Characterization of portal lymphocytic infiltrates in feline liver

To better understand the relationship of portal lymphocytic infiltrates to feline inflammatory liver disease, liver sections were semiquantitatively evaluated from healthy cat and liver sections randomly selected at necropsy from clinical cases. Healthy specific pathogen-free kittens and healthy young adult cats had up to 10 lymphocytes and plasma cells per portal area. Neutrophils were infrequently seen in portal areas. Approximately one-third of sections obtained from clinical cases younger than 10 years had increased numbers of lymphocytes and plasma cells in portal areas. Seventy percent of these had a concurrent increase in neutrophils. Eighty-two percent of liver sections obtained from clinical cases older than 10 years had increased numbers of portal lymphocytes and plasma cells. Almost all of these sections had concurrent fibrosis and bile duct proliferation. These data indicate that a progressive lymphocytic portal hepatitis is a common finding in cats older than 10 years.     

Reversed phase HPLC analysis of α- and β-carotene from selected raw and cooked vegetables

Traditional AOAC colorimetric procedures for carotenoid analysis are known to lack specificity and accuracy. Newer HPLC methods provide the investigator with a more precise tool for carotenoid quantification in foods and tissues. In the present studies, reverse phase HPLC was utilized to evaluate the - and -carotene content in raw and cooked leaves of lettuce, spinach and winged bean as well as in the carrot root. The vegetables were boiled or steamed and the true retention of - and -carotene in the cooked products was determined. Boiling for 30 minutes resulted in a 53 and 40% loss of -carotene from lettuce and carrots, respectively. Full retention or even an increase in -carotene content in boiled winged bean leaves and spinach was noted. Steaming resulted in very good retention of - and - carotene in all vegetables (83–139% retention). Thus, although cooking procedures (especially boiling) may result in oxidative loss of carotenoids in some vegetables, heat treatment increases the chemical extractability of - and -carotene in others. The presence of carotenoproteins in some vegetables may effect the heat stability of extractability of - and - carotene.     

Integrating the herbicide imazapic and the fungal pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda to control Bromus tectorum

Bromus tectorum is a winter annual grass that affects rangeland in western North America. A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted that integrated imazapic application and inoculation of the soil‐borne fungal pathogen, Pyrenophora semeniperda, for the purpose of providing greater control of B. tectorum. We hypothesised that P. semeniperda inoculation would reduce B. tectorum emergence and integration of imazapic and P. semeniperda would result in a greater reduction in B. tectorum biomass and density compared with either treatment applied alone. This study revealed that P. semeniperda significantly reduced B. tectorum emergence and density and the responses were greatest for seed placed below the soil surface. Further, B. tectorum biomass was similar between imazapic and P. semeniperda treatments. This indicates that P. semeniperda could be applied in advance of B. tectorum germination and emergence. After emergence, imazapic application could reduce B. tectorum biomass and kill seedlings. A two‐pronged approach to controlling B. tectorum that combines P. semeniperda inoculation and post‐emergent imazapic application may provide a greater opportunity to limit invasion of this weed in rangeland of western North America. Future work should be directed towards the pathogen–plant relationship and how it relates to integrating biological control with traditional methods, towards the effect of varying P. semeniperda inoculum and imazapic rates and lastly, to how environmental conditions in the field may affect implementation and efficacy of this two‐pronged approach.     

The resilience of long and short food chains: a case study of flooding in Queensland,Australia

This paper provides new insights into the food security performance of long and short food chains, through an analysis of the resilience of such chains during the severe weather events that occurred in the Australian State of Queensland in early 2011. Widespread flooding cut roads and highways, isolated towns, and resulted in the deaths of people and animals. Farmlands were inundated and there were food shortages in many towns. We found clear evidence that the supermarket-based (long) food chain delivery system experienced significant difficulties in supplying food to flood-affected towns. In contrast, more localized (short) food supply chains—which relied upon supply from growers in peri-urban areas and community-based food initiatives—remained largely intact, and provided food at a time when the supermarkets were limited in their ability to respond to consumer demand. However, on closer examination of food distribution during flooding in the regional city of Rockhampton and in the State capital, Brisbane, the demarcation of success between “long” and “short” food chains became blurred. Both types of food supply chains shared some key resilience characteristics in responding to crisis but diverged in other important ways. We argue that conceptualizing food chains in terms of key elements of resilience—scale, diversity, flexibility and cohesion—may be more fruitful than the short-long dichotomy alone. This approach is particularly useful when prioritizing food security as the basis for evaluating food system sustainability in a context of predicted increases in extreme weather events and future climate change.     

