Role of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) Consumption on Serum Interleukin-6 Levels and Health Status in Populations Living in the Peruvian Central Andes over 4000 m of Altitude

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a plant that grows at over 4,000 m above sea level in the central Peruvian Andes. The hypocotyls of this plant are traditionally consumed for their nutritional and medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to determine the health status based on a health related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaire (SF-20) and serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in subjects that are maca consumers. For this, a cross-sectional study was designed to be performed in 50 subjects from Junin (4,100 m): 27 subjects were maca consumers and 23 were non-consumers. The SF-20 survey is used to obtain a summary measure of health status. The stand up from a chair and sit down (SUCSD) test (to assess lower-extremity function), hemoglobin measurement, blood pressure, sexual hormone levels, serum IL-6 levels and the score of chronic mountain sickness (CMS) were evaluated. Testosterone/estradiol ratio (P?<0.05), IL-6 (P?<?0.05) and CMS score were lower, whereas the health status score was higher, in maca consumers when compared to non-consumers (P?<?0.01). A greater proportion of maca consumers successfully completed the SUCSD test compared to non-consumers (P?<?0.01), showing a significant association with lower values of serum IL-6 (P?<?0.05). In conclusion, consumption of maca was associated with low serum IL-6 levels and in turn with better health status scores in the SF-20 survey and low chronic mountain sickness scores.     

Crop use and profile distribution of phosphorus in soils that developed on mafic rocks in southern Portugal

The phytoavailability of soil phosphorus (P) depends on the different forms in which it occurs and how these forms change after the application of P fertiliser to the soil. Forms of P in the A, B and C horizons of eleven pedons that developed on mafic rocks were characterised by a fractionation method before and after fertilisation with single superphosphate, and a micropot experiment was conducted to assess the short-term use of P fertiliser by rye (Secale cereale L.). The main sources of P to the crop were (i) phosphate adsorbed on mineral surfaces and pedogenic Fe, Al or Ca phosphates in the A horizon and (ii) Ca-phosphates in B and C horizons. In the C horizons, poor in Fe/Al phases and clay, the precipitated Ca-P showed low solubility, resulting in a reduction in shoot biomass. The apparent P recovery by rye was similar in the A (36%) and B (29%) but decreased in the C (15%) horizons. The partial factor productivity (g g^?1) decreased from the A (58) to B (11) and C (5) horizons. P phytoavailability decreased with increasing profile depth because the transformation of P fertiliser to poorly soluble Ca-P forms increased with depth.     

Pseudomonas associated with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus,its insect vector and the host tree: A role in pine wilt disease?

In this study, we characterized the diversity of Pseudomonas associated with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, its insect vector (Monochamus galloprovincialis) and its host (Pinus pinaster), by a culture‐independent approach using rpoD clone libraries. Clone libraries of Pseudomonas rpoD were obtained from B. xylophilus, M. galloprovincialis and infected P. pinaster. Most M. galloprovincialis and B. xylophilus sequences grouped together in the P. fluorescens group. Genes related to xenobiotics degradation and phenylacetate synthesis were present in the genomes of the type strains closely related to sequences retrieved from the nematode libraries. Results demonstrated that the nematode, during its life stages inside the tree, maintains a diverse Pseudomonas community that is closely related to the one associated with the insect vector. These bacteria might contribute to degradation of xenobiotics and tree weakening during the nematode tree infection.     

