The role of chemical properties of the material deposited in nests of white stork in shaping enzymatic activity and fungal diversity.

Organic debris accumulated in bird nests creates a unique environment for organisms, including microbes. Built from various plant materials that are typically enriched by animal residues, bird nest favours the development of various fungal groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical properties of the material deposited in the white stork Ciconia ciconia nests and the link between extracellular enzyme activity and the diversity and composition of culturable fungi. Our findings revealed low C/P and N/P ratio values in the nest materials, which indicate a high P availability. Nest material C/N/P ratio ranged from 67/8/1 to 438/33/1. Enzymatic activity strongly correlated with the content of carbon, nitrogen, and pH of the material deposited in the nests. A total of 2726 fungal isolates were obtained from the nests, from which 82 taxa were identified based on morphology and DNA sequence data. The study indicates that white stork nests are microhabitat characterised by diverse chemical and biochemical properties. We found relationship between the fungal richness and diversity and the C/P and N/P ratios of materials from the nests. Our study showed that culturable fungi occurred frequently in materials with high levels of C, N, and P, as well as high concentrations of base alkaline elements (Ca, Mg, and K).

The Expression of Selected Factors Related to T Lymphocyte Activity in Canine Mammary Tumors.

Crosstalk between neoplastic and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) influences the progression of disease in human and canine cancer patients. Given that canine mammary tumors are a useful model to study breast cancer biology, we aimed to evaluate the expression of genes associated with T lymphocyte activity in benign, malignant, and metastatic canine mammary tumors. Interestingly, metastatic tumors exhibit increased expression of CXCR3, CCR2, IL-4, IL-12p40, and IL-17. In particular, we focused on IL-17, a key interleukin associated with the Th17 lymphocyte phenotype. Th17 cells have been shown to play a contradictory role in tumor immunity. Although IL-17 showed a high expression in the metastatic tumors, the expression of RORγt, a crucial transcription factor for Th17 differentiation was barely detected. We further investigated IL-17 expression using immunohistochemistry, through which we confirmed the increased expression of this interleukin in malignant and metastatic mammary tumors. Finally, we compared the plasma levels of IL-17 in healthy and malignant mammary tumor-bearing dogs using ELISA but found no differences between the groups. Our data indicate that the IL-17 in metastatic tumors may be produced by other cell types, but not by Th17 lymphocytes. Overall, our results broaden the available knowledge on the interactions in canine mammary tumors and provide insight into the development of new therapeutic strategies, with potential benefits for human immune oncology.

Effects of waxy rice and tapioca starches on the physicochemical and sensory properties of white sauces enriched with functional fibre.

This study was conducted to examine the physicochemical and sensory properties of gluten-free white sauces (WSs) prepared with waxy rice starch (WRS) or tapioca starch (TS) and high amylose maize starch (HAMS) as the source of resistance starch RS2 type. Herschel-Bulkley model (H-B) was successfully used to describe the flow behavior of WSs. Temperature had a notable effect on the derived from H-B relation parameters and the Arrhenius equation was applied to describe changes in consistency. The values of storage modulus (G') were higher than those of loss modulus (G″) with loss tangent between 0.1 and 1.0 within the tested frequency range of 0.1-50Hz. Generalized Cox-Merz rule was used to correlate the steady shear properties to viscoelasticity of WSs. Consumers were tolerant to the presence of HAMS and mostly interested in consuming WSs containing 3.0-3.5wt% WRS and 2.5-3.0wt% TS.

Stability and physicochemical properties of model salad dressings prepared with pregelatinized potato starch.

The effects of pregelatinized potato starch concentration (PSC) ranged from 0 to 5 wt% on the physical stability, color, rheological, textural, and sensory properties of model salad dressings prepared with 2 wt% dried egg yolk (DEY) or sodium caseinate (SC) were explored. All dressings showed shear-thinning behavior with yield stress. Raising PSC increased storage (G') and loss (G") moduli decreasing loss tangent (tanδ) and samples containing ≥ 3 wt% starch showed a weak gel-like (tanδ<1) response. A generalized Cox-Merz rule was applicable to indicate shear/strain sensitivity of the dressings structures. Rheological characterization based on Bohlin's parameters (A, z) was useful for distinguishing physical stability of dressings made with different formulations. Changes in color were generally very small and mainly PSC-dependent. Correlation analyses revealed that sensory descriptors could be satisfactory modeled with the appropriate instrumental data. Overall, the results proved that pregelatinized potato starch may be suitable ingredient in low-fat dressings applications.