Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences
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BIOAVAILABLE FORMS OF HEAVY METALS FROM RICE SAMPLES AND ITS POTENTIAL HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
Get PDFFood crops grown in contaminated soils have a greater accumulation of heavy metals and the consumption of food crops grown in the contaminated soils are the source of metals that enters into the human body. Rice being a major food crop, the presence of heavy metals should be monitored regularly for reducing health risk. The analysis of total heavy metal always overestimates the content which leads to misinterpretation of results; however, bioaccessible heavy metal analysis projects the actual health risk. Hence, the present study aims to assess the bioavailable form of heavy metals in rice. The rice samples were collected from 20 different places and used for the inherent and bioavailable metal estimation. In vitro simulated digestion method was applied for bioaccessible metal analysis. Metal concentration in polished rice ranged from 0.10 to 0.82, 0.10 to 1.07, 0.11 to 0.56 and 0.23 to 1.09 mg kg-1 for Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd) and Chromium (Cr), respectively. Twenty five percent of the samples recorded less than 0.028, 0.01, 0.01, and 0.03 mg kg-1 of bioaccessible Pb, Ni, Cd, and Cr, respectively. A significant negative correlation was observed between total metal concentration and bioaccessibility percentage. Targeted Hazard Quotient (THQ) of all the metals were less than one for adults indicating that there were no health risks, which undoubtedly reveals the importance of bioaccessible metal analysis. Hence, regular monitoring of heavy metals is essential to reduce the intensive accumulation in the human food chain. Also, the present study has opened up a wide scope on human health risk assessment using an in vitro digestion model
EFFECT OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF THREE CULTIVARS OF MUSKMELONS (Cucumis melo)
Get PDFMuskmelons are currently grown in several areas of Vietnam for domestic and international consumer markets. The fruit grows well in greenhouses in soil or soilless substrate such as coconut peat. Researchers in Vietnam are investigating the growth of muskmelons in a range of organic by-products. In this study, spent mushroom substrate was recycled for use as an organic substrate and to evaluate the growth, quality, and yield of three muskmelon varieties including RZ F1, PN 128, and TL3 in greenhouses over three months. The substrate was incubated for one month before use and contained 45% spent mushroom substrate, 30% manure, 7.7% rice husks, 1.5% phosphorus, 0.2% commercial Trichoderma (Tribac), 0.1% rice bran, 15% sand, and 0.5% micronutrients and water. Following incubation, the substrate had optimal pH for the growth of muskmelon and the concentration of nutrients and beneficial microorganisms had increased significantly. The growth of RZ F1 and TL3 cultivars was significantly better than PN 128 in terms of growth, fruit quality, and yield. Specifically, RZ F1 and TL3 species took 78 days and 75 days to complete their life cycle produced 1.76 kg and 1.62 kg of fruit, had a pericarp thickness of 4.0 cm, and possessed 14.20o Brix and 14.88o Brix of soluble solid content, respectively. These findings suggest that agricultural by-products, such as spent mushroom substrate, could be a valuable resource for the culture of muskmelons in Vietnam
MUTATIONAL CONSERVATION, EVOLUTIONARY AND FUNCTIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF PROTO-ONCOGENE c-FOS
Get PDFc-Fos protein has a function in different types of cancers and is expressed mostly in neurons. It is a human homolog of the viral oncogene. c-Fos is a member of the FOS gene family, these genes interact with the JUN family member to form transcription factors and play a major role in neurons cell development. These genes were also used as an early marker, in neuronal cells to determine early growth and functional features of the neuroendocrine system. Losses in gene function due to mutation leads to neuronal death and have a function in apoptosis. This study has performed mutational conservation in the c-Fos gene across different species. the c-Fos protein sequence was retrieved from the UniProt database (P01100). Total forty nine (49) homologous sequences with the c-Fos protein sequence were identified using the BLASTp tool. Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) and phylogenetic tree construction was done using the MEGA tool. The phylogenetic tree shows that the c-Fos protein of Homosapiens was closely related to Pan troglodytes. UPGMA tree also shows the evolutionary relationship between c-Fos proteins and with the other 49 species included in the dataset. Evolutionary study shows that Myotis species was the common evolutionary species and predicted as root for all other species hence c-Fos gene might have an evolutionary link with these species. Myotis are the most wide diverged species and belongs to the genus of bats. This study highlights the similarity and evolutionary relationship of the c-Fos gene. In this research detailed analysis of evolutionary analysis, PPI, GO, Disease Enrichment was done to understand the functional and evolutionary aspects of c-FOS protein. This study identifies the evolutionary relationship, protein-protein interaction and pathway enrichment of the c-FOS protein. This research can be further extended to include ligand screening and identification of potential ligand against c-FOS protein for drug development and discovery
SIMULATING THE IMPACT OF WITHIN SEASON VARIABILITY IN TEMPERATURE ON GRAIN YIELD OF WHEAT
