Behavioral and cardiopulmonary effects of dexmedetomidine alone and in combination with butorphanol, methadone, morphine or tramadol in conscious sheep

Objective: To compare cardiopulmonary and sedative effects following administration of dexmedetomidine alone or with butorphanol, methadone, morphine or tramadol in healthy sheep. Study design: Randomized crossover study. Animals: Six Santa Inês sheep, five females, one male, aged 12–28 months and weighing 40.1 ± 6.2 kg. Methods: Sheep were assigned treatments of dexmedetomidine (0.005 mg kg−1; D); D and butorphanol (0.15 mg kg−1; DB); D and methadone (0.5 mg kg−1; DM); D and morphine (0.5 mg kg−1; DMO); or D and tramadol (5.0 mg kg−1; DT). All drugs were administered intravenously with at least 7 days between each treatment. Rectal temperature, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (fR), invasive arterial pressure, blood gases and electrolytes were measured prior to administration of drugs (baseline, T0) and every 15 minutes following drug administration for 120 minutes (T15–T120). Sedation was scored by three observers blinded to treatment. Results: HR decreased in all treatments and fR decreased in DM at T30 and DMO at T30 and T45. PaCO2 was increased in D, DB and DM compared with baseline, and PaO2 decreased in D at T15 and T45; in DB at T15 to T75; in DM at T15 to T60; in DMO at T15; and in DT at T15, T30 and T75. There was a decrease in temperature in D, DB and DM. An increased pH was measured in D at all time points and in DT at T30–T120. inline image and base excess were increased in all treatments compared with baseline. There were no statistical differences in sedation scores. Conclusions and clinical relevance: The combination of dexmedetomidine with butorphanol, methadone, morphine or tramadol resulted in similar changes in cardiopulmonary function and did not improve sedation when compared with dexmedetomidine alone

Enhancement of resistivity and magnetization of Bi1-xLaxFe1-yMnyO3 ceramics by composition optimization

This work aims at studying the effect of La and Mn substituents on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of Bi1-xLaxFe1-yMnyO3 (0≤x≤0.30; 0≤y≤0.20) at room temperature, in order to find out the optimal compositions that provide both high resistivity and remnant magnetization. The analysis of the XRD patterns and Raman spectra suggest a progressive transition from a rhombohedral for x0.20. Moreover, we observe satellite peaks associated with an incommensurate modulated (IM) orthorhombic structure for x≥0.15 with y = 0, and x = 0.20 with y = 0.10. We were able to achieve a decrease by several orders of magnitude of the leakage current density and the emergence of a weak ferromagnetic response in the range of compositions 0.10<x≤0.3 and 0<y<0.1. These improved physical properties are a consequence of the absence of secondary phases and the breaking of the spiral cycloid spin structure. In particular, the compositions within 0.18≤x≤0.30 and 0.01<y<0.05 with IM orthorhombic structure exhibit the lowest conductivity and highest remnant magnetization. The outcome of this work suggests an alternative route to enhance multiferroic properties of BiFeO3, with simultaneous La (0.10≤x≤0.30) and moderate Mn (0.01<y<0.1) substitution.publishe

Phenolic compounds and bioactive properties of Ruscus aculeatus L. (asparagaceae): the pharmacological potential of an underexploited subshrub

Ruscus aculeatus L. is a subshrub used in traditional medicine in different parts of the world, namely in Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. According to reported folk knowledge, the aerial parts are mainly used as diuretics and the underground organs are used for the treatment of disorders of the urinary system and as a laxative. In this work, the aerial part and the roots and rhizomes of R. aculeatus were chemically characterized with regard to the content of phenolic compounds and bioactive properties. Aqueous (infusions and decoctions) preparations and hydroethanolic extracts from the two mentioned parts of the plant were prepared. Nine phenolic compounds were detected in all the extracts. Apigenin-C-hexoside-C-pentoside isomer II was the major compound in aqueous extracts and, in the hydroethanolic extract was quercetin-O-deoxyhexoside-hexoside followed by apigenin-C-hexoside-C-pentoside isomer II. All extracts revealed antioxidant activity and potential to inhibit some of the assayed bacteria; aqueous extracts of the aerial part and infusions of roots and rhizomes did not show cytotoxic effects on a non-tumor primary cell culture. This preliminary study provides suggestions of the biological potential associated with the empirical uses and knowledge of this species, in particular its bioactivities.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through the national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program contract for L. Barros, A. Fernandes, M.I. Dias, C. Pereira, and R.C. Calhelha. The authors are also grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal program for financial support through the project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P and to European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Norte-01-0145-FEDER- 000042: GreenHealth.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioactive properties of Ruscus aculeatus L.: na underexploited subshrub

