Third Day Of Incubation Research Articles

Preclinical approaches to evaluate Uncaria tomentosa bark extract loaded FDOFs using osteoarthritis models

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the biggest global health issues, affecting two thirds of the population and cannot be fully treated to return normal function or relieve joint discomfort. Oral fast-dissolving films offer a high medication loading capacity, targeted distribution, and increasing bioavailability. The current research explores the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of oral fast-dissolving film formulations containing Uncaria tomentosa bark extract. A three-dimensional osteoarthritis (OA) model was created for in vitro assessment using first passage chrondrocytes cultured in a 1:1:3 ratio on trypsin-EDTA medium. C20A4 chondrocytes were cultured on agarose gel at 25± 5 °C in a phosphate buffer solution to create the OA agarose model. One milliliter of RPMI-1640 (10 % FBS) was used for chrondrocyte cultivation. On the third day of incubation, a 20 % (IL-1β) solution was applied, and the media was periodically changed. On the fifth day of incubation, the treated cell line received 5 μL of 0.5 % MTT reagent, and absorbance was examined at 570 nm. The effects of FDOFs on the cell lines were examined for 7, 13, 27, and 35 days (IL-1β, F5, F13 treated IL-1β injected types and Control). As a control, chondrocytes in agarose constructs were solely grown in RPMI-FBS medium without IL-1β. The arthritic effect of improved FDOFs, i.e., F5, was investigated using the GAG, HYP, and DNA quantitation assays in conjunction with a DNA content assay. Monoiodoacetate (MIA) produced arthritis models are well-established for understanding weight bearing and reaction to tactile stimuli in invivo research. Seven-week-old male wistar rats were used in the invivo technique, with celecoxib serving as the positive control and MIA as the negative control. Estimates of osteoarthritic potential were made based on the evaluation of knee thickness and discomfort. The study's findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the F5 formulation on OA models, which need for a clinical evaluation in human beings.

Assessing the influence of micelle silymarin on laying hens' performance, egg quality, water loss and blood profile.

Micelle silymarin (MS) is known for its various beneficial properties, including antiswelling, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antidiabetic effects. The primary goal of this research was to investigate how MS impacts the performance, egg quality, water loss and blood profile of laying hens. 288 Hy-Line brown laying hens, 28 weeks in age, were utilized for this experiment. The hens were randomly allocated into three dietary treatment groups, with each group comprising eight replicates of 12 hens, each housed in individual pens with access to feed and water. Over a 12-week feeding trial, the hens were provided with a basal diet supplemented with different levels of MS: 0%, 0.03% and 0.06%. The results indicated that the inclusion of MS in the hens' diet did not have a significant impact on their performance (p > 0.05). However, Haugh units, egg weight and eggshell strength showed a linear improvement (p < 0.05) throughout the entire trial period with MS supplementation. Furthermore, there was a linear decrease in egg yolk colour and eggshell thickness showed linear improvements (p < 0.05), particularly during Week 8, with MS supplementation. Moreover, layers fed diet supplemented with MS showed a linear increased (p < 0.05) in albumen height and eggshell thickness in Week 12. In addition, egg water loss during Week 12, the third day of incubation, linearly decreased as an effect of the increasing level of the MS in the laying hen's diet (p < 0.05). Regarding blood profile parameters, the study revealed a tendency for alkaline phosphatase to decrease, whereas aspartate aminotransferase and cholesterol levels were linearly decreased (p < 0.05). In summary, increasing the level of MS supplementation in the diet of laying hens appeared to be beneficial in improving egg quality, slight improvement for egg water loss and certain aspects of blood profile parameters, without adversely affecting the hens' growth performance.

