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PeerJ 2020In European and North American cities geese are among the most common and most visible large herbivores. As such, their presence and behaviour often conflict with the...
BACKGROUND
In European and North American cities geese are among the most common and most visible large herbivores. As such, their presence and behaviour often conflict with the desires of the human residents. Fouling, noise, aggression and health concerns are all cited as reasons that there are "". Lethal control is often used for population management; however, this raises questions about whether this is a sustainable strategy to resolve the conflict between humans and geese when, paradoxically, it is humans that are responsible for creating the habitat and often providing the food and protection of geese at other times. We hypothesise that the landscaping of suburban parks can be improved to decrease its attractiveness to geese and to reduce the opportunity for conflict between geese and humans.
METHODS
Using observations collected over five years from a botanic garden situated in suburban Belgium and data from the whole of Flanders in Belgium, we examined landscape features that attract geese. These included the presence of islands in lakes, the distance from water, barriers to level flight and the size of exploited areas. The birds studied were the tadornine goose (L. 1766) (Egyptian goose) and the anserine geese, (L. 1758) (Canada goose), (L. 1758) (greylag goose) and (Bechstein, 1803) (barnacle goose). Landscape modification is a known method for altering goose behaviour, but there is little information on the power of such methods with which to inform managers and planners.
RESULTS
Our results demonstrate that lakes with islands attract more than twice as many anserine geese than lakes without islands, but make little difference to Egyptian geese. Furthermore, flight barriers between grazing areas and lakes are an effective deterrent to geese using an area for feeding. Keeping grazing areas small and surrounded by trees reduces their attractiveness to geese.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that landscape design can be used successfully to reduce the number of geese and their conflict with humans. However, this approach has its limitations and would require humans to compromise on what they expect from their landscaped parks, such as open vistas, lakes, islands and closely cropped lawns.
PubMed: 33024625
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9846 -
Advances in Orthopedics 2023Pes anserine bursitis (PAB) is one of the most common causes of painful knee syndromes. This study aimed at examining the efficacy of local corticosteroid injection,...
Comparing the Efficacy of Local Corticosteroid Injection, Platelet-Rich Plasma, and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in the Treatment of Pes Anserine Bursitis: A Prospective, Randomized, Comparative Study.
BACKGROUND
Pes anserine bursitis (PAB) is one of the most common causes of painful knee syndromes. This study aimed at examining the efficacy of local corticosteroid injection, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as different modalities to alleviate pain and enhance function in patients with pes anserine bursitis (PAB).
METHODS
A prospective, randomized, comparative study was conducted on 180 patients diagnosed with chronic PAB. They were equally divided into three groups as follows: Group I received a local corticosteroid injection of 40 mg of methylprednisolone acetate/1 ml; Group II received a PRP injection; and in Group III, ESWT was used. Outcome measures included the visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) pain score, WOMAC physical function score, and Ritchie articular index (RAI) for tenderness, which were recorded at the baseline, after 1 week, and after 8 weeks.
RESULTS
Before the application of procedures, there was a statistically significant increase in the WOMAC pain score in the local corticosteroid group compared to the PRP group and the ESWT group ( < 0.001). After the application of procedures, there was a statistically significant improvement in the 1-week and 8-week WOMAC pain score, WOMAC physical function score, and VAS in the local corticosteroid group in comparison to the PRP group and the ESWT group. ( < 0.001). Moreover, RAI for tenderness shows statistically significant improvement at 8 weeks in the local corticosteroid groups compared to the PRP groups ( < 0.001) and ESWT groups ( < 0.001). Similarly, a statistically significant difference was found between the PRP and ESWT groups (=0.023).
CONCLUSION
Our data suggest that in patients with PAB, local corticosteroid injection is more efficient than PRP injection and ESWT for reducing pain and enhancing function.
PubMed: 37810418
DOI: 10.1155/2023/5545520 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Sep 1992Phosphate buffer solutions of two dipeptides prevalent in striated muscle, L-carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and L-anserine (beta-alanyl-L-1-methylhistidine),...
Phosphate buffer solutions of two dipeptides prevalent in striated muscle, L-carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and L-anserine (beta-alanyl-L-1-methylhistidine), produce active oxygen species as measured by bleaching of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO). Activity is enhanced 5-14-fold in the presence of 2-mercaptoimidazoles such as ergothioneine, carbimazole (3-methyl-2-mercaptoimidazole-1-carboxylate), methimazole (2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole) and 2-mercaptoimidazole but only slightly by thiourea and dimethylthiourea. Activity is proportional to carnosine concentration and to mercaptoimidazole concentration at a fixed concentration of the second component. A variety of imidazoles closely related to carnosine and anserine are inactive, even after addition of transition metal ions. Activity is moderately increased above the pKa of the carnosine imidazole ring (pH 7.2, 7.5 and 8.0) versus below the pKa (pH 6.5 and 6.8). Activity is slightly increased by addition of copper or cobalt ions but not by addition of ferrous or ferric ions. Activity is decreased by Chelex 100 pretreatment of phosphate buffer and stimulated when copper or cobalt ions are added to the chelated buffer but there is no significant stimulation by ferric ions. Catalase eliminates most activity but superoxide dismutase has little effect. We propose that metal-carnosine and metal-anserine complexes produce superoxide and also serve as superoxide dismutases with resultant accumulation of hydrogen peroxide. An unidentified radical produced from hydrogen peroxide subsequently bleaches RNO. From the biological distributions of carnosine, anserine and ergothioneine, we infer that deleterious effects are probably minimal under normal physiological circumstances due to tissue and cellular compartmentalization and to sequestration of these compounds and transition metal ions.
