Feeding habits and malaria parasite infection of Anopheles mosquitoes in selected agroecological areas of Northwestern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance of the host-anopheline mosquitoes' interaction is important for assessing malaria transmission risk and guiding vector control. We assume that changes in malaria vector species' feeding habits, as well as the surrounding environment, have a substantial impact on varied malaria transmission. In this study, we determined the vertebrate host feeding patterns of anopheline mosquitoes to characterize entomologic risk factors for malaria in Jabi Tehnan, Northwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: Blood-fed anophelines surveyed during malaria surveillance in Jabi Tehnan district of northwestern Ethiopia were utilized in this study. They were collected using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps deployed in selected households per village, placed indoors and outdoors, spanning three agroecological settings (dry mountain, plateau, and semiarid highlands) between June 2020 and May 2021. The engorged mosquitoes were analyzed for host blood meal sources and Plasmodium infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or sequencing. Infection rates and bovine and human blood indices were calculated and compared for abundant species; between indoors and outdoors and between agroecology using a chi-squared test for equality of proportion in R package at a significant level of p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 246 mosquitoes were successfully typed (indoor, 121; outdoor, 125), with greater relative abundance indoors in mountain and plateau highlands, and outdoors in semiarid areas. Despite ecological differences in blood-fed capture rates, cattle served as the most utilized blood meal source by 11 anopheline species with an overall bovine blood index (BBI) of 74.4%. This trend was dictated by Anopheles gambiae s.l. (198/246; BBI = 73.7%), which exhibited the most plastic feeding habits that included humans (human blood index = 15.7%) and other livestock and rodents. A total of five anopheline species (An. gambiae s.l., An. funestus s.l., An. coustani s.l., An. pretoriensis, and An. pharoensis) fed on humans, of which the first three were found infected with Plasmodium parasites. Most of the infected specimens were An. arabiensis (5.6%, 11/198) and had recently fed mainly on cattle (72.7%, 8/11); one each of infected An. funestus s.l. and An. coustani s.l. had fed on humans and cattle, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate communal feeding on cattle by anophelines including primary and secondary malaria vectors. This study also indicates the importance of cattle-targeted interventions for sustainable control of malaria vectors in the study areas.

Assessment of Elemental Deficiency of Crossbred Dairy Cows and Mineral Composition in Natural Feed and Nutritional Supplements in the Northern and Northwestern Provinces in Sri Lanka.

This study assessed the elemental status of cross-bred dairy cows in small holder farms in Sri Lanka, with the aim to establish the elemental baseline and identify possible deficiencies. For this purpose, 458 milk, hair, serum and whole blood samples were collected from 120 cows in four regions of Northern and Northwestern Sri Lanka, (namely Vavaniya, Mannar, Jaffna and Kurunegala). Farmers also provided a total of 257 samples of feed, which included local fodder as well as 79 supplement materials. The concentrations of As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, I, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, V and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Evaluation of the data revealed that all cows in this study could be considered deficient in I and Co (18.6-78.5 µg L-1 I and 0.06-0.65 µg L-1 Co, in blood serum) when compared with deficiency upper boundary levels of 0.70 µg L-1 Co and 50 µg L-1 I. Poor correlations were found between the composition of milk or blood with hair, which suggests that hair is not a good indicator of mineral status. Most local fodders meet dietary requirements, with Sarana grass offering the greatest nutritional profile. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess differences in the elemental composition of the diverse types of feed, as well as regional variability, revealing clear differences between forage, concentrates and nutritional supplements, with the latter showing higher concentrations of non-essential or even toxic elements, such as Cd and Pb.

The Nutritional Value of Biowaste Bovine Slaughterhouse Meals for Monogastric Species Feeding: The Guinea Pig as an Animal Model.

