Change in Some Physiologic Variables Induced by Italian Traditional Conditioning in Standardbred Yearling

The goal of this study was to quantify the effect of a traditional Italian conditioning method (CM). Six Standardbred yearlings were kept in standardized conditions for 140 days. From T1 (day 1) to T10 (day 10), the horses were hitched for 30 minutes/day to accustom them to a cart. From T11 to T70, they were jogged or exercised for 30 minutes/day at a slow trot (4.4 ± 0.3 m/second) and from T71 to T140 for 40 minutes/day (5 m/second ± 0.3 m/second). Every 15 days, the horses performed fast exercise for a distance of 5,000 m with increased speeds. Blood samples were collected before and after daily training (DT) every 21 days (P1…P7), to measure the following variables: erythrocytes (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), total protein (Pt), albumin, aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), urea, creatinine, glucose, triglycerides, and blood lactate. A three-step standardized exercise test (SET) also was performed. Analysis of variance was used to study differences during the training. Tukey's post-hoc test was used for statistical multiple comparison (P ≤ 0.05 and 0.01). Lactate level did not show an increase over 4 mmol/L in all periods. Glucose was higher at P1 than P7. There was no correlation between method of conditioning and the level of CK, LDH, or AST. Conditioning method induced an increase in triglycerides for the change in exercise metabolism supply. According to SET, conditioning method induced an increase of SVO2_max (speed [m/second] reached to a theoretical maximal oxygen consumption), V₄ (speed [m/second] reached at a lactate content of 4 mmol/L), V₂₀₀ (speed [m/second] at 200 beats/minute) and HR₄ (heart rate [beats/minute] at 4 mmol/L of lactate). We concluded that the Italian conditioning method used in this study improved the fitness of horses.     

Detecting changes in tree health and productivity of silver fir in Slovenia

Cambial electrical resistance (CER) was used as an objective measure of vitality of silver fir (Abies alba) in the forests of Slovenia. Trees were rated during the growing season by CER and a subjective crown status index (CSI). Both CER and CSI were inversely correlated to annual ring width increment. Using both CER and CSI, fir were assigned to vitality and vigour categories. Inferences made from these categories and radial growth trends indicated that ring growth decreased prior to the development of canopy symptoms. This decrease in ring growth would have been detected as an increase in CER. This pattern of decline is consistent with the decline of trees due to chronic below-ground stress. Variation in CER was due both to the vascular cambium and to the thickness of the nonconducting phloem.     

Cortical 5-HT2A receptor signaling modulates anxiety-like behaviors in mice

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] neurotransmission in the central nervous system modulates depression and anxiety-related behaviors in humans and rodents, but the responsible downstream receptors remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that global disruption of 5-HT2A receptor (5HT2AR) signaling in mice reduces inhibition in conflict anxiety paradigms without affecting fear-conditioned and depression-related behaviors. Selective restoration of 5HT2AR signaling to the cortex normalized conflict anxiety behaviors. These findings indicate a specific role for cortical 5HT2AR function in the modulation of conflict anxiety, consistent with models of cortical, "top-down" influences on risk assessment.     

Selected nutrient contents, fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acid, and retention values in separable lean from lamb rib loins as affected by external fat and cooking method

Proximate composition and fatty acid profile, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers included, were determined in separable lean of raw and cooked lamb rib loins. The cooking methods compared, which were also investigated for cooking yields and true nutrient retention values, were dry heating of fat-on cuts and moist heating of fat-off cuts; the latter method was tested as a sort of dietetic approach against the more traditional former type. With significantly (P < 0.05) lower cooking losses, dry heating of fat-on rib-loins produced slightly (although only rarely significantly) higher retention values for all of the nutrients considered, including CLA isomers. On the basis of the retention values obtained, both techniques led to a minimum migration of lipids into the separable lean, which was higher (P < 0.05) in dry heating than in moist heating, and was characterized by the prevalence of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. On the whole, the response to cooking of the class of CLA isomers (including that of the nutritionally most important isomer cis-9,trans-11) was more similar to that of the monounsaturated than the polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

Susceptibility to hypoxia/reoxygenation of aged rat cardiomyocytes and its modulation by selenium supplementation

Since in the aged heart an increased basal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been demonstrated, and the resistance to ROS attack could be ameliorated by antioxidant supplementation, we verified the protective effect of selenium, as sodium selenite (SS) or seleno methionine (SM), in cultured rat cardiomyocytes aged in vitro. In normoxia, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and total antioxidant activity were higher in old than in young cardiomyocytes, suggesting the existence of a compensatory increase of antioxidant defenses. When aged cells were submitted to hypoxia/reoxygenation, GPx activity was not modified; while total antioxidant activity decreased, conjugated diene level increased. Selenium supplementation, particularly as SM, was able to increase GPx, and consequently total antioxidant activity, and to decrease conjugated diene production. The observed ability of selenium supplementation to protect aged cardiomyocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation damage underlines the importance of an optimal selenium dietary intake, particularly in the elderly.     

Solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the evaluation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in pork products

This research was aimed at setting up an analytical method for the determination in pork products of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), an aldehyde produced from the oxidation of omega-6-polyunsaturated fatty acids. Such a compound mediates various biological effects, but it is considered to be very toxic to mammalian cells at levels higher than physiological ones. The methods used for the determination of 4-HNE in biological fluids, such as blood, were found to be unsuitable for meat samples because both the repeatability and the recovery in spiked samples were unsatisfactory. A new method, based on solid phase extraction and HPLC-MS/MS, was therefore developed and validated. The limit of detection of 4-HNE in spiked samples was 0.043 mg/kg, and the recovery was approximately 60% depending on the concentration. Good linearity was observed in the range of 0.1-10 mg/kg, and repeatability and interday and intraday precision expressed as relative standard deviation were <10%. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of the aldehyde in samples of various pork products. 4-HNE was present in some products, especially the smoked and/or cooked ones, at levels that might not be a real risk for human health.     

An Overview of New Insights into the Benefits of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica for Human Health

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is a Mediterranean-endemic angiosperm often described for its great ecological importance. Despite evidence of a millennia-old relationship between P. oceanica and humans, as well as traditional medicine applications, the potential benefits of P. oceanica for human health have been documented only recently. This review aims to compile newly acquired knowledge on P. oceanica bioactive properties that allow the scientific community to look at this plant as a promising source of natural therapeutical products for human health. Experimental investigations conducted in both in vitro cellular-based and in vivo animal models pave the way for new research projects aiming at the development of alternative and complementary therapeutic strategies based on P. oceanica against a wide range of pathological conditions.     

Prediction of milled maize fumonisin contamination by multispectral image analysis

Mycotoxin contamination is a major concern to the maize industry worldwide. Despite the several strategies that have been exploited in an attempt to reduce the severity of this problem, during conducive years, severely contaminated lots are still introduced in the maize processing chain affecting the general quality and safety of the product. As chemical analysis is laborious, time consuming and equipment dependent, more convenient methods are needed for the early identification of contaminated lots. Here a novel approach based on image analysis that provides fast response with minimal equipment and effort is presented. Maize samples were grounded and imaged under 10 different LED lights with emission centered at wavelengths ranging from 720 to 940 nm. The digital images were converted into matrices of data to compute comparative indexes. A three layers feed-forward neural network was trained to predict mycotoxin content from the calculated indexes. The results showed a significant correlation between predictions from image analysis and the concentration of the mycotoxin fumonisin as determined by chemical analysis. The technique developed produces reliable contamination estimates within few minutes and can be readily used to assist lot selection in various steps of the maize processing chain.