Topics: Anserine; Carbimazole; Carnosine; Catalase; Cobalt; Copper; Ergothioneine; Ethylenethiourea; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Imidazoles; Methimazole; Mutagenicity Tests; Reactive Oxygen Species; Salmonella; Solutions; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Superoxides
PubMed: 1327555
DOI: 10.1016/0009-2797(92)90076-w -
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2021There is substantial evidence for the antioxidant functions of imidazole-containing dipeptides (IDPs), including carnosine and anserine, under physiological and...
There is substantial evidence for the antioxidant functions of imidazole-containing dipeptides (IDPs), including carnosine and anserine, under physiological and pathological conditions in vivo. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the antioxidant functions is still poorly understood. Recently, we discovered the endogenous production of 2-oxo-imidazole-containing dipeptides (2-oxo-IDPs), such as 2-oxo-carnosine and 2-oxo-anserine, as novel derivatives of IDPs in mouse tissues and revealed that the antioxidant capacity of 2-oxo-carnosine was much greater than that of carnosine. However, the antioxidant capacity of 2-oxo-IDPs still remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated 2-oxo-carnosine and 2-oxo-anserine by multiple in vitro assays, such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing/antioxidant power, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays in comparison with the corresponding IDPs, carnosine and anserine. All the assays employed herein demonstrated that 2-oxo-carnosine and 2-oxo-anserine exhibited a greater antioxidant capacity than that of the corresponding IDPs. Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed that commercial IDPs standards were contaminated with a certain amount of 2-oxo-IDPs, which was correlated with the antioxidant capacity. DPPH radical scavenging assay revealed that the elimination of contaminated 2-oxo-IDPs from the IDPs standards caused a significant decrease in the antioxidant capacity compared to the original IDPs standards. These results suggest that the main driver of the antioxidant capacity of IDPs is 2-oxo-IDPs; accordingly, the conversion of IDPs to 2-oxo-IDPs may be a critical step in the antioxidant functions.
PubMed: 34573066
DOI: 10.3390/antiox10091434 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023The protozoan parasite is the primary cause of human babesiosis. This parasite invades and multiplies inside red blood cells (RBCs), and infections differ significantly...
INTRODUCTION
The protozoan parasite is the primary cause of human babesiosis. This parasite invades and multiplies inside red blood cells (RBCs), and infections differ significantly based on the age and immune competency of the host. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of serum metabolic profiling to identify systemic metabolic variations between -infected mice and noninfected controls.
METHODS
A serum metabolomics analysis of BALB/c mice that had been intraperitoneally injected with 10 -infected RBCs was performed. Serum samples from the early infected group (2 days postinfection), the acutely infected group (9 days postinfection), and the noninfected group were collected and evaluated using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) identified metabolomic profiles that differentiated the -infected and noninfected groups.
RESULTS
Our results confirm that the serum metabolome is significantly influenced by acute infection and show that infection results in dysregulation of metabolic pathways and perturbation of metabolites. Acutely infected mice displayed perturbations in metabolites associated with taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, histidine metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Taurocholic acid, anserine, and arachidonic acid may be potential candidates as serological biomarkers for diagnosing infection at the acute stage. These metabolites could be further examined for their role in disease complexity.
DISCUSSION
Our findings demonstrate that the acute stage of infection induces abnormalities in the metabolites present in mouse serum and provide new insight into the mechanisms involved in systemic metabolic changes that occur during infection.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Babesia microti; Babesiosis; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Arachidonic Acid; Metabolomics
PubMed: 37187473
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1179967 -
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual Mar 2021
PubMed: 33747628
DOI: 10.5826/dpc.1102a19 -
Biochemistry. Biokhimiia Jul 2000The intracellular non-bicarbonate buffering capacity of vertebrate muscle is mainly supported by the imidazole groups of histidine residues in proteins, free L-histidine... (Review)
Review
The intracellular non-bicarbonate buffering capacity of vertebrate muscle is mainly supported by the imidazole groups of histidine residues in proteins, free L-histidine in some fish species, and histidine-containing dipeptides such as carnosine, anserine, and balenine (ophidine). The proton buffering capacity markedly differs between muscle types and animal species depending on the ability for anaerobic exercise. The capacity is typically high in fast-twitch glycolytic muscles of vertebrates adapted for anaerobic performance such as burst swimming in fishes, prolonged anoxic diving in marine mammals, flight in birds, sprint running in mammalian sprinters, and hopping locomotion in some terrestrial mammals. A high correlation between buffering capacity, concentration of histidine-related compounds in muscle, and percentage of fast-twitch fibers in all vertebrates adapted for intense anaerobic performance clearly supports the idea that proton buffering is the main physiological function of histidine-related compounds.