Biowaste from slaughterhouses can be recovered to benefit food security and reduce contamination potential. More than 3 billion heads of livestock are consumed worldwide, which will increase by 17% by 2028, generating more biowaste, increasing infectious agents, and causing economic losses due to circular economy principles not being applied. This work evaluated the nutritional quality of four types of biowaste from bovine slaughter which were transformed into a meal for guinea pigs (rumen content (RCM), ears (EaM), blood (BM), and cheeks (CM)) according to their chemical composition, digestible components, energy contribution, and voluntary consumption. For the animal model, adult male guinea pigs were arranged in metabolic cages for feces collection without urinary contamination. Nine guinea pigs were used in each digestibility test. First, a direct digestibility test was conducted using a meal of barley as a reference diet (RD), the indigestibility coefficient of which allowed for the estimation of the digestibility of biowaste meals through indirect calculations; for this, diets composed of 80% of the RD and 20% of the corresponding biowaste meals were evaluated. The difference method was suitable for determining the digestibility of beef biowaste using the indigestibility coefficients of the reference diet to calculate the digestibility of ingredients which could not be offered as 100% of the meal but were incorporated as 20%. The digestible protein and metabolizable energy contents of RCM, EaM, BM, and CM were 10.2% and 2853 kcal/kg, 44.5% and 3325 kcal/kg, 70.7% and 2583 kcal/kg, and 80.8% and 3386 kcal/kg, respectively. The CM and BM feeds had the highest contributions of digestible protein due to their higher nitrogen content, and the CM and EaM feeds had the highest ME contents due to their higher fat contents. The biowaste meal consumption in descending order was CM > RCM > EaM > BM, which were consumed without problems. These results are indicative that these components can be part of guinea pigs' diets, and it is recommended to continue studies into guinea pig growth and fattening diets with different levels of these biowaste meals.

High human blood meal index of mosquitoes in Arba Minch town, southwest Ethiopia: an implication for urban mosquito-borne disease transmission.

Unplanned human population shifts in urban areas are expected to increase the prevalence of vector-borne diseases. This study aimed to investigate mosquito species composition, blood meal sources, and malaria vectors in an urban area. Indoor-resting adult mosquitoes were collected using Prokopack and host-seeking mosquitoes using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps in Arba Minch town. Larval collection from artificial containers was done in those houses selected for adult mosquito collection. Anopheles adults collected and emerged from larvae were identified morphologically using a taxonomic key. ELISA was used to identify blood meal sources in freshly fed Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes, and CSP of Anopheles mosquitoes. A total of 16,756 female mosquitoes were collected. Of these, 93% (15,571) were Culex, 6% (1016) were Anopheles, and 1% (169) were Aedes mosquitoes. Out of the 130 adult mosquitoes that were raised from larvae collected from the containers, 20% were An. rhodesiensis, while the remaining 80% were Aedes mosquitoes. Out of 823 mosquitoes tested for blood meal origins, 86.3% (710/823) tested positive for human blood, 2.2% (18/823) tested positive for bovine blood, and 11.5% (95/823) were negative for human and bovine antibodies. Anopheles gambiae complex had a human blood meal index (HBI) of 50% (90/180; CI 42.3-57.5%) and a bovine blood meal index (BBI) of only 0.5% (95% CI 0.01-3.1%). Culex HBI was 96.7% (620/641), and its BBI index was 2.4% (15/641). While it was low (0.8%) in Culex, the proportion of An. gambiae complex with unidentified blood meal sources was 49.5% (95 CI% 41.9-56.9%). Among the 1016 Anopheles mosquitoes tested, a single An. gambiae complex (0.1%; 1/1016) was positive for P. vivax CSP. The high HBI indicates frequent contact between humans and vectors. To reduce human exposure, personal protection tools should be implemented.

Isolation and propagation of bovine blood-derived macrophages using a mixed culture with bovine endothelial B46 cells.

Macrophages are innate immune cells with multiple functions such as phagocytosis, cytokine production, and antigen presentation. Since macrophages play critical roles in some bacterial infectious diseases in cattle, including tuberculosis, paratuberculosis, and brucellosis, the in vitro culturing of bovine macrophages is useful for evaluating host-pathogen interactions at the cellular and molecular levels. We have previously reported the establishment of two immortalized bovine liver sinusoidal cell lines, endothelial B46 cells and myofibroblast-like A26 cells (Cell Biology International, 40, 1372-1379, 2016). In this study, we investigated the use of these cell lines as feeder cells that support the proliferation of bovine blood-derived macrophages (BBMs). Notably, the B46 cell line efficiently acts as feeder cells for the propagation of BBMs. Compared with primary cultured vascular endothelial cells, the infinite proliferation ability of B46 cells is more beneficial for preparing confluent feeder layers. In conclusion, this study provides a simple and efficient protocol for the isolation and propagation of BBMs using a primary mixed culture of bovine whole blood with B46 feeder cells. Isolated BBMs are expected to be useful for developing in vitro models for studying the interactions between bovine pathogens and host immune cells.

