Thyme and suico essential oils: promising natural tools for potato common scab control.

Potato common scab is a worldwide disease mainly caused by Streptomyces scabiei. It seriously affects potato crops by decreasing tuber quality. Essential oils (EO) are natural products with recognised antimicrobial properties. In this research, the antibacterial activities of thyme, oregano, suico and mint EO against S. scabiei were analysed. Infected tubers and soil samples were used for bacterial isolation; the obtained isolates were genetically identified. The chemical composition of the EO was determined by GC-MS. The broth microdilution method was used to analyse antibacterial properties of EO. Thirty-one bacterial isolates were obtained. The isolate chosen for antibacterial assays was morpho-physiologically and genetically identified as S. scabiei. Thyme EO was mainly composed of thymol and o-cymene; suico EO of dihydrotagetone, trans-tagetone and verbenone; oregano EO of trans-sabinene hydrate, thymol and É£-terpinene; and mint EO of menthone and menthol. All the EO tested were effective against S. scabiei, but thyme and suico EO were the most successful, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.068 g·l-1 and 0.147 g·l-1 , respectively, and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 0.137 g·l-1 and 0.147 g·l-1 , respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed similar damage caused by both thyme and suico EO to the bacterial envelope. Total phenolic content of EO was not related to their antibacterial activity. Thyme and suico EO are effective antibacterial agents against S. scabiei, impeding bacterial viability and disturbing the bacterial cell envelope. These EO are promising tools for control of potato common scab.

Dissecting x-ray-emitting gas around the center of our galaxy.

Most supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are accreting at very low levels and are difficult to distinguish from the galaxy centers where they reside. Our own Galaxy's SMBH provides an instructive exception, and we present a close-up view of its quiescent x-ray emission based on 3 megaseconds of Chandra observations. Although the x-ray emission is elongated and aligns well with a surrounding disk of massive stars, we can rule out a concentration of low-mass coronally active stars as the origin of the emission on the basis of the lack of predicted iron (Fe) Kα emission. The extremely weak hydrogen (H)-like Fe Kα line further suggests the presence of an outflow from the accretion flow onto the SMBH. These results provide important constraints for models of the prevalent radiatively inefficient accretion state.

A study of the relationships among consumer acceptance, oxidation chemical indicators, and sensory attributes in high-oleic and normal peanuts.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between overall acceptance, chemical indicators, and sensory attributes in roasted peanuts harvested from high-oleic peanut genotypes produced in Argentina. Oleic/linoleic ratio (O/L), peroxide value, p-anisidine value, conjugated dienes, consumer acceptance, and descriptive analysis were performed on roasted peanuts prepared using 16 genotypes of normal and high-oleic peanuts. Principal component and cluster analysis were performed on the chemical and sensory data from peanut genotypes. Acceptance was positively associated with O/L, crunchiness, sweetness, roasted peanutty flavor, and hardness. Acceptability was negatively associated with cardboard, oxidized, and sour flavors. The high-oleic genotypes, 4896-11-C, and 9399-10 showed high consumer acceptance with 7 or "like moderately" in a hedonic scale of 9 points. Some high-oleic peanut lines, such as 9399-10, could be used to replace normal peanuts without affecting consumer acceptance of peanut products processed from them and more stability due to the high-oleic condition.

Comparison of different commercially available cationic liposome-DNA lipoplexes: Parameters influencing toxicity and transfection efficiency.

Lipid-DNA complexes (lipoplexes) are widely used, since several years, as gene carriers. However, their transfection efficiency, both in vitro and in vivo, depends, in a rather complex way, on different interconnected parameters, ranging from the chemical composition of the lipid components to the size and size distribution of the complexes and, moreover, to the composition of the suspending medium. In this paper, we have investigated the behavior of nine different commercially available transfection agents (liposomal and non-liposomal) and their lipoplexes, at different molar charge ratios and in different experimental conditions. The size and the time stability of the resulting lipoplexes were investigated by means of dynamic light scattering methods and their toxicity and transfection efficiency were assayed in vitro in a model tumor cell line (C6 rat glioma cell line). An attempt to correlate the different parameters governing the complex phenomenology observed has been made. Whereas all the formulations investigated display a low toxicity, that increases with the increase of the lipid-DNA molar charge ratio, the transfection efficiency markedly depends, besides the molar charge ratio, on the lipid composition and on the lipoplex size, in a rather correlated way. The aim of this work is to present, in a wide scenario, an example of the inter-correlation among the different parameters that influence the transfection efficiency of lipoplexes and to suggest the role exerted by the average size of the resulting aggregates in their overall effectiveness as carriers in gene therapy.

