Evaluation of hippuric acid content in goat milk as a marker of feeding regimen.

Organic producers, traders, and consumers must address 2 issues related to milk: authentication of the production system and nutritional differentiation. The presence of hippuric acid (HA) in goat milk samples has been proposed as a possible marker to differentiate the feeding regimen of goats. The objective of this work is to check the hypothesis that HA could be a marker for the type of feeding regimen of goats by studying the influence of production system (conventional or organic) and feeding regimen (with or without grazing fodder). With this purpose, commercial cow and goat milk samples (n=27) and raw goat milk samples (n=185; collected from different breeds, localizations, and dates) were analyzed. Samples were grouped according to breed, feeding regimen, production system, and origin to compare HA content by ANOVA and honestly significant difference Tukey test at a confidence level of ≥95%. Hippuric acid content was obtained by analyzing milk samples with capillary electrophoresis. This method was validated by analyzing part of the samples with HPLC as a reference technique. Sixty-nine raw goat milk samples (of the total 158 samples analyzed in this work) were quantified by capillary electrophoresis. In these samples, the lowest average content for HA was 7±3 mg/L. This value corresponds to a group of conventional raw milk samples from goats fed with compound feed. The highest value of this group was 28±10 mg/L, corresponding to goats fed compound feed plus grass. Conversely, for organic raw goat milk samples, the highest concentration was 67±14 mg/L, which corresponds to goats fed grass. By contrast, the lowest value of this organic group was 26±10 mg/L, which belongs to goats fed organic compounds. Notice that the highest HA average content was found in samples from grazing animals corresponding to the organic group. This result suggests that HA is a good marker to determine the type of goats feeding regimen; a high content of HA represents a diet based mainly or exclusively on eating green grass (grazing), independently of the production system. Hence, this marker would not be useful for the actual organic policies to distinguish organic milk under the current regulations, because organic dairy ruminants can be fed organic compound feed and conserved fodder without grazing at all.

Analytical Tools for Disease Diagnosis in Animals via Fecal Volatilome.

Volatilome analysis is growing in attention for the diagnosis of diseases in animals and humans. In particular, volatilome analysis in fecal samples is starting to be proposed as a fast, easy and noninvasive method for disease diagnosis. Volatilome comprises volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are produced during both physiological and patho-physiological processes. Thus, VOCs from a pathological condition often differ from those of a healthy state and therefore the VOCs profile can be used in the detection of some diseases. Due to their strengths and advantages, feces are currently being used to obtain information related to health status in animals. However, they are complex samples, that can present problems for some analytical techniques and require special consideration in their use and preparation before analysis. This situation demands an effort to clarify which analytic options are currently being used in the research context to analyze the possibilities these offer, with the final objectives of contributing to develop a standardized methodology and to exploit feces potential as a diagnostic matrix. The current work reviews the studies focused on the diagnosis of animal diseases through fecal volatilome in order to evaluate the analytical methods used and their advantages and limitations. The alternatives found in the literature for sampling, storage, sample pretreatment, measurement and data treatment have been summarized, considering all the steps involved in the analytical process.

Second litter syndrome in Iberian pig breed: factors influencing the performance.