Study on the use of bovine blood protein hydrolysate as a peptone in microbial culture media.

Livestock blood is a protein-rich waste byproduct produced during meat production processes in slaughterhouses. Its utilization through conversion into value-added products is an intriguing management strategy. In this study, bovine blood was used to obtain the protein hydrolysate for use as a peptone for microbial growth medium. Lyophilized bovine blood was heat treated to make it susceptible to enzymic hydrolysis, and then enzymatically treated with trypsin (bovine pancreas protease) to produce protein hydrolysate. Physico-chemical features were determined for protein hydrolysate and compared to commercial Merck peptone from meat. Amino acid compositions of bovine blood and commercial peptones were subjected to multivariate analysis based on Euclidean similarity matrix using software PAST. Strains of Staphylococcus aureus 25,923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 27,853, Staphylococcus aureus 6538 P, Enterococcus faecalis 11,700, Escherichia coli 8739, Klebsiella pneumoniae 13,883, Salmonella typhimurium 14,028 and Listeria monocytogenes 13,932 were used as test microbial strains. Growth of bacteria in culture media based on the peptone from bovine protein hydrolysate was compared to that in corresponding reference media based on commercial peptone. The results of these growth tests were comparable. Growth data were depicted and statistically analyzed using R packages ggplot2 and growthcurver, respectively, providing data fitting a standard form of logistic equation.

[Research of the certified reference material of mecury in lyophilized bovine blood].

Objective: To develop a reference material for the analysis of mercury in freeze-dried bovine blood. Methods: The whole blood of the bovine was collected, mercury standard solution was added, After mixing, packaging and freeze-drying. Two concentration levels of reference materials were prepared. The homogeneity and stability were evaluated by t-test and F-test methods respectively. The uncertainty in preparation, long-term stability, short-term stability and fixed value were evaluated Evaluation and assignment of reference materials. The research products were fixed value and were analyzed by two methods and fixed value in 9 laboratories and the uncertainty during development was analyzed. Results: The reference material has good uniformity and can be kept stably for 12 months at -20 ℃; When transported at ≤35 ℃, the quantity value is stable within 7 days; After re dissolution, it can be stored at 4 ℃ for 5 days; The values are 9.4 respectively µg/L and 29.2 µg/L, and the uncertainty is ±1.1 respectively µg/L and ±2.3 µg/L (k=2) . Conclusion: The indexes of reference materials for mercury composition analysis in freeze-dried bovine blood meet the requirements of technical specifications and have certain application value.

In vivo / in vitro Correlation of Pharmacokinetics of Gentamicin, Vancomycin, Teicoplanin and Doripenem in a Bovine Blood Hemodialysis Model.

Background: Elimination of a drug during renal replacement therapy is not only dependent on flow rates, molecular size and protein binding, but is often influenced by difficult to predict drug membrane interactions. In vitro models allow for extensive profiling of drug clearance using a wide array of hemofilters and flow rates. We present a bovine blood based in vitro pharmacokinetic model for intermittent renal replacement therapy. Methods: Four different drugs were analyzed: gentamicin, doripenem, vancomicin and teicoplanin. The investigated drug was added to a bovine blood reservoir connected to a hemodialysis circuit. In total seven hemofilter models were analyzed using commonly employed flow rates. Pre-filter, post-filter and dialysate samples were drawn, plasmaseparated and analyzed using turbidimetric assays or HPLC. Protein binding of doripenem and vancomycin was measured in bovine plasma and compared to previously published values for human plasma. Results: Clearance values were heavily impacted by choice of membrane material and surface as well as by dialysis parameters such as blood flow rate. Gentamicin clearance ranged from a minimum of 90.12 ml/min in a Baxter CAHP-170 diacetate hemofilter up to a maximum of 187.90 ml/min in a Fresenius medical company Fx80 polysulfone model (blood flow rate 400 ml/min, dialysate flow rate 800 ml/min). Clearance of Gentamicin vs Vancomicin over the F80s hemofilter model using the same flow rates was 137.62 mL vs 103.25 ml/min. Doripenem clearance with the Fx80 was 141.25 ml/min. Conclusion: Clearance values corresponded very well to previously published data from clinical pharmacokinetic trials. In conjunction with in silico pharmacometric models. This model will allow precise dosing recommendations without the need of large scale clinical trials.