Genomic and metabolomic insights into the antimicrobial compounds and plant growth-promoting potential of Bacillus velezensis Q-426

BackgroundThe Q-426 strain isolated from compost samples has excellent antifungal activities against a variety of plant pathogens. However, the complete genome of Q-426 is still unclear, which limits the potential application of Q-426.ResultsGenome sequencing revealed that Q-426 contains a single circular chromosome 4,086,827 bp in length, with 4691 coding sequences and an average GC content of 46.3%. The Q-426 strain has a high degree of collinearity with B. velezensis FZB42, B. velezensis SQR9, and B. amyloliquefaciens DSM7, and the strain was reidentified as B. velezensis Q-426 based on the homology analysis results. Many genes in the Q-426 genome have plant growth-promoting activity, including the secondary metabolites of lipopeptides. Genome mining revealed 14 clusters and 732 genes encoding secondary metabolites with predicted functions, including the surfactin, iturin, and fengycin families. In addition, twelve lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin and fengycin) were successfully detected from the fermentation broth of B. velezensis Q-426 by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOF–MS/MS), which is consistent with the genome analysis results. We found that Q-426 produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 1.56 mg/l on the third day of incubation, which might promote the growth of plants. Moreover, we identified eighteen volatile compounds (VOCs, including 2-heptanone, 6-methylheptan-2-one, 5-methylheptan-2-one, 2-nonanone, 2-decanone, 2-undecanone, 2-dodecanone, 2-tridecanone, 2-tetradecanone, 2-nonadecanone, pentadecanoic acid, oleic acid, dethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, methyl (9E,12E)-octadeca-9,12-dienoate), pentadecane, (6E,10E)-1,2,3,4,4a,5,8,9,12,12a-decahydro-1,4-methanobenzo[10]annulene, and nonanal) based on gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS) results.ConclusionsWe mined secondary metabolite-related genes from the genome based on whole-genome sequence results. Our study laid the theoretical foundation for the development of secondary metabolites and the application of B. velezensis Q-426. Our findings provide insights into the genetic characteristics responsible for the bioactivities and potential application of B. velezensis Q-426 as a plant growth-promoting strain in ecological agriculture.

Incidental diagnosis of strongyloidiasis in a patient with hepatic metastasis

Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth infecting humans that can cause hyperinfection and disseminated disease in the immunocompromised host. This case report describes a 56-year-old patient, diagnosed with hepatic metastasis, who was screened for strongyloidiasis by faecal culture. The agar plate culture became positive on the third day of incubation, demonstrating characteristic tracks and yielding rhabditiform larvae. The charcoal and Harada-Mori cultures were negative. The patient was treated with albendazole for 7 days but declined further follow up.

Development of gallic acid-loaded ethylcellulose fibers as a potential wound dressing material

In this study, novel fibers were designed based on ethylcellulose (EC), loaded with different concentrations of gallic acid (GA) using the electrospinning technique, in order to investigate the potential of these materials as wound dressings. The chemical structure and morphology, along with the antimicrobial and biocompatibility tests of the EC_GA fibers were investigated. To observe the chemical interactions between the components, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used. The morphological analyzes were performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The uniaxial tensile test machine was used to obtain mechanical performance of the fibers. MTT assay was applied to get the biocompatibility properties of the fibers and antimicrobial test was applied to obtain the antimicrobial activity of the fibers. Based on the obtained results, the highest viability value of 67.4 % was obtained for 10%EC_100GA on the third day of incubation, demonstrating that with the addition of a higher concentration of GA, the cell viability increases. The antimicrobial tests, evaluated against Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, Escherichia (E.) coli, Pseudomonas (Ps.) aeruginosa and Candida (C.) albicans, showed a >90 % microbial reduction capacity correlated with a logarithmic reduction ranging from 0.63 to 1, for 10%EC_100 GA. In vitro release tests of GA from the fibers showed that GA was totally released from 10%EC_100 GA fibers after 2880 min, demonstrating a controlled release profile. These findings demonstrated that EC_GA fibers may be suitable for application in biomedical fields such as wound dressing materials. However, further studies should be performed to increase the biocompatibility properties of the fibers.

Nondestructive prediction of fertilization status and growth indicators of hatching eggs based on respiration

