Ingestion of Black Chokeberry Fruit Extract Leads to Intestinal and Systemic Changes in a Rat Model of Prediabetes and Hyperlipidemia

This report presents a complex analysis of changes proceeding in the gut, blood and internal organs of rats with induced oxidative stress, glucose intolerance and hyperlipidemia after dietary supplementation with an extract from black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruit, that is a condensed source of polyphenols (714 mg/g), especially anthocyanin glycosides (56.6%). The disturbances mimicking those observed in metabolic syndrome were induced by a high-fructose diet and simultaneous single injection of streptozotocin (20 mg/kg). Dietary supplementation with the chokeberry fruit extract (0.2%) decreased activity of maltase and sucrase as well as increased activity of lactase in the mucosa of the small intestine. Its ingestion led also to the improvement of antioxidant status, especially, the concentration of a lipid peroxidation indicator (TBARS) in organ tissues (liver, kidney and lung) was normalized; some cholesterol-lowering and distinct hypoglycemic actions were also observed. The mechanism of glucose reduction is likely to be multifactorial, and we suggest the factors related with the decreased activity of mucosal disaccharidases important for further investigation. In conclusion, chokeberry fruit derivatives may act as a promising supplementary therapeutic option in the prevention and treatment of disorders occurring in metabolic syndrome, as well as their complications.     

两系稻结实期胚乳和茎鞘非结构碳水化合物代谢活性的研究

选用不同类型的两系杂交稻, 研究结实期胚乳和茎、鞘非结构碳水化合物的代谢, 及其对灌浆结实的影响. 结果表明: 胚乳中ATPase和Q酶活性与灌浆结实密切相关; 胚乳中低含量可溶性糖表明了淀粉合成迅速. 茎鞘中高含量的可溶性糖是茎鞘碳水化合物代谢活跃的特征; 其可溶性糖含量与淀粉酶降解淀粉的活性显著相关; 茎鞘在由临时库     

Microbial activity in pig slurry-amended soils under semiarid conditions

Soil amendment with manures from intensive animal industries is nowadays a common practice that may favorably or adversely affect several soil properties, including soil microbial activity. In this work, the effect of consecutive annual additions of pig slurry (PS) at rates of 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 m³ ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ over a 4-year period on soil chemical properties and microbial activity was investigated and compared to that of an inorganic fertilization and a control (without amendment). Field plot experiment conducted under a continuous barley monoculture and semiarid conditions were used. Eight months after the fourth yearly PS and mineral fertilizer application (i.e. soon after the fourth barley harvest), surface soil samples (Ap horizon, 0-15 cm depth) from control and amended soils were collected and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), contents of total organic C, total N, available P and K, microbial biomass C, basal respiration and different enzymatic activities. The control soil had a slightly acidic pH (6.0), a small EC (0.07 dS m⁻¹), adequate levels of total N (1.2 g kg⁻¹) and available K (483 mg kg⁻¹) for barley growth, and small contents of total organic C (13.2 g kg⁻¹) and available P (52 mg kg⁻¹). With respect to the control and mineral fertilized soils, the PS-amended soils had greater pH values (around neutrality or slightly alkaline), electrical conductivities (still low) and contents of available P and K, and slightly larger total N contents. A significant decrease of total organic C was observed in soils amended at high slurry rate (12.3 g kg⁻¹). Compared with the control and mineral treatments, which produced almost similar results, the PS-amended soils were characterized by a higher microbial biomass C content (from 311 to 442 g kg⁻¹), microbial biomass C/total organic C ratio (from 2.3 to 3.6%) and dehydrogenase (from 35 to 173 μg INTF g⁻¹), catalase (from 5 to 24 μmol O₂ g⁻¹ min⁻¹), BAA-protease (from 0.7 to 1.9 μmol  g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and β-glucosidase (from 117 to 269 μmol PNP g⁻¹ h⁻¹) activities, similar basal respirations (from 48 to 77 μg C-CO₂ g⁻¹ d⁻¹) and urease activities (from 1.5 to 2.2 μmol  g⁻¹ h⁻¹), and smaller metabolic quotients (from 6.4 to 7.7 ng C-CO₂ μg⁻¹ biomass C h⁻¹) and phosphatese activities (from 374 to 159 μmol PNP g⁻¹ h⁻¹). For example, statistical analysis of experimental data showed that, with the exception of metabolic quotient and total organic C content, these effects generally increased with increasing cumulative amount of PS. In conclusion, cumulative PS application to soil over time under semiarid conditions may produce not only beneficial effects but also adverse effects on soil properties, such us the partial mineralization of soil organic C through extended microbial oxidation. Thus, PS should not be considered as a mature organic amendment and should be treated appropriately before it is applied to soil, so as to enhance its potential as a soil organic fertilizer.     

Community composition,diversity and metabolic footprints of soil nematodes in differently-aged temperate forests

Soil nematode communities can provide important information about soil food web structure and function. However, how soil nematode communities and their metabolic footprints change over time in temperate forests is not well known. We examined the changes in the composition, diversity and metabolic footprints of soil nematode communities in three differently-aged (young, mid and old) forests of the Changbai Mountains, China. Carbon flows through different nematode trophic groups were also quantified based on nematode biomasses. The results showed that the highest abundance and diversity of total nematodes was found in the mid forest. Nematode communities were characterized by the replenishment in abundance but not the replacement of dominant genera. A low enrichment footprint in the young forest suggests a decline in available prey, while a high enrichment footprint in the mid forest indicates an increase in resource entry into soil food web. The relationship between the carbon flows of omnivores-predators and fungivores was stronger than that among other trophic groups. Our study shows that bottom-up effects of the vegetation, the soil environment and the connectedness of nematode trophic groups are all important driving forces for nematode community structure in temperate forests.     

