Microarray based comparative genotyping of gentamicin resistant Escherichia coli strains from food animals and humans

Recent data from the European and Hungarian Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Systems have indicated that the routine use of gentamicin in human and veterinary medicine frequently leads to the selection of gentamicin resistance in Escherichia coli. The aim of this study was to provide molecular characterization of gentamicin resistance in clinical and commensal E. coli strains representing humans and food producing animals by genotyping for antimicrobial resistance and virulence using a miniaturized microarray. All 50 strains tested proved to be multidrug resistant defined as resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes. Antimicrobial resistances genes such as aadA1-like, strB, bla(TEM), sul1 and tet(A) or tet(B), and corresponding phenotypes (streptomycin-, ampicillin-, sulfamethoxazole- and tetracycline resistance) were detected in >50% of isolates regardless of the host or clinical background. However, certain genes encoding gentamicin resistance such as aac(6')-Ib and ant(2″)-Ia as well as catB3-like genes for phenicol resistance were only detected in human isolates. Among virulence genes, the increased serum survival gene iss was predominant in all host groups. Although the majority of gentamicin resistant E. coli strains were characterized by diverse antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene patterns, accentuated links between catB3-like, aac(6')-Ib, bla(CTX-M-1) and sat genes could be detected in human strains. Further resistance/virulence gene associations (tet(A) with iroN and iss) were detected in poultry strains. In conclusion, the simultaneous characterization of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genotypes of representative clinical and commensal strains of E. coli should be useful for the identification of emerging genotypes with human and or animal health implications.     

Exploring the silvicultural and economic viability of gap cutting in Mediterranean softwood plantations

Gap cutting consists of the removal of all trees growing on a small surface,varying in size from 200 to 600 m 2.In Italy,gap cutting has been successfully tested for introducing the natural regeneration of native species into softwood plantations,thus accelerating the transition towards climax hardwood stands.Depending on plantation types and conditions,gap cutting should be started at an age between 70 and 80 years and the system should include at least 12 to 15 gaps,in order to produce enough wood to cover costs.Generally,natural regeneration is firmly established within 5-7 years from treatment.Gap cutting also offers superior results to selection thinning,the latter producing about 35% less value and incurring 25% to 30% more costs.As for all regeneration cuts,the success of gap cutting depends on wildlife control in order to prevent extensive damage to the regeneration.     

Antarctic Thraustochytrids as Sources of Carotenoids and High-Value Fatty Acids

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and carotenoids are needed as human dietary supplements and are essential components in commercial feeds for the production of aquacultured seafood. Microorganisms such as thraustochytrids are potential natural sources of these compounds. This research reports on the lipid and carotenoid production capacity of thraustochytrids that were isolated from coastal waters of Antarctica. Of the 22 isolates, 21 produced lipids containing EPA+DHA, and the amount of these fatty acids exceeded 20% of the total fatty acids in 12 isolates. Ten isolates were shown to produce carotenoids (27.4–63.9 μg/g dry biomass). The isolate RT2316-16, identified as Thraustochytrium sp., was the best producer of biomass (7.2 g/L in five days) rich in carotenoids (63.9 μg/g) and, therefore, became the focus of this investigation. The main carotenoids in RT2316-16 were β-carotene and canthaxanthin. The content of EPA+DHA in the total lipids (34 ± 3% w/w in dry biomass) depended on the stage of growth of RT2316-16. Lipid and carotenoid content of the biomass and its concentration could be enhanced by modifying the composition of the culture medium. The estimated genome size of RT2316-16 was 44 Mb. Of the 5656 genes predicted from the genome, 4559 were annotated. These included genes of most of the enzymes in the elongation and desaturation pathway of synthesis of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Carotenoid precursors in RT2316-16 were synthesized through the mevalonate pathway. A β-carotene synthase gene, with a different domain organization compared to the gene in other thraustochytrids, explained the carotenoid profile of RT2316-16.     

