Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10?7, 10?9 and 10?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM + 10?7, IVM + 10?9, IVM + 10?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC + 10?7, IVC + 10?9, IVC + 10?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM + 10?9, IVC + 10?9, IVM /IVC + 10?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM + 10?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC + 10?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC + 10?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC + 10?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC + 10?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC + 10?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC + 10?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM + 10?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC + 10?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality. 相似文献
To determine if flower nutrient composition can be used to predict fruit quality, a field experiment was conducted over three seasons (1996-1999) in a commercial orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck cv. 'Valencia Late', budded on Troyer citrange rootstock) established on a calcareous soil in southern Portugal. Flowers were collected from 20 trees during full bloom in April and their nutrient composition determined, and fruits were harvested the following March and their quality evaluated. Patterns of covariation in flower nutrient concentrations and in fruit quality variables were evaluated by principal component analysis. Regression models relating fruit quality variables to flower nutrient composition were developed by stepwise selection procedures. The predictive power of the regression models was evaluated with an independent data set. Nutrient composition of flowers at full bloom could be used to predict the fruit quality variables fresh fruit mass and maturation index in the following year. Magnesium, Ca and Zn concentrations measured in flowers were related to fruit fresh mass estimations and N, P, Mg and Fe concentrations were related to fruit maturation index. We also established reference values for the nutrient composition of flowers based on measurements made in trees that produced large (> 76 mm in diameter) fruit. 相似文献
The Columbia root-knot nematode (CRKN), Meloidogyne chitwoodi, is an EPPO A2 type quarantine pest since 1998. This nematode causes severe damage in economically important crops such as potato and tomato, making agricultural products unacceptable for the fresh market and food processing. Commonly used nematicidal synthetic chemicals are often environmentally unsafe. Essential oils (EOs) may constitute safer alternatives against RKN. EOs, isolated from 56 plant samples, were tested against CRKN hatching, in direct contact bioassays. Some of the most successful EOs were fractionated and the hydrocarbon molecules (HM) and oxygen-containing molecules (OCM) fractions tested separately. 24 EOs displayed very strong hatching inhibitions (≥90 %) at 2 µL mL?1 and were further tested at lower concentrations. Dysphaniaambrosioides, Filipendula ulmaria, Ruta graveolens, Satureja montana and Thymbra capitata EOs revealed the lowest EC50 values (<0.15 µL mL?1). The main compounds of these EOs, namely 2-undecanone, ascaridol, carvacrol, isoascaridol, methyl salicylate, p-cymene and/or γ-terpinene, were putatively considered responsible for CRKN hatching inhibition. S. montana and T. capitata OCM fractions showed hatching inhibitions higher than HM fractions. The comparison of EO and corresponding fractions EC50 values suggests interactions between OCM and HM fractions against CRKN hatching. These species EOs showed to be potential environmentally friendly CRKN hatching inhibitors; nonetheless, bioactivity should be considered globally, since its HM and OCM fractions may contribute, diversely, to the full anti-hatching activity. 相似文献
Ovine and caprine stockbreeding have been gaining attention in developing countries as an attractive investment. On these animals, infectious diseases of the reproductive tract, such as leptospirosis, can compromise the production leading to economic losses. The present study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with incidental leptospirosis and its influence on the reproductive parameters of ewes and goats of Espírito Santo state, Brazil. A total of 737 animals distributed on 24 herds/flocks were studied, and an overall prevalence of 10.9 % seroreactive animals was observed. Serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae was the most frequent in goats (97.0 %) as well as in ewes (78.3 %). Regarding risk factors related to leptospirosis, the presence of waterholes and the semi-intensive breeding system were the most important associated to seroreactivity. Besides, there was an observed association between seroreactivity and reproductive failures (P?<?0.05). Moreover, seroreactive ewes (relative risk (RR)?=?1.3) and goats (RR?=?1.9) presented more chances to have abortions than seronegative animals. Furthermore, seroreactive ewes presented 11.6 more chances of having premature births when compared to the seronegative ones. It can be concluded that Leptospira infection, mainly those caused incidental strains (such as Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup), is a significant factor to reduce the productivity of small ruminants’ herds/flocks in the studied region, and environmental measures must be considered on control programs.