Second litter syndrome (SLS) consists of a loss of prolificacy in the second parity (P2), when a sow presents the same or lower results for litter size than in the first parity (P1). This syndrome has been reported for modern prolific breeds but has not been studied for rustic breeds. The objectives of this study are to determine how and to what degree Iberian sows (a low productivity breed recently raised on intensive farms) are affected by SLS; to establish a target and reference levels; and to assess the factors influencing the performance. Analysed data correspond to 66 Spanish farms with a total of 126 140 Iberian sows. The average Iberian sow prolificacy in P1 was 8.91 total born (TB) and 8.47 born alive (BA) piglets, whereas in P2, it decreased by -0.05 TB and -0.01 BA piglets, suggesting some general incidence of SLS. At the sow level, 56.63% did not improve prolificacy in terms of BA piglets in P2, and 16.98% had a clear decrease in prolificacy, losing ≥3 BA piglets in P2. Within herds, a mean of 57.75% of sows showed SLS, with an evident decrease in the number of BA piglets in P2. The plausible target for the Iberian farm's prolificacy comes from the quartile of farms with the lowest percentage of SLS sows within the farms with the highest prolificacy between P1 and P2 (mean of 8.77 BA). So, in this subset of farms (N = 17), 47.3% of sows improved their prolificacy in P2 (i.e. did not show SLS). Hence, half the sows could be expected to show SLS even on farms with a good performance. Finally, this study brings out the main factors reducing P2 prolificacy through SLS in the Iberian breed: later age at first farrowing, long first lactation length, medium weaning to conception interval and large litter size in P1. In conclusion, improving the reproductive performance of Iberian farms requires reducing the percentage of sows with SLS, paying special attention to those risk factors. The knowledge derived from this study can provide references for comparing and establishing objectives of performance on Iberian sow farms which can be used for other robust breeds.

Designed enediynes: a new class of DNA-cleaving molecules with potent and selective anticancer activity.

The rational design and biological actions of a new class of DNA-cleaving molecules with potent and selective anticancer activity are reported. These relatively simple enediyne-type compounds were designed from basic chemical principles to mimic the actions of the rather complex naturally occurring enediyne anticancer antibiotics, particularly dynemicin A. Equipped with locking and triggering devices, these compounds damage DNA in vitro and in vivo on activation by chemical or biological means. Their damaging effects are manifested in potent anticancer activity with remarkable selectivities. Their mechanism of action involves intracellular unlocking and triggering of a Bergman reaction, leading to highly reactive benzenoid diradicals that cause severe DNA damage. The results of these studies demonstrate the potential of these de novo designed molecules as biotechnology tools and anticancer agents.

The gluten-free basic food basket: a problem of availability, cost and nutritional composition.

The basic food basket (BFB), formed by the more economical products available, is used by less-affluent countries to establish the minimum daily food consumption to satisfy nutritional requirements in less-privileged individuals. There is no information about groups that depend on the BFB and in addition follow gluten-free diet (GF/BFB). We measured availability, cost, main ingredients and nutritional composition of GF/BFB. Data were collected in the area that was first in the social priority list in the capital city, matching BFB components with gluten-free equivalents (GF/BFB). GF/BFB characterized by being 42% less available, three times more costly (>500% higher for bread), with up to 69% lower protein content and with no fortifications, leaving at nutritional risk celiac individuals that depend on GF/BFB. Results raise concerns on the capacity of the GF/BFB to encourage adherence, maintain adequate nutritional status and quality of life in celiac patients.

Metabolism correlates of cocaine-induced stereotypy in rats.

An increase in stereotyped behavior was observed in rats injected daily with cocaine (40 mg/kg, IP), as compared with the first day. This increase persisted 14 days after discontinuation of the drug treatment, and corresponded to increased levels of 3H-cocaine norcocaine and benzoylecgonine in brain. Pretreatment of the animals with SKF-522A, an inhibitor of cocaine demethylation, produced a decrease in stereotypy rating and concomitantly a lower level of 3H-norcocaine in the brain. The role of this metabolite in the production of cocaine-induced stereotyped behavior is discussed.

New tetherable derivatives of myo-inositol 2,4,5- and 1,3,4-trisphosphates.

(+/-)-myo-Inositol 1-(3-aminopropyl hydrogen phosphate) 3,4-bis(disodium phosphate) (5) and (+/-)-myo-inositol 2-(3-aminopropyl hydrogen phosphate) 4,5-bis(disodium phosphate) (11) have been synthesized by conventional procedures. Each derivative has been immobilized on a polymeric resin in order to give a bioaffinity matrix.

