Application of Baltic Pine (Pinus sylvestris) Needle Extract as a Gut Microbiota-Modulating Feed Supplement for Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus)

Funding Information: This research was funded within the framework of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) program, grant number 18-00-A01620-000042. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.The valorization of wood industry residues is very desirable from a circular economy perspective. Pine needle extracts are known for their health-promoting properties and therefore can be used as herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. Since the withdrawal of antibiotics as growth promoters in the European Union, natural feed additives that improve poultry health and production are needed. It was proposed that pine needle extract could be a good alternative to antibiotic usage at sub-therapeutic concentrations. The results relevant to our assumption could be obtained by using domestic chickens as an in vivo model for the evaluation of gut microbiota-altering properties of pine needle extract as an herbal supplement. We tested the antimicrobial effects of Baltic pine (Pinus sylvestris) needle extract. Then, we used chicken (Gallus gallus) that received feed supplemented with two different concentrations of the extract for 40 days to evaluate the changes in gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This preliminary study demonstrated trends toward dose-dependent desirable changes in broiler microbiome, such as a reduction in the relative abundance of Campylobacter.publishersversionPeer reviewe

"Subnational meets supranational: The influence of local government on U.S.-EU relations"

Studies of relations between the U.S. and the EU tend to take U.S. foreign policy as a given, and proceed to examine those areas in which the U.S. and EU have found common ground or are in disagreement. However, the inputs to these U.S. foreign policy outcomes have received relatively little attention. This paper focuses on one foreign policy input in the U.S. side of the US.-EU relations: the role of state and local governments in shaping U.S. foreign policies in areas that are of concern to the EU ... Which aspects of US-EU relations have an important local government dimension? How do local governments try to influence US.-EU relations? In which policy areas do key local govern¬ments share views that are more closely aligned with an EU position than with U.S. foreign policy? The results will provide insight into two broad international relations themes: the extent to which non-state actors (like subnational governments and international organizations) are eroding the sovereignty of nation-states, and ... add[ing] the U.S.-EU case to the growing body of literature on the influence of state and local governments in U.S. foreign affairs

Growth and cold hardening of European aspen seedlings in response to an altered temperature and soil moisture regime

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Application of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for Tracking Human Exposure to Deoxynivalenol and Enniatins

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising biomonitoring approach with the potential to provide direct information on human intake and exposure to food contaminants and environmental chemicals. The aim of this study was to apply WBE while employing the normalization method for exploring human exposure to selected mycotoxins according to population biomarker 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). This type of normalization technique has been previously used to detect various other compounds. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study tracking human exposure to mycotoxins. A sensitive analytical methodology was developed to achieve reliable quantification of deoxynivalenol, enniatins, and beauvericin in wastewater (WW) samples. The applicability of the method was evaluated by testing 29 WW samples collected at WW treatment plants in Latvia. With frequency of detection greater than 86%, enniatins B, B1, A, and A1 were revealed in WW samples. The estimated total daily intake for enniatins was in the range of 1.8–27.6 µg/day per person. Free deoxynivalenol (DON) was determined in all analysed WW samples. Based on the average 5-HIAA excretion level and the determined 5-HIAA content in the samples, the intake of DON by the human population of Riga was estimated at 325 ng/kg b.w. day

The Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Mycotoxins, Biogenic Amines, and Heavy Metals in Mould-Ripened Blue Cheeses

The occurrence and dietary exposure assessment of 16 mycotoxins, 6 biogenic amines (BAs), and 13 metallic elements in blue-veined cheeses (n = 46) is reported. Co-occurrence of mycophenolic acid (≤599 µg·kg−1) with roquefortine C (≤5454 µg·kg−1) was observed in 63% of the tested cheeses, while BAs were frequently present at concentrations between 0.2 and 717 mg kg−1. The concentrations of heavy metals in cheeses were very low. Chronic/acute exposure assessment based on consumption data from different European populations indicated that the levels of mycotoxins and heavy metals are safe to consumers, whereas, rather high hazard indexes (HI up to 0.77) were determined for BAs according to the worst-case scenario based on high consumption and 95th percentile occurrence. A more detailed acute dietary intake study indicated that histamine and tyramine were predominant among these BAs, reaching 27 and 41% of the acute oral intake reference doses

Styrylpyridinium Derivatives for Fluorescent Cell Imaging

A set of styrylpyridinium (SP) compounds was synthesised in order to study their spectroscopic and cell labelling properties. The compounds comprised different electron donating parts (julolidine, p-dimethylaminophenyl, p-methoxyphenyl, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl), conjugated linkers (vinyl, divinyl), and an electron-withdrawing N-alkylpyridinium part. Geminal or bis-compounds incorporating two styrylpyridinium (bis-SP) moieties at the 1,3-trimethylene unit were synthesised. Compounds comprising a divinyl linker and powerful electron-donating julolidine donor parts possessed intensive fluorescence in the near-infrared region (maximum at ~760 nm). The compounds had rather high cytotoxicity towards the cancerous cell lines HT-1080 and MH-22A; at the same time, basal cytotoxicity towards the NIH3T3 fibroblast cell line ranged from toxic to harmful. SP compound 6e had IC50 values of 1.0 ± 0.03 µg/mL to the cell line HT-1080 and 0.4 µg/mL to MH-22A; however, the basal toxicity LD50 was 477 mg/kg (harmful). The compounds showed large Stokes’ shifts, including 195 nm for 6a,b, 240 nm for 6e, and 325 and 352 nm for 6d and 6c, respectively. The highest photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) values were observed for 6a,b, which were 15.1 and 12.2%, respectively. The PLQY values for the SP derivatives 6d,e (those with a julolidinyl moiety) were 0.5 and 0.7%, respectively. Cell staining with compound 6e revealed a strong fluorescent signal localised in the cell cytoplasm, whereas the cell nuclei were not stained. SP compound 6e possessed self-assembling properties and formed liposomes with an average diameter of 118 nm. The obtained novel data on near-infrared fluorescent probes could be useful for the development of biocompatible dyes for biomedical applications

Application of Baltic Pine (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i>) Needle Extract as a Gut Microbiota-Modulating Feed Supplement for Domestic Chickens (<i>Gallus gallus</i>)

The valorization of wood industry residues is very desirable from a circular economy perspective. Pine needle extracts are known for their health-promoting properties and therefore can be used as herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. Since the withdrawal of antibiotics as growth promoters in the European Union, natural feed additives that improve poultry health and production are needed. It was proposed that pine needle extract could be a good alternative to antibiotic usage at sub-therapeutic concentrations. The results relevant to our assumption could be obtained by using domestic chickens as an in vivo model for the evaluation of gut microbiota-altering properties of pine needle extract as an herbal supplement. We tested the antimicrobial effects of Baltic pine (Pinus sylvestris) needle extract. Then, we used chicken (Gallus gallus) that received feed supplemented with two different concentrations of the extract for 40 days to evaluate the changes in gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This preliminary study demonstrated trends toward dose-dependent desirable changes in broiler microbiome, such as a reduction in the relative abundance of Campylobacter