Combined effect of apigenin and ferulic acid on frozen‐thawed boar sperm quality

The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the cryoprotective effect of apigenin (AP) and ferulic acid (FA) on boar sperm during cryopreservation. AP and FA were both demonstrated to be high‐efficiency antioxidants and had not previously been used to protect sperm from cryodamage. As boar sperm is sensitive to oxidative stress, suitable antioxidants are still needed for improving frozen‐thawed sperm quality. With this purpose, semen samples coming from five boars were used in this study. Ejaculates of five boars were mixed and split into 16 aliquots, in which different doses of AP and FA were added separately or together. The motility, the plasma membrane integrity, the mitochondrial activity, the acrosomal integrity, the antioxidase activities and the malondialdehyde concentration of the frozen‐thawed boar sperm were assessed. The results suggested that both AP and FA significantly improved the frozen‐thawed boar sperm quality in all these aspects when they were added to the freezing extender separately, while the highest improvement was recorded when the extender was supplemented with 0.1 mmol/L AP plus 0.15 mmol/L FA. These findings demonstrated that supplementation of freezing extender with both AP and FA had a combined, beneficial effect on frozen‐thawed boar sperm.     

Effect of chopping time and heating on 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and rheological behavior of meat batter matrix

The effect of chopping time and heating on physicochemical properties of meat batters was investigated by low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance and rheology technology. Cooking loss and L* increased while texture profile analysis index decreased between chopping 5 and 6 min. The relaxation time T₂₁ (bound water) and its peak area ratio decreased, while the ratio of T₂₂ peak area (immobilized water) in raw meat batters gradually increased with the extension of chopping time. However, T₂₂ was opposite after being heated and a new component T₂₃ (free water) appeared (T_2i is the spin – spin relaxation time for the ith component.). The initial damping factor (Tan δ) gradually decreased and there were significant difference between 4 and 5 min of chopping time. There were significantly positive correlations between the ratio of peak area of T₂₂ and chopping time, the storage modulus (G′), cooking loss, and L*, respectively. Continued chopping time could improve the peak area proportion of T₂₂ in raw meat batters. Further, the higher the peak area proportion of T₂₂ in raw meat batters, the cooking loss of heated meat gel was higher. Also, the stronger the mobility of immobilized water in meat batter, the higher the L* of the fresh meat batters. Thus, it is revealed that the physicochemical properties of meat batter are significantly influenced by chopping time which further affects the water holding capacity and the texture of emulsification gel.     

Influence of stewing time on the texture,ultrastructure and in vitro digestibility of meat from the yellow‐feathered chicken breed

This study assessed the influence of stewing (1, 2 or 3 h) on the texture, ultrastructure and in vitro digestibility of meat from the yellow‐feathered chicken, which is a popular broiler chicken in Asia. Results indicated that longer stewing considerably increased cooking loss of the chicken carcass and tenderness of thigh meat. After 3 h of stewing, protein digestibility decreased from 90.5% to 80.3% and fiber diameter decreased by 8.63 μm. The shear force value of breast meat decreased from 32.34 N at 1 h to 10.29 N at 2 h, and then increased to 39.98 N at 3 h. The texture profile of breast meat remarkably decreased during stewing. Moreover, increased stewing time induced longitudinal and transversal shrinkage of muscle fibers and the degradation of the myosin heavy chain. These findings suggested that prolonged stewing (3 h) resulted in decreased meat qualities, based on the changes in cooking loss, digestibility and texture profile, but that stewing for 2 h increased thigh and breast tenderness. Producers could utilize this information to stew yellow‐feathered chicken meat with desirable qualities.     

Transcriptomic profile reveals molecular events associated to focal adhesion and invasion in canine mammary gland tumour cell lines

The prevalence of cancer in animals has increased significantly over the years. Mammary tumours are the most common neoplasia in dogs, in which around 50% are presented in the malignant form. Hence, the development and characterization of in vitro models for the study of canine tumours are important for the improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize cell lines derived from canine mammary gland neoplasias which could be further used for basic and applied oncology research. Samples of canine mammary carcinomas were taken for cell culture and 2 cell lines were established and characterized in terms of cell morphology, tumourigenicity and global gene expression. Both cell lines presented spindle‐shape morphology and shown common malignant features as in vitro invasion potential and expression of epithelial and mesenchymal proteins. Also, we found gene expression patterns between the 2 cell cultures in comparison to the normal mammary gland tissue. Cells from M25 culture showed a higher invasion and in vivo tumourigenic potential, associated to the overexpression of genes involved in focal adhesion and extracellular matrix communication, such as FN1, ITGA8 and THBS2. The phenotypic characterization of these cells along with their global gene expression profile potentially determine new therapeutic targets for mammary tumours.     

Exploring animal rabies endemicity to inform control programmes in Punjab,India

Previous studies estimate that one‐third of the annual global burden of rabies (~20,000 cases) occurs in India. Elimination of canine rabies is essential to reduce this burden. Surveillance of animal cases can assess both the risk to humans and the efficacy of control strategies. The objective of this study was to describe the spatial and temporal occurrence of reported confirmed cases of rabies in animals in Punjab, India, from 2004 to 2014. We analysed passive surveillance data on 556 samples submitted from 2004 to 2014 to GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Regression and time series analyses were conducted to understand seasonal and long‐term variation of cases and identify cross‐correlation of monthly cases between species. Spatio‐temporal analyses assessed spatial autocorrelation of date of reporting, mean geographic centres of disease occurrence and clustering of cases using Kulldorff's space‐time permutation statistic. The annual number of submissions and proportion of confirmed cases were consistent throughout 2004–2014. Most submissions (320; 57.6%) were confirmed rabies cases, including dogs (40.6%), buffalo (29.7%) and cattle (23.1%). Regression analysis of monthly cases in dogs showed seasonal variation with significant increases in cases in March and August. Monthly case numbers in buffalo decreased over time. Long‐term temporal trend was not detected in dog and cattle cases. Time‐series models identified significant cross‐correlation between dog and buffalo cases, suggesting that buffalo cases were spillover events from dogs. Significant spatio‐temporal variation or clusters of cases were not detected. These results indicate that rabies cases in animals—and therefore, the potential for exposure to humans—were temporally and spatially stable during 2004–2014 in Punjab, India. The endemic nature of rabies transmission in this region demands a coordinated, sustained control programme. This study provides baseline information for assessing the efficacy of rabies control measures and developing seasonally targeted dog vaccination and rabies awareness strategies.     

