Sewage sludge is widely used as an organic soil amendment to improve soil fertility. We investigated the effects of sewage sludge (SS) application on certain biological parameters of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. The plant was either uninoculated or inoculated with saprobe fungi (Coriolopsis rigida and Trichoderma harzianum) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomus deserticola and Gigaspora r...

BACKGROUND The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is still considered as one of the main limiting steps of the biological production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. It is a complex multistep process, and various kinetic models have been proposed. The cellulase enzymatic cocktail secreted by Trichoderma reesei has been intensively investigated. beta-glucosidases are one of a number of c...

The phenotypic and genetic characteristics of spirochetes isolated from the blood of one U.S. and six French patients with severe clinical disease or impaired immunity were examined. All spirochetes were anaerobic, weakly beta-hemolytic, positive for hippurate hydrolysis, and negative for beta-glucosidase activity. Cell lengths ranged from 4 to 8 microm, and each isolate had between 8 and 12 pe...

A novel beta-proteobacterium, designated BXN5-27(T), was isolated from soil of a ginseng field of Baekdu Mountain in China, and was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The strain was Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, motile, non-spore-forming, and rod shaped. Strain BXN5-27(T) exhibited beta-glucosidase activity that was responsible for its ability to transform ginsenoside Rb₁ (one of the...

Preliminary results from differential centrifugation experiments, washing treatments, and enrichment in linear sucrose gradients at a density of 1.09 grams per cubic centimeter all indicated that beta-glucosidase activity in corn root homogenates was associated with a membrane such as tonoplast. A subsequent sucrose density gradient centrifugation time course showed that the beta-glucosidase wa...

The present study was designed to determine the effects of the essential oil of Laurusnobilis L. (Lauraceae) and its three main components on α-glucosidase and reactive oxygenspecies scavenging activity. The chemical composition of the essential oil from Laurus nobilisL. leaves was analyzed by GC/GC-MS and resulted in the identification of 29 compounds,representing 99.18% of the total oil. 1,8-...

A nitrogen analogue 4 of the naturally occurring sulfonium ion salacinol (1), a potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from the Ayruvedic medicine Salacia reticulata, was synthesized and its inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase tested. Substitution of the sulfur atom in 1 with a nitrogen reduced the activity considerably. The solid-state stereostructure of the related compound (5)...

We present a case of glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe's disease) with the classical clinical presentation and characteristic electrocardiographic changes of this disorder. An acid maltase (EC 3.2.1.20) determination in the peripheral leukocytes revealed normal activity; however, acid maltase activity was completely absent in a pre-mortem skeletal muscle biopsy. Post-mortem studies showed...

Research on the mode of action of auxin in the promotion of growth has shown that auxin treatment leads to hydrogen ion secretion and wall acidification. It has recently been reported that auxin stimulates cell wall beta-galactosidase activity in Avena coleoptiles, presumably by causing cell wall acidification, since the pH optimum for the enzyme is about 5.0. It has been suggested that enhance...

BACKGROUND α-amylase and α-glucosidase digest the carbohydrates and increase the postprandial glucose level in diabetic patients. Inhibiting the activity of these two enzymes can control postprandial hyperglycemia, and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Bitter gourd or balsam pear is one of the important medicinal plants used for controlling postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes patients....