Plant Regeneration through Indirect Organogenesis in Two Cultivars of Pineapple (Ananas comosus L.)

Unavailability of performant planting material of pineapple constitutes a major problem of its cultivation in Africa. For this purpose, indirect organogenesis technique is used to evaluate the in vitro responses of two cultivars of pineapple during the explant’s regeneration. Calli were induced from crown leaf and plantlets leaf of “Smooth Cayenne” and “Sugarloaf cultivars”. Murashige and Skoog medium with vitamins B5 supplemented with different growth regulators combinations were used. BAP and/or 2,4-D have been added to base medium for calli cells’ differentiation while BAP and GA3 have been added for plant elongation. The results indicated that explants from regenerated plantlets leaves cultivated on MS supplemented with copper (II) sulphate 5-hydrate concentrations incorporated had significant (p < 0.0001) influence on callus induction in pineapple cultivars. Likewise, MS medium with NAA (0.5 mg/l) + BAP (1 mg/l) had a highly significant influence with 8.8 differentiated Calli. Also, MS medium supplemented with BAP (3 mg/l) + GA3 (2 mg/l) for the “smooth Cayenne” had significantly influenced (p < 0.0001) Calli regeneration with a high rate of 55.25% plantlets. MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l of NAA + 0 mg/l IBA produced a high number of roots in Sugarloaf whereas the medium containing 1.5 mg/l NAA + 0.5 mg/l (IBA) produced high number of roots in smooth Cayenne. We have established an efficient and reproducible protocol for mass propagation and genetic transformation of pineapple though indirect organogenesis. This protocol may be used in genetics engineering studies for pineapple breeding.

Multi-omics Approach Reveals Influenza-A Virus Target Genes Associated Genomic,Clinical and Immunological Characteristics in Cancers

Objective To examine the precise function of influenza A virus target genes(IATGs)in malignancy.Methods Using multi-omics data from the TCGA and TCPA datasets,33 tumor types were evaluated for IATGs.IATG expression in cancer cells was analyzed using transcriptome analysis.Copy number variation(CNV)was assessed using GISTICS 2.0.Spearman’s analysis was used to correlate mRNA expression with methylation levels.GSEA was used for the enrichment analysis.Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to examine the association between IATG mRNA expression and IC50.The ImmuCellAI algorithm was used to calculate the infiltration scores of 24 immune cell types.Results In 13 solid tumors,IATG mRNA levels were atypically expressed.Except for UCS,UVM,KICH,PCPG,THCA,CHOL,LAMI,and MESO,most cancers contained somatic IATG mutations.The main types of CNVs in IATGs are heterozygous amplifications and deletions.In most tumors,IATG mRNA expression is adversely associated with methylation.RT-PCR demonstrated that EGFR,ANXA5,CACNA1C,CD209,UVRAG were upregulated and CLEC4M was downregulated in KIRC cell lines,consistent with the TCGA and GTEx data.Conclusion Genomic changes and clinical characteristics of IATGs were identified,which may offer fresh perspectives linking the influenza A virus to cancer.

The Expresion of Quox-1 Gene in the Embryo Development of Andrias davianus

Two set of Andrias davidanus fertilized eggs and its seedlings were got by means of artificial re production.The sections of the embryo of Andrias davidianus were made by histological method The expres sion of homologous sequences of Quox 1 gene has been studied by immunohistochemical method with special antibody.Results show that the expression of homologous sequences of Quox 1 gene was detected in the epi dermis of blastula and gastula.The highly expression was investigated in the epidermis at the neural tube phrase and the tail bud stage.

Interest of Splitting the Enthalpies of Vaporization in Four Distinct Parts Reflecting the Van der Waals and the Hydrogen Bonding Forces

An experimental characterization of the Van der Waals forces involved in volatile organic compounds (VOC) dissolved into stationary phases of gas liquid chromatography (GLC) has been started at the beginning of the seventies. This field has been reactivated from 1994 thanks to a fruitful cooperation between our CNRS team and the group of Ervin Kováts at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne. The applied strategy can be summarized, in the first instance, as the experimental measurement of accurate and superabundant mutual affinities of a limited number of VOC and stationary phases and their processing using an original tool named Multiplicative Matrix Analysis (MMA). Then, in the second stage, the obtained results have been compared with molecular properties well established, as the Van der Waals molecular volume, the refraction index and the polar surface area (PSA), in order to get generalized values for any compound. The present study summarizes the positive results developed in our three last papers on this topic (2013, 2016 and 2018), as well as the attempt to overcome the negative ones using enthalpies of vaporization.