Bloqueo epidural con ropivacaína en la insuficiencia arterial crónica de miembros inferiores: ensayo clínico / Epidural blockade with ropivacaine for chronic arteriopathies of the lower limbs: a clinical trial

Objetivo:Evaluar los efectos terapéuticos del bloqueo epiduralcon ropivacaína en pacientes con insuficiencia arterial crónicade miembros inferiores.Material y método:Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo y longitudinal en 58 pacientesa los que se les realizó bloqueo epidural con ropivacaína.Determinamos grado de bloqueo motor según la escalade Bromage, nivel de bloqueo sensitivo por métododel pinchazo, grado de analgesia por medio de la escala visualanalógica (EVA), aparición o cambios en la intensidad de los pulsos y las modificaciones en la temperatura cutáneade los miembros afectados, así como la mejoría de laslesiones tróficas de la piel. Estas evaluaciones se hicieron alos 15 y 30 minutos siguientes al bloqueo, luego cada cuatrohoras en las primeras 24 horas y posteriormente cadadía hasta el alta, luego a los 15 y 30 días.Resultados:Después del bloqueo se observó mejoría inmediata deldolor en 56 pacientes y todos recuperaron la intensidad delos pulsos explorados. Al mes persistía el dolor en 6 pacientes.Las alteraciones tróficas mejoraron en el 82,8%,las lesiones cutáneas en el 86,3% y los pulsos en el 91,4%.En más de la mitad de los pacientes la temperatura cutánease elevó de 3 a 3,9 °C y en algunos en más de 5 °C.Conclusiones:El resultado fue bueno en el 89,6% de los casos, por loque consideramos que este método de tratamiento es útilsobre todo para el alivio del dolor en reposo y la mejoríaen la circulación del miembro afectado

Objective:To determine therapeutic effects of epidural blockadewith ropivacaine in patients with chronic arteriopathies ofthe lower limbs.Material and method:Descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study in 58 patientsundergoing epidural blockade with ropivacaine. Wedetermined the degree of motor blockade according toBromage´s scale, the level of sensitive blockade using thepricking method, the degree of analgesia according to thevisual analogical scale (VAS), appearance or changes inpulse rate and changes in skin temperature at the limbs involved,as well as improvement of skin trophic lesions.These determinations were performed 15 and 30 minutesafter the blockade, then at 4-hours intervals during the first 24 hours and subsequently once daily until hospital dischargeand 15 and 30 days afterwards.Results:After the blockade, an immediate relief of pain was observedin 56 patients and all of them recovered the pulserates measured. One month later, pain persisted in 6 patients.Trophic disorders improved in 82.8%, skin lesionsin 86.3% and pulse rate in 91.4%. In more than half of thepatients, skin temperature increased from 3 to 3.9 °C andin some patients it increased in more than 5 °C.Conclusions:The results were satisfactory in 89.6% of patients, sowe conclude that this therapeutic method is effective particularlyfor the management of pain at rest and for the improvementof blood circulation in the limb involved

An X-ray outburst from the rapidly accreting young star that illuminates McNeil's nebula.

