Comparison of Diclofenac Diethylamine Permeation Across Horse Skin from Five Commercial Medical Human Formulations

The aim of this study was to compare the penetration of diclofenac through horse skin in vitro and its efficacy in vivo when applied from five, commercially available, human medical formulations containing 1.16% diclofenac diethylamine. The rate of transdermal penetration of diclofenac varied between formulations. Also, estimated steady-state flux (Jss) was significantly different from that reported for human and rat skin. All the tested formulations produced a very weak and short-lasting antiedematous effect.     

Natural Fasciola hepatica infection in nutria (Myocastor coypus) in Uruguay

Fascioliasis, the zoonotic disease caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, is expanding worldwide, with a 17 million people at risk. Rodents, often recognized as a major source of zoonotic diseases, are affected by F. hepatica, with some species playing important roles in the disease epidemiology. The case reported here in a nutria or kiyá (Myocastor coypus) is the first documented case of F. hepatica in this species in Uruguay. Parasitic burden and total egg production detected are markedly higher than reported previously for this species, confirming its potential role as an effective reservoir and disseminator of liver flukes. Although further research is needed, nutria should be considered when designing effective control programs for fascioliasis.     

Variability in sesquiterpene lactones from the leaves of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) accessions of different geographic origin

The sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) content of glandular trichomes from the leaves of twenty-five yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius, Asteraceae) accessions, obtained along a latitudinal gradient from Ecuador to northwest Argentina, was characterized by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). While accessions from Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina proved to be very chemoconsistent, significant variation was found in quantitative composition of STLs from accessions in central Peru, the probable region of origin for the species.     

Changes in Phenolic Compounds in Garlic (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium sativum</Emphasis> L.) Owing to the Cultivar and Location of Growth

The contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were determined in selected garlic cultivars grown at four locations. The total phenolic content varied from 3.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dry matter (dm) to 10.8 mg GAE/g of dm with a mean value of 6.5 mg GAE/g of dm. The myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin flavonoids were not detected in any of the samples. Caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the major phenolic acids found with mean values of 2.9 mg/kg of dm and 2.6 mg/kg of dm, respectively. The mean contents of vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids were comparable (0.4–0.8 mg/kg of dm), and the level of sinapic acid was negligible (< 0.1 mg/kg of dm). There was a significant effect of location but an insignificant effect of genotype on contents of caffeic, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids. However, genotype but not location affected the contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid. On average, the white garlic cultivars and Chinese garlic cultivars contained higher contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid than the purple garlic cultivars. However, the differences in the total phenolic content between the purple and white garlic cultivars were not significant.     

Vitamin content and amino acid composition of pickled garlic processed with and without fermentation

The effect of processing, with and without fermentation, upon the nutritional composition of pickled garlic was evaluated. On a dry basis, the fermented product had a higher content of riboflavin, alpha-tocopherol, and most individual amino acids but a lower thiamin level than the unfermented product. Ascorbic acid was totally lost during processing. The chemical scores for the unfermented and fermented product were 88 and 108%, respectively, with the limiting amino acid being leucine. Water blanching (90 degrees C for 4 min) affected only the ascorbic acid content, whereas fermentation significantly affected the contents of thiamin, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol, as well as glutamic acid and arginine. For each processing type, the effect of the preservation method and storage time on vitamins and amino acid composition was also analyzed. In the case of the fermented product, usage of the corresponding fermentation brine plus refrigerated storage was also assayed as the packing/preservation method and was found to give the best result from a nutritional standpoint.     

A comparative survey of recent results on humic-like fractions in organic amendments and effects on native soil humic substances

The main scope of the wide use of organic amendments of various origin and nature in modern agriculture is to increase and/or restore the organic matter content in organically poor or depleted soils in order to maintain and/or increase crop production and reduce soil exposure to degradation, erosion, desertification and pollution. The agronomically efficient and environmentally safe use of any organic amendment requires, however, an adequate control not only of the chemical quality of the humic substance (HS)-like fractions contained, which is an important indicator of the maturity and stability achieved by organic matter in the amendment, but also of the effects that these HS may have on native soil HS. In this review, the most recent results obtained on this topic by the research groups operating in Bari, Italy, and in Madrid, Spain, are discussed comparatively with results recently published by other research groups. Overall, HS-like components of organic amendments are characterized by higher aliphatic character and molecular heterogeneity, lower contents of O, acidic functional groups and organic free radicals, and lower degrees of aromatic ring polycondensation, polymerization and humification than native soil HS. These differences are less evident for composted materials. The composition, structure and functionalities of HS in amended soils may be affected in different ways and at various extents on dependence of the nature, origin and rate of amendment. In general, these properties are intermediate between those of the unamended soil HS and the HS-like fractions in the amendment, but generally resemble more the former than the latter, especially with increasing time after amendment application.     

Astaxanthin treatment reduced oxidative induced pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in U937: SHP-1 as a novel biological target

It has been suggested that oxidative stress activates various intracellular signaling pathways leading to secretion of a variety of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. SHP-1 is a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) which acts as a negative regulator of immune cytokine signaling. However, intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), generated endogenously upon stimulation and exogenously from environmental oxidants, has been known to be involved in the process of intracellular signaling through inhibiting various PTPs, including SHP-1. In this study, we investigated the potential role of astaxanthin, an antioxidant marine carotenoid, in re-establishing SHP-1 negative regulation on pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in U-937 cell line stimulated with oxidative stimulus. ELISA measurement suggested that ASTA treatment (10 μM) reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) induced through H(2)O(2), (100 μM). Furthermore, this property is elicited by restoration of basal SHP-1 protein expression level and reduced NF-κB (p65) nuclear expression, as showed by western blotting experiments.     

Application of artificial photoperiod in fish: a factor that increases susceptibility to infectious diseases?

This paper describes and evaluates the mortality associated with the potential stressor effect induced by application of artificial photoperiods in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). After application of artificial photoperiods, high mortalities of trout subjected to this management were recorded (36% in LD 14:10 and 25% in LD 24:0) as compared to controls (7%). The recorded signology related to diseased trout included darkening, lethargy and erratic swimming. Among the morphological changes, skin lesions and ulcerative-type necrosis could be observed. Blood tests, histopathology and isolation of pathogens identified as Flavobacterium psychrophilum, associated with Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Saprolegnia sp., were performed. The application of artificial photoperiods suggests that fish may be more susceptible to opportunistic diseases; thus, it is advisable to emphasize preventive measures in fish subjected to this management.