Analysis of duplication in the Spanish durum wheat collection maintained in the CRF-INIA on the basis of agro-morphological traits and gliadin proteins

A total of 106 potential duplicate cases involved 277 accessions were detected on the basis of passport data in the durum wheat collection maintained in the CRF-INIA. Similarity between accessions was measured by agro-morphological traits. The 90% of the agro-morphological duplication were verified with gliadin proteins, allowing identification of similar material with greater refinement than agro-morphological data. However, the results indicated not to decide for rationalisation only on the basis of molecular data.     

Identification of serum stress biomarkers in pigs housed at different stocking densities

Eight Duroc×(Landrace×Large White) male pigs housed at a stocking rate of 0.50m(2)/pig were subjected to a higher stocking rate of 0.25m(2)/pig (higher density, HD) for two 4-day periods over 26 days. Using biochemical and proteomic techniques serum and plasma samples were examined to identify potential biomarkers for monitoring stress due to HD housing. HD housed pigs showed significant differences (P<0.001) in total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-associated cholesterol, as well as in concentrations of the pig-major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP) (P=0.002). No differences were observed in serum cortisol or other acute phase proteins such as haptoglobin, C-reactive protein or apolipoprotein A-I. HD-individuals also showed an imbalance in redox homeostasis, detected as an increase in the level of oxidized proteins measured as the total plasma carbonyl protein content (P<0.001) with a compensatory increase in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (P=0.012). Comparison of the serum proteome yielded a new potential stress biomarker, identified as actin by mass spectrometry. Cluster analysis of the results indicated that individuals segregated into two groups, with different response patterns, suggesting that the stress response depended on individual susceptibility.     

Using BCG,MPT-51 and Ag85 as antigens in an indirect ELISA for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis

This study evaluated the Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein antigen MPT-51, the trimeric antigen 85 (Ag85) complex, and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in an indirect ELISA to diagnose bovine tuberculosis (TB) from serum samples. Serum was collected from 208 intra-dermal tuberculin test (ITT)-positive and 54 ITT-negative animals from a region where bovine TB is endemic. Using the Ag85 and BCG antigens, the indirect ELISA was able to discriminate ITT-positive from ITT-negative animals. This level of discrimination was not achieved when using the MPT-51 antigen. The highest sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the test was found when BCG was used (Se, 82%; Sp, 91%). Further work in different epidemiological settings and with larger numbers of animals will be required to validate these findings.     

Protection, promotion and support of breast-feeding in Europe: current situation

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current situation regarding protection, promotion and support of breast-feeding in Europe, as a first step towards the development of a blueprint for action. DESIGN AND SETTING: A questionnaire was completed by 29 key informants and 128 other informants in the EU, including member states, accession and candidate countries. RESULTS: EU countries do not fully comply with the policies and recommendations of the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding that they endorsed during the 55th World Health Assembly in 2002. Some countries do not even comply with the targets of the Innocenti Declaration (1990). Pre-service training on breast-feeding practice is inadequate and in-service training achieves only low to medium coverage. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is well developed only in three countries; in 19 countries, less than 15% of births occur in baby-friendly hospitals. The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, endorsed in 1981 by all countries, is not fully applied and submitted to independent monitoring. The legislation for working mothers meets on average the International Labour Organization standards, but covers only women with full formal employment. Voluntary mother-to-mother support groups and trained peer counsellors are present in 27 and 13 countries, respectively. Breast-feeding rates span over a wide range; comparisons are difficult due to use of non-standard methods. The rate of exclusive breast-feeding at 6 months is low everywhere, even in countries with high initiation rates. CONCLUSIONS: EU countries need to revise their policies and practices to meet the principles inscribed in the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding in order to better protect, promote and support breast-feeding.     

A rapid method for the determination of chlorine, phosphorus, and sulfur in flours of grains and legumes using wavelength dispersive x-ray flourescence spectrometry

A rapid method for the determination of chlorine, phosphorus, and sulfur in commercial flours of wheat, barley, maize, rice, field bean, and soybean by wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry has been developed. The flours are strained through a 425 microns sieve, then pelletized and measured. The total analysis time for the quantitation of chlorine, phosphorus, and sulfur is less than 20 min per sample. Calibration is carried out using a standard additions method with mixed standards. The method is accurate and precise, and appears to be adequate for routine analyses.     

New device for direct extraction of volatiles in solid samples using SPME.

