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PubMed1992

Wheat vegetative nitrogen compositional changes in response to reduced reproductive sink strength.

N redistribution patterns and the N composition of vegetative tissues above the peduncle node of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants with altered reproductive sink strength were evaluated to determine the role of vegetative storage proteins in the temporary storage of excess N destined for export. The degree of leaf senescence symptoms (loss of chlorophyll, total N, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) were initially reduced, but the complete senescence of vegetative tissues proceeded even for plants completely lacking reproductive sinks. Plants with 50% less sink strength than control plants with intact spikes redistributed vegetative N to the spike almost as effectively as the control plants. Plants without reproductive sinks exported less N from the flag leaf and had flag leaf blades and peduncle tissues with higher soluble protein and alpha-NH(2) amino acid levels than control plants. An abundant accumulation of polypeptides in the soluble protein profiles of vegetative tissues was not evident in plants with reduced sink strength. Storage of amino acids apparently accommodates any excess N accumulated by vegetative tissues during tissue reproductive growth. Any significant role of vegetative storage proteins in the N economy of wheat is unlikely.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Identification of asymmetrically localized transcripts along the animal-vegetal axis of the Xenopus egg.

In many organisms, proper embryo development depends on the asymmetrical distribution of mRNA in the cytoplasm of the egg. Here we report comprehensive screening of RNA localized in the animal or vegetal hemisphere of the Xenopus egg. Macroarrays including over 40,000 independent embryonic cDNA clones, representing at least 17,000 unigenes, were differentially hybridized with labeled probes synthesized from the mRNA of animal or vegetal blastomeres. After two rounds of screening, we identified 33 clones of transcripts that may be preferentially distributed in the vegetal region of the early stage embryo, but transcripts localized in the animal region were not found. To assess the array results, we performed northern blot and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. As a result, 21 transcripts of the 33 were confirmed to be localized in the vegetal region of the early stage embryo. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis revealed that 11 transcripts, including 7 previously reported genes, were localized in the vegetal hemisphere of the egg. These 11 transcripts were categorized into three groups according to their expression patterns in the egg. The first group, which contained four transcripts, showed uniform expression in the vegetal hemisphere, similar to VegT. The second group, which contained three transcripts, showed gradual expression from the vegetal pole to the equator, similar to Vg1. The last group, which contained three transcripts, was expressed at the germ plasm, similar to Xdazl. One transcript, Xwnt11, showed both the second and the third expression patterns.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

Conditions relevant to the occurrence of acid-fast bacilli in sphagnum vegetation.

Biotopes with intact sphagnum vegetation were studied in Naustdal, West Norway: the health district with the former highest leprosy incidence rates in Norway. Concentration of acid-fast bacilli and concentration of non-cultivable acid-fast bacilli found in the vegetation fluid were compared with a series of variables related to the local environment and to the samples of vegetation. In bivariate analyses high concentrations were found in biotopes with orientation toward South, with a high coverage of vascular plants and with presence of Ericaceae. High concentrations were also found where dry weight of a vegetation was high, where pH in the fluid was low and where dry weight of the fluid was high. In a multivariate analysis, log-linear model, based on concentration of acid-fast bacilli as the dependent variable and orientation, pH, dry weight of vegetation and dry weight of fluid as the independent variables, all two-factor effects including the dependent variable were retained in the model. Furthermore, orientation versus dry weight of vegetation and dry weight of fluid versus dry weight of vegetation were retained.

Bacillus↗

PubMed2006

The homologue of het-c of Neurospora crassa lacks vegetative compatibility function in Fusarium proliferatum.

For two fungal strains to be vegetatively compatible and capable of forming a stable vegetative heterokaryon they must carry matching alleles at a series of loci variously termed het or vic genes. Cloned het/vic genes from Neurospora crassa and Podospora anserina have no obvious functional similarity and have various cellular functions. Our objective was to identify the homologue of the Neurospora het-c gene in Fusarium proliferatum and to determine if this gene has a vegetative compatibility function in this economically important and widely dispersed fungal pathogen. In F. proliferatum and five other closely related Fusarium species we found a few differences in the DNA sequence, but the changes were silent and did not alter the amino acid sequence of the resulting protein. Deleting the gene altered sexual fertility as the female parent, but it did not alter male fertility or existing vegetative compatibility interactions. Replacement of the allele-specific portion of the coding sequence with the sequence of an alternate allele in N. crassa did not result in a vegetative incompatibility response in transformed strains of F. proliferatum. Thus, the fphch gene in Fusarium appears unlikely to have the vegetative compatibility function associated with its homologue in N. crassa. These results suggest that the vegetative compatibility phenotype may result from convergent evolution. Thus, the genes involved in this process may need to be identified at the species level or at the level of a group of species and could prove to be attractive targets for the development of antifungal agents.

