This study aimed to assess the in vitro antimicrobial effects of chlorhexidine (CHX) and povidone-iodine (PI) on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) ...from the vaginal discharge of dairy cows, as well as to compare the cytotoxicity effects of CHX and PI on bovine endometrial epithelial cells (BEnEpC). In Experiment 1, 12 E. coli and 10 T. pyogenes were isolated from the vaginal discharge of cows with a uterine infection. The MIC and MBC against CHX and PI were analyzed in vitro. In Experiment 2, the cytotoxicity effects of CHX and PI on BEnEpC were analyzed using a Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit, wound scratch healing assay, and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha). In Experiment 1, the MIC and MBC values of CHX against E. coli were 0.0002% and 0.0002 to 0.00025%, respectively. The MIC and MBC values of PI were 1.25 to 2.5% and 1.25 to 5%, respectively. For T. pyogenes, the MIC and MBC values of CHX were 0.00002%. The MIC and MBC values of PI were 1.25%. In Experiment 2, the cell viability significantly decreased, and wound closures were significantly inhibited after treatment with greater than or equal to 0.002% CHX and greater than or equal to 0.025% PI. The expression of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha significantly increased after treatment with PI. Only IL-6 showed a significant increase after cells were treated with 0.00002% and 0.0002% CHX. The results suggested that both CHX and PI had high antibacterial effects. However, veterinarians and farmers should be aware of their cytotoxicity, which decrease viability of endometrial epithelial cells and inhibit wound healing in vitro.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
(1) Background: The current research intended to obtain functional compounds from agricultural by-products. A functional tea seed flavonoid, ...kaempferol-3-O-2-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-6-O-α-L-rhanmopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (KXRG), was isolated from tea seed dregs. We further determined its chemical structure and evaluated the protective effects of KXRG against local and systemic inflammation in vivo; (2) Methods: First, cytotoxicity and proinflammatory cytokine release were examined in a cell-culture system. The biological activities of KXRG were investigated in a mouse model of ear edema, and from inflammatory damage to organs as demonstrated by histologic examination, in addition to brain function evaluation using the Y-maze test. Serum biochemical analysis and western blotting were utilized to explore the related cellular factors; (3) Results: KXRG inhibited IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells at a non-toxic concentration. Further experiments confirmed that KXRG exerted a stronger effect than indomethacin in terms of the prevention of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced ear inflammation in a mouse model. KXRG feeding significantly prevented LPS-induced small intestine, liver, and kidney inflammatory damage, as demonstrated by histologic examination. KXRG also significantly improved LPS-induced cognitive impairments. Serum biochemical analysis showed that KXRG elevated antioxidant capacity and reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Western blotting revealed that KXRG reduced the COX-2 expression induced by LPS in mouse tissues; (4) Conclusions: KXRG can be purified from agricultural waste, and hence it is inexpensive, with large amounts of raw materials available. Thus, KXRG has strong potential for further development as a wide-use anti-systemic inflammation drug to prevent human disease.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence at both farm-level and calf-level and to identify the risk factors of respiratory bacterial pathogens in dairy calves in Taiwan. The status of bovine ...respiratory disease (BRD) was evaluated by using the Wisconsin scoring system from a total of 400 pre-weaned calves from 32 different farms in Taiwan, then the nasopharyngeal swabs were collected. The prevalence of respiratory pathogens was 84.37% at farm-level and 45.50% at calf-level, and Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) was the most prevalent pathogen. The presence of Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis), P. multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) and Histophilus somni (H. somni) were all higher in BRD positive calves than BRD negative calves, but only in H. somni was significant (P<0.001). Then nine farm management risk factors were analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression models to determine the risk factors of respiratory bacterial pathogens (farm and calf-level). In the result at farm-level, only unheated colostrum was significantly associated with pathogen positive farms (Odds Ratio (OR)=11.43). At calf-level, the predominant risk factor for each pathogen, M. bovis, P. multocida, M. haemolytica and H. somni, was late first colostrum feeding (OR=272.82), unheated colostrum (OR=3.41), waste milk feeding (OR=6.59) and high pneumonia treatment cost (OR=2.52), respectively. For effective preventive measures, farmer education on milk and colostrum feeding are urgently warranted.
