The Role of Oxidative Stress in Infertility.

(1) Background: Oxidative stress markers in the follicular fluid and serum of the patient with IVF results (number of fertilized oocytes, number of embryos, cumulative pregnancy rate) are important in establishing the causes of infertility. (2) Methods: 42 patients were enrolled in the study over the duration of 24 months and were divided into two groups: the study group divided into the female etiology for infertility as a tubal factor, diminished ovarian reserve, endometriosis, and unexplained infertility, and the control group consisting of the male factor, excluding the sperm donors and with no female factor cause. On the day of ovarian puncture in IVF, follicular fluid and serum were collected from the patients. (3) Results: Malondialdehyde from the follicular fluid was higher in the control group. The total antioxidant capacity in the follicular fluid is positively correlated with the pregnancy rate. There is no statistically significant difference in the oxidative stress markers from serum in both groups. (4) Conclusions: The capacity of the follicular fluid environment to contain the reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to a higher pregnancy rate in the control group.

Paraclinical Changes Occurring in Dairy Cows with Spontaneous Subacute Ruminal Acidosis under Field Conditions.

This study was undertaken to investigate the changes in the blood and milk biochemical parameters found in naturally occurring and long-lasting spontaneous subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA), with the aim of identifying the patterns of paraclinical changes and providing valuable data for more accurately identifying SARA in cows under field conditions. The study was conducted on a dairy herd with a history of the occurrence of SARA-associated clinical signs. Twelve cows, between 20 and 150 days in milk, were randomly selected and subsequently subjected to venous blood, milk, and ruminal fluid collection. The mean pH value of the ruminal fluid was 5.56 ± 0.32, and 58% (7/12) of the tested cows were SARA positive (ruminal pH ≤ 5.5). The albumin, calcium, and phosphorus serum concentration values were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the SARA group than in the group of healthy cows. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) activity were significantly higher in the SARA cows (p < 0.05) than in the group of healthy cows. The mean values of milk fat, milk protein content, and milk fat-to-protein ratio were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the tested cows of the SARA group than in the healthy group of cows. In conclusion, the results of the current study indicate that long-term SARA triggered by a high-concentrate diet is associated with clinically significant changes in both the blood composition (hypoalbuminemia, hypocalcemia, and increased serum AST and GLDH activity) and the milk composition (decreased fat and protein percentage and milk fat-to-protein ratio). Altogether, the obtained results provide a more reliable pattern of paraclinical changes and useful insights for detecting SARA in dairy cows under field conditions.

Lupin (Lupinus spp.)-Fortified Bread: A Sustainable, Nutritionally, Functionally, and Technologically Valuable Solution for Bakery.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the nutritional, phytochemical, rheological, technological, and sensory properties of wheat flour dough and bread under a replacement of lupin flour at level 10, 20, and 30%. In this sense, the proximate composition, fatty acids profile, the content in total polyphenols content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and flavonoids content (TFC) of lupin; wheat and flour composites; and the bread obtained from them were determined. The rheological properties of the dough using the Mixolab system were also evaluated. The results showed an improvement in the nutritional properties of bread with addition of lupin in the composite flour, especially in terms of proteins, lipids, and mineral substances and a significant increases of functional attributes, such as TPC, TFC, and AA, which recorded the highest values in the bread with 30% lupin flour (76.50 mg GAE/100 g, 8.54 mg QE/100 g, 54.98%). The decrease of lupin bread volume compared to wheat bread ranged between 0.69-7.37%, porosity between 6.92-35.26%, elasticity between 63-70%, and H/D between 3.17-19.05%. The rheological profile of the dough obtained with lupin flours indicates a moderate stability and proper kneading behavior. The sensory analysis was also performed in order to identify the consumer's acceptability regarding this type of bread. According to a 5-point hedonic scale, the most highly appreciated was the bread with 10% lupin flour, which obtained mean scores of 4.73 for general acceptability as compared with control bread (4.43).

Utilization of Rosmarinic and Ascorbic Acids for Maturation Culture Media in Order to Increase Sow Oocyte Quality Prior to IVF.

