Influence of Coffee Brew in Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of coffee drinking on clinical markers of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Zucker rats. Diabetic Zucker rats with metabolic syndrome and control Zucker rats were used for in vivo tests. The animals received daily doses of coffee drink by gavage for 30 days. After the treatment, the levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and fractions, creatinine, uric acid, activity of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were evaluated. Urea and creatinine levels were also analyzed in urine. By collaborating in the modulation of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus type 2, coffee drink helped in reducing serum glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides. The results demonstrate that treatment with roasted coffee drink, because of its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect, is efficient in the protection of animals with metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus type 2.     

Outbreak of Septicaemic Colibacillosis in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

We have carried out an aetiological and pathological study of an outbreak of septicaemia caused by the O165 serogroup of Escherichia coli in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) which resulted in high mortality (90 %). After treatment with amoxicilin in drinking water (200 mg/l), morbility and mortality rates dropped markedly. Microbiological studies showed that the organism responsible was an atypical E. coli strain, on the basis of the non-fermentation of lactose (ONPG–), which belonged to the O165 serogroup and was highly virulent for 1-day-old chickens.     

Pharmacokinetics of an ampicillin-sulbactam combination after intravenous and intramuscular administration to sheep.

The pharmacokinetics of a 2:1 ampicillin-sulbactam combination were studied in 6 sheep, after intravenous and intramuscular injection at a single dose rate of 20 mg/kg body weight (13.33 mg/kg of sodium ampicillin and 6.67 mg/kg of sodium sulbactam). The drugs were distributed according to an open 2-compartment model after intravenous administration and a one-compartment model with first order absorption after intramuscular administration. The apparent volumes of distribution calculated by the area method of ampicillin and sulbactam were 0.32+/-0.06 L/kg and 0.42+/-0.04 L/kg, respectively and the total body clearances were 0.69+/-0.07 and 0.38+/-0.03 L/kg x h, respectively. The elimination half-lives of ampicillin after intravenous and intramuscular administration were 0.32+/-0.05 h and 0.75+/-0.27 h, respectively, whereas for sulbactam the half-lives were 0.74+/-0.10 h and 0.89+/-0.16 h, respectively. The bioavailability after intramuscular injection was high and similar in both drugs (72.76+/-9.65% for ampicillin and 85.50+/-8.35% for sulbactam). The mean peak plasma concentrations of ampicillin and sulbactam were reached at similar times (0.25+/-0.10 h and 0.24+/-0.08 h, respectively) and peak concentrations were also similar but nonproportional to the dose of both products administered (13.01+/-7.36 mg/L of ampicillin and 10.39+/-3.95 mg/L of sulbactam). Both drugs had a similar pharmacokinetic behavior after intramuscular administration in sheep. Since the plasma concentrations of sulbactam where consistently higher during the elimination phase of their disposition, consideration could be given to formulating the ampicillin-sulbactam combination in a higher than 2:1 ratio.     

Bacterial diseases of tomato in southern Spain: application of a detached tissue assay to evaluate bacterial pathogenicity

Tomatoes are one of the most important crops in southern Spain, especially during the cold season. As a preliminary step in the design of an integrated disease management programme for tomato, a study on the occurrence of bacterial diseases in tomato houses of Almería (ES) was carried out during the 1993/1997 growing seasons. Sixty-four bacterial strains were isolated from tomato plants showing symptoms of bacterial diseases and 41 of them (64%) were characterized as pathogenic. The bacterial tomato pathogens most frequently isolated were Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, Pseudomonas corrugata, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Xanthomonas vesicatoria. The pathogenicity of the bacterial isolates on tomato was tested by the conventional seedling assay and by an in vitro assay using detached tissues developed in our laboratory. Close correspondence between the two assays was observed. An in vitro detached tissue assay is proposed for determining the pathogenicity of bacterial isolates on tomato.     

Improvement of Chia Seeds with Antioxidant Activity,GABA, Essential Amino Acids,and Dietary Fiber by Controlled Germination Bioprocess

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) plant is native from southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. Their seeds are a rich source of bioactive compounds which protect consumers against chronic diseases. Germination improves functionality of the seeds due to the increase in the bioactive compounds and associated antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to obtain functional flour from germinated chia seeds under optimized conditions with increased antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, GABA, essential amino acids, and dietary fiber with respect to un-germinated chia seeds. The effect of germination temperature and time (GT = 20–35 °C, Gt = 10–300 h) on protein, lipid, and total phenolic contents (PC, LC, TPC, respectively), and antioxidant activity (AoxA) was analyzed by response surface methodology as optimization tool. Chia seeds were germinated inside plastic trays with absorbent paper moisturized with 50 mL of 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite dissolution. The sprouts were dried (50 °C/8 h) and ground to obtain germinated chia flours (GCF). The prediction models developed for PC, LC, TPC, and AoxA showed high coefficients of determination, demonstrating their adequacy to explain the variations in experimental data. The highest values of PC, LC, TPC, and AoxA were obtained at two different optimal conditions (GT = 21 °C/Gt = 157 h; GT = 33 °C/Gt = 126 h). Optimized germinated chia flours (OGCF) had higher PC, TPC, AoxA, GABA, essential amino acids, calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER), and total dietary fiber (TDF) than un-germinated chia seed flour. The OGCF could be utilized as a natural source of proteins, dietary fiber, GABA, and antioxidants in the development of new functional beverages and foods.     

