Micronutrient-enriched rapeseed oils improve the brain oxidant/antioxidant system in rats fed a high-fat diet

The main proposal of this study was to evaluate in vivo whether micronutrient-enriched rapeseed oils obtained using different crushing and refining procedures and characterized by different quantities and qualities of micronutrients (optimized oils) could have any beneficial effect on the antioxidant status of the brain. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks. The lipid source consisted of 20% optimized rapeseed oils with different quantities and qualities of micronutrients. The control group received traditional refined rapeseed oil. The experimental optimized oils decreased lipid peroxidation and increased endogenous antioxidant status in parallel with the enhancement of micronutrients. No alteration in acetylcholinesterase activity was induced by the high-fat diet in any experimental group. These results indicate that a regular intake of optimized rapeseed oils can prevent oxidative stress, providing evidence that optimized rapeseed oils could be a functional food with potentially important neuroprotective properties.     

Quality of life of dogs with skin disease and of their owners. Part 2: administration of a questionnaire in various skin diseases and correlation to efficacy of therapy

A previously validated 15-item questionnaire on dogs' life quality (QoL1) and that of their owners (QoL2) was applied in a multicentre study to owners of 200 dogs with different dermatological conditions, together with a question on the owner-perceived disease severity (S). Factor analysis was applied to the whole questionnaire. The correlation of S with QoL1 and QoL2 scores was evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation tests. Owner sex, age, educational level and willingness to pay for a potential definitive cure of the disease were recorded, and compared with quality of life (QoL) scores. In 23 atopic dogs, CADESI-03, pruritus Visual Analogue Scale and QoL scores were obtained before and after therapy, and their correlation was evaluated with linear regression. Factor analysis revealed that three factors (S, QoL1 and QoL2) explained 75% of the variance. Owner-perceived severity correlated significantly with QoL1 and QoL2 (P = 0.002 and P = 0.015, respectively). The five diseases with the worst QoL scores were scabies, pododermatitis, complicated atopic dermatitis, pemphigus foliaceus and endocrine alopecia. Pruritic diseases did not give significantly higher QoL1 or QoL2 scores compared with nonpruritic diseases (P = 0.19, Kruskall-Wallis test). Owner sex, age or educational level did not influence QoL scores. Female sex, a younger age and a higher educational level were significantly associated with more willingness to pay. In atopic dogs, all the scores decreased after therapy, but post-treatment CADESI-03 and Visual Analogue Scale scores did not correlate with QoL1 and QoL2. Questions related to the burden of maintenance therapy showed the lowest improvements in score.     

A whole-genome association study of major determinants for host control of HIV-1

Understanding why some people establish and maintain effective control of HIV-1 and others do not is a priority in the effort to develop new treatments for HIV/AIDS. Using a whole-genome association strategy, we identified polymorphisms that explain nearly 15% of the variation among individuals in viral load during the asymptomatic set-point period of infection. One of these is found within an endogenous retroviral element and is associated with major histocompatibility allele human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*5701, whereas a second is located near the HLA-C gene. An additional analysis of the time to HIV disease progression implicated two genes, one of which encodes an RNA polymerase I subunit. These findings emphasize the importance of studying human genetic variation as a guide to combating infectious agents.     

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of Tripsacum dactyloides L.

Summary This article reports the culture and plant regeneration of Tripsacum dactyloides. Mature embryos of Tripsacum dactyloides dactyloides were used to obtain embryogenic callus cultures. Currently, 180 normal plants have been regenerated from these cultures. Callus was initiated on MS medium supplemented with dicamba (10 mol or 20 mol) and sucrose (3% or 6%), and plants were regenerated on hormone free MS medium containing 2% sucrose. No significant differences were found in callus initiation frequency or in embryogenic response of cultures on the four combinations of sucrose and dicamba tested. The embryogenic cultures have been maintained for 9 months (12 subcultures) and have retained regeneration capacity. Plants regenerated from tissue culture of maize-by-Tripsacum hybrids could be useful in maize improvement.     

Identification of virgin olive oil from different cultivars by analysis of DNA microsatellites

DNA analysis enables genome fingerprinting with consequent identification of different individuals. In the agro-food industry, this can have interesting applications for the identification of species and cultivars of both raw materials and processed food. In this investigation, the efficiency of DNA microsatellite analysis in identifying virgin olive oils from different cultivars was evaluated. Ten virgin oils were obtained in the laboratory from olives of 10 different cultivars and the DNA extracted from the cell residues, recovered by oil centrifugation, was used as a template with seven different primer pairs of microsatellite sequences. The electrophoretic patterns showed an adequate level of amplification and were identical to those obtained from leaves and drupes of the same cultivar. By analyzing all the patterns obtained, the smallest number of microsatellites able to distinguish the examined oils was established and an identification key for the different oils was developed.     

Flumequine Uptake and the Aquatic Duckweed,Lemna minor L.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - Phytotoxicity of Flumequine (F) on the aquatic duckweed, Lemna minor L., and plant drug uptake were evaluated by a simple ecotoxicological test. Flumequine, at...