Dietary supplementation of plant bioactive-enriched aniseed straw and eucalyptus leaves modulates tissue fatty acid profile and nuggets quality of lambs.

Utilization of low-input feed resources rich in plant bioactive compounds is a promising strategy for modulating the fatty acid profile in ruminant products. They manipulate microbes involved in rumen biohydrogenation and increase the accumulation of desirable fatty acids at the tissue level. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of aniseed straw and eucalyptus leaves on growth performance, carcass traits and fatty acid profile of finisher lambs. Thirty-six Malpura hogget were divided into three treatment groups of 12 each, reared individually in pen (1.6 m × 1.1 m) and fed ad libitum complete feed blocks made up of 55 parts concentrate, 5 parts molasses and 40 parts roughage. Roughage in control (Con) was 20 parts each of ardu (Ailanthus excelsa) leaves and oat (Avena sativa) straw. In test diets, that is, Con-as and Con-el, 10% aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) straw and Eucalyptus rudis leaves, respectively, were added by replacing 5% each of oat straw and eucalyptus leaves. The lambs were weighed weekly; and at the end of 3 months of feeding trial, the lambs were slaughtered to study the carcass traits, composition and product evaluation. Average daily gain (ADG) and DM intake (DMI) was higher (P < 0.05) in Con-as compared to Con and Con-el, while ADG and feed conversion ratio decreased (P < 0.05) by 29.4% and 36.4%, respectively, in Con-el compared to Con. Carcass traits showed lower (P < 0.05) loin eye area and chilling loss in the Con-el group compared to the Con-as and Con, and the total carcass fat compared to Con-as. However, the keeping quality of meat improved in both Con-as and Con-el which was reflected by lower (P < 0.05) thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances values. Nuggets prepared from Con and Con-as meat had superior (P < 0.05) sensory attributes with an overall palatability. Fatty acid profile of longissimus thoracis muscle showed lower (P < 0.05) atherogenic and thrombogenic indices in Con-as and higher (P < 0.05) in Con-el group. Moreover, in Con-as group, the proportion of C16:0 was lower (P < 0.05) and C18:3n-3 was higher (P < 0.05), but no effect was observed on the amount of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA; C18:2 c9t11). In case of adipose tissue, the content of CLA was higher (P < 0.05), and the ratio of n-6:n-3 was more nearer to desirable levels in Con-as group. Therefore, it can be concluded that aniseed straw is a promising feed supplement compared to eucalyptus leaves for improving meat quality and fatty acid profile in lambs.

QSAR analysis of indazole estrogens as selective beta-estrogen receptor ligands: rationalization of physicochemical properties.

Quantification of structure activity relationships was performed on a series of indazole estrogen analogs, for their relative beta estrogenic receptor agonist activity, in order to understand the essential structural requirements for selectivity of indazole estrogen analogs for beta-estrogenic receptor over alpha-estrogenic receptor. The de novo and Hansch approach suggested that the 3(rd) position of indazole nucleus (R(1)) is decisive for the selectivity of molecules towards beta-estrogenic receptor over alpha-estrogenic receptor. The study also depicted that the substitution of polar group at R(1) position might prove helpful in the beta-estrogenic receptor selectivity (ER(beta/alpha )).

QSAR analysis of 2,4-diaminopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines and 2,4-diaminopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) plays a ubiquitous role in the biosynthesis of DNA, RNA and essential amino acid methionine, and exhibits potential application in the treatment and prophylaxis of AIDS-associated opportunistic microbial infections. In this study, a series of DHFR analogs of 2,4-diaminopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines and 2,4-diaminopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines were subjected to quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. The results showed that the electronic properties, energy of lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and Z-component of dipole moment (DPL3) of the molecule could be explored to design the potent DHFR inhibitors. LUMO is indicative of pi-bonding interaction of species crucial for the electrophilicity of the molecules. This suggests that molecules are able to interact with electron-rich area at the receptor site. DPL3 is related to the molecular charge distribution in Z-component. These electronic parameters can be altered through the incorporation of electronegative groups. The QSAR study provides important structural insights for designing the potent DHFR inhibitors.

Integrating functions at the kinetochore.

Kinetochore components have catalytic as well as structural activities. New evidence illustrates how these proteins integrate spindle morphogenesis with regulation of the timing and accuracy of chromosome segregation.

Comparative study of agar diffusion test and the NCCLS macrobroth method for in vitro susceptibility testing of Candida spp.

We performed a prospective double-blind study to evaluate the correlation between inhibition zones obtained by a disk-diffusion test, using Neo-sensitabs of fluconazole (Rosco Diagnostica), and the MICs generated by the NCCLS macrobroth dilution assay. Eighty clinical isolates, representing 5 of the clinically relevant species of Candida, were tested simultaneously by both methods. A clear inverse correlation was found between the results obtained by both tests (r = -0.69). In addition, there was high degree of agreement between methods in the identification of susceptible isolates. However, the resistance definition by disk-diffusion test had a positive predictive value of only 17%. Our data support the hypothesis that Rosco Fluconazole Neo-sensitabs have potential as a screening test for the identification of Candida isolates susceptible to fluconazole. Resistant isolates should be further investigated by standardized broth procedures.