Cells, scaffolds and growth factors are three main components of a tissue-engineered construct. Collagen type I, a major protein of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in mammals, is a suitable scaffold ...material for regeneration. Another important constituent of the ECM, hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan, HA), has been used for medical purposes due to its hydrogel properties and biodegradability. Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide comprised of β1- to β4-linked
d-glucosamine residues, and its potential as a biomaterial is based on its cationic nature and high charge density in solution. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of scaffolds composed of different ratios of type I comb collagen and chitosan with added HA in order to obtain the optimum conditions for the manufacture of collagen–hyaluronan–chitosan (Col–HA–Ch; comprising collagen, HA and chitosan mixed in different ratios: 10:1:0, Col10HACh0; 9:1:1, Col9HACh1; 8:1:2, Col8HACh2; 7:1:3, Col7HACh3; 6:1:4, Col6HACh4; and 5:1:5, Col5HACh5) composite porous scaffolds. Microstructural observation of the composite scaffolds was performed using scanning electron microscopy. The mean pore diameters ranged from 120 to 182
μm and decreased as the chitosan composition increased. All scaffolds showed high pore interconnectivity. Swelling ratio measurements showed that all specimens could bind 35- to 40-fold of physiological fluid and still maintain their form and stability. For tensile strength, the optimal ratio of collagen and chitosan was 9:1. Thermal stability was investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter and showed that Col5HACh5 and Col6HACh4 were significantly more stable than the other groups. In enzymatic sensitivity, a steady increase in the biostability of the scaffolds was achieved as the chitosan concentration was increased. In biocompatibility testing, the proliferation of the fibroblasts cultured in Co-HA-Ch tri-copolymer scaffolds was high. Overall, we observed the 9:1:1 mixing ratio of collagen, hyaluronan and chitosan to be optimal for the manufacture of complex scaffolds. Furthermore, Col–HA–Ch tri-polymer scaffolds, especially Col9HACh1, could be developed as a suitable scaffold material for tissue engineering applications.
Cryptosporidiosis is one of the major causes of diarrhea in calves. Cryptosporidium parvum is considered the most important calf diarrhea pathogen in the Cryptosporidium species. Not only could ...infected calves spread C. parvum, but infected adult cattle could also shed oocysts. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the prevalence of C. parvum in dairy herds in Taiwan, including calves, the dams in delivery enclosure, the floor, and the drinking water; (2) to clarify the relationship of diarrhea, management, and C. parvum infection. Twenty dairy herds in Taiwan were selected by random sampling, including 226 calves and 198 dams, and other environmental samples were collected. A questionnaire was filled out by the farm owners to collect information regarding the management of calves and the delivery enclosure. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for C. parvum infection. The prevalence of C. parvum infection in calves was 26.5% (60/226), while in dams, it was 19.7% (39/198). The C. parvum infection in calves increased with environmental contamination of C. parvum and clinical signs of diarrhea, while it decreased with a yard provided in the delivery enclosure. In conclusion, the management of the delivery enclosure appears to be more important for preventing cryptosporidiosis in calves in Taiwan.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rosemary or Chinese mahogany, at levels of 500, 1000 and 1500
ppm, of the phenolic compounds, on the quality of fresh chicken sausage stored at ...4
°C for 14 days. The results showed that sausages with addition of Chinese mahogany or rosemary underwent less pH value reduction. The intense colour of Chinese mahogany or rosemary resulted in samples with lower
L values and higher
a values. Samples with more Chinese mahogany or rosemary added had higher total phenolic compounds. Lower TBA (thiobarbituric acid) and VBN (volatile basic nitrogen) values, and lower total plate counts were observed for the samples with Chinese mahogany or rosemary added. Samples with Chinese mahogany added had higher overall acceptance than had samples with rosemary added. Some volatile compounds, including alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes, ethers and phenolic compounds, were isolated from the samples and identified.
Protein phosphorylation is a crucial post-translational modification that plays an important role in the regulation of cellular signaling processes. Site-specific quantitation of phosphorylation ...levels can help decipher the physiological functions of phosphorylation modifications under diverse physiological statuses. However, quantitative analysis of protein phosphorylation degrees is still a challenging task due to its dynamic nature and the lack of an internal standard simultaneously available for the samples differently prepared for various phosphorylation extents. In this study, stable-isotope dimethyl labeling coupled with phosphatase dephosphorylation (DM + deP) was tried to determine the site-specific degrees of phosphorylation in proteins. Firstly, quantitation accuracy of the (DM + deP) approach was confirmed using synthetic peptides of various simulated phosphorylation degrees. Afterwards, it was applied to evaluate the phosphorylation stoichiometry of milk caseins. The phosphorylation degree of Ser130 on α-S1-casein was also validated by absolute quantification with the corresponding synthetic phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated peptides under a selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. Moreover, this (DM + deP) method was used to detect the phosphorylation degree change of Ser82 on the Hsp27 protein of HepG2 cells caused by
-butyl hydroperoxide (
-BHP) treatment. The results showed that the absolute phosphorylation degree obtained from the (DM + deP) approach was comparable with the relative quantitation resulting from stable-isotope dimethyl labeling coupled with TiO
enrichment. This study suggested that the (DM + deP) approach is promising for absolute quantification of site-specific degrees of phosphorylation in proteins, and it may provide more convincing information than the relative quantification method.