Interspecific cross of Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra and B. napus : effects of growth condition and silique age on the efficiency of hybrid production, and inheritance of erucic acid in the self-pollinated backcross generation

Interspecific hybrids were produced from reciprocal crosses between Brassica napus (2n = 38, AACC) and B. oleracea var. alboglabra (2n = 18, CC) to introgress the zero-erucic acid alleles from B. napus into B. oleracea. The ovule culture embryo rescue technique was applied for production of F₁ plants. The effects of silique age, as measured by days after pollination (DAP), and growth condition (temperature) on the efficiency of this technique was investigated. The greatest numbers of hybrids per pollination were produced under 20°/15°C (day/night) at 16 DAP for B. oleracea (♀) × B. napus crosses, while under 15°/10°C at 14 DAP for B. napus (♀) × B. oleracea crosses. Application of the ovule culture technique also increased the efficiency of BC₁ (F₁ × B. oleracea) hybrid production by 10-fold over in vivo seed set. The segregation of erucic acid alleles in the self-pollinated backcross generation, i.e. in BC₁S₁ seeds, revealed that the gametes of the F₁ and BC₁ plants carrying a greater number of A-genome chromosomes were more viable. This resulted in a significantly greater number of intermediate and a smaller number of high-erucic acid BC₁S₁ seeds.     

Identification of anthocyanins in the liver, eye, and brain of blueberry-fed pigs

Dietary intervention with anthocyanins may confer benefits in brain function, including vision. Research to date indicates that animals have only a limited capacity to absorb anthocyanins, compared to other types of flavonoids. Pigs, which are a suitable model for human digestive absorption, were used to examine the deposition of anthocyanins in tissues including the liver, eye, and brain tissue. Pigs were fed diets supplemented with 0, 1, 2, or 4% w/w blueberries ( Vaccinium corymbosum L. 'Jersey') for 4 weeks. Prior to euthanasia, pigs were fasted for 18-21 h. Although no anthocyanins were detected in the plasma or urine of the fasted animals, intact anthocyanins were detected in all tissues where they were sought. LC-MS/MS results are presented for the relative concentration of 11 intact anthocyanins in the liver, eye, cortex, and cerebellum. The results suggest that anthocyanins can accumulate in tissues, including tissues beyond the blood-brain barrier.     

Phytochemical and dietary fiber components in barley varieties in the HEALTHGRAIN Diversity Screen

Ten different barley varieties grown in one location were studied for their content of tocols, folate, plant sterols, alkylresorcinols, and phenolic acids, as well as dietary fiber components (arabinoxylan and beta-glucan). The samples included hulled and hull-less barley types and types with normal, high-amylose, and waxy starch. The aim was to study the composition of raw materials, and therefore the hulls were not removed from the hulled barleys. A large variation was observed in the contents of all phytochemicals and dietary fibers. Two varieties from the INRA Clermont Ferrand barley program in France (CFL93-149 and CFL98-398) had high content of tocopherols and alkylresorcinols, whereas the variety Dicktoo was highest in dietary fiber content and phenolics. Positive correlations were found between 1000 kernel weight, alkylresorcinols, and tocols, as well as between dietary fiber content and phenolic compounds. The results demonstrate that the levels of phytochemicals in barley can likely be affected by breeding and that the contents of single phytochemicals may easily be adjusted by a right selection of a genotype.     

What about the children? The experience of families involved in an adult-focused diabetes intervention

OBJECTIVE: Among adults with diabetes attempting to change their own diets, we explored how these adults approached providing food for their children and how their children reacted to dietary changes in the household. DESIGN: The research design used semi-structured parallel individual interviews of adults and a child (aged 10-17 years) in their home. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, coded and analysed for themes. SUBJECTS: Subjects included families in which one inner-city African American or Latino adult with diabetes had completed a diabetes intervention promoting healthy dietary behaviours. RESULTS: We completed 29 interviews (14 adult-child pairs and one child). Adults approached making dietary changes for themselves and also providing food for their family in different ways, ranging from expecting everyone to eat the same thing to preparing two separate meals. Many children resisted dietary changes while fewer acquiesced. Among children who went along with changes, some reported resisting initially then adjusting, while others did not resist because the food still tasted good or they could obtain preferred foods outside the house. The intersection of adults' meal strategies and children's reactions to the changes can be used to categorise families into different patterns. These patterns highlight the tension between an adult who must make dietary changes to control diabetes and a child who is not necessarily motivated to change. CONCLUSION: From this framework we suggest hypotheses about how these patterns might influence dietary behaviour in adults and children. Understanding these patterns could guide interventions to assist parents in successfully including children in their dietary changes.