Suitable CO2 Solubility Models for Determination of the CO2 Removal Performance of Oxygenators.

CO2 removal via membrane oxygenators during lung protective ventilation has become a reliable clinical technique. For further optimization of oxygenators, accurate prediction of the CO2 removal rate is necessary. It can either be determined by measuring the CO2 content in the exhaust gas of the oxygenator (sweep flow-based) or using blood gas analyzer data and a CO2 solubility model (blood-based). In this study, we determined the CO2 removal rate of a prototype oxygenator utilizing both methods in in vitro trials with bovine and in vivo trials with porcine blood. While the sweep flow-based method is reliably accurate, the blood-based method depends on the accuracy of the solubility model. In this work, we quantified performances of four different solubility models by calculating the deviation of the CO2 removal rates determined by both methods. Obtained data suggest that the simplest model (Loeppky) performs better than the more complex ones (May, Siggaard-Anderson, and Zierenberg). The models of May, Siggaard-Anderson, and Zierenberg show a significantly better performance for in vitro bovine blood data than for in vivo porcine blood data. Furthermore, the suitability of the Loeppky model parameters for bovine blood (in vitro) and porcine blood (in vivo) is evaluated.

Quantification of 17 Endogenous and Exogenous Steroidal Hormones in Equine and Bovine Blood for Doping Control with UHPLC-MS/MS.

A simple and fast analytical method able to simultaneously identify and quantify 17 endogenous and exogenous steroidal hormones was developed in bovine and equine blood using UHPLC-MS/MS. A total amount of 500 µL of sample was deproteinized with 500 µL of a mixture of methanol and zinc sulfate and evaporated. The mixture was reconstituted with 50 µL of a solution of 25% methanol and injected in the UHPLC-MS/MS triple quadrupole. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds were in the range of 0.9932-0.9999, and the limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.023-1.833 and 0.069-5.5 ppb, respectively. The developed method showed a high sensitivity and qualitative aspects allowing the detection and quantification of all steroids in equine and bovine blood. Moreover, the detection limit of testosterone (50 ppt) is half of the threshold admitted in plasma (100 ppt). Once validated, the method was used to quantify 17 steroid hormones in both bovine and equine blood samples. The primary endogenous compounds detected were corticosterone (range 0.28-0.60 ppb) and cortisol (range 0.44-10.00 ppb), followed by androstenedione, testosterone and 11-deoxycortisol.

In Vitro and In Vivo Neutralizing Activity of Uvaria chamae Leaves Fractions on the Venom of Naja nigricollis in Albino Rat and Bovine Blood.

BACKGROUND: Snakebite envenomation is a global priority ranked top among other neglected tropical diseases. There is a folkloric claim that Uvaria chamae is beneficial for the management of snakebite and wounds in African ethnobotanical surveys. Besides, there are many registered patents asserting the health benefits of U. chamae. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate U. chamae's potentials and identify candidates for the development of tools for the treatment and management of N. nigricollis envenomation. METHODS: Freshly collected U. chamae leaves were air-dried, powdered, and extracted in methanol. The median lethal dose of the extract was determined and further fractionated with n-hexane, n-butanol and ethyl acetate. Each fraction was tested for neutralizing effect against venom-induced haemolytic, fibrinolytic, hemorrhagic, and cytotoxic activities. RESULTS: U. chamae fractions significantly (p<0.05) neutralized the haemolytic activity of N. nigricollis venom in n-butanol; 31.40%, n-hexane; 33%, aqueous residue; 39.60% and ethyl acetate; 40.70% at the concentration of 100mg/ml of each fraction against 10mg/ml of the snake venom when compared to the positive control. The fibrinolytic activity of N. nigricollis venom was significantly (p<0.05) neutralized in n-hexane at 73.88%, n-butanol; 72.22% and aqueous residue; 72.22% by the fractions of U. chamae. In addition, haemorrhagic activity of N. nigricollis venom was significantly (p<0.05) neutralized by U. chamae fractions at the concentrations of 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml and 400mg/ml except for n-butanol and aqueous residues at 400 mg/ml. CONCLUSION: U. chamae leaves fractions possess a high level of protection against N. nigricollis venoms-induced lethality and thus validate the pharmacological rationale for its usage in the management of N. nigricollis envenomation.

