Circulating β-endorphin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol levels of stallions before and after short road transport: stress effect of different distances

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since transport evokes physiological adjustments that include endocrine responses, the objective of this study was to examine the responses of circulating β-endorphin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels to transport stress in stallions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-two healthy Thoroughbred and crossbred stallions were studied before and after road transport over distances of 100, 200 and 300 km. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein: first in a single box immediately before loading (pre-samples), then immediately after transport and unloading on arrival at the breeding stations (post-samples).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An increase in circulating β-endorphin levels after transport of 100 km (<it>P </it>< 0.01), compared to basal values was observed. Circulating ACTH levels showed significant increases after transport of 100 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001) and 200 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Circulating cortisol levels showed significant increases after road transport over distances of 100, 200 and 300 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001). An effect of transport on β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol variations was therefore evident for the different distances studied. No significant differences (<it>P </it>> 0.05) between horses of different ages and different breeds were observed for β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results obtained for short term transportation of stallions showed a very strong reaction of the adrenocortical system. The lack of response of β-endorphin after transport of 200–300 km and of ACTH after transport of 300 km seems to suggest a soothing effect of negative feedback of ACTH and cortisol levels.</p

Photodegradation of carbendazim sensitized by aromatic ketones

Carbendazim (1) is a benzimidazole extensively used as post-harvest fungicide on fruits and vegetables. The aim of the present work is to study the photodegradation of I sensitized by aromatic ketones, with special attention to mechanistic aspects and to the possible detoxification associated with photochemical treatment. Laser flash photolysis (LPF) lambda(exc) = 355 nm of xanthone (XA) and anthraquinone (AQ) was performed in MeCN solutions, in the presence of 1. A new transient absorbing at lambda(max) 500 and 320 nm was obtained and assigned to the semioxidized radical cation 1(+center dot). An exergonic thermodynamics for electron transfer quenching was confirmed by means of the Rehm-Weller equation. The same species was observed by direct LFP of 1 at 266 nm in polar solvents. Conversely, when a deoxygenated solution of 1 was submitted to LFP in cyclohexane the transient spectrum presented a band with maximum at 380 nm; it was assigned to the triplet excited state ((3)1*) on the basis of energy transfer to oxygen and beta-carotene. The photodegradation of 1 was achieved using XA and AQ as electron acceptors in a solar-simulator, in aerated aqueous medium; the reaction was faster with XA. Formation of a new photoproduct was initially observed; its structure was assigned as carbendazim N-C5 dimer (2). A balance of the total organic carbon (TOC) after prolonged irradiation indicated that mineralization does not occur to a significant extent, pointing to oxidative fragmentation of 1 and 2 to give a variety of low molecular weight products. To check whether the observed photodegradation of 1 results in a decreased toxicity, biological assays were performed using an established model based on the inhibition of mobility of Daphnia magna. The results demonstrate that photodegradation leads to a diminished toxicity, indicating that the photoproducts are less toxic than the parent compound. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Financial support from the MICINN (Grant: CTQ2010-19909) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo Program) is gratefully acknowledged.Jornet Olivé, MD.; Castillo López, MÁ.; Sabater Marco, C.; Tormos Faus, RE.; Miranda Alonso, MÁ. (2013). Photodegradation of carbendazim sensitized by aromatic ketones. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry. 256:36-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2013.02.004S364125