Influence of Watering Solution and Phenotype on the Growth of <i>in Vitro</i>Propagated Pineapple (Smooth Cayenne Cultivar) Plantlets during Acclimatization

Pineapple is the first fruit crop cultivated in south Benin that greatly contributes for food and nutritional security and farmers’ income. But the lack of homogenous planting material constitutes the major constraint for improving pineapple yield. In vitro micropropagation is now used in the production of homogenous and free disease planting materials of pineapple. However, the acclimatization to natural condition of pineapple plantlets is an important step in planting material production of this crop. Here, we determined the intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence the behavior of plantlets during the acclimatization process. For this purpose, plantlets from different categories were selected, trimmed and planted on a horticultural substrate made up of potting soil, white sawdust and compost previously sterilized. The plantlets were then incubated in under acclimatization greenhouse with average temperature of 29˚C and 70.2% of humidity. A batch of plantlets was subjected to two different watering solutions: Shive and Robbins solution and NPK 14-6-5 foliar fertilizer. The results obtained initially showed high rate (100%) of survival and growth of the plantlets watered with Shive and Robbins solution against 50% of the plantlets watered with the foliar fertilizer solution. In addition, the plantlets with spread pores exhibiting the characteristics of which the number of leaves varies between 9 and 11, the weight between 1.2 and 1.5 g, the size of 4.5 to 5.5 cm, and a good junction between the aerial part and the root system were those which were successfully grown in acclimatization phase under greenhouse, unlike plantlets with erected pores having lower success rate. This study goes a long way in providing good procedures of acclimatization of homogenous and free disease planting material of pineapple to the famers.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration and Evaluation of Health Risk of Some Vegetables Cultivated in Loumbila Farmland, Burkina Faso

Vegetables such as spinach, African eggplant, cabbage, eggplant, okra, chili peppers and tomatoes are found in our everyday foods and are the most important dietary source of nutrient. But, it becomes deleterious to human as well as animals as it accumulates toxic metals in their tissue when grown in contaminated soil. The mostly consumed vegetables like spinach, African eggplant (fruit and leaves), Corchorus olitorius leaf, Amaranthus hybridus leaf, cabbage, eggplant, okra, pepper and tomato were collected from Loumbila market gardening. Heavy metals copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) model AANALYST 200 from PERKIN ELMER. The results of this study showed that the concentrations of lead (0.49 to 8.59 mg/kg) and zinc (20.73 to 71.29 mg/kg) in spinach, African eggplant (fruit and leaves), Corchorus olitorius leaf, Amaranthus hybridus leaf, cabbage, eggplant, okra, pepper and tomato exceeded the permissible level of FAO and WHO standard. The daily plant metal intake for Cd (0.001 - 0.015 mg/kg), Pb (0.041 - 0.730 mg/kg), and Cu (0.703 - 1.543 mg/kg) is higher than the recommended daily intake of metals but does not exceed the tolerable limit. The calculated values of the health risk indices show high values for Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu while low values are observed for Cr. Except for Cr, the IRS evaluated for all the studied metals were greater than one (IRS > 1). This implies that exposed populations are susceptible to developing diseases linked to the following metals: Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu.

Influence of Swimming Pool Design on Hydraulic Behavior: A Numerical and Experimental Study

A swimming pool can be considered as a chemical reactor with specific hydraulic and macro-mixing characteristics. The nature of flow into the pool depends on various characteristics, such as water inlets and outlets (number and position), pool geometry, and flow rate. This study investigates how swimming pool design affects hydraulic behavior based on experimental and computational fluid dynamics studies (CFD). This paper does not describe the hydraulic behavior of all existing swimming pools, however the cases studied here are representative of pool designs widely used in Europe and the United States. The model developed, based on the principle of a stirred reactor, could be used as a first approach in describing the hydraulic behavior of regular pools. This model is suitable for the study of physical and chemical phenomena with long characteristic times. Other, more advanced, models were shown to be more suitable to the case of fast chemical processes.

