Effect of dietary administration of Porphyridium cruentum on the respiratory burst activity of sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup), phagocytes

The stimulatory effect of the red microalga Porphyridium cruentum on respiratory burst activity of sole phagocytes was evaluated in vivo . Oral administration of a diet supplemented with lyophilized P. cruentum cells (10 g kg⁻¹) stimulated respiratory burst activity after 4 weeks feeding in sole vaccinated with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida bacterin.     

Multiple forms of alkaline phosphatase in horse bone,liver, kidney,duodenum, caecum and serum separated by agarose gel electrophoresis with and without neuraminidase pretreatment

Horse bone, liver, duodenum, caecum and kidney alkaline phosphatases were separated by a commercial agarose gel electrophoresis method with and without neuraminidase pretreatment, following the manufacturer's directions. Tissue extracts were obtained in saline solution and ALP extracted from cell membranes by the butanol method. Electrophoresis was performed using a TRIS/barbital/sodium barbital buffer with detergent, pH 8.6 to 9.0, at 250 V for 30 minutes. Bone, liver and kidney untreated extracts showed two ALP bands each, but with different relative migration (compared to albumin migration). When they were preincubated with neuraminidase, the two bone bands showed a marked decrease in their migration, followed by the kidney ALP bands and the most anodic band of liver Both intestinal untreated extracts showed three bands but with different mobilities. After preincubation with neuraminidase, the three bands of caecum mucosa decreased in their migration, and the most anodic duodenum band disappeared, overlapping the second one. When tissue extracts were incubated with wheat germ-lectin (WGL), 74.5% of bone extract ALP and 67.2% of caecum extract ALP precipitated, which demonstrated that the ALP band of both tissues have similar groups in the carbohydrate side chains. Horse serum showed two electrophoretic bands, which increased to three bands when treated with neuraminidase. ALP from hepatocytes was the dominant isoform, followed by a caecum band. Because the electrophoretic mobilities of some of the tissue bands studied were identical, the neuraminidase agarose electrophoretic method appeared to be a satisfactory alternative to separate them.     

Accumulation of Mycosporine‐like Amino Acids in Asparagopsis armata Grown in Tanks with Fishpond Effluents of Gilthead Sea Bream,Sparus aurata

Abstract.— The accumulation of ultraviolet (UV)‐screen substances, mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs), in the tetrasporophytic phase of the red alga Asparagopsis armata grown in fishpond effluents of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, is analyzed. Both the effects of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) fluxes and the algal densities on MAA accumulation were investigated. MAAs increased with the TAN flux, but only until values lower than 100 μM/h. Above this flux, the MAA content decreased, whereas algal yield increased. The content of individual MAAs was related to nitrogen (N) status, that is, shinorine percentage slightly decreased and palythine increased with increasing N fluxes. The decrease of MAAs at high flux of N (up to 100 μM/h) is related to the decrease of water residence time and the decrease of the biofiltration efficiency. Under different TAN fluxes and algal densities, MAA content was negatively related to algal yield indicating that MAAs were accumulated only under a high ammonium‐N availability. Thus, an energy allocation between growth (primary metabolism) and MAA accumulation (secondary metabolism) is regulated by the absorption capacity of inorganic N. In conclusion, A. armata, in addition to its high biofiltration capacity of nutrients, is a good source of MAAs as potential UV screen photoprotectors.     

Use of prostaglandins and bromocriptine mesylate for pregnancy termination in bitches

