Use of cis-atracurium to maintain moderate neuromuscular blockade in experimental pigs

Objective

To determine the dose of cis-atracurium needed to produce a moderate neuromuscular blockade (NMB) in pigs.

Potential habitat modeling for reintroduction of three native plant species in central Iran

Potential habitat modeling of endemic species is an appropriate method to maintain biodiversity,ecosystem function and rehabilitation of rangeland ecosystems.Astragalus caragana,A.cyclophyllon and A.podolobus are endemic in Iran's rangelands and some neighboring countries.The three native species could endure environmental stresses due to their distinctive ecophysiological characteristics.They play important roles in sustainable pastures production,recreation and improvement.They suffer severe threat from many factors including;grazing,agriculture and invasive exotic species.We analyzed the potential habitat of three native plant species in central Iran basing on the grid map with the resolution of 1-km.We used inventory records from field surveys,herbarium collections and 22 environmental factors to explore the environmental influences on given species distribution by Maximum entropy(Maxent) model.Maxent is a species distribution model that uses species occurrence and environmental data for predicting potential species.The results of our study indicated species occurrence has strong correlation with environmental factors such as mean temperature of wettest season,elevation and precipitation of coldest season.We evaluated the model accuracy by AUC(area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) based on an independent test data set.AUC values indicated the high power of Maxent to create potential habitat map(AUCA.caragana=0.988,AUCA.cyclophyllon=0.927,AUCA.podolobus=0.923).It is important to consider that AUC values tend to be lower for species that have broad distribution scope,such as A.podolobus distribution.Most suitable potential habitat distributions of the three species were predicted in the western and southwestern parts of rangelands in Isfahan province.Visual comparisons of the actual distribution map of the three species with produced Maxent maps represent a good agreement.In general,the model demonstrated that the occurrence of the given species is highly probable when the elevation is between 2,200 and 3,000 m and mean temperature of wettest season less than 3°C.This model,therefore,can be applied to recognize potential sites for rangeland reclamation projects.     

Effect of shifting cultivation on distribution of nutrient elements and carbohydrates within water-stable aggregates in northern Iran

This study attempts to evaluate the nutrient element and carbohydrate distribution within Water-Stable Aggregates (WSA) of two natural ecosystems, native forest and pasturelands, under different land uses. Soil samples were collected from depths of (0-20) cm in Typic Haploxeroll soils. The overall pattern indicated that Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) and WSA were greater in the pasture and forest soils compared with the adjacent cultivated soils and aggregates of > 1.0 mm size were dominant in the uncultivated soils, whereas the cultivated soils comprised aggregates of the size < or = 0.5 mm. Distribution of organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbohydrates within the WSA showed preferential enrichment of these parameters in the macroaggregate fraction (4.75-1.0 mm) for the uncultivated soils and microaggregate fraction (> 0.25 mm) for the cultivated soils. Average distribution of total exchangeable bases within WSA showed that cultivation of forest pastureland soils significantly led to reduce in these nutrient in the 4.75-2.0 mm fraction and increase in concentration of these cations in < 0.25 mm fraction. Since smaller aggregates are preferentially removed by erosion, this study emphasizes the need for sustainable soil management practices that they will minimize nutrient loss when forest or pastures lands are converted to cropland.     

In-vivo evaluation of adjuvants for more effective control of celery leaf-spot (Septoria apiicola) and powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis) of wheat with fungicides

The effects of seven adjuvants (at 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g litre^?1) on the efficacies of four fungicides al 0.5 g litre^?1 were studied in the laboratory for the control of leaf-spot in celery (caused by Septoria apiicola) and powdery mildew on winter wheat (caused by Erysiphe graminis). The most effective fungicides for controlling leaf-spot were: tebuconazole + triadimenol = flutriafol > mancozeb + oxadixyl > prochloraz. However, addition of adjuvant to the fungicides gave a modified pattern of effectiveness. The efficacy of flutriafol was strongly enhanced by addition of all adjuvants, but those of prochloraz and mancozeb+oxadixyl only partially so. The tested adjuvants were mineral oil + surfactant, a polymer/alkoxylated alkyl ether blend, an ethoxylated alkylphenol, an ethoxylated hexitan ester blend, an ethoxylated nonylphenol and an alkylpolysaccharide- based adjuvant mixture. However, the addition of adjuvants to tebuconazole + triadimenol had a negative effect. Of all the adjuvants tested, the nonylphenol ethoxylate and a mixture of mineral oil /surfactant and alkylpolysaccharides gave the highest efficacy with the fungicides, while the mineral oil/surfactant and the alkylpolysaccharides alone were less effective. There was a positive relationship between high concentrations of adjuvants and their effectiveness, but there were some exceptions. The most effective fungicides for control of powdery mildew in wheat were prochloraz, mancozeb + oxadixyl and tebuconazole + triadimenol. There was a linear relationship between the high efficacy of the fungicide and the concentration of adjuvants to control powdery mildew in wheat. The highest concentration of adjuvant (2-0 g litre^?1) gave the highest efficacy for the fungicides.     

