Effects of stocking density during live transportation on haematological parameters of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii,Brandt, 1869)

In this study, we investigated the effects of different stocking densities water quality and blood parameters during the transportation of the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Experiments were carried out in high-density polyethylene tank with three different stocking densities (50, 100 and 150 kg/m³) for 20 h. Ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO₂-N) were measured in the water samples. The erythrocyte, leucocyte, haematocrit (HCT), haemoglobin (Hb), cortisol, and sodium ion (Na⁺) were measured in blood samples. Ammonium nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen concentrations in the water have increased in parallel with the stocking density depending on the time. In the highest stocking density, the maximum levels of NH₄-N and NO₂-N at the 16^th h reached 2.64 mg/L and 4.74 mg/L, respectively. Erythrocyte, leucocyte, HCT, and Hb values did not differ significantly between the experimental groups (p > .05). The results showed that fish could be transported safely for 20 h in 15℃ water temperature at 50 kg/m³ stocking density; however, stocking density of 100 kg/m³ and over could threaten fish welfare and health as from 16^th h.     

Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Evaluation and of Toddalia asiatica (Rutaceae) Extracts and Essential Oil by in Vitro and in Silico Approaches.

Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. is extensively used in traditional medicinal systems by various cultures. Despite its frequent use in traditional medicine, there is still a paucity of scientific information on T. asiatica growing on the tropical island of Mauritius. Therefore, the present study was designed to appraise the pharmacological and phytochemical profile of extracts (methanol, ethyl acetate and water) and essential oil obtained from aerial parts of T. asiatica. Biological investigation involved the evaluation of in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potentials. The chemical profile of the EO was determined using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, while for the extracts, the total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content were quantified as well as their individual phenolic compounds by LC/MS/MS. Quinic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, quercitrin and isoquercitrin were the main compounds in the extracts. Highest total phenolic (82.5±0.94 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE/g)) and flavonoid (43.8±0.31 mg rutin equivalent (RE/g)) content were observed for the methanol extract. The GC/MS analysis has shown the presence of 26 compounds with linalool (30.9 %), linalyl acetate (20.9 %) and β-phellandrene (7.9 %) being most abundant components in the EO. The extracts and EO showed notable antioxidant properties, with the methanol extract proved to be superior source of antioxidant compounds. Noteworthy anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and anti-butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) effects were recorded for the tested samples, while only the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were active against tyrosinase. With respect to antidiabetic effects, the extracts and EO were potent inhibitors of α-glucosidase, while modest activity was recorded against α-amylase. Docking results showed that linalyl acetate has the highest affinity to interact with the active site of BChE with docking score of −6.25 kcal/mol. The findings amassed herein act as a stimulus for further investigations of this plant as a potential source of bioactive compounds which can be exploited as phyto-therapeutics.     

Acoustic sequences in non‐human animals: a tutorial review and prospectus

Animal acoustic communication often takes the form of complex sequences, made up of multiple distinct acoustic units. Apart from the well‐known example of birdsong, other animals such as insects, amphibians, and mammals (including bats, rodents, primates, and cetaceans) also generate complex acoustic sequences. Occasionally, such as with birdsong, the adaptive role of these sequences seems clear (e.g. mate attraction and territorial defence). More often however, researchers have only begun to characterise – let alone understand – the significance and meaning of acoustic sequences. Hypotheses abound, but there is little agreement as to how sequences should be defined and analysed. Our review aims to outline suitable methods for testing these hypotheses, and to describe the major limitations to our current and near‐future knowledge on questions of acoustic sequences. This review and prospectus is the result of a collaborative effort between 43 scientists from the fields of animal behaviour, ecology and evolution, signal processing, machine learning, quantitative linguistics, and information theory, who gathered for a 2013 workshop entitled, ‘Analysing vocal sequences in animals’. Our goal is to present not just a review of the state of the art, but to propose a methodological framework that summarises what we suggest are the best practices for research in this field, across taxa and across disciplines. We also provide a tutorial‐style introduction to some of the most promising algorithmic approaches for analysing sequences. We divide our review into three sections: identifying the distinct units of an acoustic sequence, describing the different ways that information can be contained within a sequence, and analysing the structure of that sequence. Each of these sections is further subdivided to address the key questions and approaches in that area. We propose a uniform, systematic, and comprehensive approach to studying sequences, with the goal of clarifying research terms used in different fields, and facilitating collaboration and comparative studies. Allowing greater interdisciplinary collaboration will facilitate the investigation of many important questions in the evolution of communication and sociality.     

The effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on metabolic enzymes including acetylcholinesterase,butyrylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase,lactoperoxidase, and carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes I,II, IX,and XII

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active component of honeybee propolis extracts. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) are widespread and intensively studied metalloenzymes present in higher vertebrates including humans as many diverse isoforms. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is responsible for acetyl choline (ACh) hydrolysis and plays a fundamental role in nerve impulse transmission by terminating the action of the ACh neurotransmitter at cholinergic synapses and neuromuscular junctions. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is another enzyme abundantly present in the liver and released into blood in a soluble form. Lactoperoxidase (LPO) is an enzyme involved in fighting pathogenic microorganisms whereas glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are dimeric proteins present both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and involved in cellular detoxification mechanisms. In the present study, the inhibition effect of CAPE on human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms I, II, IX, and XII, AChE, BChE, LPO, and GST was evaluated. CAPE inhibited these enzymes with K_is in the range between micromolar to picomolar. The best inhibitory effect was observed against AChE and BChE.     