Respiration continues throughout the incubation of eggs and is closely related to fertilization status and changes in chick embryo growth. Here, we explored the relationship between egg respiration, fertilization status, and growth indicators during incubation. First, we studied the changes in respiration of eggs during incubation and found that O2 consumption and CO2 emission were increased gradually during incubation and reached a maximum value when the shells were broken by the chick (21 days). Next, we established models to classify eggs according to the difference in respiration between fertilized and unfertilized eggs early during incubation using random forest (RF), logical regression, and support vector machine (SVM). The accuracy rates of RF and SVM on the third day of incubation were 99.32% and 98.63%, respectively, and reached 100% on the fifth day. Finally, a linear model was used to establish the relationship between chicken embryo respiration and yolk free body mass (YFBM) (R2 values of 0.99 and 0.98 for the early and late incubation periods, respectively), heart mass (R2 = 0.94), liver mass (R2 = 0.97), and the digestive system (DS) mass (R2 = 0.98). The R2 values for the relationships between the real and the predicted YFBM values and heart, liver, and DS masses were 0.98, 0.89, 0.87 and 0.88, respectively, indicating the good fit of the model. This study provides a theoretical basis for the detection of sterile eggs and dead-embryo eggs during incubation.

Enhanced production of amylase, pyruvate and phenolic compounds from glucose by light-driven Aspergillus niger-CuS nanobiohybrids.

The demand for value-added compounds such as amylase, pyruvate and phenolic compounds produced by biological methods has prompted the rapid development of advanced technologies for their enhanced production. Nanobiohybrids (NBs) make use of both the microbial properties of whole-cell microorganisms and the light-harvesting efficiency of semiconductors. Photosynthetic NBs were constructed that link the biosynthetic pathways of Aspergillus niger with CuS nanoparticles. In this work, NB formation was confirmed by negative values of the interaction energy, i.e.,2.31 × 108 to -5.52 × 108 kJ mol-1 for CuS-Che NBs, whereas for CuS-Bio NBs the values were -2.31 × 108 to -4.62 × 108 kJ mol-1 for CuS-Bio NBs with spherical nanoparticle interaction. For CuS-Bio NBs with nanorod interaction, it ranged from -2.3 × 107 to -3.47 × 107 kJ mol-1 . Further, the morphological changes observed by scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of the elements Cu and S in the energy-dispersive X-ray spectra and the presence of CuS bonds in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicate NB formation. In addition, the quenching effect in photoluminescence studies confirmed NB formation. Production yields of amylase, phenolic compounds and pyruvate amounted to 11.2 μmol L-1, 52.5 μmol L-1 and 28 nmol μL-1, respectively, in A. niger-CuS Bio NBs on the third day of incubation in the bioreactor. Moreover, A niger cells-CuS Bio NBs had amino acids and lipid yields of 6.2 mg mL-1 and 26.5 mg L-1, respectively. Furthermore, probable mechanisms for the enhanced production of amylase, pyruvate and phenolic compounds are proposed. Aspergillus niger-CuS NBs were used for the production of the amylase enzyme and value-added compounds such as pyruvate and phenolic compounds. Aspergillus niger-CuS Bio NBs showed a greater efficiency compared to A. niger-CuS Che NBs as the biologically produced CuS nanoparticles had a higher compatibility with A. niger cells. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Chronic dietary exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide results in reversible increase early embryo mortality in chicken

Glyphosate (Gly) is the active molecule of non-selective herbicides used in conventional agriculture. Some evidence shows that exposure to Glyphosate-Based Herbicides (GBH) can affect both male and female fertility in animal models. However, few data exist on birds that can be easily exposed through their cereal-based diet. To our knowledge, there are no current studies on the effects of chronic dietary exposure to GBH and the potential reversibility on the fertility and embryo development in chickens. In our protocol, hens (32 weeks-old) were exposed to GBH (47 mg kg-1/day-1 glyphosate equivalent corresponding to half of the No-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (NOAEL) as defined by European Food Safety Authority in birds, GBH group (GBH), n = 75) or not (Control group (CT), n = 75) for 6 weeks. Then, both CT and GBH groups were fed for 5 more weeks without GBH exposure. During these two periods, we investigated the consequences on the egg performance and quality, fertilization rate, embryo development, and viability of offspring. Despite the accumulation of Gly and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in the hen blood plasma, the body weight and laying rate were similar in GBH and CT animals. We observed from the 4th day of exposure an accumulation of Gly (but not AMPA) only in the yolk of the eggs produced by the exposed hens. After artificial insemination of the hens followed by eggs incubation, we showed a strong significant early embryonic mortality level in GBH compared to CT animals (78 ± 2 % vs 2.5 ± 0.3 %, p < 0.0001) with embryo death mainly occurring on the third day of incubation. By using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tools, we noted a significant delay in the embryo development of GBH survivors at 15 days with a reduction by half of the embryo volume and some disturbances in the calculated volumes of the embryonic annexes. At 20 days of incubation, we showed a reduction in the length of the tibia and in the volume of the soft tissues whereas the skeleton volume was increased in GBH chicks. The vast majority of these phenotypes disappeared two weeks after an arrest of the GBH maternal dietary exposure. Taken together, the dietary chronic exposure of broiler hens to GBH at a Gly equivalent concentration lower than NOAEL induces an accumulation of Gly in the egg yolk resulting in severe early embryonic mortality and a delayed embryonic development in survivors that were abolished two weeks after the end of GBH exposure.