Extreme neutral genetic and morphological divergence supports classification of Adriatic three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations as distinct conservation units

The fact that the intraspecific genetic differentiation in neutral genetic markers and genes coding for adaptive traits are not typically correlated has caused a great deal of conceptual and practical trouble in delimitation of conservation units. Although the importance of combining information on adaptive genetic divergence with information on historical and recent gene flow in the delimitation of conservation units has been recognized, integrated empirical studies to this end are still rare. We explored the evidence for the specific conservation status of two freshwater three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations on the Adriatic side of the Balkan Peninsula by comparing their phenotypic and genetic characteristics to those of other representative European populations. Apart from focusing on the neutral genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite markers, we also compared the patterns of morphological differentiation (i.e. bony armour development) resulting from adaptation to freshwater environments. The Balkanic populations formed two distinct groups with regard to neutral genetic variation and had the least developed bony armour of all the examined populations. All morphometric analyses identified the two Balkanic populations as phenotypically – and hence most likely also ecologically – clearly distinct from other European three-spined stickleback populations. These results suggest that the two Balkanic populations (River Neretva and River Zeta) fulfil the most stringent criteria (i.e. lack of genetic and ecological exchangeability) to be classified as conservation units distinct from other European three-spined stickleback populations.     

Nutrient solution monitoring in greenhouse cultivation employing a potentiometric electronic tongue

This work investigates the use of electronic tongues for monitoring nutrient solution compositions in closed soilless systems. This is a horticultural technique in which the nutrient solution is continuously recirculated and an automatic recomposition system maintains the concentration of the different ions in the optimum range for the plants. Electronic tongues used in this study comprised an array of potentiometric sensors and complex data processing by artificial neural networks. A first experiment was able to carry out the simultaneous inline monitoring of ammonium, potassium, sodium, chloride, and nitrate ions during the winter. In the second and third applications, done during summer, some changes were introduced in the sensor array to improve its response toward chloride ions and to incorporate phosphate in the model. This electronic tongue was validated with real greenhouse samples and was also able to detect the variations in the ion concentrations caused by an incorrect configuration of the recomposition system.     

Influence of lipids in the generation of phenylacetaldehyde in wort-related model systems

The effect of lipids on the formation of the Strecker aldehyde phenylacetaldehyde during wort boiling was studied to determine the role that small changes in the lipid content of the wort have in the production of significant flavor compounds in beer. Wort was treated with 0-2.77 mmol per liter of glucose, linoleic acid, or 2,4-decadienal and heated at 60-98 degrees C for 1 h. After this time, the amount of the Strecker aldehyde phenylacetaldehyde increased in the samples treated with linoleic acid or decadienal but not in the samples treated with glucose. Thus, the amount of phenylacetaldehyde produced in the presence of linoleic acid was 1.1-2.5 times the amount of the Strecker aldehyde produced in the control wort, and this amount increased to 3.6-4.6 times when decadienal was employed. The higher reactivity of decadienal than linoleic acid for this reaction decreased with temperature and was related to the oxidation of linoleic acid that occurred to a higher extent at higher temperatures. The above results suggest that lipids can contribute to the formation of Strecker aldehydes during wort boiling and that changes in the lipid content of the wort will produce significant changes in the formation of Strecker aldehydes in addition to other well-known consequences in beer quality and yeast metabolism. On the other hand, because of the high glucose content in wort, small changes in its content are not expected to affect the amount of Strecker aldehydes produced.     

Drying of Pedro Ximenez grapes in chamber at controlled temperature and with dipping pretreatments. Changes in the color fraction

The drying of Pedro Ximenez grapes in chamber at a controlled temperature of 40 or 50 degrees C is studied. Compared to traditional sun-drying, the chamber-drying shortened the drying time by about 40% at 50 degrees C. In color terms, the musts obtained from grapes dried at 50 degrees C were closer in CIELab coordinates to those obtained by sun-dried grapes, with similar h(ab) values and slightly lower L* and C(ab)*. To shorten further the drying times at 50 degrees C, the grapes were dipped in olive oil or ethyl oleate emulsions containing potassium carbonate. The ethyl oleate pretreatment shortened additionally the drying time by about 25%, providing musts with chroma, lightness, and hue similar to those without grape pretreatment. In general, except for the phenolic compounds corresponding to the drying with ethyl oleate pretreatment, most of these compounds in the remainding conditions studied increased to a lesser extent than expected because of water losses of the grapes during drying, revealing degradation reactions.     

Enzymatic treatment to improve extraction of capsaicinoids and carotenoids from chili (Capsicum annuum) fruits

Enzymatic treatments using noncommercial enzymes as a means to the improve the extraction of carotenoids and capsaicinoids from chili fruits are explored in this study. The results show that it is possible to obtain chili fruit powder with a higher concentration of both capsaicinoids and carotenoids than previously reported for similar processes. Furthermore, extraction yields above 96% for carotenoids and 85% for capsaicinoids as separate fractions can be achieved using a sequential and selective two-stage extraction. Evidence is presented demonstrating that the content and extraction yield depend directly on the extent of the enzymatic hydrolysis of chili cell walls, and higher yields are obtained when the sample is completely hydrolyzed. The enzymatic treatment described here is a promising alternative to current industrial practices, and it improves the extraction of carotenoids and capsaicinoids from chili fruits.     

Investigating the persistence of accuracy of genomic predictions over time in broilers

Accuracy of genomic predictions is an important component of the selection response. The objectives of this research were: 1) to investigate trends for prediction accuracies over time in a broiler population of accumulated phenotypes, genotypes, and pedigrees and 2) to test if data from distant generations are useful to maintain prediction accuracies in selection candidates. The data contained 820K phenotypes for a growth trait (GT), 200K for two feed efficiency traits (FE1 and FE2), and 42K for a carcass yield trait (CY). The pedigree included 1,252,619 birds hatched over 7 years, of which 154,318 from the last 4 years were genotyped. Training populations were constructed adding 1 year of data sequentially, persistency of accuracy over time was evaluated using predictions from birds hatched in the three generations following or in the years after the training populations. In the first generation, before genotypes became available for the training populations (first 3 years of data), accuracies remained almost stable with successive additions of phenotypes and pedigree to the accumulated dataset. The inclusion of 1 year of genotypes in addition to 4 years of phenotypes and pedigree in the training population led to increases in accuracy of 54% for GT, 76% for FE1, 110% for CY, and 38% for FE2; on average, 74% of the increase was due to genomics. Prediction accuracies declined faster without than with genomic information in the training populations. When genotypes were unavailable, the average decline in prediction accuracy across traits was 41% from the first to the second generation of validation, and 51% from the second to the third generation of validation. When genotypes were available, the average decline across traits was 14% from the first to the second generation of validation, and 3% from the second to the third generation of validation. Prediction accuracies in the last three generations were the same when the training population included 5 or 2 years of data, and a decrease of ~7% was observed when the training population included only 1 year of data. Training sets including genomic information provided an increase in accuracy and persistence of genomic predictions compared with training sets without genomic data. The two most recent years of pedigree, phenotypic, and genomic data were sufficient to maintain prediction accuracies in selection candidates. Similar conclusions were obtained using validation populations per year.     

Public-health education at Kansas State University

What are veterinary medical and public-health professionals doing to remedy the immediate and impending shortages of veterinarians in population health and public practice? This question was addressed at the joint symposium of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health, held in April 2007. Thinking locally, faculty and students at Kansas State University (KSU) asked similar questions after attending the symposium: What are we doing within the College of Veterinary Medicine to tackle this problem? What can we do better with new collaborators? Both the professional veterinary curriculum and the Master of Public Health (MPH) at KSU provide exceptional opportunities to address these questions. Students are exposed to public health as a possible career choice early in veterinary school, and this exposure is repeated several times in different venues throughout their professional education. Students also have opportunities to pursue interests in population medicine and public health through certificate programs, summer research programs, study abroad, and collaborations with contributing organizations unique to KSU, such as its Food Science Institute, National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, and Biosecurity Research Institute. Moreover, students may take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of public-health education at KSU, where collaborations with several different colleges and departments within the university have been established. We are pleased to be able to offer these opportunities to our students and hope that our experience may be instructive for the development of similar programs at other institutions, to the eventual benefit of the profession at large.