Juniper Publishers-Nutrition Food Science International Journal

  Nutrition and Food Science International Journal - Juniper Publishers Abstract Background: Pandanus conoideus Lamk (Red fruit) is a Papuan traditional food which has been used to treat various diseases. Despite these various effects of Red fruit, little is known about the physiological mechanism. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of Red fruit oil (RFO) and establish the signal pathway of leading compounds. Methods: Raw 264.7 murine macrophage cells were used with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cell viability and the pro-inflammatory factors were investigated using MTT assay, real time PCR, western blot analysis, and Enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). The quantification of leading compounds in RFO was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: RFO did not affect cell viability. RFO significantly reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and both the protein level and mRNA ...

  Nutrition and Food Science International Journal - Juniper Publishers Abstract Arid regions have very low precipitation values (usually less than 250mm), consequently there is little water availability, so in these regions efficient management of this resource is imperative. This study aims to assess the water needs of some horticultural crops and a fruit tree on the island of São Nicolau, Cape Verde. Twelve crops were selected among the most used by farmers in the area and three scenarios related to precipitation were created. The water needs of the crops in the three scenarios were assessed using the previously calibrated Hargreaves - Samani method. The water balance to determine irrigation consumption was made for the following 3 rainfall conditions: scenario 1 corresponds to the year with the lowest rainfall; scenario 2 is the average of the values recorded over the series; and scenario 3, the year with the highest rainfall. The consumption of water by the crops was not signi...