the barley dehydrin gene aba2 enhances Arabidopsis germination in response to salt stress

Dehydrins (DHNs) are a sub-family of the late embryogenesis abundant proteins generally induced during development of desiccation tolerance in seeds and water deficit or salinity stress in plants. Nevertheless, a detailed understanding of the DHNs function is still lacking. In this work we investigated the possible protective role during salt stress of a Dhn from Hordeum vulgare (L.), aba2. The coding sequence of the aba2 gene was constitutively expressed in transgenic lines of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.). During salt stress conditions germination rate, cotyledon expansion and greening were greatly improved in the transgenic lines as compared to the wild type. Between 98 and 100% of the transgenic seeds germinated after two weeks in media containing up to 250 mM NaCl, and 90% after 22 days at 300 mM NaCl. In conditions of 200 mM NaCl 93% of the transgenic cotyledons had greened after two weeks, outperforming the wild type by 45%. Our study provides further evidence that DHNs have an important role in salt stress tolerance. The production of plants constitutively expressing DHNs could be an effective strategy to improve plant breeding programs

Building a risk matrix for the safety assessment of wood derived biochars

Biochar is recognized as an efficient amendment and soil improver. However, environmental and quality assessments are needed to ensure the sustainability of its use in agriculture. This work considers the biochar's chemical-physical characterization and its potential phyto- and geno-toxicity, assessed with germination and Ames tests, obtaining valuable information for a safe field application. Three biochar types, obtained from gasification at different temperatures of green biomasses from the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (in Italy), were compared through a broad chemical, physical and biological evaluation. The results obtained showed the relevance of temperature in determining the chemical and morphological properties of biochar, which was shown with several analytical techniques such as the elemental composition, water holding capacity, ash content, but also with FTIR and X-ray spectroscopies. These techniques showed the presence of different relevant surface aliphatic and aromatic groups. The procedures for evaluating the potential toxicity using seeds germination and Ames genotoxicity assay highlights that biochar does not cause detrimental effects when it enters in contact with soil, micro- and macro-organisms, and plants. The genotoxicity test provided a new highlight in evaluating biochar environmental safety

Milestones and Timescale of Poststroke Recovery: A Cohort Study

Progressive increase of an aging population in Western countries will result in a growth of stroke prevalence. As many stroke survivors chronically show severe disability, increase in economic, social, and medical burden could be expected in the future. Objective and subjective measures of poststroke recovery are necessary to obtain predictive information, to improve the treatments, and to better allocate resources

Structural and Functional Features of Chars From Different Biomasses as Potential Plant Amendments

Biochars result from the pyrolysis of biomass waste of plant and animal origin. The interest in these materials stems from their potential for improving soil quality due to increased microporosity, carbon pool, water retention, and their active capacity for metal adsorption from soil and irrigation water. Applications in agriculture have been studied under different conditions, but the overall results are still unclear. Char structure, which varies widely according to the pyrolysis process and the nature of feedstock, is thought to be a major factor in the interaction of chars with soil and their metal ion adsorption/chelation properties. Furthermore, biochar nutrients and their elemental content can modify soil fertility. Therefore, the use of biochars in agricultural settings should be examined carefully by conducting experimental trials. Three key problems encountered in the use of biochar involve (i) optimizing pyrolysis for biomass conversion into energy and biochar, (ii) physicochemically characterizing biochar, and (iii) identifying the best possible conditions for biochar use in soil improvement. To investigate these issues, two types of wood pellets, plus digestate and poultry litter, were separately converted into biochar using different technologies: pyrolysis/pyrogasification or catalytic (thermo)reforming. The following physicochemical features for the different biochar batches were measured: pH, conductivity, bulk density, humidity and ash content, particle size, total organic substances, and trace element concentrations. Fine porous structure analysis and total elemental analysis were performed using environmental scanning electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). Phytotoxicity tests were performed for each biochar. Finally, we were able to (i) differentiate the biochars according to their physicochemical properties, microstructure, elemental contents, and original raw biomass; (ii) correlate the whole biochar features with their respective optimal concentrations when used as plant fertilizers or soil improvers; and (iii) show that biochars from animal origin were phytotoxic at lower concentrations than those from plant feedstock

Evolution of Triangular All-Metal Aromatic Complexes from Bonding Quandaries to Powerful Catalytic Platforms

This manuscript describes an overview on the literature detailing the observation of trinuclear complexes that present delocalized metal–metal bonds similar to those of regular aromatics, which are formed combining main group elements. A particular emphasis is given to the structural and electronic features of aromatic clusters that are sufficiently stable to allow their isolation. In parallel to the description of their key bonding properties, the work presents reported catalytic applications of these complexes, which already span from elaborated C–C-forming cascades to highly efficient cross-coupling methods. These examples present peculiar aspects of the unique reactivity exerted by all-metal aromatic complexes, which can often be superior to their established, popular mononuclear peers in terms of chemoselectivity and chemical robustnes

