Physiological performance of quails that underwent dietary and pharmacological manipulation of cholesterol

The present work evaluated whether dietary and pharmacological interference on cholesterol synthesis were capable of inducing alterations in blood and yolk cholesterol levels and the secretion of corticosterone metabolites. Forty‐five 40‐day‐old quails were divided into three experimental groups: vegetal fat diet, 2% beef fat (tallow) diet and vegetal fat diet with simvastatin administration (3.13 mg/kg/day). During all experiments, the animal weights and food consumption were recorded and blood and faecal samples (days 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60), as well as eggs (days 30, 45 and 60), were collected. Analysis of serum and yolk cholesterol was performed and faecal corticosterone levels were measured. No differences were observed on blood cholesterol or faecal corticosterone between all treatments, despite a tendency of increased cholesterol in the group with the animal fat diet. However, quails submitted to an animal fat diet displayed an increase in yolk cholesterol at day 30 of the treatment and the egg yolks of quails treated with simvastatin exhibited a decrease in cholesterol content by the end of the treatment at 60 days. These results improved the knowledge regarding the physiology of quails and offered support to other studies concerning the consequences of the pharmacological treatment and the dietary manipulation of cholesterol levels.     

Lack of essential fatty acids in live feed during larval and post-larval rearing: effect on the performance of juvenile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solea senegalensis</Emphasis>

Despite the large progress obtained in recent years, Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) production of high quality juveniles is still a bottleneck. This paper examines the effect of larval and post-larval lipid nutrition on juvenile performance and quality. Four dietary treatments were tested: A—enriched Artemia spp. (EA); B—non-enriched Artemia spp. (NEA); C—EA during the pelagic larval period and NEA after larval settlement; D—50% EA and 50% NEA. Juvenile fatty acid profile at 60 days after hatching (DAH) clearly reflected the larval and post-larval diet composition. Feeding sole larvae on NEA (poor in lipids and essential fatty acids-EFA) had a negative effect, reducing growth (total length and dry weight) after 30 DAH and decreasing digestive enzyme activity at the end of the rearing period (60 DAH). However, relatively good performance compared to the EFA-richest treatment (A) was obtained when larvae were fed 50% EA and 50% NEA (D) or even EA only during the pelagic larval period followed by NEA after larval settlement (C). Malpigmentation was not affected by the dietary regimes and its incidence was very low. However, skeletal deformities were prevalent, particularly in the caudal complex, independently of diet. The results confirm that Senegalese sole appear to have lower larval EFA requirements than most cultured marine species and potentially even lower requirements during the post-larval stage. The importance of studying the impact of early nutrition on later juvenile stages was clearly highlighted in this study.     

Upland rice breeding in Brazil: a simultaneous genotypic evaluation of stability, adaptability and grain yield

A durum wheat recombinant inbred line population developed from PDW 233 × Bhalegaon 4 cross was analyzed in five environments to understand the genetic network responsible for test weight (TW), thousand kernel weight (TKW), grain yield (YLD), spike length (SL), spikelets per spike (SPS), kernels per spike (KER) and kernel weight per spike (KWS). Genotype, environment and their interactions were main sources of variance for all the traits. TW and TKW were influenced by 11 main effect QTL and 6 digenic epistatic interactions detected on chromosomes 2A, 2B, 4B and 7A. Grain yield was influenced by three epistatic interactions and five main effect QTL, of which two on chromosome 2A were most consistent. A major QTL for spike length was observed on chromosome 3B. QTL for spike characters were distributed over 9 chromosomes. All the traits showed significant influence of digenic epistasis (QQ) and, to a certain extent, QTL × environment interactions (QQE). Therefore, while breeding for complex traits like kernel characters and grain yield components, these interactions should also be considered important. The consistent QTL on chromosome 2A between the marker interval Xgwm71.2–Xubc835.4 with pleiotropic effect on TW and TKW, may be utilized in early generation selection to improve TW and TKW and thereby the milling potential of the durum wheat.     

Regional and sectorial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sergipe,Brazil

This paper aims at estimating the regional and sectoral impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state of Sergipe, Brazil in 2020. We use an input-output model with partial hypothetical extraction. The main results suggest a significant reduction in economic activity in the state, particularly in the Transport and Industry sectors. On the other hand, the Real estate and Food and Accommodation sectors have a greater capacity for recovery with the introduction of an emergency aid program. The municipalities with the largest absolute impact on gross domestic product are Aracaju, Canindé de São Francisco and Nossa Senhora do Socorro, two of them located in the metropolitan area of Aracaju.     

Eggs of gilthead seabream Sparus aurata L. as a potential enrichment product of Brachionus sp. in the larval rearing of gilthead seabream Sparus aurata L.

The gilthead seabream Sparus aurata L. is a sequential spawner whose reproductive cycle can be manipulated to obtain year-round egg and fry production. Hence, there is an overproduction of eggs in commercial hatcheries that is normally wasted. Two feeding experiments were conducted with the purpose of investigating the potential use of fresh and freeze-dried gilthead seabream eggs for the enrichment of live preys. The first experiment was also designed to study the possibility of using freeze-drying as a conservation process for eggs in excess. Larvae were reared for 20 days after hatching (DAH),on a diet of Brachionus sp. As experimental controls, the commercial enrichment emulsion SUPER HUFA was used in the first experiment, and the microalgae Nannochloropsis sp. in the second. This study demonstrated the potential of gilthead seabream eggs as an enrichment product to be used in the feeding of the first larval stages of Sparus aurata L. The data obtained emphasize the need to have an overall perspective of the nutritional requirements of the organisms in culture.     

Emergent Sources of Prebiotics: Seaweeds and Microalgae

In recent years, scientists have become aware that human microbiota, in general, and gut microbiota, in particular, play a major role in human health and diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, among others. A large number of evidence has come to light regarding the beneficial effects, either for the host or the gut microbiota, of some foods and food ingredients or biochemical compounds. Among these, the most promising seem to be polysaccharides (PS) or their derivatives, and they include the dietary fibers. Some of these PS can be found in seaweeds and microalgae, some being soluble fibers, such as alginates, fucoidans, carrageenans and exopolysaccharides, that are not fermented, at least not completely, by colonic microbiota. This review gives an overview of the importance of the dietary fibers, as well as the benefits of prebiotics, to human health. The potential of the PS from marine macro- and microalgae to act as prebiotics is discussed, and the different techniques to obtain oligosaccharides from PS are presented. The mechanisms of the benefits of fiber, in general, and the types and benefits of algal fibers in human health are highlighted. The findings of some recent studies that present the potential effects of prebiotics on animal models of algal biomass and their extracts, as well as oligo- and polysaccharides, are presented. In the future, the possibility of using prebiotics to modulate the microbiome, and, consequently, prevent certain human diseases is foreseen.