Carlo Leifert

... Hong Li, Callum Duncan, Michael Golden and Carlo Leifert 267 found on all five sections of pig tongue, explaining the uniformity of nitrite production over the tongue surface. ... Pharm., 1995, 39, 460 3. Duncan, C., H. Dougall, P. Johnston, S. Green, R. Brogan, C. Leifert, L. Smith. ...

... Callum Duncan, Hong Li, Denise Kelly, Michael Golden and Carlo Leifert 293 " Nitrate concentration • lOOjiM rf= 0.917 200| iM A 4 (M (| lM • SOOuM ... Means and SEM are from five determinations 3. Duncan, C., H. Dougall, P. Johnston, S. Green, R. Brogan, C. Leifert, L. Smith, ...

Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) kills bacteria and other organisms as part of the innate immune response. When nitrite is exposed to low pH, NO is generated and has been used as an NO delivery system to treat skin infections. We demonstrated eradication of MRSA carriage from wounds using a topical formulation of citric acid (4.5%) and sodium nitrite (3%) creams co-applied for 5 days to 15 wounds in an observational prospective pilot study of 8 patients. Following treatment with topical citric acid and sodium nitrite, 9 of 15 wounds (60%) and 3 of 8 patients (37%) were cleared of infection. MRSA isolates from these patients were all sensitive to acidified nitrite in vitro compared to methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and a reference strain of MRSA. Nitric oxide and acidified nitrite offer a novel therapy for control of MRSA in wounds. Wounds that were not cleared of infection may have been re-contaminated or the bioavailability of acidified nitrite impaired by local factors in the tissue.

In this workshop, we will summarize the results of the QLIF project on food safety issues. The participants discuss safety problems related to organic and low input standards and techniques for both animal and plant products. They will relate the findings to consumers’ perception and concern. Improved production and processing techniques will be suggested.

Demand for organic milk is partially driven by consumer perceptions that it is more nutritious. However, there is still considerable uncertainty over whether the use of organic production standards affects milk quality. Here we report results of meta-analyses based on 170 published studies comparing the nutrient content of organic and conventional bovine milk. There were no significant differences in total SFA and MUFA concentrations between organic and conventional milk. However, concentrations of total PUFA and n-3 PUFA were significantly higher in organic milk, by an estimated 7 (95 % CI ���1, 15) % and 56 (95 % CI 38, 74) %, respectively. Concentrations of ��-linolenic acid (ALA), very long-chain n-3 fatty acids (EPA+DPA+DHA) and conjugated linoleic acid were also significantly higher in organic milk, by an 69 (95 % CI 53, 84) %, 57 (95 % CI 27, 87) % and 41 (95 % CI 14, 68) %, respectively. As there were no significant differences in total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid (LA) concen...

Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA and n-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectiv...

ABSTRACT Assessments of invertebrate biodiversity in the agricultural landscape have been inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. There is a requirement to improve assessments, especially when quantifying the beneficial effects of low input and organic farming on biodiversity. To generate an improved understanding, data from four crops (organic leek, cabbage and broccoli, conventional calabrese), sampled in eastern England with both pitfall and pan traps, was used. Eight Orders, 55 ground beetle (Carabidae) species, 12 Coleoptera families and 66 Higher taxa (tribes, subfamilies and families) were used to calculate four diversity-related metrics and two fidelity metrics, using data from pitfall traps and from pitfall and pan traps combined. Diversity metrics were taxa richness, Shannon diversity index and Quantitative totals and indexes based on the number of each taxa recorded. Fidelity totals and indexes were used to assess deviations from the basic vegetable field habitat. Order was the least consistent taxa and the Shannon index was a poor diversity indicator. Taxa richness and Quantitative totals were more accurate and the use of quantifications based on the number of appropriate taxa recorded improved metric quality and Fidelity index was an improvement on the Fidelity total. In general, the highest metric values were in broccoli and cabbage, the crops with most weeds, and there were positive correlations between most metrics and weed cover. Metrics using combined epigeal and aerial invertebrate data, utilising the most taxa and the number recorded, were most appropriate for comparisons between crop types.

... Neuenschwander, P. & Michelakis, S. (1978) Infestation of Dacus oleae (Gmel.) (Diptera ... Skouras, PJ, Margaritopoulos, JT, Seraphides, NA, Ioannides, IM, Kakani, EG, Mathiopoulos, KD ... JA (2007) Organophosphate resistance in olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, populations in ...

ABSTRACT Ground beetles were sampled in nine crops and four field boundary types on a split conventional/organic farm in northern England in the five years 2005–2009. Multivariate analyses indicated that a combination of crop type, management and boundary type influenced ground beetle species and group activity. Short vegetation boundaries with bare ground had similar activity, mainly of small species, to that in organic arable crops, contrasting with activity in conventional arable and more densely vegetated boundaries. Large, medium-sized, herbivorous and Collembola feeding species all had considerable activity in oilseed rape and activity was generally greatest in conventional arable crops but least in conventional grass. Disturbance and productivity estimations provided basic insights into ground beetle activity. Most small and medium-sized species were found in areas with low productivity but high and low disturbance, respectively. Large and Collembola feeding species were most active in highly productive areas with medium and low disturbance whilst most herbivorous species preferred medium values of both drivers. In crops, species richness was greatest in organic beans and conventional oilseed rape and lowest in conventional grass. There were more species in short vegetation boundaries than in more densely vegetated field edges. There may be potential for the use of productivity and disturbance estimations in the provision of ecosystem services, especially in assessing the conditions required to optimise ground beetle activity for pest control.