Prognostic Implications of Baroreflex Sensitivity in Heart Failure Patients in the Beta-Blocking Era

ObjectivesThis study investigated the clinical correlates and prognostic value of depressed baroreceptor-heart rate reflex sensitivity (BRS) among patients with heart failure (HF), with and without beta-blockade.BackgroundAbnormalities in autonomic reflexes play an important role in the development and progression of HF. Few studies have assessed the effects of beta-blockers on BRS in HF.MethodsThe study population consisted of 103 stable HF patients, age (median [interquartile range]) 54 years (48 to 57 years), with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class ≥III in 22, and with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 30% (24% to 36%), treated with beta-blockers; and 144 untreated patients, age 55 years (48 to 60 years), with NYHA functional class ≥III in 47%, and an LVEF of 26% (21% to 30%). They underwent BRS testing (phenylephrine technique).ResultsIn both treated and untreated patients, a lower BRS was associated with a higher (≥III) NYHA functional class (p = 0.0002 and p < 0.0001, respectively); a more severe (≥2) mitral regurgitation (p = 0.007 and p = 0.0002), respectively; a lower LVEF (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.001, respectively), baseline RR interval (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.0002, respectively), and SDNN (p < 0.0001, p = 0.002, respectively); and a higher blood urea nitrogen (p = 0.004, p < 0.0001, respectively). Clinical variables explained only 43% of BRS variability among treated and 36% among untreated patients. During a median follow-up of 29 months, 17 of 103 patients and 55 of 144 patients, respectively, experienced a cardiac event. A depressed BRS (<3.0 ms/mm Hg) was significantly associated with the outcome, independently of known risk predictors and beta-blocker treatment (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.0 [95% confidence interval: 1.5 to 5.9], p = 0.001).ConclusionsBaroreceptor-heart rate reflex sensitivity does not simply mirror the pathophysiological substrate of HF. A depressed BRS conveys independent prognostic information that is not affected by the modification of autonomic dysfunction brought about by beta-blockade

Phase- and Stage-Related Proportions of T Cells Bearing the Transcription Factor FOXP3 Infiltrate Primary Melanoma

Although tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) of primary cutaneous melanoma (PCM) include cytolytic T cells able to exert anti-PCM immunity, progression of PCM most frequently occurs, raising the hypothesis that the PCM microenvironment may also exert suppressive forces, for example, possibly developed by regulatory T (TREG) lymphocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TILs of PCMs include lymphocytes bearing the transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3), which is the TREG lineage specification molecule in mice, and is debated to have a similar role in humans. Fourteen patients with PCM were selected, of which four had radial growth phase (RGP) stage I melanoma, five had vertical growth phase (VGP) stage I melanoma, and five had VGP stage III–IV melanoma. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections were utilized for immunohistochemical single and double stainings. TILs of PCMs included FOXP3-bearing lymphocytes, which predominantly were CD20- and CD8-negative, but CD3-, CD4-, and CD25-positive, thus consistent with the standard immunophenotypical characteristics of “natural” TREG cells. Further, the proportions of FOXP3-bearing lymphocytes were higher in vertical than in RGP (P=0.001), as well as in late than in early melanoma stages (P<0.001). Should these FOXP3-bearing lymphocytes actually exert regulatory capabilities within the PCM microenvironment, they may suppress “in vivo” the local anti-PCM immune response, thus favoring melanoma progression

Real-Time On-Site Diagnosis of Quarantine Pathogens in Plant Tissues by Nanopore-Based Sequencing

Rapid and sensitive assays for the identification of plant pathogens are necessary for the effective management of crop diseases. The main limitation of current diagnostic testing is the inability to combine broad and sensitive pathogen detection with the identification of key strains, pathovars, and subspecies. Such discrimination is necessary for quarantine pathogens, whose management is strictly dependent on genotype identification. To address these needs, we have established and evaluated a novel all-in-one diagnostic assay based on nanopore sequencing for the detection and simultaneous characterization of quarantine pathogens, using Xylella fastidiosa as a case study. The assay proved to be at least as sensitive as standard diagnostic tests and the quantitative results agreed closely with qPCR-based analysis. The same sequencing results also allowed discrimination between subspecies when present either individually or in combination. Pathogen detection and typing were achieved within 13 min of sequencing owing to the use of an internal control that allowed to stop sequencing when sufficient data had accumulated. These advantages, combined with the use of portable equipment, will facilitate the development of next-generation diagnostic assays for the efficient monitoring of other plant pathogens