Effect of Sacoglottis gabonensis and Alstonia boonei on the kinetics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from palm wine

Sacoglottis gabonensis and Alstonia boonei are botanicals used for the preservation of palm wine in Southern Nigeria. This study investigated the effect of S. gabonensis (0.625%) and A. boonei (0.50%) on the kinetics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from palm wine (PW). Concentrations of the preservatives used in this study were optimal concentrations of the preservatives that had preservative effect on fermenting palm sap. The fermentation rate constant, k, of 2.79 × 10-4 mol-1 s-1 obtained for untreated PW was higher than the k values for PW treated with A. boonei (1.7 × 10-4 mol-1 s-1) and S. gabonensis (1.1 × 10-4 mol-1 sec-1). Both preservatives enhanced yeast growth. The specific growth rates (μmax) for the yeast were 0.43, 0.76 and 0.88 for the control, samples treated with A. boonei and S. gabonensis, respectively. However, the sedimentation rate of the yeast was reduced by both preservatives, but A. boonei produced the greatest effect. The utilization of these botanicals for industrial fermentations involving yeast is promising.Keywords: Palm wine, preservation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fermentation kinetic, growth kinetic, sedimentation rate, Sacoglottis gabonensis, Alstonia booneiAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(35), pp. 5730-5734, 30 August, 201

Analysis of Nigerians with Apparently Sporadic Parkinson Disease for Mutations in LRRK2, PRKN and ATXN3

Several genetic variations have been associated with Parkinson disease in different populations over the past few years. Although a considerable number of worldwide populations have been screened for these variants, results from Sub-Saharan populations are very scarce in the literature. In the present report we have screened a cohort of Parkinson disease patients (n = 57) and healthy controls (n = 51) from Nigeria for mutations in the genes PRKN, LRRK2 and ATXN3. No pathogenic mutations were found in any of the genes. Hence, common pathogenic mutations in these genes, observed in several different populations, are not a frequent cause of Parkinson disease in Nigeria

Large-Scale Cortical Functional Organization and Speech Perception across the Lifespan

Aging is accompanied by substantial changes in brain function, including functional reorganization of large-scale brain networks. Such differences in network architecture have been reported both at rest and during cognitive task performance, but an open question is whether these age-related differences show task-dependent effects or represent only task-independent changes attributable to a common factor (i.e., underlying physiological decline). To address this question, we used graph theoretic analysis to construct weighted cortical functional networks from hemodynamic (functional MRI) responses in 12 younger and 12 older adults during a speech perception task performed in both quiet and noisy listening conditions. Functional networks were constructed for each subject and listening condition based on inter-regional correlations of the fMRI signal among 66 cortical regions, and network measures of global and local efficiency were computed. Across listening conditions, older adult networks showed significantly decreased global (but not local) efficiency relative to younger adults after normalizing measures to surrogate random networks. Although listening condition produced no main effects on whole-cortex network organization, a significant age group x listening condition interaction was observed. Additionally, an exploratory analysis of regional effects uncovered age-related declines in both global and local efficiency concentrated exclusively in auditory areas (bilateral superior and middle temporal cortex), further suggestive of specificity to the speech perception tasks. Global efficiency also correlated positively with mean cortical thickness across all subjects, establishing gross cortical atrophy as a task-independent contributor to age-related differences in functional organization. Together, our findings provide evidence of age-related disruptions in cortical functional network organization during speech perception tasks, and suggest that although task-independent effects such as cortical atrophy clearly underlie age-related changes in cortical functional organization, age-related differences also demonstrate sensitivity to task domains

Screening of Microorganisms for Biodegradation of Simazine Pollution (Obsolete Pesticide Azotop 50 WP)

The capability of environmental microorganisms to biodegrade simazine—an active substance of 2-chloro-s-triazine herbicides (pesticide waste since 2007)—was assessed. An enormous metabolic potential of microorganisms impels to explore the possibilities of using them as an alternative way for thermal and chemical methods of utilization. First, the biotope rich in microorganisms resistant to simazine was examined. Only the higher dose of simazine (100 mg/l) had an actual influence on quantity of bacteria and environmental fungi incubated on substrate with simazine. Most simazine-resistant bacteria populated activated sludge and biohumus (vermicompost); the biggest strain of resistant fungi was found in floral soil and risosphere soil of maize. Compost and biohumus were the sources of microorganisms which biodegraded simazine, though either of them was the dominant considering the quantity of simazine-resistant microorganisms. In both cases of periodic culture (microorganisms from biohumus and compost), nearly 100% of simazine (50 mg/l) was degraded (within 8 days). After the repeated enrichment culture with simazine, the rate of its degradation highly accelerated, and just after 24 h, the significant decrease of simazine (20% in compost and 80% in biohumus) was noted. Although a dozen attempts of isolating various strains responsible for biodegradation of simazine from compost and biohumus were performed, only the strain identified as Arthrobacter urefaciens (NC) was obtained, and it biodegraded simazine with almost 100% efficiency (within 4 days)

