Improving bioavailability and stability of genistein by complexation with high-amylose corn starch

Genistein, like other phytochemicals, has beneficial health effects, but its bioavailability is limited. This research studied the effect of complexation of genistein with starch on genistein bioavailability. Genistein release from these complexes was tested in vitro under simulated intestinal conditions and in vivo in rats fed high-amylose corn starch (HACS)-genistein complexes (experimental group) as compared to those fed a physical mixture of HACS and genistein (controls). In vitro results showed that genistein release is sustained and fits the normal transit time of food in the intestine. The genistein concentration in the plasma was twice as high in the experimental group versus controls; the genistein concentration in the urine was also higher in the experimental group but lower in the feces. These results indicate that starch-genistein complexes increase genistein bioavailability and suggest that starch can affect the bioavailability of additional food components.     

Changes in forest structure modify understory and livestock occurrence along the natural cycle and different management strategies in Nothofagus antarctica forests

Agroforestry Systems - Sustainable forest management is proposed as a solution for many ecological and socio-economic trade-offs associated with different forest uses. In Patagonia, silvopastoral...     

Carbon accumulation along a stand development sequence of Nothofagus antarctica forests across a gradient in site quality in Southern Patagonia

Above- and below-ground C pools were measured in pure even-aged stands of Nothofagusantarctica (Forster f.) Oersted at different ages (5–220 years), crown and site classes in the Patagonian region. Mean tissue C concentration varied from 46.3% in medium sized roots of dominant trees to 56.1% in rotten wood for trees grown in low quality sites. Total C concentration was in the order of: heartwood > rotten wood > sapwood > bark > small branches > coarse roots > leaves > medium roots > fine roots. Sigmoid functions were fitted for total C accumulation and C root/shoot ratio of individual trees against age. Total C accumulated by mature dominant trees was six times greater than suppressed trees in the same stands, and total C accumulated by mature dominant trees grown on the best site quality was doubled that of those on the lowest site quality. Crown classes and site quality also affected the moment of maximum C accumulation, e.g. dominant trees growing on the worse site quality sequestered 0.73 kg C tree⁻¹ year⁻¹ at 139 years compared to the best site where 1.44 kg C tree⁻¹ year⁻¹ at 116 years was sequestered. C root/shoot ratio decreased over time from a maximum value of 1.3–2.2 at 5 years to a steady-state asymptote of 0.3–0.7 beyond 60 years of age depending on site quality. Thus, root C accumulation was greater during the regeneration phase and for trees growing on the poorest sites. The equations developed for individual trees have been used to estimate stand C accumulation from forest inventory data. Total stand C content ranged from 128.0 to 350.9 Mg C ha⁻¹, where the soil C pool represented 52–73% of total ecosystem C depending on age and site quality. Proposed equations can be used for practical purposes such as estimating the impact of silvicultural practices (e.g. thinning or silvopastoral systems) on forest C storage or evaluating the development of both above- and below-ground C over the forest life cycle for different site qualities for accurate quantification of C pools at regional scale.     

Evaluation of a hand‐held evaporimeter (VapoMeter®) for the measurement of transepidermal water loss in healthy dogs

In humans, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is measured by noninvasive techniques using either open‐ or closed‐chamber instruments. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a hand‐held, closed chamber device (Vapometer^®) to measure TEWL in canine skin. Repeated measurements obtained from multiple body sites in one short and one long‐coated dog had mean coefficients of variation ranging from 20% to 33%. In the short‐coated dog, TEWL ranged from a mean of 5.8 g/m²/h on the ventral abdomen to 24.4 g/m²/h between the shoulders. In the long‐coated dog, mean TEWL values ranged from 26.3 g/m²/h on the right chest wall to 51.3 g/m²/h in the right axilla. TEWL readings differed significantly at different body sites and showed significant day‐to‐day variation. In a comparison of a further 20 dogs, TEWL readings obtained from the lateral thorax differed significantly between dogs. Furthermore, in seven of the twenty dogs, readings differed significantly when one side was compared with the other. The Vapometer^® was able to measure TEWL in canine skin and yielded values similar to those previously reported in the literature using other devices. However, for use in clinical studies, the significant site to site, day‐to‐day and dog to dog variations would make changes induced by disease, drugs, dietary supplements or topical agents very difficult to reliably detect.     

