Effects of aerobic and anaerobic fluid collection on biochemical analysis of peritoneal fluid in healthy horses and horses with colic

Objective: To determine whether in healthy horses and those with colic, exposure of peritoneal fluid to room air affects values obtained on biochemical analysis. Study Design: Prospective study. Animals: Adult horses with a primary complaint of acute abdominal pain (n=29) and 12 healthy horses. Methods: Peritoneal fluid was aseptically collected under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. After collection, pH, PCO₂, PO₂, HCO₃^?, Na⁺, ionized Ca²⁺, K⁺, lactate, and glucose were immediately measured using a commercial blood gas analyzer. Biochemical variables were compared between aerobically and anaerobically obtained samples using a paired t‐test. Results: In healthy horses, peritoneal fluid samples collected under anaerobic conditions had higher PCO₂ and ionized Ca²⁺ and lower PO₂, HCO₃^?, and pH compared with samples exposed to air. No differences were observed for K⁺, Na⁺, glucose, and lactate. In horses with colic, samples collected anaerobically had higher PCO₂, ionized Ca²⁺, Na⁺, and glucose and lower PO₂, HCO₃^?, and pH value compared with samples exposed to air. No differences were observed for K⁺ and lactate. Conclusion: Exposure of peritoneal fluid to room air had a significant effect on pH, PCO₂, PO₂, and variables associated or dependent on changes in pH such as HCO₃^? and ionized Ca²⁺. Interpretation of biochemical analysis of peritoneal fluid may be influenced by sample collection method.     

Effect of genetic characteristics and environmental factors on organosulfur compounds in garlic ( Allium sativum L.) grown in Andalusia, Spain

The content of organosulfur compounds was determined in selected garlic cultivars grown at four locations in Andalusia, Spain. The organosulfur compounds studied were three γ-glutamyl peptides, namely, γ-l-glutamyl-S-(2-propenyl)-l-cysteine (GSAC), γ-l-glutamyl-S-(trans-1-propenyl)-l-cysteine (GSPC), and γ-l-glutamyl-S-methyl-l-cysteine (GSMC), and four cysteine sulfoxides (alliin, isoalliin, methiin, and cycloalliin). There was a significant effect of the location, cultivar, and garlic ecotype on individual organosulfur compound contents. Purple-type cultivars showed on average the highest contents of GSMC, GSAC, alliin, and methiin but the lowest isoalliin content. The impact of genotype was relatively high for GSAC, whereas this factor hardly contributed to the total variability in alliin and isoalliin content. Planting date had a significant effect on the content of alliin and isoalliin. Discriminant analysis evidenced the ability of organosulfur compounds to distinguish among garlic bulbs from different locations or ecotypes with 81 or 86% accuracy, respectively.     

Comparison of Diclofenac Diethylamine Permeation Across Horse Skin from Five Commercial Medical Human Formulations

The aim of this study was to compare the penetration of diclofenac through horse skin in vitro and its efficacy in vivo when applied from five, commercially available, human medical formulations containing 1.16% diclofenac diethylamine. The rate of transdermal penetration of diclofenac varied between formulations. Also, estimated steady-state flux (Jss) was significantly different from that reported for human and rat skin. All the tested formulations produced a very weak and short-lasting antiedematous effect.     

Natural Fasciola hepatica infection in nutria (Myocastor coypus) in Uruguay

Fascioliasis, the zoonotic disease caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, is expanding worldwide, with a 17 million people at risk. Rodents, often recognized as a major source of zoonotic diseases, are affected by F. hepatica, with some species playing important roles in the disease epidemiology. The case reported here in a nutria or kiyá (Myocastor coypus) is the first documented case of F. hepatica in this species in Uruguay. Parasitic burden and total egg production detected are markedly higher than reported previously for this species, confirming its potential role as an effective reservoir and disseminator of liver flukes. Although further research is needed, nutria should be considered when designing effective control programs for fascioliasis.     

Variability in sesquiterpene lactones from the leaves of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) accessions of different geographic origin

The sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) content of glandular trichomes from the leaves of twenty-five yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius, Asteraceae) accessions, obtained along a latitudinal gradient from Ecuador to northwest Argentina, was characterized by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). While accessions from Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina proved to be very chemoconsistent, significant variation was found in quantitative composition of STLs from accessions in central Peru, the probable region of origin for the species.     

Changes in Phenolic Compounds in Garlic (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium sativum</Emphasis> L.) Owing to the Cultivar and Location of Growth

The contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were determined in selected garlic cultivars grown at four locations. The total phenolic content varied from 3.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dry matter (dm) to 10.8 mg GAE/g of dm with a mean value of 6.5 mg GAE/g of dm. The myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin flavonoids were not detected in any of the samples. Caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the major phenolic acids found with mean values of 2.9 mg/kg of dm and 2.6 mg/kg of dm, respectively. The mean contents of vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids were comparable (0.4–0.8 mg/kg of dm), and the level of sinapic acid was negligible (< 0.1 mg/kg of dm). There was a significant effect of location but an insignificant effect of genotype on contents of caffeic, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids. However, genotype but not location affected the contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid. On average, the white garlic cultivars and Chinese garlic cultivars contained higher contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid than the purple garlic cultivars. However, the differences in the total phenolic content between the purple and white garlic cultivars were not significant.     

Vitamin content and amino acid composition of pickled garlic processed with and without fermentation

The effect of processing, with and without fermentation, upon the nutritional composition of pickled garlic was evaluated. On a dry basis, the fermented product had a higher content of riboflavin, alpha-tocopherol, and most individual amino acids but a lower thiamin level than the unfermented product. Ascorbic acid was totally lost during processing. The chemical scores for the unfermented and fermented product were 88 and 108%, respectively, with the limiting amino acid being leucine. Water blanching (90 degrees C for 4 min) affected only the ascorbic acid content, whereas fermentation significantly affected the contents of thiamin, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol, as well as glutamic acid and arginine. For each processing type, the effect of the preservation method and storage time on vitamins and amino acid composition was also analyzed. In the case of the fermented product, usage of the corresponding fermentation brine plus refrigerated storage was also assayed as the packing/preservation method and was found to give the best result from a nutritional standpoint.     

A comparative survey of recent results on humic-like fractions in organic amendments and effects on native soil humic substances

The main scope of the wide use of organic amendments of various origin and nature in modern agriculture is to increase and/or restore the organic matter content in organically poor or depleted soils in order to maintain and/or increase crop production and reduce soil exposure to degradation, erosion, desertification and pollution. The agronomically efficient and environmentally safe use of any organic amendment requires, however, an adequate control not only of the chemical quality of the humic substance (HS)-like fractions contained, which is an important indicator of the maturity and stability achieved by organic matter in the amendment, but also of the effects that these HS may have on native soil HS. In this review, the most recent results obtained on this topic by the research groups operating in Bari, Italy, and in Madrid, Spain, are discussed comparatively with results recently published by other research groups. Overall, HS-like components of organic amendments are characterized by higher aliphatic character and molecular heterogeneity, lower contents of O, acidic functional groups and organic free radicals, and lower degrees of aromatic ring polycondensation, polymerization and humification than native soil HS. These differences are less evident for composted materials. The composition, structure and functionalities of HS in amended soils may be affected in different ways and at various extents on dependence of the nature, origin and rate of amendment. In general, these properties are intermediate between those of the unamended soil HS and the HS-like fractions in the amendment, but generally resemble more the former than the latter, especially with increasing time after amendment application.