Percutaneous catheter-based treatment of pulmonic stenosis and patent ductus arteriosus in a dog

A 6-months old female German shepherd dog was referred for management of congenital heart disease. A diagnosis of pulmonic stenosis (PS) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was confirmed by Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterisation. The conditions were treated during a single cardiac catheterisation procedure using percutaneous techniques. Gianturco coil embolisation was used to close the PDA, and the PS was relieved using a balloon valvuloplasty technique.     

The influence of drought and heat stress on the expression of end-use quality parameters of common wheat

The effects of drought and heat stress on quality parameters of wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars were studied under field conditions in a 2-year trial (2009–2010) in northwest Mexico. Under no stress conditions, rapid small-scale parameters [protein (GP; FP) content, SDS sedimentation (SDSS), mixograph peak time (MPT), swelling index of glutenin (SIG), and lactic acid retention capacity (LARC)] showed significant relationship with gluten strength (alveograph energy, W) and bread loaf volume (LV). SIG and LARC were better than SDSS and MPT for predicting W, while SDSS was better than W and SIG for predicting bread LV. Most quality traits were primarily controlled by genotype (G), although environment (E) and G × E also had significant effects. Heat and drought stress showed contrasting effects on LARC, MPT, alveograph parameters [tenacity (P), extensibility (L), P/L ratio, W] and LV. Increase in P and decrease in L resulted in higher tenacity (larger P/L), which may explain the smaller loaf volume under drought stress. In contrast, decrease in P and increase in L, may explain the improved bread volume observed under heat stress. It is advisable to select for wheat quality under both favorable and abiotic stress conditions to identify genotypes with quality stability across environments.     

Multivariate statistical analysis of mass spectra as a tool for the classification of the main humic substances according to their structural and conformational features

The aim of this work is to explore the suitability of the complementary use of mass spectra and the corresponding statistical analysis (principal components-Pareto analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA)) of these spectra to differentiate diverse humic samples as a function of their structural and conformational features. To this end, the mass spectra of humic samples belonging to the main humic fraction types (gray humic acid, brown humic acid, and fulvic acid) were obtained by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The results obtained showed that the application of PCA yielded a clear separation between blanks and humic samples. However, a clear differentiation among the humic fraction types was not achieved. The DA of PCA data, however, yielded a clear separation among the humic substances (HS) samples belonging to each HS fraction type considered: gray humic acids, brown humic acids, and fulvic acids. These results showed that the mass spectra of each humic sample include characteristic mass/charge (m/z) distribution values that can be considered as a "fingerprint" representative of its specific structural features. Our results also indicate that, although the m/z values principally corresponded to single-charged ions, we cannot identify these molecular weight distributions with those of humic samples, since sample molecular fragmentation, as well as partial molecular ionization, cannot be ruled out under our experimental and instrumental conditions.     

Suitability of enzyme activities for the monitoring of soil quality improvement in organic agricultural systems

There is growing interest in the applications of soil enzymes as early indicators of soil quality change under contrasting agricultural management practices. However, despite there being an abundant literature on this subject, most comparative assessments have been based on a limited number of experimental farms and, therefore, conclusions are not as robust as desired. In this study, we compare 18 pairs of organic and neighbouring conventional olive orchards in southern Spain. These sites were selected to allow the definition of the relative contributions of site-landscape features, soil type, and time since organic accreditation and tillage intensity, on the soil quality. Soils were analysed for physico-chemical properties, the activities of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, arylsulphatase, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and potential nitrification. The geometric mean of the assayed enzymes (GMea) was validated with an independently performed Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and used as a combined soil quality index. The effects of tillage intensity and time since organic accreditation on the improvement of soil quality were also evaluated within the subset of organic farms. Overall for the 18 sites, contrasted management practices did not differ in their impact on basic soil physico-chemical properties, except for loss of on ignition and available inorganic N which were higher and lower in organic farms, respectively. Organic management resulted in significantly higher soil enzyme activities. However, differences were not significant in some of the paired comparisons when considered individually. This highlights the need for extensive comparative assessment, as in this study, to draw clear conclusions concerning the changes to soil quality under sustainable management practices. The GMea was significantly correlated with the first axis of the PCA and shown to be appropriate for condensing the set of soil enzyme values to a sole numerical value. Soil quality changes in organic versus conventional farms, as measured by the GMea, ranged from −23% to 97%, and was highly dependent on time since organic accreditation (r = 0.88; P < 0.01). On the other hand, tillage intensity clearly tended to delay any progress in soil quality in the organic farms.     