Diagnosis and phylogenetic analysis of orf virus in Aleppo and Saanen goats from an outbreak in Turkey

正Dear Editor,The Poxviridae family is divided into Chordopoxvirinae and Entomopoxvirinae genera.Parapoxvirus is one of 11genera in the Chordopoxvirinae genus,including orf virus(ORFV),bovine papular stomatitis virus(BPSV),pseudocowpox virus(PCPV)and parapoxvirus of red deer in New Zealand(PVNZ)(Skinner et al.,2012).This virus,also known as contagious ecthyma or contagious pustular dermatitis,is a viral skin disease causing edematous proliferative lesions,most often in hairless skin     

Isolation,technological characterization and in vitro probiotic evaluation of Lactococcus strains from traditional Turkish skin bag Tulum cheeses

Purpose

The present study was undertaken to evaluate in vitro prerequisite probiotic and technological characteristics of ten Lactococcus strains isolated from traditional goat skin bags of Tulum cheeses from the Central Taurus mountain range in Turkey.

Methods

All isolates were identified based on the nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA gene. Eight isolates belonged to Lactococcus lactis and two belonged to Lactococcus garvieae. Probiotic potential was determined from resistance to acid and bile salt, resistance to gastric and pancreatic juices, resistance to antibiotic, auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, diacetyl, hydrogen peroxide and exopolysaccharide productions. Technological properties were verified by alcohol, NaCl and hydrogen peroxide resistance and temperature tests.

Results

L. lactis NTH7 displayed high growth at all alcohol concentrations while L. lactis NTH4 grew very well even at NaCl concentrations of 10%. All strains showed to some extent resistance to acid and bile. Five strains exhibited desirable survival in gastric juice (pH 2.0), while three strains survived in pancreatic juice (pH 8.0). All Lactococcus isolates were sensitive to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, vancomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin and tetracycline. Also, only L. lactis NTH7 from among the isolates showed resistance against penicillin. L. lactis NTH10 and L. lactis NTH7 had higher auto-aggregation values in comparison with all other strains. All the strains demonstrated a co-aggregation ability against model food pathogens, particularly, L. lactis NTH10 which showed a superior ability with L. monocytogenes. All the ten strains produced H₂O₂ and exopolysaccharide (EPS); however, diacetyl production was detected for only four strains including L. lactis NTH10.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that the L. lactis NTH10 isolate could be regarded as a favorable probiotic candidate for future in vivo studies.

     

Trace element concentrations and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in benign and malignant larynx tumors

The plasma and erythrocyte levels of zinc, copper, and magnesium and the activities of red-cell copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined in patients with benign and malignant tumors of the larynx. Blood samples from patients and healthy controls were drawn using heparinized tubes. The erythrocyte Cu/Zn-SOD and CAT activities were determined spectrophotometrically and the zinc, copper, and magnesium concentrations were determined in erythrocyte and plasma by atomic absorption spectrometry. Variance analysis was employed in the statistical evaluation of the findings. There was a significant increase in red-cell Cu/Zn-SOD activity in the subjects with malignant and benign tumors compared to controls (p<0.001). The CAT activity increased only in the benign tumor group (p<0.01). The plasma zinc concentrations were significantly lower in the malignant tumor group (p<0.05) and significantly higher in the benign tumor group (p<0.01). The erythrocyte copper concentrations were significantly lower in both benign and malignant tumor groups (p<0.001). The plasma copper and magnesium and the erythrocyte magnesium concentrations did not show significant differences relative to controls (p>0.05). The increases in the activities of SOD and CAT activities and the changes in trace elements concentrations can indicate the presence of increased reactive oxygen species that might play a part in the pathogenesis larynx tumors. Presented at the IX Asian-Pacific Congress of Clinical Biochemistry, March 9–14, 2002, New Delhi, India.     

DNA damage and antioxidant defense in peripheral leukocytes of patients with Type I diabetes mellitus

We determined relationship among DNA damage, nitric oxide (NO) and antioxidant defense in leukocytes of patients with Type 1 DM. DNA damage was evaluated as strand breakage and formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg)-sensitive sites by the comet assay in DNA from leukocytes of the subjects. Nitrite level, as a product of NO, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione peroxidase (G-Px) activity of the leukocytes were measured by spectrophotometric kits. Serum glucose level and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) were higher in the patients, as expected. Differences in measured parameters between controls and patients were assessed in men and women separately. There was no significant difference between patient and control groups in neither men nor women for nitrite level. Strand breakage and Fpg-sensitive sites were found to be increased, SOD and G-Px activities of the leukocytes were found to be decreased in both men and women of patient group as compared to their respective controls. Significant correlations were determined between strand breakage and HbA(1c) (r = 0.37, P<0.05); Fpg-sensitive sites and HbA(1c) (r = 0.59, P<0.01); Fpg-sensitive sites and glucose (r = 0.45, P<0.02); Fpg-sensitive sites and SOD (r = -0.48, P<0.02); HbA(1c) and SOD (r = -0.50, P<0.02). In conclusion, impaired antioxidant defense in leukocytes of patients with Type 1 DM may be one of the responsible mechanisms for increased DNA damage in those patients.