Ultraviolet Complete Quantum Gravity

An ultraviolet complete quantum gravity theory is formulated in which vertex functions in Feynman graphs are entire functions and the propagating graviton is described by a local, causal propagator. The cosmological constant problem is investigated in the context of the ultraviolet complete quantum gravity.Comment: 11 pages, no figures. Changes to text. Results remain the same. References added. To be published in European Physics Journal Plu

Antibiotic resistance of lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium spp. isolated from dairy and pharmaceutical products.

The outlines of antibiotic resistance of some probiotic microorganisms were studied. This study was conducted with the double purpose of verifying their ability to survive if they are taken simultaneously with an antibiotic therapy and to increase the selective properties of suitable media for the isolation of samples containing mixed bacterial populations. We isolated from commercial dairy and pharmaceutical products, 34 strains declared as probiotics, belonging to the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and 21 strains of starter culture bacteria. All the microorganisms have been compared by electrophoresis of the soluble proteins for the purpose of identifying them. A Multiplex-PCR with genus- and species-specific primers was used to detect for Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis presence. All bifidobacteria were B. animalis subsp. lactis except one Bifidobacterium longum. Sometimes the identification showed that the used strain was not the one indicated on the label. The lactobacilli were Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The streptococci were all Streptococcus thermophilus. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 24 common antibiotic substances has been valued by the broth microdilution method. All tested strains were susceptible to ampicillin, bacitracin, clindamycin, dicloxacillin, erytromycin, novobiocin, penicillin G, rifampicin (MIC(90) ranging from 0.01 to 4 mug/ml); resistant to aztreonam, cycloserin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, polymyxin B and spectinomycin (MIC(90) ranging from 64 to >1000 mug/ml). The susceptibility to cephalothin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, lincomycin, metronidazole, neomycin, paromomycin, streptomycin, tetracycline and vancomycin was variable and depending on the species

Development of fixed-time artificial insemination protocols for locally adapted Curraleiro Pé-Duro cows

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted aiming to evaluate the effects of two ovulatory inducers (Exp.1) and equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG; Exp.2) on follicular and luteal dynamics in a fixed-time AI (FTAI) protocol in locally adapted Curraleiro Pé-Duro cows. In Exp. 1 multiparous cows (n=12) received an intravaginal device containing 1g of progesterone (P4) for 8 days and 2mg of estradiol benzoate (EB) intramuscularly (IM) at device insertion (Day 0). At device removal (Day 8) 0.150mg of Sodium D-Cloprostenol was administered IM and the cows were randomly assigned to receive 1mg of EB (EB8) or 1mg of estradiol cypionate (EC8) IM, or to not receive any ovulatory inducer (Control). All the animals participated in all treatments (crossover). The interval from P4 removal to ovulation was shorter and less variable in the EB8 treatment group (P≤0.05). In Exp. 2 (crossover), multiparous cows (n=12) received the same hormonal treatment as the EB8 group in Exp.1. At device removal (Day 8) cows were randomly assigned to receive 300UI of eCG IM or to not receive eCG (Control). No difference was ascertained on follicular and luteal parameters in Exp. 2 (P>0.05). We concluded that EB can be used as the ovulatory inducer (Exp. 1) in a FTAI protocol in Curraleiro Pé-Duro cows. However, eCG (Exp. 2) was not able to stimulate follicular and luteal development. This result is probably due to the adaptive capacity of Curraleiro Pé-Duro cows that maintained a satisfactory body condition score even in dry and hot environments

FOLATE PRODUCTION IN BIFIDOBACTERIA FROM INFANT AND ADULT HUMANS

Folates \u2013 the natural chemically reduced forms of folic acid (vitamin B9) - are cofactors in essential metabolic pathways such as DNA synthesis and methylation pathways. Humans cannot synthesize folate and depend on intake both from the diet (green vegetables, cereals, rice, milk, fermented milk products, etc.) and from indigenous folate synthesizing bacteria of the intestinal microbiota. Low folate levels increase the risk for neural tube defects and may increase the risk for e.g. certain cancer forms, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer\u2019s. Screening for folate production of the bifidobacteria isolates from human adult and infant (1-6 month old) was performed. Strains typical of infants, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and B. breve, and of adults ( B. adolescentis) were selected for characterization. The aim of the present work was to investigate bifidobacteria from human host of different age with different feeding habits in order to establish a possible correlation between diet and the folate production. Folate is present in many different forms in humans. The detectable forms studied in the present work are 5-CH3-H4, H4 and total folate content. Bifidobacteria strains were cultivated in folate free synthetic media. Validated HPLC method was used to analyze deconjugated folates extracted from bacterial biomass