Multi-Level Fusion in Ultrasound for Cancer Detection Based on Uniform LBP Features

Collective improvement in the acceptable or desirable accuracy level of breast cancer image-related pattern recognition using various schemes remains challenging.Despite the combination of multiple schemes to achieve superior ultrasound image pattern recognition by reducing the speckle noise,an enhanced technique is not achieved.The purpose of this study is to introduce a features-based fusion scheme based on enhancement uniform-Local Binary Pattern(LBP)and filtered noise reduction.To surmount the above limitations and achieve the aim of the study,a new descriptor that enhances the LBP features based on the new threshold has been proposed.This paper proposes a multi-level fusion scheme for the auto-classification of the static ultrasound images of breast cancer,which was attained in two stages.First,several images were generated from a single image using the pre-processing method.Themedian andWiener filterswere utilized to lessen the speckle noise and enhance the ultrasound image texture.This strategy allowed the extraction of a powerful feature by reducing the overlap between the benign and malignant image classes.Second,the fusion mechanism allowed the production of diverse features from different filtered images.The feasibility of using the LBP-based texture feature to categorize the ultrasound images was demonstrated.The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is tested on 250 ultrasound images comprising 100 and 150 benign and malignant images,respectively.The proposed method achieved very high accuracy(98%),sensitivity(98%),and specificity(99%).As a result,the fusion process that can help achieve a powerful decision based on different features produced from different filtered images improved the results of the new descriptor of LBP features in terms of accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity.

How Polydopamine Modulates Biological Responses to PTFE Prostheses

Diaphragm repair after congenital diaphragmatic hernia is associated with hernia recurrence due to prosthesis failure. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE), a synthetic non-degradable biomaterial, is currently used for those diaphragmatic defect repairs. The drawback of e-PTFE is its poor wettability that leads to coating difficulties, bonding that could favor implant integration. However, polydopamine (PDA) can be deposited as well on organic as on inorganic substrates. Therefore, we assessed the biological responses of a clinically used e-PTFE biomaterial treated with PDA in two different manners: one impregnated with PDA and the other coated with a one side PDA film. Mechanical properties of the raw e-PTFE, the PDA soaked biomaterial and the PDA coated surface were characterized by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy. Behaviors of primary human fibroblasts and Wharton’s jelly stem cells were investigated by electron microscopy. Findings reveal that the mechanical properties at the microscopic scale are not modified by the PDA treatments. Cells spread onto both PDA functionalized substrates. In addition, microscopic observations disclose numerous focal cell contacts, evidencing cell attachment, and cytoplasmic projections particularly with the nanoscale PDA coating. Results clearly suggest that PDA in general but above all the PDA coating enhance cellular colonization of the implant material.

Land-Sea Interactions in Punta China(Baja California,Mexico):Addressing Anthropic and Natural Disturbances in a Retrospective Context

In extensive SCUBA-diving surveys of kelp forests along 350 km of the Baja California peninsula coastline from the US-México borderline to Sacramento Reef, benthic species richness has been satisfactorily explained by environmental structural features such as bottom rugosity. However, values at Punta China embayment (PCE) departed significantly from the model whereas the adjacent Santo Tomás cove (STC) did not. In addition, in August 20, 2011, visibility was under 1 m at PCE and over 10 m at STC;these conditions presumably reflect the influence of the limestone extraction industry located on land. In order to investigate the case allowing for temporal comparisons, we set a regional research scenario similar to a 1993 pioneer study, comprising PCE and two contrasting sites (STC to the North, and San José embayment, SJE, to the South). Land and sea side were addressed separately, and a 1950-2012 time-span period was set in order to perform the analysis of retrospective data. Our results suggest that the current scenario results from the combined influence of a local, anthropic and chronic land-based disturbance represented by the progressive expansion of limestone extraction industry, and the episodic influence of a natural, large scale and acute disturbance represented by the 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Nino events. The influence of both driving forces, however, is not necessarily equally distributed in space, yielding a regional mosaic of natural and social conditions. Our results confirm and expand previous knowledge in the area, and may contribute to?future basic and applied research.

