IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—ULTRASONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF SKELETAL MUSCLE METASTASES IN A DOG WITH HEMANGIOSARCOMA

A 13‐year‐old spayed female German shepherd dog was presented for acute onset of lethargy, anorexia, and disseminated erythematous skin lesions. Thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasonographic findings were consistent with metastatic hemangiosarcoma. Multiple, ill‐defined, irregularly shaped hypoechoic nodules were also detected within the thoracic and abdominal wall. Hemangiosarcoma metastases to the skeletal muscle were confirmed based on histopathological examination. Multivisceral involvement was also confirmed by necropsy. Metastatic neoplasia should be considered as a differential diagnosis for dogs with ill‐defined, irregular, hypoechoic, intramuscular nodules.     

Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses and ticks: a preliminary survey of Central Italy

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of granulocytic ehrlichiosis, affects several species of wild and domesticated mammals, including horses. In this work we compared direct and indirect methods to evaluate A. phagocytophilum presence in Central Italy: 135 sera were screened by IFA for A. phagocytophilum and other haemopathogens (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi). Each horse was also tested for A. phagocytophilum 16S rRNA with a nested-PCR technique. In order to examine the risk of A. phagocytophilum transmission, 114 ticks were examined for the presence of A. phagocytophilum by PCR targeting the 16S rRNA. The seroprevalence against A. phagocytophilum was 17.03% and 11 horses (8.14%) showed positive PCR results. The concordance rate of A. phagocytophilum detection between IFAT and PCR had a K value of 0.34.     

Anesthetic management of a white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) undergoing an emergency exploratory celiotomy for colic

ObservationsA 26-year-old male white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), weighing approximately 2000 kg was anesthetized for an exploratory celiotomy. Sedation was achieved with intramuscular butorphanol (0.04 mg kg^?1) and detomidine (0.025 mg kg^?1) and induction of anesthesia with intravenous glyceryl guaiacolate (50 g) and three intravenous boluses of ketamine (200 mg, each); the trachea was then intubated and anesthesia maintained with isoflurane in oxygen using a circle breathing system. Positioning in dorsal recumbency for the surgery and later in sternal recumbency for the recovery represented challenges that added to the prolonged anesthesia time and surgical approach to partially correct an impaction. The rhinoceros recovered uneventfully after 10.4 hours of recumbency.ConclusionsAnesthetic management for an exploratory celiotomy with a midline approach is possible in rhinoceroses, although planning and extensive staff support is necessary to adequately position the patient.     

Thieves,bats and fruit flies: local ecological knowledge on the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in relation to three ‘invisible’ intruders in orchards in Guinea

We held interviews with 100 mango and cashew growers in Guinea, West Africa. Fewer than 20 questions dealing with the tree-inhabiting weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda were developed, based on local context and related research conducted on farmers' knowledge in other countries. More than half of the growers reported that ants protect their orchard from thieves. Apart from deterring snakes, about 46% of the growers mentioned that weaver ants reduce damage by fruit-eating bats; some reported that bats do dislike the smell of weaver ants. Whereas the relationship between ants and humans or conspicuous fruit bats is well understood, a quantitative appreciation of the effect of Oecophylla on small insect pests, such as fruit flies, is more complex. Despite the fact that 57% of the growers reported that Oecophylla had a positive effect on mango fruit quality, many classified Oecophylla as a pest due to its nuisance during harvest, and they requested the plant protection staff to help them with pesticides. Strategies to strengthen local ecological knowledge are discussed.     

Effects of iron-based amendments on soil structure: a lab experiment using soil micromorphology and image analysis of pores

Purpose

Recent trends in soil green and sustainable remediation require an increased attention on environmental effects. The physical consequences of remediation practices on soil structure are very rarely investigated.

Material and methods

A laboratory experiment was carried out by adding iron grit to a sand (S), a silt loam (L), and a clay (C) soil subjected to several wetting-drying cycles. The physical effects of the treatment on soil pore system were identified and quantified combining physical measurements on repacked samples with image analysis of pores on resin-impregnated soil blocks and micromorphological analysis on thin sections.

Results and discussion

A negligible reduction of total porosity (P) resulted in S, and a slight increase was observed in the L and C soils. However, an important impact on soil structure was identified in pore size range >10 μm for the L and C soils, with the formation of new pores related to the differential shrink-swell behavior between soil matrix and added iron grains. Different plasticity of these soils also played a role in planar pore formation.

Conclusions

Effects of the addition of iron grit on soil pore system are strongly dependent on soil physical properties. The performed experiment showed that iron-based amendments can improve soil structure in low-plastic shrink-swell soil increasing porosity in the range of transmission pores (50–500 μm). This study showed the high potential of soil micromorphology and pore image analysis in order to evaluate the environmental impact of soil remediation practices.     