Alleles↗

PubMed1978

Candida albicans endocarditis: ultrastructural studies of vegetation formation.

Candida albicans endocarditis was established in rabbits after transaortic catherization. Within 30 to 90 min after infection, C. albicans was observed by scanning electron microscopy on the valve surface. The organisms were predominantly associated with host deposits of erythrocytes, phagocytes, platelets, and fibrinous-appearing material, which collectively appeared on the valve surface in response to trauma. Within 48 h after infection, vegetations composed of these same host components were observed on the heart valves, although Candida cells were not demonstrable on the valve or vegetation surface. When the vegetations were examined by transmission electron microscopy, Candida blastospores were only observed within phagocytic cells (predominantly monocytes) enmeshed within the vegetation matrix. Many of the intracellular organisms were undergoing degradation, as evidenced by a reduction in electron density of the cell wall. Other fungi had highly electron-dense cell walls and germ tubes. Phagocytic cells containing germinating Candida were highly vacuolated and were observed at various stages of cell lysis. After 7 days of infection, the vegetation contained a dense meshwork of fibrin and Candida pseudohyphae with 10(8) to 10(9) colony-forming units/g of vegetation. The mature vegetation was devoid of phagocytic cells and continued to grow until the death of the animal.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Effects of chronic intake of vegetable protein added to animal or fish protein on renal hemodynamics.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To examine whether chronic intake of vegetable protein added to animal protein diet affects renal hemodynamics or not, we studied effects of three kinds of diets containing various amounts of animal and vegetable protein with 1-week dietary program in each on renal hemodynamics. METHODS: The crossover design of different amounts of vegetable protein added to the constant amount of animal protein was applied to two groups of 7 healthy individuals after the control dietary program. Renal function and 24 hours' urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) were examined on every 7th day of three consecutive 1-week dietary programs. RESULTS: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR; sodium thiosulphate clearance) and renal plasma flow (RPF) significantly decreased after decreasing the intake of animal protein by one third with keeping the amount of vegetable protein constant. The results when substituting vegetable protein for some of the animal protein in the diet without changing the total amount of protein were identical. The filtration fraction and AER did not change over the study periods regardless of dietary composition. CONCLUSION: The lack of an effect a 1-week intake of vegetable protein added to animal protein on GFR and RPF suggests that vegetable protein may be excluded from lists of restriction in low protein diet therapy in patients with renal insufficiency.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Consumption of fruits and vegetables in relation to the risk of developing acute coronary syndromes; the CARDIO2000 case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The relation between diet and human health has long been investigated. The aim of this work is to evaluate the association between CHD risk and the consumption of fruit and vegetable, in a large sample of cardiac patients and controls. METHODS: Stratified sampling from all Greek regions, consisted of 848 (700 males, 58 +/- 10 years old and 148 females, 65 +/- 9 years old) randomly selected patients, admitted to the cardiology clinic for a first event of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In addition we selected 1078 frequency paired, by sex-age-region, controls in the same hospitals but without any clinical suspicion of CHD. Using validated food-frequency questionnaires we assessed total diet, including fruit and vegetable intake, on a weekly basis. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the relative risk of developing ACS by level of fruits and vegetables intake after taking into account the effect of several potential confounders. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that the benefit of fruit or vegetable consumption increases proportionally by the number of servings consumed (P for trend < 0.001). After adjusting for the conventional cardiovascular risk factors, those in the upper quintile of fruit consumption (5 or more items/day) had 72% lower risk for CHD (odds ratio = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11-0.54, P < 0.001), compared with those in the lowest quintile of intake (< 1 items/day). Similarly, consumption of vegetable more than 3 days/week was associated with 70% lower risk for CHD (odds ratio = 0.30, 95% CI 0.22-0.40, P < 0.001), compared with those that they did not consume vegetables. Of particular interest, a 10% reduction in coronary risk was observed for every one piece of fruit consumed per day (odds ratio = 0.90, 95% CI 0.85-0.97, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of fruits and vegetables seems to offer significant protection against CHD.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

A fate map of the vegetal plate of the sea urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) mesenchyme blastula.