LC-MS/MS profiling, antibiofilm, antimicrobial and bacterial growth kinetic studies of Pluchea dioscoridis extracts

Abstract The therapeutical applications of ornamental plants have been categorized to be of a great effectiveness in multiple industries from ancient times until present days. Pluchea dioscoridis is widely known Egyptian wooden plant that has been extensively applied for different medicinal purposes. In this study, LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the potent antimicrobial ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts of P. dioscoridis leaves led to identification of 28 and 21 compounds, respectively. The identified compounds were categorized as phenolic acids, phenolic acids derivatives, organic acids, flavonoids (aglycones and glycosides), secoiridoids, coumarin derivatives, and gallotannins derivatives. Among them, caffeic acid 3-sulfate was the most predominate in the investigated extracts followed by ferulic acid and dicaffeoyl-quinic acid. Also, the antimicrobial potentiality of different extracts was evaluated against different pathogenic microbes including Enterobacter cloacae, Micrococcus leutus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus lichneformis and Clostridium species. Furthermore, different concentrations of the most potent extract were assayed for antibacterial efficacy on growth curve kinetics against the susceptible bacteria along 4days incubation period. Our gathered data confirmed that, the antimicrobial activity against tested bacteria was different according to the solvent used in the extraction process. Mostly, all the extracts showed a wide spectrum antibacterial activity except the plant water extract which shows a mild activity against Clostridium sp. only. Based on the highest inhibition zone diameter, the ethyl acetate extract followed by butanol extract exhibited the highest inhibition zone with Micrococcus luteus and B. subtilis (20.0 and 18.5 mm) respectively. Determining the effect of ethyl acetate extract at different concentration (0, 0.66, 1.66, 3.33, 6.67, 13.34 and 20.01 mg mL−1) on M. luteus growth kinetics, the data assured that the antibacterial activity shows concentration dependent manner with the highest antibacterial activity at 20.01 mg mL−1 culture. The data also confirmed that, none of the selected concentration showed bactericidal activity in the prepared cultures, and with the prolonged incubation period the bacteria acquire resistance against the extract beginning from second or third day of incubation.

Assessment of the antifungal activity of the violacein-forming strain Janthinobacterium sp. B-3515 against the mould fungus Alternaria brassicicola F-1864

A study of antifungal properties of violacein-forming strain Janthinobacterium sp. B-3515 as well as its secondary metabolite, violacein, against Alternaria brassicicola F-1864 is presented. Regardless of the presence of bacteria, mycelium growth in the first two days proceeded at the same rate. The effect of the bacterial strain was manifested after the third day of incubation. In general, during co-culture, the bacterial strain statistically significantly reduced the average growth of the mycelium of the mould fungus by 10%. The average growth of A. brassicicola F-1864 was decreased in the presence of an aqueous solution of violacein in the nutrient medium (1%, 3%, and 5%). The pigment in 5% concentration had the greatest effect, as the difference between the average growth of the control group and the experimental group was 18%. The mycostatic activity of bacteria of genus Janthinobacterium and violacein against mould fungus Alternaria brassicicola F-1864 was shown for the first time.

