Carotenoid intakes, assessed by food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs), are associated with serum carotenoid concentrations in the Jackson Heart Study: validation of the Jackson Heart Study Delta NIRI Adult FFQs

OBJECTIVES: Intake and status of carotenoids have been associated with chronic disease. The objectives of this study were to examine the association between carotenoid intakes as measured by two regional food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and their corresponding measures in serum, and to report on dietary food sources of carotenoids in Jackson Heart Study (JHS) participants. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data for 402 African American men and women participating in the Diet and Physical Activity Sub-Study (DPASS) of the JHS. RESULTS: Mean serum carotenoid concentrations and intakes in this population were comparable to those reported for the general US population. After adjustment for covariates, correlations between serum and dietary measures of each carotenoid, for the average of the recalls (deattenuated), the short FFQ and the long FFQ, respectively, were: 035 and 0-carotene; 026 and 0-carotene; 017 and 0-carotene; 034 and 0-cryptoxanthin; 015 and 037, 014 for lycopene. Major dietary sources of -carotene and lutein plus zeaxanthin, mustard, turnip and collard greens; of beta-cryptoxanthin, orange juice; and of lycopene, tomato juice. CONCLUSIONS: On average, carotenoid intakes and serum concentrations are not lower in this southern African American population than the general US population. The two regional FFQs developed for a southern US population and used as dietary assessment tools in the JHS appear to provide reasonably valid information for most of these carotenoids.     

Milk quality assurance for paratuberculosis: simulation of within-herd infection dynamics and economics

A bulk milk quality assurance programme for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) in dairy herds was simulated with a stochastic simulation model (JohneSSim). The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and economic effects of preventive management measures and various test schemes in a simulated population of closed Dutch dairy herds over a 20-year period. Herds were certified as ;low-Map bulk milk' if, with a certain probability, the concentration of Map in bulk milk did not exceed a maximum acceptable concentration of 10(3) Map organisms per litre (based on pasteurisation studies). The programme started with an initial assessment; test-negative herds entered a surveillance procedure and test-positive herds a control procedure. The simulations showed that herd examinations by ELISA for the initial assessment, surveillance and control procedures effectively ensure the quality of ;low-Map bulk milk': > 75% of simulated herds were certified and > 96% of certified herds produced bulk milk with < 10(3) Map/L if the initial herd-level prevalence was 30%. Preventive management measures only had a minor effect on bulk milk quality of certified herds. Culling based on biennial faecal culture was more effective than culling based on annual ELISA. Average total discounted costs for 20-year participation in a programme consisting of initial assessment by ELISA, surveillance by biennial ELISA and control by biennial faecal culture were 16 Euro x 10(3) per herd. In conclusion, this study shows that a bulk milk quality assurance programme for closed Dutch dairy herds is feasible and provides information on the cost-effectiveness of different programmes. The concepts of this study equally apply to other countries because mechanisms of paratuberculosis infection, disease, and testing are comparable in other dairy cattle populations.     

Comparison of the effects of firocoxib, carprofen and vedaprofen in a sodium urate crystal induced synovitis model of arthritis in dogs

A randomized, placebo-controlled, four-period cross-over laboratory study involving eight dogs was conducted to confirm the effective analgesic dose of firocoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, in a synovitis model of arthritis. Firocoxib was compared to vedaprofen and carprofen, and the effect, defined as a change in weight bearing measured via peak ground reaction, was evaluated at treatment dose levels. A lameness score on a five point scale was also assigned to the affected limb. Peak vertical ground reaction force was considered to be the most relevant measurement in this study. The firocoxib treatment group performed significantly better than placebo at the 3 h post-treatment time point and significantly better than placebo and carprofen at the 7 h post-treatment time point. Improvement in lameness score was also significantly better in the dogs treated with firocoxib than placebo and carprofen at both the 3 and 7 h post-treatment time points.     

Epidemiology of bluetongue virus serotype 8 outbreaks in the Netherlands in 2006

In August 2006 a major epidemic of Bluetongue (BT) occurred in north-western Europe, affecting The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, and the north of France. It was caused by Br virus serotype 8 (BTV-8), a serotype previously unknown to the EU. Although clinical disease is usually restricted to sheep, this virus also caused clinical disease in a small proportion of cattle. The last clinical outbreak of BT in The Netherlands occurred mid-December 2006. The delay between observation of the first clinical signs by the owner and reporting of a clinically suspect BT situation to the veterinary authorities was approximately 2 weeks. BTV-8-associated clinical signs were more prominent in sheep than in cattle, and the relative frequency of specific clinical signs was different in cattle and sheep. Morbidity and mortality rates were significantly higher among sheep than among cattle, and a higher proportion of cattle than sheep recovered from clinical disease.     

