Volume 71, Issue 4

Nowadays, there has been immense progress in developing materials to support transplanted cells. Nevertheless, the complexity of tissues is far beyond what is found in the most advanced scaffolds. This article reviews the types of biomaterials and their resulting scaffolds in the bio-engineering of bone and tissues by presenting an overview of the characteristics of ideal scaffold in tissue engineering along with types of scaffolds and examples of previous studies where these scaffolds have been applied. The advantages of scaffolds, and the three-dimensional culture system and its used commercially available scaffold is presented. Challenges encountered in the application of these scaffolds in bone and tissue engineering is also highlighted. Used method was by acquisition of materials through Google scholar, Science direct, PubMed and University library archives. Proper knowledge of the above highlighted facts will go a long way in re-addressing the production of scaffolds for bone and tissue engineering. With the proliferation of innovative applications in bioactive glasses and glass ceramics, the greater need for specific understanding of cell biology with emphasis on cellular differentiation, cell to cell interaction and extracellular matrix formation in engineering of bone and tissues becomes inevitable. This will enhance scaffold production, bone regeneration and transplantation outcome.

Arsenic (As) is one of the highly toxic metalloids distributed ubiquitously in nature. Two inorganic forms of As are present abundantly: arsenite (As III ) and arsenate (As V ), former being 100 times more toxic than latter. Arsenic is a well known inducer of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in crop plants either directly during conversion of As V to As III or indirectly via inactivation of the antioxidants by binding to their thiol groups. Arsenic-mediated oxidative stress causes an array of metabolic dysfunctions in plants. Therefore, in recent years, demonstration of various mechanisms to improve crop productivity and/or alleviation of As toxicity has become a prime concern. Modulation of cellular thiol molecules for protection against ROS-induced damage has been used as a strategy against As. Accrual of proline, polyphenols and exogenous application of salicylic acid, nitric oxide, phosphate and potassium show protection against As-mediated injuries in crop plants. Proline, nitric oxide and salicylic acid display defensive functions by activating antioxidant machinery of crop plants whereas phosphate and potassium reduce As toxicity by controlling As-uptake or maintaining cellular protein and antioxidant enzymes in plants. Likewise, polyphenols serve as antioxidants and reduce activities of ROS synthesizing enzymes, thereby confering As-stress tolerance. In this review we have attempted to collate recent advances on 1) mechanism(s) of As uptake by plants, 2) toxicity responses [physiological, biochemical and molecular] exerted by As, and 3) roles of varied molecules in amelioration of As effects in crop plants. Gaps in the existing knowledge and future research prospects have also been highlighted in this review.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain BUP2 (MTCC No. 5924), a novel bacterium isolated from the rumen of the Malabari goat was explored in this study for its efficiency in the production of lipase in Benjamin Unni Priji medium supplemented with 1% groundnut oil. Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs were applied for optimizing the culture parameters statistically for the enhanced production of lipase; and temperature (28°C), pH (6) and incubation time (24 h) were found as significant factors for increasing the production of lipase by 11% (from 152 to 171 U/mL). Using (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fractionation and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration techniques, the lipase was purified to homogeneity (36 folds with 20% yield) with 2,392 U/mg specific activity; its apparent M W was 29 kDa, as judged by SDS-PAGE. The maximum activity (2,802 U/mL and 177% specific activity) of the purified lipase was observed with 50 mM para -nitrophenyl palmitate as substrate (at pH 8, 45°C temperature, 5.0 mM Ca 2+ and 0.5% Triton X-100, after 30 min of incubation). The K m and V max values of the purified lipase were found as 4.75 mM and 999 μmol/min/mg, respectively; and that this may be the first report on a lipase produced by a microorganism inhabiting the rumen of a goat. Briefly, the alkalophilic and thermotolerant lipase produced by P. aeruginosa strain BUP2 with higher specific activity would find better utility in detergency; moreover, this low M W protein is a good candidate for genetic engineering toward catalytic resolution of fine chemicals.