Contrasted fate of zinc sulfide nanoparticles in soil revealed by a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, diffusive gradient in thin films and isotope tracing

Incidental zinc sulfide nanoparticles (nano-ZnS) are spread on soils through organic waste (OW) recycling. Here we performed soil incubations with synthetic nano-ZnS (3 nm crystallite size), representative of the form found in OW. We used an original set of techniques to reveal the fate of nano-ZnS in two soils with different properties. 68Zn tracing and nano-DGT were combined during soil incubation to discriminate the available natural Zn from the soil, and the available Zn from the dissolved nano-68ZnS. This combination was crucial to highlight the dissolution of nano-68ZnS as of the third day of incubation. Based on the extended X-ray absorption fine structure, we revealed faster dissolution of nano-ZnS in clayey soil (82% within 1 month) than in sandy soil (2% within 1 month). However, the nano-DGT results showed limited availability of Zn released by nano-ZnS dissolution after 1 month in the clayey soil compared with the sandy soil. These results highlighted: (i) the key role of soil properties for nano-ZnS fate, and (ii) fast dissolution of nano-ZnS in clayey soil. Finally, the higher availability of Zn in the sandy soil despite the lower nano-ZnS dissolution rate is counterintuitive. This study demonstrated that, in addition to nanoparticle dissolution, it is also essential to take the availability of released ions into account when studying the fate of nanoparticles in soil.

Viability determination of Bacillus sphaericus after encapsulation in hydrogel for self-healing concrete via microcalorimetry and in situ oxygen concentration measurements

Techniques for bacteria based self-healing concrete are currently limited to indirect bacterial activity measurements and visual crack closing effects after self-healing has occurred. In the present study, direct and reliable bacteria survival measurements after encapsulation in protective carriers were carried out by utilizing microcalorimetry analysis. After further incorporation in mortar oxygen consumption was determined by use of an optical oxygen sensing system. The microscope analysis showed that a 90% sporulation of Bacillus sphaericus was achieved after 24 h incubation. Microcalorimeter measurements detected the heat generation from microbial activity on the third day of incubation which provides direct evidence that bacteria can be activated after encapsulation inside the hydrogel. The application of the O2 sensing film on cracked mortar showed a high oxygen concentration reduction (66%) near the crack opening. This confirmed the activation of B. sphaericus and use of oxygen as an electron acceptor for their metabolism after incorporation inside mortar specimens.

First natural spawning of wild-caught premature south pacific bonito (Sarda chiliensis chiliensis, Cuvier 1832) conditioned in recirculating aquaculture system and a descriptive characterization of their eggs embryonic development

This investigation revealed the first biological bases of embryonic development until the hatching of South Pacific bonito Sarda chiliensis chiliensis eggs. The characteristics and stages of embryonic development were described until the hatching stage. The eggs were obtained by natural spawning from wild-caught broodstocks that were conditioned to captivity for more than 1 year in a 75 m3 marine land-based aquaculture recirculating system in Chile. The water temperature range in the broodstock RAS, during the natural spawns events, was between 18.6 °C and 19.8 °C in December 2012, between 20.4 °C and 21.2 °C in January 2013, between 21.5 °C and 22.4 °C in February 2013, and between 21.90 °C and 22.87 °C in march. Incubators’ water temperature was kept similar, through daily water exchanges, to the temperature recorded at the broodstock tank to lessen thermal stress which could affect the embryonic development. Thirty-one embryonic stages were characterized in 71.83 h until eggs hatching. Five periods of embryonic were distinguished: morula, blastula, gastrula, neurula, and metamery. Translucent telolecitic eggs hatched on the third day of incubation, and which was comparatively longer than reported for Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda and the eastern Pacific bonito Sarda chiliensis lineolata. The morphometric data with the most significant variability between the stages of embryonic development were: the length and height of the head, and the length and height of the eye. These are the first embryonic development studies conducted with eggs naturally spawned from wild-caught Sarda chiliensis chiliensis.

Effects of chemical N fertilizer reduction combined with biochar application on soil organic carbon active components and mineralization in paddy fields of yellow soil.