Young, low-mass stars are luminous X-ray sources whose powerful X-ray flares may exert a profound influence over the process of planet formation. The origin of the X-ray emission is uncertain. Although many (or perhaps most) recently formed, low-mass stars emit X-rays as a consequence of solar-like coronal activity, it has also been suggested that X-ray emission may be a direct result of mass accretion onto the forming star. Here we report X-ray imaging spectroscopy observations which reveal a factor approximately 50 increase in the X-ray flux from a young star that is at present undergoing a spectacular optical/infrared outburst (this star illuminates McNeil's nebula). The outburst seems to be due to the sudden onset of a phase of rapid accretion. The coincidence of a surge in X-ray brightness with the optical/infrared eruption demonstrates that strongly enhanced high-energy emission from young stars can occur as a consequence of high accretion rates. We suggest that such accretion-enhanced X-ray emission from erupting young stars may be short-lived, because intense star-disk magnetospheric interactions are quenched rapidly by the subsequent flood of new material onto the star.

Increasing trend of type I diabetes in children and young adults in the province of Turin (Italy). Analysis of age, period and birth cohort effects from 1984 to 1996.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to determine if the incidence of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus increased over time and if the time trend is attributable to linear trend, calendar period or birth cohort effects. METHODS: This study was based on a cohort of subjects aged 0-29 years from 1984 to 1996, who resided in the province of Turin, Italy. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the effect of sex, age, calendar time and cohorts on incidence rates. RESULTS: The mean incidence rate in the age group of 0 to 29 years was 7.78 of 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 7.26-8.32), with a lower risk in women than in men [rate ratio (RR): 0.76 (0.67-0.88)]. We found a trend of incidence increasing over time (annual increase of risk 2.25 % a year, 95 % CI 0.44-4.10). In Poisson regression analysis we found that the best model was the one with sex, age and a linear term attributable to either calendar period or cohort effects. The linear term corresponds to a RR of 1.12 (1.02-1.22,p = 0.015) for each 5-year age span. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: We found that the time trend in this Mediterranean area was similar in magnitude to that reported in northern European countries. The increase was linear in pattern, each birth cohort and each calendar period showing a higher risk than the preceeding one with some evidence of two steep increases in the incidence of Type I diabetes centered on the years 1964 and 1984. We found that the incidence of diabetes increased in the 0 to 14 age group and also in the older age group of 15 to 29 years and that the age-period models were not statistically significantly better than the age-cohort models.

The ATT strand of AAT.ATT trinucleotide repeats adopts stable hairpin structures induced by minor groove binding ligands.

AAT.ATT is the most abundant and also the most frequently polymorphic class of trinucleotide repeats in the human genome. To characterize its structural properties and conformational changes induced by minor groove ligands, (AAT)(6) and (ATT)(6) oligomers as well as their complexes with DAPI were investigated by electrophoretic mobility and UV thermal stability as well as fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy. The results show that individual (AAT)(6) and (ATT)(6) strands exist principally as monomeric non-hydrogen-bonded structures. Their individual interaction with DAPI induces the formation of base-paired structures with different thermal stabilities by quite spectroscopically distinct binding mechanisms. In the presence of DAPI, (ATT)(6) forms a monomeric hairpin structure stabilized by two ligands located in the minor groove with a strong apparent binding constant of 3.4 x 10(6) M(-)(1). The DAPI-induced (ATT)(6) hairpin is characterized by well-stacked A.T Watson-Crick and T.T wobble base pairs, a high electrophoretic mobility, and a melting temperature of 41 degrees C. Interaction of DAPI with the complementary (AAT)(6) strand favors less stable base-paired structures, and the results are consistent with electrostatic and hydrogen-bond interactions of the ligand with the phosphodiester backbone of (AAT)(6) by minor involvement of DNA bases.

Chemical composition of some wild peanut species (Arachis L.) seeds.

