Effect of oral administration of a calcium chloride gel on blood mineral concentrations, parturient disorders, reproductive performance, and milk production of dairy cows with retained fetal membranes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of oral administration of CaCl2 gel on blood mineral concentrations, parturient disorders, reproductive performance, and milk production of dairy cows with retained fetal membranes (RFM). DESIGN: Randomized field trial. ANIMALS: 20 cows that calved normally and were not treated with CaCl2 gel (group 1), 20 cows with RFM that were treated with CaCl2 gel (group 2), and 20 cows with RFM that were not treated with CaCl2 gel (group 3). PROCEDURE: Group-2 cows were treated orally with CaCl2 gel (54 g of calcium) 24 and 48 hours after parturition. RESULTS: Administration of CaCl2 gel 24 and 48 hours after parturition did not have a significant effect on serum normalized calcium, total calcium, magnesium, or phosphorus concentrations or on incidence of metritis or left displacement of the abomasum, days to first insemination, pregnancy status after first insemination, or milk production. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of CaCl2 gel 24 and 48 hours after parturition did not have significant effect on blood mineral concentrations, parturient disorders, reproductive performance, and milk production in dairy cows with RFM.     

Spatial distribution and physiology of biological soil crusts from semi-arid central Spain are related to soil chemistry and shrub cover

Despite the critical role of biological soil crusts (BSCs) in arid and semi-arid ecosystem function, few studies are found concerning the most important environmental variables affecting their distribution and physiology. This study seeks to determine soil and microenvironmental factors affecting the spatial distribution and pigment production of BSC-forming lichens and mosses in open patches of a semi-arid Mediterranean kermes oak thicket. We measured late-successional BSC cover, shrub cover, distance to nearest kermes oak (to test for effects of kermes oak thicket microenvironment on BSC), and pigment concentration of one lichen (Cladonia foliacea) and one moss (Pleurochaete squarrosa) species in the Nature Reserve El Regajal-Mar de Ontígola (Central Spain). At the macroscale (>0.5 m), results showed that BSC distribution and pigments were tightly coupled to a suite of soil properties, in particular soil pH, Fe, and Ca. Specifically, soil pH had a positive relationship with the cover of five individual BSC-forming lichen species and was negatively related to pigment production in C. foliacea. When pH was excluded from the analysis, Ca appeared as the main soil variable and was correlated with total BSC cover and total lichen cover. The micronutrient Fe had a significant positive relationship with the concentration of eight pigments in P. squarrosa and was also coupled with the cover of two BSC-forming lichens. Manganese, previously proposed as a key limiting micronutrient for BSCs, affected lichen diversity in a negative way. At the microscale (∼0.5 m), kermes oak microenvironment, shrub cover, and moss cover were determinants of BSC distribution, and total lichen and total BSC cover were overrepresented on N and E-facing shrub microsites. Our findings suggest that soil chemical variability and microsite diversity created by neighbouring vegetation affect BSC distribution in complex and essential ways and that studies aiming to explore BSC-environment relationships should be conducted at various spatial scales. Studies based on species- or group-specific responses are, thus, inadequate to unveil the main factors determining the distribution of the diverse organisms that constitute BSCs and/or to propose potential tools aiming to restore BSC in arid and semiarid ecosystems.     

Risk factors associated with fecal Salmonella shedding among hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease

OBJECTIVE: To estimate prevalence of and identify risk factors for fecal Salmonella shedding among hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 465 hospitalized horses with gastrointestinal tract disease. PROCEDURE: Horses were classified as positive or negative for fecal Salmonella shedding during hospitalization by means of standard aerobic bacteriologic methods. The relationship between investigated exposure factors and fecal Salmonella shedding was examined by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of fecal Salmonella shedding was 13%. Salmonella serotype Newport was the most commonly isolated serotype (12/60 [20%]), followed by Anatum (8/60 [13%]), Java (13%), and Saint-paul (13%). Foals with gastrointestinal tract disease were 3.27 times as likely to be shedding Salmonella organisms as were adult horses with gastrointestinal tract disease. Adult horses that had been treated with antimicrobial drugs prior to hospitalization were 3.09 times as likely to be shedding Salmonella organisms as were adult horses that had not been treated with antimicrobial drugs prior to hospitalization. Adult horses that underwent abdominal surgery were 2.09 times as likely to be shedding Salmonella organisms as were adult horses that did not undergo abdominal surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that a history of exposure to antimicrobial drugs prior to hospitalization and abdominal surgery during hospitalization were associated with Salmonella shedding in adult horses with gastrointestinal tract disease. Foals with gastrointestinal tract disease were more likely to shed Salmonella organisms than were adult horses with gastrointestinal tract disease.     