The ecological literature has documented the effects of plant hybridization on phenotypic variation, and dominant, intermediate, or novel morphological, chemical and physiological traits in hybrids. It is important to understand the ecological consequences of hybridization by evaluating their impact on phenotypic expression of functional traits. We evaluated the relationship between genetic diversity of Quercus laurina and functional foliar traits along an oak diversity gradient. We selected five study sites that represent an oak diversity gradient where Q. laurina is present. Using chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites, we evaluated genetic diversity, measured functional foliar traits of Q. laurina in each site and assessed the effects of local climate variables on the oak community and functional traits. We found a greater abundance of Q. laurina in all study sites. We did not find a relationship between the number of accompanying red oak species and the population genetic diversity in Q. laurina, but higher genetic diversity was found in all study sites in comparison with European oak species. Sites with more oak species had more variation of foliar functional traits. Our results do not support the hypothesis that predicts higher levels of genetic diversity of Q. laurina in communities with greater oak diversity from the same section, but we demonstrated an increase in the foliar functional traits of Q. laurina associated with oak richness and climate variables. We highlight the need to consider environmental and ecological variables linkages as regulatory mechanisms of the phenotypic plasticity expressed in changes of some functional attributes of oaks.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) hyoscine premedication on physiologic variables following IV administration of medetomidine in horses.Study designRandomized, crossover experimental study.AnimalsEight healthy crossbred horses weighing 330 ± 39 kg and aged 7 ± 4 years.MethodsBaseline measurements of heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), respiratory rate, systemic vascular resistance (SVR), percentage of patients with second degree atrioventricular (2oAV) block, mean arterial pressure (MAP), pH, and arterial partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and oxygen (PaO2) were obtained 5 minutes before administration of IV hyoscine (0.14 mg kg?1; group HIV), IM hyoscine (0.3 mg kg?1; group HIM), or an equal volume of physiologic saline IV (group C). Five minutes later, medetomidine (7.5 μg kg?1) was administered IV and measurements were recorded at various time points for 130 minutes.ResultsMedetomidine induced bradycardia, 2oAV blocks and increased SVR immediately after administration, without significant changes in CI or MAP in C. Hyoscine administration induced tachycardia and hypertension, and decreased the percentage of 2oAV blocks induced by medetomidine. Peak HR and MAP were higher in HIV than HIM at 88 ± 18 beats minute?1 and 241 ± 37 mmHg versus 65 ± 16 beats minute?1 and 192 ± 38 mmHg, respectively. CI was increased significantly in HIV (p ≤ 0.05). Respiratory rate decreased significantly in all groups during the recording period. pH, PaCO2 and PaO2 were not significantly changed by administration of medetomidine with or without hyoscine.Conclusion and clinical relevanceHyoscine administered IV or IM before medetomidine in horses resulted in tachycardia and hypertension under the conditions of this study. The significance of these changes, and responses to other dose rates, requires further investigation. 相似文献
Cities provide resources for the animals that live in them or their surroundings. There has been an increase in the number of ecological studies in urban areas, including interactions between plants and bees. Bees are pollinators that provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. We assessed plant community structure in the campus of Universidade de São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, included in the neotropical Atlantic Forest biome, focusing on floristic composition, pollination syndromes, flowering phenology, and spatiotemporal distribution of floral resources for bees. Currently, the city is surrounded by sugar cane plantations. Once a month, from April 2011 to March 2012, we sampled plant species and individuals in bloom in an area with 500 m radius from the bee-rearing facilities of Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), totaling 78 hectares. We sampled 289 plant species of 73 families; Leguminosae was the richest family. Plants pollinated by bees predominated (67%), followed by plants pollinated by hummingbirds (18%). Melittophilous species flowered throughout the year and, hence, food availability for bees was continuous. The flowering of plant individuals that provided pollen, nectar, and floral oil was seasonal in all vegetation (except for nectar in shrubs), with peaks in resource availability in the transition from the dry to the rainy season, and also in the rainy season. Our results show that the campus is able to maintain bee populations amid a monoculture matrix, acting as a refuge. In addition, it provides a list of several attractive native plants to different pollinator groups, coupled with a phenogram, that can be used in the design and planning of urban areas. 相似文献
Journal of Soils and Sediments - This study consists of the evaluation of metals acute toxicity levels taking into consideration a hypothetic scenario of dam breaking and land deposition of two... 相似文献
Isolated plant microspores, when stressed and cultured in vitro, can be diverted from their normal gametophytic pathway towards
sporophytic development, with the formation of haploid embryos and ultimately doubled-haploid plants. This process is called
androgenesis or microspore embryogenesis, and is widely used in plant breeding programmes to generate homozygous lines for
breeding purposes. Protocols for the induction of microspore embryogenesis and the subsequent regeneration of doubled haploid
(DH) plants have been successfully developed for more than 200 species. These practical advances stand in stark contrast to
our knowledge of the underlying molecular genetic mechanism controlling this process. The majority of information regarding
the genetic and molecular control of the developmental switch from gametophytic to sporophytic development has been garnered
from four intensely studied (crop) plants comprising two dicotyledonous species, rapeseed (Brassica napus) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and two monocotyledonous species, wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare). In these species the efficiency of microspore embryogenesis is very high and reproducible, making them suitable models
for molecular studies. In the past, molecular studies on microspore embryogenesis have focussed mainly on the identification
of genes that are differentially expressed during this developmental transition and/or early in embryo development, and have
identified a number of genes whose expression marks or predicts the developmental fate of stressed microspores. More recently,
functional genomics approaches have been used to obtain a broad overview of the molecular processes that take place during
the establishment of microspore embryogenesis. In this review we summarise accumulated molecular data obtained in rapeseed,
tobacco, wheat and barley on embryogenic induction of microspores and define common aspects involved in the androgenic switch. 相似文献
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