Previous lineage tracing experiments have shown that the vegetal blastomers of cleavage stage embryos give rise to all the mesoderm and endoderm of the sea urchin larva. In these studies, vegetal blastomers were labeled no later than the sixth cleavage division (60-64 cell stage). In an earlier study we showed that single cells in the vegetal plate of the blastula stage Lytechinus variegatus embryo could be labeled in situ with the fluorescent, lipophilic dye, DiI(C18), and that cells labeled in the central region of the vegetal plate of the mesenchyme blastula primarily gave rise to homogeneous clones consisting of a single secondary mesenchyme cell (SMC) type (Ruffins and Ettensohn (1993) Dev. Biol. 160, 285-288). Our clonal labeling showed that a detailed fate map could be generated using the DiI(C18) labeling technique. Such a fate map could provide information about the spatial relationships between the precursors of specific mesodermal and endodermal cell types and information concerning the movements of these cells during gastrulation and later embryogenesis. We have used this method to construct the first detailed fate map of the vegetal plate of the sea urchin embryo. Ours is a latitudinal map; mapping from the plate center, where the mesodermal precursors reside, through the region which contains the endodermal precursors and across the ectodermal boundary. We found that the precursors of certain SMC types are segregated in the mesenchyme blastula stage vegetal plate and that prospective germ layers reside within specific boundaries. To determine whether the vegetal plate is radially symmetrical with respect to mesodermal cell fates, single blastomeres of four cell stage embryos were injected with lysyl-rhodamine dextran (LRD). The resulting ectodermal labeling patterns were classified and correlated with the SMC types labeled. This analysis indicates that the dorsal and ventral blastomers do not contribute equally to SMC derivatives in L. variegatus.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Nuclear beta-catenin is required to specify vegetal cell fates in the sea urchin embryo.

Beta-catenin is thought to mediate cell fate specification events by localizing to the nucleus where it modulates gene expression. To ask whether beta-catenin is involved in cell fate specification during sea urchin embryogenesis, we analyzed the distribution of nuclear beta-catenin in both normal and experimentally manipulated embryos. In unperturbed embryos, beta-catenin accumulates in nuclei that include the precursors of the endoderm and mesoderm, suggesting that it plays a role in vegetal specification. Using pharmacological, embryological and molecular approaches, we determined the function of beta-catenin in vegetal development by examining the relationship between the pattern of nuclear beta-catenin and the formation of endodermal and mesodermal tissues. Treatment of embryos with LiCl, a known vegetalizing agent, caused both an enhancement in the levels of nuclear beta-catenin and an expansion in the pattern of nuclear beta-catenin that coincided with an increase in endoderm and mesoderm. Conversely, overexpression of a sea urchin cadherin blocked the accumulation of nuclear beta-catenin and consequently inhibited the formation of endodermal and mesodermal tissues including micromere-derived skeletogenic mesenchyme. In addition, nuclear beta-catenin-deficient micromeres failed to induce a secondary axis when transplanted to the animal pole of uninjected host embryos, indicating that nuclear beta-catenin also plays a role in the production of micromere-derived signals. To examine further the relationship between nuclear beta-catenin in vegetal nuclei and micromere signaling, we performed both transplantations and deletions of micromeres at the 16-cell stage and demonstrated that the accumulation of beta-catenin in vegetal nuclei does not require micromere-derived cues. Moreover, we demonstrate that cell autonomous signals appear to regulate the pattern of nuclear beta-catenin since dissociated blastomeres possessed nuclear beta-catenin in approximately the same proportion as that seen in intact embryos. Together, these data show that the accumulation of beta-catenin in nuclei of vegetal cells is regulated cell autonomously and that this localization is required for the establishment of all vegetal cell fates and the production of micromere-derived signals.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

Pollen ultrastructure in anther cultures of Datura innoxia. I. Division of the presumptive vegetative cell.

Ultrastructural features of embryogenic pollen in Datura innoxia are described, just prior to, during, and after completion of the first division of the presumptive vegetative cell. In anther cultures initiated towards the end of the microspore phase and incubated at 28 degrees C in darkness, the spores divide within 24 h and show features consistent with those of dividing spores in vivo. Cytokinesis is also normal in most of the spores and the gametophytic cell-plate curves round the presumptive generative nucleus in the usual highly ordered way. Further differentiation of the 2 gametophytic cells does not take place and the pollen either switches to embryogenesis or degenerates. After 48-72 h, the remaining viable pollen shows the vegetative cell in division. The cell, which has a large vacuole and thin layer of parietal cytoplasm carried over from the microspore, divides consistently in a plane parallel to the microspore division. The dividing wall follows a less-ordered course than the gametophytic wall and usually traverses the vacuole, small portions of which are incorporated into the daughter cell adjacent to the generative cell. The only structural changes in the vegetative cell associated with the change in programme appear to be an increase in electron density of both plastids and mitochondria and deposition of an electron-dense material (possibly lipid) on the tonoplast. The generative cell is attached to the intine when the vegetative cell divides. Ribosomal density increases in the generative cell and exceeds that in the vegetative cell. A thin electron-dense layer also appears in the generative-cell wall. It is concluded that embryogenesis commences as soon as the 2 gametophytic cells are laid down. Gene activity associated with postmitotic synthesis of RNA and protein in the vegetative cell is switched off. The data are discussed in relation to the first division of the embryogenic vegetative cells in Nicotiana tabacum.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed2006

Linking marine resources to ecotonal shifts of water uptake by terrestrial dune vegetation.

As evidence mounts that sea levels are rising, it becomes increasingly important to understand the role of ocean water within terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. Coastal sand dunes are ecosystems that occur on the interface of land and sea. They are classic ecotones characterized by zonal distribution of vegetation in response to strong gradients of environmental factors from the ocean to the inland. Despite the proximity of the dune ecosystem to the ocean, it is generally assumed that all vegetation utilizes only freshwater and that water sources do not change across the ecotone. Evidence of ocean water uptake by vegetation would redefine the traditional interpretation of plant-water relations in the dune ecosystem and offer new ideas for assessing maritime influences on function and spatial distribution of plants across the dune. The purpose of this study was to identify sources of water (ocean, ground, and rain) taken up by vegetation using isotopic analysis of stem water and to evaluate water uptake patterns at the community level based on the distribution and assemblage of species. Three coastal dune systems located in southern Florida, USA, and the Bahamian bank/platform system were investigated. Plant distributions across the dune were zonal for 61-94% of the 18 most abundant species at each site. Species with their highest frequency on the fore dune (nearest the ocean) indicate ocean water uptake as evidenced by delta 18O values of stem water. In contrast, species most frequent in the back dune show no evidence of ocean water uptake. Analysis of species not grouped by frequency, but instead sampled along a transect from the ocean toward the inland, indicates that individuals from the vegetation assemblage closest to the ocean had a mixed water-harvesting strategy characterized by plants that may utilize ocean, ground-, and/or rainwater. In contrast, the inland vegetation relies mostly on rainwater. Our results show evidence supporting ocean water use by dune vegetation and demonstrate an exciting relationship between seawater and ecotonal shifts in plant function of a terrestrial ecosystem.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2004

Persistent organic pollutants in air and vegetation from the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

The exchange of chlorinated organic pollutants between air and vegetation in cold, mountain environments was investigated through the extraction of coniferous vegetation and high-volume air samples collected from the Canadian Rocky Mountains during the summers of 1999 and 2000. Concentrations of several compounds in vegetation increased as temperatures decreased, whereas atmospheric concentrations were not related to temperature. Daily cycling of these compounds between air and vegetation as a result of diurnal temperature changes was not observed. Compared with concentrations in vegetation from the Canadian Rocky Mountains, plant samples from the western valley in British Columbia (Canada) showed higher pollutant levels. Chemical partitioning between vegetation and air was not correlated with temperature, indicating that air contamination is governed by long-range transport and not by local revolatilization events. Based on these observations, we show that both deposition at higher altitudes and long-range atmospheric transport influence chemical accumulation in vegetation from the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Phosphorus removal in vegetated filter strips.