Get PDFWithin season variability in temperature is a major bottleneck in wheat productivity. This simulation study aimed to evaluate the effects of temperature variability on grain yield of two cultivars of wheat (cv PBW 621 and HD 3086) sown under different dates (early, mid and late) using two dynamic crop simulation models (CERES-Wheat and INFOCROP model) for two locations (Amritsar and Ludhiana). The temperature was increased and decreased by 1.0 to 2.0oC for Amritsar and 1.0 to 3.0oC for Ludhiana from normal during three growing periods, i.e., the whole season, vegetative phase, and reproductive phase. In Amritsar the CERES-Wheat and INFOCROP model predicted that with the increase in temperature by 1.0 to 2.0oC from normal during the vegetative phase, the grain yield may decrease by 0.36-15.23 % and 3.61-19.54 % respectively, during the reproductive phase the grain yield may decrease by 0.67–8.64 % and 3.18-26.76 % respectively and during the whole season the grain yield may decrease by 1.52-27.10 % and 1.91-24.10 % respectively. Among the two cultivars of wheat, cv HD 3086 at both locations performed better under thermal stress environments as compared to cvPBW 621. However, the InfoCrop model predicted that cv PBW 621 performed well in comparison to cv HD 3086 at Ludhiana conditions with an increase in temperature up to 3°C. The simulation results showed that mid November sowing of wheat was better able to counteract the negative impacts of an increase in temperature on wheat as compared to early (October) or late (December) sowing dates
MOROCCAN STRAWBERRY TREE (Arbutus Unedo L.) LEAVES: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION
Get PDFStrawberry tree (Arbutus Unedo L.) is one of the evergreen trees that grow spontaneously in Moroccan forests. This tall shrub is traditionally used in grazing zones of some Moroccan areas, especially during the dry season, but its value in Morocco has still been underestimated. In this paper, the nutritional composition of A. unedo leaves sample collected from seven Moroccan regions has been assessed. For this, the leaves were dried, crushed, and chemically analyzed for their proximate composition, energetic value, total and reducing sugar, and mineral composition. Results of this study suggested that samples from BniAarouse (BA) region showed the highest contents of essential nutrients such as proteins, dietary fiber, ashes, and fat with average values of 7.53, 17.89, 4.14, and 8.05 g/ 100 g of dry weight, respectively, which positively influences its consumption by small ruminants. Cluster analysis based on surveyed parameters separated the strawberries individuals into four distinct groups, providing a high variability among and within studied locations. That could be related to the diversity of the edaphoclimatic conditions between regions and to the genetic effect. The results of the present study highlighted the potential use of leaves as livestock feed, with intermediate quality, and promotes their optimal cultivation and subsequent domestication in Morocco
SEASONAL VARIATION OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER AND SOIL IN THE M’NASRA REGION (GHARB, MOROCCO)
Get PDFM’nasra region is well known for increasing levels of heavy metal pollution in the environment, mainly due to waste discharge of Ouled Berjal, the irrational use of fertilizers, and the discharge of waste from several industries. The objective of this study was to access the seasonal variations in the groundwater and soil quality with respect to heavy metal pollution. Water samples from wells and samples from soil near them were taken during wet (January - March 2017) and dry (July 2017) seasons and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Contamination factor for each heavy metal and Nemerow pollution index was calculated. Results of the study revealed a decrease in pollution degree from wet to dry for soil and an increase in the case of groundwater. Cu had the lowest and Ni had the highest concentration in irrigation water whereas, for soil, Cd had the lowest and Zn had the highest concentration. During the wet season, all the concentrations of heavy metals decreased compared to the dry season, this can be explained by the dilution of these concentrations by precipitation water and therefore to lower absorption of these heavy metals in the water of irrigations and/or soil. Vertical transfer of pollutants from topsoil to groundwater was assessed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis to identify associations between heavy metals and soil texture. In the case of Ni and Cr, the variables corresponding to the concentrations from soil and groundwater were part of the same cluster, in both seasons, the distribution maps of concentrations confirmed the pattern of transfer. This study can be considered as a baseline for the seasonal variation of heavy metal pollution of groundwater and soil. This study can be used not only for monitoring the study area but also as a tool for the implementation of environmental protection policies
CHEMICALLY INDUCED MUTAGENESIS IN THE KING OYSTER MUSHROOM Pleurotus eryngii TO GENERATE HIGH-TEMPERATURE TOLERANT STRAIN
Get PDFIn this study, a high-temperature-tolerant strain of the king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) was generated by chemical mutagenesis. Cultivation of P. eryngii generally involves incubating the mycelia at 25°C and then moving the spawns for further incubation at 18°C for fruitification. However, in tropical countries, the temperature is a major concern in the production of oyster mushroom where the average temperature is 32°C. In the current study, the mycelia were treated with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) or methyl methane sulphonate (MMS) for chemical-induced mutation. Seven mutants (EMS 1, 2, 6, 26, 35, 36, and 38) from EMS mutagenesis exhibited higher growth rates than the wild-type strain at 32°C. However, mutant strains from MMS mutagenesis showed a low growth rate when compared with wild-type. On sawdust substrate, the spawn running conditions for these strains were performed at 32°C, and fruitification occurred at 18°C. The yield and biological efficiency of EMS 36 and 38 mutants were higher than those of the wild-type strain. The activities of cellulase and xylanase of EMS 36 and 38 mutants showed that both these mutants had higher activities than the wild-type strain which may influence mushroom production. Therefore, these EMS 36 and 38 mutants can be cultivated in tropical countries, which could provide a high yield and reduce the cost during spawn running step
