Research Publications (Food Safety)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are persistent organic compounds of major concern that accumulate in the environment, especially soils, and require remediation. Researches to develop bioremediation and phytoremediation (alternative eco-friendly technologies) are being conducted. First, a bioaccessibility measurement protocol was adapted to a brownfield soil using Tenax® beads in order to compare PAHs bioaccessibility in soil samples.

Abstract

Aims

As a vital polysaccharide related to mechanisms of plant resistance to trace metal in the root cell wall, the role of hemicellulose in cadmium (Cd) accumulation in hyperaccumulators is still unknown. We investigated hemicellulose modification in response to Cd in two populations of Sedum alfredii.

Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between heavy metal and serum cholesterol levels, and no recent study has examined this relationship in the US population.

Author(s): Pritha Bhattacharjee, Somnath Paul

Abstract

Background

The study of heritable epigenetic changes in arsenic exposure has intensified over the last decade. Groundwater arsenic contamination causes a great threat to humans and, to date, no accurate measure has been formulated for remediation. The fascinating possibilities of epi-therapeutics identify the need for an in-depth mechanistic understanding of the epigenetic landscape.

Lipopeptides are important non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) products with broad therapeutic potential in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical applications. Fatty acyl modifications in N-terminal of lipopeptides have attracted wide interest in the engineering processes of altered fatty acyl selectivity.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration in the bottom sediments of the selected dam reservoirs is related to the catchment area size and length of the watercourse that supplies the reservoir. The anthropopressure increases the ratio of the PAH concentration sum G4 group to the G1 group. For the urban-industrial catchment area, the ratio is 1; for the agricultural and agricultural-forestral catchment area, the ratio is between 4 and 9.

Author(s): Dongmei Chen, Jean-Michel Delmas, Dominique Hurtaud-Pessel, Eric Verdon

Our review provides a comprehensive treatise on the progress in understanding teixobactin chemistry, structure−activity relationships, and mechanisms of antibacterial activity. Teixobactin represents an exciting starting point for the development of new antibiotics that can be used to combat multidrug‐resistant bacterial (“superbug”) infections.

Micronutrients such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) are integral to living organisms for normal growth and reproduction. In plants, these minerals are involved in various cellular and molecular processes, such as chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthesis (Cu, Fe, and Mn), respiration (Cu and Fe), and stabilization of DNA and gene expression (Zn). A deficiency or an excess of these minerals severely impairs plant growth and development.

An extensive body of evidence from the last decade has indicated that melatonin enhances plant resistance to a range of biotic and abiotic stressors. This has led to an interest in the application of melatonin in agriculture to reduce negative physiological effects from environmental stresses that affect yield and crop quality.

Author(s): Jihai Zhou, Kun Cheng, Guomin Huang, Guangcai Chen, Shoubiao Zhou, Yongjie Huang, Jie Zhang, Honglang Duan, Houbao Fan

Author(s): Hiago de O. Gomes, Jorge Marcell C. Menezes, José Galberto M. da Costa, Henrique Douglas M. Coutinho, Raimundo Nonato P. Teixeira, Ronaldo F. do Nascimento

Author(s): Suganya Jeyaprakash, Jessica E. Heffernan, Robert H. Driscoll, Damian C. Frank

Author(s): Yu-Wei Chang, Xiang You Zeng, Wen-Chieh Sung

Author(s): Weiyi Tao, Junzhang Lin, Weidong Wang, He Huang, Shuang Li

Author(s): Somenath Das, Vipin Kumar Singh, Abhishek Kumar Dwivedy, Anand Kumar Chaudhari, Neha Upadhyay, Akanksha Singh, Deepika, Nawal Kishore Dubey

Author(s): Zhichao Wu, Qi Jiang, Tao Yan, Xin Zhang, Shoujun Xu, Hanzhi Shi, Teng-hao-bo Deng, Furong Li, Yingqiong Du, Ruiying Du, Chengxiao Hu, Xu Wang, Fuhua Wang

Being natural plant antimicrobials, saponins have potential for use as biopesticides. Nevertheless, their activity in plant–pathogen interaction is poorly understood. We performed a comparative study of saponins' antifungal activities on important crop pathogens based on their effective dose (EC50) values. Among those saponins tested, aescin showed itself to be the strongest antifungal agent.

Author(s): Yang Long, Xin Liu, Xiao-zhen Tan, Chun-xia Jiang, Shao-wei Chen, Guan-nan Liang, Xue-mei He, Jian Wu, Tao Chen, Yong Xu

In this study, we determined the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in road dust from Myanmar, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. PAHs were detected in urban and rural areas of Myanmar at mean concentrations of 630 ng/g dry weight and 200 ng/g dry weight, respectively. PAHs were also detected in road dust from Vietnam (mean 1700 ng/g) and Taiwan (2400 ng/g).

GCN2 (general control nonrepressed 2) is a serine/threonine-protein kinase that regulates translation in response to stressors such as amino acid and purin deprivation, cold shock, wounding, cadmium, and UV-C exposure. Activated GCN2 phosphorylates the α-subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) leading to a drastic inhibition of protein synthesis and shifting translation to specific mRNAs.

Author(s): Lili Yang, Fen Jin, Guorui Liu, Yang Xu, Minghui Zheng, Cui Li, Yuanping Yang

Since the introduction of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) over 100 years ago, focus has been on standardization of allergen extracts, with reliable molecular composition of allergens receiving the highest attention. While adjuvants play a major role in European AIT, they have been less well studied. In this Position Paper we summarize current unmet needs of adjuvants in AIT citing current evidence.