Vegetated filter strips (VFS) are used recently for removal, at or near the source, of sediment and sediment-bound chemicals from cropland runoff. Vegetation within the flowpath increases water infiltration and decreases water turbulence, thus enhancing pollutant removal by sedimentation within filter media and infiltration through the filter surface. Field experiments have been conducted to examine the efficiency of vegetated filter strips for phosphorus removal from cropland runoff with 20 filters with varying length (2 to 15 m), slope (2.3 and 5%), and vegetated cover, including bare-soil plots as control. Artificial runoff used in this study had an average phosphorus concentration of 2.37 mg L(-1) and a sediment concentration of 2700 mg L(-1). The average phosphorus trapping efficiency of all vegetated filters was 61% and ranged from 31% in a 2-m filter to 89% in a 15-m filter. Filter length has been found to be the predominant factor affecting P trapping in VFS. The rate of inflow, type of vegetation, and density of vegetation coverage had secondary influences on P removal. Short filters (2 and 5 m), which are somewhat effective in sediment removal, are much less effective in P removal. Increasing the filter length beyond 15 m is ineffective in enhancing sediment removal but is expected to further enhance P removal. Sediment deposition, infiltration, and plant adsorption are the primary mechanisms for phosphorus trapping in VFS.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed1976

[Demonstration Of Helminth Eggs And Larvae From Vegetable Cultivating Soil]

In order to clarify the contamination of vegetable gardens with human intestinal helminths, the soil samples were examined for the presence of eggs and larvae during the period from September 1973 to August l974. When soil samples collected from the vegetable gardens in Taegu were examined, four species of helminth eggs (ascarid, whipworm, hookworm and liver fluke) and a number of unknown eggs were found. Ascarid was found to be highest in the rate of detection(82.5%), followed by whipworm. The rates of hookworm, liver fuke and Trichostrongylus species were unexpectedly low. There was no difference between detection rate of vegetable gardens and that of vinyl green houses. However, the average number of helminth eggs detected from the soil of vinyl green houses was higher than the number of vegetable gardens. In the monthly incidence of ascarid eggs, the highest rate was found in September, and the least often was observed in August. While, the peak in the average number of the egg was encountered in August. There was no distinct trend in the monthly incidence of whipworm. However, it is likely that the detection number of whipworm per 100 gm of soil examined was relatively abundant in a period from May to August, and very little from October to April of next year. When the soil of vegetable gardens was divided into superficial, intermediate and deep layers and examined for presence of ascarid egg. The average number of the eggs found of the superficial layer was more abundant than those of the intermediate and deep layers, but the rate for the former was similar with the latter. In the demonstration of larval nematodes from the soil of vegetable gardens and vinyl houses, there found the filariform and rhabditoid larvae of hookworm and the larvae of Trichostrongylus species and unknown one. The majority of the larvae detected was belonged to unknown species, followed by hookworm larvae. The least was found in the rate of Trichostrongylus species. Generally, the filariform larva of hookwom could be detected during the hot season from May to August, but no larva was found in the winter. This suggests that the soil of vegetable gardens and vinyl green houses in Taegu is contaminated with human intestinal helminths.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparative analysis of duodenal biopsy tissue orientation supported on vegetable matrix versus filter paper.

BACKGROUND: Biopsy tissue may get disoriented if filter paper is used as a supporting medium. Use of vegetable matrix (cucumber) as a supporting medium may obviate the need of lifting the tissue while making blocks and thus avoid disorientation that occurs during this step. OBJECTIVE: To compare the orientation of duodenal biopsy tissue supported on vegetable matrix (cucumber) and on filter paper. METHODS: Over one year, 40 patients (20 with large-volume diarrhea, 20 with dyspepsia) were included in the study. Two pairs of duodenal biopsy tissues were obtained during gastroscopy; one pair was placed on filter paper, the other on vegetable matrix. Tissue and vegetable matrix were embedded together while making blocks, whereas the tissue had to be lifted off in case of filter paper. Sections were stained and assessed for crypt-villous alignment, parallel orientation of crypts and presence of visible muscularis mucosae with the help of a scoring system. RESULTS: Compared to biopsy tissue supported on filter paper, vegetable matrix-supported tissues were better oriented. Scores were rated as bad, good and very good in 8, 11 and 21 vegetable matrix-mounted tissues and in 21, 11 and 8 filter paper-mounted tissues, respectively. CONCLUSION: Duodenal biopsy tissue supported on vegetable matrix (cucumber) is better oriented than that on filter paper.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Reproductive phenology of three vegetation types from a coastal plain of Paraguana Penninsula, Venezuela].