Yoga-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Trial

Background: Given the shortage of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs in India and poor uptake worldwide, there is an urgent need to find alternative models of CR that are inexpensive and may offer choice to subgroups with poor uptake (e.g., women and elderly). Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effects of yoga-based CR (Yoga-CaRe) on major cardiovascular events and self-rated health in a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Methods: The trial was conducted in 24 medical centers across India. This study recruited 3,959 patients with acute myocardial infarction with a median and minimum follow-up of 22 and 6 months. Patients were individually randomized to receive either a Yoga-CaRe program (n = 1,970) or enhanced standard care involving educational advice (n = 1,989). The co-primary outcomes were: 1) first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, or emergency cardiovascular hospitalization); and 2) self-rated health on the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions–5 Level visual analogue scale at 12 weeks. Results: MACE occurred in 131 (6.7%) patients in the Yoga-CaRe group and 146 (7.4%) patients in the enhanced standard care group (hazard ratio with Yoga-CaRe: 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71 to 1.15; p = 0.41). Self-rated health was 77 in Yoga-CaRe and 75.7 in the enhanced standard care group (baseline-adjusted mean difference in favor of Yoga-CaRe: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.5; p = 0.002). The Yoga-CaRe group had greater return to pre-infarct activities, but there was no difference in tobacco cessation or medication adherence between the treatment groups (secondary outcomes). Conclusions: Yoga-CaRe improved self-rated health and return to pre-infarct activities after acute myocardial infarction, but the trial lacked statistical power to show a difference in MACE. Yoga-CaRe may be an option when conventional CR is unavailable or unacceptable to individuals. (A study on effectiveness of YOGA based cardiac rehabilitation programme in India and United Kingdom; CTRI/2012/02/002408)

Functional Disconnection and Compensation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Evidence from DLPFC Connectivity Using Resting-State fMRI

The known regional abnormality of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and its role in various neural circuits in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has given prominence to its importance in studies on the disconnection associated with MCI. The purpose of the current study was to examine the DLPFC functional connectivity patterns during rest in MCI patients and the impact of regional grey matter (GM) atrophy on the functional results. Structural and functional MRI data were collected from 14 MCI patients and 14 age, gender-matched healthy controls. We found that both the bilateral DLPFC showed reduced functional connectivity with the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), superior/medial frontal gyrus and sub-cortical regions (e.g., thalamus, putamen) in MCI patients when compared with healthy controls. Moreover, the DLPFC connectivity with the IPL and thalamus significantly correlated with the cognitive performance of patients as measured by mini-mental state examination (MMSE), clock drawing test (CDT), and California verbal learning test (CVLT) scores. When taking GM atrophy as covariates, these results were approximately consistent with those without correction, although there may be a decrease in the statistical power. These results suggest that the DLPFC disconnections may be the substrates of cognitive impairments in MCI patients. In addition, we also found enhanced functional connectivity between the left DLPFC and the right prefrontal cortex in MCI patients. This is consistent with previous findings of MCI-related increased activation during cognitive tasks, and may represent a compensatory mechanism in MCI patients. Together, the present study demonstrated the coexistence of functional disconnection and compensation in MCI patients using DLPFC functional connectivity analysis, and thus might provide insights into biological mechanism of the disease

Assessing Arboreal Adaptations of Bird Antecedents: Testing the Ecological Setting of the Origin of the Avian Flight Stroke

The origin of avian flight is a classic macroevolutionary transition with research spanning over a century. Two competing models explaining this locomotory transition have been discussed for decades: ground up versus trees down. Although it is impossible to directly test either of these theories, it is possible to test one of the requirements for the trees-down model, that of an arboreal paravian. We test for arboreality in non-avian theropods and early birds with comparisons to extant avian, mammalian, and reptilian scansors and climbers using a comprehensive set of morphological characters. Non-avian theropods, including the small, feathered deinonychosaurs, and Archaeopteryx, consistently and significantly cluster with fully terrestrial extant mammals and ground-based birds, such as ratites. Basal birds, more advanced than Archaeopteryx, cluster with extant perching ground-foraging birds. Evolutionary trends immediately prior to the origin of birds indicate skeletal adaptations opposite that expected for arboreal climbers. Results reject an arboreal capacity for the avian stem lineage, thus lending no support for the trees-down model. Support for a fully terrestrial ecology and origin of the avian flight stroke has broad implications for the origin of powered flight for this clade. A terrestrial origin for the avian flight stroke challenges the need for an intermediate gliding phase, presents the best resolved series of the evolution of vertebrate powered flight, and may differ fundamentally from the origin of bat and pterosaur flight, whose antecedents have been postulated to have been arboreal and gliding