AN APPROACH FOR THE BIODEGRADATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON
Get PDFEnvironmental pollution not only alters the environment but also changes the growth rate of various flora and fauna. Due to the irresponsible disposal of waste materials, the environment is going to be more and more polluted. Discharge of hydrocarbons in the water bodies is contaminating the water sources. These hydrocarbons are affecting the living organism. The solution to this problem has been found too expensive with little effects. To overcome this problem, some biological methods are introduced, in biological method; microbial degradation of hydrocarbons is the most promising method. The proposed study aimed to isolate and identify hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial species from the Mathura refinery, Mathura U.P. India. These species were isolated from petroleum-contaminated refinery water and grew on nutrient agar media, identified according to their distinct morphological, and biochemical characteristics, with16s rRNA sequencing. Results of this study confirmed the presence of various bacterial isolates such as Brevibacillus nitrificans, Algoriphagus shivajiensis, Bacillus marisflavi, Acinetobacter junii, Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, and Bacillus pumilus from the collected samples based on the Bushnell Haas method and separation funnel method. Further, identified bacteria were tested for the maximum hydrocarbon degradation capacity in liquid culture, and results of the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) suggested that only two bacterial species viz., P. pseudoalcaligenes and B. pumilus having the maximum hydrocarbon degradation capacity
THE IGNORED PANDEMIC OF PUBLIC HEALTH CORRUPTION: A CALL FOR ACTION AMID AND BEYOND SARS-COV-2/COVID-19
Get PDFCorruption in healthcare is on the rise. When corruption infiltrates global health, causes embezzlement of public health funds, malfunctioning medical equipment, fraudulent or ineffective health services such as expired medicines and fake vaccines that could have life-or-death consequences. A corrupt healthcare system, amid global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, when resources are in constraint and trust is in high demand, can lead to devastating, though avoidable, health and economic consequences. It is imperative for policymakers, health experts, patients, caregivers, and global health funders to promptly acknowledge and address corruption in healthcare. The current pandemic generates an emergency and disorder state on health care systems across the globe, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where a weakening of control measures is evident, creating the perfect storm for corruption. This paper builds on existing research to examine processes that support essential stakeholder engagement in anti-corruption efforts. In this context, an extensive review of literature has been conducted by using various databases such as PubMed, Science direct, SCOPUS, Research Gate, and Google Scholar and a total of 45 articles and documents on corruption and COVID-19 were screened and selected by authors independently. To fill the knowledge gaps about the need for actions to be taken during a pandemic like COVID-19, we propose an anti-corruption grassroots movement that focuses on changing the social norms surrounding corruption in healthcare. By pushing forward a practice that normalizes conversations about corruption in everyday health practices and involving more stakeholders in the protection of public health resources, we argue that not only local health systems can become more resilient and resistant to corruption, but also global health initiatives can become more effective and efficient to improve individual and global health
BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION: MICROBIOTA-INTESTINE-LUNG AXIS AND PRO-INFLAMMATORY STATUS IN THE SEVERITY OF COVID-19
Get PDFAlthough severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus – 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is primarily associated with a respiratory infection, it has also been linked to multisystem involvement that includes the digestive tract. Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations are common in patients with COVID-19 due to the high viral load lodged in the small intestine's mucosa. As a result, it causes an increase in the permeability of the intestinal barrier that favours the passage and translocation of bacteria, from the lumen of the intestine, towards the internal environment, with the appearance of sepsis, with evidence that SARS-CoV-2 has been found in faeces. This article highlights epidemiology, clinical symptoms, and mechanisms related to manifestations of disease in the GI tract and its pathogenesis in patients with COVID-19. It highlights bacterial translocation and COVID-19, mechanisms that control bacterial translocation, intestinal infection and feco-oral transmission, defense mechanisms against microbial invasion, role of microbiota/microbiome and implications of their dysbiosis and alterations during SARS-CoV-2 infection, and lastly protective health benefits by improving dietary habits with nutritional foods approaches amid the ongoing pandemic. Increasing evidence indicates that bacterial translocation appears due to the high viral load of COVID-19 in the mucosa of the GI tract, and the intestinal microbiota contributes to the COVID-19 course owing to their bidirectional relationship with the immune system and lungs. Dysbiosis in gut microbiota leads to increased gut permeability thus predisposing to secondary infection and multiple organ dysfunction. Disruption of intestinal barrier integrity due to dysbiosis may cause translocation of SARS-CoV-2 from lungs into the intestinal lumen via the circulatory and lymphatic system, initiating severe clinical presentation of the infection. A thorough understanding of the key role of gut microbiota, gastrointestinal symptoms, and pathology along with immunomodulatory approaches would help in alleviating morbidity and mortality during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic