Simple Sequence Repeat Markers in Genetic Divergence and Marker-Assisted Selection of Rice Cultivars: A Review

Sequencing of rice genome has facilitated the understanding of rice evolution and has been utilized extensively for mining of DNA markers to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that are tandemly repeated nucleotide sequence motifs flanked by unique sequences are presently the maker of choice in rice improvement due to their abundance, co-dominant inheritance, high levels of allelic diversity, and simple reproducible assay. The current level of genome coverage by SSR markers in rice is sufficient to employ them for genotype identification and marker-assisted selection in breeding for mapping of genes and quantitative trait loci analysis. This review provides comprehensive information on the mapping and applications of SSR markers in investigation of rice cultivars to study their genetic divergence and marker-assisted selection of important agronomic traits.     

Deliberately Losing Control of C−H Activation Processes in the Design of Small-Molecule-Fragment Arrays Targeting Peroxisomal Metabolism

Combined photochemical arylation, “nuisance effect” (S_NAr) reaction sequences have been employed in the design of small arrays for immediate deployment in medium-throughput X-ray protein–ligand structure determination. Reactions were deliberately allowed to run “out of control” in terms of selectivity; for example the ortho-arylation of 2-phenylpyridine gave five products resulting from mono- and bisarylations combined with S_NAr processes. As a result, a number of crystallographic hits against NUDT7, a key peroxisomal CoA ester hydrolase, have been identified.     

Ball-End Mill with a Loxodromic Cutting Edge

Russian Engineering Research - Attention focuses on the design of a ball-end mill whose spherical section has a loxodromic cutting edge. The grinding width and depth required to obtain the rake and...     

Association of Dietary Phytosterols with Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in Humans

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Elevated concentrations of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are major lipid biomarkers that contribute to the risk of CVD. Phytosterols well known for their cholesterol-lowering ability, are non-nutritive compounds that are naturally found in plant-based foods and can be classified into plant sterols and plant stanols. Numerous clinical trials demonstrated that 2 g phytosterols per day have LDL-C lowering efficacy ranges of 8–10%. Some observational studies also showed an inverse association between phytosterols and LDL-C reduction. Beyond the cholesterol-lowering beneficial effects of phytosterols, the association of phytosterols with CVD risk events such as coronary artery disease and premature atherosclerosis in sitosterolemia patients have also been reported. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand to determine the association of circulating phytosterols with vascular health biomarkers such as arterial stiffness biomarkers. Therefore, this review aims to examine the ability of phytosterols for CVD risk prevention by reviewing the current data that looks at the association between dietary phytosterols intake and serum lipid biomarkers, and the impact of circulating phytosterols level on vascular health biomarkers. The clinical studies in which the impact of phytosterols on vascular function is investigated show minor but beneficial phytosterols effects over vascular health. The aforementioned vascular health biomarkers are pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and arterial blood pressure. The current review will serve to begin to address the research gap that exists between the association of dietary phytosterols with CVD risk biomarkers.     

Formulation of sage essential oil (Salvia officinalis,L.) monoterpenes into chitosan hydrogels and permeation study with GC-MS analysis

This study deals with the formulation of natural drugs into hydrogels. For the first time, compounds from the sage essential oil were formulated into chitosan hydrogels. A sample preparation procedure for hydrophobic volatile analytes present in a hydrophilic water matrix along with an analytical method based on the gas chromatography coupled with the mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and applied for the evaluation of the identity and quantity of essential oil components in the hydrogels and saline samples. The experimental results revealed that the chitosan hydrogels are suitable for the formulation of sage essential oil. The monoterpene release can be effectively controlled by both chitosan and caffeine concentration in the hydrogels. Permeation experiment, based on a hydrogel with the optimized composition [3.5% (w/w) sage essential oil, 2.0% (w/w) caffeine, 2.5% (w/w) chitosan and 0.1% (w/w) Tween-80] in donor compartment, saline solution in acceptor compartment, and semi-permeable cellophane membrane, demonstrated the useful permeation selectivity. Here, (according to lipophilicity) an enhanced permeation of the bicyclic monoterpenes with antiflogistic and antiseptic properties (eucalyptol, camphor and borneol) and, at the same time, suppressed permeation of toxic thujone (not exceeding its permitted applicable concentration) was observed. These properties highlight the pharmaceutical importance of the developed chitosan hydrogel formulating sage essential oil in the dermal applications.