Species composition, blood meal hosts and Plasmodium infection rates of Anopheles mosquitoes in Ghibe River Basin, southwestern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Vector control interventions using long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are commonly practiced tools for the control of malaria in Ethiopia. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these control interventions, and understand the prevailing malaria vectors, their incrimination in disease transmission, and their resting and feeding behavior, we set out to identify the Anopheles species, their blood meal sources, and entomological inoculation rate (EIR) in Ghibe and Darge within the Ghibe River basin, southwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: Adult Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled both indoors and outdoors from January 2015 to October 2016 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps, pyrethrum spray catch (PSC), artificial pit shelters and mouth aspirators. Mosquito species were morphologically identified, and their blood meal sources and malaria sporozoite rates were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: In total, 13 species of Anopheles mosquitoes were identified, among which Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) was the predominant species: 87.9 and 67.7% in Ghibe and Darge, respectively. The mean density of An. gambiae (s.l.) collected per night using CDC light traps was 1.8 and 0.7 outdoors and indoors, respectively, in Ghibe, and 0.125 and 0.07 indoors and outdoors, respectively, in Darge. Anopheles mosquito abundance was higher in houses near the river than in houses far from the river in both study sites. Among Anopheles mosquitoes sampled using CDC light trap catches, 67.6% were unfed and the indoor and outdoor human blood indices of An. gambiae (s.l.) were 58.4 and 15.8%, respectively in Ghibe, while in Darge, they were 57.1 and 50%, respectively. Sporozoite rates were 0.07% for P. vivax and 0.07% for P. falciparum in Ghibe and zero in Darge. In Ghibe, the overall EIRs for P. falciparum and P. vivax were zero and 8.4 infective bites/person/year, respectively, in 2015, while zero and 5.4 infective bites/person/year for P. vivax and P. falciparum, respectively, in 2016. No Plasmodium-positive Anopheles mosquitoes were identified from Darge. CONCLUSIONS: Anopheles gambiae (s.l.), the principal vector of malaria in Ethiopia was the most abundant species both indoors and outdoors, fed both on human and cattle blood and occurred at higher frequencies near rivers. Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) that were circumsporozoite-positive for Plasmodium species were collected from Ghibe, but not Darge.

Potential chromosome damage, cell-cycle kinetics/and apoptosis induced by epoxiconazole in bovine peripheral lymphocytes in vitro.

The epoxiconazole was tested in vitro for its potential on induction of chromosome damage and/or cell cycle kinetics in cultured bovine peripheral lymphocytes. Cytogenetic endpoints such as: Chromosome Aberrations (CA); Sister Chromatid Exchanges (SCE); Micronuclei (MN); Mitotic Index (MI); Proliferation Index (PI); and Cytokinesis Block Proliferation Index (CBPI) were investigated for 24 h and 48 h of incubation. The cultured lymphocytes were exposed to the epoxiconazole at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 µg mL-1. From our results is evident that treatment of bovine peripheral lymphocytes with the epoxiconazole was not related to DNA damage; no genotoxic effect and/or clastogenic/aneugenic effects were recorded. However, epoxiconazole has ability to significantly affect cell cycle kinetics/and induce apoptosis. A decrease of proliferation in the MI, CBPI and identically in the PI were observed; hence, cytostatic/cytotoxic effects of epoxiconazole have been recorded. The prolonged time of exposure at the highest concentration caused an inhibition of the replication. Electrophoretic analysis confirmed the epoxiconazole potential to induce ladder-like patterns of DNA fragments that are a hallmark of apoptosis.

Simultaneous detection of 15 antibiotic growth promoters in bovine muscle, blood and urine by UPLC-MS/MS.