Neuroprotective effects of salvianolic acid B against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion damage in primary rat cortical neurons

Background Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury is the main reason for the loss of neurons in the ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Therefore, to deeply understand its pathogenesis and find a new target is the key issue to be solved. This research aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of salvianolic acid B （SalB） against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion （OGD/RP） damage in primary rat cortical neurons.Methods The primary cultures of neonatal Wister rats were randomly divided into the control group, the OGD/RP group and the SalB-treatment group （10 mg/L）. The cell model was established by depriving of oxygen and glucose for 3 hours and reperfusion for 3 hours and 24 hours, respectively. The neuron viability was determined by MTT assay. The level of cellular reactive oxygen species （ROS） was detected by fluorescent labeling method and spin trapping technique respectively. The activities of neuronal Mn-superoxide dismutase （Mn-SOD）, catalase （CAT） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-PX） were assayed by chromatometry. The mitochondria membrane potential （△ψm） was quantitatively analyzed by flow cytometry. The release rate of cytochrome c was detected by Western blotting. The neuronal ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Statistical significance was evaluated by analysis of variance （ANOVA）followed by Student-Newman-Keuls test.Results OGD/RP increased the level of cellular ROS, but decreased the cell viability and the activities of Mn-SOD, CAT and GSH-PX; SalB treatment significantly reduced the level of ROS （P ＜0.05）; and enhanced the cell viability （P ＜0.05）and the activities of these antioxidases （P ＜0.05）. Additionally, OGD/RP induced the fluorescence value of △ψm to diminish and the release rate of cytochrome c to rise notably; SalB markedly elevated the level of △ψm （P ＜0.01） and depressed the release rate of cytochrome c （P ＜0.05）; it also ameliorated the neuronal morphological injury.Conclusion The neuroprotection of SalB may be attributed to the elimination of ROS and the inhibition of apoptosis.

Responses of Iron-Reducing Bacteria to Salinity and Organic Matter Amendment in Paddy Soils of Thailand

In paddy soils of Thailand, the addition of organic matter （OM） is used to efficiently limit the effect of salinity on rice culture and production. OM used as an amendment and fertilizer promotes the reduced condition and increases iron solubilization without provoking ferrous toxicity. In this study, the intricate biogeochemical role of iron-reducing bacteria （IRB） involved in the quality of water and soil of paddy fields, particularly when the paddy fields were subject to salinity and organic matter addition, were studied in paddy fields of Thailand. The results demonstrated that the addition of OM increased the proliferation of cultivable IRB and their specific activity. Cultivable IRB communities decreased in the presence of salt. The presence of salt modified the structure of the bacterial populations by favoring the development of alkaline and moderately halophilic bacteria （Virgibacillus spp., Occanobacillus spp., and PaenibaciUus spp.）. The paddy soils studied contained very diversified （halosensitive, halotolerant, and halophilic） IRB populations that could be adapted to a variety of salinity conditions （0-90 g L-1 NaCI） using different organic substrates （glucose, acetate, and soil organic matter） to maintain significant activities under extreme conditions of salinity. The rhizosphere of rice stimulated IRB community growth without organic matter, whereas organic matter addition limited the rhizosphere effect on IRB cultivable number in saline condition. The interactive action of salinity and organic amendment had a negative impact on the rhizosphere effect. The presence of specific iron-reducing populations （fermentative, iron-respiring, anaerobic, and facultative anaerobic）, having different behaviors under salt and redox stresses, appeared to be a key factor that contributed to the control or enhancement of the quality of water and soil in paddy fields.

Evaluation of adsorption capacities of humic acids extracted from Algerian soil on polyaniline for application to remove pollutants such as Cd(Ⅱ), Zn(Ⅱ) and Ni(Ⅱ) and characterization with cavity microelectrode