In the current study, 55 Penicillium species were screened for lectin activity using erythrocytes of human ABO, pig, sheep, goat and rabbit. Only four Penicillium species, namely P. duclauxii , P. griseoroseum , P. proteolyticum and P. caseifulfum exhibited lectin activity, while crude undiluted mycelial extract of six species ( P. aragonense , P. coralligerum , P. lagena , P. pinophilum , P. spinuloramigenum and P. miczynskii ) showed weak haemagglutination. P. duclauxii , P. caseifulfum and P. proteolyticum lectins demonstrated non-specific agglutination towards human as well as animal erythrocytes, whereas P. griseoroseum lectin displayed specific agglutination activity only towards rabbit erythrocytes. Neuraminidase and protease treatment of erythrocytes showed an increase in lectin activity of P. duclauxii , P. griseoroseum and P. proteolyticum , whereas no effect occurred on lectin activity of P. caseifulfum . Lectin activity expressed after 5 days of cultivation in broth cultures of P. griseoroseum and P. proteolyticum exhibited a sharp decline after the 8th and 9th day, respectively. In P. caseifulfum and P. duclauxii broth cultures, lectin activity was expressed after 6 days of cultivation and demonstrated decline after the 7th and 8th day, respectively. A panel of 40 carbohydrates and glycoproteins was used to study their minimum inhibitory concentration capable of inhibiting lectin-induced haemagglutination. Lectin activity of P. duclauxii , P. proteolyticum , P. caseifulfum and P. griseoroseum was strongly inhibited by chondroitin-6-sulphate, thiogalactoside, bovine submaxillary mucin, porcine stomach mucin and fetuin. Owing to their enormous ability to discriminate sugars with high specificity, a myriad of lectins can be used as biotechnological tools for future research.

To investigate the Ns genome donor of Leymus and to elucidate the origin of Xm genome of Leymus , Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyze 13 Leymus accessions, together with 14 taxa from related Triticeae genera. A total of 156 clear and reproducible DNA fragments were amplified by 24 RAPD primers, among which 154 fragments (98.72%) were found to be polymorphic. The main results showed as following: (1) the Leymus species were clustered together first, and there is the closest phylogenetic relationship between L. akmolinensis and L. angustus ; (2) Leymus species have Ns genome, which come from Psathyrostachys , and different Psathyrostachys species could serve as the donor for different Leymus species; (3) The partial Leymus species had a close phylogenetic relationship with Hordeum chilense , Australopyrum retrofractum , Lophyrum elongatum .

The present investigation envisaged the potential of ascorbic acid through seed priming on the seedling growth and antioxidant response in three wheat cultivars i.e., PBW 644 (Drought tolerant), PBW 621 and HD 2967 (Drought sensitive) grown under water deficit stress. Imposition of water deficit stress reduced the root and shoot lengths by more than 11% in PBW 644, 18% in PBW 621 and 9% in HD 2967. On exposure to water deficit stress, catalase (CAT) was upregulated in the roots of all the three cultivars but declined in the shoots. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity increased in stressed plants of tolerant cultivar but declined in sensitive cultivars except the shoots of HD 2967. Under water deficit stress, seed priming with 400 μM of ascorbic acid increased shoot length of all the three cultivars by more than 19% when compared to stressed seedlings. Further, it enhanced the drought tolerance of PBW 644 by upregulating superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT, APX and glutathione reductase (GR) enzymes accompanied by an increase in glycine betaine and H 2 O 2 contents. Ascorbic acid treatment also protected sensitive cultivars from water deficit stress by increasing CAT, APX, GR and mono dehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) enzymes, ascorbate and glycine betaine contents in PBW 621 whereas SOD and peroxidase (POX) enzymes were upregulated in treated stressed seedlings of HD 2967. Lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the treated seedlings of all the cultivars further signified the role of ascorbate treatment in alleviation of water deficit induced oxidative damage.

In the present study, The hexaploid species Roegneria kamoji (StStYYHH genomes) in Triticeae produced a single high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) 1St1.2 in its endosperm. 1St1.2 encoded 404 amino acid, which is shorter than previous reported HMW-GSs in Triticeae. The N-terminal domains of 1St1.2 resemble that of the y-type subunits, while their C-terminal domains are similar to the x-type subunits. We discovered many variation types of polypeptides in central repetitive domain. There also have amino acid mutations in the N-terminal domain. The results of phylogenetic analysis suggested that 1St1.2 might be expression from the St genome. Therefore, the results indicated that 1St1.2 is a novel HMW-GS variant or isoform, and the characterization of the subunit can enhance our understanding on the structural differentiation and evolutionary relationships of HMW-GSs in wheat and its wild relatives.

