Electromyographic activity of cubital joint muscles in horses during locomotion

Electromyographic (EMG) activity of 4 muscles of the cubital joint and the strain of forelimb hooves were recorded telemetrically in 4 Thoroughbreds (with and without a rider) standing, walking, trotting, and cantering. Bipolar fine wire electrodes were inserted into the muscles, and strain gauges were attached to the hoof wall. Motion pictures (16 mm), synchronized with EMG tracings, were taken to obtain kinematic data. When horses were standing, the biceps brachii had tonic activity, but the brachialis and the caput longum and the caput laterale of the triceps brachii had no EMG activity. The biceps brachii had EMG activity during the stance phase. The brachialis had EMG activity from the end of the stance phase to the middle of the swing phase. Unlike the biceps brachii, the brachialis acted as a flexor muscle of the cubital joint during locomotion. The EMG activity of the caput longum of the triceps brachii was detected from midswing phase to early stance phase. The EMG activity of the caput laterale of the triceps brachii began in midswing or late-swing phase and ceased in early stance or midstance phase. During locomotion, caput longum EMG activity always preceded caput laterale activity. When horses were cantering, the brachialis and the caput longum (acting mainly in the swing phase) had an EMG activity phase different from those in leading and trailing forelimbs. These 4 muscles had similar EMG activity patterns during locomotion in horses with and without a rider.     

In vitro and In vivo Activity of Cyprodinil and Pyrimethanil on Botrytis cinerea Isolates Resistant to other Botryticides and Selection for Resistance to Pyrimethanil in a Greenhouse Population in Greece

No cross-resistance was observed between pyrimethanil or cyprodinil and the fungicides benomyl, iprodione or carbendazim + diethofencarb. In vitro, both anilinopyrimidine fungicides were effective against strains of Botrytis cinerea resistant to benzimidazoles and/or dicarboximides and against a wild type strain insensitive to diethofencarb (EC₅₀ values ranged between 0.03–0.19 and 0.006–0.054gml^–1 for pyrimethanil and cyprodinil, respectively). Preventive applications of anilinopyrimidines completely protected young cucumber plants and fruits that were inoculated with all strains of B. cinerea. The effectiveness of pyrimethanil against grey mould was studied in greenhouse grown tomatoes in relation to (a) the type of infection and the progress of the disease on different plant parts and (b) the response of the naturally occurring B. cinerea population to the selection pressure caused by eight successive applications of this fungicide. Pyrimethanil effectively controlled grey mould on leaves, fruits and stems but did not significantly reduce the number of dead plants and fruits with 'ghost spot' symptoms. The selection pressure caused by the consecutive applications of pyrimethanil resulted in reduction of its effectiveness on leaves that became apparent after the sixth application. This was correlated with a shift of the B. cinerea population (not previously exposed to anilinopyrimidines) towards reduced sensitivity, probably due to the development of a low level of resistance (R _L = 7.7). Pyrimethanil delayed the onset of the disease but it did not reduce the infection rate.     

Assessment of radical scavenging capacity and lipid peroxidation inhibiting capacity of antioxidant

The role of radical scavenging antioxidants against oxidative stress has received much attention, and the antioxidant capacity has been assessed by various methods. Among them, a method that measures the effect of antioxidant on decay of the probe is one of the most widely used methods. The present study was performed to compare the two methods to assess the antioxidant capacity, one to follow the decay of the probe and the other to measure lipid peroxidation products in human plasma. It was shown that the method following probe decay was suitable for assessment of radical scavenging capacity of antioxidant, but not for the capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation in plasma. This is true whether a hydrophilic or lipophilic probe is used. Such different results arise from the fact that the efficacy of inhibition of lipid peroxidation by antioxidants depends on the fate of antioxidant-derived radical and interaction between antioxidants as well as the capacity of free radical scavenging. Thus, the capacity of antioxidants for inhibition of lipid peroxidation should be assessed from the effect on the extent of oxidation, not from the effect on probe decay.     

