Changes in platelet function, hemostasis, and prostaglandin expression after treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with various cyclooxygenase selectivities in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of various cyclooxygenase selectivities on hemostasis and prostaglandin expression in dogs. ANIMALS: 8 client-owned dogs with clinical signs of osteoarthritis. PROCEDURES: Dogs received aspirin (5 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h), carprofen (4 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h), deracoxib (2 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h), and meloxicam (0.1 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) for 10 days each, with an interval of at least 14 days between treatments. On days 0 and 10, blood was collected for platelet aggregation assays, thrombelastography, and measurement of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated prostaglandin E(2), platelet thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)), and free serum TXB(2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F (PGF)-1alpha concentrations. RESULTS: Platelet aggregation decreased after treatment with aspirin and carprofen, whereas significant changes from baseline were not detected for the other drugs tested. Thrombelastograms obtained after treatment with carprofen revealed decreased maximum amplitude and alpha-angle, suggesting hypocoagulability. Maximum amplitude and coagulation index increased after treatment with deracoxib. Plasma concentrations of prostaglandin E(2) decreased after treatment with carprofen or deracoxib, and platelet TXB(2) production increased after treatment with aspirin. Serum concentrations of the prostacyclin metabolite 6-keto-PGF-1alpha did not change significantly after treatment with any of the drugs, although the ratio of free TXB(2) to 6-keto-PGF-1alpha decreased slightly after treatment with carprofen and increased slightly after treatment with deracoxib. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: At the dosages tested, treatment with meloxicam affected platelet function minimally in dogs with osteoarthritis. Treatment with carprofen decreased clot strength and platelet aggregation. Clot strength was increased after treatment with deracoxib.     

Effects of Plant Extracts on the Reversal of Glucose-Induced Impairment of Stress-Resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans

Enhanced blood glucose levels are a hallmark of diabetes and are associated with diabetic complications and a reduction of lifespan. In order to search for plant extracts that display preventive activities in such a scenario, we tested 16 extracts used in human nutrition for their survival enhancing activities in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Nematodes were exposed for 48 h to 10 mM glucose in the absence or presence of 0.1 % extract. Thereafter, survival was measured at 37 °C. Extracts made from coffee, kola, rooibos and cinnamon, did not influence the glucose-induced reduction of survival. Those made from ginseng, camomile, lime blossom, paraguay tea, balm, rhodiola, black tea, or knotgrass all extended the lifespan of the glucose-treated nematodes significantly but did not rescue survival completely. Extracts from the leaves of blackberries, from hibiscus, elderberries, or jiaogulan completely countered the glucose-induced survival reduction. A potent activation of the proteasome was shown for the most preventive extracts suggesting a more efficient degradation of proteins impaired by glucose. In conclusion, we present a simple animal model to screen for plant extracts with potency to reverse glucose toxicity. Extracts from blackberry leaves, hibiscus, elderberries, and jiaogulan were identified as very potent in this regard whose exact mechanisms of action appear worthwile to investigate at the molecular level.     

Estimating duration and intensity of Neoproterozoic snowball glaciations from Ir anomalies

The Neoproterozoic glaciations supposedly ended in a supergreenhouse environment, which led to rapid melting of the ice cover and precipitation of the so-called cap carbonates. If Earth was covered with ice, then extraterrestrial material would have accumulated on and within the ice and precipitated during rapid melting at the end of the glaciation. We found iridium (Ir) anomalies at the base of cap carbonates in three drill cores from the Eastern Congo craton. Our data confirm the presence of extended global Neoproterozoic glaciations and indicate that the duration of the Marinoan glacial episode was at least 3 million, and most likely 12 million, years.     

Hydrolysis rates of inorganic polyphosphates in aqueous solution as well as in soils and effects on P availability

Applications of polyphosphate‐based fertilizers have been reported to have a positive impact on crop yields as compared to orthophosphate sources. Since plants take up P mainly as orthophosphate, hydrolysis rates of polyphosphates into orthophosphates will determine their fertilizer ability. Laboratory and soil incubation experiments were performed to evaluate hydrolysis rates of pyrophosphate (PP), tripolyphosphate (TP), and trimetaphosphate (TMP) in water as well as in two soils having different P‐fixing capacities. P availability was characterized by measuring the orthophosphate (ortho‐P) and polyphosphate (poly‐P) concentration in soil solution as well as the calcium‐acetate‐lactate (CAL)‐extractable amounts of both forms. In water, PP was completely hydrolyzed within 15 d, whereas TMP was hydrolyzed only to about 30% after 90 d. In the two soils, polyphosphates hydrolyzed during the incubation period increasing ortho‐P concentration in soil solution as well as in CAL extract. At the end of the incubation, no significant differences in ortho‐P concentration in soil solution and CAL extract were found in the sandy soil, whereas in the silty‐loam soil, polyphosphate applications resulted in higher soil‐solution ortho‐P concentration. Although polyphosphate hydrolysis is mainly affected by the soil‐specific enzymatic activity, it seems that polyphosphates and/or hydrolysis products are preferentially adsorbed/precipitated compared to ortho‐P in the silty loam, thereby influencing the P availability from polyphosphate sources.     

