Identification and quantification of amines in the equine caecum

Acute laminitis has been associated with the release of compounds, as yet unidentified, produced by hindgut fermentation which affect blood flow to the digit. The objectives of this study were to identify amine compounds in equine caecal and colonic contents, some of which are known to have vasoactive properties. In addition, the concentrations of amines in caecal contents of horses fed either grass or hay diets were compared. Fifteen amines were identified in equine hindgut contents in concentrations greater than 1 microM. The caecal concentrations of phenylethylamine, isoamylamine, cadaverine, diaminoheptane and spermidine were significantly higher in horses on spring/summer grass compared with those on winter grass or hay. These data show that many amines are present in the equine hindgut, some of which may have the potential to cause peripheral vasoconstriction if released into the circulation from the gastrointestinal tract.     

Dietary secondary amines and liver hepatoma in Port Harcourt,Nigeria

Dietary secondary amines of some Nigerian foodstuffs were analyzed by Soxhlet extraction, using petroleum ether (b.p. 60–80 °C); followed by thin layer chromatography developed in a solvent system; n-butanol: 95% ethanol: water (4:2:1) for the qualitative test. Each UV fluorescent band in the test chromatogram was scraped and eluted with distilled water, filtered and assayed for secondary amine content for the quantitative test. Quantitative estimations were by the colorimetric methods. The results show that Ugu – Telfairia occidentalo; millet-Panicum miliaceum; bitter leaf – Vernonia amygdalina; mushroom – Boletus spp; and Okro – Hibiscus esculentus contain diethylamine, dimethylamine, morpholine and ethylaniline. Garri – Manihot utilissima flour contains diethylamine and dimethylamine only; while fish (frozen) Tilapia malanopleura contains diethylamine, dimethylamine and piperidine and the smoked fish – Tilapia nilotica contains diethylamine, dimethylamine, ethylaniline, morpholine, piperidine and n-propylamine. Cocoyam – Xanthosoma sagittifolium contains diethylamine, dimethylamine, morpholine, ethylaniline and proline. The results also show that the secondary amine content of the various foodstuffs ranged between 0.80–0.91 µg N/kg. The public health implications of these findings are discussed.     

Infection and decontamination of citrus canker-inoculated leaf surfaces

Citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, Xcc) is now considered endemic in Florida and continues to spread. Various surfaces, including plant material, personnel and equipment can become contaminated. Decontamination is practiced in both disease-endemic and disease-free areas to reduce the risk of bacterial spread by man or machinery. We used grapefruit leaf surfaces to explore the efficacy of a commonly used personnel sprayer system applying a quaternary amine decontaminant. In three experiments, plants in flush (leaves ¾ expanded) were inoculated (∼10⁵ CFU ml⁻¹). Immediately after inoculation, plants were passed through the sprayers 0, 1, 2, 3, or 6 times. Leaves were sampled at 0.5, 10 and 20 min after decontamination and tested for viable Xcc by dilution plating. There was a large and rapid decline in the quantity of live bacteria with one pass through the decontamination sprayer (>80% decrease in CFU ml⁻¹), and multiple sprays (2-6) resulted in up to 100% mortality of surface Xcc. Presumably more thorough coverage with multiple sprays killed remnant bacteria, although the first spray invariably caused the highest proportion of population mortality. The effect of the decontaminant spray was immediate (within 0.5 min only 3-11% of surface bacteria survived, and by 20 min <1-3% survived). Based on these results, use of a personnel sprayer with a quaternary amine compound is highly effective for reducing surface inoculum. A single spray kills a high proportion of the population, but multiple sprays increase mortality of Xcc. All the Xcc-inoculated plants subsequently developed symptoms of citrus canker. No significant difference in incidence or severity of grapefruit leaf infection was detected among decontamination treatments or compared to the untreated control. This finding indicates that infection occurred at, or very soon after, inoculation, and that Xcc was in protected sites inside the leaf before exposure to the decontaminant spray.     

海洋环境中有机胺的迁移转化研究进展

大气中的有机胺具有潜在的气候效应，这是当今国际的研究热点之一。海洋是大气中有机胺的重要来源，但由于海水中有机胺检测难度较大，导致海洋环境中有机胺的产生机制尚不清楚。本文概述了海洋生物体内有机胺前体物的浓度特征及其对环境中有机胺的影响，阐述了沉积物、海水及大气中有机胺的浓度特征，分析了海洋大气气溶胶中有机胺的形成途径，并指出海水中有机胺检测的难点及现阶段亟待解决的科学问题。为深入认识海洋环境中有机胺的迁移转化规律及其潜在气候效应提供科学依据。