Vaccination elicits a prominent acute phase response in horses

European and American guidelines for vaccination against tetanus and influenza in horses recommend annual and annual/semi-annual vaccinations, respectively, against the two pathogens. Too-frequent vaccination may, however, have adverse effects, among other things because an inflammatory response is elicited with subsequent alterations in homeostasis. The objective of the study was to compare the acute phase response (APR) in 10 horses following administration of two different types of vaccines, namely, an inactivated Immune Stimulating COMplex (ISCOM) vaccine and a live recombinant vector vaccine. Blood was sampled before and after vaccination to measure levels of serum amyloid A (SAA), fibrinogen, white blood cell counts (WBC) and iron. Vaccination induced a prominent APR with increased WBC, elevated blood levels of SAA and fibrinogen, and decreased serum iron concentrations. The ISCOM vaccine caused significantly (P<0.05) greater SAA, fibrinogen and WBC responses than the vector vaccine. During the APR muscle catabolism and liver and kidney metabolism are altered. Also drug metabolism may change during the APR. The findings of the present study may be relevant for advising horse owners about convalescence after vaccination.     

Epipolythiodiketopiperazines from the Marine Derived Fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii with NF-κB Inhibitory Potential

The Ascomycota Dichotomomyces cejpii was isolated from the marine sponge Callyspongia cf. C. flammea. A new gliotoxin derivative, 6-acetylmonodethiogliotoxin (1) was obtained from fungal extracts. Compounds 2 and 3, methylthio-gliotoxin derivatives were formerly only known as semi-synthetic compounds and are here described as natural products. Additionally the polyketide heveadride (4) was isolated. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 dose-dependently down-regulated TNFα-induced NF-κB activity in human chronic myeloid leukemia cells with IC_50s of 38.5 ± 1.2 µM, 65.7 ± 2.0 µM and 82.7 ± 11.3 µM, respectively. The molecular mechanism was studied with the most potent compound 1 and results indicate downstream inhibitory effects targeting binding of NF-κB to DNA. Compound 1 thus demonstrates potential of epimonothiodiketopiperazine-derived compounds for the development of NF-κB inhibitors.     

Genotype dynamics of Campylobacter jejuni in a broiler flock

We investigated the genotype diversity and dynamics of Campylobacter in a commercial broiler flock during rearing and slaughter. In total, 220 Campylobacter jejuni isolates collected on four sampling occasions during rearing and from routine sampling during slaughter were subtyped by SmaI macrorestriction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PFGE. Eight different SmaI types were found. During rearing, a subsequent addition of genotypes occurred, with two SmaI types found at 2 weeks of age and six types on the day before slaughter. All types that were detected in more than one isolate were also found on all succeeding sampling occasions, including the slaughter sampling. Two new types were found in the slaughter samples. In two-thirds of the individual birds sampled the day before slaughter, more than one SmaI type were found, although there was a clear tendency for dominance of one type in individual birds. Our results show that multiple genotypes of C. jejuni may be present in a commercial broiler flock during rearing and even in gastrointestinal tracts of individual birds. Both recurring environmental exposure and genetic changes within the population may explain the genotype diversity. Although the distribution of genotypes varied between different sampling occasions, we found no indication that any subtype excluded another during the rearing of the broiler flock.     

The selenium and vitamin E status of horses in Prince Edward Island

Serum selenium (Se), vitamin E, and resting thyroid hormone concentrations were measured in 201 horses in Prince Edward Island (PEI). Selenium concentrations were either marginal (0.0053 to 0.1200 ppm) or deficient (< 0.0053 ppm) in 79% of horses based on current reference ranges for Se in serum. Aged and young adult pleasure horses had a higher prevalence of inadequate Se concentrations compared to racehorses and broodmares (82% and 97% versus 45% and 72%, respectively). Overall, 13% of horses had inadequate (< 200 μg/dL) serum vitamin E concentrations; most of these were young pleasure horses. No horses were hypothyroid and, contrary to findings in other species, there was a positive relationship between serum thyroxine and Se concentrations (P < 0.05). We conclude that Se deficiency is widespread in PEI horse populations, especially in pleasure horses, and vitamin E deficiency is more common in young pleasure horses. Micronutrient supplementation practices employed by PEI horse owners appear inadequate to ensure sufficiency.     

