Determining milk isolated and conjugated trans-unsaturated fatty acids using fourier transform Raman spectroscopy

The feasibility of Raman spectroscopy in combination with partial least-squares (PLS) regression for the determination of individual or grouped trans-monounsaturated fatty acids (trans-MUFA) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in milk fat is demonstrated using spectra obtained at two temperature conditions: room temperature and after freezing at -80 °C. The PLS results displayed capability for direct semiroutine quantification of several individual CLA (cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 C18:2) and trans-MUFA (trans-4-15 C18:1) in minor concentrations (below 1.0 g/100 g of milk fat). Calibration models were based on reference data cross-correlation or determined by specific scattering signals in the Raman spectra. Distinct bands for trans-MUFA (1674 cm(-1)) and CLA (1653 cm(-1)) from the trans isolated and cis,trans conjugated C ═ C bonds were identified, as well as original evidence for the temperature effect (new bands, peak shifts, and higher intensities) on the Raman spectra of fatty acid methyl ester and triacylglyceride standards, are supplied.     

Effects of artemisinin in broiler chickens following chronic oral intake

Artemisinin has been used for centuries to treat malaria, intestinal tract helminthosis, diarrhea, and used as an antipyretic and sedative agent, but the usage in veterinary medicine is a new field. Recently, it has been used successfully to control experimental poultry coccidiosis. The present study aimed to determine the effects of different doses of artemisinin in broiler chickens with chronic usage. Sixty birds divided into one control and four treatment groups that fed rations mixed with artemisinin at doses of 17, 34, 68, and 136 ppm for 36 days. During the experiment, birds showed no clinical signs except anemia. In microscopic examinations, heart, lung, and spleen had no lesion, but liver, kidney, and brain showed various lesions. Degenerative lesions like intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions were seen in both kidney and liver but fatty change was seen only in liver. There was no relationship between severity of the liver lesions and drug dosage. Central chromatolysis, scattered neuronal necrosis, and mild spongy changes were observed in five regions of the brain that were chosen for sectioning (motor cortex, cerebellar nuclei, midbrain nuclei, and hindbrain nuclei at two separate levels). Severity of lesions in brain was dose-dependent, and cerebral cortex was the most vulnerable area. Haematologic tests showed lower values for hematocrit and red blood cell count dose-dependently. In conclusion, artemisinin is a promising drug for prevention and control of coccidiosis in broiler chickens and its side effects are not too much serious especially at therapeutic doses.     

Evaluation of pentoxifylline and Basal Medium Eagle supplemented to diluent on cryopreserved goat spermatozoa

This study investigated the effect of pentoxifylline (PTX) and Basal Medium Eagle (BME) on frozen–thawed goat spermatozoa. Immediately after initial examination of ejaculated semen, samples were pooled and reexamined for quality. Then, samples were divided into eight equal aliquots and diluted with a basic tris-extender containing PTX (3, 6, 9 mM) and BME (5 mM) to reach a final concentration of 25 × 10⁹ and frozen. After 24 hr, the samples were individually thawed at 37°C for 30 s and evaluated for different characteristics. Obtained post-thaw results from Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis indicate using of 3 and 6 mM PTX led significantly to an improvement in total motility, progressive motility and velocity characteristics of spermatozoa, except the beat/cross frequency (BCF) which indicated statistically no differences (p > .05) among control and treatments. Diluents prepared with BME (5 mM) and PTX alone (3 and 6 mM) improved significantly the membrane integrity–functionality, acrosome integrity and also hyaluronidase activity. Regarding recovery rate, the results showed significantly (p < .05) higher values for diluents containing 3 and 6 mM PTX compared to other groups. Malondialdehyde concentration exhibited also a significant difference (p < .05) in diluents supplemented with 5 mM BME, 3, 6 and 9 mM PTX, and mixture of 3 mM PTX and 5 mM BME which illustrate a similarity for active mitochondria, apoptotic-like and dead spermatozoa. Finally, the ratio of sperm chromatin dispersion stained spermatozoa presented significant differences (p < .05) among treatments in which the diluents added PTX alone demonstrated significantly lower values than control and extenders containing the mixtures of BME and PTX. In conclusion, the observation in this study indicates using of 3 and 6 mM PTX and BME alone may improve significantly (p < .05) the quality of cryopreserved goat spermatozoa.     