An analytical method was established for the rapid detection of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in bovine muscle, and bovine blood and bovine urine, using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). After the addition of an aqueous solution of EDTA-Na2, the pH of bovine urine samples was directly adjusted to 5.2 by acetic acid-ammonium acetate and purified by HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge; bovine muscle and bovine blood samples processing were extracted with acetonitrile (ACN) and ACNwater (90:10; v/v) without any purification step. The samples were then centrifuged, concentrated and analysed by UPLC-MS/MS on an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column using gradient elution. The developed method was validated and mean recovery percentages at three spiked levels were 74-119%, 76-115% and 76-119%, respectively, in bovine muscle, bovine blood, and bovine urine. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 1.0% to 14.7% in spiked bovine muscle, bovine blood and bovine urine. The limits of detection (LOD) of all analytes were in the ranges 0.11-3.82 µg kg-1, 0.10-2.49 µg kg-1 and 0.06-4.53 µg kg-1 in bovine muscle, bovine blood, and bovine urine, respectively. The method was sensitive, accurate and was applied to monitor real samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is first method available for simultaneous determination of several classes of APGs in bovine muscle, and bovine blood and bovine urine.

Effects of New Dietary Ingredients Used in Artificial Diet for Screwworm Larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Spray-dried whole bovine blood, dry poultry egg, and a dry milk substitute are the constituents of the artificial diet currently used for mass rearing screwworm larvae, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Due to high cost and uncertainty of the commercial supply of spray-dried blood, research was conducted to identify alternative, locally available, inexpensive, dietary ingredients which could reduce cost of rearing and eliminate concerns of short supply. Experimental diets were prepared without blood component and with various ratios of bovine blood or blood cell product and defatted soy flour. Results indicate that spray-dried bovine blood can be replaced by a readily available and less expensive blood cell product. When the quantity of whole dried blood or blood cell component was reduced or removed completely from the diet, the larvae did not feed adequately, resulting in high mortality. Those larvae that survived produced pupae that were of unacceptable quality. When the milk product was replaced by soy flour, pupae were slightly smaller than those reared using the current diet; however, replacement of egg product with soy flour produced even smaller pupae. Longevity of adult flies that emerged from these small pupae was short and the females deposited few eggs. These results indicate that soy flour cannot replace the blood component from the diet, but can replace the milk product successfully. It is likely that some factor or a combination of factors in the blood act as feeding stimulants, without which larvae are unable to feed normally, resulting in high larval mortality.

Enzymatic Decoration of Prebiotic Galacto-oligosaccharides (Vivinal GOS) with Sialic Acid Using Trypanosoma cruzi trans-Sialidase and Two Bovine Sialoglycoconjugates as Donor Substrates.

Decoration of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) with sialic acid yields mixtures of GOS and sialylated GOS (Sia-GOS), novel products that are expected to have both prebiotic and antiadhesive functionalities. The recombinantly produced trans-sialidase enzyme from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcTS), an enzyme with the ability to transfer (α2-3)-linked sialic acid from sialogalactoglycans to asialogalactoglycans, was employed to catalyze this sialylation. As sialic acid acceptor substrates, Vivinal GOS and derived fractions of specific degree of polymerization were taken. As sialic acid donor substrates, bovine κ-casein-derived glycomacropeptide [>99% N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac); <1% N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc)] and bovine blood plasma glycoprotein mixture (45% Neu5Ac; 55% Neu5Gc) were selected, yielding potential food and feed products, respectively. High-pH anion-exchange chromatography, matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used for product analysis.

Product characteristics and quality of bovine blood-enriched dried vegetable paste.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate a preparation of vegetable paste with bovine blood in order to maximize the protein content using linear programming, and to analyze the product characteristics and quality of bovine blood-enriched vegetable paste dried in a spouted bed. The drying experiments were performed by evaluating the effects of inlet air temperature, paste flow rate and paste solids concentration on the dried product characteristics and quality (functional and nutritional properties). RESULTS: The vegetable paste enriched with bovine blood was a good source of protein (∼0.20 g g(-1) , dry basis), and the linear programming was adequate to select the constituents (carrot, onion, potato, kale, tomato, soybean oil and bovine blood) and optimize their quantities. The drying conditions of bovine blood-enriched vegetable paste in the spouted bed that gave the best product characteristics were an air temperature of 110 °C and a paste flow rate of 600 mL h(-1) with 0.07 g g(-1) solids concentration. CONCLUSION: The addition of bovine blood to vegetable paste by linear programming increased the protein content of the paste and improved its functional properties and digestibility. The powder obtained from the spouted bed drier showed suitable functional and nutritional properties and was also a good source of antioxidant compounds.

