Soil nutrient amendment increases the potential for inter-kingdom resource competition among foliar endophytes.

Foliar endophytes play crucial roles in large-scale ecosystem functions such as plant productivity, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. While the possible effects of environmental nutrient supply on the growth and carbon use of endophytic microbes have critical implications for these processes, these impacts are not fully understood. Here, we examined the effects of long-term elevated nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrient (NPKμ) supply on culturable bacterial and fungal foliar endophytes inhabiting the prairie grass .

Characterization and Prevention of Hypovitaminosis C in Chimeric Mice with Humanized Livers.

Humanized liver chimeric mice (PXB-mice) are generated by the transplantation of human hepatocytes into mice that have severe combined immunodeficiency and express an albumin-promoted urokinase-type plasminogen activator (cDNA-uPA/SCID) transgene. Human hepatocytes cannot synthesize ascorbic acid (AA; commonly called vitamin C) and humans require supplementation to prevent vitamin C deficiency. PXB-mouse livers contain up to approximately 95% human hepatocytes, which likely affects AA synthesis.

Network structure of resource use and niche overlap within the endophytic microbiome.

Endophytes often have dramatic effects on their host plants. Characterizing the relationships among members of these communities has focused on identifying the effects of single microbes on their host, but has generally overlooked interactions among the myriad microbes in natural communities as well as potential higher-order interactions. Network analyses offer a powerful means for characterizing patterns of interaction among microbial members of the phytobiome that may be crucial to mediating its assembly and function.

Cyanogenic Glycoside Analysis in American Elderberry.

Cyanogenic glycosides (CNGs) are naturally occurring plant molecules (nitrogenous plant secondary metabolites) which consist of an aglycone and a sugar moiety. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is released from these compounds following enzymatic hydrolysis causing potential toxicity issues. The presence of CNGs in American elderberry (AE) fruit, (subsp.

Method development and laboratory intercomparison of an RP-HPLC-UV method for energetic chemicals in marine tissues.

Experiments were conducted to develop a method for the determination of a set of 17 military-relevant energetic compounds (including nitroaromatics, nitramines, and nitrate esters) in 5 types of marine tissues (Dungeness crab, Manila clam, starry flounder, sea cucumber, and geoduck) using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with a UV detector (RP-HPLC-UV). Dry-ice grinding was evaluated and found to be an excellent method of sample homogenization prior to sample extraction and determination. An extract cleanup procedure based on solid-phase extraction was assessed.

Discriminant Analyses of the Polyphenol Content of American Elderberry Juice from Multiple Environments Provide Genotype Fingerprint.

The cultivation of American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) continues to increase as the use of this botanical has expanded. Elderberries contain a variety of polyphenols, including anthocyanins, which have purported health benefits.

Development of a Method and Validation for the Quantitation of FruArg in Mice Plasma and Brain Tissue Using UPLC-MS/MS.

Aged garlic extract (AGE) is a popular nutritional supplement and is believed to promote health benefits by exhibiting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and hypolipidemic and antiplatelet effects. We have previously identified -α-(1-deoxy-d-fructos-1-yl)-l-arginine (FruArg) as a major contributor to the bioactivity of AGE in BV-2 microglial cells whereby it exerted a significant ability to attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammatory responses and to regulate the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant response. Here, we report on a sensitive ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) protocol that was validated for the quantitation of FruArg in mouse plasma and brain tissue samples.

Impact of Frozen Storage on the Anthocyanin and Polyphenol Contents of American Elderberry Fruit Juice.

The effects of frozen storage on the anthocyanin and polyphenol content of elderberry fruit juice are investigated. Juice from three genotypes of American elderberry (Adams II, Bob Gordon, and Wyldewood) was screened for total phenolic (TP) and total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) contents with spectrophotometric methods. The individual anthocyanin content (IAC) of the juice was tested by coupling solid phase extraction with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Peptidomics study of anthocyanin-rich juice of elderberry.

Biologically active peptides play a role in plant signaling and defense. Elderberry juice is known to contain a variety of anthocyanin compounds, a sub-set of polyphenols, which are responsible for the deep purple color of the juice. In this paper, we describe a method utilizing solid phase extraction (SPE) to remove anthocyanins from peptides.

Gel formulation containing mixed surfactant and lipids associating with carboplatin.

The interaction of amphiphilic molecules such as lipids and surfactants with the hydrophilic drug carboplatin was investigated to identify suitable self-assembling components for a potential gel-based delivery formulation. (1) H-NMR Studies in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (aerosol-OT, AOT)-based reverse micelles show that carboplatin associates and at least partially penetrates the surfactant interface. Langmuir monolayers formed by dipalmitoyl(phosphatidyl)choline are penetrated by carboplatin.