烟草内生真菌Penicillium janthinellum的代谢表型分析

为了研究烟草内生真菌P. janthinellum的代谢表型特征,本文利用 BIOLOG 细胞表型芯片技术,对烟草内生真菌的 950 种代谢表型进行了测定。结果表明,烟草内生真菌能够代谢101种碳源、304种氮源、8种磷源、1种硫源；能在高达10%氯化钠、6%氯化钾、5% 硫酸钠、20%乙二醇、6%甲酸钠、7%尿素、12% 乳酸钠、200 mmol/L磷酸钠、100 mmol/L硝酸钠、100 mmol/L 硫酸铵中均能较好的生长；其适应 pH 值范围为 5-10； pH为5.2时,20-200 mmol/L的苯甲酸钠中无法生存。     

妊娠期高血压疾病患者术前应用弹力绷带预防深静脉血栓的护理干预

目的探讨妊娠期高血压疾病患者术前应用弹力绷带对预防深静脉血栓形成（Deep vein thrombo-sis,DVT）的护理效果.方法将1 000例妊娠期高血压疾病患者随机分为对照组和实验组,每组各500例,对照组给予常规护理,实验组在常规护理基础上使用弹力绷带,比较两组术后护理效果.结果经过护理后,实验组2例发生DV...     

Influence of nighttime electrical conductivity of substrate solution on fruit cracking and blossom‐end rot of greenhouse tomato in the tropics

The influence of the electrical conductivity (EC) of the substrate solution during the night, i.e., moderately high EC (“HEC”, 3.0 dS m^–1, full solution) and low EC (“LEC”, 0.5 dS m^–1, CaCl₂ or Ca(NO₃)₂ and H₃BO₃), on the incidences of blossom‐end rot (BER) and fruit cracking (FC) in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was investigated and compared with a control without additional nighttime fertigation (NTF). In three consecutive experiments conducted in Central Thailand between November 2005 and March 2007, additional NTF cycles were applied for 1 h after the regular daytime fertigation (EC 1.5/1.8 dS m^–1, prior to/after the first harvest). In the first experiment (dry season 2005/06), two cultivars with either low (FMTT 260) or high (King Kong 2) susceptibility to BER and FC were used. The total amount of fruits affected by FC or BER was 4‐ and 10‐fold, respectively, higher in King Kong 2, but the relative response to NTF was similar in both cultivars. Therefore, in the following experiments only FMTT 260 was planted. In all experiments, NTF exerted significant effects on the uptake and allocation of water and mineral elements to the fruits and the proportions of fruits affected by BER and FC. The overall proportion of nonmarketable fruits was not significantly reduced, neither through LEC nor HEC because a decrease in BER by LEC and in FC by HEC was counteracted by enhanced FC in LEC and BER in HEC. It is concluded that under the tropical climate conditions of Central Thailand leading to high losses of marketable fruit yield through BER and FC, an integrated approach is required combining an optimized management of the fertigation system and particularly the selection of genotypes highly tolerant of BER and FC.     

The diet of adult psittacids: veterinarian and ethological approaches

Parrots species are kept as pets because of their colours, their vocal abilities, their longevity and also their behaviours. Nevertheless, many owners do not know how to feed their bird in a healthy way and sometimes veterinarians and ethologists are confronted to dramatic situations. Diet is a key factor to prevent and reduce health and psychogenic disorders. Imbalance can lead to physical, physiological and behavioural modifications that can weaken the owner–bird relationship, cause bird discomfort and sometimes threaten its survival. Psittacids are known for their complex cognitive and communicative abilities. They are social animals and need many interactions. Kept in captivity, they could suffer from boredom because of lack of stimulations and also because of lack of possibility to explore and to forage, which could represent up to 70% of their day time in the wild. Indeed, humans control every parameter in the environment of pet psittacids. They provide a highly digestible diet. In captivity, foraging is not mandatory, and the bird can get bored. Here, we present a review of the literature regarding the quality of the diet and health disorders on one hand and the interaction between foraging opportunities and psychogenic disorders in adult psittacids on the other hand.     

An object-oriented Bayesian network modeling the causes of leg disorders in finisher herds

The implementation of an effective control strategy against disease in a finisher herd requires knowledge regarding the disease level in the herd. A Bayesian network was constructed that can estimate risk indexes for three cause-categories of leg disorders in a finisher herd. The cause-categories of leg disorders were divided into infectious causes (arthritis caused by infectious pathogens), physical causes (e.g. fracture and claw lesions), and inherited causes (osteochondrosis). Information about the herd (e.g. the herd size, floor type and number of suppliers) and information about individual pigs (e.g. results from diagnostic tests) were used to estimate the most likely cause of leg disorders at herd level. As information to the model originated from two different levels, we used an object-oriented structure in order to ease the specification of the Bayesian network. Hence, a Herd class and a Pig class comprised the basic components of the object-oriented structure. The causal structure of the model was based on evidence from published literature. The conditional probabilities used in the model were elicited from experts within the field and from the published literature. To illustrate the behaviour of the model, we investigated the value of different levels of evidence in two fictitious herds with different herd characteristics related to the risk of leg disorders (e.g. purchase policy, production type and the stocking density in pens). The model enabled us to demonstrate the value of performing systematic collection of additional information (i.e. clinical, pathological and bacteriological examination) when identifying causes of leg disorders at herd level.