Ruscus aculeatus L. is a sub-shrub used in traditional medicine in different parts of the world, namely in Europe and the Iberian Peninsula[1]. Traditionally, the aerial parts are mainly used as diuretics and the underground parts are used for the treatment of urinary tract diseases and as a laxative[2]. In the present work, the aerial part, roots, and rhizomes of R. aculeatus were characterized regarding their bioactive properties in order to contribute to the knowledge of the chemical composition of this unexplored species. The plant material of R. aculeatus was harvested in April 2019 inside woodlands and hedgerows, in Valpaços, Portugal. Two distinct parts were gathered: the aerial part (cladodes or laminar stems and lateral branches) and the underground organs (rhizomes with roots). Hydroethanolic extracts and aqueous (infusions and decoctions) preparations from the two mentioned parts of the plant were prepared. Multi-resistant clinical bacterial strains (Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Morganela morganii, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were used to screen the antimicrobial activity and the antioxidant activity was evaluated through two different in vitro assays: inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain homogenates by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and oxidative hemolysis inhibition assay (OxHLIA). The cytotoxic activity was assayed using MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung carcinoma), HeLa (cervical carcinoma) and HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) human tumor cell lines, and also a non-tumor cell line (porcine liver primary cells, PLP2). All extracts revealed antioxidant activity and potential to inhibit some of the assessed bacteria; except for the infusion of the aerial part (for the lines MCF7 and HepG2) and decoction extracts (line MCF7), all the remaining extracts presented effective results in the inhibition of the tested cell lines; the aqueous extracts of the aerial part and infusions of roots and rhizomes did not show cytotoxic effects in a non-tumor primary cell culture. This preliminary study provided innovative and interesting results in relation to the bioactive properties of this little-studied and explored wild plant.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros, A. Fernandes, C. Pereira and R.C. Calhelha´s contract. The authors are grateful to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042: GreenHealth.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of Feeding Weaned Piglets with Laminaria digitata on the Quality and Nutritional Value of Meat

Laminaria digitata is a novel feedstuff that can be used in pig diets to replace conventional feedstuffs. However, its resilient cell wall can prevent the monogastric digestive system from accessing intracellular nutrients. Carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) supplementation is a putative solution for this problem, degrading the cell wall during digestion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of 10% L. digitata feed inclusion and CAZyme supplementation on the meat quality and nutritional value of weaned piglets. Forty weaned piglets were randomly allocated to four experimental groups (n = 10): control, LA (10% L. digitata, replacing the control diet), LAR (LA + CAZyme (0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP)) and LAL (LA + CAZyme (0.01% alginate lyase)) and the trial lasted for two weeks. The diets had no effect on any zootechnical parameters measured (p > 0.05) and meat quality traits, except for the pH measured 24 h post-mortem, which was higher in LAL compared to LA (p = 0.016). Piglets fed with seaweed had a significantly lower n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio compared to control, to which the higher accumulation of C20:5n-3 (p = 0.001) and C18:4n-3 (p < 0.0001) contributed. In addition, meat of seaweed-fed piglets was enriched with bromine (Br, p < 0.001) and iodine (I, p < 0.001) and depicted a higher oxidative stability. This study demonstrates that the nutritional value of piglets’ meat could be improved by the dietary incorporation of L. digitata, regardless of CAZyme supplementation, without negatively affecting growth performance in the post-weaning stageinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancing meat quality of weaned piglets with the dietary incorporation of Ulva lactuca and carbohydrases supplementation

Pubmed Free articleThe impact of the dietary incorporation of 7% Ulva lactuca, a green seaweed, on the quality and nutritional value of piglet’s meat was assessed. U. lactuca is rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds but its cell wall is composed of complex polysaccharides that reduce their bioavailability. Therefore, the effect of supplementing piglet diets with exogenous carbohydrases was also assessed here. A total of 40 male weaned piglets were divided into four dietary groups, each with 10 piglets: control (wheat, maize and soybean meal-based diet), UL (7% U. lactuca replacing the control diet), UL +R (UL and 0.005% Rovabio®), and UL +E (UL and 0.01% ulvan lyase). The piglets were fed the diets for 2 weeks. The results showed that incorporating U. lactuca in piglet diets did not influence most of the meat quality traits (P >0.05). However, the incorporation of U. lactuca with the commercial carbohydrase (UL +R) increased the amount of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) in their meat (P =0.011) compared with the control, by 54%. In addition, meat from piglets fed seaweed diets showed a nearly two-fold increase in iodine contents (P <0.001). Meat tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of piglets fed the control diet and the UL diet were lower than those fed the diets containing seaweed and carbohydrases (P <0.001). Overall, the findings indicate that 7% U. lactuca in the diets of weaned piglets had no major detrimental effects on meat quality and their carbohydrase supplementation has the potential to improve meat sensory traits.Funding: This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through PTDC/CAL-ZOO/30238/2017 grant, associated with a post-doc contract to M.C., and PhD fellowships to J.M. P. (SFRH/BPD/116816/2016) and D.M.R. (SFRH/BD/143992/2019). CIISA (UIDB/00276/2020), AL4AnimalS (LA/P/0059/2020) and LEAF (UIDB/04129/2020) grants, also from FCT, are also acknowledged. The authors acknowledge Teresa Costa from Indukern, Lda. (Sintra, Portugal), for the Rovabio® Excel AP kind donation. The graphical abstract was created using BioRender.com (https://biorender.com/).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio