Profiles of sex steroids, fecundity and spawning of a migratory characiform fish from the Paraguay–Paraná basin: a comparative study in a three-river system

This study investigated for the first time the reproductive biology of Prochilodus lineatus in a system of rivers in southeastern Brasil, relating it to the role of tributary rivers in the reproductive success of this important commercial fish in the Upper Paraná River basin, where a cascade of hydroelectric dams were deployed. Specimens were caught bimonthly in three river sites: (S1) Grande River, downstream from the Porto Colômbia dam; (S2) Pardo River; and (S3) Mogi Guaçu River. Sex steroid plasma levels, fecundity, follicular atresia, oocyte diameter and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were compared among sites. In S1, fish exhibited changes in the reproductive parameters: lower GSI, oocyte diameter and fecundity and higher follicular atresia index, when compared to S2 and S3. Frequency of maturing fish was higher in S3 and spawning was only registered in S3. In sites S2 and S3, plasma concentrations of testosterone and 17β-estradiol in females and testosterone in males showed wide variations following gonadal maturation. Fish from S1 showed few significant variations in sex steroid concentrations throughout the gonadal cycle. These results indicate that P. lineatus does not reproduce in Grande River (S1), but probably uses the Pardo River (S2) as a migratory route towards the Mogi Guaçu River (S3) where they complete gonadal maturation and spawning. Our findings contribute for understanding the reproductive biology of P. lineatus and to highlight the importance of tributaries in impounded rivers as a favourable environment for migration and spawning of fish.     

A laboratory protocol for determining glucose and maximum ethanol production from wheat grain: application to a complete genetic set of near-isogenic waxy lines

A laboratory protocol was developed to assess glucose and ethanol yields from wheat. The impact of the analyzed wholemeal flour quantity and the saccharification on the amount of released glucose was estimated. The whole process including the analytical methods (glucose and ethanol) was repeatable and reproducible. This protocol was used to assess the glucose and ethanol yields of six varieties and of a complete set of hexaploid near-isogenic waxy lines of cv. Trémie grown in three locations. As compared to the normal line of Trémie, double null (AnBnD) and triple null (nAnBnD) isogenic lines showed a low Hagberg falling number (218, 65, and 63 s, respectively), a higher grain protein content (10.7, 11.5, and 12.1% DM, respectively), a lower glucose yield (728, 703, and 707 kg/t, respectively), and a lower ethanol yield (463, 453, and 452 L/t, respectively). These values indicate a strong involvement of alleles encoded at Wx-B1 and Wx-D1 loci in grain composition.     

Phytoextraction of Lead from Soil from a Battery Recycling Site: The Use of Citric Acid and NTA

Phytoextraction is a soil remediation technique involving plants that concentrate heavy metals in their shoots, which may be removed from the area by harvest. The application of synthetic chelants to soil increases metal solubility, and therefore enhances phytoextraction. However, synthetic chelants degrade poorly in soil, and metal leaching poses a threat to human and animal health. The aim of this study is to assess the use of two biodegradable chelants (citric acid and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)) for Pb phytoextraction by maize from a soil contaminated by battery-casing disposal. In order to assess the behavior of a non-degradable chelant, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was also included in the experiment. The chelants NTA and EDTA were applied to soil pots at rates of 0, 3, 5, 7, and 10 mmol kg^?1 of soil. The rates used to citric acid were 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 mmol kg^?1. Maize plants were grown for 72 days and chelants were applied 9 days before harvest. Soil samples were extracted with CaCl₂ to assess the Pb solubility after chelants application. The results showed that NTA was more efficient than citric acid to solubilize Pb from soil; however, citric acid promoted higher net removal of Pb (120 mg pot^?1) than NTA (57 mg pot^?1). Thus, the use of citric acid, a biodegradable organic acid, could be feasible for enhancing the phytoextraction of Pb from the site studied with no environmental constraints.     

Measurement of thyroid hormones (thyroxine, T4; triiodothyronine, T3) in captive nondomestic felids.