Oil, protein, ash, and carbohydrate contents, iodine value, and fatty acid and sterol compositions were studied in seeds of Arachis trinitensis, A. chiquitana, A. kempff-mercadoi, A. diogoi, A. benensis, A. appressipila, A. valida, A. kretschmeri, A. helodes, A. kuhlmannii, A. williamsii, A. sylvestris, A. matiensis, A. pintoi, A. hoehnei, A. villosa, and A. stenosperma. Oil content was greatest in A.stenosperma (mean value = 51.8%). The protein level was higher in A. sylvestris (30.1%) and A. villosa (29.5%). Mean value of oleic acid varied between 30.6% (A. matiensis) and 46.8% (Arachis villosa), and linoleic acid oscillated between 34.1% (A. villosa) and 47.4% (A. appressipila). The better oleic-to-linoleic (O/L) ratio was exhibited by A. villosa (1.38). Some species showed higher concentration of behenic acid. The greatest level of this fatty acid was found in A. matiensis (6.2%). Iodine value was lower in A. valida (99.2). The sterol composition in the different peanut species showed higher concentration of beta-sitosterol (mean values oscillated between 55.7 and 60.2%) followed by campesterol (12.4-16. 5%), stigmasterol (9.7-13.3%), and Delta(5)-avenasterol (9.7-13.4%). The chemical quality and stability of oils (iodine value and O/L ratio) from wild peanut studied in this work are not better than those of cultivated peanut.

Italian family with cranial cervical dystonia: clinical and genetic study.

A white Italian family affected by primary torsion dystonia (PTD) is described. The family phenotype most commonly presented with adult onset, cranial cervical involvement, and focal or segmental distribution without progression to generalization. Thirty-nine family members and nine spouses were studied. Five subjects received a diagnosis of definite PTD, three of probable PTD. Age at onset was in adulthood for all. In four definitely affected subjects, dystonia started in the cranial or cervical districts; in one it presented as writer's cramp. Familial writer's cramp also occurred in the family of the unrelated parent of the latter patient. The mean age at time of examination was 61.8 years in the individuals with a definite diagnosis; 60 in those with a probable diagnosis. At the time of examination, in most of the affected subjects, dystonia was focal; in three cases (two definitely and one probably affected), it was segmental. DNA linkage analysis, although limited by the size of the family, suggested exclusion of linkage between the disease and known PTD loci (DYT6 and DYT7). The GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene was excluded in the proband and in the family member affected by writer's cramp.

Primary torsion dystonia: the search for genes is not over.

A GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene accounts for most early, limb onset primary torsion dystonia (PTD). The genetic bases for the more common adult onset and focal PTD are less well delineated. Genetic loci for an "intermediate dystonia" phenotype and for torticollis, named DYT6 and DYT7 respectively, have recently been mapped in single families. To evaluate the contribution of these genetic loci to other families with familial "non-DYT1" dystonia five large families with dystonia were studied using genetic markers spanning the DYT6 and DYT7 regions. There was no evidence of linkage to either locus in any family. These findings illustrate the genetic heterogeneity of the dystonias and indicate the existence of one or more as yet unmapped genes for dystonia. Large collaborative efforts will be required to identify these, and additional genes, causing PTD.

Clinical, immunological, and genetic heterogeneity of diabetes in an Italian population-based cohort of lean newly diagnosed patients aged 30-54 years. Piedmont Study Group for Diabetes Epidemiology.

OBJECTIVE: In lean diabetic patients, the presentation of the disease does not allow one to easily distinguish between type 1 and type 2. Aims of this study were to describe clinical, immunological, and genetic features of lean newly diagnosed diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A population-based cohort of 130 lean (BMI < 25 kg/m2) newly diagnosed patients, aged 30-54 years, was identified among residents of the province of Turin. Islet cell antibodies (ICAs), anti-GAD, fasting and glucagon-stimulated C-peptide values, and HLA DQA1-DQB1 susceptibility genotypes were assessed within 2 months of the diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 45 (34.6%) and 29 (22.3%) patients were, respectively, ICA+ and anti-GAD+, with 15 (11.5%) having both antibodies. In 59 patients, ICAs and/or anti-GAD antibodies were detected, giving a high prevalence of autoimmunity (45.4%, 95% Cl 36.8-54.0); relative to patients without markers (n = 71), they were younger (40.8 +/- 7.5 vs. 45.0 +/- 6.5 years, P < 0.001) and showed lower values of fasting C-peptide (0.56 +/- 0.33 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.41 nmol/l, P < 0.001) and stimulated C-peptide (1.03 +/- 0.56 vs. 1.42 +/- 0.69 nmol/l, P < 0.001). The lowest stimulated C-peptide values were found in patients with both ICA and anti-GAD antibodies. Frequencies of adult-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes were, respectively, 49.2 and 50.8%. Clinical and genetic features were not useful in the classification of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Almost 50% of lean young and middle-aged patients were ICA+ and/or anti-GAD+, suggesting a high prevalence of a slowly evolving form of type 1 diabetes. The evaluation at diagnosis of both beta-cell secretory capacity and markers of autoimmunity is recommended to provide a pathogenetic classification of the disease.

