Effect of caffeic acid on the color of red wine

The copigmentation effect of prefermentation additions of different doses of caffeic acid was investigated during the 1997 harvest. Microfermentation with the major red grape cultivars Listán negro and Negramoll, grown in the Canary Islands, was carried out with the same protocol. Visible and UV spectra were registered periodically. HPLC chromatograms were carried out. The color enhancement of cv. Negramoll wine varied between 13 and 75% (AU at 520 nm), and that of cv. Listán negro wine between 25 and 45% at the end of fermentation. During aging these values were enhanced to reach even >100% in some cases. An initial complex of the 1:1 type, where one molecule of caffeic acid associates with one molecule of anthocyanin, has been identified using the mathematical procedure of Brouillard et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 2604-2610). Caffeic acid seems to contribute to color stability and protection against oxidation. The importance of nonpigment composition in pigment extraction and color retention during and after fermentation is demonstrated.     

Recovery of Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus from fresh and frozen bovine milk

Three hundred seventy-three milk samples were screened for Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus. After sample storage at -20 C for 23 days, the frequency of Str agalactiae isolation increased 2.50 times. The frequency of S aureus isolation increased 1.48 times in the same interval. Increases in the proportion of these isolates were highly significant (P = 0.000006 and 0.0001, respectively). Results of the study indicate that optimal procedures for microbiological testing for these mastitis pathogens may include preculture freezing. The magnitude of the increase in the proportion of isolates indicates the existence of an important population of infected cattle shedding bacteria at concentrations not detected by use of standard microbiological techniques.     

Furcation canals of the maxillary fourth premolar and the mandibular first molar teeth in cats

The furcation region morphology was evaluated in 103 mature feline carnassial teeth (54 maxillary fourth premolar and 49 mandibular first molar teeth). Patent furcation canals were present in 27.2% of teeth. No significant difference (p = 0.88) in distribution of this anatomical variation was found between maxillary fourth premolar and mandibular first molar teeth. The mean width of these furcation canals was 104.0 microns with two-thirds of the canals having a buccal orientation. The presence of furcation canals could be a factor in the etiopathogenesis of feline dental resorptive lesions, as well as a characteristic to be considered in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of endodontic or periodontic-endodontic lesions in cat teeth.     

Anaesthetic potency of isoflurane in cattle: determination of the minimum alveolar concentration

Objective To determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in cattle.
Study design Prospective study.
Animals Sixteen healthy adult female Holstein-Friesian cattle weighing 612 ± 17 kg (× ± SEM) and aged 5.7 ± 0.9 years old.
Methods The unsedated cattle were restrained in right lateral recumbency using a rope harness technique. Anaesthesia was induced with isoflurane (ISO) in oxygen via a face mask connected to a large-animal, semiclosed anaesthetic circle system. Each cow was intubated with a cuffed orotracheal tube (25 mm ID). Inspired and end-tidal ISO were monitored using a calibrated infra red analyser with a methane filter. The MAC of ISO that prevented gross purposeful movement in response to a tail and dewclaw clamp was determined. The time from the start of ISO administration to intubation, the time interval between discontinuance of ISO and the time the animal regained sternal recumbency, were recorded. Time to standing and quality of recovery were also recorded.
Results The time from the start of ISO administration to tracheal intubation was 18.68 ± 2.77 minutes. The MAC of ISO in these cattle was 1.27 ± 0.03% (1.14 ± 0.01% corrected to sea level). Time to sternal recumbency after 90 ± 16 minutes of anaesthesia from intubation was 4.60 ± 0.58 minutes and time to standing was 6.70 ± 1.02 minutes. All cattle were extubated when they regained sternal recumbency.
Conclusion The MAC of isoflurane in these cattle was 1.27 ± 0.03% (1.14 ± 0.01% corrected to sea level). ISO provided a smooth induction to, and rapid recovery from, anaesthesia.
Clinical relevance Knowledge of the MAC of ISO in cattle will facilitate its appropriate clinical use.     

Transplanting native tree seedlings to enrich tropical live fences: an ecological and socio-economic analysis

The enrichment of live fences with native tree species has been proposed as a conservation strategy in agricultural landscapes; however, little research has explored ways to do this in tropical areas. This study examines selection of native tree species, effects of damage caused by mammals (mainly cattle) in performance (survival and growth) of transplanted seedlings, and cost-benefit balances as critical steps to enrich tropical live fences. Seven native tree species, with ecological and socio-economic importance, were selected in a Mexican agricultural landscape to grow as seedlings, and six of them were transplanted into live fences of cattle ranches with different levels of cattle activity (none/moderate/high). Costs associated with propagation and seedling protection in the field were calculated, and performance and damage in seedlings were measured over 2 years. We developed an index to identify species with the best performance and lowest costs in sites with cattle activity. Our results showed that damage, caused mainly by cattle, reduced the performance of transplanted seedlings. The effect of this damage varied depending on its severity (level and frequency) and the identity and life history of species. All selected species performed well in the site without cattle access. Dendropanax arboreus was the best species at site with moderate cattle activity, and Trema micrantha and Saurauia scabrida at site with high cattle activity. These species are recommended for enriching live fences because of good cost-benefit balance. This approach could be an important quantitative method to select species useful not only in agroforestry but also in restoration projects, which normally remain under the pressure of domestic and wild animals.     

