Permeability profile estimation of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds by biopartitioning micellar capillary chromatography

This paper points out the usefulness of biopartitioning micellar chromatography (BMC) using capillary columns as a high-throughput primary screening tool providing key information about the oral absorption, skin permeability, and brain-blood distribution coefficients of 15 polyphenols (6 flavones, 2 flavonols, a flavanone, 2 flavan-3-ols, 3 phenolic acids, and a phloroglucinol) in a simple and economical way. For the compounds studied, except vicenin-2, rutin, chlorogenic acid, p-hydroxycinnamic acid, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, maximal oral absorption (>90%) can be expected, if there are not solubility problems or metabolic processes. On the other hand, the most retained compounds in BMC, that is, 5-hydroxyflavone, flavone, and flavanone, show the highest brain-blood distribution coefficients and skin permeability coefficients.     

Modification of gluten by methionine binding to prepare wheat bread with reduced reactivity to serum IgA of celiac disease patients

Celiac disease (CD) is caused by ingestion of wheat gluten proteins, due to immune response to proline- and glutamine-rich sequences. In this study, for reduction of the immune recognition, gluten proteins were enzymatically modified by binding methionine to the amino lateral groups of glutamine residues. Additionally, a bread-making process with modified gluten was assayed. The methionine binding was monitored by measuring the alpha-amino group disappearance and reduction of celiac IgA immunoreactivity. The best methionine binding was after 60 min reaction at pH 10, inducing a reduced to null IgA immunoreactivity to prolamins extracted from modified gluten. The bread prepared with modified gluten had lower specific volume (3.86 cm³/g) than the control wheat bread (4.52 cm³/g) but higher than those reported for gluten-free loaves. The preserved functionality of gluten proteins will make it feasible to apply this kind of modification in different wheat-based foodstuffs like the assayed bread in this study.     

Bread-Making Quality Indices in Triticum aestivum Progenies. Implications in Breeding for Better Bread Wheat

Bread-making quality indices (dough strength and dough mixing stability) in relation to flour protein content, glutenin/gliadin ratio, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) subunits of glutenin have been investigated in Triticum aestivum progenies during a three year agronomic trial. Dough strength (W) proved to be a fairly stable characteristic, slightly but positively correlated with flour protein content. High could be associated with a high glutenin/gliadin ratio as well as with the presence of specific HMW. subunits of glutenin, while high protein content tended to favour a balanced dough tenacity-extensibility ratio (P/L = 0.4—0.6). Satisfactory values of dough-mixing stability were frequently observed in association with good expression of W showing that the two quality traits may coexist without much difficulty in the same genotype. From the plant breeding standpoint the data suggest feasible to obtain high dough strength by concentrating in a genotype the HMW subunits of glutenin known to have a beneficial effect on W. However, very high W may present unfavourable P/L ratios. This possibility is enhanced when the flour has a low protein content which often occurs in high yielding genotypes.     

Effect of seed coverings and seed pretreatments on the germination response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alnus glutinosa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula pubescens</Emphasis> seeds

The germination of common alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) and downey birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) seeds is often poor in bare-root nurseries. The effect of a variety of seed coverings and a few seed pretreatments on seedling emergence was examined in this study in an attempt to address this problem. Seeds of each species were sown in trays containing nursery soil, covered with grit, gravel, sand, combinations of these coverings, a hydromulch or a sealed plastic cloche and then incubated for 6 weeks at 17–20°C. The grit combined with sand or gravel, the hydromulch and the cloche increased seedling emergence when compared with the standard grit. In another experiment, seeds of each species were fully imbibed (FI) (>50% moisture content, MC), as per standard practice, or adjusted to target MC (TMC) (30–35% MC) levels, and then chilled to release dormancy. Some seeds of each MC treatment were primed at 20°C for 2 days following chilling, after which all seeds were evaluated in laboratory tests and a nursery trial. Germination potential of the FI seeds declined in the lab tests by the second test date, which was reflected in low seedling emergence in the nursery in birch. The primed FI seeds of alder germinated most rapidly in the nursery, but other effects were not significant. Seedling emergence was better in the nursery in response to the TMC than the FI pretreatment in birch.

Increase in size and nitrogen concentration enhances seedling survival in Mediterranean plantations. Insights from an ecophysiological conceptual model of plant survival

Reduction in size and tissue nutrient concentration is widely considered to increase seedling drought resistance in dry and oligotrophic plantation sites. However, much evidence indicates that increase in size and tissue nutrient concentration improves seedling survival in Mediterranean forest plantations. This suggests that the ecophysiological processes and functional attributes relevant for early seedling survival in Mediterranean climate must be reconsidered. We propose a ecophysiological conceptual model for seedling survival in Mediterranean-climate plantations to provide a physiological explanation of the frequent positive relationship between outplanting performance and seedling size and nutrient concentration. The model considers the physiological processes outlined in the plantation establishment model of Burdett (Can J For Res 20:415–427, 1990), but incorporates other physiological processes that drive seedling survival, such as N remobilization, carbohydrate storage and plant hydraulics. The model considers that seedling survival in Mediterranean climates is linked to high growth capacity during the wet season. The model is for container plants and is based on three main principles, (1) Mediterranean climates are not dry the entire year but usually have two seasons of contrasting water availability; (2) summer drought is the main cause of seedling mortality; in this context, deep and large roots is a key trait for avoiding lethal water stress; (3) attainment of large root systems in the dry season is promoted when seedlings have high growth during the wet season. High growth is achieved when seedlings can divert large amount of resources to support new root and shoot growth. Functional traits that confer high photosynthesis, nutrient remobilization capacity, and non-structural carbohydrate storage promote high growth. Increases in seedling size and nutrient concentration strongly affect these physiological processes. Traits that confer high drought resistance are of low value during the wet season because hinder growth capacity. We provide specific evidence to support the model and finally we discuss its implications and the factors that may alter the frequent increase in performance with increase in seedling size and tissue nutrient concentration.     