Relationship Between Anti-DFS70 Autoantibodies and Oxidative Stress

Background: The anti-DFS70 autoantibodies are one of the most commonly and widely described agent of unknown clinical significance, frequently detected in healthy individuals. It is not known whether the DFS70 autoantibodies are protective or pathogenic. One of the factors suspected of inducing the formation of anti-DFS70 antibodies is increased oxidative stress. We evaluated the coexistence of anti-DFS70 antibodies with selected markers of oxidative stress and investigated whether these antibodies could be considered as indirect markers of oxidative stress. Methods: The intensity of oxidative stress was measured in all samples via indices of free-radical damage to lipids and proteins such as total oxidant status (TOS), concentrations of lipid hydroperoxides (LPH), lipofuscin (LPS), and malondialdehyde (MDA). The parameters of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system, such as total antioxidant status (TAS) and uric acid concentration (UA), were also measured, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Based on TOS and TAS values, the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. All samples were also tested with indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and 357 samples were selected for direct monospecific anti DFS70 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing. Results: The anti-DFS70 antibodies were confirmed by ELISA test in 21.29% of samples. Compared with anti-DFS70 negative samples we observed 23% lower concentration of LPH (P =.038) and 11% lower concentration of UA (P =.005). TOS was 20% lower (P =.014). The activity of SOD was up to 5% higher (P =.037). The Pearson correlation showed weak negative correlation for LPH, UA, and TOS and a weak positive correlation for SOD activity. Conclusion: In samples positive for the anti-DFS70 antibody a decreased level of oxidative stress was observed, especially in the case of samples with a high antibody titer. Anti-DFS70 antibodies can be considered as an indirect marker of reduced oxidative stress or a marker indicating the recent intensification of antioxidant processes

Children’s and Adolescents’ Happiness Conceptualizations at School and their Link with Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

Previous research on children’s and adolescents’happiness either focused on their conceptualisations or the link between self-reported happiness with different outcomes. However, very few studies have connected both approaches to better understand children’s and adolescents’ happiness. To address this gap, we used a mixed-method approach, to investigate if the conceptualizations of happiness at school of 744 British children and adolescents could signal differences in autonomy, competence, and relatedness. An initial coding of the responses showed thirteen conceptualizations (i.e., positive feelings, harmony/balance, leisure, friends, getting good grades, non-violence, moral actions, purpose, autonomy, competence, teachers, emotional support, and learning). Log-linear models showed that some of the conceptualizations differed across both age groups and gender. Latent class analysis showed that happiness conceptualizations could be classified in five different groups. Interestingly, whereas for children there were no differences; for adolescents, there were differences between classes in their levels of autonomy and relatedness. The implications of these findings for promoting students' well-being at school are discussed

Analysis of the impact of sex and age on the variation in the prevalence of antinuclear autoantibodies in Polish population: a nationwide observational, cross-sectional study

The detection of antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) is dependent on many factors and varies between the populations. The aim of the study was first to assess the prevalence of ANA in the Polish adult population depending on age, sex and the cutoff threshold used for the results obtained. Second, we estimated the occurrence of individual types of ANA-staining patterns. We tested 1731 patient samples using commercially available IIFA using two cutoff thresholds of 1:100 and 1:160. We found ANA in 260 participants (15.0%), but the percentage of positive results strongly depended on the cutoff level. For a cutoff threshold 1:100, the positive population was 19.5% and for the 1:160 cutoff threshold, it was 11.7%. The most prevalent ANA-staining pattern was AC-2 Dense Fine speckled (50%), followed by AC-21 Reticular/AMA (14.38%) ANA more common in women (72%); 64% of ANA-positive patients were over 50 years of age. ANA prevalence in the Polish population is at a level observed in other highly developed countries and is more prevalent in women and elderly individuals. To reduce the number of positive results released, we suggest that Polish laboratories should set 1:160 as the cutoff threshold

Impact of CRM on marketing activities of the company

W niniejszym artykule podjęto dyskusję na temat możliwości wpływu koncepcji zarządzania relacjami z klientami (CRM) na działania marketingowe w firmie. Zaprezentowano marketingowe korzenie koncepcji CRM. Podjęto dyskusje na temat nadrzędności bądź też podrzędności jednej koncepcji wobec drugiej. Wskazano następnie na elementy marketingu mix (według Bordena), na które może w najbardziej widoczny sposób wpływać koncepcja CRM. Skupiono się na możliwościach wpływu uzyskiwanych poprzez nowoczesne narzędzia CRM takie jak wirtualny asystent oraz na odniesieniu koncepcji CRM do PR.In this paper was shown a discussion about possibilities of CRM (customer relationship management) influence on marketing activities in business. Marketing roots of CRM were presented. An issue of superiority or inferiority between CRM and marketing was discussed. There were also pointed some elements of marketing mix (by Borden) where CRM can have the clearest influence. The author has focused on possibilities of impact obtaining by new CRM tools such as chabot. It was also shown how CRM can affect on PR activities in business