Anti-Neospora caninum antibody detection and vertical transmission rate in pregnant zebu beef cows (Bos indicus): Neospora caninum in pregnant beef cows (Bos indicus)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate anti-Neospora caninum antibodies and the vertical transmission rate in naturally infected pregnant zebu beef cows (Bos indicus) reared on pasture. The present study began with 200 cows from four farms (50 cows from each farm), and these animals were submitted to timed artificial insemination (TAI). After ultrasonography, 76 pregnant cows were selected, 22, 15, 22, and 17, respectively, from farms 1, 2, 3, and 4. Blood samples were taken from cows thrice during the first, second, and third trimester of gestation, and a blood sample was collected from 31 calves before colostrum milking. From 76 cows 23 (30.3%) had anti-N. caninum antibodies detected by indirect ELISA (Idexx), and 53 (69.7%) did not. Sixty-four cows that initiated the experiment were negative to N. caninum and 11 became positive either during the second or third trimester of gestation, this mean an infection incidence of 17.2% (11/64). OD for ELISA was higher (OD = 2.08) during the second and third (OD = 2.10) trimesters of pregnancy when compared with the first (OD = 1.81), however, there were no statistical differences (P = 0.45). The vertical transmission was calculated to be 29.0% (9/31), and the risk of vertical transmission of N. caninum in seropositive dams was 26.25 times higher than seronegative animals (OR = 26.25, 2.38 < OR < 289, P = 0.007). In conclusion, the rate of vertical transmission of N. caninum in pregnant zebu beef cows was 29%, and the risk was 26.25 higher in seropositive dams relative to than seronegative animals.     

Heterogeneous pathological outcomes after experimental pH1N1 influenza infection in ferrets correlate with viral replication and host immune responses in the lung

The swine-origin pandemic (p) H1N1 influenza A virus causes mild upper-respiratory tract disease in most human patients. However, some patients developed severe lower-respiratory tract infections with fatal consequences, and the cause of these infections remain unknown. Recently, it has been suggested that different populations have different degrees of susceptibility to pH1N1 strains due to host genetic variations that are associated with inappropriate immune responses against viral genetic characteristics. Here, we tested whether the pathologic patterns of influenza strains that produce different disease outcomes in humans could be reproduced in a ferret model. Our results revealed that the severities of infection did not correspond to particular viral isolate and were not associated with the clinical phenotypes of the corresponding patients. Severe pathological outcomes were associated with higher viral replication, especially in alveolar areas, and with an exacerbated innate cellular immune response that was characterised by substantial phagocytic and cytotoxic cell migration into the lungs. Moreover, detrimental innate cellular responses were linked to the up-regulation of several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and the down-regulation of IFNα in the lungs. Additionally, severe lung lesions were associated with greater up-regulations of pro-apoptotic markers and higher levels of apoptotic neutrophils and macrophages. In conclusion, this study confirmed that the clinicopathological outcomes of pH1N1 infection in ferrets were not only due to viral replication abilities but also depended on the hosts’ capacities to mount efficient immune responses to control viral infection of the lung.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13567-014-0085-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Autophagic response in the Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease,an animal model of virally-induced fulminant hepatic failure

The Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) induces a severe disease that fulfils many requirements of an animal model of fulminant hepatic failure. However, a better knowledge of molecular mechanisms contributing to liver damage is required, and it is unknown whether the RHDV induces liver autophagy and how it relates to apoptosis. In this study, we attempted to explore which signalling pathways were involved in the autophagic response induced by the RHDV and to characterize their role in the context of RHDV pathogenesis. Rabbits were infected with 2 × 10⁴ hemmaglutination units of a RHDV isolate. The autophagic response was measured as presence of autophagic vesicles, LC3 staining, conversion of LC3-I to autophagosome-associated LC3-II and changes in expression of beclin-1, UVRAG, Atg5, Atg12, Atg16L1 and p62/SQSTM1. RHDV-triggered autophagy reached a maximum at 24 hours post-infection (hpi) and declined at 30 and 36 hpi. Phosphorylation of mTOR also augmented in early periods of infection and there was an increase in the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum chaperones BiP/GRP78, CHOP and GRP94. Apoptosis, measured as caspase-3 activity and expression of PARP-1, increased significantly at 30 and 36 hpi in parallel to the maximal expression of the RHDV capsid protein VP60. These data indicate that RHDV infection initiates a rapid autophagic response, perhaps in an attempt to protect liver, which associates to ER stress development and is independent from downregulation of the major autophagy suppressor mTOR. As the infection continues and the autophagic response declines, cells begin to exhibit apoptosis.