Reducing the application of chemical fertilizer and increasing fertilizer efficiency can contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture. To evaluate the impacts of N fertilizer reduction and biochar application on soil organic carbon active components and mineralization in yellow soil, an experiment was carried out with five different substitution rates of chemical N fertilizer by biochar under the same rate of N input, i.e., 0, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% (CK, T1-T4). The results showed that chemical N fertilizer reduction combined with biochar application could significantly improve soil organic carbon (SOC), the magnitude of which was proportional to the amount of biochar application. Under the condition of 20% substitution rate (T2), soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and readily oxidized carbon (ROC) were the highest with 293.68 mg·kg-1 and 250.00 mg·kg-1, respectively, but the concentration of soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was the lowest. SOC mineralization rate reached the highest on the third day of incubation. Then, it decreased rapidly in the early period (day 3 of incubation to day 6), decreased slowly in the middle period (day 6 of incubation to day 18), and stabilized in the later period (day 18 of incubation to day 30). There was a logarithmic relationship between mineralization rate of soil organic carbon and incubation time. SOC cumulative mineralization amount and cumulative mineralization rate were the lowest in the T2 treatment with 0.66-0.86 g·kg-1 and 2.9%-4.0%, respectively. As the substitution rate of chemical N fertilizer by biochar increased, rice yield increased firstly and then decreased. Rice yield in the T2 treatment was the highest, which increased by 13.4% compared with the CK. The substitution of 20% chemical N fertilizer with biochar (5 t·hm-2) could effectively improve the contents of SOC, MBC, ROC, and rice yield, reduce the cumulative mineralization amount of organic carbon and cumulative mineralization rate, and enhance the capacity of soil carbon sequestration. Hence, it could be the most effective fertilizer practice for improving soil fertility and rice yield in paddy field of yellow soil in Guizhou Province.

Microbial conversion of vanillin from ferulic acid extracted from raw coir pith

Coir pith, an agro-industrial residue, is resistant to natural degradation, and its accumulation causes environmental pollution. Ferulic acid, a precursor of vanillin, was extracted from the raw coir pith by chemical pre-treatment such as alkaline hydrolysis, acidification, and liquid–liquid extraction method. The obtained ferulic acid (1.2 g/50 g) was analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and used as a substrate for biotransformation by Aspergillus niger to vanillic acid, which, in turn, was fermented by using Phanerochaete chrysosporium to vanillin. The quantity of vanillic acid detected by HPLC on the third day of incubation was 0.773 g/L, while the optimal yield of vanillin on the subsequent third day of incubation was 0.628 g/L. Thus, the chemical extraction of ferulic acid from coir pith ensued bioconversion into vanillin. These products are highly valuable and economical to be used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, health, cosmetics, and neutraceuticals.

Extraction and intensive conversion of lignocellulose from oil palm solid waste into lignin monomer by the combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and biological treatment

Empty fruit bunches from palm oil production contain lignin, which can be a source of valuable aromatic chemicals such as protocatechuic acid. In this study, empty fruit bunches were utilized in the hydrothermal pretreatment at different temperatures (100–200 °C) to produce liquid fractions containing depolymerized lignin such as single aromatic chemicals. The liquid fractions then underwent microbial processing by a mutant, ∆pcaHG Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 for six days to produce protocatechuic acid. Hydrothermal pretreatment temperature influenced the types of single aromatic chemicals produced and the sum of area of the single aromatic chemicals in both ethyl acetate extracts and TMS derivatives. The single aromatic chemicals obtained at 160 °C, 180 °C, and 200 °C act as precursors to accumulate protocatechuic acid by ∆pcaHG Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 on the third day of incubation. The role of single aromatic chemicals that acted as either precursors or inhibitors of protocatechuic acid was discussed.

Effect of different biochars on soil moisture retention and nutrient release pattern

Soil incubation study in pots was carried out to study the effect of three different biochars on soil moisture retention percentage. The treatments involve three doses of maize biochar (MB), cotton biochar (CB) and prosopis biochar (PB) @ 2.0 t ha-1 (2T), 3.0 t ha-1 (3T) and 4.0 t ha-1 (4T), respectively besides a control and Farm Yard Manure @ 12.5 t ha-1. Significantly higher moisture per cent was noted in treatments of higher doses of all the biochars in second and third day of incubation. The significant increase in moisture per cent was noted in PB 4 T incubated pot, which was followed by CB 4T. The reduction in moisture per cent was noted with lower doses of biochar irrespective of source. Results of another incubation study with different biochars with varied doses, to find out nutrient release pattern revealed that the available N, P and K was higher at the start of incubation in control, where as in later days of incubation N, P and K availability was higher in Prosopis Biochar 4T after 70 days of incubation which was followed by cotton biochar 4T.

