Growth performance and muscle oxidation in rats fed increasing amounts of high-tannin sorghum

Oxidative processes deteriorate the quality of meat products. High tannin sorghums (HTS) contain flavonoid oligomers known as proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins. These compounds act as anti-oxidants in vitro, but their effectiveness in vivo remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that moderate amounts of dietary HTS could reduce markers of oxidation on muscle of rats without having detrimental effects in growth. We used 2 groups of 38 male Sprague Dawley rats at 5 and 13 wk of age each. Each age group was fed 4 diets in a completely randomized design. The younger group was fed the experimental diets for 10 wk (10W); whereas the older group was fed for 2 wk (2W). The diets were modified from the NIH-07 diet and contained HTS and corn at ratios of 0:50 (S0, control), 20:30 (S20), 35:15 (S35), and 50:0 (S50) as a percentage of the diet. Growth and the efficiency of gain were assessed periodically measuring BW, ADFI, ADG, and G:F. Oxidation in muscle was measured in fresh tissue and after 6 d of aerobic-refrigerated storage. Muscles evaluated were LM and soleus (SM). Fresh liver was also evaluated. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and carbonyl content were used as markers of lipid and protein oxidation, respectively. No differences in BW, ADFI, ADG, and G:F were observed in 2W rats. Greater (P < 0.05) ADFI and ADG were observed in 10W-S35 group between d 1 and 7 and greater BW (P = 0.049) was observed in group 10W-S35 at d 70 compared with 10W-S0. No differences were observed between S0 and any HTS diet in G:F in 10W and 2W rats. No differences in TBARS or carbonyls were observed in liver. No differences in TBARS were observed in fresh and aged LM and SM. When LM samples were aged for 6 d, decreased carbonyl contents (P < 0.01) were observed in 10W-S35 and 10W-S50 diets compared with 10W-S0. Reductions in carbonyls were also observed in aged SM between 2W-S50 and 2W-S0 (P = 0.013). We concluded that inclusion of 35% HTS in the diet increased intake and growth rate of young, fast-growing rats without changing the efficiency of gain. Feeding HTS reduced markers of protein oxidation in rat muscle after 6 d of refrigerated storage. If similar results are observed in animals such as swine or cattle, the use of HTS as animal feed should be reassessed.     

Clinical application of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in 4 dogs

OBJECTIVE: To describe outcome in dogs with insufficient bone healing treated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Four dogs clinically affected with delayed union or nonunion bone healing. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed for signalment, clinical problem, treatment, and outcome. RESULTS: Four dogs that had delayed- or nonunion of bone fracture, osteotomy, or arthrodesis were treated with either minimally invasive, fluoroscopically guided, percutaneous administration or direct surgical application of rhBMP-2. Doses used ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 mg of rhBMP-2. In 3 dogs, a calcium phosphate matrix (CPM) carrier was used whereas in 1 dog commercially prepared rhBMP-2 impregnated in an absorbable collagen sponge (INFUSE Bone Graft) was used. This latter dog had osteomyelitis associated with implant infection before rhBMP-2 administration. Rapid radiographic union was noted in all dogs with excellent long-term outcome. Adverse effects were minimal and included transient worsening of lameness after percutaneous administration of rhBMP-2 in 2 dogs. CONCLUSIONS: rhBMP-2 stimulated rapid bone formation at delayed- or nonunion sites resulting in radiographic bone union with minimal adverse effects and excellent long-term outcome in 4 dogs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Direct intraoperative administration or fluoroscopically guided, minimally invasive delivery of rhBMP-2 may be an effective treatment modality for bone delayed- or nonunions and could potentially be used to stimulate new bone production in a variety of orthopedic surgical conditions in dogs.     

