Intranasal Osteosarcoma in a Dog—A Case Report

Osteosarcoma is the most commonly reported bone tumor in dogs, typically affecting the axial and appendicular skeleton. Involvement of the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity is extremely rare. This report describes a 6-year-old, female, cross-breed dog presented with signs of 90 days duration and diagnosed with a mass located in the right nasal cavity. Radiography, rhinoscopy, and computed tomography findings suggested the presence of an intranasal tumor. Osteosarcoma in the nasal cavity was diagnosed based on histopathological examination and clinical and imaging findings. Survival time was 12 months from diagnosis.     

Initial cooling time before freezing affects post‐thaw quality and reproductive performance of rabbit semen

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of initial cooling time at 5°C during semen cryopreservation on post‐thaw quality and reproductive performance of rabbit semen. Pooled semen samples (n = 6) were divided into two subsamples and cooled at 5°C for 45 or 90 min. After cooling, the semen samples were diluted to a ratio of 1:1 (v:v) with a freezing extender composed of Tris‐citrate‐glucose (TCG) containing 16% of dimethylsulfoxide and 0.1 mol/L sucrose. The semen was subsequently loaded in 0.25 ml straws, equilibrated at 5°C and frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor. After thawing, sperm motility, viability, osmotic resistance, acrosome and DNA integrity were assessed. Our results indicate that the longer cooling time, that is, 90 min before cryopreservation significantly improves sperm post‐thaw viability, motility and fertility. In fact, reproductive performances obtained with semen frozen after a 90 min cooling time were similar to those produced by fresh semen insemination. Hence, the present research provides an effective freezing protocol for rabbit semen that will allow for the creation of a sperm cryobank for the conservation of Italian rabbit genetic resources, as well as the use of frozen semen doses in commercial farms.     

Molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC, the aetiological agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), is considered the most pathogenic of the Mycoplasma species. Its virulence is probably the result of a coordinated action of various components of an antigenically and functionally dynamic surface architecture. The different virulence attributes allow the pathogen to evade the host's immune defence, adhere tightly to the host cell surface, persist and disseminate in the host causing mycoplasmaemia, efficiently import energetically valuable nutrients present in the environment, and release and simultaneously translocate toxic metabolic pathway products to the host cell where they cause cytotoxic effects that are known to induce inflammatory processes and disease. This strategy enables the mycoplasma to exploit the minimal genetic information in its small genome, not only to fulfil the basic functions for its replication but also to damage host cells in intimate proximity thereby acquiring the necessary bio-molecules, such as amino acids and nucleic acid precursors, for its own biosynthesis and survival.     

Enhanced resistance to bacterial infection byErwinia carotovora subsp.atroseptica in transgenic potato plants expressing the attacin or the cecropin SB-37 genes

Blackleg and soft rot diseases, caused by the bacteriumErwinia carotovora, are among the diseases that cause important losses in culture and storage of potato. In this paper, we introduced bacterial resistance into potato, via genes encoding for proteins with antibacterial activity. For this purpose, potato clones were transformed either with the gene encoding the acidic attacin protein fromHyalophora cecropia, or with the gene encoding the cecropin analog peptide SB37. These clones were evaluated for soft rot and blackleg resistance, after inoculation with the bacterial strainErwinia carotovora subsp.atroseptica T7. Results reported in this paper indicate that a considerable percentage of the potato clones (15–22%) showed increased resistance to bacterial infection, revealed by reduced severity of blackleg or soft rot symptoms. Expression of the transgenes was demonstrated in some of the clones by Northern blot analysis. This is the first report indicating that expression of the gene encoding for an attacin protein and for the cecropin SB-37 peptide in transgenic potato confers increased resistance to bacterial infection.     