Flocculation of high purity wheat straw soda lignin.

In industrial process, acidification causes non-sulfonated lignin insolubility. The flocculants poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (pDADMAC) and bovine blood (BB) also caused lignin insolubility while cationic polyacrylamide, chitosan, and soy protein PF 974 were ineffective. Turbidity determined optimal flocculant, but turbidity magnitude with BB was greater than expected. pDADMAC caused negative lignin Zeta potential to became positive, but BB-lignin Zeta potential was always negative. Insoluble lignin did not gravity sediment, and flocculant-lignin mixtures were centrifuged. Pellet and supernatant dry mass and corrected spectroscopic results were in good agreement for optimal pDADMAC and BB. Spectroscopy showed 87-92% loss of supernatant lignin. Nitrogen analysis showed BB concentrated in the pellet until the pellet became saturated with BB. Subtracting ash and BB mass from pellet and supernatant mass confirmed optimal BB. Low levels of alum caused increased lignin flocculation at lower levels of pDADMAC and BB, but alum did not affect optimal flocculant.

In vitro shear stress-induced platelet activation: sensitivity of human and bovine blood.

As platelet activation plays a critical role in physiological hemostasis and pathological thrombosis, it is important in the overall hemocompatibility evaluation of new medical devices and biomaterials to assess their effects on platelet function. However, there are currently no widely accepted in vitro test methods to perform this assessment. In an effort to develop effective platelet tests for potential use in medical device evaluation, this study compared the sensitivity of platelet responses to shear stress stimulation of human and bovine blood using multiple platelet activation markers. Fresh whole blood samples anticoagulated with heparin or anticoagulant citrate dextrose, solution A (ACDA) were exposed to shear stresses up to 40 Pa for 2 min using a cone-and-plate rheometer model. Platelet activation was characterized by platelet counts, platelet surface P-selectin expression, and serotonin release into blood plasma. The results indicated that exposure to shear stresses above 20 Pa caused significant changes in all three of the platelet markers for human blood and that the changes were usually greater with ACDA anticoagulation than with heparin. In contrast, for bovine blood, the markers did not change with shear stress stimulation except for plasma serotonin in heparin anticoagulated blood. The differences observed between human and bovine platelet responses suggest that the value of using bovine blood for in vitro platelet testing to evaluate devices may be limited.

A New Dietary Supplement Based on Bovine Blood: Recovering Brazilian Children from Malnutrition.

Two compounds ("Prothemol" and "Plasmel"), based on bovine blood as source of high quality-protein, were tested as supplement for malnourished children. Prothemol is a powder containing desiccated bovine red cells, with 23.32 g% protein and 18.8 mg% iron, without any limiting amino acid. Plasmel (a syrup) contains 44.7% bovine plasma, 54.3% saccharose and 1500 IU% retinol. Children, 32-60 month old, from a day-nursery service in Recife, Brazil, received Prothemol + Plasmel for 90 (n = 14) or 180 days (n = 8). When compared to age-matched control children (n = 12 and n = 6, respectively), they presented significantly higher increments in weight and height, and in some haematological parameters. Clinical signs associated to malnutrition (faces suggesting suffering or sadness; brightnessless eyes; apathy; reduced mobility; reduced communication with their classmates and adults) were found in 12 treated children (85.7%) and in 9 controls (75%). Recovery from these signs begun after 51 ± 20.6 and 103.5 ± 14.6 days, for the treated and control groups, respectively (P < 0.05) and occurred in 100% of the treated children and in 67% (6 of 9 children) in the controls. We suggest that Prothemol + Plasmel is an effective dietary supplement to help treating malnutrition in children, recovering them from clinical signs indicative of improving neural functions.