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Abstract: The postharvest dehydration is one of the most important steps in obtaining a high quality naturally sweet wine and it can play an important role in modulating the production and the release of volatile compounds. However, only a few studies have analysed the changes in the free and bound volatile compounds of grapes throughout the process. In this work, GC–MS was applied to determine the aromatic composition of Garnacha Tintorera grapes subjected to off-vine dehydration or raisining at several points during the process. The total water loss in 83days was about 62% and the sugar concentration rose from 225 to 464g/L. Within the free volatile compounds, isoamyl alcohols, benzaldehyde and guaiacol registered the largest increase above the concentration effect due to water loss; while within the bound volatile compounds were isoamyl alcohols, ethyl vanillate and benzoic acid. The aromatic profile of the raisins obtained were mainly caramelised, floral, phenolic and burned. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a study which examined the variations of blood protein fractions after subcutaneous inoculation of Staphylococcus aureus in fattening obese castrated rabbits. Factors such as health status, water/food intake, rectal temperature and skin lesions at the inoculation were determined for 21 days. Findings revealed that lethargy or a decrease in food consumption and hyperthermia were evident during the first six hours, while abscesses were form in all rabbits within 48-96 hours. Results also showed that invasive suppurative phlegmons persisted until the 7th and 14th days in four rabbits.

In this paper we present a detailed structural study of epitaxial TiN thin films deposited on biaxially textured Ni- 5%at.W (NiW) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering. NiW substrates are used as a base material in coated conductors manufacturing. TiN is used as a buffer layer between NiW and YBCO. Structural investigations were carried out using X-ray diffraction. Based on X-rays diffraction analysis it was concluded that the TiN film grew epitaxially on NiW substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use change processes present a variety of trajectories depending on local conditions, the regional context and external influences. This study is an in-depth analysis of spatial and temporal land-use change in a rural mountain area for the data period 1965-2010. It concerns a rural area with partially mountainous characteristics and a high prevalence of forest land, in which both the processes of peri-urbanisation and a common land management system involving the state and the community can be observed. Supported by a collection of five periods of image analysis (the 1965, 1974, 1983, 1995, and 2010 maps), the transformation indicators were analysed in terms of the stability grade (SG), which expresses the total proportion of the landscape that has not experienced any transition, the rate of forest transformation (FS) and artificialisation processes (AS). In the area as a whole, the spatial and temporal transitions involve a significant increase in urban areas with a discontinuous fabric, a reduction in agricultural areas, and significant routing of forest occupation with typology and pattern transition. In the common lands, the major transformations occur between forests and semi-natural areas, with a general temporal increase in broad-leaved forest and degraded forest areas and a decrease in agricultural and agro-forestry areas, showing improvements to forest land through the introduction of new species and forest maintenance reflected in smaller subdivisions of patterns of land use. The methods enabled four periods to be identified revealing a distinctive evolution in land use, in which urban consolidation is present consistently, together with rotation of the forest typology - involving forest degradation, gains from agro-forest land or sparsely vegetated areas and the appearance of burnt areas. The results highlight the importance of public policies in the dynamics of land-use change, either in the form of planning or regulatory instruments closely linked to local communities and based on agriculture and forest resources. The management of common land, even in an informal way, introduces differences to land-use trajectories and forest maintenance and greater benefits for the communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fecal lactoferrin and fecal calprotectin have been proposed as biomarkers of intestinal inflammation in several animal species. The main objectives of this work were to validate an analytical procedure for the measurement of lactoferrin in calf feces, to study the correlation between lactoferrin and calprotectin concentrations, and to evaluate the influence of fecal water content in the determination of these proteins. This knowledge is essential for effectively using these biomarkers in young calves exposed to inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases.Seventy-eight male Holstein dairy calves between two and three weeks of age were included in the study. Lactoferrin was determined with a bovine milk lactoferrin ELISA kit and calprotectin was measured using a human immunoturbidimetric method previously validated in bovine