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Background/Objectives: Crohn's disease is known for being associated with an abnormal composition of the bacterial flora, dysbiosis and intestinal function disorders. Metabolites produced by gut microbiota play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of CD, and the presence of unspecific extraintestinal manifestations. Methods: The aim of this study was a determination of the level of bacterial metabolites in blood plasma in patients with Crohn's disease. CD patients (29) and healthy individuals (30) were recruited for this study. Bacterial metabolites (SCFAs and TMAO panel) were measured by a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry system. Results: A significant correlation (p-value < 0.05) between CD and bacterial metabolites was obtained for three of eight tested SCFAs; acetic acid (reduced in CD; FC 1.7; AUC = 0.714), butyric acid (increased; FC 0.68; AUC = 0.717), 2MeBA (FC 1.168; AUC = 0.702), and indoxyl (FC 0.624). The concentration of CA (FC 0.82) and choline (FC 0.78) in plasma was significantly disturbed according to the biological treatment. Choline level (FC 1.28) was also significantly disturbed in the patients treated with glucocorticoids. In total, 68.97% of Crohn's patients presented extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) of Crohn's disease, mainly osteoarticular complications. The level of BA was statistically significantly elevated in patients with extraintestinal (FC 0.602) manifestations, while in the group of patients with osteoarticular complications, a significant difference in the level of betaine (FC 1.647) was observed. Conclusions: The analyzed bacterial metabolites of plasma may significantly help in the diagnostic process, and in the monitoring of the disease course and treatment, in a lowly invasive way, as biomarkers after additional research on a larger group of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The herbicide fluridone (1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-trifluoromethyl (phenyl)]-4(1H)-pyridone) interferes with carotenoid biosynthesis in plants by inhibiting the conversion of phytoene to phytofluene. Fluridone also indirectly inhibits the biosynthesis of abscisic acid and strigolactones, and therefore, our study indirectly addresses the effect of reduced ABA on the roots and leaf buds development in stem cuttings of Salix babylonica L. 'Tortuosa'. The stem cuttings were kept in distilled water (control) or in a solution of fluridone (10 mg/L) in natural greenhouse light and temperature conditions. During the experiments, morphological observations were carried out on developing roots and leaf buds, as well as their appearance and growth. After three weeks of continuous treatments, adventitious roots and leaf buds were collected and analysed. Identification and analysis of anthocyanins were carried out using micro-HPLC-MS/MS-TOF, while HPLC-MS/MS was used to analyse phenolic acids, flavonoids and salicinoids. The fluridone applied significantly inhibited root growth, but the number or density of roots was higher compared to the control. Contents of salicortin and salicin were several dozen times higher in leaf buds than in roots of willow. Fluridone increased the content of salicortin in roots and leaf buds and declined the level of salicin in buds. Fluridone also declined the content of most anthocyanins in roots but enhanced their content in buds, especially cyanidin glucoside, cyanidin galactoside and cyanidin rutinoside. Besides, fluridone markedly decreased the level of chlorophylls and carotenoids in the leaf buds. The results indicate that applied fluridone solution reduced root growth, caused bleaching of leaf buds, and markedly affected the content of secondary metabolites in the adventitious roots and leaf buds of S. babylonica stem cuttings. The paper presents and discusses in detail the significance of fluridone's effects on physiological processes and secondary metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The herbicide fluridone (1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-trifluoromethyl(phenyl)]-4(1H)-pyridinone) affects processes related to plant growth and development. It interferes with carotenoid biosynthesis by inhibiting the activity of phytoene desaturase, which converts phytoene to phytofluene. Besides, fluridone indirectly inhibits abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of fluridone on plant pigments and proanthocyanidins in Muscari armeniacum leaves and on the dormancy of inflorescence shoots. In our experiments, uncooled M. armeniacum bulbs with fully differentiated adventitious roots were used. Three-week soaking of bulbs in water solutions of fluridone at concentrations of 5 and 10 mg dm-3 significantly inhibited the root growth of M. armeniacum plants. Besides, fluridone caused degradation of chlorophylls and carotenoids in the primary leaves of this species. Leaves obtained from fluridone--treated bulbs showed a pink colour due to the presence of anthocyanins, but histological analysis showed that these pigments were found only in the leaf parenchyma and not in the epidermis. Secondary leaves grew from bulbs after a long, 54-day treatment with fluridone contained almost no carotenoids