The aim of this research was to obtain basic values for the evaluation of thyroid function in nondomestic felids. Serum thyroid hormone concentrations (thyroxine, T4; triiodothyronine, T3) were measured by radioimmunoassay in 145 cats, representing nine species of captive nondomestic felids: jaguar (Panthera onca), n = 49; puma (Puma concolor), n = 10; ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), n = 22; oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), n = 12; geoffroy (Oncifelis geoffroyi), n = 4; jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), n = 8; margay (Leopardus wiedii), n = 7; lion (Panthera leo), n = 26; and tiger (Panthera tigris), n = 7. For each species, mean +/- SEM of T3 and T4, respectively, were as follows: jaguar, 0.56 +/- 0.03 and 9.7 +/- 0.8 ng/ml; puma, 0.67 +/- 0.04 and 11.2 +/- 1.2 ng/ml; ocelot, 0.48 +/- 0.03 and 13.8 +/- 1.5 ng/ml; oncilla, 0.43 +/- 0.03 and 10.0 +/- 1.6 ng/ml; geoffroy, 0.44 +/- 0.04 and 8.0 +/- 0.16 ng/ml; jaguarundi, 0.7 +/- 0.03 and 5.0 +/- 1.0 ng/ml; margay, 0.48 +/- 0.04 and 12.2 +/- 2.3 ng/ml; lion, 0.43 +/- 0.02 and 5.7 +/- 2.6 ng/ml; and tiger, 0.66 +/- 0.03 and 12.6 +/- 0.9 ng/ml. Within species, T3 and T4 concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) between males and females.     

Experimental study on the toxicity of imidacloprid given in syrup to honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Two groups of eight honey bee colonies were fed with two different concentrations of imidacloprid in saccharose syrup during summer (each colony was given 1 litre of saccharose syrup containing 0.5 microg litre(-1) or 5 microg litre(-1) of imidacloprid on 13 occasions). Their development and survival were followed in parallel with control hives (unfed or fed with saccharose syrup) until the end of the following winter. The parameters followed were: adult bee activity (number of bee entering the hive and pollen carrying activity), adult bee population level, capped brood area, frequency of parasitic and other diseases, mortality, number of frames with brood after wintering and a global score of colonies after wintering. The only parameters linked to feeding with imidacloprid-supplemented saccharose syrup when compared with feeding with non-supplemented syrup were: a statistically non-significant higher activity index of adult bees, a significantly higher frequency of pollen carrying during the feeding period and a larger number of capped brood cells. When imidacloprid was no longer applied, activity and pollen carrying were re-established at a similar level for all groups. Repeated feeding with syrup supplemented with imidacloprid did not provoke any immediate or any delayed mortality before, during or following the next winter, whereas such severe effects are described by several French bee keepers as a consequence of imidacloprid use for seed dressing in neighbouring cultures. In any case, during the whole study, mortality was very low in all groups, with no difference between imidacloprid-fed and control colonies. Further research should now address several hypotheses: the troubles described by bee keepers have causes other than imidacloprid; if such troubles are really due to this insecticide, they may only be observed either when bees consume contaminated pollen, when no other sources of food are available, in the presence of synergic factors (that still need to be identified), with some particular races of bees or when colonies are not strong and healthy.     

Brunst, Konzeption und Endometriumbefund von Rindern nach Zyklussynchronisation und Östrogenapplikation

