Optimal Design Approach Applied to Headspace GC for the Monitoring of Diacetyl Concentration, Spectrophotometric Assessment of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Potential in Different Fermentation Processes of Barley

The present study aimed to validate a control method on the gas chromatography system (GC) based on the experimental design strategy, to examine the changes and correlation between the fermentation process and the quality of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer product, especially the formation of diacetyl. On the other hand, spectrophotometric methods were applied to the determination of polyphenols content and the potential antioxidant activity of beer during different fermentation processes. with this aim, three modes of barley fermentation were used, specifically classical fermentation, stopped fermentation and thermal process. The results showed that the different fermentation modes had a major impact on diacetyl production. The highest concentration was obtained using stopped fermentation 0.36 mg/L, the lowest concentration value 0.07 mg/L was detected using the thermal process. Monitoring the increase of oxygen concentration between fermentation, filtration, and filling of the final product (32, 107, 130 ppm, respectively) has a significant impact on the concentration of diacetyl. The obtained results of spectrophotometric analysis showed that the total antioxidant activity changed during beer fermentation process and demonstrate that the extend of the antioxidant activity was very much dependent on the total polyphenolic content with a higher value in Hopped wort (13.41%, 65 mg GAE 100 mL(-1), 28 mg CE 100 mL(-1)) for antioxidant potential, total phenolic content, and total flavonoids content, respectively, whereas the lowest values was detected in Non-alcoholic beer using thermal process (7.24%, 35 mg GAE 100 mL(-1), 10 mg CE 100 mL(-1)) for antioxidant potential, total phenolic contents, and total flavonoids contents, respectively. Based on the results achieved, we reveal the impact of the fermentation process on the nutritional value of the final product

Genomic association between snp markers and diseases in the “curraleiro pé-duro” cattle

Susceptibility to diseases is inherited and can be transmitted between populations. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in genes related to immune response is associated with diseases in cattle. This study investigated SNPs in the genomic region of cytokines in 702 samples of Curraleiro Pé-Duro cattle and associated them with the occurrence of antibodies in brucellosis, leptospirosis, neosporosis, leukosis, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) tests. DNA samples were evaluated by the kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) method to identify polymorphisms. The gametic phase and SNP haplotypes were determined with the help of PHASE 2.1.1 software. Haplotypes were associated with serological results against Brucella abortus, Leptospira sp., Neospora caninum, leukosis, infectious rhinotracheitis, and BVD using univariate analysis followed by logistic regression. Haplotype 2 of TLR2 was present in 70% of the animals that tested positive for N. caninum infection. Haplotypes of TLR10 and TLR6 and IL10RA were more common in seronegative animals. Haplotypes related to the gene IL10RA were associated with animals negative to all infections. Curraleiro Pé-Duro cattle presented polymorphisms related to resistance to bacterial, viral, and N. caninum infections

Evolutionary relationships between Rhynchosporium lolii sp. nov. and other Rhynchosporium species on grass.

Copyright: 2013 King et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedThe fungal genus Rhynchosporium (causative agent of leaf blotch) contains several host-specialised species, including R. commune (colonising barley and brome-grass), R. agropyri (couch-grass), R. secalis (rye and triticale) and the more distantly related R. orthosporum (cocksfoot). This study used molecular fingerprinting, multilocus DNA sequence data, conidial morphology, host range tests and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the relationship between Rhynchosporium species on ryegrasses, both economically important forage grasses and common wild grasses in many cereal growing areas, and other plant species. Two different types of Rhynchosporium were found on ryegrasses in the UK. Firstly, there were isolates of R. commune that were pathogenic to both barley and Italian ryegrass. Secondly, there were isolates of a new species, here named R. lolii, that were pathogenic only to ryegrass species. R. lolii was most closely related to R. orthosporum, but exhibited clear molecular, morphological and host range differences. The species was estimated to have diverged from R. orthosporum ca. 5735 years before the present. The colonisation strategy of all of the different Rhynchosporium species involved extensive hyphal growth in the sub-cuticular regions of the leaves. Finally, new species-specific PCR diagnostic tests were developed that could distinguish between these five closely related Rhynchosporium species.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Cytotoxic and regulatory roles of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that results from the destruction of pancreatic β-cells by the immune system that involves innate and adaptive immune cells. Mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) are innate-like T-cells that recognize derivatives of precursors of bacterial riboflavin presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I–related molecule MR1. Since T1D is associated with modification of the gut microbiota, we investigated MAIT cells in this pathology. In patients with T1D and mice of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) strain, we detected alterations in MAIT cells, including increased production of granzyme B, which occurred before the onset of diabetes. Analysis of NOD mice that were deficient in MR1, and therefore lacked MAIT cells, revealed a loss of gut integrity and increased anti-islet responses associated with exacerbated diabetes. Together our data highlight the role of MAIT cells in the maintenance of gut integrity and the control of anti-islet autoimmune responses. Monitoring of MAIT cells might represent a new biomarker of T1D, while manipulation of these cells might open new therapeutic strategies