Observations on mouse-infective stocks of Cowdria ruminantium: attempts to demonstrate persistence of the organism in mice immune to the Kwanyanga stock

Mice immunised against the Kwanyanga stock of Cowdria ruminantium by infection and treated with oxytetracycline proved immune to challenge on day 40 and also to a second challenge on day 125 after infection. Treatment with the experimental dithiosemicarbazone gloxazone on days 59 and 73 did not abolish immunity to challenge on day 125. No persistence of the organism in immune mice that had been challenged on day 40 could be demonstrated by subinoculating blood and liver homogenate on day 126. These results are different from findings reported elsewhere with the mouse-infective Kumm stock.     

Causal agents of bovine theileriosis in southern Africa

Summary One pathogenic and 4 mild bovineTheileria strains from southern Africa, all transmitted byRhipicephalus appendiculatus, were compared amongst themselves as well as to bovine and buffalo strains of theT. parva complex from eastern and southern Africa and to bovine strains ofT. taurotragi from Tanzania considered to be derived from eland antelope. Criteria used were parasitological, clinical, serological and cross-immunity characters.The mild strains are similar to bovineT. taurotragi. Serological evidence suggested thatT. taurotragi is also infective to sheep. The pathogenic strain belongs to theT. parva complex; the latter consists of a series of types with different behaviour ranging from thelawrencei-type (of buffalo) causing Corridor disease, through thebovis-type causing Rhodesian malignant theileriosis to theparva-type causing classical East Coat fever. Seven cattle-tick passages of abovis-type strain did not result in transformation into aparva-type.Four species of bovineTheileriae are now known to occur in southern Africa:T. parva (lawrencei- andbovis-types) andT. taurotragi, both transmitted byR. appendiculatus, andT. mutans andT. velifera both withAmblyomma spp. as vectors.

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Agentes Causales De Theileriosis En El Sur De Africa

Resumen Se compararon 5 cepas deTheileria del sur de Africa, 1 patógena y 4 benignas, todas transmitidas porRhipicephalus appendiculatus, entre si y también con cepas derivadas de bovinos y búfalos, del complejoT. parva, del sur y este de Africa, y con cepas bovinas deT. taurotragi de Tanzania derivadas de antílope eland. Los criterios de evaluación utilizados fueron parasitológico, clínico, serológico, utilizando también los caracteres de inmunidad cruzada.Las cepas benignas son similares aT. taurotragi de bovinos. Las pruebas serológicas indicaron que esta última es también infectiva para ovejas. Las cepas patógenas pertenecen al complejoT. parva; este último consiste de un rango de tipos con diferente comportamiento que van desde el tipolawrencei (búfalo) que causa la enfermedad Corridor, a través del tipobovis que causa la theileriosis maligna de Rodesia, hasta el tipoparva que causa la típica Fiebre de la Costa Este. Siete pasajes a través de bovinos y garrapatas de un tipobovis, no produjo transformación alguna al tipoparva.Se conocen entonces 4 especies deTheileriae bovina en el sur de Africa :T. parva (tiposlawrencei ybovis) yT. taurotragi, ambas transmitidas porR. appendiculatus, yT. mutans yT. velifera, ambas transmitidas porAmblyomma spp.

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Agent De La Theileriose Bovine En Afrique Australe

Résumé Une souche pathogène et quatre souches bovines bénignes deTheileria d'Afrique australe, toutes transmises parRhipicephalus appendiculatus ont été comparées entre elles, puis avec des souches de bovins et de buffles du complexe deT. parva de l'Afrique australe et orientale et enfin avec des souches bovines deT. taurotragi de Tanzanie considérées comme originaires de l'Elan du Cap. Les critères utilisés ont été d'ordre parasitologique, clinique, sérologique avec recherche des caractères d'immunité-croisée.Les sourches bénignes sont similaires àT. taurotragi. La sérologie a suggéreré queT. taurotragi est également infectieuse chez le mouton. La souche pathogène appartient au complexe deT. parva ; ce complexe consiste en une série de types présentant divers comportements depuis le typelawrencei du buffle causant l'affection Corridor, et le typebovis cause de la theileriose maligne de Rhodésie jusqu'au type parva cause de l'East Coast Fever classique. 7 passages bétail-tique d'une souche de typebovis n'ont pas réussi à la transformer en typeparva. 4 espèces de Theileries bovines sont maintenant connues en Afrique australe :T. parva (typeslawrencei etbovis) etT. taurotragi toutes deux transmises parR. appendiculatus, T. mutans etT. velifera avec toutes deuxAmblyomma spp. comme vecteurs.

     

A Preliminary Trial Using Multi-target Polymerase Chain Reaction (multiplex PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) on the Same Feedstuffs to Detect Tissues of Animal Origin

A preliminary study using multi-target polymerase chain reaction (multiplex PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was done on the same feedstuffs to detect animal tissues. The results of the two methods differ somewhat: PCR-RFLP did not detect any signal in any sample, but multiplex PCR detected a signal in one sample. These findings could be a basis for further investigations.     

