Microwave heating of tea residue yields polysaccharides, polyphenols, and plant biopolyester

Microwave heating was used to produce aqueous-soluble components from green, oolong, and black tea residues. Heating at 200-230 degrees C for 2 min extracted 40-50% of polysaccharides and 60-70% of the polyphenols. Solubilization of arabinose and galactose by autohydrolysis occurred with heating above 170 degrees C, whereas heating above 200 degrees C was necessary to solubilize xylose. Catechins were soluble in water by heating at low temperature (110 degrees C); however, new polyphenols having strong antioxidant activity were produced above 200 degrees C. The amount of solubilized materials and antioxidant activity increased with increased fermentation of harvested tea leaves (green tea < oolong tea < black tea). Cutin, a plant biopolyester, remained in the residue after heating as did cellulose and lignin/tannin. The predominant cutin monomer that was recovered was 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, followed by dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid and 9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic acid.     

Characteristics of an aminopeptidase from Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen

A peptidase from Japanese cedar pollen, Jc-peptidase, was clarified to preferentially hydrolyze an MCA substrate of Phe-MCA (L-phenylalanyl-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide). This study examined substrate specificities of Jc-peptidase using oligopeptides. Jc-peptidase hydrolyzed Phe-Phe and Tyr-Phe effectively and hydrolyzed Leu-Phe, Met-Phe, and Arg-Phe moderately. Other substrates such as Ala-Phe, Asp-Phe, and Pro-Phe were not hydrolyzed with the peptidase. Results obtained with a series of aminoacyl-Phe peptides were compatible with the facts obtained for MCA substrates except for Arg-MCA. Effects of amino acid residues in the P1' position were also examined using Phe-amino acids. An N-terminal phenylalanine residue was actually released from bioactive peptides such as molluscan cardioexcitatory neuropeptide (FMRF-NH(2)). Because the activity was inhibited with Zn(2+) and EDTA, Jc-peptidase was inferred to belong to the metalloproteases. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined to be APIGVQLEIEENYVHMYNGF and an internal sequence to be EIFAATFNVDEETEA, but no homology with other proteins was found.     

Optimum dietary taurine level in casein-based diet for juvenile red sea bream Pagrus major

ABSTRACT:   This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary taurine and cholyltaurine (C-tau) on growth and body composition of juvenile red sea bream Pagrus major . Semi-purified casein-based diets supplemented with 0 (control diet), 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7% taurine and 0.5% C-tau were fed to red sea bream (average body weight 4.7 g) for 6 weeks at 20°C. The growth and feed efficiency were the lowest in fish fed the control diet. Taurine supplementation improved the growth and feed efficiency of fish dose-dependently, and the taurine requirement was estimated as 0.52% in terms of optimizing growth and 0.48% in terms of optimizing feed efficiency. Taurine content in the whole body and liver increased with the dietary taurine level. Supplemental C-tau at the 0.5% level had limited effects on the growth and no effect on body taurine, biliary bile salt and liver fat contents. From these results it can be inferred that the optimal dietary taurine requirement of juvenile red sea bream is 0.5% on a dry weight basis, and that the supplementation of taurine in the diet not only improves the growth but also increases hepatic lipid levels of red sea bream juveniles.     