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of 2 protocols using bromocriptine mesylate and prostaglandins to terminate unwanted pregnancy in bitches. DESIGN: Prospective randomized single-blind controlled study. ANIMALS: 34 crossbred and purebred bitches referred for possible pregnancy termination. Seven additional pregnant bitches were used as controls. PROCEDURE: Pregnancy was assessed by ultrasonographic examination from day 25 after mating in all bitches. Of the 34 bitches, 25 were pregnant and were randomly allocated to a treatment group. Group-1 dogs (n = 12) received a combination of increasing amounts of bromocriptine mesylate (15 to 30 microg/kg [6.8 to 13.6 microg/lb], p.o., q 12 h) and dinoprost tromethamine (0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg [0.045 to 0.09 mg/lb], s.c., q 24 h). Group-2 dogs (n =13) received a combination of increasing amounts of bromocriptine mesylate (the same schedule as group-1 dogs) and cloprostenol sodium (1 microg/kg [0.45 microg/lb], s.c., q 48 h). Both groups were treated until pregnancy termination. Results-Treatment success was 100% in both groups. Days of treatment required for pregnancy termination did not significantly differ between groups (5.0 +/- 0.6 vs 3.7 +/- 0.6 days, group-1 and group-2 dogs, respectively) although adverse effects only developed in group-1 dogs. At the end of the protocols, pseudopregnancy was observed in 3 of 12 and 6 of 13 group-1 and group-2 dogs, respectively. Pregnancy termination was followed by a mucoid sanguineous vulvar discharge for 3 to 10 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results of this study indicate that protocols that combine the use of bromocriptine mesylate and prostaglandins for the termination of unwanted pregnancy in bitches are efficient and safe. The use of bromocriptine mesylate and cloprostenol had the best results and could be easily used on an outpatient basis.     

Nitrogen metabolism and growth performance of gilts fed standard corn-soybean meal diets or low-crude protein,amino acid-supplemented diets

Two experiments were conducted to determine the CP concentration below which N retention and growth performance are reduced when low-protein, amino acid-supplemented, corn-soybean meal diets are fed. In a N balance trial (Exp. 1), 12 gilts (initial weight 41 kg) were fitted with urinary catheters and fed six different diets during three 7-d periods in an incomplete block design. The diets were: 1) 18% CP; 2) 14% CP + AA, 3) 16% CP; 4) 12% CP + AA; 5) 14% CP; and 6) 10% CP + AA. Amino acids (lysine, threonine, tryptophan, and methionine) were supplemented such that the concentrations in the low-protein diets were equal to those in their standard (4% CP higher) counterparts. Nitrogen retention (g/d) decreased (P < 0.01) as CP decreased, in both standard (27.10, 24.53, and 20.99) and low-protein (21.51, 19.18, and 15.83) diets, but was lower (P < 0.01) in low-protein diets. There were no differences among treatments (P > 0.05) in biological value (68.2% standard vs 71.0% low-protein). In a growth performance trial (Exp. 2), 36 gilts (initial weight 19.5 kg) were penned individually and fed one of six diets for 35 d in a randomized complete block design. Dietary treatments were a 16% CP standard diet and low-protein diets formulated to contain 15, 14, 13, 12, and 11% CP supplemented with crystalline lysine, tryptophan, threonine, and methionine to equal the total concentrations in the standard diet. Protein concentration affected (P < or = 0.05) ADG, ADFI, feed efficiency, fat-free lean gain, longissimus muscle area, plasma urea, and plasma concentrations of most essential AA. For most of these traits, the major difference was poor performance of pigs fed the 11% CP diet. Thus, in Exp. 1, at AA concentrations from deficient to excess, low-protein, amino acid-supplemented diets failed to produce the same N retention as the equivalent corn-soybean meal diets. However in Exp. 2, the same performance was obtained with 16, 15, 14, 13, and 12% CP. Based on these data, we suggest that N balance is more sensitive than growth to amino acid adequacy andthat other AA (e.g., isoleucine and valine) may limit growth performance when the protein concentration is reduced by more than four percentage units.     

Complete characterization of quantum-optical processes

The technologies of quantum information and quantum control are rapidly improving, but full exploitation of their capabilities requires complete characterization and assessment of processes that occur within quantum devices. We present a method for characterizing, with arbitrarily high accuracy, any quantum optical process. Our protocol recovers complete knowledge of the process by studying, via homodyne tomography, its effect on a set of coherent states, that is, classical fields produced by common laser sources. We demonstrate the capability of our protocol by evaluating and experimentally verifying the effect of a test process on squeezed vacuum.