Manufacture and properties of bifidogenic saccharides derived from wood mannan

Pinus pinaster wood samples were subjected to double hydrothermal processing. The liquors coming from the second stage, containing soluble saccharides of polymeric or oligomeric nature from hemicelluloses (POHs), were subjected to membrane processing (operating in discontinuous diafiltration) for refining and fractionation. Refined POH fractions were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry and chromatographic techniques. The most complex POH component was made up of 14 hexoses and contained 4 acetyl groups. The fermentability of purified POHs by human fecal inocula was assessed by measuring both carbon source consumption and formation of short-chain fatty acids. The bifidogenic ability of POHs was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The stimulatory effects on the bifidobacterial population reached by POHs were of the same order as those obtained with commercial fructooligosaccharides.     

Protein and oil composition predictions of single soybeans by transmission Raman spectroscopy

The soybean industry requires rapid, accurate, and precise technologies for the analyses of seed/grain constituents. While the current gold standard for nondestructive quantification of economically and nutritionally important soybean components is near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), emerging technology may provide viable alternatives and lead to next generation instrumentation for grain compositional analysis. In principle, Raman spectroscopy provides the necessary chemical information to generate models for predicting the concentration of soybean constituents. In this communication, we explore the use of transmission Raman spectroscopy (TRS) for nondestructive soybean measurements. We show that TRS uses the light scattering properties of soybeans to effectively homogenize the heterogeneous bulk of a soybean for representative sampling. Working with over 1000 individual intact soybean seeds, we developed a simple partial least-squares model for predicting oil and protein content nondestructively. We find TRS to have a root-mean-standard error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.89% for oil measurements and 0.92% for protein measurements. In both calibration and validation sets, the predicative capabilities of the model were similar to the error in the reference methods.     

Variability of phenotypic and morphological characteristics of some Lathyrus sativus L. and Lathyrus cicera L. accessions and nutritional traits of their seeds

The object of the study comprised 54 grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) accessions originating from Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Russia together with 18 red pea (Lathyrus cicera) accessions from Greece, Spain and Italy. The plants were grown under the same conditions in Poland. Some phenological and morphological traits of plants as well as some seed morphological properties and nutritive value were investigated. Lathyrus sativus seeds contained more protein (average 300?g vs. 255?g?kg^?1 dry matter (DM)), whereas the differences in the average contents of the other basic nutrients between both these species as well as between particular accessions were not substantial. Except for a low level of methionine, the protein of both species showed fairly high concentration of other exogenic amino acids (EAAI around 63–64%). Fat of both L. sativus and L. cicera seeds was found to contain a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (66.9 and 58.6%, respectively), mainly linoleic (57.4 and 47.2%, respectively). The researched L. sativus accessions had a quite low level of β-ODAP (733?mg with a range of 0.583–1.340?mg?kg^?1 DM). Slightly higher content of this ANF (1,168?mg with 911–1,349?mg?kg ^?1 DM) in L. cicera seeds was noted. Average tannin concentration in the L. sativus and L. cicera accessions reached 3.3 and 6.4?g?kg^?1 DM, respectively. Average content of this ANF in L. sativus significantly correlated with the colour of both, flowers and seeds; with generally, a darker colour associated with higher levels of tannins.     

Survey of euthanasia practices in animal shelters in Canada

Questionnaires on methods of euthanasia used in Canadian animal shelters were sent to 196 Canadian animal shelters yielding 67 responses. Sodium pentobarbital injection was the only method of euthanasia used by 61% of establishments that euthanized dogs and 53% of the establishments that euthanized cats. Many of these establishments used pre-medication. Sodium pentobarbital was mostly administered intravenously but some establishments also used intracardiac and intraperitoneal routes, and some only used intracardiac administration for cats. T-61 injection was the only method of euthanasia used by 23% of the establishments that euthanized dogs and 35% of the establishments that euthanized cats. All of these establishments used pre-medication, but the percentages of establishments that only used the intravenous route for administration of T-61 in dogs and cats were 45% and 7%, respectively. Further studies on the use of T-61, and the training and provision of counselling services for staff are recommended.     

FIV associated neoplasms--a mini-review

Retroviral induced neoplasms have been key to understanding oncogenesis and are important etiologic agents associated with cancer formation. Cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the feline analogue to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are reported to be at increased incidence of neoplasia. This review highlights reported risk factors and tumor cell phenotypes associated with neoplasias arising in FIV-infected animals, differences in oncogenic disease in natural versus experimental FIV infections, and similarities between FIV- and HIV-related malignancies. The most common type of FIV-associated neoplasm reported in the literature is lymphoma, specifically of B-cell origin, with experimentally infected cats developing neoplastic lesions at an earlier age than their naturally infected cohorts. The mechanism of FIV-induced lymphoma has not been completely ascertained, though the majority of published studies addressing this issue suggest oncogenesis arises via indirect mechanisms. HIV-infected individuals have increased risk of neoplasia, specifically B cell lymphoma, in comparison with uninfected individuals. Additional similarities between FIV- and HIV-associated neoplasms include the presence of extranodal lymphoma, a synergism with other oncogenic viruses, and an apparent indirect mechanism of induced oncogenesis. This literature supports study of FIV-associated neoplasms to further characterize this lentiviral-neoplasia association for the benefit of both human and animal disease, and to advance our general knowledge of mechanisms for viral-induced oncogenesis.     

Pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of xylazine and dexmedetomidine in horses recovering from isoflurane anesthesia

This study determined the pharmacokinetics and compared the clinical effects of xylazine and dexmedetomidine in horses recovering from isoflurane anesthesia. Six healthy horses aged 8.5 ± 3 years and weighing 462 ± 50 kg were anesthetized with isoflurane for 2 hr under standard conditions on two occasions one-week apart. In recovery, horses received 200 μg/kg xylazine or 0.875 μg/kg dexmedetomidine intravenously and were allowed to recover without assistance. These doses were selected because they have been used for postanesthetic sedation in clinical and research studies. Serial venous blood samples were collected for quantification of xylazine and dexmedetomidine, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Two individuals blinded to treatment identity evaluated recovery quality with a visual analog scale. Times to stand were recorded. Results (mean ± SD) were compared using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-ranked test with p < .05 considered significant. Elimination half-lives (62.7 ± 21.8 and 30.1 ± 8 min for xylazine and dexmedetomidine, respectively) and steady-state volumes of distribution (215 ± 123 and 744 ± 403 ml/kg) were significantly different between xylazine and dexmedetomidine, whereas clearances (21.1 ± 17.3 and 48.6 ± 28.1 ml/minute/kg), times to stand (47 ± 24 and 53 ± 12 min) and recovery quality (51 ± 24 and 61 ± 22 mm VAS) were not significantly different. When used for postanesthetic sedation following isoflurane anesthesia in healthy horses, dexmedetomidine displays faster plasma kinetics but is not associated with faster recoveries compared to xylazine.     

Statistical Assessment of the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network in Saskatchewan

Surface water quality monitoring is one of the responsibilities of a number of provincial and federal environmental departments in Canada. In Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Environment is responsible for the province water quality monitoring network. The sampling effort was initiated 40 years ago and has been ongoing since, with varying degrees of spatial and temporal coverage. The main objective of the Saskatchewan monitoring network is the assessment of ambient water quality status. In addition, one of the main uses of the generated water quality data is the calculation of a Water Quality Index. The adequacy of the monitoring network to perform these tasks needs to be validated. The objective of this study is to provide a statistical assessment of two of the monitoring network main aspects, the water quality variables and their sampling frequency. A new rationalization approach is applied for the assessment and reselection of water quality variables. The proposed approach provides, in a systematic way, the optimal combinations of variables to continue measuring, variables that may be redundant and could be considered for discontinuance, and variables that may need to be added to the list of variables being measured. The confidence interval around the mean is used as the main criterion for the sampling frequency assessment. A design chart is provided for the sampling frequency assessment, which is easy to use, and provides an initial assessment of the number of samples required to provide a mean value with a predefined error percentage.     

Assessing meiofaunal variation among individuals utilising morphological and molecular approaches: an example using the Tardigrada

Background  

Meiofauna – multicellular animals captured between sieve size 45 μm and 1000 μm – are a fundamental component of terrestrial, and marine benthic ecosystems, forming an integral element of food webs, and playing a critical roll in nutrient recycling. Most phyla have meiofaunal representatives and studies of these taxa impact on a wide variety of sub-disciplines as well as having social and economic implications. However, studies of variation in meiofauna are presented with several important challenges. Isolating individuals from a sample substrate is a time consuming process, and identification requires increasingly scarce taxonomic expertise. Finding suitable morphological characters in many of these organisms is often difficult even for experts. Molecular markers are extremely useful for identifying variation in morphologically conserved organisms. However, for many species markers need to be developed de novo, while DNA can often only be extracted from pooled samples in order to obtain sufficient quantity and quality. Importantly, multiple independent markers are required to reconcile gene evolution with species evolution. In this primarily methodological paper we provide a proof of principle of a novel and effective protocol for the isolation of meiofauna from an environmental sample. We also go on to illustrate examples of the implications arising from subsequent screening for genetic variation at the level of the individual using ribosomal, mitochondrial and single copy nuclear markers.     

Antioxidant and Antimutagenic Activities of Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens Kunth)

Free essential oil methanolic extracts from three different geographical populations of Lippia graveolens in México were screened for antioxidant and antimutagenic properties by the DPPH and Kado microsuspension assay, respectively. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as HPLC identification and quantification of naringenin and rosmarinic acid were also carried out. In addition, a taxonomical phenetic analysis was performed. The L. graveolens extracts showed varying content of phenols and flavonoids. Significant concentration of rosmarinic acid was found for the first time in the species. All the extracts were capable of scavenging DPPH radicals in a concentration dependent fashion; the IC₅₀ values correlate with the phenolic content. None of the extracts was toxic to TA100 and TA98 strains at the concentrations tested; moreover, the extracts at a concentration equivalent to 200 μg of gallic acid inhibited a 39 and 30% the mutagenicity induced by 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine and sodium azide, respectively. The results suggest that the Mexican oregano is a source of polar bioactive ingredients for the food industry.