Effects of brine salting with regard to raw material variation of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) muscle investigated by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy

Atlantic salmon fillets differing with regard to raw material characteristics (prerigor, postrigor, frozen/thawed) and salt content were investigated by FT-IR microspectroscopy and light microscopy. Local variation within each salmon fillet was further taken into account by sampling from the head and tail part separately as they vary in fat and moisture content. The highest salt uptake was achieved for frozen/thawed quality during brine-salting with 16% NaCl for 4 h, while the uptake was least for prerigor fish. At the same time, salting caused muscle fiber swelling of about 10% for both frozen/thawed and postrigor qualities. Differences in the FT-IR amide I spectral region were observed implying a change in the muscle protein secondary structure. Prerigor was least affected by brine-salting, having a final salt concentration of 2.2%, while postrigor had a NaCl content of 3.0% and frozen/thawed of 4.1%. Local variation within the fillets had an effect on the amide I absorption characteristics before as well as after salting. Salt uptake of the samples was affected by raw material quality and at the same time the degree of swelling of the myofibers was influenced by raw material character.     

Permanence of soil surface crusts on abandoned farmland in the Central Ebro Basin/Spain

Surface crusts are frequently found on fallow land in the semi-arid Ebro Basin (Spain) and are an important factor in land degradation. Soil surface sealing leads to a decrease in infiltration rates and a consequent increase in runoff, thereby accelerating sheet wash and rill erosion. Thin sections were used to analyse the development and structures of the different crusts found across the ridge/furrow field pattern. Rainfall simulations experiments and infiltration measurements show the runoff generation and the soil erosion rates on the crusts. The spatial distribution of crusts was documented using large-scale aerial photographs, taken from a remote-controlled hot air blimp.     

Characterization of Acidovorax citrulli strains isolated from solanaceous plants

Acidovorax citrulli is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch disease of cucurbits. Strains of this pathogen are distributed into two major groups: Group I strains have been mainly isolated from melon and other non-watermelon cucurbits, while Group II strains have been mainly recovered from watermelon. Here we report the characterization of strains T1 and EP isolated from diseased tomato and eggplant plants, respectively, and further confirmed to belong to A. citrulli species. Based on PCR, PFGE, and rep-PCR, these strains showed high similarity to the Group II strain 7a1. Sequencing and comparative analyses revealed that the genomes of T1 and EP aligned with that of the Group II model strain AAC00-1, over 97.88% and 99.22%, respectively. The virulence of T1, EP, and 7a1 determined on tomato, eggplant, and watermelon was similar and significantly higher than that of Group I strain M6. In contrast, M6 was more virulent on melon. Expression levels of seven virulence genes measured 24 hr after inoculation of tomato, eggplant, watermelon, and melon showed that the expression pattern was generally similar in strains 7a1, T1, and EP, whereas for M6 the expression was high only on melon. Overall, our results indicate that the solanaceous strains belong to Group II. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports characterization of A. citrulli strains isolated from solanaceous species. The fact that A. citrulli is able to naturally colonize and cause disease in non-cucurbit crops poses additional challenges for management of this important pathogen.     

Gingival thickness in dogs: association with age, gender, and dental arch location

Reduced gingival thickness is one of many factors that might predispose humans to periodontal disease and subsequent gingival recession. Gingival thickness differs between individuals, and is associated with age, gender, and location on the dental arch. Different gingival phenotypes exist in the human population according to the thickness of gingiva. Similar information on gingival phenotypes in dogs is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the thickness of the gingiva in dogs and its relation to age, gender and location on the dental arch. For this study, 48 dogs of comparable size (40-cm at withers) were divided into three groups according to their age as follows: < 2-years of age; 2 to 8-years of age; > 8-years of age. Gingival thickness was measured in both the mandible and maxilla using a transgingival probing technique. The graded probe was inserted midway into the attached gingiva at the level of each tooth class region. Young and middle aged dogs had significantly thicker gingiva (1.67 +/- 0.17 mm and 1.68 +/- 0.18 mm, respectively) compared with older dogs (1.54 +/- 0.16 mm). There was no significant difference in gingival thickness based on location or gender Generally, the gingiva was thicker at the level of large teeth such as canine and carnassial teeth. Regions of thinner gingiva at the level of incisor and premolar teeth correlated with the regions of highest prevalence of periodontal disease found in previous studies.     

