Role of flavanols in yellowing beech trees of the Black Forest

Beech leaves were sampled at the end of a prolonged hot dry period at a tree decline site in the Black Forest, Germany to investigate the potential role of flavanols in defense mechanisms against environmental stress. Green and yellowing leaves were harvested from the uppermost canopy of trees that were more than 200 years old and 30 m high. Yellowing leaves had a 7.4-fold higher concentration of total flavanols than green leaves. Green leaves contained flavanol inclusions, but during yellowing the inclusions disintegrated and the cells became filled with flavanols. Abscisic acid (ABA) stimulated the release of flavanols from intravacuolar inclusions of leaf petioles and flower pedicels. In addition, ABA caused flavanols to leach from the trichomes of beech galls. The antioxidative potential of leaf extracts, as estimated by indoleacetic acid (IAA) oxidation, was significantly higher in yellowing leaves than in green leaves. In vitro experiments revealed that (+)-catechin promoted growth of beech tissue.     

Isotope-dilution technique for determination of endogenous faecal excretion and true absorption of iodine in 125I labelled rats

Introduction In studies on the quantitative mineral metabolism the separation of total faecal mineral excretion into the fraction of dietary and of endogenous origin is often a methodical barrier. Both components cannot be distinguished by standard chemical procedures. But their separation is essential to the quantification of the mineral flux from the diet into the organism and back from tissues into the faecal excretion as it is necessary for example to quantify the bioavailability of dietary mineral sources (K irchgessner et al. 1993). For this purpose, the use of isotopes is an appropriate means. During the last decades, several techniques employing radioactive or stable isotopes have been developed, e.g. the ‘comparative balance method’, the ‘dual tracer’ or ‘double isotope’ technique, methods based on computerized ‘compartment analysis’ and the ‘isotope-dilution technique’ (e.g. A ubert et al. 1963; T hompson 1965; B elshaw et al. 1974; G ibson et al. 1988). Among these methods, the isotope-dilution technique, in particular, comprises direct and quantitative measurements of mineral fluxes and provides robust estimates of endogenous faecal excretions as has been shown for a series of macrominerals and trace elements (W eigand and K irchgessner 1976a,b; W eigand et al. 1986a,b; K reuzer and K irchgessner 1991; R euber et al. 1993; K irchgessner et al. 1994; W indisch and K irchgessner 1994; W indisch et al. 1997; G abler et al. 1997). For iodine however, there is no appropriate isotope method available. Therefore, the present experiment was designed to establish the isotope-dilution technique for iodine. The isotope-dilution technique is based on a single parenteral injection or a long-term oral administration of the tracer (W indisch and K irchgessner 1994). After the labelling procedure, all tracer that appears in the faeces is of endogenous origin. The calculation from the quantity of tracer recovered in the faeces to the total amount of endogenous faecal excretion of the respective element is performed by the use of a reference tissue from which the endogenous excretion originates or which is at least in very close physiological relationship to the endogenous excretion. Using ¹²⁵I as tracer the total amount of endogenous faecal iodine is calculated as follows: Endogenous faecal iodine (ng/day) = A_faeces/SA_{reference tissue}A_faeces = ¹²⁵I activity in the faeces (Bq/day)SA_{reference tissue} = specific ¹²⁵I activity of the reference tissue (Bq ¹²⁵I per ng of total iodine)True absorption of dietary iodine (ng/day) = Iodine intake – iodine in faeces (total – endogenous)In total, the present methodological study had to focus on two major aspects. Since the administered tracer needs time to reach steady-state kinetics within the excretory pool of iodine it was to be clarified at first, from which day after a single ¹²⁵I administration does the faecal ¹²⁵I excretion correctly represent the total endogenous excretion quantitatively. Secondly, it had to be clarified which tissue or body fluid may be used as a proper reference source to quantify the endogenous faecal excretion and thus to calculate true absorption of iodine.     

Homeostatic adjustments of iodine metabolism and tissue iodine to widely varying iodine supply in 125I labeled rats

Introduction   The homeostatic regulation of nutrient flow through the body is a fundamental ability of living organisms and has been shown to be active also in the case of several trace elements (K irchgessner 1993; K irchgessner et al. 1997). The basic function of homeostasis is to maintain the body's internal status of the trace elements within physiologically tolerable margins by controlling at least one of the major trace element fluxes: the true absorption of the trace elements from the diet into the body, the reflux from the body into the faeces (endogenous faecal excretion), and the urinary excretion. Furthermore iodine may be a candidate to homeostatic regulation since dietary iodine contents may vary over a wide range and it may be important to the organism to maintain a constant internal status also of this essential trace element. However, quantitative iodine balance measurements are hardly available from the literature and thus knowledge about the existence of iodine homeostasis and its mode of action is still fragmentary. An additional problem also was the lack of appropriate methods to quantify true absorption and endogenous faecal excretion of iodine. However, a recent study has overcome this methodological barrier by adapting the isotope-dilution technique to iodine (W indisch et al. 1999). Therefore, the aim of the present experiment was to quantify possible homeostatic adaptations of iodine metabolism to dietary iodine ranging from deficient to excessive supplies and to measure the interactions to tissue iodine.     

Forage systems for cow-calf production in the Appalachian region

Small cow-calf operations are common in the Appalachian region. Tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S. J. Darbyshire] is the dominant forage in these systems for direct grazing as well as for stockpiling. The present study was conducted from 2001 to 2005. A total of 108 Angus and Angus crossbred cows were allotted randomly to 6 forage systems and then to 3 replicates within each system. In brief, system 1 had a stocking rate of 0.91 ha/cow in a Middleburg 3-paddock (A, B, and C) system. System 2 was similar to system 1 except for a stocking rate of 0.71 ha/cow. A stocking rate of 0.71 ha/cow also was used in systems 3 through 6. All A paddocks had tall fescue, whereas B paddocks had tall fescue/white clover (Trifolium repens L.) except in system 6, which had tall fescue/lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don]. System 3 evaluated a 2-paddock (A and B) rotational grazing system, and system 4 evaluated a 3-paddock (A, B, and C) rotational grazing system, with paddock C containing orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Systems 5 and 6 differed from system 2 in the areas of paddocks B and C as well as in the forage mixtures used. In paddock C, system 5 had switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and system 6 had tall fescue and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). System 1 had the greatest average herbage availability from weaning until breeding (P < 0.05) with the least amount of hay fed (P = 0.03) when compared with the remainder of the systems. Differences (P > 0.05) in percentage of ground cover were not detected among systems. There was no year x system interaction effect on the cow or calf performance variables evaluated and no treatment effect on cow performance variables. There was a treatment effect on calf performance variables. System 2 produced the greatest adjusted weaning weight, kilograms of calf weaned per hectare, and kilograms of calf per kilograms of cow at weaning (P < 0.05). Numerical ranking for total calf production per hectare from the greatest to least was system 2, 6, 3, 5, 4, and 1. Systems evaluated did not affect cow performance although differences in calf performance and overall productivity of the systems were observed.