Genetic diversity,anti‐microbial resistance,plasmid profile and frequency of the Vi antigen in Salmonella Dublin strains isolated in Brazil

Salmonella Dublin is strongly adapted to cattle causing enteritis and/or systemic disease with high rates of mortality. However, it can be sporadically isolated from humans, usually causing serious disease, especially in patients with underlying chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to molecularly type S. Dublin strains isolated from humans and animals in Brazil to verify the diversity of these strains as well as to ascertain possible differences between strains isolated from humans and animals. Moreover, the presence of the capsular antigen Vi and the plasmid profile was characterized in addition to the anti‐microbial resistance against 15 drugs. For this reason, 113 S. Dublin strains isolated between 1983 and 2016 from humans (83) and animals (30) in Brazil were typed by PFGE and MLVA. The presence of the capsular antigen Vi was verified by PCR, and the phenotypic expression of the capsular antigen was determined serologically. Also, a plasmid analysis for each strain was carried out. The strains studied were divided into 35 different PFGE types and 89 MLVA‐types with a similarity of ≥80% and ≥17.5%, respectively. The plasmid sizes found ranged from 2 to >150 kb and none of the strains studied presented the capsular antigen Vi. Resistance or intermediate resistance was found in 23 strains (20.3%) that were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, imipenem, nalidixic acid, piperacillin, streptomycin and/or tetracycline. The majority of the S. Dublin strains studied and isolated over a 33‐year period may descend from a common subtype that has been contaminating humans and animals in Brazil and able to cause invasive disease even in the absence of the capsular antigen. The higher diversity of resistance phenotypes in human isolates, as compared with animal strains, may be a reflection of the different anti‐microbial treatments used to control S. Dublin infections in humans in Brazil.     

So much for the city: Urban–rural song variation in a widespread Asiatic songbird

Song plays a fundamental role in intraspecific communication in songbirds. The temporal and structural components of songs can vary in different habitats. These include urban habitats where anthropogenic sounds and alteration of habitat structure can significantly affect songbird vocal behavior. Urban–rural variations in song complexity, song length and syllable rate are not fully understood. In this study, using the oriental magpie‐robin (Copsychus saularis) as a model, we investigated urban–rural variation in song complexity, song length, syllable rate, syllable length and inter‐syllable interval. Comparing urban and rural songs from 7 countries across its natural Asiatic range (Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand), we found no significant differences in oriental magpie‐robin song complexity. However, we found significant differences in temporal song variables between urban and rural sites. Longer songs and inter‐syllable intervals in addition to slower syllable rates within urban sites contributed the most to this variance. This indicates that the urban environment may have driven production of longer and slower songs to maximize efficient transmission of important song information in urban habitats.     

Identical genotypes of community‐associated MRSA (ST59) and livestock‐associated MRSA (ST9) in humans and pigs in rural China

This study investigated the prevalence of MRSA in samples taken in households, with and without backyard pigs in villages in a rural area of Shandong Province, China. Community‐associated MRSA and livestock‐associated MRSA, belonging to ST59 and ST9, respectively, were identified in both humans and pigs. The genotypic and phenotypic comparison of isolates indicates that bidirectional transmission of MRSA has occurred between humans and pigs in the villages.     

Molecular epidemiology of Shiga toxin‐producing O113:H21 isolates from cattle and meat

The serotype O113:H21 is considered one of the relevant non‐O157 STEC serotypes associated with severe human infections. Due to the increased detection of O113 strains and their relationship with clinical cases, which emphasizes the importance of this serogroup as an emerging pathogen, our aim was to determine the characteristics of STEC O113:H21 strains circulating in bovine cattle and retail meat from Argentina. For this purpose, we determined the presence and combinations of various virulence genes (and their variants) related to adhesion and toxicity in a collection of 34 isolates. Their genetic relatedness using multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) was also studied. Subtyping of stx genes indicated that O113:H21 strains circulating in Argentina mainly present stx_2a alone or together with stx_2c or, less frequent, with stx_2d, all of which are subtypes associated with human disease. We found plasmid markers, such as saa, ehxA and subA, in a higher proportion than previous studies, and five variants of saa, two of which were novel ones. In relation to MLVA subtyping, we detected a limited diversity among the isolates considering that several loci were not discriminative and, that in some farms, the same clone seemed to remain circulating throughout the year. The O113:H21 strains studied harbour several toxin and adhesion genes (saa, espP, fimCD, ehaA, iha, hcpA, elfA, lpfO113, ecpA, subA, cdt‐V) and Stx subtypes associated with human disease. Results also highlighted that subtyping of stx and saa is useful to discriminate O113:H21 strains that share virulence genes. In conclusion, this study shows that a number of O113:H21 strains that occur in foods and bovines could be pathogenic for humans. This situation calls for further attention in the prevention and control of foodborne disease caused by these strains.