Male-to-female aggression in cage-housed common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) during the breeding season was not related to male plasma testosterone level

1. The aim of this study was to investigate if male-to-female aggression of common pheasants in the course of the breeding season was related to the concentration of plasma testosterone and/or other biochemical plasma indicators in male pheasants housed in breeding cages. The influence of season on the concentration of testosterone and biochemical indicators was also investigated.

2. Males were divided into non-aggressive and aggressive groups during the breeding season based on ethological evaluation. At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the breeding season, a blood sample was taken from all males on the same day and the concentration of selected biochemical indicators and the total circulating testosterone in the plasma were determined.

3. Male-to-female aggression during the breeding season of pheasants was not influenced by the total plasma testosterone of males.

4. The concentration of total plasma testosterone in males decreased gradually during the breeding season.

5. Male-to-female aggression of pheasants did not have a significant effect on any of the assessed biochemical indicators.

6. The influence of the breeding season affected the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase as well as the concentrations of glucose, magnesium, potassium and chloride in the blood plasma of cage-housed male pheasants.     

Comparison of Chemical Composition and Biological Properties of Essential Oils Obtained by Hydrodistillation and Steam Distillation of Laurus nobilis L.

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - The purpose of this study was to compare the yield, chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of essential oils isolated from leaves of Laurus...     

St. John’s Wort Herbal Teas – Biological Potential and Chemometric Approach to Quality Control

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - St. John’s wort has been used for centuries in traditional medicine of many cultures, and nowadays it is well-known as a clinically important antidepressant...     

Kurilosides A1, A2, C1, D,E and F—Triterpene Glycosides from the Far Eastern Sea Cucumber Thyonidium (= Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin): Structures with Unusual Non-Holostane Aglycones and Cytotoxicities

Six new monosulfated triterpene tetra-, penta- and hexaosides, namely, the kurilosides A₁ (1), A₂ (2), C₁ (3), D (4), E (5) and F (6), as well as the known earlier kuriloside A (7), having unusual non-holostane aglycones without lactone, have been isolated from the sea cucumber Thyonidium (= Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin) (Cucumariidae, Dendrochirotida), collected in the Sea of Okhotsk near Onekotan Island from a depth of 100 m. Structures of the glycosides were established by 2D NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI mass spectrometry. Kurilosides of the groups A and E contain carbohydrate moieties with a rare architecture (a pentasaccharide branched by C(4) Xyl1), differing from each other in the second monosaccharide residue (quinovose or glucose, correspondingly); kurilosides of the group C are characterized by a unique tetrasaccharide branched by a C(4) Xyl1 sugar chain; and kurilosides of the groups D and F are hexaosides differing from each other in the presence of an O-methyl group in the fourth (terminal) sugar unit. All these glycosides contain a sulfate group at C-6 of the glucose residue attached to C-4 Xyl1 and the non-holostane aglycones have a 9(11) double bond and lack γ-lactone. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1–7 against mouse neuroblastoma Neuro 2a, normal epithelial JB-6 cells and erythrocytes were studied. Kuriloside A₁ (1) was the most active compound in the series, demonstrating strong cytotoxicity against the erythrocytes and JB-6 cells and a moderate effect against Neuro 2a cells.     

黄土高原与俄罗斯平原南部干旱地区人工林营造策略分析

通过对比中国黄土高原地区与俄罗斯欧洲部分东南部地区森林生长状况,分析了人工林系统的异同点,探索了可持续的人工造林策略.认为必须通过重新分配大气降水而补充林下土壤水分来改善人工林的生长状况和缓解土壤干化,在中国黄土高原地区可通过调节暴雨径流来实现,而在俄罗斯可通过集中降雪和调节融雪径流实现.     

Variance in leaf spot susceptibility in chestnut trees of different species and hybrids

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Prior to the first occurrence of chestnut blight in 1976, leaf spot caused by Cylindrosporium castaneae was one of the most important diseases of European...     

3种海绵中的甘露聚糖专一性凝集素

在3种海绵(Myxilla incrustans,Codosphaera sp．,Biemrta variantia)中发现了与甘露聚糖结合的专一性凝集素,甘露聚糖的甘露糖残基是通过α(1→2)和α(1→6)相互联接的。对3种海绵凝集素的血凝抑制测试的结果表明,对于海绵Myxilla incrustarts凝集素而言,猪腺体糖蛋白、脱酸猪腺体糖蛋白、胎球蛋白和脱酸胎球蛋白都是比较好的抑制剂;对于海绵Coelosphaera sp．凝集素而言,仅猪腺体糖蛋白是有效的抑制剂;而对海绵Biemna variantia凝集素来说,猪腺体糖蛋白和脱酸猪腺体糖蛋白是有效的抑制剂。这3种凝集素对自然的和用胰蛋白酶消化后的人体红细胞(B型)都有很好的凝集作用,它们的血凝活性不依赖钙离子的存在。     

The in vitro motility response to various anthelmintics of third-stage larvae of Oesophagostomum spp. from pigs

The in vitro activities of thiabendazole, levamisole, pyrantel, morantel and ivermectin against Oesophagostomum spp., the nodular worm of pigs, were determined and compared. The study was carried out using isolates of O. dentatum and O. quadrispinulatum, which had been defined in vivo. Infective larvae were exposed to the anthelmintics for 24 h and then placed in a micromotility meter. All the treatments significantly reduced the motility of the ensheathed L₃ larvae, but the micromotility meter was not able to differentiate between anthelmintic resistant and anthelmintic susceptible isolates.     

Retracted: Gonad histology and serum 11‐KT profile during the annual reproductive cycle in sterlet sturgeon adult males,Acipenser ruthenus

The aim of this study was to assess monthly testicular development in the cultured breeding stock of sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus, using histological and serum sex steroid changes. Testicular development in the adult male was examined monthly and showed four distinct phases including resting, pre‐spawning, spawning and post‐spawning. Also, seasonal changes of the testes were described according to its variations in gonadosomatic index (GSI) during different phases of testicular development. Using histology, we identified continuous spermatogenesis and asynchronous gonad development pattern in the testes of male sterlet, which shows that regulation of annual gonadal cycle is influenced by season. Results also showed variation in the GSI value and number of spermatogenic cells according to each season during annual cycle of gonad, as the highest value of GSI was recorded during spawning phase (spring; March‐May). Hormonal profiles of 11‐ketotestosterone (11‐KT) showed peak, which indicated a seasonal pattern of gonadal development. The 11‐KT concentration increased considerably during the spermatogenesis (pre‐spawning phase) and remained quite high throughout the pre‐spermiation period. In the final phase of testicular development (spawning phase), the 11‐KT markedly dropped. This study undertook an examination of complete reproductive development in cultured sterlet sturgeon to provide a valuable guide for the future sterlet studies, and allows comparison of reproductive development between sturgeon species.