The first identification of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in sheep and goats in Egypt: molecular and pathological characterization

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is one of the most fatal and contagious diseases of goats. To date, the occurrence of CCPP in Egypt has not been...     

Agricultural zinc fluxes into soils and crops of central Iran at regional scale

Mass flux assessment can provide information that is essential for a sustainable management of elements in agricultural soils. In this article, we present an assessment of regional-scale averages of zinc (Zn) fluxes into agricultural soils and crops of central Iran for the period 1997–2011, using available databases such as regional agricultural statistics. The basic units of the balances were 15 townships of the provinces Qom, Isfahan and Fars. Averaged over the entire study region, the net Zn input into arable soil resulting from all fertilizer inputs – Zn removal with harvested crops was 1515 g ha^?1 yr^?1 across the entire region, with a range of 438–3009 g ha^?1 yr^?1 among townships. Estimated average Zn inputs with manure, mineral fertilizers, sewage sludge and compost were 1254, 531, 19 and 7 g ha^?1 yr^?1, respectively. The input-to-output ratio of these fluxes ranged from 1.8 to 12.9 among townships and averaged 6.1 for the entire study area. Considering that outputs other than with crop harvests are minor, Zn stocks are rapidly building up in the soils of the study region. Uncertainties in the manure and crop removal data were the main sources of estimation uncertainty in this study.     

MINERAL ELEMENT DISTRIBUTION AND ACCUMULATION PATTERNS WITHIN TWO BARLEY CULTIVARS

Growth stage effects on distribution of mineral nutrients or beneficial elements phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), chloride (Cl), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), sodium (Na), silicon (Si) and nickel (Ni), and the elements bromine (Br), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), and uranium (U) in two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars and how the distribution of these elements changed were determined during the 2006–2007 growing season in a field experiment. Barley plants were sampled from the field at shooting, heading, soft dough, hard dough and harvest stages, and mineral nutrients and other elements concentrations of spike, flag leaf, old leaf, and stem samples were determined by polarized energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (PEDXRF). Distribution patterns varied considerably from element to element. At the end of the season much of the Ca, Mg, S, Si, Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Sr, Ba, La, Ce, and U were located in the spikes. However, much of the P, K, Zn, Cl, Na, Br, and Rb remained in the old leaves or stem.     

Metformin as an adjunct to insulin for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes after CABG surgery: a randomized double blind clinical trial

Perioperative hyperglycemia is common in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery and there is a direct relation between postoperative hyperglycemia and mortality rate in these patients. The aim of the present study is to determine the efficacy of metformin on glycemic control in diabetic patients after CABG surgery. In a randomized double blind clinical trial, 100 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted in open heart ICU after CABG surgery in Mazandaran Heart Center were enrolled. They were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups. Three hours after extubation, therapeutic antiglycemic regimens were applied in these two groups and continued for three days. Intervention group received regular insulin infusion along with two metformin 500 mg tablets per twelve hours while control group received regular insulin infusion with two placebo tablets per twelve hours. Blood glucose level and other parameters were measured and recorded in determined intervals. To analyze the data, independent T-test, paired T-test, Mann-Whitney and repeated measure ANOVA tests were employed. Mean blood glucose level was not significantly different in the two groups at the beginning of the ICU admission; however, mean glucose level in insulin-metformin group, twelve hours after the initiation of the study, was significantly lower than insulin group (p < 0.05). In addition, mean doses of potassium and insulin demand as well as mean number of episodes of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and glucose levels out of the accepted range were significantly lower in insulin-metformin group (p < 0.05). Alterations in mean levels of lactate, BE, pH and creatinine were not statistically significant in these two groups. It seems that adding metformin to insulin leads to a better glycemic control in type two diabetic patients undergoing CABG surgery without causing metabolic acidosis. Therefore, it might be a potential option in blood glucose control protocol in this group of patients.     