Histomorphometric analysis of the proximal portion of the femur in dogs with osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE: To describe cancellous architecture of the proximal portion of the femur in dogs with osteoarthritis. ANIMALS: 30 dogs with coxofemoral osteoarthritis. PROCEDURE: All dogs had femoral head and neck excision or total hip arthroplasty. Histomorphometry software was used to analyze computer images of 100-microm-thick coronal and transverse plane sections of the head and neck of the femur. Histologic preparations of coronal and transverse sections of articular cartilage were graded. RESULTS: Bone volume/total volume, trabecular thickness, trabecular number, and bone surface/total volume were significantly higher in the femoral head than femoral neck. Trabecular alignment (anisotropy) and separation were significantly higher in the femoral neck than femoral head. Anisotropy was significantly increased in the medial portion of the femoral head in the coronal plane and in the cranial portion of the femoral neck in the transverse plane, compared with healthy dogs. The medial half of femoral head cartilage that overlies the proximomedial cancellous bone region had significantly more degraded cartilage than the lateral half. Histologic grades for cranial and caudal halves of femoral head articular cartilage were similar. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Most findings were similar to those in healthy dogs. Greater trabecular alignment in the proximomedial region of the femoral head and craniolateral region of the femoral neck in dogs with osteoarthritis suggests an altered transfer of load through the coxofemoral joint. Greater cartilage degradation on the medial half of the femoral head supports an association between increased trabecular alignment and cartilage degradation.     

Effect of rates and sources of nitrogen on rice yield,nitrogen efficiency,and methane emission from irrigated rice cultivation

The agronomic benefits of manure application to increase rice production have been recognized, but the impact on global change has always been a controversial topic. This study was designed to determine the separate and combined effects of cattle manure (CM) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on rice yield, N efficiency, and methane (CH₄) emissions from rice cultivation. A pot-scale experiment was conducted with four levels (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg ha^?1) of N from urea and two levels (120 and 180 kg ha^?1) of N from combination of urea and CM (Urea:CM = 60:60 and 60:120). Rice yield and physiological N efficiency were obtained using agronomic measurements. To determine the global warming potential (GWP) of each treatment, CH₄ emissions were measured throughout the rice-growing period. Grain yield (GY) was not significantly different between the treatments of 120 and 180 kg ha^?1 regardless of N source. However, both rates of CM treatments enhanced CH₄ emission and differences in GWP were significant. In conclusion, urea applied at 120 kg N ha^?1 was optimal for rice productivity and environmental impact (EI) despite CM played a crucial role in improving the N efficiency and total N in the soil after harvest.     

Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of pituitary posterior lobe displacement in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism

The displacement and signal intensity (SI) of the pituitary posterior lobe were evaluated on T1 weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images in 28 dogs with pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). Compared with normal dogs, the posterior lobe was displaced dorsally in the pituitary of the PDH dogs. Correlation between the pituitary height/brain area (P/B) ratio and the displacement of the posterior lobe in the PDH dogs suggests that dorsal displacement of the posterior lobe increases in accordance with enlargement of the pituitary. As to the SI of the posterior lobe, the PDH dogs showed significantly lower SI in comparison to the normal dogs. Taken together, these results suggest that assessment of the displacement and SI of the posterior lobe of the pituitary on T1-weighted MR images is useful for the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma. In pituitary microadenoma that presents no apparent tumorigenesis on MRI, evaluation of these values may be useful for diagnosis and selection of an appropriate therapy.     

Astaxanthin Z-isomer-rich diets enhance egg yolk pigmentation in laying hens compared to that in all-E-isomer-rich diets

The effects of feeding diets containing astaxanthin with different Z-isomer ratios to laying hens on egg qualities, such as astaxanthin concentration in egg yolk and yolk color, were investigated. As the astaxanthin source, a natural microorganism Paracoccus carotinifaciens was used. Astaxanthin with different Z-isomer ratios was prepared by thermal treatment with different conditions and then added to the basal diet at a final astaxanthin concentration of 8 mg/kg. We found that, as the Z-isomer ratios of astaxanthin in the diet increased, the astaxanthin concentration in egg yolk and the yolk color fan score also increased significantly. Importantly, feeding a 50.6% Z-isomer ratio diet increased astaxanthin concentration in egg yolk by approximately fivefold and the color fan score by approximately 2 compared to that in hens fed an all-E-isomer-rich diet. Moreover, we showed that feeding Z-isomer-rich astaxanthin to laying hens increased plasma astaxanthin concentration by more than five times in comparison to that in hens fed an all-E-isomer-rich diet. These results indicate that Z-isomers of astaxanthin have higher bioavailability than that of the all-E-isomer and thus they exhibit greater egg yolk-accumulation efficiency.     

