Variation block-based genomics method for crop plants.

Background: In contrast with wild species, cultivated crop genomes consist of reshuffled recombination blocks, which occurred by crossing and selection processes. Accordingly, recombination block-based genomics analysis can be an effective approach for the screening of target loci for agricultural traits.

Results: We propose the variation block method, which is a three-step process for recombination block detection and comparison.

beta-Glucan enhanced apoptosis in human colon cancer cells SNU-C4.

The apoptotic effect of bacteria-derived beta-glucan was investigated in human colon cancer cells SNU-C4 using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-3 genes, and assay of caspase-3 enzyme activity. beta-Glucan of 10, 50, and 100 microg/mL decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner with typical apoptotic characteristics, such as morphological changes of chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation from TUNEL assay. In addition, beta-glucan (100 microg/mL) decreased the expression of Bcl-2 by 0.

Leafy vegetable mix supplementation improves lipid profiles and antioxidant status in C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet.

Daily consumption of an antioxidant-rich leafy vegetable mix (LVM) was assessed for beneficial effects on plasma lipid profiles, tissue lipid peroxidation, and oxidative DNA damage in C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet (20% fat and 1% cholesterol, wt/wt) for 4 weeks. The LVM contained beet leaf, angelica, red leaf lettuce, dandelion, green cos lettuce, lollo rosso, romaine lettuce (12.5%, respectively), scotch kale, and red kale (6.

A fluorometric assay to determine antioxidant activity of both hydrophilic and lipophilic components in plant foods.

This study aimed to develop a fluorometric method to determine total antioxidant activity of plant foods. The antioxidant activities in plant foods were determined after extracting (1) hydrophilic components with acidified methanol (methanol:glacial acetate acid:water=50:3.7:46.

Immunostimulatory effects of oriental plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.).

The fruit of the plum tree (Prunus salicina Lindl.) has been used as a traditional medicinal food in humans to enhance immunity against infectious agents and to treat cancers. However, limited information exists on the mechanisms responsible for its immune enhancing properties.

Immunomodulatory properties of dietary plum on coccidiosis.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with a lyophilized powder made from plums (P) on host protective immune responses against avian coccidiosis, the most economically important parasitic disease of poultry. One-day-old White Leghorn chickens were fed from the time of hatch with a standard diet either without P (control and P 0 groups) or supplemented with P at 0.5% (P 0.

In vitro treatment of chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes, macrophages, and tumor cells with extracts of Korean medicinal plants.

A variety of different medicinal plants have traditionally been used in Asian cultures as medicinal plants to enhance immunity and treat cancers. However, limited information exists on the underlying mechanisms responsible for these immune enhancing properties. The current investigation was conducted to examine the effects of methanol extracts of 3 Korean indigenous plants (dandelion root, mustard leaf, and safflower leaf) on various in vitro parameters of innate immunity (peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation, nitric oxide production by macrophages, and free radical scavenging activity) and tumor cell growth.

Effect of a Pholiota adiposa Extract on Fat Mass in Hyperlipidemic Mice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a Pholiota adiposa extract on fat mass in hyperlipidemic mice fed on a high-fat diet. The water extracts from P. adiposa (ASI 24018) were not affected in the total triglyceride contents and epididymal fat mass in mice fed on a high-fat diet, but the retroperitoneal fat mass decreased significantly.