Melatonin can improve viability and functional integrity of cooled and frozen/thawed rabbit spermatozoa

Melatonin is known to protect sperm against freezing-inflicted damage in different domestic species. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of semen extender with melatonin on the quality and DNA integrity of cooled and frozen/thawed rabbit spermatozoa. We also investigated whether the addition of melatonin to the semen extender could improve the fertility of rabbit does artificially inseminated with frozen/thawed semen. Semen samples collected from eight rabbit bucks were pooled and then diluted in INRA-82 supplemented either with (0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 mM) or without (0.0 mM) melatonin. Diluted semen was cooled at 5°C for 24 hr. For cryopreservation and based on the first experiment's best result, semen samples were diluted in INRA-82 in the presence or absence of 1.0 mM melatonin and then frozen in 0.25 ml straws. Following cooling or thawing, sperm quality and DNA integrity were evaluated. Furthermore, the fertility of frozen/thawed semen was investigated after artificial insemination. Supplementation of semen extender with 1.0 mM melatonin improved (p < .05) motility, viability, membrane and acrosome integrities in cooled semen compared with other groups. Sperm quality and DNA integrity were higher (p < .05) in frozen/thawed semen diluted in 1.0 mM melatonin-supplemented extender than in the control group. Conception and birth rates were higher in does inseminated with 1.0 mM melatonin treated semen compared with the controls. In conclusion, supplementation of semen extender with 1.0 mM melatonin improved the quality of cooled and frozen/thawed rabbit spermatozoa. Melatonin can preserve DNA integrity and enhance the fertility of frozen/thawed rabbit spermatozoa.     

Long-term charcoal-induced changes to soil properties in temperate regions of northern Iran

The long-term performance and benefits of charcoal application on the carbon sequestration and properties of forest soils in temperate or non-tropical regions has not been studied in detail in spite of its important role in global warming. This study was conducted to describe the long-term charcoal-induced changes in organic carbon (OC) content and other soil properties of temperate deciduous forests in Mazandaran province, northern Iran. Three sites were sampled to collect composite soil samples from two depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) inside and outside of a plot of charcoal-enriched soils surrounding a historical charcoal production site (abandoned for more than 120 years). The presence of charcoal in soils for about 120 years elevated significantly the black carbon, total OC, natural soil OC, total nitrogen, dissolved organic matter, soil OC density, exchangeable bases, saturated hydraulic conductivity, available water capacity and available Fe, Mn and Zn compared to the adjacent reference soils. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and pH were 15.5 cmolc kg^-1 and 0.5 units, respectively, higher than the adjacent reference soils at 0–20 cm soil depth. However, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density and available Cu were higher in the adjacent reference soil. The aged charcoal had no significant effect on the microbial respiration rate of studied soils. The results of this study provide new insights and strong support for the long-term benefits of biochar application as a management strategy for improving soil productivity as well as sequestering large quantities of durable carbon in soils of the region and mitigating global warming.     

Evaluation of growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducing activity of human calprotectin on the human gastric cell line (AGS)

BACKGROUND: Calprotectin is cytotoxic agent that its anti-tumor effects are governed through suppression of topoisomerase II; a key enzyme in apoptosis. In previous studies, cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of calprotectin are shown on different cancer cell lines, but not human gastric cancer cell lines. In the present study, cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of calprotectin on human gastric adenocarcinoma cancer cell line (AGS) were evaluated. METHODS: The AGS cells were exposed to the different concentrations of calprotectin for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Cell proliferation was assessed using dimethylthiazol diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and dye exclusion tests. For evaluation of cytotoxic mechanism in calprotectin on AGS cells, flow cytometric analysis was performed. RESULTS: Our results revealed that calprotectin induces growth inhibition of AGS in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Results of this investigation showed that sensitivity of AGS cells to cytotoxic effect of human calprotectin was highly remarkable. In addition, growth inhibitory effect of this cytotoxic agent mostly was governed through induction of apoptosis in the AGS cells. CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that calprotectin induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in the AGS cells.     

Changes in metabolic enzymes,cortisol and glucose concentrations of Beluga (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Huso huso</Emphasis>) exposed to dietary methylmercury

In this paper, effects of dietary methylmercury (MeHg) on several blood biochemical parameters including GLU (glucose), LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase) and cortisol were investigated in the Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso). Beluga juveniles were fed for 32 days on four diets containing MeHg (control: 0.04 mg kg⁻¹; low: 0.76 mg kg⁻¹; medium: 7.88 mg kg⁻¹; and high 16.22 mg kg⁻¹ treatment). Significant increases (P < 0.05) were observed in all biochemical parameters, except ALP levels, which decreased significantly (P < 0.05) compared to the control group with either dose- or time-dependent effects. These results suggest that long-term dietary MeHg exposure may affect metabolic enzyme activity and glucose levels in Belugas. These findings provide useful information for environmental and fishery officials to apply in future decisions for managing fish resources in Caspian Sea.