Geographic variation in host fish use and larval metamorphosis for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel

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Sea turtle strandings reveal high anthropogenic mortality in Italian waters

• 1. Spatio‐temporal distribution and anthropogenic mortality factors were investigated in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) found stranded or floating in the waters around Italy. A total of 5938 records for the period 1980–2008 were analysed concerning loggerhead turtles measuring from 3.8 to 97 cm curved carapace length (mean: 48.3 cm).
• 2. Results highlighted the following conservation issues: (i) in the study area, anthropogenic mortality is higher than natural mortality; (ii) interaction with fisheries is by far the most important anthropogenic mortality factor; (iii) longlines are an important mortality factor in the southern areas; (iv) trawlers are the cause of high numbers of dead strandings in the north Adriatic; (v) entanglement in ghost‐gear or in other anthropogenic debris affects high numbers of turtles; and (vi) boat strikes are an important source of mortality in most areas but mostly in the warm seasons.
• 3. Results also indicate that: (vii) the north Adriatic is the area with the highest turtle density; and (viii) the south Adriatic and to a lesser extent the surrounding areas of the north Adriatic and the Ionian, are important developmental areas for loggerhead turtles in the first years of life.
• 4. Italy is in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and borders major foraging areas for the loggerhead turtles in the region, and these results confirm previous concerns about the level of anthropogenic mortality in Italian waters. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Effects of beneficial bacteria on biomass,photosynthetic parameters and cell composition of the microalga Muriellopsis sp. adapted to grow in seawater

The present study evaluated the effects of five bacterial isolates from the microalga Muriellopsis sp. on the microalgal biomass concentration (g/L), specific growth rate (K), photosynthetic quantum yield (QY), non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ), maximum relative electron transport rates (rETR max) and levels of nutritional components such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and carotenoids in Muriellopsis sp. cultivated in seawater under indoor and outdoor conditions. The bacterial strains were Microbacterium sp. Dom 1; Pseudomonas sp. Dom2; Microbacterium sp. Dom 3; Rhizobium sp. Dom 4; and Dietzia sp. Dom 5, as well as the Pseudoalteromonas sp. (SLP1), a bacterium known to promote the growth of microalgae. At the laboratory level, inoculation of the strains SLP1, Dom 1, Dom 3 and Dom 5 resulted in higher specific growth rates and biomass of the microalga. Subsequently, the best results were obtained with a combination of the selected bacterial strains (Dom1, Dom 3, Dom5 and SLP1) under outdoor culture conditions improved the biomass, proteins, carbohydrates and total carotenoids in 22.12%, 48.28%, 19,25% and 48.27%, respectively, compared to cultures without the incorporation of the selected bacteria (control), while no effects were observed on the photosynthetic parameters. Thus, it was demonstrated that positive associations of the selected bacterial strains played an important role in the production of Muriellopsis sp. acclimatized to grow in seawater. This is of crucial importance, especially in desert areas, where solar radiation is high and freshwater is a limited resource.     

Loss of genetic variability in the captive stocks of tambaqui,Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1818), at breeding centres in Brazil,and their divergence from wild populations

The loss of variability in farmed populations and the risks of interactions with wild populations support the need for the genetic monitoring of species farmed throughout the world. In Brazil, the tambaqui is the most widely farmed native fish species. Despite this, there are no data on the pedigree of the farmed stocks, and the potential for interactions with wild populations in the Amazon basin has raised concerns with regard to the genetic variability of these stocks. The present study analysed sequences of the mitochondrial Control Region and 12 microsatellites to characterize the genetic variability of seven historically important commercial tambaqui breeding centres located in four different regions of Brazil, and compared these sequences with those obtained from individuals collected from a wild population. High levels of genetic diversity were found in the wild population, whereas genetic diversity was reduced in both markers in most captive populations, except for the broodstock located near the Amazon River. High F_ST and D_EST indices were recorded between the wild population and most of the captive stocks analysed. The drastic reduction in genetic diversity found in most captive stocks and the difference between these stocks and the wild population may have been the result of the small size of the founding populations and the absence of breeding management. The renewal of the broodstocks and the application of breeding management techniques are recommended. In the Amazon region, in addition, the use of broodstocks that are genetically very different from local wild populations should be avoided.