A new species of Fijibates (Oribatida: Scheloribatidae) is described from mixed forest of Bi Dup–Nui Ba National Park (Vietnam) where it was found in semidecayed leaves on trees. Fijibates problematicus sp. n. differs from all species of the genus by the presence of tutoria and interlamellar setae with swollen tips distally (vs. tutoria absent, interlamellar setae simple). The supplementary redescription of Scheloribates papillaris Tseng, 1984 is presented, based on Vietnamese specimens collected from mixed forest of Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve where it was found in semidecayed leaves on trees. The genera Trhypochthoniellus , Eremaeozetes and Pseudocarabodes and species Eremella induta Berlese, 1913, Eremaeozetes lineatus Mahunka, 1985, Pseudocarabodes xenus Mahunka, 1991, Yoshiobodes ( Yoshiobodes ) nakatamarii (Aoki, 1973), Zetorchella sottoetgarciai (Corpuz-Raros, 1979) and Punctoribates insignis Berlese, 1910 are recorded for the first time in Vietnam. The family Nodocepheidae, genus Nodocepheus and species Trhypochthoniellus longisetus (Berlese, 1904), Tyrphonothrus albulus (Hammer, 1972), Nodocepheus dentatus Hammer, 1958 and Liebstadia ( Liebstadia ) pannonica (Willmann, 1951) are recorded for the first time in the Oriental region.

A new species of oribatid mites of Monoschelobates (Oribatida: Scheloribatidae) is described from upper soil and leaf litter in the primary evergreen lowland rainforest of Amazonian Peru. Monoschelobates masani Ermilov sp. n. differs from all species of the genus by the presence of rostrum triangular and protruding (vs. rostrum rounded) and well-developed of exobothridial setae (vs. minute), and the absence of translamellar line (vs. lateral parts of line present). New generic diagnosis and an identification key to the known species of Monoschelobates are provided. Monoschelobates is recorded in the Peruvian fauna for the first time.

Serodiagnostic test for the diagnosis of infestation of camels by the camel nasal fly, Cephalopina titillator was examined. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to analyze and compare the production of antibodies in the camel mucus against salivary gland contents (SGc), excretory-secretory products (ESP), digestive tract contents (DTc) antigens from 2 nd and 3 rd larval instars of C. titillator sampled in summer and winter. ELISA characterization of larval antigens showed that the presence of C. titillator larvae in camel, Camelus dromedarius , resulted in higher antibody titer in mucus samples of infested camels collected in winter than those collected in summer in both L2 and L3. In L2, the most antigenic secretion was SGc > ESP > DTc, but in L3 ESP > SGc > DTc. The antibody titers in camel mucus are affected by the intensity of infestation with C. titillator .

The effects of temperature and food levels on body size, growth rate, time to metamorphosis and survival were studied in larval and post-metamorphic juvenile endangered yellow spotted mountain newts Neurergus microspilotus (Caudata: Salamandridae), which were hatched and reared in a captive breeding facility. We designed a 2 × 3 factorial experiment in which larvae were raised either at high and low temperature (15 ° C and 18 ° C) of conspecifics and fed either a high, medium and low level of food. The experimental results showed that growth and development rates of N. microspilotus were influenced by interaction of temperature and food levels. Larvae raised at the high food level and high temperature exhibited earlier metamorphosis and the greatest snout to vent length (SVL) compared with individuals raised at relatively low food level and low temperature. Over the experimental period, larval growth rate was highest and survival lowest at the high temperature. Our data suggest that in larvae grown at relatively low temperature, the metamorphosis time was significantly longer compared with individuals raised at relatively high temperature. At both low and high temperature, larval growth rates increased with increasing food levels, and the increase was fastest at high food level compared to medium and low food regimes. Larvae exhibited the greatest mean growth rate for SVL (0.41 mm/days) at high food level and high temperature. Information obtained from current experiment could improve the productivity of newts in captive breeding facilities to ensure the release of adequate numbers of individuals for reintroduction programs.

The article is focused on describing a possible way of how biological data can be processed, introduces the procedures used and compares the results gained from a field ornithological study. This was carried out using statistical methods of nonparametric regression with binomial classification and probit function together with the method with forward selection, and presents the most significant outcomes. Some of the interesting findings of this study are as follows: first, a lower level of reed warbler ( Acrocephalus scirpaceus Hermann 1804) nest predation by bird predators was proven in the common reed [ Phragmites australis (Cavanilles) Trinius 1841] stands growing in shallow waters, compared to nests located in stands growing in deeper waters. For this field research artificial nests containing one egg made of plasticine and one egg of Japanese quail were used. Second, a negative correlation was proven between predation of nests and their distance from the nearest tree, whereas no interdependence was proven either for various nesting-site types (oligotrophic sandpits, ponds with intensive fish-pond management and ponds with extensive use) or monitoring time (during the first, resp. second nesting). Based on the methods applied, 56% of egg predation variability was clarified and last but not least, the efficiency of these statistical methods was proven for practical use in similar field research zoological studies.