Surface alterations in the bovine pelvic peritoneum following rectal examination of reproductive organs: a scanning electron microscopy study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate possible injury provoked by an intensive reproductive programme based on rectal palpation in the cow. Alterations to the mesothelial surface of the peritoneum and to the oviductal mucosa were explored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nine multiparous Friesian cows were selected from each of two commercial dairy herds. Cows in herd 1 were maintained on a weekly reproductive health programme, while those in herd 2 were not subjected to gynaecological exploration. Surface features of the mesothelial cells of the reproductive tract and adjacent ligaments, and the oviductal mucosa were explored by SEM observation of tissue specimens from each animal. Six cows in the intensive reproductive programme showed microscopic alterations of the peritoneal surface. Strands were observed in the oviducts and adjacent ligaments in five of these cows. These strands, composed of filaments covered with mesothelial cells, were probably adhesions. Cells with abundant vacuoles on their surface were detected in the mesothelium corresponding to three animals, two of which also showed microscopic strands. No peritoneal surface alterations were observed in the cows from herd 2. No oviductal mucosal modifications were detected in either group. These findings suggest that intensive reproductive programmes based on rectal palpation may increase the risk of peritoneal surface alterations in the cow, but effects on reproductive physiology are unlikely.     

Monomorphic Nonpathogenic Mutants of Ustilago maydis

ABSTRACT We have developed conditions which promote the dimorphic transition of haploid cells of Ustilago maydis in vitro by controlling the pH of the media. At low pH (below 5.0) mycelial growth occurs, whereas at neutral pH yeastlike growth takes place. We screened for mutants unable to form mycelium at low pH and obtained 26 mutants. These mutants have been characterized by their cell and colony morphology in different media. Mutations in 18 strains were found to be recessive when these strains were crossed with the wild type. Other crosses indicated that they were affected in genes other than a and b. Crosses between mutants suggest that the mutations fall in at least two complementation groups. In addition, mutants were characterized by their pathogenicity to corn seedlings. Mutations which were recessive for pathogenicity were also recessive for morphogenesis in vitro.     

Evaluation in Rabbits of the Fetal Effects of Maternal Ingestion of Solanum malacoxylon

A study was performed to determine the possible toxic effects on the young of does that had been fed during the gestational period on a ration containing Solanum malacoxylon (Sm), a calcinogenic plant that contains a vitamin D₃-glycoside conjugate. Experimental animals received a ration containing 0.03% or 0.04% of Sm leaves on days 6 to 30 of gestation. The levels of calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in their sera, as well as their feed intake and body weight, were evaluated weekly. The does were euthanized 3 days after parturition and paraffin sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin were prepared from their heart, lungs, kidneys and aorta for histopathological examination. The young from does in the Sm 0.03% group were euthanized 3 days after birth and biochemical and histopathological determinations were performed, as described for the does. The does in both experimental groups showed decreased feed consumption and those in the Sm 0.04% group showed lower body weights throughout their gestation. Animals treated with Sm 0.04% presented a high incidence of abortion and stillbirth. There were biochemical and histopathological alterations in both experimental groups, which were more prominent in the does in the Sm 0.04% group. Litters from does treated with Sm 0.03% showed mineralization of soft tissue and an increase in phosphorus and calcium levels. These findings indicate that the vitamin D₃-glycoside passes through the placental barrier to the fetus.     

Behavior of a Virulent Strain Derived from Agrobacterium radiobacter Strain K84 After Spontaneous Ti Plasmid Acquisition

ABSTRACT The behavior of the virulent transconjugant K84N6 derived from Agrobacterium radiobacter strain K84 after spontaneous Ti plasmid transfer in crown gall tissue in a biocontrol experiment was studied and compared with the behavior of the wild-type A. tumefaciens donor of the Ti plasmid. The main difference between the strains was a greatly reduced ability of the transconjugant to catabolize nopaline. Host range, ability to induce tumors in several fruit trees, and stability of the pathogenic determinants in isolates from tumors did not differ between the strains. Nevertheless, in a biocontrol experiment, the transconjugant was not controlled by strain K84 or K1026 in peach x almond hybrids and survived in the plant rhizo-sphere for 9 months with larger population densities than the wild strain. The appearance and persistence in soil of strains harboring a Ti plasmid in the K84 chromosomal background could represent a risk in the medium term, if they show good competitive ability.     

Multi-trait and random regression approaches for addressing the wide range of weaning ages in Asturiana de los Valles beef cattle for genetic parameter estimation

Weaning weight (WW) records of 24,066 Asturiana de los Valles beef cattle, including the progeny of 557 sires and 10,653 dams, were analyzed using a multitrait animal model (MAM) and a random regression model (RRM) in order to estimate the variance components and the breeding value of the animals. Three definitions of WW were used: early weaning (EW) for animals weaned before the age of 180 d; standard weaning (SW) for animals weaned between 180 and 240 d old; and late weaning (LW) for animals weaned between the ages of 240 and 365 d. The heritabilities (h(2)) were high (from 0.49 to 0.63), which fully agrees with previous estimates for this breed. The genetic correlations between EW and SW were 0.86, and lower between EW and LW at 0.543 to 0.622, using MAM and RRM models, respectively. Ranking of sires displayed changes depending on age at weaning of their offspring, which could explain the modest genetic progress reached using MAM evaluation. The first 2 eigenvalues of the random regression coefficient matrix explained 66 and 30% of the genetic variance, which implies important genetic variation underlying the form of the growth curve of the animals during the weaning period. The evaluation of sires according to the official method, as currently carried out by the breeders' association (WW adjusted previously to the age of 180 d), does not exploit the genetic differences in response to their production system where the calf is weaned at variable ages.     