Expression of immune response genes in the stifle joint of dogs with oligoarthritis and degenerative cranial cruciate ligament rupture

Dysregulation of immune responses within joints plays an important role in development of inflammatory arthritis. We determined expression of a panel of immune response and matrix turnover genes in synovial fluid collected from a group of dogs with stifle oligoarthritis and associated degenerative cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture (n=27). We also studied synovial fluid gene expression in dogs affected with other forms of degenerative arthritis (n=9) and in the stifle joint of healthy dogs with intact CCL (n=14). After collection, synovial cells were pelleted and RNA was isolated. Relative expression of cathepsin K, cathepsin S, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), invariant chain (li), toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), and TLR-9 was determined using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Data were normalized to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as an internal control. Relative expression of cathepsin K, MMP-9, TRAP, and li was increased in the stifle synovial fluid of dogs with oligoarthritis, when compared with the stifles of healthy dogs (P<0.05). In contrast, relative expression of all of the genes-of-interest in synovial fluid from joints affected with other forms of arthritis was not significantly different from the stifles of healthy dogs. TRAP expression was also significantly increased in the stifle joints of dogs with oligoarthritis, when compared to joint expression of TRAP in dogs with other forms of degenerative arthritis (P<0.05). In the dogs with stifle oligoarthritis, expression of both matrix turnover and immune response genes was increased in stifle synovial fluid, when compared with the internal PBMC control, whereas in healthy dogs and dogs with other forms of arthritis, only expression of matrix turnover genes was increased in synovial fluid, when compared with the internal PBMC control (P<0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that antigen-specific immune responses within the stifle joint may be involved in the pathogenesis of persistent synovitis and associated joint degradation in dogs with oligoarthritis and degenerative CCL rupture.     

Effects of oral passive immunization against somatostatin‐14 on growth performance,body composition and IgY delivery in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Egg‐yolk antibodies (IgY) against somatostatin‐14 (anti‐SST‐14) were evaluated as orally administered, growth promotants in gastric rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and agastric common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in an 8‐week feeding trial. Feeding groups were compared with fish which did not receive anti‐SST‐14 IgY. Growth responses and IgY plasma contents of the blood were assessed. In contrast to rainbow trout, oral anti‐SST‐14 addition to carp significantly improved protein efficiency ratio (PER, 1.02 ± 0.04) and protein productive value (PPV, 26.7 ± 0.91) after 56 days (P < 0.05) compared to the negative control (PER = 0.91 ± 0.02; PPV = 22.9 ± 0.66). IgY was undetectable in plasma of rainbow trout after oral administration, indicating that gastric degradation of the fed IgY makes this application route for growth promotion in gastric trout challenging.     

Inter‐ and intra‐individual variability in growth and food consumption in pikeperch,Sander lucioperca L., larvae revealed by individual rearing

We examined short‐term, inter‐ and intra‐individual variability in rates of growth and food consumption in fish early life stages to gain a mechanistic understanding of why larvae in the same environments often grow at vastly different rates. We made parallel measurements of growth rate in standard length (GR_SL) and food consumption rate (C), and provide estimates of weight growth rate (GR_DW) and gross growth efficiency (GGE = 100*GR_DW/C) of individually reared larvae of pikeperch, Sander lucioperca L., fed Artemia nauplii at 20°C and a salinity of 2.0 g L^?1. Within two trials, GR_SL, C and GGE were obtained for 108 larvae over a maximum period of 28 days. Mean (±SD) initial size, GR_SL, C and GGE were 19.49 (9.19) mm, 0.68 (0.21) mm day^?1, 0.85 (0.44) mg day^?1 and 36.5 (10.2)% respectively. The vast majority (91%) of the variability in growth was explained by differences in food consumption. When isolated from conspecifics for 28 days, relatively small larvae grew faster than relatively large ones, partially mitigating initial differences in size‐at‐age.     

Hydrophobicity,Solubility, and Emulsifying Properties of Enzyme-Modified Rice Endosperm Protein

Rice endosperm protein was modified to enhance solubility and emulsifying properties by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimum degree of hydrolysis (DH) was determined for acid, neutral, and alkaline type proteases. Solubility and emulsifying properties of the hydrolysates were compared and correlated with DH and surface hydrophobicity. DH was positively associated with solubility of resulting protein hydrolysate regardless of the hydrolyzing enzyme, but enzyme specificity and DH interactively determined the emulsifying properties of the protein hydrolysate. The optimum DH was 6–10% for good emulsifying properties of rice protein, depending on enzyme specificity. High hydrophobic and sulfhydryl disulfide (SH-SS) interactions contributed to protein insolubility even at high DH. The exposure of buried hydrophobic regions of protein that accompanied high-temperature enzyme inactivation promoted aggregation and cross-linking of partially hydrolyzed proteins, thus decreasing the solubility and emulsifying properties of the resulting hydrolysate. Due to the highly insoluble nature of rice protein, surface hydrophobicity was not a reliable indicator for predicting protein solubility and emulsifying properties. Solubility and molecular flexibility are the essential factors in achieving good emulsifying properties of rice endosperm protein isolates.     