Relationships between soil fauna communities and humus forms: Response to forest dynamics and solar radiation

This study investigated the responses of soil animal communities, soil functioning and humus forms to forest dynamics and solar radiation. We examined changes in invertebrate communities and soil features in two subalpine spruce forests (Eastern Italian Alps, Trento) growing on a calcareous bedrock, with different sun exposures (north and south), each forming a chronosequence of three developmental phases: clearing, regeneration stand (25-year-old trees) and mature stand (170-year-old trees). Our results indicate that the two forest sites differed in solar energy input, soil chemical properties and the relationships between forest dynamics and animal communities. In the north-facing site, soil fauna communities were very similar in the three forest developmental phases. Conversely, in the south-facing site, the composition of invertebrate communities and the diversity of zoological groups varied greatly among developmental phases. The highest abundance of total invertebrates, and mites in particular, occurred in the south-facing mature stands while the south-facing regeneration stand was characterised by higher densities of Collembola, Chilopoda, Symphyla, Protura and Aranea. The structure of communities in clearings was the same as in regeneration stands but with lower invertebrate abundance. Humus forms and soil features changed with developmental phases in both the south- and north-facing sites, although variations were more pronounced in the southern exposure. Mature stands were characterised by high levels of soil organic carbon and nitrogen, C/N values and low pH, the clearings and regeneration stands being characterised by a greater release of mineral nitrogen. The diversity of zoological groups (Shannon–Wiener index) was linearly correlated to soil pH, Humus Index, the amount of organic carbon and the species richness of herbaceous plants. Our results about the composition and the diversity of invertebrate communities are consistent with the observations of other authors studying south-exposed forests growing on different bedrock types, indicating that such relationships are widespread. The higher densities of invertebrates in the south-facing site may be attributed to higher solar radiation, and the positive correlation observed between total soil fauna abundance and solar energy supports the “more individuals” hypothesis that assumes a positive relationship between the number of individuals and energy availability. Possible ways by which forest dynamics control soil invertebrate communities are discussed.     

Flavonoids of white lupin roots participate in phosphorus mobilization from soil

The impact of flavonoids released by phosphorus-deficient white lupin roots on inorganic P and soil microorganisms is largely unknown. We report that flavonoids isolated from white lupin roots mobilized inorganic phosphorus and decreased soil microbial respiration, citrate mineralization, and soil phosphohydrolase activities, but did not reduce the soil ATP content. The results suggest that white lupin's release of flavonoids into the rhizosphere plays a significant role in its efficient P-acquisition strategy by solubilizing Fe-bound P and by limiting the microbial mineralization of citrate.     

Transvenous coil embolisation for the treatment of single congenital portosystemic shunts in six dogs

This article describes the treatment of single congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSs) (intrahepatic and extrahepatic) using an interventional radiology technique involving embolisation of anomalous vessels with percutaneous coils. Briefly, a multipurpose catheter was introduced into the caudal vena cava and then into the portosystemic shunt. An autoexpandable stent was placed in the caudal vena cava, next to the shunt, in order to avoid coil migrations, and a cobra-like vascular catheter was used to pass through the stent and to place the coils in the shunt. This technique was used for treatment of CPS in six dogs. The results indicate that percutaneous embolisation of a CPS using coils, a less invasive technique than the traditional surgical technique, may result in complete closure of the anomalous vessel without development of portal hypertension.