The adsorption capacities of new humic acids isolated from Yakouren forest （YHA） and Sahara （Tamenrasset： THA） soils （Algeria） and commercial humic acid （PFHA） on polyaniline emeraldine base （PEB） were studied at pH 6.6. Also the adsorption of heavy metals such as Cd 2＋ , Zn 2＋ and Ni 2＋ on humic acid-polyaniline systems （HA-PEB） was investigated at the same conditions. HA-PEB compounds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, infrared spectrometry and cavity microelectrode. In addition, batch adsorption and cavity microelectrode were used in the adsorption study of Cd 2＋ , Zn 2＋ and Ni 2＋ on HA-PEB. To develop biocaptors of polluting metals using a cavity microelectrode modified by HA-PEB systems, the adsorption kinetic and adsorption capacity were investigated. The SEM analysis showed that the presence of humic acid affected the PEB surface and caused the formation of a granular morphology. The maximum adsorption capacities （q max ） of PFHA, THA and YHA determined by adsorption isotherms were 91.31, 132.1 and 151.0 mg/g, respectively. Batch adsorption results showed that q max of Cd 2＋ , Zn 2＋ and Ni 2＋ on HA-PEB followed the order： THA-PEB YHA-PEB PFHA-PEB. The voltammograms obtained with HA-PEB modified cavity microelectrode showed the appearance of new redox couples reflecting the adsorption of HA on PEB. Metal-humic acid-polyaniline voltammograms were characterized by appearance of oxidation-reduction couples or reduction wave corresponding to metal. Finally, the result may be exploited to develop a biocaptor based on the cavity microelectrode amended by THA-PEB and YHA-PEB.

The roles of intraflagellar transport (IFT) protein 25 in mammalian signaling transduction and flagellogenesis

Cilium,an organelle with a unique proteome and organization,protruding from the cell surface,generally serves as a force generator and signaling compartment.During ciliogenesis,ciliary proteins are synthesized in cytoplasm and transported into cilia by intraflagellar transport(IFT)particles,where the inner counterparts undergo reverse trafficking.The homeostasis of IFT plays a key role in cilial structure assembly and signaling transduction.Much progress has been made on the mechanisms and functions of IFT;however,recent studies have revealed the involvement of IFT particle subunits in organogenesis and spermatogenesis.In this review,we discuss new concepts concerning the molecular functions of IFT protein IFT25 and how its interactions with other IFT particle subunits are involved in mammalian development and fertility.

Luminescent metal nanoclusters for biomedical applications

Luminescent metal nanoclusters (NCs) have recently emerged as a novel class of luminescent nanomaterials and hold significant potential in biomedicine owing to their ultrasmall (<2nm) size,excellent photostability,and good biocompatibility.The recent rapid advances in the synthesis and functionalization of luminescent metal NCs have enabled scientists to develop colorful nanomaterials and nanodevices for a wide range of biomedical applications.In this review,we summarize the characteristics and advantages of luminescence from metal NCs,and highlight their applications in biomedicine.We focus on the research in biomedical detection,bio-imaging,drug delivery,and therapy,especially for the advances in the last five years.Luminescent metal NCs display a series of unique superiorities in biomedical applications,and the recent achievements have brought a lot of benefits to the diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases,especially for tumors and cancers.Finally,we put forward the main challenges that currently still hinder the basic science studies and the practical development of luminescent metal NCs in biomedical applications.Overall,we expect that luminescent metal NCs will play a much more important role in future biomedicine and clinical applications.

Litopenaeus vannamei immunestimulated with Macrocystis pyrifera extract:improving the immune response against Vibrio campbellii

Objective:To examine the immune responses of Litopenaeus vannamei after different treatments with a hot water extract of Macrocystis pyrifera(M.pyrifera)and a subsequent challenge with Vibrio campbellii(V.campbellii).Methods:A total of 184 adult white shrimp that were infected with V.campbellii(1×10^(6) CFU/shrimp)were immunostimulate by the hot-water extract from M.pyrifera via either injection(10μg)or immersion(350 mg/L),the experimental controls were injected with either saline solution or V.campbellii(1×10^(6) CFU/shrimp).The bacterial DNA depuration rate,antimicrobial activity and total hemocyte count were evaluated in hemolymph samples at 2,6,12,24,48 and 72 h post-infection.Results:Injected shrimp(10μg M.pyrifera extract)demonstrated the best clearance of bacterial infection,with 82%survival at 72 h post-infection(cellular response).Hemolymph from the immersed organisms had the best antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli growth;specifically,the most efficient antimicrobial activity was observed at 24 h post-infection.Both types of immunostimulated shrimp had similar total hemocyte counts at 24 h post-infection(1.63-1.59 million/mL);however,after 72 h,injected shrimp had higher total hemocyte counts than immersed animals(2.59 v.s.0.56 million/mL).Conclusions:The injection of the M.pyrifera hot-water extract facilitated a more efficient response to V.campbellii infection due to the stimulation of the hemocytes of the shrimp.In other words,the cellular immune response was more efficient to eliminate bacterial infection than the humoral response in shrimp.