A new device that allows extraction of volatiles from solid materials by SPME, avoiding preparation of the sample, was designed and tested in two different food products. Volatiles from dry-cured ham and canned liver sausage were analyzed by headspace SPME (HS SPME) and by using a new device that protects the SPME fiber in the core of the solid material. Volatile profiles generated by using both methods of extraction were very similar in both products. Compounds that have been previously highlighted as quality markers, such as products from oxidative degradation of lipids, products from Strecker degradation of amino acids, or terpenes, were satisfactorily extracted by SPME coupled to the device for direct extraction. In addition, by using this method no laboratory contaminants were extracted, whereas some major laboratory solvents were presented in the chromatogram using the HS SPME method. However, coefficients of variation were higher when performing the direct sampling procedure. This new device appears to have potential as a simple method for extracting volatiles in solid materials while at the same time avoiding taking samples.     

Combined use of gliadins and SSRs to analyse the genetic variability of the Spanish collection of cultivated diploid wheat (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum)

This work studied the combined use of gliadins and SSRs to analyse inter- and intra-accession variability of the Spanish collection of cultivated einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) maintained at the CRF-INIA. In general, gliadin loci presented higher discrimination power than SSRs, reflecting the high variability of the gliadins. The loci on chromosome 6A were the most polymorphic with similar PIC values for both marker systems, showing that these markers are very useful for genetic variability studies in wheat. The gliadin results indicated that the Spanish einkorn collection possessed high genetic diversity, being the differentiation large between varieties and small within them. Some associations between gliadin alleles and geographical and agro-morphological data were found. Agro-morphological relations were also observed in the clusters of the SSRs dendrogram. A high concordance was found between gliadins and SSRs for genotype identification. In addition, both systems provide complementary information to resolve the different cases of intra-accession variability not detected at the agro-morphological level, and to identify separately all the genotypes analysed. The combined use of both genetic markers is an excellent tool for genetic resource evaluation in addition to agro-morphological evaluation.     

Effects of exercise on serum amino-transferase activity and pyridoxal phosphate saturation in Thoroughbred racehorses

Aminotransferase activities were measured in the serum of two- to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and colts during a four week period of peak training for flat racing. Aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT, EC 2.6.1.1), mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (m-AspAT) and alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT, EC 2.6.1.2) activities in serum were measured and the relative proportions of apoenzyme and holoenzyme were determined. The aminotransferase activities were increased only slightly immediately following exercise. This small and immediate post exercise increase in activity did not vary greatly over the period of peak training. Measured in the presence of exogenous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, mean enzyme activities (iu/litre at 30 degrees C) before exercise were: AspAT, 291; m-AspAT, 13; AlaAT, 18. After exercise they were: AspAT, 317; m-AspAT, 16; AlaAT, 23. Nearly all of the AspAT activity was present in the holoenzyme form (94 per cent holoenzyme) indicating excellent vitamin B6 status in these animals. Paradoxically, the AlaAT in serum from the same highly trained Thoroughbred horses was poorly saturated with pyridoxal phosphate, with nearly half of the AlaAT in most horses present in the inactive apoenzyme form (61 per cent that of holoenzyme). It is critical therefore, that exogenous pyridoxal phosphate be included in aminotransferase assays to determine the amounts of enzyme release into the peripheral circulation.     

Comparison of the biopotencies of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide for broiler chicks

1. Two experiments were conducted with 1056 1-d-old Cobb x Cobb feather-sexed broiler chicks, to determine the relative nicotinic acid biopotencies of nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAm). 2. Two methods were used: the slope-ratio technique and the broken-line model. 3. In experiment 1, using the slope-ratio technique, NAm was 0.82 as active as NA in promoting growth to 21 d of age. In experiment 2 NAm was 0.96 as bipotent as NA. 4. Applying the broken-line model to the body weight data at 21 d of age for both NA and NAm in experiment 1, it was found that NAm had approximately 0.82 NA activity. The same analysis applied to the data of experiment 2 indicated that the biopotency of NAm was 1.09. 5. A t-test of the slope-ratio values obtained in both experiments indicated that the average (0.89) was not significantly different from 1.0. 6. It was concluded that the relative biopotencies of NA and NAm in broiler chicks fed a maize-soyabean meal diet were similar.     

The Neocortex of the Dog

This article describes the structural organization of the neocortex of the dog from purely morphological point of view. Series of 50 urn transverse sections were cut from the frozen right hemiencephala of adult greyhounds, stained by N issl's method, and drawn. His's method was then used to construct life-size lateral, dorsal and medial views of the hemiencephalon from 38 sections located at regular intervals. Once the cytoarchitectonic criteria to be used had been established on the basis of preliminary observations, all the sections of each hemiencephalon were examined microscopically and the cytoarchitectonic types observed in each mapped on the corresponding drawing. These maps were then projected onto lateral, dorsal and medial views of the whole hemiencephalon to produce a classical cytoarchitectonic map of the neocortex made up of 21 types, 7 of them agranular (with no inner granular layer), 2 dysgranular (with a granular layer with diffuse boundans) and the rest granular (with a well-defined layer IV). Various areas of cortex whose characteristics were intermediate between those of adjoinin areas were classified in a residual typus intermedius.