Simple assessment of radical scavenging capacity of beverages

The radical-scavenging antioxidants play an important role against oxidative stress in the defense system in vivo. The beneficial effects of antioxidants contained in foods and beverages have been well-accepted, and their antioxidant capacity has been assessed by various methods. In the present study, a simple method is proposed in which the total radical scavenging capacity is assessed from the bleaching of pyranine and pyrogallol red induced by free radicals generated from azo initiator. The total content of antioxidants contained in red wine, green tea, and cassis drink and their reactivities toward peroxyl radicals were measured from the lag phase and rate of bleaching using pyranine and pyrogallol red as a probe, respectively. It was found that this method to follow the bleaching of two probes by visible light spectrophotometer is convenient and applicable for assessment of total radical scavenging capacity of both content and activity of the antioxidants contained in beverages.     

Antioxidant activity of dietary oregano essential oil and alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation in long-term frozen stored turkey meat

The effects of dietary oregano essential oil and alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation on the oxidative stability of long-term frozen stored turkey meat were investigated. Thirty 12-week-old turkeys, randomly divided into five groups, were given a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with 200 mg of alpha-tocopheryl acetate kg(-1), or 100 or 200 mg of oregano oil kg(-1), or 100 mg of oregano oil plus 100 mg of alpha-tocopheryl acetate kg(-1) for 4 weeks prior to slaughter. Lipid oxidation in breast and thigh meat was assessed after 1, 3, 6, and 9 months of frozen storage at -20 degrees C prior to or following 7 days of refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C. Results showed that oregano oil increased the oxidative stability of breast and thigh meat during the frozen storage. Dietary oregano oil at the inclusion level of 200 mg kg(-1) feed was significantly (p < 0.05) more effective in delaying lipid oxidation compared to the level of 100 mg kg(-1), but equivalent to dietary alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation at 200 mg kg(-1), which in turn was inferior to dietary supplementation of 100 mg kg(-1) oregano essential oil plus 100 mg kg(-1) alpha-tocopheryl acetate that was significantly (p < 0.05) superior to all other treatments. Thigh meat was more susceptible to oxidation than breast meat, although the former contained alpha-tocopherol at markedly higher levels. Mean alpha-tocopherol levels in breast and thigh meat from all treatments decreased during the frozen storage, the decrease being sharper between 1 and 3 months of frozen storage for breast and between 3 and 6 months for thigh meat. Oregano oil supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the retention of alpha-tocopherol in meat, the increase being positively correlated with the supplementation level. However, the retention of alpha-tocopherol in meat could only partly elucidate the antioxidant activity exhibited by dietary oregano oil supplementation.     

Insulin secretion by anomers of d-glucose

Isolated rat islets were incubated for 5 minutes in the media containing either the alpha or beta anomer of D-glucose (2 milligrams per milliliter). The amounts of secreted insulin and changes of anomers ratio were concomitantly determined. In spite of rapid mutarotation, significantly greater stimulation of insulin secretion was observed by alpha-D-glucose as compared with beta-D-glucose.     

Quality of reared gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) during ice storage,as affected by dietary fish oil substitution; an instrumental and sensory designation approach

The fillet fatty acids (FAs) and volatile compounds (VCs) of gilthead sea bream, fed either fish oil‐based diet (FO) or plant oils (PO), were studied in dorsal and ventral fillet parts over a 12‐day ice storage. Fillet FA reflected the FA composition of the respective diets. Monounsaturated FAs were reduced with storage, while no FA differentiations occurred between fillet parts. VCs varied between diet treatments, with food chain‐transported compounds (α‐pinene and dimethylsulphide) showing higher abundance in the FO group. VCs proposed as fish spoilage indicators (trimethylamine, pentanal, propanal, 3‐methylbutanal and 1‐penten‐3‐ol) increased with storage, while concentration of carbon disulphide associated with fresh fish aroma decreased during the same period. VCs varied between fillet parts, with ventral part exhibiting higher concentrations in fat‐soluble (terpenes, aromatic hydrocarbons) and spoilage‐associated VCs. Sensory analysis revealed no significant differences between diet groups with the exception of fattiness, which was found significantly higher in the plant oil group.     

Hydroxyl radical concentrations measured in ambient air

Diurnal variations in the hydroxyl radical concentration of ambient air were measured for the first time by the technique of laser-induced fluorescence.