Temperature and surface-ocean water balance of the mid-holocene tropical western pacific

Skeletal Sr/Ca and 18O/16O ratios in corals from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, indicate that the tropical ocean surface approximately 5350 years ago was 1 degrees C warmer and enriched in 18O by 0.5 per mil relative to modern seawater. The results suggest that the temperature increase enhanced the evaporative enrichment of 18O in seawater. Transport of part of the additional atmospheric water vapor to extratropical latitudes may have sustained the 18O/16O anomaly. The reduced glacial-Holocene shift in seawater 18O/16O ratio produced by the mid-Holocene 18O enrichment may help to reconcile the different temperature histories for the last deglaciation given by coral Sr/Ca thermometry and foraminiferal oxygen-isotope records.     

Habitat use of age 0 Alabama shad in the Pascagoula River drainage, USA

Mickle PF, Schaefer JF, Adams SB, Kreiser BR. Habitat use of age 0 Alabama shad in the Pascagoula River drainage, USA. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 107–115. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S
Abstract – Alabama shad ( Alosa alabamae ) is an anadromous species that spawns in Gulf of Mexico drainages and is a NOAA Fisheries Species of Concern. Habitat degradation and barriers to migration are considered contributing factors to range contraction that has left just the Pascagoula River drainage population in Mississippi. We studied juvenile life history and autecology in three rivers within the drainage. We collected fish, habitat and physicochemical data in three habitat types (sandbar, open channel and bank) from June to October 2004–2006. Sandbar habitat was favoured by smaller individuals early in the year. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) decreased through the summer as larger fish began occupying bank and open channel habitat. The most parsimonious model of abundance included year and river variables, while patterns of presence and absence were best explained by river, habitat type and physiochemical variables. While all three rivers in the drainage contained Alabama shad, fish were less abundant and had lower condition values in the Chickasawhay River. Earlier work suggested the Alabama shad may gradually move downstream towards the Gulf of Mexico in their first year. However, we found no evidence of this and captured large fish high in the drainage late in the year.     

Insights into kisspeptin- and leptin-signalling on GnRH mRNA expression in hypothalamic organ cultures of immature pikeperch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis>

Two types of gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH) were identified as gnrh1 and gnrh2 in pikeperch Sander lucioperca. The administration of rodent leptin on hypothalamic organ cultures of immature pikeperch resulted in significantly elevated levels of gnrh2, but not in gnrh1 mRNA, whereas kisspeptin-10 administration did not affect gnrh1 or gnrh2 expression. These results represent preliminary insights into leptin-GnRH-signaling on a hypothalamic level in fish, potentially coupling fat metabolism and the activation of the reproductive axis during puberty. Mammalian leptin and kisspeptin-10, however, failed to initiate a consistent response in pikeperch and their use cannot be recommended.     

Distinct hepatic receptors for low density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein E in humans

Since the liver is a central organ for lipid and lipoprotein synthesis and catabolism, hepatic receptors for specific apolipoproteins on plasma lipoproteins would be expected to modulate lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. The role of hepatic receptors for low density lipoproteins and apolipoprotein E-containing lipoproteins was evaluated in patients with complementary disorders in lipoprotein metabolism: abetalipoproteinemia and homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. In addition, hepatic membranes from a patient with familial hypercholesterolemia were studied and compared before and after portacaval shunt surgery. The results establish that the human liver has receptors for apolipoproteins B and E. Furthermore, in the human, hepatic receptors for low density lipoproteins and apolipoprotein E are genetically distinct and can undergo independent control.