The beneficial effect of antioxidant supplementation in maturation culture media of sow oocytes was evaluated by the expression quantification of apoptotic genes and the genes that ensure stability of germ cells during fertilization. The oocytes were cultivated for 44 h in conventional medium (C) or in medium supplemented with 105 µM rosmarinic acid (R) and 0.5 mM ascorbic acid (A) and classified into three quality classes by morphological observation from which the total RNA was isolated. The gene expression of Ptx3 and the apoptotic regulator p53, Bax and BCL-2 were evaluated by quantitative PCR technique. The decreased expression of the Bax gene in the A and R groups, compared to the control, indicates a protective role of antioxidants in the cells. Cell homeostasis was maintained, as reflected in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in class I COCs (cumulus-oocyte complex) regardless of the experimental group, indicating minimum cellular stress. The expression of p53 genes was higher in all class III COC, but in A1 and R1 the expression was lower than in C1, and a similar Ptx-3 gene decreased significantly in groups A1, A2, A3 and R1 compared with control groups. Antioxidant supplementation showed beneficial effects on all morphological classes of pig COCs.

Serum Protein Electrophoretic Pattern in Neonatal Calves Treated with Clinoptilolite.

The objective of our study was to determine the effects of clinoptilolite supplemented in colostrum on the blood serum protein electrophoretic pattern of new-born calves. METHODS: Romanian Black and White new-born calves involved in the study were divided into 3 groups: the control group (C) that received colostrum without clinoptilolite, and experimental groups I (E1) and II (E2) that received colostrum supplemented with 0.5% and 2% clinoptilolite, respectively. The concentration of total protein and protein fractions (albumin, α1-globulin, α2-globulin, ß-globulin and γ-globulin) were analyzed by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate. RESULTS: At hour 30 after birth, concentrations of γ-globulins, ß-globulin and total protein in E1 group of calves were higher than in control group by 42.11% (p < 0.05), 28.48% (p > 0.05) and 18.52% (p > 0.05), respectively, and were higher, but not significantly, in group E2 compared to the control group. This was in accordance with a significant lower albumin/globulin ratio in groups E1 and E2 (29.35%, p < 0.05 and 35.87%, p < 0.05, respectively) than in control group at 30 h postpartum, which indicates an obvious increase of the globulins fraction in experimental groups. The conclusion: Clinoptilolite was effective in improving passive transfer in new-born calves, but it was more effective if added in colostrum with a dose of 0.5% than with a dose of 2%.

The occurrence of mycotoxins in wheat from western Romania and histopathological impact as effect of feed intake.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study has been to evaluate the extent of mycotoxins contamination and their co-occurrence in wheat grain intended for animal feed. A total of 52 wheat samples were collected from the harvest of two consecutive years (2010, 2011) from two counties (Timis and Arad) located in Western Romania and the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZON) and fumonisins (FUMO) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In order to evaluate the toxicological impact of mycotoxins, naturally contaminated wheat samples were administered in rats feed for one month. RESULTS: The mycotoxin with the highest incidence in wheat samples was DON due to agro-climatic conditions typical for the west part of Romania. DON was found in 73.08% of samples harvested in 2010 and the highest level of contamination was 3390 ppb. The incidence of DON in sample from 2011 was lower than those of 2010, with a frequency of occurrence of 19.23%. The occurrence of ZON was in the range 69.23-76.92%, with an average value of 187.74 ppb. The OTA content in wheat was below the maximum tolerable limit established by EU Commission regulation for feed legislation (250 ppb). For FUMO the lowest percentage of positive samples was registered (15.38% in wheat sample harvested in 2010 and 11.54% positive samples in 2011). With respect to the co-occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins, the results proved that ZON was found as a co-contaminant together with DON, especially when climatic conditions for development of fungus are favorable (high air humidity). The differences recorded between investigated localities and their classifications according to the mycotoxin kind and year of harvest were carried out by principal components analysis (PCA). The histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation performed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining technique as well as by assessing the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) revealed significant modification of kidney, liver and spleen cells in the case of DON and FUMO. In terms of toxicity induced by OTA and ZON it was highlighted mixed normal and necrotic areas in liver, while histological assessment revealed normal VEGF expression in kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: Although none of the analyzed samples exceeding the stipulated maximum limits for cereals used as feed, a high incidence of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species have been recorded (DON and ZON) in wheat samples harvested in Western Romania. Also, histopathological evaluation revealed significant tissue lesions in liver and kidney of rats after one month of feeding with natural contaminated wheat.