Experiences de conditionnement d'alevins de bar (Pisces,Dicentrarchus labrax) a differents aliments composes

Two series of experiments were performed on pellet adaptation, each with five batches of 100 sea bass larvae, reared until the age of 50 days at 18°C and fed with living food. Each experiment was followed for 25 days. Three different pellet formulas, with different amounts of Artemia powder incorporated, were compared with a diet of living prey only. The incorporation of 10% of Artemia powder to the pellets appeared to give better results. However, much clearer results were obtained with the different types of pellet composition, being mainly shown in terms of final survival rates. In spite of the stress due to the change of feeding habits, there is evidence that the same growth and survival can be achieved either on living food or on pellets.     

Molecular characterization of two novel alleles of Hordoindoline genes in Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult.

Grain texture is an important trait in wheat quality, and is related to the presence or absence of puroindolines a and b. In barley, these proteins are synthesised by the Hordoindoline (Hin) genes, orthologs of the Puroindoline (Pin) genes present in bread wheat and Aegilops species. In this study, the variation of Hin genes has been characterized in two representative lines of Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult., a wild barley species that has been used in the development of a new man-made cereal (tritordeum, ×Tritordeum Ascherson et Graebner). Two novel alleles were detected in this material, one for the Hina-H ^ch 1 gene and another for the Hinb-H ^ch 1 gene. These alleles demonstrated high similarity to the Pin genes of bread wheat, which may explain the soft grain texture of tritordeum. This suggests that the variation present in H. chilense could be utilized in wheat breeding through the use of tritordeum as a bridge species, to extend the range of different textures.     

Anti-hyperglycemic action of apigenin-6-C-β-fucopyranoside from Averrhoa carambola

A stimulatory effect of apigenin-6-C-β-fucopyranoside (1) on glucose uptake was observed when rat soleus muscle was incubated with 1, 10 and 100μM of this flavonoid glycoside. The presence of specific insulin signaling inhibitors, such as wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), RO318220, an inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), PD98059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK), and HNMPA(AM)(3), an insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity inhibitor showed that apigenin-6-C-β-fucopyranoside triggers different metabolic pathways in skeletal muscle. The oral administration of crude extract, fractions and isolated flavonoids (apigenin-6-C-β-fucopyranoside (1) and apigenin-6-C-(2″-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-fucopyranoside (2)) from Averrhoa carambola leaves exhibited a potential hypoglycemic activity in hyperglycemic normal rats. Additionally, both flavonoids significantly increased the muscle and liver glycogen content after an acute treatment. The results indicate that A. carambola can be regarded as a potent antihyperglycemic agent with insulin secretagogue and insulin mimetic properties.     

Long-term acclimation of mesophyll conductance, carbon isotope discrimination and growth in two contrasting Picea asperata populations exposed to drought and enhanced UV-B radiation for three years

Two Picea asperata Mast. populations originating from wet and dry climate regions of China were subjected to enhanced UV-B radiation, drought and their combination in a greenhouse for 3 years. Drought treatment caused a significant decrease in photosynthesis, mesophyll conductance (g_m), carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and growth characteristics when compared with well-watered treatment. In contrast to the great effects of drought stress, enhanced UV-B radiation showed some but not as substantial negative effects on these parameters. Little interaction effect between drought and UV-B radiation was detected, and the drought effect in combination with enhanced UV-B was not more pronounced than with no enhanced UV-B radiation. These results suggest that enhanced UV-B radiation does not aggravate the drought effect on P. asperata seedlings. The results also showed that the proportional role of the intercellular CO₂ (C_i) decreased, while the role of chloroplastic concentration (C_c) became increasingly important in explaining the high values of carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C), when the water stress progressed in time. In addition, multivariate causal models proposed that there is a direct causal relationship between specific leaf area (SLA) and g_m, which is not mediated by leaf N. Besides, there are functional links between g_m and photosynthetic capacity (V_cmax). On the other hand, the study showed that net assimilation rate (NAR) is the main driving force for changes in relative growth rate (RGR), especially in low-water environments, and the degree of acclimation of respiration in the light (R_L) is of central importance to the greater role played by NAR in determining variation in RGR.     

Tuberculosis in goats: assessment of current in vivo cell-mediated and antibody-based diagnostic assays

Tuberculosis in goats, mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis and M. caprae, is a zoonotic disease with implications for public health, as well as having an economic impact due to decreased goat production, increased mortality rates and costs of diagnosis. There is an increasing need for surveillance of tuberculosis-infected goat herds, particularly in countries that are not officially free of bovine tuberculosis, and goats sharing farms with cattle should be subjected to the official tuberculin test. In Spain, some regions have programmes for the control of tuberculosis in goats, applying the same diagnostic assays that are used for cattle. The objective of tuberculosis eradication in livestock requires adaptation of existing control strategies to include goats. As such, it is necessary to determine whether current diagnostic assays for tuberculosis in cattle will work as efficiently in the goat. This review provides an overview of current in vivo tools for diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis, including estimates of the sensitivity and specificity of tests performed in this species. The number of tested animals and co-infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis are also addressed, with the aim of demonstrating the limitations of current assays and the need for further research.