feces. Analytical validation of the lactoferrin assay achieved good results, with intra and inter assay CV < 10 %, recovery rates between 80 and 120 %, and optimal linearity under dilution. A robust correlation was observed between fecal calprotectin concentrations in dry and wet feces (r = 0.903), while a moderate correlation was observed for fecal lactoferrin concentrations (r = 0.648). Correlation between both biomarkers was moderate in fresh feces (r = 0.514) as well as in dry feces (r = 0.561). In conclusion, the lactoferrin ELISA kit is valid for its use with calf fecal samples, both biomarkers showed a moderate correlation between them, and fecal lactoferrin concentration is more influenced by feces moisture than fecal calprotectin concentration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors have no affiliations or final involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in, or in financial competition with the subject matter discussed in this article. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The concentration of calprotectin in feces is a well-studied marker of gastrointestinal inflammation in humans. However, little is known about fecal calprotectin in farm animals. In this work, we have validated an immunoturbidimetric method for fecal calprotectin (Bühlmann fCAL® turbo assay, Schönenbuch, Switzerland) in porcine and bovine fecal samples. Linearity was evaluated by serial dilution (R 2  > 0.97 was obtained for both species). Accuracy was assessed by a recovery study, with results between 80 and 120% for low, medium, and high samples in both species. Intra- and inter-assay variability was <20%. Limit of detection was 6.4 μg/g in pig and 5.3 μg/g in cow. Limit of quantification was 13.4 μg/g (pig) and 11.1 μg/g (cow). Additionally, clinical validation has been included to evaluate the ability of the assay to detect inflammatory status in the intestine under different management conditions. In experiments with porcine, it was found that piglets treated with ZnO had lower concentrations of fecal calprotectin. In a second experiment in bovine, calves with diarrhea had higher concentration of fecal calprotectin. The Bühlmann fCAL® turbo assay is suitable for measurement of calprotectin in porcine and bovine fecal samples. Moreover, fecal calprotectin could be a good biomarker of intestinal inflammation in both species., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Furthermore, the authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Good strategical programs are required for the early detection of disease even in the absence of evident clinical signs, which is crucial in satisfying animal welfare. Haptoglobin (Hp) and inter-α-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (ITIH4) are acute phase proteins and good biomarkers of early inflammation in cattle, with plasma levels that significantly increase after injury or infection., Objectives: We aimed to develop and validate two new immunoturbidimetric methods for Hp and ITIH4., Methods: Species-specific antibodies were obtained and used to develop the immunoassays. For the Hp assay, antibodies were fixed to latex microparticles to enhance detection. The immunoassays were set up in an automated analyzer to carry out validation studies. Reference intervals were calculated using Reference Value Advisor., Results: The Hp immunoturbidimetric method had a linear analytical range up to 0.40 mg/mL. The limit of detection (LoD) was 0.005 mg/mL, and the limit of quantification (LoQ) was 0.007 mg/mL. Total imprecision was less than 7%. Comparison with ELISA and single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) showed good correlation, whereas the comparison with the colorimetric method showed constant and proportional differences. The ITIH4 immunoassay showed linearity up to 5 mg/mL, and the LoD was 0.002 mg/mL. Total imprecision was less than 6%. Method comparison showed a good correlation with single radial immunodiffusion, both methods being equivalent. Bilirubin, triglycerides, and hemoglobin presented no interference in any of the assays. Reference intervals were 0.007-0.017 mg/mL for Hp and 0.2-0.7 mg/mL for ITIH4 in dairy cows 10 days before parturition., Conclusions: Immunoturbidimetric methods developed for Hp and ITIH4 can measure basal and increased levels of these proteins, showing adequate precision, accuracy, and robustness., (© 2022 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Introduction: This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on accessory mental foramen (AMF) research using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging., Methods: A systematic review was performed in PubMed, Embase, Thomas Reuter's Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis statement. Articles focusing on AMF prevalence and location using CBCT imaging were selected without language restrictions. Studies reporting pooled results only or presenting any pathology in the area surrounding the mental foramen (MF) were excluded. A meta-analysis using random effects was performed., Results: The present meta-analysis included a total of 46 articles involving 21,761 subjects. The overall pooled AMF prevalence was 7.87% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.69-9.24) in subjects and 4.75% (95% CI, 3.79-5.95) in hemimandibles (n = 31,158). AMF