ABSTRACT Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a serious pest of solanaceous plants, especially tomato. Commonly known as the tomato leaf miner or South American tomato pinworm and originating from Central America, it has been a major problem there for tomato production for over 30 years. It appeared in Europe in 2006 in Eastern Spain, progressed rapidly around the Mediterranean basin and then throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Other countries are being invaded and it is now considered one of tomato’s most devastating pests worldwide in conventional, low-input and organic systems in both field and protected (greenhouse) situations. Crop damage occurs throughout the tomato growing cycle. Larvae feed on foliage, stems and fruit, and as they burrow deep into plant tissues, become protected from contact pesticides and most predators. They are very difficult to control, even with intensive pesticide applications, and yield losses of up to 100 % have been reported in severe epidemics. Commercial tomato hybrids resistant to T. absoluta would be a major component of control strategies in all production systems. However, despite breeders’ efforts, host plant resistance has not yet been achieved in commercial varieties. In the meantime, control of this devastating pest must rely on integrated control programmes adopting a range of available techniques applicable to both conventional and organic, field and greenhouse production systems but without reliance on resistant varieties. This review considers the challenges of T. absoluta control in tomatoes. It begins with a brief summary of the origin, host range, geographical distribution and biology of the insect and the economic impacts of the damage that it causes. Then, chemical and biological control methods and host plant resistance are considered. Evaluation of current knowledge and understanding of T. absoluta, the efficacy of the existing control measures and identification of deficiencies is key to defining and developing regimes which are effective in organic, low-input and conventional production systems against this devastating pest.

To identify changes in the bacterial community, at the phylum level brought about by varied crop management. Next-generation sequencing methods were used to compare the taxonomic structure of the bacterial community within 24 agricultural soils managed with either organic or conventional methods, over a 3 year period. Relative abundance of the proportionately larger phyla (e.g. Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria) was primarily affected by sample year rather than crop management. Changes of abundance in these phyla were correlated with changes in pH, organic nitrogen and soil basal respiration. Crop management affected some of the less dominant phyla (Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Gemmatimonadetes) which also correlated with pH and organic N. Soil diversity can vary with changing environmental variables and soil chemistry. If these factors remain constant soil diversity can also remain constant even under changing land use. The impact crop management has on environmental variables must be ...

Recommendation to reduce fat consumption from ruminant meat does not consider the contribution of nutritionally beneficial fatty acids in lean beef. Here we report effects of production system (organic vs conventional) and finishing season on meat and fat quality of sirloin steaks from retail outlets and simulated fatty acid intakes by consumers. There was little difference in meat quality (pH, shear force and colour), but the fat profiles varied considerably between production systems and season. Meat fat from organic and summer finished cattle contained higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid, its precursor vaccenic acid and individual omega-3 fatty acids and had a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids compared with non-organic and winter finished cattle respectively. The fat profile from summer finished organic beef aligns better to recommended dietary guideline including those for long chain omega-3 fatty acids compared with that from winter finished,non-organi...

This study of UK retail milk identified highly significant variations in fat composition. The survey, conducted over 2 yr replicating summer and winter, sampled 22 brands, 10 of which indicated organic production systems. Results corroborate earlier farm-based findings considering fat composition of milk produced under conventional and organic management. Organic milk had higher concentrations of beneficial fatty acids (FA) than conventional milk, including total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; 39.4 vs. 31.8 g/kg of total FA), conjugated linoleic acid cis-9,trans-11 (CLA9; 7.4 v 5.6 g/kg of FA), and α-linolenic acid (α-LN; 6.9 vs. 4.4 g/kg of FA). As expected, purchase season had a strong effect on fat composition: compared with milk purchased in winter, summer milk had a lower concentration of saturated fatty acids (682 vs. 725 g/kg of FA) and higher concentrations of PUFA (37.6 vs. 32.8 g/kg of FA), CLA9 (8.1 vs. 4.7 g/kg of FA), and α-LN (6.5 vs. 4.6 g/kg of FA). Differences i...

Agriculture is the process of managing plant communities to obtain useful materials from a limited number of species called crops. Since man first began to cultivate crops, undesirable plants, called weeds, have been a problem. Weeds reduce agricultural production in several ...

A main reason for the rapid increase in organic food consumption is the perception that organic foods have a superior nutritional composition and/or convey health benefits. However, there is currently limited scientific knowledge about the effect of production systems on food composition. The study reported here compared fatty acid profiles and levels of fat soluble antioxidants in milk from organic