Toxicity and Teratogenic Effects of Zinc Sulfide Nanoparticles on Chick Embryo and Chick Fibroblast Cell Culture

Aims Nanoparticles (particles with a diameter of 10-500 nm) are currently used in the cosmetics industry as well as for pharmaceuticals, diagnostic imaging, and tissue engineering. Since these nanoparticles are used in industry and drug delivery, they can also be used by pregnant women. Thus, the current study investigated the teratogenic and cytotoxic effects of Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles on the embryo and their fibroblastic cell culture. Methods &amp; Materials Zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were synthesized. Then, nanoparticles at the concentrations of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 40 mg/mL/egg were injected into the air sac of the eggs in three replicates on the third day of incubation. Next, the treated and control eggs, on day 19 of incubation were opened, and embryos were weighted, and the relevant mortality rate was recorded. Fibroblast cells were isolated, cultured, and treated from the control embryo, and morphological changes and cell survival percentages were recorded. Findings The obtained results revealed that the embryos’ survival rate depends on the nanoparticle concentration. As a result, at the highest concentration, only 36.32% of the embryos survived, and the lethal dose 50% (LD50) was equal to 32.47 mg/egg. Morphological study of the treated embryos club foot and skeletal staining suggested the deletion of caudal vertebrate. The cytotoxicity study results of ZnS nanoparticles on fibroblastic cells indicated the survival fractions of 88.45%, 68.75%, and 49.32%, respectively, and its IC50 value was measured aas1460 μM. Conclusion The present study results suggested that ZnS nanoparticles had no significant toxic effects on the embryos and culture of chicken fibroblastic cells at low concentrations.

Hexavalent chromium accumulation kinetics and physiological responses exhibited by Eichhornia sp. and Pistia sp.

In the present study, hexavalent chromium (5, 10 and 30 mg/L) phytoaccumulation by two free floating macrophytes, Eichhornia sp. and Pistia sp., was investigated in a greenhouse. The results revealed higher accumulation of chromium by Eichhornia sp. at 30 mg/L Cr solution. However, Pistia sp. showed highest accumulation at intermediate chromium solution of 10 mg/L. Pigment data indicated higher reduction of chlorophyll for Pistia sp. compared to Eichhornia sp. Both the tested species showed gradual reduction of both chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b significantly with increasing metal concentration from 5 to 30 mg/L. However, chlorophyll stability index data indicated higher chlorophyll stability index at higher Cr concentrations in case of both the macrophytes. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation in the form of malondialdehyde concentration was observed to increase with increase in chromium load for both the tested species. Almost similar results were recorded in the enzyme analysis data. Study results revealed that all the studied enzymes are highly sensitive toward chromium. However, catalase activity showed the highest sensitivity. Chromium bioaccumulation kinetics study revealed that only Pistia sp. is more suited with pseudo-first-order (0.910) and pseudo-second-order (0.665) kinetics equation compared to Eichhornia sp. New root development was observed only for Eichhornia sp. during the third day of incubation. The wet biomass of both the macrophytes showed gradual reduction in chromium solutions of increasing concentrations. Therefore, it may be concluded that Eichhornia sp. and Pistia sp. may be effectively used in remediation of Cr(VI) contaminated aquatic bodies.

Effects of technogenic pollutants on chicken embryos

Abstract Increasing interest in nanomaterials can be explained by their broad involvement in many fields of industry and medicine. It is known that carbon black and crysotile asbestos behave like nanosized objects. They are wide spread in environment and have close contact with living organisms. The aim of our study was to define the effects of carbon black and crysotile asbestos on structures of the developing organism. We used chicken embryos as a model for our study. Total amount of 77 eggs was divided in three groups: one control and two experimental with introduced carbon black and asbestos respectively. Researched materials were injected in the yolk on the third day of incubation and tissues for study were taken during early, middle and late stages of incubation. Histological and electron microscopy methods were used. Carbon black and asbestos introduction caused underdevelopment of embryos and vessels depletion in blood islands of the yolk sac. Asbestos slowed down angiogenesis. Soot particles caused integrity violation of vessels and led to extravasation. The manifestations of soot influence were damages to blood circulatory system and structural disorders on cellular level. Introduction of chrysotile asbestos mostly resulted in compensatoryadaptive reactions like increasing in hematopoiesis and transcytosis in endotheliocytes.