I-eAT, a consortium addressing gastronomic solutions for altered taste: A research and development manifesto

An International Altered Taste Consortium (I-eAT) is proposed that seeks to utilise gastronomic and biopsychosocial insights to understand and help people who experience taste alterations. Altered eating experiences and a changed experience of taste is a common and disabling trans-diagnostic, multi-causal entity which has for too long been poorly understood and supported in health research and practice. The phrase Altered Taste is employed (using “taste” in its most commonly understood sense to refer to the overall multi-sensory flavour experience) to emphasise the lived sensory experience of those living with an altered relationship with food. Interdisciplinary collaboration between the domains of medicine, health care, physiology, psychology and gastronomy is considered key to understanding, working with and improving altered taste. This manifesto emerged from ongoing research and practice, and was formulated at a workshop of interdisciplinary experts and patient representatives at the Second International Altered Taste Symposium (2022). Between them they collectively agreed on 1. A shared terminology to maximise stakeholder involvement and 2. An overall research aim to better understand, manage and treat Altered Taste. This aim is implemented in 4 key research objectives

Effect of embryo age on the viability of equine embryos after cooled storage using two transport systems

The aim of this study was to compare the viability of 7- and 8-day-old equine embryos cooled and stored for 6 or 24 hours in two different transport systems. Embryos (n = 97) were recovered on day 7 or 8 and assigned to 10 groups (n = 10/group). Embryos within the same age group (D7 or D8) were evaluated immediately after collection (Group-0h) or after storage in an Equitainer at 5 degrees C for 24 hours in 5 ml Emcare Holding Solution (EHS) (Group-E-24h) or 5 ml Ham's F10 (Group-H-24h) or in a refrigerator at 5 degrees C in 500 ml Emcare Flushing Solution (EFS) for 6 hours (Group-B-6h) or 24 hours (Group-B-24h). After collection or storage, embryos were incubated in 1 mu g/ml DAPI to determine the percentage of dead cells per embryo (DAPI positive, fluorescent cells). Subsequently, embryos were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and re-stained with DAPI to determine the total number of cells. The percentage of dead cells in group-0h and B-6h was similar and significantly lower than for embryos stored for 24 hours in groups B-24h, E-241-1, and H-24h. The percentage of dead cells was similar for embryos stored in, an Equitainer (groups E-24h and H-24h) and was significantly higher for embryos stored 24 hours in EFS (Group B-24h). Within each storage system (0h, B-6h, B-24h, E-24h, and H-24h) no significant difference in the percentage of dead cells was observed between 7- and 8-day-old embryos. Storage in 500 ml EFS at 5 degrees C for 6 hours resulted in embryos of better quality than after the traditional 24-hour storage in an Equitainer, suggesting that this simplified system offers a good alternative for short-term storage and transport

Evaluation of cryopreservation techniques for goat embryos

International audienc

La inseminaciõn artificial intra-uterina transperitoneal en la cabra. 2. Estudio comparativo de la tasa de fecudaciõn artificial intra-uterine