Seed and juice characterization of pomegranate fruits grown in Tunisia: Comparison between sour and sweet cultivars revealed interesting properties for prospective industrial applications

Tunisian pomegranate genetic resources consist of sweet and sour cultivars, showing large morphometric variability. In the present work we characterized seeds and juice contents of sugars and organic acids of 5 sour and 7 sweet pomegranate cultivars. Results showed that citric acid was predominant in sour pomegranates, while malic acid was the most prevalent in sweet ones. Paradoxically, sour cultivars have higher sugar content than the sweet ones. A strong correlation was found between sourness and citric acid content, which is assumed to be the major factor that determines sour taste in pomegranate fruits. Besides, some of the seed parameters showed a significant positive correlation with acidity. Sweet cultivars were appropriate for fresh consumption and juice production due to several attributes in addition to their sweetness. Equally, sour pomegranate showed several characteristics that could be of great interest for food and nutraceutical industries.     

Direct lipase-catalyzed lipophilization of chlorogenic acid from coffee pulp in supercritical carbon dioxide

The direct esterification of chlorogenic acid (5-CGA) by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozym 435) in supercritical CO₂/t-butanol has been studied. The Taguchi approach was applied to evaluate the effects of temperature (35–55 °C), pressure (150–250 bar), t-butanol (2–10%, v/v), and the enzyme amount (10–30 mg/ml), on the ester concentration and overall conversion. Optimum reaction conditions were established at: 150 bar, 55 °C, 10% t-butanol (v/v), 20 mg/ml of lipase. Addition of 20 mg/ml of molecular sieves (3 Å) was also necessary to minimize the inhibiting effect of the increasing water concentration. Maximum conversions reached 77, 82 and 85% in 25 h using geraniol, pentanol and heptanol as aliphatic chain donors, respectively. HPLC analysis demonstrated the selective esterification of 5-CGA from a coffee pulp aqueous-methanolic extract, which reached a conversion to heptyl ester of 65% at the optimal condition. The supercritical CO₂ selectivity towards the esterified product was the working principle of this study, by which minimized interphase transport limitations and enhanced mass-transfer phenomena substantially improved the reaction kinetics.     

Lasting microbiological and biochemical effects of the addition of municipal solid waste to an arid soil

 This paper reports the effect of the addition of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste at two different rates on the microbiological and biochemical properties of an arid soil after 8 years. The vegetation that appeared spontaneously just after the amendment was still present 8 years later. The organic matter fractions were higher in the amended soil than in the control soil. Amended soil showed higher values of microbial biomass C, soil basal respiration and dehydrogenase activity than control soil, which reached values near to those of the natural soils in the area. The organic amendment had a positive effect on the activity of enzymes related with C, N, P cycles, particularly when the amendment was at the highest dose. This effect could be also observed on the activity of extracted enzymes. The results indicated that the addition of urban waste could be a suitable technique with which to restore soil quality. Received: 3 July 1998     

应用固相萃取高效液相色谱-质谱法测定水中多种农药残留

应用HLB固相萃取高效液相色谱-质谱法同时测定水中杀虫剂、杀菌剂、除草剂、杀螨剂、杀线虫剂等5类30种农药残留,标准曲线决定系数r2均大于0.99,标准添加回收率达76%￣107%,平均为87.9%。在实际测定的10个水样中,有个水样的杀铃脲(Triflumuron)含量超标。     

Physalaemin: an amphibian tachykinin in human lung small-cell carcinoma

Immunoreactivity to the amphibian peptide physalaemin was characterized from extracts of a human lung small-cell carcinoma by immunological, chemical, and pharmacological means. Tumor-related peptide cross-reacted with three antiserums to physalaemin to yield 1.1 to 1.6 nanomoles per gram of tissue. Physalaemin and tumor peptide had similar retention times on high-performance liquid chromatography after chemical and enzymic modifications that included pH changes, oxone oxidation, use of a hydrophilic ion-pairing reagent, and digestion with trypsin and pyroglutamate aminopeptidase. Both physalaemin and the tumor peptide produced a contractile response of isolated guinea pig ileum at threshold concentrations of approximately 100 to 150 picograms per milliliter. These data suggest that small-cell carcinoma of the lung contains a physalaemin-like peptide that has structural and biological homology to its amphibian counterpart.     

Primary extracranial nasopharyngeal meningioma in a dog

An 8‐year‐old Labrador Retriever was presented for inspiratory efforts with stertor. A rhinoscopy and a magnetic resonance imaging scan were performed and revealed a naso‐pharyngeal mass. The mass was identified in the nasopharynx without meningeal extension. This mass was both T1‐ and T2‐hyperintense, compared to normal brain parenchyma without significant postcontrast enhancement. The mass was surgically removed and the histologic diagnosis was a mesenchymal tumor. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies was conducted and consistent with an extracranial meningioma. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report documenting a primary extracranial nasopharyngeal meningioma in a dog.