Effects of hemolysis, lipemia, hyperbilirrubinemia, and anticoagulants in canine C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and ceruloplasmin assays

The objective of the present study was to determine the effects that hemolysis, lipemia, bilirubinemia, and anticoagulants might have on the most commonly used assays for C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A, and determination of ceruloplasmin values in dogs. Solutions of hemoglobin, lipid, and bilirubin were added to serum aliquots. Additionally, serum and plasma samples with different anticoagulants (heparin, EDTA, and citrate) were obtained from healthy dogs. Hemolysis, lipemia, and hyperbilirubinemia interfered significantly with the C-reactive protein and ceruloplasmin results, but not with those for the serum amyloid A assay. The use of anticoagulants produced significant changes in the results for the assays tested. However, the magnitude of the differences caused by the interfering substances does not appear to have an important impact on the clinical interpretation of the tests.     

Survey of Vitamin B<Subscript>6</Subscript> Content in Commercial Presentations of Table Olives

For nutritional purposes, a survey of the vitamin B₆ levels from a variety of commercial presentations of table olives was carried out, taking into account the three main processing types (Spanish-style, directly brined, and ripe olives). The analysis was performed by HPLC, following the official French method for vitamin B₆ determination in foodstuffs. In-house validation data for two commercial table olives showed that the method precision was good (coefficient of variation <6%) and recovery was quantitative (104% on average). There was a wide range of values for vitamin B₆ in table olives (0–69.3 μg/100 g edible portion). The highest mean content was found in directly brined olives (33.9 μg/100 g edible portion) followed by Spanish-style (14.4 μg/100 g) and ripe olives (4.3 μg/100 g). On average, samples of the Gordal and Carrasqueña cultivars showed the highest vitamin B₆ content in the case of Spanish-style olives, but in directly brined olives as well as in ripe olives the effect of cultivar was not statistically significant (p?相似文献   

Hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside,an important phenolic compound in olive fruits and derived products

There is increasing interest in olive polyphenols because of their biological properties as well as their contribution to the color, taste, and shelf life of olive products. However, some of these compounds remain unidentified. It has been shown that hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside (4-beta-D-glucosyl-3-hydroxyphenylethanol) coeluted with hydroxytyrosol [(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol] under reversed phase conditions in the phenolic chromatograms of olive pulp, vegetation water, and pomace of olive oil processing. A method to separate this compound from hydroxytyrosol by HPLC has been developed. The concentration of this glucoside increased in olive pulp with maturation and could be the main phenolic compound in mature olives. In contrast, the presence of this compound was not detected in olive oil by using HPLC-MS. The compound must be considered both in table olives and olive oil processing because of its glucose and hydroxytyrosol contribution to these products.     

Conversion of the mycotoxin patulin to the less toxic desoxypatulinic acid by the biocontrol yeast Rhodosporidium kratochvilovae strain LS11

The infection of stored apples by the fungus Penicillium expansum causes the contamination of fruits and fruit-derived products with the mycotoxin patulin, which is a major issue in food safety. Fungal attack can be prevented by beneficial microorganisms, so-called biocontrol agents. Previous time-course thin layer chromatography analyses showed that the aerobic incubation of patulin with the biocontrol yeast Rhodosporidium kratochvilovae strain LS11 leads to the disappearance of the mycotoxin spot and the parallel emergence of two new spots, one of which disappears over time. In this work, we analyzed the biodegradation of patulin effected by LS11 through HPLC. The more stable of the two compounds was purified and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance as desoxypatulinic acid, whose formation was also quantitated in patulin degradation experiments. After R. kratochvilovae LS11 had been incubated in the presence of (13)C-labeled patulin, label was traced to desoxypatulinic acid, thus proving that this compound derives from the metabolization of patulin by the yeast. Desoxypatulinic acid was much less toxic than patulin to human lymphocytes and, in contrast to patulin, did not react in vitro with the thiol-bearing tripeptide glutathione. The lower toxicity of desoxypatulinic acid is proposed to be a consequence of the hydrolysis of the lactone ring and the loss of functional groups that react with thiol groups. The formation of desoxypatulinic acid from patulin represents a novel biodegradation pathway that is also a detoxification process.     

Behavior of monosaccharides, phenolic compounds, and color of red wines aged in used oak barrels and in the bottle

A red wine with appropriate basic quality characteristics for aging was stored in oak barrels for 12 months and then bottled and aged for a further 6 months. The same ambient conditions of temperature and humidity were maintained throughout the entire aging process. The barrels used were made from three different species of oak by four different cooperages and had been used for at least two years. Analysis of variance and principal component analysis were run on the values for hexoses, pentoses, total anthocyanins, ortho-diphenols, low- and high-polymer polyphenols, and color parameters to study the behavior of the monosaccharides and polyphenols in response to the factors of aging time, the oak variety employed, and the source cooperage where the barrels had been made. Time trends for all the phenolic components were directly related to aging time, with low-polymeric polyphenols (LPPs) being the most affected by wood type and source cooperage. Wine color was defined by a basic red color which decreased with aging time in the barrel and was altered by yellowish pigment components differing for each of the barrels in which oxidative aging took place and by increased stability of the blue copigments. Principal component analysis showed that samples of the same source wine aged in different barrels tended to be grouped together according to each of the aging intervals considered.