Shrimp allergy is a critical public health concern worldwide, and is also the most frequent cause of food allergy in Taiwan. Tropomyosin is recognized as the major shrimp allergen. However, ...information of tropomyosin content in Taiwanese shrimp is unknown. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop a reliable analytical approach to detect tropomyosin. An absolute quantification method of proteins (AQUA) method was developed to detect tropomyosin in seven Taiwanese shrimps in this study. Both signature peptide, ALSNAEGEVAALNR, and its isotope-labeled peptide were used as standards and internal standards. The determination coefficient (R2) of the calibration curve is 0.9989, and the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.072 ng/μl and 0.219 ng/μl, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision of this analytical method are 2.30–12.80% and 2.93–11.97%, respectively. Recovery was measured as 85.53–101.87% by adding signature peptide with 0.5, 1.0, 7.5 ng/μl into the blank matrix. The method showed no cross-reactivity with squid, tilapia and chicken. Also, the current validated method was successfully applied to shrimps and processed foods. The levels of tropomyosin in seven Taiwanese shrimps ranged from 555.50 to 973.93 μg/g. The present study demonstrated this analytical approach may be an useful technique to analyze tropomyosin in foods.
•ALSNAEGEVAALNR was used as the signature peptide for analysis.•The characteristic fragmentation transition of m/z 708 > 157 were used for tropomyosin quantification.•The LOD and LOQ of this analytical method were 0.072 ng/μl and 0.219 ng/μl, respectively.•Levels of tropomyosin in Taiwanese shrimps were showed in this study.
Goslings in several Taiwanese farms experienced gosling feather loss disease (GFL) at 21-35 days and goose broke feather disease (GBF) at 42-60 days. The prevalence ranges from a few birds to 500 ...cases per field. It is estimated that about 12,000 geese have been infected, the morbidity is 70-80% and the mortality is 20-30%.
This study aims to investigate the pathogens that cause GFL and GBF. Focus on the study of the correlation between goose circovirus (GoCV) and goose parvovirus (GPV) with the goose feather loss in southern Taiwan. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree was established to align the differences between southern and northern Taiwan and compare with virus strains from China and Europe.
Samples were collected from animal hospitals. Molecular and microscopy diagnostics were used to examine 92 geese. Specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) assays are performed to evaluate GPV and GoCV viral loads and simultaneously evaluated the feather loss conditions in geese with the scoring method.
High prevalence of GoCV and GPV infection in geese showing signs of GFL and GBF. Inclusion body was detected in the feather follicles and Lieberkühn crypt epithelial cells. The Q-PCR showed the high correlation between feather loss and viruses during 3rd-5th week. However, the infection was not detected using the same test in 60 healthy geese.
Thus, GFL and GBF appear to be significantly closely related to GoCV and GPV. The geese feathers showed increasing recovery after being quarantined and disinfected.
Skin fibroblasts modulate tissue repair, wound healing and immunological responses. Adrenergic receptors (ARs) mediate important physiological functions, such as endocrine, metabolic and neuronal ...activity. In this study, the expression α1A-ARs in human skin fibroblasts is examined and verified. Regulatory effects of α1-agonist cirazoline on cell migration and the production of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), hyaluronan (HA), fibronectin and procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide (PIP) by human skin fibroblasts are assessed and validated. α1A-AR mRNA and protein were found in human skin fibroblasts WS1. Exposure of cirazoline doubled skin fibroblast migration and the increase in cell migration was attenuated by α1-antagonist prazosin. TGF-β1 mRNA and production were enhanced after exposure to cirazoline and IGF-1 production was also increased after treatment with cirazoline. Exposure to cirazoline also enhanced HA and PIP production. The increases in TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production were partially abolished in fibroblasts transfected with α1A-AR short interfering RNAs, indicating that α1A-ARs are involved in the cirazoline-induced increases in TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production. Thus, α1A-ARs are stably expressed and stimulate cell migration and TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production in human skin fibroblasts. Moreover, TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production and the cell migration of human skin fibroblasts are possibly modulated by natural catecholamines produced by the endocrine system or sympathetic innervation, which could directly or indirectly participate in cytokine secretion, fibroblast migration and matrix production of wound healing in the skin.