Humoral immune response to avian influenza vaccination over a six-month period in different species of captive wild birds

In December 2005, the four major Swiss zoos carried out the vaccination of selected zoo birds with the adjuvant inactivated vaccine H5N2 Nobilis influenza. Pre- and post-vaccination antibody titers were determined either by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test (non-Galliformes) or by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Galliformes) at Week 0, 5, 10, and 26 (Day 0-1, 35-36, 70-71, and 182 respectively) to determine the humoral immune response to H5 antigen. After the first vaccination, the overall geometric mean titer of non-Galliformes was 65 (n = 142), which increased to 187 (n = 139) after booster vaccination and dropped to 74 (n = 65) six months after first vaccination. For the Galliformes group, the mean titers were found to be 2.09 at Week 5 (n = 119), 3.24 at Week 10 (n = 113), and 1.20 at Week 26 (n = 39). Within the non-Galliformes, significant differences in geometric mean titers were found among different species representatives. In general, the flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) showed a strong response to vaccination, reaching a geometric mean titer of 659 at Week 10, while the Sphenisciformes did not show high antibody titers even after booster vaccination, reaching a maximum geometric mean titer of only 65. Based on the antibody titer profiles of all investigated species, we recommend at least annual revaccination for the species that we investigated.     

Acrosomal and viability status of bovine spermatozoa evaluated by two staining methods

Artificial insemination with frozen-thawed spermatozoa is commonly used in cattle breeding. A simple and fast procedure is needed for routine evaluation of the acrosomal status of frozen-thawed bovine sperm. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test two staining procedures used to determine the viability and integrity of acrosome of frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa. Double staining and Hoechst/FITC-Pisum sativum agglutinin (FITC-PSA) labelling were tested for evaluating the viability and acrosome reaction induced by calcium ionophore of bull spermatozoa. In our experiments no significant differences were detected in the frequency of acrosome-reacted sperm either by double staining (37.98%) or by FITC-PSA labelling (39.33%). The viability of sperm stained by the double staining method was 67.17%, and a higher portion of viable sperm (82.67%) was observed by staining with the Hoechst procedure (P < 0.01). On the basis of the results obtained it is concluded that both methods can be used for detecting the acrosome reaction of frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa.     

Clinical observations on the use of the muscle relaxant rocuronium bromide in the dog

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium bromide (rocuronium) in eighty dogs anaesthetised for a variety of surgical procedures. Rocuronium 0.3 or 0.6 mg/kg (G03 and G06) was administered intravenously (IV) and neuromuscular function was monitored with an acceleromyograph. Lag time (LT) was >1 min in both groups. Onset time (OT) was 2+/-0.9 and 1.1+/-0.6 min in the groups given 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg, respectively. There was a significantly longer time of action with 0.6 mg/kg in contrast to 0.3 mg/kg rocuronium. Time of no response (TonR) was 9.1+/-4.9-16.9+/-6.1 min in the groups given 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg, respectively. The time from the end of injection until 25% recovery of the first twitch from the baseline value (T1(25)) was 13.8+/-5.5 and 22.3+/-6.7 min in the groups given 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg, respectively. T1(25-75) was similar in both groups. Total recovery to baseline values was achieved in 23.8+/-6.6 and 31.9+/-6.5 min in the groups given 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg, respectively (P<0.05). Premedication, maintenance agent, body position and stimulation site had no significant influence on the pharmacodynamic parameters in both groups. It was concluded that rocuronium is an effective non-depolarising muscle relaxant in the dog under clinical conditions.     