Palms in Indigenous and Settler Communities in Southeastern Ecuador: Farmers’ Perceptions and Cultivation Practices

Most palms used in agroforestry systems are exploited from wild stands or are only occasionally cultivated, while only a few palms have been domesticated. In this study we investigated how socio-economic factors and people's perceptions of changes in palm use and availability, influenced palm cultivation among indigenous Shuar and mestizo settlers in south-eastern Ecuador. We also looked at how different uses of palms influenced which species they cultivated. Our results showed that perceptions of declining palm availability in combination with heavy reliance on palm products was positively related to palm cultivation. Hence, cultivation was more common in more remote villages where alternative products were hard to get. In addition, palm cultivation was more common among wealthier people and among indigenous people than among recent settlers. This points to a limiting role of assets such as land and to the importance of history and culture with regard to cultivation. It was not possible to identify any single palm use as the primary reason for cultivating a species, but the more uses a species had, the more likely it was to be cultivated. These findings have important implications for development projects that promote cultivation of palms and other long-lived tree crops. They illustrate how market access and lack of necessary assets may undermine cultivation of native species even though these are regarded as important resources.     

Impregnation of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) wood by hydrophobic oil and dispersion patterns in different tissues

Wood from Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) is biologicallydegraded in exposed conditions. It also has anatomical featuresthat make it difficult to impregnate with preservatives by currentlyavailable industrial processes. In the study reported here,we used the new Linotech process to impregnate Norway sprucewood with hydrophobic linseed oil and then quantified its uptakeand dispersal in anatomically distinct wood tissues. We alsoinvestigated the effects of the wood moisture content on theresults of the impregnation. Samples (500 x 25 x 25 mm) weretaken from 15 trees in a coniferous forest in northern Sweden(64° 10' N, 160–320 m a.s.l.). The parameters forthe Linotech process were 2–3 h treatment time at 0.8–1.4MPa and 60–140°C. To determine the level of uptake,the linseed oil was extracted from the impregnated wood usingmethyl-tertiary-butyl-ether. The uptake was quantitatively analysedby comparing X-ray microdensitometry values obtained followingimpregnation both before and after oil removal. In earlywood,initial moisture content had an obvious effect on the impregnationresult. Six times more oil was taken up when the moisture contentwas greater than ~150 per cent than when it was less than 30per cent. Theoretical calculations, based on density levels,suggest that the water-filled porosity of the wood (water volumedivided by porosity volume) was positively correlated with thelinseed oil uptake, and more strongly correlated in earlywoodthan in latewood. There were also significant differences inuptake between different wood tissues; heartwood/mature woodand heartwood/juvenile wood showed 10–20 per cent weightincreases due to linseed oil uptake, compared with 30–50per cent in sapwood/mature wood. Examination by scanning electronmicroscopy confirmed these uptake patterns. The moisture contentafter impregnation was about 5 per cent, irrespective of theLinotech process parameters, tissue type and initial moisturecontent. In conclusion, the impregnation process used here resultsin high levels of well-dispersed linseed oil uptake and shouldfacilitate drying.     

Physiological and metabolic properties of a digestion-resistant maltodextrin, classified as type 3 retrograded resistant starch

There is a growing interest in highly fermentable dietary fibers having the potential to reduce risks of disease through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Recently a digestion-resistant retrograded maltodextrin (RRM), classified as type 3 resistant starch was developed. Systematic work to determine its molecular and physiological properties was carried out to determine (1) the fraction resistant to digestion in vitro and in vivo, (2) its postconsumption effect on blood glucose in healthy volunteers, and (3) its in vitro fermentation pattern, at different ages, by use of pooled fresh human fecal inoculum. RESULTS: The digestion resistant fraction obtained in vivo from ileostomy patients (59.4%) is similar to that obtained by the AOAC method for measuring retrograded resistant starch (59.7%). The relative glycemic response after consumption of 50 g of RRM was 58.5% compared to glucose set as 100%. When exposed to colonic microbiota, in vitro obtained indigestible fractions behave similarly to those obtained in vivo in ileostomy patients. Fermentation of RRM and production of butyric acid is negligible during the first months of life but develops subsequently during weaning. In adults, RRM fermentation results in a high yield of SCFA, with butyrate representing 21-31 mol % of total SCFA. The high yield of SCFA during colonic fermentation, observed from weaning age on, as well as the potential to help reduce glycemic load may be of benefit to a number of health-related functions in the host. Further study on clear clinical end points is warranted.     