Alpha adrenergic receptor blockade increases capillarisation and O2 extraction and lowers blood flow in contracting human skeletal muscle

Aim: To investigate the effect of increased basal shear stress on angiogenesis, and the role of enhanced skeletal muscle capillarisation on blood flow and oxygen extraction. Methods: Limb haemodynamics and oxygen extraction were measured at rest and during one-leg knee-extensor exercise (12 and 24W) in 10 healthy untrained young men before and after 4 weeks treatment with an α1 receptor-antagonist (Terazosin, 1-2 mg day-1). Biopsies were taken from the m. vastus lateralis. Results: Resting leg blood flow was > 6 hours following Terazosin treatment (P<0.05). Basal capillary-to-fibre ratio was 1.68±0.07 and increased to 1.89±0.08 after treatment (P<0.05). Leg oxygen extraction during knee-extensor exercise was higher (4-5% ; P<0.05), leg blood flow and venous lactate levels lower (6-7%; P<0.05) and leg VO2 similar after Terazosin treatment. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that daily treatment with an α-adrenergic receptor blocker and a consequent increase in resting blood flow induces capillary growth in human skeletal muscle, likely due to increased shear stress. The increase in capillarisation led to enhanced O2 extraction in the exercising leg, concomitant with a lower blood flow and venous lactate levels

Efficacy of lateral bone augmentation prior to implant placement: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM The aim of the current systematic review was to critically appraise evidence from randomized and prospective non-randomized comparative clinical trials about the efficacy of lateral bone augmentation prior to implant placement and their outcome regarding bone-width gain. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eight databases were searched until May 2018 for randomized and prospective non-randomized comparative trials on lateral bone augmentation prior to implant placement. After elimination of duplicate studies, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment according to the Cochrane guidelines, random-effects meta-analyses of Mean Differences (MD) or Relative Risks (RR) and their 95% CIs were performed, followed by subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS A total of 25 trials (16 randomized / 9 non-randomized) were identified, which included a total of 553 patients (42.2% male; mean age of 43.9 years). In these included studies and populations, various modalities for primary lateral bone augmentation rendered implant placement feasible. Bone width gain was significantly inversely associated with baseline bone width (pooled effect: -0.35 mm/mm; 95% CI: -0.63 to -0.07 mm; p=0.01). % graft resorption demonstrated a correlation with patient age (36% /year, 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.11 mm; p=0.01). The presence of xenograft added to autogenous graft led to less resorption compared to autograft alone (MD: 1.06 mm; 95% CI: 0.21 to 1.92 mm; p=0.01). Barrier membrane did not yield significant difference in terms of bone width gain (MD: -0.33 mm; 95% CI: -2.24 to 1.58 mm; p>0.05) and graft resorption (MD: 0.84 mm; 95% CI: -1.42 to 3.09 mm; p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Initially smaller bone dimension favors larger bone width gain, which indicates that a severe lateral bone deficiency can be effectively augmented applying primary lateral bone augmentation. Patients' age and recipient site (maxilla or mandible) seems to influence graft resorption. The addition of a xenograft can be helpful for reducing graft resorption. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Foetal loss after chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis in twin pregnancies: A multicentre retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine foetal losses for DCDA and MCDA twins following transabdominal CVS or amniocentesis performed <22+0  weeks. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study conducted in the UK and Belgium 01/01/00-01/06/20. Cases with unknown chorionicity, monochorionic complications or complex procedures were excluded. Uncomplicated DCDA and MCDA twins without invasive procedures were identified as controls. We reported foetal losses <24+0  weeks and losses of genetically and structurally normal foetuses. RESULTS: Outcomes were compared for DCDA foetuses; 258 after CVS with 3406 controls, 406 after amniocentesis with 3390 controls plus MCDA foetuses, 98 after CVS with 1124 controls, and 160 after amniocentesis with 1122 controls. There were more losses <24+0  weeks with both procedures in DCDA (CVS RR 5.54 95% CI 3.38-9.08, amniocentesis RR 2.36 95% CI 1.22-4.56) and MCDA twins (CVS RR 5.14 95% CI 2.51-10.54, amniocentesis RR 7.01 95% CI 3.86-12.74). Losses of normal foetuses were comparable to controls (DCDA CVS RR 0.39 95% CI 0.05-2.83, DCDA amniocentesis RR 1.16 95% CI 0.42-3.22, MCDA CVS RR 2.3 95% CI 0.71-7.56, and MCDA amniocentesis RR 1.93 95% CI 0.59-6.38). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates increased foetal losses for DCDA and MCDA twins following CVS and amniocentesis with uncertain risk to normal foetuses

