Ketoconazole increases the plasma levels of ivermectin in sheep

The parasiticide ivermectin and the antifungal drug ketoconazole are drugs that interact with P-glycoprotein. We have tested the ability of ketoconazole at a clinical dose to modify the pharmacokinetics of ivermectin in sheep. Lacaune lambs were administered with a single oral dose of ivermectin alone at 0.2mg/kg (n=5) or in combination with a daily oral dose of ketoconazole (10mg/kg) given for 3 days before and 2 days after the ivermectin (n=5). The plasma kinetics of ivermectin and its metabolite were followed over 15 days by HPLC analysis. Co-administration of ketoconazole induced higher plasma concentrations of ivermectin, leading to a substantial increase in the overall exposure of the animals to the drug. Ketoconazole did not reduce the production of the main ivermectin metabolite but it may rather act by inhibiting P-glycoprotein, and thus increasing the absorption of ivermectin. The use of a P-gp reversing agent such as ketoconazole could be useful tool to optimize antiparasitic therapy in the face of the worldwide development of anthelmintic resistance.     

Reliability of coprological diagnosis of Paramphistomum sp. infection in cows

A modified MacMaster method was tested to check its reliability for the diagnosis of bovine paramphistomosis in France. A total number of 148 fecal samples from cows examined post-mortem were analysed. Coprological results were in accordance with necropsic examinations. Bayesian techniques (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) were used to estimate the diagnostic parameters of each of these tests. Two scenarios were envisaged: one assuming a sensitivity of the necropsic examination equal to 1 and one assuming the specificity of the coprology equal to 1. Whatever the scenarios, each test presented good estimated parameters, always superior to 0.9. A significant relationship was clearly established between epg counts and parasites burden: more than 100 epg indicated the presence of more than 100 adult paramphistomes in rumen and/or reticulum.     

Effects of the clear-cutting of a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) plantation on chemical soil fertility

? Stand harvesting and regeneration were usually considered to be a critical phase for the sustainability of forest soils. The present study concerned the effects on soil chemical fertility of the clear-cutting of a highly productive Douglas-fir stand aged 67 years that was clear-cut with no disturbance.

? Results showed that soil changes were rapid in the three-year period following the cutting. The forest floor mass considerably decreased and the mineral soil showed a limited but real acidification. Soil losses represented 4% of the available nutrients over a depth of 60 cm for N, 22% for K, 25% for Ca and 32% for Mg. Only P increased by 11%. Due to the spatial variability of forest soils, and despite regular re-sampling, confidence intervals were large and difficult to reduce.

? The reversibility of the effects of the clear-cutting and its consequences on soil functions depend on the element: it should not be a problem for C, N and K, which would recover when the biological cycle is re-established once again in the young stand. Phosphorus is not at issue since it changes form in the soil. The depletion of Ca, and to a lesser extent of Mg, is of some concern as a result of limited soil reserves, the limited flux of cations from the mineral changes in the soil, the relatively large part of Ca and Mg in the forest floor, and the negative input-output budgets for those elements.

? The duration of the impact of the clear-cutting on soil requires medium-term observations because it cannot be deduced from the current knowledge of this ecosystem.

     

Novel Meals from Eastern Canada’s Marine Fishery By-products as Alternatives to Fishmeal

There is a current trend in the aquaculture industry to find “eco-friendly” alternatives to fishmeal that will provide fish with all the needed essential nutrients. Our objective was to identify, produce, and chemically characterize nine novel meals composed of underutilized marine fishery by-products from eastern Canada. Snow crab hepatopancreas was found to be a good supplement of monounsaturated fatty acids, iron, copper, and zinc. Herring immature ovaries and shrimp mince could be a partial replacement for fishmeal as revealed by their essential amino acid profile and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Finally, herring testis was very rich in high arginine and taurine.     

The effect of ozone and drought on the photosynthetic performance of canola

Canola plants were fumigated in open-top chambers with ozone(O_3)(120 ppb)under well-watered(WW)and water-stressed(WS)conditions for 4 weeks.Non-fumigated plants were also studied to facilitate comparison between treatments for the same week and over time.Therefore,the treatments were:WW,WW-O_3,WS and WS-O_3.The fast chlorophyll a fluorescence transients OJIP for the four treatments emitted upon illumination of dark-adapted leaves were measured after week 1,2,3,4 and analysed by the JIP-test to evaluate the resulting changes in photosynthetic performance.Ozone fumigation led to a decline of total performance index(PI_(total))in well-watered plants.The effect of O_3 was minor under drought conditions,as revealed by a decrease of PI_(total) by 3%.The PI_(total) decreased as the treatment was prolonged,due to leaf ageing for all cases and the decline was more pronounced under WW-O_3.Taking the average of all weeks,WW had the highest PI_(total )and the lowest WW-O_3(decrease by 27%),while in WS and WS-O_3,it was lower than WW(14 and 17%,respectively).We found that the absorption(ABS)/reaction centre(RC)increases,while the maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry(φ_(Po))undergoes slight changes,and trapping(TR_0)/RC closely followed the increase in ABS/RC.This indicates that O_3and drought caused an increase in the functional antenna size.The maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry showed slight differences for all treatments and over time,suggesting that this parameter is less sensitive to drought and O_3 stress.Therefore,the more sensitive components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain appeared to be the probability that an electron from the intersystem electron carriers is transferred to reduce end electron acceptors at the PSI acceptor side(δ_(Ro))and the RC density on a chlorophyll basis(RC/ABS).     

Marginal Impact of Brown Seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus Extract on Metabolic and Inflammatory Response in Overweight and Obese Prediabetic Subjects

The objective of the present study was to test whether a brown seaweed extract rich in polyphenols combined with a low-calorie diet would induce additional weight loss and improve blood glucose homeostasis in association with a metabolic and inflammatory response in overweight/obese prediabetic subjects. Fifty-six overweight/obese, dysglycemic, and insulin-resistant men and women completed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, and parallel clinical trial. Subjects were administrated 500 mg/d of either brown seaweed extract or placebo combined with individualized nutritional advice for moderate weight loss over a period of 12 weeks. Glycemic, anthropometric, blood pressure, heart rate, body composition, lipid profile, gut integrity, and oxidative and inflammatory markers were measured before and at the end of the trial. No effect was observed on blood glucose. We observed significant but small decreases in plasma C-peptide at 120 min during 2 h-OGTT (3218 ± 181 at pre-intervention vs. 2865 ± 186 pmol/L at post-intervention in the brown seaweed group; 3004 ± 199 at pre-intervention vs. 2954 ± 179 pmol/L at post-intervention in the placebo group; changes between the two groups, p = 0.002), heart rate (72 ± 10 at pre-intervention vs. 69 ± 9 (n/min) at post-intervention in the brown seaweed group; 68 ± 9 at pre-intervention vs. 68 ± 8 (n/min) at post-intervention in the placebo group; changes between the two groups, p = 0.01), and an inhibition in the increase of pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) (1.3 ± 0.7 at pre-intervention vs. 1.5 ± 0.7 pg/L at post-intervention in the brown seaweed group; 1.4 ± 1.1 at pre-intervention vs. 2.2 ± 1.6 pg/L at post-intervention in the placebo group; changes between the two groups, p = 0.02) following brown seaweed consumption compared with placebo in the context of moderate weight loss. Although consumption of brown seaweed extract had no effect on body weight or blood glucose, an early attenuation of the inflammatory response was observed in association with marginal changes in metabolic parameters related to the prevention of diabetes type 2.