Evaluation of Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency,Digestibility and Some Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Forage Beet Cultivars Under Different Irrigation Methods and Nitrogen Levels

The aim of this study was to evaluate the water and nitrogen use efficiency and some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forage beet cultivars under the influence of different irrigation methods and nitrogen levels in two cropping years, 2017–18 and 2018–19, at Agricultural Research Station in Karaj, Iran. Experimental factors included the first factor with four irrigation methods (normal leakage, alternate furrow irrigation, fixed furrow irrigation, type (drip-strip)), the second factor was the amount of nitrogen fertilizer with three levels (150, 200 and 250?kg N ha^?1) and the third factor included three forage beet cultivars (Sbsi052, Jamon and Kyros). Among irrigation treatments, alternate furrow irrigation and fixed furrow irrigation had the highest sugar content with 9.28% and 9.17%, respectively. The highest yield of digestible organic matter was obtained in leakage irrigation treatment, nitrogen fertilizer of 250?kg ha^?1 and in Kyros at the rate of 19.45?t ha^?1. The highest yield of root digestible dry matter, potassium, sodium and free nitrogen was observed in leakage irrigation treatment and consumption of 200?kg ha^?1 nitrogen was observed in foreign cultivars. The highest crude protein was observed in alternate furrow irrigation conditions with a consumption of 200?kg ha^?1 nitrogen in cultivar Sbsi052 at 13.08%. Leakage irrigation and type tape had the highest consumption efficiency and efficiency of nitrogen uptake with application of 150 and 200?kg ha^?1 N, and the highest water use efficiency was also observed in leakage irrigation and type tape with application of 250?kg ha^?1 N in domestic and foreign cultivars. The type irrigation method showed better quantitative and qualitative yield than the furrow irrigation methods.

     

Enhancing the Reliability of Laboratory Phosphorus Filter Tests: Effect of Influent Properties and Interpretation of Effluent Parameters

The distribution of selected elements in individual fractions of organic matter from anthropogenically contaminated soils was investigated. The attention was paid especially at Hg. Furthermore, contents of S, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb were also measured. The decomposition of organic matter to particular fractions was carried out by the resin DAX-8. Ten soil samples were collected, and the Advanced Mercury Analyzer (AMA-254) was used for the determination of the total Hg content. The two highest Hg values reached up to the concentration 10.5 mg kg^?1, and in the highest one, it was almost 29 mg kg^?1. In each extract, mercury was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for other elements, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was applied. Results of the analysis show that the Hg content bound to the humic acids is inversely proportional to the content of Mg, Mn, Fe and Cu. However, this dependence was not confirmed by the samples with the mercury content above 10 mg kg^?1. In the case of fulvic acids, the relationship between Hg and S was observed and has again an inverse character.     

Molecular and morphological characterization of Golestan (Iran) olive ecotypes provides evidence for the presence of promising genotypes

Unidentified olive plants naturally grow in the Golestan province of Iran, on different soils and under climates spanning from sub-temperate to desert conditions, represented by single trees or groups of few trees. We collected samples from representative sites and analyzed them by simple sequence repeat markers in order to determine their identity and their relationships to prominent Iranian and Mediterranean reference cultivars. Population structure analysis separated these ecotypes from Mediterranean and, surprisingly, from all Iranian cultivars, the parentage test excluded their direct contribution as candidate parents or offspring of cultivars, and they also showed a high level of admixture. Their differentiation from cultivated olives may be attributed to different factors: they could represent wild plants or could derive from natural dissemination of ancestral cultivated trees. Their survival up to now may be due to the fact that most of them are grown on sacred sites such as necropolis. Anyhow, the adaptation to strong environmental stresses, and their fruit size and oil content make the olive Golestan ecotypes a valuable source of genetic variation previously uncharacterized and currently threatened with extinction.