and chlorophylls. This longer treatment of M. armeniacum bulbs also resulted in a large increase in the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin content. The high anthocyanin content in leaves is a visible effect of fluridone-induced stress. Application of fluridone to M. armeniacum bulbs resulted also in breaking the dormancy of inflorescence shoots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is the only crop that contains D-chiro-inositol (DCI) in significant contents in vegetative tissues and its a-D-galactosyl derivatives in seeds. Besides DCI, buckwheat tissues contain small contents of D-pinitol (PIN) and myo-inositol (MIN) and their a-D-galactosyl derivatives. D-chiro-inositol is a health-promoting cyclitol of increasing importance in the treatment of some human diseases. However, changes in DCI content in stems, leaves and maturing buckwheat seeds during plant vegetation and under desiccation were not known. The present study analyzed the concentration of cyclitols and their galactosides in the stems, leaves and seeds of plants harvested on 79th, 94th and 123th days after sowing (DAS) and after desiccation at ambient temperature (23° ±2°C). D-chiro-inositol content in stems and leaves increased with vegetation, while the opposite trend was found in developing and maturing seeds. In the seeds, the accumulation of mono-galactosyl DCI derivatives increased, but at the same time, the content of mono-galactosyl PIN and MIN derivatives decreased. The desiccation process drastically increased the content of di-galactosyl derivatives of DCI and MIN in the seeds. The obtained results suggest a protective role of DCI and MIN di-galactosides against desiccation stress in buckwheat tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of anthocyanins in detached leaves and in excised stems of Kalanchoë blossfeldiana kept under natural light conditions in the presence or absence of methyl jasmonate (JA-Me) was investigated. When the abaxial surface of detached leaves was held lower than the adaxial surface (the normal or natural position) under natural light conditions, anthocyanins were not accumulated on the abaxial side of the leaves. In contrast, when the adaxial surface of detached leaves was held lower than the abaxial surface (inverted position), anthocyanins were highly accumulated on the abaxial side of the leaves. These phenomena were independent of the growth stage of K. blossfeldiana as well as photoperiod. Application of JA-Me in lanolin paste significantly inhibited anthocyanin accumulation induced on the abaxial side of detached leaves held in an inverted position in a dose-dependent manner. Anthocyanin accumulation in the excised stem in response to natural light was also significantly inhibited by JA-Me in lanolin paste. Possible mechanisms of anthocyanin accumulation on the abaxial side of detached K. blossfeldiana leaves held in an inverted position under natural light conditions and the inhibitory effect of JA-Me on this process are described. The accompanying changes in the content of primary metabolites and histological analyses were also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Agricultura is the property of University of Technology & Life Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Agricultura is the property of University of Technology & Life Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite advances in knowledge, in many bird species, the true mating system is unknown, and especially so for birds breeding at low densities under natural conditions. We studied paternity at the population and breeding pair level in the Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva), a small, migrant passerine breeding in old-growth Białowie a Forest. Over seven breeding seasons we genotyped a total of 159 nestlings and 25 adult males as fathers from 33 broods of the Red-breasted Flycatcher. Extra-pair young were present in eight broods (24.2%). Twelve (7.5%) chicks mismatched with the 'social' male in several loci. Both low breeding density and synchrony in breeding phenology can explain such findings. Also of interest was the share of extra-pair paternity at the individual level, in relation to the age/ornamentation of the extra-pair male. Male Red-breasted Flycatchers exhibit delayed plumage maturation. Young males (second year) are without an orange badge on the throat and breast, while older males (after-second year) are ornamented and have an orange badge. The extra-pair nestlings were found in eight broods , four with young males as a fathers (36.4%) and four in broods of old males (18.2%). However, in all seven cases when the age of the extra-pair partner was known, irrespective of the age of the social father, the extra-pair partner was a male with an orange patch on the breast. This indicated female preference for ornamented males as partners for extra-pair copulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the tolerance of seedlings of three Polish buckwheat cultivars (Hruszowska, Kora, and Luba) for short-term exposure to Pb2+ and Cd2+. Seedlings were grown under controlled conditions in Hoagland nutrient solution, with the addition of low/high Pb2+ or Cd2+ ions (0.01 and 1.00 mM, respectively). After 3 days of treated seedling growth, the