Generation of anti‐porcine CD69 monoclonal antibodies and their usefulness to evaluate early activation of cellular immunity by flow cytometric analysis

T cell‐mediated cellular immunity and humoral immunity are equally important for the prevention of diseases. To assess activation of human and mouse cellular immunity, early activation markers of lymphocytes are often used in flow cytometry targeting expression of CD69 molecules. Response of humoral immunity against infection or vaccination has been well investigated in pigs, but that of cellular immunity has been largely neglected due to lack of direct evaluation tools. Thus, in pig research a proper assay of antibody reacted with porcine CD69 is still unavailable. In the present study, two anti‐porcine CD69 mAb‐producing mouse hybridomas, 01‐14‐22‐51 (IgG2b–κ) and 01‐22‐44‐102 (IgG2a–κ), both showing fine reactivity with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) and ionomycin‐stimulated porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes in flow cytometry, were established. When porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes were activated with PMA and ionomycin and analyzed by flow cytometry, it was found that both mAbs generated in this study stained about 70% of lymphocytes. In contrast, after an identical procedure, only 5% and 13.5% of lymphocytes were stained with anti‐interferon‐γ mAb and anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐α mAb, respectively. These results indicate that evaluation of cellular immunity activation turns more sensitive after using our newly generated mAbs.     

Metagenomic profiles of the rumen microbiota during the transition period in low‐yield and high‐yield dairy cows

We investigated potential relationships between rumen microbiota and milk production in dairy cows during the transition period. Twelve dairy cows were divided into a low‐yield (LY) or high‐yield (HY) group based on their milk yield. Rumen samples were taken from dairy cows at 3 weeks before parturition, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after parturition. 16S rDNA‐based metagenomic analysis showed that diversities of rumen microbiota in both groups were similar and the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was lower in the postpartum than prepartum period in both groups. The abundance of Bacteroidetes and ratio of Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes was higher in the HY than the LY group. OTUs assigned to Prevotella bryantii, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Succinivibrio sp. were abundant in the HY group. These OTUs were significantly related to the propionate molar proportion of rumen fluids in the HY group. OTUs assigned to Lachnospiraceae, Bifidobacterium sp. and Saccharofermentans were dominant in the LY group. Predictive functional profiling revealed that abundance of gene families involved in amino acid and vitamin metabolism was higher in the HY than the LY group. These results suggest that the community structure and fermentation products of rumen microbiota could be associated with milk production of dairy cows.     

Myostatin inhibits differentiation of bovine preadipocyte

We investigated the effect of myostatin on the differentiation of bovine preadipocyte. Stromal-vascular cells containing preadipocytes were prepared from perirenal adipose tissue of approximately 30-month-old Japanese Black steers. After confluence, the differentiation was induced by 1-methyl-3-isobutyl-xanthine, dexamethasone, insulin, and troglitasone for 2 days, and then subsequently cultured for 6 days. The cells were treated with myostatin during the induction of differentiation (the early phase of differentiation) or throughout the differentiation period. We measured the terminal differentiation markers such as glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, lipid accumulation, and the expression of adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein mRNA at the end of cultures. The treatment with myostatin throughout the differentiation period severely suppressed the induction of all differentiation markers. The treatment with myostatin in the early phase of differentiation also suppressed the induction of terminal differentiation markers but three-fold higher dose of myostatin was required for the suppression compared with its treatment throughout the differentiation period. Myostatin treatment reduced the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma mRNA and interfered with the induction of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) alpha mRNA. We also observed that follistatin stimulates preadipocyte differentiation in the presence of myostatin. These results suggest that myostatin inhibits bovine preadiopocyte differentiation through suppressing PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha mRNA expressions and that follistatin counteracts the suppressive effect of myostatin.