peer reviewedThis study was carried out on 570 ovocytes. It shows that goats suprovulated due to FSH treatements of 16 mg Armour given over 3 days (in 8-4-4 mg/day) or 21 mg Armour over 4 days (in 7-6-4-4 mg/day) and undergoing a single intra-uterine transperitoneal insemination under endoscopic control, carried out 46h39 after removing the sponges gives a satisfactory rate of fecondation close to 70%. This rate is a more 15 points lower than that obtained by 2 successive matings 12 hours apart (36 and 24 hours after removing the sponges). An FSH treatment of 21 mg Armour over a three day period (mg/day:11,5,5) only gives a fecundity rate of 19,5% in intra-uterine and 56.58 % after mating. This gives a global fecundity rate for all treatments of 50.77% and 80.44% for A.I. through intra-uterine method and mating.Cette étude portant sur 570 ovocytes montre que chez des chèvres superovulées avec des traitements FSH de 16mg Armour administrés sur 3 jours (en mg/J:8-4-4) ou de 21 mg Armour sur 4 jours (en mg/J:7-6-4-4) une seule insémination intra-utérine, transpéritonéale, sous contrôle endoscopique, réalisée, en moyenne 46h39 après le retrait des éponges, permet d'obtenir un taux de fécondité satisfaisant, voisin de 70 p.cent. Celui-ci n'est inférieur que de 15 points à celui obtenu, avec les mêmes traitements, après deux saillies réalisées à douze heures d'intervalle (36 et 48 h après le retrait des éponges). Par contre l'utilisation d'un traitement FSH de 21 mg Armour administré sur 3 jours (en mg/J:11-5-5) ne permet que 19,5 p. cent de fécondité par voie intra-utéine et 56,58 p. cent après saillie. Soit tout traitement confondu une fécondité de 50,77 p. cent et de 80,44 p. cent respectivement pour l'insémination artificielle par la voie intra-utérine et la saillie.Este estudio realizado a partir de 570 ovocitos, muestra que en cabras con superovulacion por medio de tratamientos de FSH en dosis de 16mg distribuidos en 3 dias (8,4,4 mg/dia) o de 21mg, en 4 dias (7,6,4,4 mg/dia), una sola insemincacion artificial intra-uterina, transperitoneal, bajo control endoscopico, efectuada 45 horas luego de haber retirado las esponjas, permitte obtener una tasa de fecundacion cercada al 70%. Efectivamente, esta es inferior de solamente 15 puntos al resultado obtenido luego de dos montas efectuadas a doce horas de intervalo (36 y 48 horas depues de haber retirado de las esponjas). Por el contrario la utilizacion de un tratmiento de FSH de 21 mg Armour administrado en 3 dias (en mg/dia 11-5-5) no permite que 19,5 p. cent de feculdidad por via intra-uterina y de 56,58 p. cent despues de la monta. Luego todo tratamiento da una fecundidad de 50,77 p. cent y de 80,44 p. cent respectivamente por via intra-uterina y por monta

Can Chlamydia abortus be transmitted by embryo transfer in goats?

The objectives of this study were to determine (i) whether Chlamydia abortus would adhere to or penetrate the intact zona pellucida (ZP-intact) of early in vivo-derived caprine embryos, after in vitro infection; and (ii) the efficacy of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS) washing protocol for bovine embryos. Fifty-two ZP-intact embryos (8-16 cells), obtained from 14 donors were used in this experiment. The embryos were randomly divided into 12 batches. Nine batches (ZP-intact) of five embryos were incubated in a medium containing 4 x 10(7) Chlamydia/mL of AB7 strain. After incubation for 18 hours at 37 degrees C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2, the embryos were washed in batches in 10 successive baths of a phosphate buffer saline and 5% fetal calf serum solution in accordance with IETS guidelines. In parallel, three batches of ZP-intact embryos were used as controls by being subjected to similar procedures but without exposure to C. abortus. The 10 wash baths were collected separately and centrifuged for 1 hour at 13,000 x g. The washed embryos and the pellets of the 10 centrifuged wash baths were frozen at -20 degrees C before examination for evidence of C. abortus using polymerase chain reaction. C abortus DNA was found in all of the infected batches of ZP-intact embryos (9/9) after 10 successive washes. It was also detected in the 10th wash fluid for seven batches of embryos, whereas for the two other batches, the last positive wash bath was the eighth and the ninth, respectively. In contrast, none of the embryos or their washing fluids in the control batches were DNA positive. These results report that C abortus adheres to and/or penetrates the ZP of in vivo caprine embryos after in vitro infection, and that the standard washing protocol recommended by the IETS for bovine embryos, failed to remove it. The. persistence of these bacteria after washing makes the embryo a potential means of transmission of the bacterium during embryo transfer from infected donor goats to healthy recipients and/or their offspring. Nevertheless, the detection of C abortus DNA by polymerase chain reaction does not prove that the bacteria found was infectious. Further studies are required to investigate whether enzymatic and/or antibiotic treatment of caprine embryos infected by C abortus would eliminate the bacteria from the ZP. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved