Abstract Eco-physiological and physiological characteristics are used to study native rhizobial species for their ecological and physiological adaptability to different conditions. This study aimed to assess the eco-physiological and physiological characteristics of cowpea-nodulating rhizobia isolated from major production areas of Ethiopia. Twenty-eight isolates were isolated from cowpea root nodules and evaluated for different eco-physiological and physiological characteristics. All tested isolates grew within a temperature range of 20°C and 35°C. All isolates were able to grow at pH values of between 6.0 and 8.5, with optimal growth at pH around neutral. All isolates were tolerant of NaCl concentration ranging from 0.1% to 1%. The growth of isolates decreased as the salt concentration increased. The tested isolates were able to grow on different carbon sources, such as glucose (100%), fructose (100%) glycerol (100%), mannose (96.43%), lactose (96.43%), galactose (85.71%), arabinose (60.71%) and maltose (46.43%) showing that the majority of tested rhizobia were able to use a broad range of carbohydrates as sole carbon sources. Similarly, the isolates were able to grow on L-lysine (89.29%), L-arginine (92.86%), tyrosine (82.14%), L-tryptophan (89.29%), L-asparagine (78.57%), methionine (75%) and glutamate (85.71%) as a source of amino acids. The tested isolates showed a wide diversity for their tolerance to different eco-physiological conditions (temperature, pH and salt concentration) and had the ability to utilize a large variety of carbon and nitrogen sources. The variation and diversity of tolerance to different ecological conditions and utilization of different nutrients would provide them an ecological advantage and enhance their chance for survival.
Abstract Cancers remain one of the leading causes of death in the world. However, known conventional cancer medicines remain scarce, expensive and out of reach to many patients. To provide an alternative for the expensive therapies, plants are proving to have potential to lead to the development of more drugs against cancers. In this work, we aimed at isolating possible pure compounds from Eichhornia crassipes roots and leaves, examining their prospects to be developed into oral drugs by looking at their chemical properties and also exploring their cytotoxic activities. A total of 12 isolates (A-L) were obtained and examination of their UV and mass profiles on LCMS and cytotoxicity on human cell lines. Compound C was the most active against MCF-7 cell lines (3.08 ± 0.06 µg/ml) and (3.92 ± 0.06 µg/ml) against HepG2. The standard drug, doxorubicin, had an IC50 value of 0.29 ± 0.05 µg/ml against MCF-7 and 0.33 ± 0.04 µg/ml against HepG2 cell lines. UV results from the LCMS chromatograms showed that some active isolates do not possess the chemistry suitable to be developed into oral drugs as they are while others that are not as potent possess very good drug-like chemistry. We therefore conclude that there is need for drug developers to consider chemical properties and medicinal chemistry prospects of active isolates/compounds through rational optimization in plant-based drug discovery. Eichhornia crassipes should be considered as a cheap source of potential drug hits against cancers.
The effect of silver thiosulfate (STS) and putrescine was studied on the vase life and quality of cut chrysanthemum in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design. The experimental factors were composed of silver thiosulfate at four levels (0 or control, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.1 mM) and putrescine at three levels (0 or control, 150 and 300 ppm). The results showed that the application of STS at the rates of 0.05 and 0.1 mM improved vase life of cut chrysanthemum. Also, putrescine at the 150 and 300 ppm improved vase life by increasing relative weight and decreasing wilting percentage. The interaction of the two studied factors was insignificant for most traits including wilting percentage and vase life, which may imply that the application of either substance alone suffices to improve postharvest quality and it is not necessary to use them simultaneously in the preservative solution.
Background and Objective:Studies have reported that the spouses of patients with recurrent miscarriage have a high rate of sperm aneuploidy,The types and the methods of determination of sperm aneuploidy are different. The correlation between the specific type of sperm aneuploidy and recurrent miscarriage is inconclusive.Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the rate of sperm aneploidy tested in FISH way in male partners of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL group) and fertile male control groups. Methods:Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed databases and a manual search were done for observational research from inception till 23 May 2019.Pooled standard mean difference (SMD), odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to describe effect sizes.This study was conducted according to MOOSE statement. Results:Overall, One study was included for qualitative analysis owing to a lack of standard deviation data, and nine studies were included for quantitative analysis.326 male partners of women with recurrent pregnancy loss and 124 fertile men were included in this study.The primary outcome was the rate of sperm aneuploidy. Pooled data from three studies with sufficient data suggested that male partners of women with a history of RPL had significantly higher rates of total sperm aneuploidy compared with the partners of fertile control women(SMD: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.39-1.75, P < 0.01). In the qualitative analysis, the RPL group had a greater percentage of sperm aneuploidy, Conclusions:Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis suggested an association between total sperm aneuploidy and RPL. However, for some specific type of sperm aneuploidy, male partners of women with a history of RPL had similar rates as fertile men. Further studies are needed owing to the significant heterogeneity between studies and lack of prospective pregnancy outcome data.