Essential oils of Achyrocline satureioides, Achyrocline alata and Achyrocline tomentosa.

Essential oils obtained from the inflorescences of ACHYROCLINE SATUREIOIDES (Lam.) DC, ACHYROCLINE ALATA (HBK) DC and ACHYROCLINE TOMENTOSA Rusby, collected from central Argentina, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Fifty-two compounds representing 93-98% of the oils were identified. Caryophyllene was the most abundant component in all oils studied (39-48%).

Analysis of the essential oil of Grindelia discoidea.

The essential oil from aerial parts of Grindelia discoidea was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Forty-six components were identified, representing more than 95% of the oil. The main constituents were ( E,E)-farnesol (> 9.0%) and ( Z,E)-farnesol (> 15.7%).

Non-DYT1 dystonia in a large Italian family.

A large non-Jewish Italian family affected by idiopathic torsion dystonia with autosomal dominant transmission and almost complete penetrance is reported. The prevalent phenotype was characterised by early onset with cranial-cervical involvement and progression to a segmental distribution; progression to generalisation was also found. Among 45 people examined, 14 were considered definitely or probably affected by idiopathic torsion dystonia. Eight definitely affected members had mean age (SD) at onset of 15.6 (12.5); idiopathic torsion dystonia started in the cranial-cervical region in six of them, in the upper limbs in two; in four cases dystonia progressed to other body regions, in two cases a generalisation was seen. Linkage analysis with 9q34 markers excluded the region containing the DYT1 locus in this family; linkage to the dopa-responsive dystonia markers was also excluded. A comparison of the phenotype in the present family and other non-DYT1 families shows striking overlapping features differing from those of DYT1 idiopathic torsion dystonia.

Total coccygectomy for the relief of coccygodynia: a retrospective review.

Nine of 10 patients operated on by a single surgeon were studied. Hospital records, radiographs, and a postal survey were used. Follow-up averaged 56 months. Age at operation averaged 32.5 years. There were six males and three females. Symptoms had been present for 7 months to 14 years and all patients failed a course of non-operative therapy. All patients underwent a total coccygectomy by subperiosteal dissection through a longitudinal midline incision. There was one postoperative wound infection. All patients were satisfied with the surgical scars. Three patients reported "complete" pain relief, five reported "marked improvement," and one was "slightly improved." All nine patients were satisfied with the operation and would choose to have the surgery again.

Cell cycle analysis by the relative movement approach: effect of variability across S-phase of DNA synthesis rate.

Cell populations pulse-labelled with BrdUrd, and sampled at increasing times after the pulse, yield DNA-BrdUrd distributions from which the relative movement (RM) and the depletion function (DF) of labelled, undivided cells can be calculated. In this paper we present an extension of the equation for the time course of RM, given by White and Meistrich (Cytometry 1986, 7, 486-490), to the case in which the rate of DNA synthesis changes across S-phase. Some modalities of cell loss were also considered. Computer simulations showed that different patterns of DNA synthesis rate across S-phase can result in appreciably different RM curves. An analytical expression of the RM curve, in which the variability across S-phase of the rate of DNA synthesis is accounted for by only one parameter, was proposed. This expression was used for the simultaneous fitting of time sequences of RM and DF data of U937 cells, in order to estimate the phase transit times TS and TG2+M, and the potential doubling time Tpot. The use of the extended model gave better results than those obtained under the assumption of constant rate of DNA synthesis across S-phase.