Reproductive phenology of 51 plant species was evaluated according to life form and vegetation types in a coastal plain of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Estado Falcón, Venezuela. Plant species distribution according to three vegetation types (herbaceous littoral, herbaceous psamophil, and mangrove area) was determined. Life form frequency was different according to vegetation type. Herbaceous littoral and herbaceous psamophil vegetation were dominated by herbaceous species; woody species were mostly frequent in the mangrove vegetation. Phenological data revealed that 14 (27.5%) plant species flower and fruit year-round; 23 (45.1%) plant species flower and fruit at the beginning of the wet season; seven (13.7%) plant species flower at the end of wet season, and seven (13.7%) more flower at the beginning of the dry season. Flowsring and fruiting phenology showed similar frequency distribution during the year; reproductive phenology was independent of life forms. Flowering and fruiting peaks occurred during the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season for trees and perennial herbs, and from one to three months later for shrubs and annual herbs. The lowest proportion of flowering and fruiting occurred before rain increase for all life forms. Flowering and fruiting phenologies were similar for the three vegetation types evaluated: flowering peak occurred during the lowest value of precipitation, three to four months after precipitation peak, and fruiting peak occurred four months later from the precipitation peak. These results suggest that flowering and fruiting phenology were not affected by life form and vegetation types. The peaks of flowering and fruiting during the lowest values of precipitation may be considered as a slow and late response to the precipitation maximum, and to the proximity between maximum and minimum of precipitation.

Flowers↗

PubMed2003

Effects of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins in healthy men.

It has been reported that phytosterol esters reduce cholesterol absorption and lower serum cholesterol concentration. There have been very few studies published on the effect of dose of phytosterol esters less than 1.0 g/day on plasma cholesterol levels in healthy subjects using commonly consumed foods. In this study, we evaluated the effect of 0.45 g/day (as free sterol) phytosterol ester-enriched dissolved in vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins in sixty healthy males with slightly elevated total cholesterol concentration. This study was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and arm parallel study. A total of 14 g/day of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil containing 0.45 g phytosterol (as the major free sterol) was compared with a control vegetable oil containing 0.04 g phytosterol (as the major free sterol). All subjects did not change their usual dietary habit and consumed foods that included about 360 mg/day cholesterol for 12 weeks. In subjects with higher total cholesterol concentrations (>200mg/dL), the phytosterol enriched-vegetable oil significantly reduced total cholesterol (10.3%, P<0.05), very low density (VLDL) lipoprotein cholesterol (22.5%, P<0.05), and remnant-like lipoprotein (RLP) cholesterol (24.7%, P<0.01) compared with the control vegetable oil. A reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration was also observed. In particular, the improvement in serum lipoprotein was more pronounced in subjects with higher total cholesterol concentrations. Triglycerides and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol did not change significantly. Plasma concentration of fat-soluble vitamins (tocopherol and retinol) and beta-carotene were not statistically significantly affected by phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil. These findings indicate that a daily consumption of phytosterol ester as low as 0.45 g/day (as free sterol) is effective in lowering blood total cholesterol concentration and RLP cholesterol concentration. Lower total cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and RLP cholesterol due to consumption of the phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil may be helpful in reducing the risk of CHD in the population.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Green space vegetation quantity in workshop area of Wuhan Iron and Steel Company].

Aimed at the complex community structure and higher fragmentation of urban green space, and based on the investigation of synusia structure and its coverage, this paper studied the vegetation quantity of ornamental green space in the workshop area of Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, with the help of GIS. The results showed that different life forms of ornamental plants in this area had a greater difference in their single leaf area and leaf area index (LAI), and the LAI was not only depended on single leaf area, but also governed by the shape of tree crown and the intensive degree of branches and leaves. The total vegetation quantity was 1 694.2 hm2, with the average LAI being 7.75, and the vegetation quantity of arbor-shrub-herb and arbor-shrub communities accounted for 79.7% and 92.3% of the total, respectively, reflecting that the green space structure was dominated by arbor species and by arbor-shrub-herb and arbor-shrub community types. Single layer-structured lawn had a less percentage, while the vegetation quantity of herb synusia accounted for 22.9% of the total, suggesting an afforestation characteristic of "making use of every bit of space" in the workshop area. The vegetation quantity of urban ornamental green space depended on the area of green space, its synusia structure, and the LAI and coverage of ornamental plants. In enlarging urban green space, ornamental plant species with high LAI should be selected, and community structure should be improved to have a higher vegetation quantity in urban area. To quantify the vegetation quantity of urban ornamental green space more accurately, synusia should be taken as the unit to measure the LAI of typical species, and the synusia structure and its coverage of different community types should be investigated with the help of remote sensing images and GIS.

China↗