Model studies on acrylamide generation from glucose/asparagine in aqueous glycerol

Acrylamide formation from asparagine and glucose in different ratios in neutral glycerol/water mixtures was found to increase with decreasing water activity (0.33 < or = aw < or = 0.71 investigated) and increasing temperature (120 degrees C < or = T < or = 160 degrees C investigated). The initial rate of acrylamide formation was found to be approximately proportional to the asparagine concentration for an excess of asparagine, but less dependent on an excess of glucose. A steady-state concentration of acrylamide was established at 160 degrees C after 1 h for aw = 0.33 (30 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 10:1, 11 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:1, and 130 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:10) and for aw = 0.47 (15 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 10:1 and 80 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:10), suggesting a protection by glucose against acrylamide degradation. The energy of activation, as estimated from the temperature dependence of the initial rate, increased with decreasing aw despite a higher rate of formation of acrylamide at low aw. For high aw, water elimination from a reaction intermediate is suggested to be rate determining. For low aw, the increase in energy of activation (and enthalpy of activation) is accordingly counteracted by a more positive entropy of activation, in agreement with decarboxylation as rate determining at low aw.     

Knowledge update in adaptive management of forest resources under climate change: a Bayesian simulation approach

Context

We develop a modelling concept that updates knowledge and beliefs about future climate changes, to model a decision-maker’s choice of forest management alternatives, the outcomes of which depend on the climate condition.

Aims

Applying Bayes’ updating, we show that while the true climate trajectory is initially unknown, it will eventually be revealed as novel information become available. How fast the decision-maker will form firm beliefs about future climate depends on the divergence among climate trajectories, the long-term speed of change, and the short-term climate variability.

Methods

We simplify climate change outcomes to three possible trajectories of low, medium and high changes. We solve a hypothetical decision-making problem of tree species choice aiming at maximising the land expectation value (LEV) and based on the updated beliefs at each time step.

Results

The economic value of an adaptive approach would be positive and higher than a non-adaptive approach if a large change in climate state occurs and may influence forest decisions.

Conclusion

Updating knowledge to handle climate change uncertainty is a valuable addition to the study of adaptive forest management in general and the analysis of forest decision-making, in particular for irreversible or costly decisions of long-term impact.     

Carbon dynamics and stability between native Masson pine and exotic slash pine plantations in subtropical China

Afforestation and ecological restoration have often been carried out with fast-growing exotic tree species because of their high apparent growth and yield. Moreover, fast-growing forest plantations have become an important component of mitigation measures to offset greenhouse gas emissions. However, information on the long-term performance of exotic and fast-growing species is often lacking especially with respect to their vulnerability to disturbance compared to native species. We compared carbon (C) storage and C accumulation rates in vegetation (above- and belowground) and soil in 21-year-old exotic slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and native Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) plantations, as well as their responses to a severe ice storm in 2008. Our results showed that mean C storage was 116.77 ± 7.49 t C ha^?1 in slash pine plantation and 117.89 ± 8.27 t C ha^?1 in Masson pine plantation. The aboveground C increased at a rate of 2.18 t C ha^?1 year^?1 in Masson pine and 2.23 t C ha^?1 year^?1 in slash pine plantation, and there was no significant difference in C storage accumulation between the two plantation types. However, we observed significant differences in ice storm damage with nearly 7.5 % of aboveground biomass loss in slash pine plantation compared with only 0.3 % loss in Masson pine plantation. Our findings indicated that the native pine species was more resistant to ice storm because of their adaptive biological traits (tree shape, crown structure, and leaf surface area). Overall, the native pine species might be a safer choice for both afforestation and ecological restoration in our study region.