Inhalt 39 Färsen und Kühen wurden 2 Tage nach Beendigung einer 18tägigen CAP-Medikation (tägl. 10 mg), d. h. 24 Stunden vor der Besamung, 5 mg Östradiolbenzoat intramuskulär appliziert. 42 zum gleichen Zeitpunkt brunstsynchronisierte Rinder blieben zur Kontrolle ohne zusätzliche Behandlung. Die Tiere mit Östrogenmedikation zeigten eine deutliche Verbesserung der äußeren Brunst (Psyche, Schleimabgang) und der inneren Brunstsymptome (Zervixöffnung, Proliferationsphase des Endometriums, Uteruskontraktion, Follikelreifung). Das Besamungsergebnis lag bei den östradiolbehandelten Tieren nach der Erstbesamung um 2,5 % und nach insgesamt 3 Besamungen um 10 % niedriger als bei den Kontrolltieren ohne Östrogenapplikation. Bei 6 Kühen wurde während der ersten Brunst nach der CAP-Medikation eine Uterusbiopsie vorgenommen. Dabei konnte festgestellt werden, daß sich das Endometrium in einer Sekretionsphase befand. Allerdings waren in einigen Lokalisationen Anzeichen der Proliferationsphase vorhanden. Contents 39 heifers and cows were treated intramuscularly with 5 mg. oestradiol benzoate 2 days after the completion of an 18 day course of CAP medication (10 mg. per day) and 24 hours before insemination. 42 cows at the same stage of the oestrous cycle served as untreated controls. The animals receiving oestrogen therapy showed a significant improvement both in the clinical signs of heat (behaviour and secretion of mucus), and in the internal signs (dilatation of the cervix, proliferative phase of endometrial epithelium, uterine contractions, maturation of the ovarian follicle). The success of insemination in the cows receiving oestrogens was only 2.5% lower than that of the controls after the first insemination and 10% lower after 3 inseminations. An endometrial biopsy was taken from 6 of the cows after the first heat following CAP therapy. This showed that the endometrium was in a secretory phase but in small areas there was evidence of proliferative activity.     

Buriti pulp oil did not improve high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders in c57bl/6 mice

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity are growing in many parts of the world, becoming public health problems. It is proposed that foods with functional properties can assist in the treatment of these diseases. Crude buriti pulp oil (BPO) is a food traditionally consumed by residents in the Pantanal, Cerrado and Brazilian Amazon. It is rich in oleic acid, tocopherols and carotenoids, emerging as a potential functional food. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of BPO on metabolic disorders caused by a high-fat diet. Four groups of C57BL6 mice were used, a lean group with AIN-93M diet and control oil supplementation, an obese group with a high-fat diet and control oil supplementation, and two obese groups with a high-fat diet and BPO supplementation in the amounts of 50 and 100 mg/kg. BPO worsened the metabolic state caused by the high-fat diet, worsening risk factors associated with MetS, as the abdominal circumference and retroperitoneal fat, serum levels of total cholesterol, uric acid, alanine transaminase, glucose and triglycerides, and renal fat, in addition to changes in glycaemic control and oxidative stress markers. C57BL/6 mice fed with a high-fat diet and supplemented with BPO presented a worsening in metabolic risk factors associated with MetS.     

Bats,pangolins, minks and other animals - villains or victims of SARS-CoV-2?

Veterinary Research Communications - Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute Respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has become unstoppable, spreading rapidly...     

Simultaneous determination of furanocoumarins in infusions and decoctions from "Carapiá" (dorstenia species) by high-performance liquid chromatography

The use of furanocoumarins, which are photosensitizing compounds, combined with exposure to UV-A radiation is a common treatment for vitiligo, psoriasis, and a number of other skin diseases. Although furanocoumarins plus UV-A treatment is highly effective, several studies have shown that exposure to high doses increases the risk to development of cutaneus carcinoma. Several Dorstenia species are used in folk medicine, mainly against skin diseases, because of the presence of biologically active compounds. We present here analysis of the chemical composition of furanocoumarins from infusion and decoction of "Carapiá" (Dorstenia species), which is used in Brazil against several diseases. We have employed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedures for the quantitative determination of psoralen, bergapten, and isopimpinellin. The contents of furanocoumarins revealed an insignificant difference between infusion and decoction. Dorstenia tubicina and D. asaroides contained psoralen and bergapten only in the rhizomes, whereas D. vitifolia shows solely isopimpinellin in both rhizomes and aerial parts.