levels of total anthocyanins and content of particular flavonoids were measured. The presence of low concentrations of both Pb and Cd resulted in a small stimulation of the growth of seedlings of all studied cultivars, while higher doses inhibit root growth and, to a much lesser extent, that of shoots. Cadmium (Cd2+) ions were more harmful for growth of buckwheat seedlings than Pb2+ ions. More resistant to stress caused by the presence of high concentrations of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in the growth medium were seedlings of Hruszowska and Luba cultivars, compared to Kora seedlings. Cotyledons of more resistant cultivars (Hruszowska and Luba) contained much more flavonoids than cotyledons of Kora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: Crohn's disease is known for being associated with an abnormal composition of the bacterial flora, dysbiosis and intestinal function disorders. Metabolites produced by gut microbiota play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of CD, and the presence of unspecific extraintestinal manifestations., Methods: The aim of this study was a determination of the level of bacterial metabolites in blood plasma in patients with Crohn's disease. CD patients (29) and healthy individuals (30) were recruited for this study. Bacterial metabolites (SCFAs and TMAO panel) were measured by a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry system., Results: A significant correlation ( p -value < 0.05) between CD and bacterial metabolites was obtained for three of eight tested SCFAs; acetic acid (reduced in CD; FC 1.7; AUC = 0.714), butyric acid (increased; FC 0.68; AUC = 0.717), 2MeBA (FC 1.168; AUC = 0.702), and indoxyl (FC 0.624). The concentration of CA (FC 0.82) and choline (FC 0.78) in plasma was significantly disturbed according to the biological treatment. Choline level (FC 1.28) was also significantly disturbed in the patients treated with glucocorticoids. In total, 68.97% of Crohn's patients presented extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) of Crohn's disease, mainly osteoarticular complications. The level of BA was statistically significantly elevated in patients with extraintestinal (FC 0.602) manifestations, while in the group of patients with osteoarticular complications, a significant difference in the level of betaine (FC 1.647) was observed., Conclusions: The analyzed bacterial metabolites of plasma may significantly help in the diagnostic process, and in the monitoring of the disease course and treatment, in a lowly invasive way, as biomarkers after additional research on a larger group of patients.

We examined the relationship between individual heterozygosity of male Red-breasted Flycatchers ( Ficedula parva ; a small long-distance migratory, socially monogamous bird species) and their mating success, arrival time and age. Using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci, we found that male heterozygosity is related to both mating success and arrival time, but not to age. Mated and earlier arriving males had higher heterozygosity than later arrivals and bachelors, but we did not find a relationship between age and individual heterozygosity of males. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence about the relationship between individual genetic diversity and arrival time, thus arrival time could be used as a signal of individual heterozygosity and quality.

The presented study aimed at establishing the prevalence and co-infection rates of Bartonella henselae and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from the central and eastern parts of Poland. The common tick individuals were gathered in the years 2008-2009. Questing ticks were sampled by dragging a white woollen flag over lower vegetation at 17 localities within diverse types of habitats: urban recreational green areas (city parks and squares), suburban forests and rural woodlands throughout the investigated regions of Poland. Detection of B. henselae in tested tick specimens was based on PCR amplification of the citrate synthase (gltA) gene, while screening for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA was carried out by analyzing fragments of two genes: the flagellin (fla) and outer surface protein A (ospA). A total number of 1,571 I. ricinus ticks were sampled: 865 (55.1%) nymphs, 377 females (24.0%) and 329 males (20.9%). The application of PCR assays revealed that 76 (4.8%) tick samples were B. henselae-positive, B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA was detected in 194 specimens (12.3%), whereas the co-existence of these pathogens was evidenced in 22 tested ticks (1.4%). Furthermore, the occurrence of bartonellae and co-circulation of analysed microorganisms in I. ricinus was affirmed only within adult individuals, while presence of the screened spirochetes was ascertained in both nymphal and adult ticks. It should be stressed that the suburban woods of Warsaw and rural forests in Warsaw County characterized the highest prevalence levels of dual infection with investigated tick-borne pathogens, whereas the lowest co-infection rates were recorded in tick populations inhabiting rural forests in Płock County and forested areas in Korczew-Mogielnica (within the Nadbużański Landscape Park).