Gastric Torsion from an Intestinal Hernia Through a Rent in the Gastrosplenic Ligament in a Horse

The present report describes an 8-year-old gelding presenting with signs of severe abdominal pain. After performing a thorough physical examination, including rectal palpation and additional diagnostic tests, an exploratory laparotomy was recommended. The jejunum was found herniated through the gastrosplenic ligament, and the stomach was severely distended with gas. Given a poor prognosis, the horse was euthanized on the table. At necropsy, the stomach appeared dilated, with an 180° horizontal gastric torsion, from left (lateral) to right (medial), dividing the organ into dorsal and ventral compartments. We believe that the chronic traction exerted by an incarcerated and distended loop of jejunum, in the dorsal aspect of the gastrosplenic ligament, associated with trauma during episodes of intense rolling, enlarged the rent until it ruptured. Because of this rupture, the lateral dorsal aspect of the stomach became unattached, predisposing it to the torsion.     

Natural progression of Bovine Leukemia Virus infection in Argentinean dairy cattle

We describe the progression of Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) infection from birth until the first lactation in 61 animals from a typical large dairy herd of Argentina, with more than 85% of prevalence. The purpose was to identify potential points to effectively break the BLV cycle of transmission in our dairy productive system. We detected early infection in 11.47% of newborn calves by nested PCR. From birth to 12 months, no evidence of new infections was observed. After 12 months of age, the detection of new reactors increased slowly with time, from 15.09% at 15 months to 24% at 27 months. After that, the number of reactors increased rapidly up to 40% and 60.76% at 30 and 36 months, respectively. This last 9-month period coincided with parturition and the entry into the milking herd. Real-time PCR showed that more than 75% of adult animals had low peripheral-blood proviral load. Complementary, all infected animals showed low levels of provirus in milk and colostrum. The most important finding was that even when management procedures to prevent BLV iatrogenic transmission were followed, no significant change was observed in the prevalence after three years, strongly suggesting that other way/s of transmission play a key role under natural conditions. This study showed an interesting baseline to draw an alternative approach based on selective segregation according to the peripheral-blood proviral load as a potential indicator of risk transmission, and as an alternative to classical control measures.     

Relationship Between Gliadin Alleles and Dough Strength in Italian Bread Wheat Cultivars

Dough strength, as determined by Alveograph W, was studied in Italian bread wheat cultivars grown at several locations over 21 years of testing. Broad sense heritability of Alveograph W was found to range between 0·40 and 0·82, variation in this parameter being affected by genotype×year interactions. Standardised Alveograph W values (Wst) across 40 environments (location–year combinations) were computed for 54 cultivars with reference to the long-term control (cv. Mec), and a quality score based on the Wst value was given to each gliadin allele occurring in at least four of the 54 cultivars analysed. Significant differences in Wst values were observed at theGli-B1,Gli-B2andGli-A2loci. AllelesGli-B1b,Gli-B2candGli-A2bwere significantly related to high gluten strength. An overall quality score based on allelic composition at these loci explained 41% of the observed Wst variation in the 54 cultivars used for the score definition, and 23% to 48% of W value variation in three sets of independent data. The combination of this score with a quality score based onGlu-1alleles coding for highM_rglutenin subunits could explain, on average, about 50% of gluten strength variation.     

Development of wheat kernels with contrasting endosperm texture characteristics as determined by magnetic resonance imaging and time domain-nuclear magnetic resonance

Spikes and seeds from diploid ‘einkorn’ wheat Triticum monococcum and two near-isogenic hard and soft common wheat (Triticum aestivum) lines were harvested at regular intervals from 7 days post-anthesis (dpa) and analysed by non-destructive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and time domain-nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). A large amount of free water occurred in rachises, glumes and awns of spikes collected at 7 dpa, and accumulated in the physiologically active cells of the endosperm at 21 dpa. In the final stages of kernel development, awns and seed embryos exhibited a high MR signal due to the presence of free water likely associated with biological activities. TD-NMR relaxation time distributions obtained by discrete exponential fitting, distributed exponential fitting and SLICING multivariate analysis offered detailed information on mobility behaviour of water molecules in developing seeds and were able to differentiate two soft and hard isolines from common wheat cv. Enesco at early stages of seed development.     

Sorghum silage supplemented with crambe meal improves dry matter intake and milk production in crossbred Holstein cows

We studied the feed intake and milk production of Holstein × Zebu crossbred cows fed sorghum silage diets and concentrates, with and without the addition of crambe meal. Using a change-over design for a total of 120 days, eight cows were fed two diets (concentrates + silages with and without crambe meal) in four 30-day periods, with four replications (animals). The crambe meal diet increased (P < 0.05) the dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), and non-fibrous carbohydrates intake (NFCI) as well as milk production (4.3%). No difference was noted (P > 0.05) for the milk composition between the treatments. Crambe meal as an additive in sorghum silage (100 g/kg in natural matter) showed a great potential for introduction in dairy farming as it substantially increases CP intake, does not reduce food intake, raises animal productivity, and does not affect milk composition.