A morphological classification proposal for curimba (Prochilodus lineatus) sperm damages after cryopreservation

The present study evaluated some cryoprotectants and concentrations for curimba (Prochilodus lineatus) semen preservation from a simple methodology of analysis of sperm morphology. Semen of nine males was diluted (1:4) into eight cryosolutions, all of them containing 5% of BTS^? Minitüb, still comprising methanol or dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) at four concentrations: 5%, 7.5%, 10% and 12.5%. Morphological sperm analysis was performed on an optical microscope at × 1000 magnification. Damages on the head, midpiece and tail rest (the main and terminal portions) were investigated and classified as primary or secondary, according to the assumed influence on fertilization. There was a linear reduction in the total damages with an increase in the cryoprotectant concentration. Samples with DMSO showed the lowest percentage of fractured tails and tail stumps. The cryopreservation protocol retained the fertilizing potential of the sperm after freezing and both methanol 5% and DMSO 7.5% conferred adequate protection to the curimba sperm cells. Sperm morphology, as pointed out here, must be incorporated into routine fish sperm (cryopreserved or not) analysis once sperm defects influence fertilization directly. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report on curimba sperm damages after cryopreservation by optical microscopy. The classification model presented in this study can be adequate to tackle fish sperm damages.     

Temporal sequence of cell wall disassembly events in developing fruits. 1. Analysis of raspberry (Rubus idaeus)

Raspberry fruits were harvested at five developmental stages, from green to red ripe, and the changes in cell wall composition, pectin and hemicellulose solubilization, and depolymerization were analyzed. Fruit softening at intermediate stages of ripening was associated with increased pectin solubilization, which occurred without depolymerization. Arabinose was found to be the most abundant noncellulosic neutral sugar in the cell wall and showed dramatic solubilization late in ripening. No changes in pectin molecular size were observed even at the 100% red stage. Subsequently, as fruit became fully ripe a dramatic depolymerization occurred. In contrast, the hemicellulosic fractions showed no significant changes in content or polymer size during ripening. The paper discusses the sequence of events leading to cell wall disassembly in raspberry fruit.     

Synergism studies with binary mixtures of pyrethroid, carbamate and organophosphate insecticides on Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)

The major mechanism of resistance to most insecticides in Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is metabolic, piperonyl butoxide (PBO) suppressible, mediated by cytochrome-P450 monooxygenases and conferring cross-resistance among insecticide classes. The efficacy of insecticide mixtures of acrinathrin, methiocarb, formetanate and chlorpyrifos was studied by topical exposure in strains of F. occidentalis selected for resistance to each insecticide. The method consisted in combining increasing concentrations of one insecticide with a constant low rate of the second one as synergist. Acrinathrin activity against F. occidentalis was enhanced by carbamate insecticides, methiocarb being a much better synergist than formetanate. Monooxygenase action on the carbamates would prevent degradation of the pyrethroid, hence providing a level of synergism by competitive substrate inhibition. However, the number of insecticides registered for control of F. occidentalis is very limited, and they are needed for antiresistance strategies such as mosaics and rotations. Therefore, a study was made of the synergist effect of other carbamates not used against thrips, such as carbofuran and carbosulfan, against a susceptible strain and a field strain. Neither carbamate showed synergism to acrinathrin in the susceptible strain, but both did in the field strain, carbosulfan being a better synergist than carbofuran. The data obtained indicate that low rates of carbamates could be used as synergists to restore some pyrethroid susceptibility in F. occidentalis.     

Lycopene, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity of tomato juice as affected by high-intensity pulsed electric fields critical parameters

The effects of high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) treatment variables (frequency, pulse width, and pulse polarity) on the lycopene, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacities of tomato juice were evaluated using a response surface methodology. An optimization of the HIPEF treatment conditions was carried out to obtain tomato juice with the highest content of bioactive compounds possible. Samples were subjected to an electric field intensity set at 35 kV/cm for 1000 micros using squared wave pulses, frequencies from 50 to 250 Hz, and a pulse width from 1 to 7 micros, in monopolar or bipolar mode. Data significantly fit (P < 0.001) the proposed second-order response functions. Pulse frequency, width, and polarity significantly affected the lycopene, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacities of HIPEF-treated tomato juice. Maximal relative lycopene content (131.8%), vitamin C content (90.2%), and antioxidant capacity retention (89.4%) were attained with HIPEF treatments of a 1 micros pulse duration applied at 250 Hz in bipolar mode. Therefore, the application of HIPEF may be appropriate to achieve nutritious tomato juice.