VERIFICA DELLA COLONIZZAZIONE DI BIFIDOBACTERIUM SPP. ED EFFETTO DI PREBIOTICI NELLA DIETA DI SUINI IN SVEZZAMENTO

La riduzione all\u2019uso di farmaci spinge a cercare nuove strategie alimentari per migliorare accrescimento, salute, risposta immunitaria dei suini in allevamenti da reddito. Probiotici e prebiotici offrono la possibilit\ue0 di modulare, da soli o in combinazioni nutraceutiche, la microflora gastrointestinale dell\u2019ospite. L\u2019integrazione della dieta con bifidobatteri pu\uf2 stimolare positivamente l\u2019ecosistema intestinale, migliorando velocit\ue0 di accrescimento e utilizzazione della razione alimentare. Sono state valutate le potenzialit\ue0 probiotiche di bifidobatteri, le capacit\ue0 prebiotiche di due diverse concentrazioni di frutto- e galattooligosaccaridi, gli effetti sinbiotici di sei combinazioni nutraceutiche. La verifica della colonizzazione di Bifidobacterium spp. nel contenuto di ceco \ue8 stata determinata attraverso il metodo colturale classico ed un protocollo di PCR diretta quantitativa, genere specifica. Si \ue8 valutata (64 soggetti) la capacit\ue0 colonizzante di 12 ceppi selezionati tra le 4 specie B. breve, B. animalis subsp. lactis, B. suis e B. choerinum. Le migliori potenzialit\ue0 probiotiche appartengono ai ceppi M 354 e RA 18 di B. animalis subsp. lactis ed al ceppo SU 891 di B. choerinum: la somministrazione comporta una riduzione del pH intestinale, incremento del livello di bifidobatteri nel ceco, assenza di diarrea. Si sono testate (64 soggetti), le capacit\ue0 prebiotiche di diverse concentrazioni (2% e 4% della dieta) di due fruttooligosaccaridi, uno da inulina e uno da barbabietola e di un Galattooligosaccaride da siero di latte. Un effetto significativo sul livello dei bifidobatteri endogeni si osserva per il FOS da barbabietola al 4%. Il ceppo RA 18 di Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis ed il ceppo Su 891 di B. choerinum sono stati testati infine (128 soggetti) combinando quattro diverse dosi di probiotico (0, 107, 109, 1011 ufc/day) con la concentrazione prebiotica di FOS individuata. Il solo ceppo di B. animalis subsp. lactis RA 18 determina un significativo aumento di peso corporeo linearmente con la dose somministrata. Il FOS interagisce sinergicamente con RA 18 incrementando significativamente i bifidobatteri

Strategies to augment non-immune system based defence mechanisms against gastrointestinal diseases in pigs

AbstractOur study addresses the first two weeks of the weaning period of piglets during which stressful physiological and environmental conditions experienced by the animals can promote the proliferation of pathogens in the digestive tract. The aim of the study was to identify new feeding strategies that result in boosting the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota of piglets and improve growth performance, reducing the negative impact of weaning. In order to identify a new synbiotic combination, 12 new putative probiotic strains of Bifidobacterium spp. and three non-digestible oligosaccharides [NDO] were screened in newly weaned piglets. The ability to increase the level of autochthonous bifidobacteria and improve growth performance were assessed. Bifidobacteria strains with a similar ability to develop in the hindgut showed a different effect on piglet performance depending on the dose in which they were provided. Our data support the idea that the presence of fructo-oligosaccharides would stimulate the occurrence of bifidobacteria in the caecum. It was shown that dietary intake of nitrate can generate salivary nitrite, which in turn is acidified in the stomach and could have antimicrobial activity against swallowed pathogens. The efficacy of the resulting synbiotic formula was improved by adding nitrate as antimicrobial. To enhance probiotic survival during gastric transit, a novel technology of microencapsulation was developed and applied to bacteria. The final synbiotic, containing the strain RA 18 of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis [1011cfu/day], the prebiotic Actilight® [4% of the diet], and nitrate [150mg KNO3/kg feed/day] was tested in organic weaned piglets reared under field conditions. Results show that the strain Ra 18 had a probiotic effect in organic weaned piglets, as it colonized and remained detectable in faecal samples until two weeks after addition. The use of our synbiotic formula improved weight gain, feed efficiency and health status of the weaned piglets