Spatial patterns of cultural ecosystem services provision in Southern Patagonia

Context

Although there is a need to develop a spatially explicit methodological approach that addresses the social importance of cultural ecosystem services for regional planning, few studies have analysed the spatial distribution on the cultural ecosystem services based on social perceptions.

Objective

The main objective of this study was to identify cultural ecosystem service hot-spots, and factors that characterize such hot-spots and define the spatial associations between cultural ecosystem services in Southern Patagonia (Argentina).

Methods

The study was carried out in Southern Patagonia (243.9 thousand km²) located between 46° and 55° SL with the Andes mountains on the western fringe and the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern fringe of the study area. The study region has a range of different vegetation types (grasslands, shrub-lands, peat-lands and forests) though the cold arid steppe is the main vegetation type. We used geo-tagged digital images that local people and visitors posted in the Panoramio web platform to identify hot-spots of four cultural ecosystem services (aesthetic value, existence value, recreation and local identity) and relate these hot-spots with social and biophysical landscape features.

Results

Aesthetic value was the main cultural service tagged by people, followed by the existence value for biodiversity conservation, followed by local identity and then recreational activity. The spatial distribution of these cultural ecosystem services are associated with different social and biophysical characteristics, such as the presence of water bodies, vegetation types, marine and terrestrial fauna, protected areas, urbanization, accessibility and tourism offer. The most important factors are the presence of water in Santa Cruz and tourism offer in Tierra del Fuego.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that this methodology is useful for assessing cultural ecosystem services at the regional scale, especially in areas with low data availability and field accessibility, such as Southern Patagonia. We also identify new research challenges that can be addressed in cultural ecosystem services research through the use of this method.

     

Modelling net photosynthetic rate of field-grown cocksfoot leaves under different nitrogen, water and temperature regimes

A simple multiplicative model using temperature, foliage nitrogen (N) concentration and water status was developed to predict the maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax) of field‐grown cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) leaves when none, one, two or all the factors were limiting. The highest Pmax was 27·4 μmol CO₂ m^–2 s^?1 in non‐limited conditions, which was defined as the standardized Pmax value dimensionless (Pmax_s=1). Pmax_s increased 0·058 units per °C from 10°C to the optimum range (19–23°C) (Pmax_s=1) and then declined 0·077 units of Pmax_s per °C from 23 to 31°C. Pmax_s=1 was also measured from 59 to 52 g N kg^?1 dry matter (DM) foliage N. Pmax_s then decreased at the rate of 0·115 units per 10 g N kg^?1 DM from 52 to 26 g N kg^?1 DM, and 0·409 units of Pmax_s per 10 g N kg^?1 DM from 26 to 15 g N kg^?1 DM. For predawn leaf water potential (ψ_lp), Pmax_s=1 was measured from ?0·1 to ?1·2 bar but declined linearly at a rate of 0·078 units per bar of ψ_lp from ?1·2 to ?14·0 bar because of a linear decrease in stomatal conductance. An interaction between low N content (≤20 g N kg^?1 DM) and high temperature (>23°C) was also detected. Together, this multiplicative model accounted for 0·82 of the variation in Pmax_s.     

Responses of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus adults to selected synthetic palm esters: electroantennographic studies and trap catches in an urban environment

BACKGROUND: The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, accidentally introduced into the European countries facing the Mediterranean basin, is becoming the most serious pest for ornamental palms in the urban environment. In the present work, tests were conducted on the electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioural responses of RPW adults to five selected synthetic palm esters, ethyl propionate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isobutyrate, ethyl lactate and ethyl acetate, to assess the application of a mass trapping technique in an urban environment. RESULTS: In the laboratory, EAG bioassays on RPW adults with the synthetic palm esters showed: (1) positive dose‐dependent responses; (2) differences among the treatments; (3) a greater response to ethyl propionate; (4) a higher sensitivity of female antennae compared with male antennae. In the urban environment, RPW behavioural responses, evaluated over six biweekly observations on pheromone‐ and molasses‐ baited traps, showed that more adults were caught by traps supplemented with ethyl propionate and ethyl acetate than by traps supplemented with only ethyl propionate. Similar catches were recorded in the traps supplemented with ethyl propionate or ethyl acetate. CONCLUSION: This study supports the application of the mass trapping implemented with synthetic palm esters as a potential tool for the management of RPW populations to protect ornamental palms in urban environments. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry