β-Ionone Attenuates Dexamethasone-Induced Suppression of Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid Synthesis in Human Dermal Fibroblasts
Stress is a major contributing factor of skin aging, which is clinically characterized by wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and dryness. In particular, glucocorticoids are generally considered key hormones for promoting stress-induced skin aging through binding to glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). In this work, we aimed to investigate whether β-ionone (a compound occurring in various foods such […]
Limited Evidence for Accumulation of Latent Infections of Canker-Causing Pathogens in Shoots of Stone Fruit and Nut Crops in California
Prevalence of latent infections of the canker-causing fungi Botryosphaeria dothidea and species of Cytospora, Diplodia, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum, and Phomopsis in young shoots of almond, prune and walnut trees in California was studied to test the hypotheses that 1) latent infections accumulate from current-season shoots to 1-year-old shoots in the orchard and 2) there are distinct […]
History and Current Status of Phytoplasma Diseases in the Middle East
Phytoplasmas that are associated with fruit crops, vegetables, cereal and oilseed crops, trees, ornamental, and weeds are increasing at an alarming rate in the Middle East. Up to now, fourteen 16Sr groups of phytoplasma have been identified in association with more than 164 plant species in this region. Peanut witches' broom phytoplasma strains (16SrII) are […]
Plant Prebiotics and Their Role in the Amelioration of Diseases
Prebiotics are either natural or synthetic non-digestible (non-)carbohydrate substances that boost the proliferation of gut microbes. Undigested fructooligosaccharides in the large intestine are utilised by the beneficial microorganisms for the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids for their own growth. Although various food products are now recognized as having prebiotic properties, several others, such as almonds, […]
First Report of Stem Canker of Almond Trees Caused by Fusarium solani in Greece
Almond (Prunus dulcis) is an important crop for Greece grown on 15.130 ha in 2019. In September 2019, a severe stem canker disease was observed in 6-year-old trees of cv Marta grafted on the rootstock 'F675C14', in a new almond grove of cvs Marta, Soleta, Antonela, Belona and Laurete, in Vlachiana, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Only […]
Plant and soil microbial community responses to different water management strategies in an almond crop
Climate change is one of the main challenges facing the agricultural sector as it strives to meet global food needs. In arid and semiarid areas, the scarcity of water imposes the use of alternative sources – such as reclaimed water (RW) or desalinated water (DW) – and of deficit irrigation strategies, such as regulated deficit […]
Field Biology of Scolothrips sexmaculatus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) as a Predator of Tetranychus pacificus (Acari: Tetranychidae) in California Almonds
Biological control of tetranychid spider mites in California almonds has predominantly been associated with predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae. However, changes in production practices, including shifts to more sustainable chemical control programs, have resulted in a trophic shift leading to the predominance of six-spotted thrips, Scolothrips sexmaculatus Pergande, as the primary mite predator. Over […]
Aggressiveness of Spanish isolates of Xylella fastidiosa to almond plants of different cultivars under greenhouse conditions
The aggressiveness of Spanish isolates of X. fastidiosa, representing different sequence types, were studied in almond plants of several cultivars by means of the dynamics of the population levels and symptoms, colonization and spread, and dose-response relationships. Pathogen dynamics in almond plants under greenhouse conditions showed doubling times of 2.1 to 2.5 days during the […]
Use of almond flour and stevia in rice-based gluten-free cookie production
The gluten-free cookies were produced by replacing rice flour (RF) and sucrose content with almond flour (AF) and stevia. Supplementation of AF caused to decrease the moisture content of the gluten-free cookies; while ash, total protein, total fat and total dietary fiber content increased. Regarding of total phenolics; extractable, hydrolyzable and bioaccessible fractions of gluten-free […]
Total Nut, Tree Nut, and Peanut Consumption and Metabolic Status in Southern Italian Adults
Background: Nut consumption has been associated with cardio-metabolic health benefits. However, studies conducted in the Southern Italian population, where adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been reported being relatively high, are rather scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between consumption of total and specific types of nuts and metabolic status […]