presence was most commonly unilateral, reaching 90.15% (95% CI, 82.98-94.49). AMFs were significantly more frequent in right hemimandibles (χ 2 = 5.20, P < .05) and were most commonly located posterior and inferior to the MF. However, AMFs superior to the MF were also observed in 47.43% (95% CI, 38.45-56.58) of cases. The studies conducted over the last 3 years showed significantly higher AMF prevalence levels (χ 2 = 5.12, P < .05)., Conclusions: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that AMF prevalence is considerable and should not be underestimated. AMFs are most frequently located in right hemimandibles. The presence of AMFs superior to the MF is frequent. Around 3% of people present superior AMFs. This fact puts those patients at greater risk for injury when performing periapical surgery in this area., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Environmental enrichment in porcine farms improves animal welfare and leads to better public acceptance. To better understand the neurological mechanisms of the response to environmental enrichment, monoaminergic neurotransmitters were quantified in several brain areas from pigs after eight weeks of housing in barren or enriched conditions. Furthermore, iTRAQ labelling combined with LC-MS/MS was used to identify differentially abundant proteins in the hippocampus. Blood biochemical parameters related with stress and welfare were measured. Pigs under enriched conditions showed a decrease in plasma cortisol and lactate. The decrease in noradrenaline in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, a general decrease in the dopaminergic system and an increase of serotonin in the striatum indicate a lower response to stress in enriched conditions. In the proteomic analysis, 2304 proteins were identified, of which 56 were differential between housing groups (46 upregulated and 10 downregulated). Bioinformatics analysis revealed that they were mainly related to ribosome, translation, microtubules and metabolic mitochondrial processes, indicating that pigs under enriched environments have higher abundance of proteins related to protein synthesis and neuronal activity. Together with previous behavioural studies, our results suggest that environmental enrichment provides a less stressful environment and that pigs cope better with stress conditions like the slaughterhouse. SIGNIFICANCE: Animal welfare has become an important aspect for the sustainability of animal production. The modification of the environment by enriching it with rooting materials and wider space allowance is known to have a positive effect on pigs' welfare. Searching for the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, we found that housing in an enriched environment increased the abundance of proteins related to protein synthesis, microtubule assembly, vesicle-mediated transport and energy metabolism in the hippocampus of pigs. Likewise, changes in the neurotransmitter profile in several brain areas were compatible with a better response to stress. This study expands the knowledge about the biological basis of animal welfare-promoting actions., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the present study is to establish the influence of age on serum biochemistry reference intervals (RIs) for unweaned calves and recently-weaned piglets using large number of animals sampled at different ages from populations under different season trials. Specifically, milk replacer (MR)-fed calves from April-July 2017 ( n = 60); from December 2016-March 2017 ( n = 76) and from April-August 2018 ( n = 57) and one group of healthy weaned piglets ( n = 72) were subjected to the study. Serum enzymes and metabolites of calves at age of 24 h (24 h after colostrum intake), 2, 5, and 7 weeks from merged trials and piglets at 0, 7, and 14 days post-weaning (at 21, 28, and 35 days of age) were studied. The main variable is age whereas no major trial- or sex-biased differences were noticed. In calves, ALT, AST, GGT, GPx, SOD, NEFAs, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, total protein, and urea were greatly elevated ( p < 0.001) at 24 h compared with other ages; glucose, creatinine, total protein, and urea constantly decreased through the age; cholesterol's lowest level ( p < 0.001) was found in 24 h compared with other ages and the levels of haptoglobin remained unchanged ( p > 0.1) during the study. In comparison with the adult RIs, creatinine from 24 h, NEFAs from 2 w, GGT from 5 w, and urea from 7 w are fully comparable with RIs or lie within RIs determined for adult. In piglets, no changes were noticed on glucose ( p > 0.1) and haptoglobin ( p > 0.1) and there were no major changes on hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST, and GGT), total protein, creatinine and urea even though several statistical differences were noticed on 7 days post-weaning. Cholesterol, triglycerides, NEFAs, cortisol and PigMAP were found increased ( p < 0.05) while TNF-alpha was found less concentrated ( p < 0.001) at 0 days post-weaning compared with other times. Moreover, the RIs of creatinine and GGT are fully comparable with RIs or lie within RIs determined for adult. In conclusion, clinical biochemistry analytes RIs were established for unweaned calves and recently-weaned piglets and among them some can vary at different ages.