Microtubule stabilization reduces scarring and causes axon regeneration after spinal cord injury

Hypertrophic scarring and poor intrinsic axon growth capacity constitute major obstacles for spinal cord repair. These processes are tightly regulated by microtubule dynamics. Here, moderate microtubule stabilization decreased scar formation after spinal cord injury in rodents through various cellular mechanisms, including dampening of transforming growth factor-β signaling. It prevented accumulation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and rendered the lesion site permissive for axon regeneration of growth-competent sensory neurons. Microtubule stabilization also promoted growth of central nervous system axons of the Raphe-spinal tract and led to functional improvement. Thus, microtubule stabilization reduces fibrotic scarring and enhances the capacity of axons to grow.     

Effect of Incorporating White,Red or Black Quinoa Flours on Free and Bound Polyphenol Content,Antioxidant Activity and Colour of Bread

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Interest in quinoa as a functional food ingredient is currently emerging. The flours from white, red and black quinoa seeds were analysed in terms of total...     

Investigation of biofilm production and icaA and icaD genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from heifers and cows with mastitis

Biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus are important virulence factors in cases of mastitis in dairy cows. However, few studies have investigated mastitis strains isolated from heifers. Within this context, the objective of the present study was to investigate biofilm formation on Congo red agar, the presence of the icaA and icaD genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the percentage of in vitro antimicrobial resistance of 110 S. aureus isolates from mammary gland secretions of heifers and cows with mastitis. PCR detected the icaA and icaD genes in 98% and 100% of isolates, respectively. However, only 55.5% of all isolates produced a biofilm on Congo red agar. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that 47.0% of isolates from heifers and 70.4% of isolates from cows were resistant to at least one of the antimicrobial agents tested. Resistance to penicillin and/or ampicillin was the most frequent (44.5%). These results indicate the need to implement prophylactic and control measures of mastitis for heifers. Heifers and cows can carry resistant strains with the capacity of biofilm production, a fact representing a threat to public health and animal well‐being and generating losses to dairy farmers.     

RNA/DNA ratio is an early responding,accurate performance parameter in growth experiments of noble crayfish Astacus astacus (L.)

Recent intensification efforts of astacid culture considerably depend on the appropriate assessment of the animal's physiological condition both for research and application. We conducted a 4 weeks feeding experiment to assess temporal resolution and accuracy of different response parameters (RNA/DNA ratio, RNA per wet weight, carapace length, wet weight, specific growth rate). Juvenile noble crayfish were exposed to five feeding regimes that differed in feeding frequency and food availability. Continuous growth was detected in all feeding regimes with individual increase up to 90% (wet weight) and 17% (carapace length), respectively. Morphometric parameters allowed separation of three weight‐groups or two length‐groups. During the experimental period RNA/DNA ratios showed both decrease (?17%) and increase (+35%), with superior accuracy than morphometric parameters, separating four groups. Based on RNA/DNA ratios, different feeding regimes were detected earlier, with two groups separated already after 3 weeks. RNA/DNA ratio was clearly superior to RNA per unit wet weight, as the latter failed to detect any differences between groups. In conclusion, RNA/DNA ratio is a valuable tool in nutritional studies with freshwater crayfish if overall growth is the key variable of interest.     

Nitrogen metabolism in the large intestine of ruminants. 3. Microbial utilization of intracecally administered 14C- and 15N-marked urea in the large intestine of sheep in simultaneous intracecal administration of partially hydrolyzed straw meal

Two experiments were performed on sheep, receiving on maintenance level a pelleted straw ration high in crude fibre (straw, 70.5%; dried sugar beet pulp, 12%; cereals, 10%; urea, 2%; ammonium hydrogen carbonate, 3%; minerals 2,5%). The animals were fitted with ileo-caecal re-entrant cannulas. The effects of the introduction of HC1-partly hydrolysed straw meal into the digesta of the large intestine on the digestion processes in that segment were studied. Under these conditions the metabolism of 14C and 15N labelled urea, which was given into the caecum, was estimated. In experiment 1 (E 1; 2 animals) unlabelled, precollected digesta were hourly reintroduced together with 14C and 15N labelled urea via the caecal cannula. In experiment 2 (E 2; 3 animals) the digesta were supplemented with partly hydrolysed straw meal (10% of the mean daily DM-intake with the ration). The supplement of partly hydrolysed straw meal caused an increase of the 15N excretion with faeces from 13.4% (E 1) to 19.8% (E 2) of the dose. The 15N was mainly incorporated in the bacterial fraction (98% E 1; 96% E 2). As a reason for the increased 15N incorporation into the bacterial fraction of 106.4 mg15N' in E 2 vs. 67.3 mg15N' in the experiment without straw meal supplement the higher supply of energy as fermentable carbohydrates was assumed.     