Topics: Animals; Histidine; Humans; Muscle, Skeletal; Protons; Vertebrates
PubMed: 10951092
DOI: No ID Found -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2022This study was conducted to determine the effect of heat treatment (searing and reverse searing) on the volatile components and physicochemical and sensory...
This study was conducted to determine the effect of heat treatment (searing and reverse searing) on the volatile components and physicochemical and sensory characteristics of beef tenderloin. In reverse-seared steaks (RSSs), the loss rate was lower than in seared steak (SS), and several free amino acids (glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, and anserine) were increased, while a decrease in fatty acids (FAs) and volatile compounds (VCs) was observed. The VCs were identified as 24 compounds: 11 aldehydes, 5 alcohols, 1 ketone, 1 furan, and 6 aliphatic hydrocarbons. Hexanal was the predominant aldehyde, followed by pentanal and heptanal in both groups. Among the VCs with significant differences, only hexadecanal and 2,3-octanedione were increased in RSSs. During texture profile analysis (TPA), it was found that the characteristics of hardness, chewiness, and gumminess were lower in RSSs, which resulted in a higher score in the sensory evaluation. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the reverse searing method reduced the formation of meat flavor more than the searing method due to the limited Maillard reaction it caused. However, the mild heat treatment in the reverse searing process caused a remarkable increase in the appearance, texture, and amino acid content, which positively influenced the flavor.
PubMed: 35885377
DOI: 10.3390/foods11142135 -
The Journal of Rheumatology Dec 2016Clinical examination of the knee is subject to measurement error. The aim of this analysis was to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability of commonly used...
OBJECTIVE
Clinical examination of the knee is subject to measurement error. The aim of this analysis was to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability of commonly used clinical tests in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
METHODS
We studied subjects with symptomatic knee OA who were participants in an open-label clinical trial of intraarticular steroid therapy. Following standardization of the clinical test procedures, 2 clinicians assessed 25 subjects independently at the same visit, and the same clinician assessed 88 subjects over an interval period of 2-10 weeks; in both cases prior to the steroid intervention. Clinical examination included assessment of bony enlargement, crepitus, quadriceps wasting, knee effusion, joint-line and anserine tenderness, and knee range of movement (ROM). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), estimated kappa (κ), weighted kappa (κω), and Bland-Altman plots were used to determine interobserver and intraobserver levels of agreement.
RESULTS
Using Landis and Koch criteria, interobserver κ scores were moderate for patellofemoral joint (κ = 0.53) and anserine tenderness (κ = 0.48); good for bony enlargement (κ = 0.66), quadriceps wasting (κ = 0.78), crepitus (κ = 0.78), medial tibiofemoral joint tenderness (κ = 0.76), and effusion assessed by ballottement (κ = 0.73) and bulge sign (κω = 0.78); and excellent for lateral tibiofemoral joint tenderness (κ = 1.00), flexion (ICC = 0.97), and extension (ICC = 0.87) ROM. Intraobserver κ scores were moderate for lateral tibiofemoral joint tenderness (κ = 0.60); good for crepitus (κ = 0.78), effusion assessed by ballottement test (κ = 0.77), patellofemoral joint (κ = 0.66), medial tibiofemoral joint (κ = 0.64), and anserine tenderness (κ = 0.73); and excellent for effusion assessed by bulge sign (κω = 0.83), bony enlargement (κ = 0.98), quadriceps wasting (κ = 0.83), flexion (ICC = 0.99), and extension (ICC = 0.96) ROM.
CONCLUSION
Among individuals with symptomatic knee OA, the reliability of clinical examination of the knee was at least good for the majority of clinical signs of knee OA.
Topics: Aged; Female; Humans; Knee Joint; Male; Middle Aged; Observer Variation; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Physical Examination; Range of Motion, Articular; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 27909143
DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.150835 -
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2015Carnosine and anserine are strong antioxidants, previously demonstrated to reduce cognitive decline in animal studies. We aimed to investigate their cognitive and...
Carnosine and anserine are strong antioxidants, previously demonstrated to reduce cognitive decline in animal studies. We aimed to investigate their cognitive and neurophysiological effects, using functional MRI, on humans. Thirty-one healthy participants (age 40-78, 10 male/21 female) were recruited to a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Participants were assigned to twice-daily doses of imidazole dipeptide formula (n = 14), containing 500 mg (carnosine/anserine, ratio 1/3) or an identical placebo (n = 17). Functional MRI and neuropsychological assessments were carried out at baseline and after 3 months of supplementation. We analyzed resting state functional connectivity with the FSL fMRI analysis package. There were no differences in neuropsychological scores between the groups at baseline. After 3 months of supplementation, the carnosine/anserine group had better verbal episodic memory performance and decreased connectivity in the default mode network, the posterior cingulate cortex and the right fronto parietal network, as compared with the placebo group. Furthermore, there was a correlation between the extents of cognitive and neuroimaging changes. These results suggest that daily carnosine/anserine supplementation can impact cognitive function and that network connectivity changes are associated with its effects.
PubMed: 26640437
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00219