Comparison of flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy for the detection of Giardia duodenalis in bovine fecal samples.

The performance of flow cytometry (FC) was compared with immunofluorescence microscopy (IM) for detection of Giardia duodenalis in bovine feces. Samples from 36 adult dairy cows and 208 dairy calves were collected. Flow cytometry test characteristics were calculated using continuous, ordinal, and dichotomized results. Spearman correlation coefficients comparing the results of the 2 tests were 0.47 and 0.68 for cows and calves, respectively. Using IM as indicative of presence or absence of G. duodenalis cysts in each sample, likelihood ratios of FC results with 0, 1, and > or = 2 gated events indicated that samples with 1 gated event were likely to be positive in the cows but not in the calves. Immunofluorescence microscopy detected G. duodenalis in 69.7% and 48.1% of cows and calves, respectively. When dichotomizing the FC results at a cut-off point of 1 or 2 gated events, 46.3% and 19.9% of the cow and 51.9% and 35.1% of the calf samples, respectively, were classified as G. duodenalis-positive. Relative to IM, the sensitivity in the cows was 0.59 and 0.28, respectively, and 0.76 and 0.64, respectively, in the calves. At a cut-off point of 1, 65.7% and 73.1% of the cow and calf samples, respectively, were correctly classified in FC, and at a cut-off point of 2, 49.3% and 78.4% were correctly classified in the cows and calves, respectively. Flow cytometry was less sensitive than IM. Possible reasons and research needed to improve FC for G. duodenalis detection are discussed.     

挪威春季产卵的大西洋鲱仔稚鱼年孵化量的估算方法

１９８６～１９９０年间,挪威卑尔根海洋研究所每年都对挪威西海岸春季产卵的大西洋鲱仔稚鱼的分布区进行一次综合性调查,每年在大西洋鲱的孵化期,都在Ｓｕｎｎｍｒｅ近岸和Ｂｕａｇｒｕｎｎｅｎ的两个小区重复取样（通常每周２次）,并用覆盖整个孵化区的综合调查所得的资料计算出仔稚鱼日孵化量,用两个小区所得的资料作孵化曲线,从而得出在孵化期内仔稚鱼孵化量占年总孵化量的百分比。１９８６～１９９０年间仔稚鱼年孵化量分别是１．７×１０１２、３．９×１０１２、３５．４×１０１２、７２．８×１０１２和９９．１×１０１２尾。     

Comparative Study of Predominant Phytochemical Compounds and Proapoptotic Potential of Broccoli Sprouts and Florets

The study compares lyophilized broccoli sprouts and florets in terms of their chemical composition, cytotoxic and proapoptotic potential against hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, colorectal cancer SW480, and skin fibroblast BJ cells. Sinapic and isochlorogenic acids were predominant phenolics in the sprouts and florets, respectively. The amount of sulforaphane in the sprouts was significantly higher vs. florets. Oleic and linoleic acids dominated in the sprouts, while caproic, stearic and oleic acids in the florets. Broccoli sprouts were selectively cytotoxic on HepG2 and SW480 cells, with proapoptotic effect for the latter, while the florets were less selective, but more active, with profound proapoptotic effect for HepG2 cells (77.4%). Thus, lyophilized broccoli sprouts may be effectively used in dietary chemoprevention.     

Temporal evolution of collar lesions associated with ash dieback and the occurrence of Armillaria in Belgian forests

Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, has been observed in Europe for several years. In Belgium, the disease was first reported in 2010. Besides crown defoliation and dieback, collar lesions have sometimes been reported. To evaluate the prevalence and the progression of collar lesions and crown defoliation in ash dieback‐affected stands of various ages, a survey was conducted in 2013 and 2014 on 268 ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) originating from 17 Walloon forest stands. The results showed that the proportion of trees with collar lesions greatly increased between June 2013 and September 2014 and that there appeared to be no significant link between a tree's diameter‐at‐breast height (DBH) and collar lesion occurrence. The mean percentage of defoliation increased in each forest stand across time, with observations conducted in September 2013 and 2014 showing a positive correlation with the mean percentage of trees with collar lesions. Molecular tests were carried out on 103 additional trees originating from 12 of the 17 stands to evaluate the occurrence of H. fraxineus and Armillaria spp. at the collar level. Most of the trees (98%) were infected by H. fraxineus. In contrast, only 41% of the samples were infected with Armillaria spp., most commonly A. gallica and A. cepistipes. This study discusses the role of Armillaria spp. and the rapid increase in the number of trees with collar lesions within the context of the evolution of ash dieback in Europe.