-Previously, we have shown that alleles of the BM1500 microsatellite, located 3.6 kb downstream of the leptin gene in cattle, were associated with carcass fat measures in a population of 154 unrelated beef bulls. Subsequently, a cytosine (C) to thymine (T) transition that encoded an amino acid change of an arginine to a cysteine was identified in exon 2 of the leptin gene. A PCR-RFLP was designed and allele frequencies in four beef breeds were correlated with levels of carcass fat. The T allele was associated with fatter carcasses and the C allele with leaner carcasses. The frequencies of the SNP alleles among breeds indicated that British breeds have a higher frequency of the T allele whereas the continental breeds have a higher occurrence of the C allele. A ribonuclease protection assay was developed to quantify leptin mRNA in a separate group of animals selected by genotype. Animals homozygous for thymine expressed higher levels of leptin mRNA. This may suggest that the T allele, which adds an extra cysteine to the protein, imparts a partial loss of biological function and hence could be the causative mutation.leptin / cattle / obese / fat / marbling

Previous studies have shown that β‐glucans extracted from yeast or fungi potentiate immune responses. In the present study, the immunomodulatory activities of β‐(1→3, 1→4)‐glucan, derived from oats, were investigated. The ability of oat β‐glucan (OβG) to stimulate IL‐1 and TNF‐α release from murine peritoneal macrophages and the murine macrophage cell line P338D1, was assessed. In vitro stimulation of macrophages with OβG resulted in the production of IL‐1 in a dose and time‐dependent manner, whereas only small amounts of TNF‐α could be detected in the culture supernatants. OβG also induced the production of IL‐2, IFN‐γ and IL‐4 secretion in a dose‐dependent manner in cultured spleen cells. The intraperitoneal administration of OβG in mice resulted in the accumulation of leucocytes, predominantly macrophages, in the peritoneal cavity. Furthermore, OβG was tested for its ability to enhance non‐specific resistance to a bacterial challenge in mice. Survival of mice challenged with Staphylococcus aureus was enhanced by a single intraperitoneal administration of 500 μg of OβG 3 days prior to bacterial challenge. In conclusion, these studies demonstrated that OβG possesses immunomodulatory activities capable of stimulating immune functions both in vitro and in vivo.

Background. Since 2000, incidence of sexually acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infection has increased among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). To date, few case-control and cohort studies evaluating HCV transmission risk factors were conducted in this population, and most of these studies were initially designed to study HIV-related risk behavior and characteristics.Methods. From 2009 onwards, HIV-infected MSM with acute HCV infection and controls (HIV-monoinfected MSM) were prospectively included in the MOSAIC (MSM Observational Study of Acute Infection with hepatitis C) study at 5 large HIV outpatient clinics in the Netherlands. Written questionnaires were administered, covering sociodemographics, bloodborne risk factors for HCV infection, sexual behavior, and drug use. Clinical data were acquired through linkage with databases from the Dutch HIV Monitoring Foundation. For this study, determinants of HCV acquisition collected at the inclusion visit were analyzed using logistic regression.Results. Two hundred thirteen HIV-infected MSM (82 MSM with acute HCV infection and 131 MSM without) were included with a median age of 45.7 years (interquartile range [IQR], 41.0–52.2). Receptive unprotected anal intercourse (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63–15.4), sharing sex toys (aOR, 3.62; 95% CI, 1.04–12.5), unprotected fisting (aOR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.02–6.44), injecting drugs (aOR, 15.62; 95% CI, 1.27–192.6), sharing straws when snorting drugs (aOR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.39–8.32), lower CD4 cell count (aOR, 1.75 per cubic root; 95% CI, 1.19–2.58), and recent diagnosis of ulcerative sexually transmitted infection (aOR, 4.82; 95% CI, 1.60–14.53) had significant effects on HCV acquisition.Conclusions. In this study, both sexual behavior and biological factors appear to independently increase the risk of HCV acquisition among HIV-infected MSM.

The effect of beta-glucan, extracted from oats, on the enhancement of resistance to infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Eimeria vermiformis was studied in mice. In vitro study using macrophages isolated from the peritoneal cavity showed that beta-glucan treatment significantly enhanced phagocytic activity. In vivo study further demonstrated that beta-glucan treatment induced a significant (P<0.05) protection against the challenge with 5 x 10(8) of S. aureus in mice. Fecal oocyst shedding in the C57BL/6 mice infected with E. vermiformis was diminished by beta-glucan treatment by 39.6% in intraperitoneal and 28.5% in intragastric group compared to non-treated control. Patency period was shorter and antigen (sporozoites and merozoites) specific antibodies were significantly (P<0.05-0.01) higher in beta-glucan-treated group compared to non-treated control group. There were an increasing number of splenic IFN-gamma-secreting cells in glucan-treated group via intraperitoneal route, which might be responsible for the enhancement of the disease resistance. Glucan treatment was able to effectively change the lymphocytes population (Thy 1.2(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells) in the mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches in mice infected with E. vermiformis. In conclusion, the oral or parenteral oat beta-glucan treatment enhanced the resistance to S. aureus or E. vermiformis infection in the mice.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of cereal carbohydrate form (isolated v. cereal matrix) and level, especially mixed-linked b-glucan (hereafter referred to as b-glucan) and starch amylase/amylopectin ratio on nutrient digestibility and fermentation parameters in the intestines of weaned pigs. Four hulless barley cultivars containing varying b-glucan levels (41 to 84 g/kg) were compared with hulled barley, supplemented or not with a b-glucan concentrate (BBG; 270 g/kg b-glucan) and two oat cultivars for digestibility and fermentation metabolites. Seventy-two weaned piglets (BW 5 12.8 6 1.9 kg) were assigned to one of nine diets composed of 815 g/kg cereal, 60 g/kg whey, 90 g/kg soy protein isolate and 35 g/kg minerals. After 15 days, the pigs were killed, and digesta collected from ileum and colon were analyzed for proximate nutrients, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), lactic acid (LA) and ammonia. Ileal and total tract digestibility of proximate nutrients and non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) were determined using HCl-insoluble ash as a marker. Organic matter (OM) ileal digestibility was greater (P , 0.05) for diets based on hulless barley (77% 6 1.1% on average), as compared with hulled barley (64% 6 1.4%) and oat (58% 6 1.5%). Similar trends were found for total tract OM digestibility, varying from 90% 6 0.3% for hulless barley to 67% 6 0.4% for oat, on average. NSP digestibility differed (P , 0.05) within and between cereal types, ranging from 20% (hulled barley plus 163 g/kg BBG or , 40 g/kg b-glucan) to 51% (SB94893 hulless barley cultivar with high b-glucan and high amylose ratio) at the ileum and from 44% (hulled barley) to 84% (SB94893 cultivar) at the total tract level. No dietary effect (P . 0.05) was found for SCFA concentration in ileal contents, whereas in colonic contents, SCFA was lower in pigs fed oat (P , 0.001). LA concentration was greater (P , 0.001) in the colon of pigs fed hulless barley than in pigs fed hulled barley and oat. Expressed per kg carbohydrate (NSP 1 starch) fermented, the ammonia concentration at the colon was lowest for hulled barley diets (supplemented with b-glucan) and the highest for oat diets. In conclusion, the interaction of both form and level of b-glucan impacted nutrient digestibility and fermentation. Hulless barleys with high soluble NSP such as b-glucan and resistant starch yielded, in general higher SCFA and LA and lower ammonia. Hulless barleys may, therefore, have potential for use in feeding strategies designed to improve gut health in pigs.