Pharmacokinetics of multiple doses of transdermal flunixin meglumine in adult Holstein dairy cows

A transdermal formulation of the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug, flunixin meglumine, has been approved in the United States and Canada for single‐dose administration. Transdermal flunixin meglumine was administered to 10 adult Holstein cows in their second or third lactation at the label dose of 3.33 mg/kg every 24 hr for three total treatments. Plasma flunixin concentrations were determined using high‐pressure liquid chromatography with mass spectroscopy (HPLC ‐MS ). Pharmacokinetic analysis was completed on each individual animal with noncompartmental methods using computer software. The time to maximum drug concentration (T max) was 2.81 hr, and the maximum drug concentration was 1.08 μg/ml. The mean terminal half‐life (T½) was determined to be 5.20 hr. Clearance per fraction absorbed (Cl/F) was calculated to be 0.294 L/hr kg^?1, and volume of distribution of fraction (V z/F ) absorbed was 2.20 L/kg. The mean accumulation factor was 1.10 after three doses. This indicates changes in dosing may not be required when giving multiple doses of flunixin transdermal. Further work is required to investigate the clinical efficacy of transdermal flunixin after multiple daily doses.     

Comparison of the forage and grain composition from insect-protected and glyphosate-tolerant MON 88017 corn to conventional corn (Zea mays L.)

The next generation of biotechnology-derived products with the combined benefit of herbicide tolerance and insect protection (MON 88017) was developed to withstand feeding damage caused by the coleopteran pest corn rootworm and over-the-top applications of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides. As a part of a larger safety and characterization assessment, MON 88017 was grown under field conditions at geographically diverse locations within the United States and Argentina during the 2002 and 2003-2004 field seasons, respectively, along with a near-isogenic control and other conventional corn hybrids for compositional assessment. Field trials were conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replication blocks at each site. Corn forage samples were harvested at the late dough/early dent stage, ground, and analyzed for the concentration of proximate constituents, fibers, and minerals. Samples of mature grain were harvested, ground, and analyzed for the concentration of proximate constituents, fiber, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, antinutrients, and secondary metabolites. The results showed that the forage and grain from MON 88017 are compositionally equivalent to forage and grain from control and conventional corn hybrids.     

Genetics of fertility restoration of ‘Wild Abortive’ cytoplasmic male sterility in rice,Oryza sativa L.

Summary Genetics of fertility restoration in six varieties and breeding lines of rice was studied in Wild Abortive cytoplasmic genetic male sterility system using cytoplasmic male sterile lines V 20 A and IR 54752 A. Fertility evaluation of the plants in F₂ and testcross populations of the crosses of V 20 A with PR 103, PR 106 and PAU 502-94-1, and IR 54752 A with PAU 1124-36-1 and PAU 1126-1-1 revealed that fertility restoration in PR 103, PR 106, PAU 502-94-1, PAU 1124-36-1 and PAU 1126-1-1 was controlled by two independently segregating dominant genes. The two genes appeared to have additive effects; one of them being stronger than the other in imparting fertility restoration. Data on spikelet fertility of the plants in F₂ and testcross populations of V 20 A/UPR 82-1-1 cross showed that fertility restoration in UPR 82-1-1 was controlled by two independently segregating dominant genes which exhibited recessive epistatic interaction.

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Factors affecting oat haploid production following oat × maize hybridization

Doubled haploids (DHs) are becoming increasingly important in crop breeding programmes but methods for producing oat DHs remain inefficient. In this study haploid and DH oat plants were produced using the oat × maize hybridization method. Factors influencing the rate of caryopsis and haploid embryo production including genotype, post‐pollination plant growth regulator application and temperature were investigated. The four growth regulators tested showed significant differences in their capacity to induce caryopsis formation with dicamba producing the highest numbers of caryopses, followed by picloram, 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D) and gibberellic acid (GA₃). No significant differences were observed between these growth regulators for their effect on embryo production. The concentration of dicamba was also important and was found to influence caryopsis but not embryo production, with 50 and 100 mg/l dicamba producing significantly more caryopses than 25 or 5 mg/l. Temperature had a significant impact on both caryopsis and embryo production with the magnitude and direction of response depending on genotype. Rates of haploid embryo production observed were between 0.8% and 6.7% of the pollinated florets. The proportion of haploids, which survived and were successfully doubled with colchicine following transfer to soil was between 72% and 81%.     

Glyphosate-tolerant corn: the composition and feeding value of grain from glyphosate-tolerant corn is equivalent to that of conventional corn (Zea mays L.)

Glyphosate-tolerant (Roundup Ready) corn line GA21 has been developed by genetic modification to tolerate glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the compositional and nutritional safety of corn line GA21 compared to that of conventional corn. Compositional analyses were conducted to measure proximate, fiber, amino acid, fatty acid, and mineral contents of grain and proximate, fiber, and mineral contents of forage collected from 16 field sites over two growing seasons. The nutritional safety of corn line GA21 was evaluated in a poultry feeding study conducted with 2-day old, rapidly growing broiler chickens, at a dietary concentration of 50-60% w/w. Compositional analysis results showed that, except for a few minor differences that are unlikely to be of biological significance, the grain and forage of GA21 corn were comparable in their composition to that of the control corn line and to conventional corn. Results from the poultry feeding study showed that there were no differences in growth, feed efficiency, adjusted feed efficiency, and fat pad weights between chickens fed with GA21 grain or with parental control grain. These data taken together demonstrate that Roundup Ready corn is as safe and nutritious as conventional corn for food and feed use.     

A study of 1,2-dibromoethane residues in wheat and milled products

A method is described for determining residues of 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB) in milled wheat products. The residues are first extracted with benzene, then recovered azeotropically for reaction with alkali and subsequent determination of liberated bromide ion by a Volhard titration. Freshly milled flours from wheat fumigated with 65.0 and 325 mg EDB/litre at 37°C were found to contain 10.6 to 39.4 mg EDB/kg and the bran contained from 51.4 to 153 mg EDB/kg.     

Some factors affecting the in vitro propagation of gladiolus

Callus tissue cultures have been established from the excised segments of the inflorescence, flower stalks, denuded flower, bract, perianth and leaf segments of 2 cultivars of Gladiolus grandiflorus. Of all the explants and the media tested, the best callus was obtained from the segments of the flower stalks, cultured on a basal medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid and kinetin. The callus mostly underwent rhizogenesis, and occasionally differentiated shoots. Complete plants were regenerated from the in vitro cultured cormels, cormel tips and the axillary buds, and 6 plants were formed from the segments of 1 cormel, whereas in nature only 1 plant is obtained per cormel. Cultured young anthers callused and developed leaf-like petaloid structures, and occasionally showed multicellular pollen.