Aspects of prenatal development of muscle and adipose tissue: principles, regulation, and influence of maternal nutrition

During pregnancy the developing embryo/foetus is completely dependent on the supply with nutrients and the removal of metabolic by-products through the maternal organism. Therefore, each lasting inadequate nutrient supply may have serious consequences for foetal development. As a kind of "nutritional programming" resulting adaptive changes may be maintained until or manifested at adult age. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) may cause problems in animal health and result in poor animal performance. The relationships between prenatal development and the postnatal phenotypic appearance of muscle and fat are insufficiently investigated. The present paper provides selected aspects of the prenatal development of skeletal muscle (myogenesis) and adipose tissue (adipogenesis), refers to the importance of interactions between both tissues and is focussed on the influence of maternal nutrition on these processes.     

Immunoglobulin E-bearing cells and mast cells in skin biopsies of horses with urticaria

The pathogenesis of equine urticaria is not well understood. In man, urticaria has been associated with immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms leading to the release of various mediators by mast cells. Skin biopsies of 32 horses with a history of urticaria were stained with toluidine blue, a double-labelling method for chymase and tryptase, and immunohistochemistry for immunoglobulin (Ig)E. These horses were compared with horses with pemphigus foliaceus, insect bite hypersensitivity and control horses with healthy skin. Neither formalin fixation time nor biopsy site influenced the staining methods. No chymase-positive cells were found. In all groups of horses, cells staining with toluidine blue and for tryptase and IgE were found in the epidermis and hair follicle papilla and significantly more positively staining cells were observed in the subepidermal dermis compared with the deep dermis. Horses with urticaria had significantly more IgE-bearing cells in the subepidermal dermis than control horses. However, horses with urticaria had significantly fewer toluidine-blue-stained mast cells in both subepidermal and deep dermis compared with the insect bite hypersensitivity and pemphigus foliaceus groups. This study suggests that IgE-mediated reactions play a role in the pathogenesis of urticaria.     

Influence of murine Toxocara canis infection on plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid eosinophil numbers and its correlation with cytokine levels

Toxocara canis is a nematode of the Ascaridae family that normally parasites the small intestine of canid species. Humans are accidentally infected upon ingestion of embryonated eggs, and can manifest several clinical alterations such as fever, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, respiratory symptoms, muscle pain and anorexia. In the present work, we investigated the kinetics of tissue distribution of L2 larva in lungs, liver, kidney, brain, skeletal muscle and myocardium. Also, we analyzed the blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) for levels of IL-6, IFN-gamma, eotaxin and Regulated on Activation Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES) in experimental murine T. canis infection. We observed liver, lung and kidney lesions correlated to larva migration as early as the first day of infection. After the seventh post-infection day, larva could also be detected in brain, skeletal muscle and heart, as an indicator of biphasic migration pattern. Increased inflammatory activity was detected in BAL and plasma of infected animals, as was an intense eosinophil migration associated with an increase in the levels of all the cytokines studied. In conclusion, our results establish a tight correlation between tissue lesions caused by larva migration and increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory and eosinophil chemotactic cytokines. Thus, murine T. canis infection may prove to be useful in understanding the role of cytokines in infection.     

Inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the cerebrospinal fluid of epileptic dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine concentrations of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in CSF of a large number of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy or genetic epilepsy and to evaluate changes in CSF amino acid concentration with regard to drug treatment and sex. ANIMALS: 35 Labrador Retrievers with genetic epilepsy (20 male and 15 female), 94 non-Labrador Retrievers with idiopathic epilepsy (71 male and 23 female), and 20 control dogs (10 male and 10 female). PROCEDURE: Collection of CSF was performed > 72 hours after the occurrence of seizures. Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GLU), aspartate (ASP), serine, and glycine were determined by use of high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. RESULTS: CSF concentrations of GABA and GLU were significantly lower in Labrador Retrievers with genetic epilepsy (LR-group dogs) than in control-group dogs or in non-Labrador Retrievers with idiopathic epilepsy (non-LR-group dogs). The GLU-to-GABA ratio was significantly higher in LR-group dogs than in non-LR-group dogs. CSF concentrations of GLU and ASP were significantly lower when all dogs with epilepsy (non-LR- and LR-group dogs combined) were compared with control-group dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A decrease in CSF concentrations of GABA appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of genetically determined epilepsy in Labrador Retrievers. However, this decrease in CSF concentrations of GABA may also be a consequence of seizure activity. The GLU-to-GABA ratio may prove to be a useful indicator of genetic epilepsy in Labrador Retrievers.     

Quantification of jasmonic acid by SPME in tomato plants stressed by ozone

Jasmonates are signalling molecules induced in plants as a response to various biotic and/or abiotic stresses. As ozone is known to activate defense responses in plants, we have monitored the concentration of jasmonic acid in tomato leaves during and after an acute exposure to this abiotic elicitor. In this experiment, we observed that the maximum induction of jasmonic acid in O3-fumigated plants occurred 9 h after the end of treatment and the concentration of jasmonic acid in stressed plants increased 13-fold. However, the level of endogenous methyl-jasmonate was constant during the observed period. The extraction and quantification of jasmonic acid as its methyl ester was performed by headspace-solid-phase microextraction (or HS-SPME) in combination with GC-FID and GC-MS. The sensitivity (LOD = 2 ng/g) of this method permitted the detection and quantification of jasmonic acid present in plant tissues at very low concentrations.