The USDA Barley Core Collection:Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Potential for Genome-Wide Association Studies

New sources of genetic diversity must be incorporated into plant breeding programs if they are to continue increasing grain yield and quality, and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Germplasm collections provide a source of genetic and phenotypic diversity, but characterization of these resources is required to increase their utility for breeding programs. We used a barley SNP iSelect platform with 7,842 SNPs to genotype 2,417 barley accessions sampled from the USDA National Small Grains Collection of 33,176 accessions. Most of the accessions in this core collection are categorized as landraces or cultivars/breeding lines and were obtained from more than 100 countries. Both STRUCTURE and principal component analysis identified five major subpopulations within the core collection, mainly differentiated by geographical origin and spike row number (an inflorescence architecture trait). Different patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) were found across the barley genome and many regions of high LD contained traits involved in domestication and breeding selection. The genotype data were used to define 'mini-core' sets of accessions capturing the majority of the allelic diversity present in the core collection. These 'mini-core' sets can be used for evaluating traits that are difficult or expensive to score. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 'hull cover', 'spike row number', and 'heading date' demonstrate the utility of the core collection for locating genetic factors determining important phenotypes. The GWAS results were referenced to a new barley consensus map containing 5,665 SNPs. Our results demonstrate that GWAS and high-density SNP genotyping are effective tools for plant breeders interested in accessing genetic diversity in large germplasm collections

Accurate Inference of Subtle Population Structure (and Other Genetic Discontinuities) Using Principal Coordinates

Accurate inference of genetic discontinuities between populations is an essential component of intraspecific biodiversity and evolution studies, as well as associative genetics. The most widely-used methods to infer population structure are model-based, Bayesian MCMC procedures that minimize Hardy-Weinberg and linkage disequilibrium within subpopulations. These methods are useful, but suffer from large computational requirements and a dependence on modeling assumptions that may not be met in real data sets. Here we describe the development of a new approach, PCO-MC, which couples principal coordinate analysis to a clustering procedure for the inference of population structure from multilocus genotype data.PCO-MC uses data from all principal coordinate axes simultaneously to calculate a multidimensional "density landscape", from which the number of subpopulations, and the membership within subpopulations, is determined using a valley-seeking algorithm. Using extensive simulations, we show that this approach outperforms a Bayesian MCMC procedure when many loci (e.g. 100) are sampled, but that the Bayesian procedure is marginally superior with few loci (e.g. 10). When presented with sufficient data, PCO-MC accurately delineated subpopulations with population F(st) values as low as 0.03 (G'(st)>0.2), whereas the limit of resolution of the Bayesian approach was F(st) = 0.05 (G'(st)>0.35).We draw a distinction between population structure inference for describing biodiversity as opposed to Type I error control in associative genetics. We suggest that discrete assignments, like those produced by PCO-MC, are appropriate for circumscribing units of biodiversity whereas expression of population structure as a continuous variable is more useful for case-control correction in structured association studies