Observations on the muscle relaxant rocuronium bromide in the horse--a dose-response study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the onset and duration of neuromuscular blockade of rocuronium bromide and its associated haemodynamic effects at three doses in healthy horses. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized experimental study. ANIMALS: Seven adult horses aged 3-20 (mean 10.3) years and weighing 466 +/- 44 (mean +/- SD) kg. METHODS: Horses were anaesthetized three times with at least 2 weeks between. They were pre-medicated with 0.6 mg kg(-1) xylazine and 0.01 mg kg(-1) butorphanol i.v.. Anaesthesia was induced with 2.2 mg kg(-1) ketamine and 0.1 mg kg(-1) diazepam i.v.. Following orotracheal intubation anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in 100% oxygen. Intermittent positive pressure ventilation was initiated and the horses were ventilated at a respiratory rate (fr) of 4-8 breaths minute(-1). Neuromuscular function was monitored with an acceleromyograph. The peroneal nerve was stimulated with train-of-four (TOF) mode at 2 Hz every 15 seconds. Each horse received, in randomly assigned order, one of the three doses of rocuronium: 0.2 mg kg(-1) (D02), 0.4 mg kg(-1) (D04) or 0.6 mg kg(-1) (D06) i.v.. Lag time, onset time, time of no response, duration of action and the TOF ratio 0.7 and 0.9 were measured. Recovery time (T1(25-75)) was calculated. Vital parameters were recorded at 5-minute intervals on a standard anaesthetic record form. RESULTS: Rocuronium produced a dose-dependent duration of action in isoflurane-anaesthetized horses. 100% block was observed in D04 and D06 but not in D02, in which the maximum decrease of the first twitch of TOF attained was 91.5 +/- 16.5%. Time to T1(25) was 13.1 +/- 5.5 minutes, 38.6 +/- 10.1 minutes and 55 +/- 9.8 minutes in D02, D04 and D06 respectively. There was a significantly shorter time for TOFR 0.9 with 0.2 mg kg(-1) compared with 0.4 and 0.6 mg kg(-1) rocuronium. T1(25-75) in D04 and D6 was not statistically significantly different. Heart rate, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure increased slightly during the observation period. CONCLUSION: Rocuronium is an effective nondepolarizing muscle relaxant in horses under isoflurane anaesthesia. It had a dose-dependent onset and duration of action. Rocuronium did not produce significant changes in the measured cardiovascular parameters.     

Immune Status and Hepatic Antioxidant Capacity of Gilthead Seabream Sparus aurata Juveniles Fed Yeast and Microalga Derived β-glucans

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with β-glucans extracted from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and microalga (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) on gene expression, oxidative stress biomarkers and plasma immune parameters in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) juveniles. A practical commercial diet was used as the control (CTRL), and three others based on CTRL were further supplemented with different β-glucan extracts. One was derived from S. cerevisiae (diet MG) and two different extracts of 21% and 37% P. tricornutum-derived β-glucans (defined as Phaeo21 and Phaeo37), to give a final 0.06% β-glucan dietary concentration. Quadruplicate groups of 95 gilthead seabream (initial body weight: 4.1 ± 0.1 g) were fed to satiation three times a day for 8 weeks in a pulse-feeding regimen, with experimental diets intercalated with the CTRL dietary treatment every 2 weeks. After 8 weeks of feeding, all groups showed equal growth performance and no changes were found in plasma innate immune status. Nonetheless, fish groups fed β-glucans supplemented diets showed an improved anti-oxidant status compared to those fed CTRL at both sampling points (i.e., 2 and 8 weeks). The intestinal gene expression analysis highlighted the immunomodulatory role of Phaeo37 diet after 8 weeks, inducing an immune tolerance effect in gilthead seabream intestine, and a general down-regulation of immune-related gene expression. In conclusion, the results suggest that the dietary pulse administration of a P. tricornutum 37% enriched-β-glucans extract might be used as a counter-measure in a context of gut inflammation, due to its immune-tolerant and anti-oxidative effects.