[In situ ductal carcinoma of the breast]. / Carcinoma ductal in situ de mama.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is an early, localized stage of breast cancer. The diagnosis of DCIS has increased due to the use on a large scale of mammography. The majority of these tumors are detected on the mammography by microcalcifications. It is very important to establish a new pathologic classification. The management is one of the most controversial part in the treatment of breast cancer; for several decades total mastectomy was considered the appropriate treatment. Conservative treatment is based on the surgical excision of the tumor plus irradiation of the remaining breast. Has an excellent prognosis when properly treated.

Angular dependence of the magnetoresistance in nanoparticle arrays.

The interplay between the ferromagnetism and the charging effects strongly affects the electron transport through nanoparticle arrays when they are placed between two ferromagnetic electrodes with collinear magnetizations. There are oscillations in the current for the parallel orientation of magnetizations, and large values of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). We analyze the transport properties in nanoparticle arrays for the case of noncollinear magnetizations. We show that the I-V and TMR curves strongly depend on the angle θ between the magnetization orientations of both electrodes. Large values of TMR are obtained for several values of θ.

Inhibition of the metabolism of cocaine by SKF-525A.

In vitro and in vivo studies in rats indicate cocaine to be metabolized primarily in the liver to form benzoylecgonine and norcocaine. The formation of these metabolites was significantly hindered by SKF-525A, a microsomal enzyme inhibitor. In in vivo studies, pretreatment of rats with SKF-525A prior to receiving cocaine resulted in increased amounts of unchanged cocaine in the brain. No accompanying increase in spontaneous motor activity was observed for these animals, indicating a possible role for metabolites in the stimulant action of cocaine.

Absorption and excretion of thioridazine and mesoridazine in man.

Tritium labeled thioridazine and mesoridazine were given to four schizophrenic subjects to determine if differences in reported clinical potency of these two drugs could be explained by different rates of absorption and excretion. Mesoridazine was found to have earlier peak blood levels and lower fecal excretion. However, the blood and fecal differences were too small to be an adequate explanation for the differences in clinical potency suggesting that the rate of metabolic degradation is a more likely explanation for the potency difference. Thioridazine differs from other phenothiazines by containing two sulfur atoms. Thioridazine is metabolized by oxidative demethylation, oxidation at both sulfur atoms to sulfoxides and sulfones and by hydroxylation in the ring followed by glucuronide formation. Monosufoxides, disulfoxide and disufone have been found in the urine and bile of rats after thioridazine administration by inverse isotope dilution analysis. Neither the ring sulfoxide nor the disulfone show significant pharmacological activity, but activity is shown by the side chain monosulfoxide, mesoridazine. In fact it has been postulated that mesoridazine is the active form of thioridazine. Mesoridazine when compared on an equal dose basis to thioridazine is more potent in anti-emotional and hypotensive effects and produces more extrapyramidal symptoms. Since oxidation of the ring sulfur would be expected to decrease potency, it has been theorized that a portion of thioridazine is oxidized within the ring prior to the oxidation of the side chain sulfur atom thus effectively decreasing the potential activity of thioridazine. Thioridazine studies in rats have shown greater excretion in the urine and bile of the side chain sulfoxide than of the ring sulfoxide or of unchanged thioridazine. The difference in potency of these two compounds could alternatively be a result of differences in absorption, reabsorption after biliary excretion or the rate of urinary excretion. The metabolic pathways of mesoridazine in the human are essentially unknown. Because of this, we thought it worthwhile to determine if the difference in potency between thioridazine and mesoridazine is also related to differences in the rate of excretion and absorption. Because phenothiazines are found in extremely low plasma concentrations, we used radioactive compounds to perform this study.

Demethylation in rats chronically treated with cocaine.

Norcocaine was prepared from cocaine utilizing diethyl azodicarboxylate. The rate of demethylation of 14C-cocaine in rats receiving either chronic or acute dosages of the drug was investigated. No significant difference in the rate of 14CO2 exhalation from the two groups was observed.