The Antitranspirant Di-1-p-menthene, a Potential Chemical Protectant of Ozone Damage to Plants

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pinolene-based film-forming Vapor Gard (VG) emulsion (di-1-p-menthene), a commercial antitranspirant, on the response of the sensitive bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Pinto) plants to realistic ozone fumigations. Plants treated with the chemical were significantly less damaged in comparison with untreated controls when exposed to as much as 150 ppb of ozone in the atmosphere for 4 h. In unozonated plants, photosynthesis as well as stomatal conductance was significantly depressed by the antitranspirant. In VG-treated individuals, (1) visible injury is strongly reduced; (2) membrane damage is counteracted; (3) photosynthetic activity is unchanged, as well as the stomatal conductance and the store of CO₂ in substomatal chamber; (4) F _v/F _m and the other parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence reveal a stability of the photochemical apparatus; and (v) antioxidant defence is not stimulated. Unexpectedly, our results highlighted a dramatic difference between the protective effects towards ozone damage induced by VG, depending on its mode of distribution. As reported above, when entire plants (??both leaves??) are treated or untreated with VG, those individuals wherein VG was not applied showed severe alterations in phenomenological, biochemical and ecophysiological parameters investigated due to ozone toxicity. This is not true in the cases where ??single primary leaves?? or selected regions (??half leaves??) are treated with VG. Even if visible injury is present after ozone fumigation, physiological parameters, such as A _max and G _w, in ozonated and VG-treated single leaves and half leaves are similar to unfumigated controls. Similar results were obtained for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. A membrane-protective action is observed in half-leaves treatment. It appears that the presence of regions (single leaves or half leaves), which are treated with VG, modifies the behaviour to ozone of untreated regions. Possible explanations of the observed phenomenon are discussed. The antitranspirant di-1-p-menthene proved to be a low-cost, low-technology tool for assessing ozone injury in the field.     

Amount and speciation of N leached from a sandy soil fertilized with urea,liquid digestate,struvite and NH4-enriched chabazite zeolite-tuff

The large use and the bad management of fertilizers that are applied to soil for improving crop production have dramatically impaired soil, water, and air quality. To meet the requirements to reduce nitrogen (N) losses and all the related negative impacts on the environment and food production, it is mandatory to substitute or at least partially substitute the use of inefficient and unsustainable fertilizers with more efficient alternatives. The aim of this paper was to address the amount and speciation of the N released by a sandy soil fertilized with “slow-release fertilizers” and traditional fertilizers (urea and liquid digestate) by means of a series of column leaching experiments. The slow-release alternatives were represented by NH₄-enriched zeolitic tuff and struvite, both obtained by recovering the N from liquid digestate. The treatments consisted of sandy soil fertilized with (i) urea (U) (ii) liquid digestate (LD), (iii) NH₄-enriched zeolitic tuff (N-CHA) and (iv) struvite (STRV). Eight different flushing events were performed over 38 days, leachates were collected and analysed for total Kjeldahl N, organic-N, NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, NO₂⁻-N and pH. U and LD lost the majority of N within the first 2 flushing events as organic N and NH₄⁺-N, respectively. On the other hand, STRV and N-CHA lost less N over the whole course of the experiment and with more balanced speciation. The mass balance outlined that after the experiment, native soil N was mined in U and LD treatments while in N-CHA and STRV a fraction of N from the fertilizers was still present. The results showed a slow release of N which can be used more efficiently in agricultural applications, minimizing the N losses.     

Biochemical Characterization of Cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål, 1775), Another Red Sea Jellyfish in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Increasing frequency of native jellyfish proliferations and massive appearance of non-indigenous jellyfish species recently concur to impact Mediterranean coastal ecosystems and human activities at sea. Nonetheless, jellyfish biomass may represent an exploitable novel resource to coastal communities, with reference to its potential use in the pharmaceutical, nutritional, and nutraceutical Blue Growth sectors. The zooxanthellate jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda, Forsskål, 1775 (Cnidaria, Rhizostomeae) entered the Levant Sea through the Suez Canal and spread towards the Western Mediterranean to reach Malta, Tunisia, and recently also the Italian coasts. Here we report on the biochemical characterization and antioxidant activity of C. andromeda specimens with a discussion on their relative biological activities. The biochemical characterization of the aqueous (PBS) and hydroalcoholic (80% ethanol) soluble components of C. andromeda were performed for whole jellyfish, as well as separately for umbrella and oral arms. The insoluble components were hydrolyzed by sequential enzymatic digestion with pepsin and collagenase. The composition and antioxidant activity of the insoluble and enzymatically digestible fractions were not affected by the pre-extraction types, resulting into collagen- and non-collagen-derived peptides with antioxidant activity. Both soluble compounds and hydrolyzed fractions were characterized for the content of proteins, phenolic compounds, and lipids. The presence of compounds coming from the endosymbiont zooxanthellae was also detected. The notable yield and the considerable antioxidant activity detected make this species worthy of further study for its potential biotechnological sustainable exploitation.     

Phenol metabolism of two cultivars of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) as affected by ozone and flooding stress

To compare the phenolic responses under oxidative stressors, plants of two Italian cultivars of durum wheat (Claudio and Mongibello) were (a) exposed to ozone (O₃) (80 ppb, 5 hr/day for 70 consecutive days), with the aim to investigate the changes of phenolic compound contents in their leaves, or (b) flooded (seven consecutive days). Plants showed O₃-induced visible injury, but their photosynthetic performance was not affected by the pollutant. Specifically, Claudio showed a higher O₃ tolerance than Mongibello. The major value of the present study is undoubtedly the pioneering investigation of phenolic metabolism of durum wheat under O₃. We identified 12 foliar phenolic compounds in all leaf samples (i.e. controls, exposed to O₃ and flooded): ten phenolic acids, a flavanol (catechin hydrate) and a phenolic aldehyde (syringaldehyde). Overall, O₃ exposure resulted in accumulations of phenolic compounds, especially in Claudio. These responses can be likely considered a fine-regulated repair process that equipped Claudio stressed plants with an antioxidant system capable of scavenging oxidative stress. Different phenolic variations were found in flooded plants, suggesting that phenolic response to environmental constraints is stress specific. Our study confirms that investigations and characterization of specific phenolic profiles of crop cultivars under oxidative stress may be helpful in breeding programmes.