Mechanisms of potassium uptake efficiency and dynamics in the rhizosphere of safflower and sunflower in different soils

Potassium uptake efficiency of safflower and sunflower was studied under semi-controlled conditions in loamy and sandy soils. Both species performed better in loamy soil. Safflower had higher agronomic efficiency and higher relative root length under suboptimal K supply. Safflower had higher specific root density and less root radius at all K levels. Safflower had higher relative root-shoot ratio under suboptimal K in loamy soil. Both species had similar K-influx at low and optimal K in loamy soil, while sunflower had higher influx under suboptimal and optimal supplies in sandy soil. Safflower had higher shoot demand in both soils under suboptimal and optimal K. Both species depleted similar amounts of soil solution-K under suboptimal K in sandy soil, while sunflower was more efficient under suboptimal levels in loamy soils. Sunflower depleted more extractable-K under both suboptimal and optimal K. Safflower could be considered K-uptake efficient crop.     

Comparing costs for different conservation strategies of garlic (Allium sativum L.) germplasm in genebanks

The maintenance of plant genetic resources in living plant collections (genebanks) causes costs due to employment of staff, usage of buildings, equipment and consumables. Since this is especially challenging in vegetatively propagated material, studies were performed for the case of garlic, which is one of the major vegetatively maintained crops in the genebank of IPK Gatersleben. Data were recorded to compare various scenarios of the main strategies field maintenance and cryopreservation. A spreadsheet tool was developed to be used for cost assessment and for drawing conclusions concerning the most effective way of maintenance. Field culture is cheaper in the short term, whereas after a break-even point cryopreservation becomes the more efficient storage method in the long term. This break-even point depends on the particular scenario, which is determined by various factors such as field and in vitro multiplication rates of various genotypes, presence of bulbils in a part of the genepool, the sample size of the accessions as well as the number of stored accessions in cryopreservation. The comparative discussion is exemplified for a 1-year field rotation versus cryopreservation using either in vitro plantlets or a combination of bulbils and unripe inflorescence bases as organ sources. For the more expensive use of in vitro plants cryopreservation becomes less costly than field culture only after 13 years, whereas this is the case already after 8–9 years when using a combination of bulbils in winter and inflorescence bases in summer.     

Cluster root allocation of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) in soil with heterogeneous phosphorus and water distribution

Cluster roots are structures formed by many plants adapted to phosphorus (P)-deficient soils. We investigated the combined influence of spatial heterogeneity in soil water and P distribution on the allocation of cluster root formation in white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). In this study, single plants were grown at a low or a high rate of water supply in containers filled with a P-poor sand to which either no P was added or which was fertilized homogeneously or heterogeneously. Furthermore, heterogeneous soil water distribution was established in half of the containers by using a finer instead of a coarser sand in a lateral third of the containers. Plant growth increased with water supply rate, but P fertilization had no influence on shoot biomass production. Although overall cluster root production decreased with increasing homogeneous P supply, localized P fertilization had no effect on cluster root allocation. However, cluster roots were preferentially allocated in the soil sections with lower water availability when overall water supply rate was low. The results suggest that overall cluster root production was a systemic response to initial plant P status, while cluster root growth was stimulated locally in drier patches when overall water supply was limiting plant growth.     

Plant availability of isotopically exchangeable and isotopically nonexchangeable phosphate in soils

Isotopically exchangeable P (IEP) is usually considered to be completely plant‐available and the major source of P for plant uptake. The aim of the present study is to test whether plants can, besides IEP, also use non‐IEP and if part of the IEP has an equilibrium concentration in soil solution which is below the minimum concentration, C_Lmin, and can therefore not be taken up by plants. A pot experiment was carried out with maize for two years on two soils, an acid sandy and a neutral loamy soil, either without P fertilizer or fertilized with ten P sources of different solubility. Throughout both years of the study, pots were kept moist either without plants or planted twice with maize (Zea mays L., cv. Athletico). At the end of the experiment, plant P uptake, P concentration in the soil solution (C_L), and P accessible to isotopic exchange within 5 d (E_5d) were measured. Plant growth decreased the E_5d which was about equal to P uptake by maize for most treatments in the acid soil. But for some treatments, i.e., five in the acid and eight in the neutral soil, P uptake was up to 50% larger than the decrease of E_5d, indicating that plants had, besides IEP, also used P from non‐IEP sources. At adequate P supply, both soils had an E_5d of about 100 mg P (kg soil)^–1, but about 30 to 40 mg kg^–1 of this IEP had an equilibrium P concentration in the soil solution below C_Lmin of 0.1 μmol L^–1 at which P would actually not be plant‐available. This study shows that plants take up P mainly from IEP, but not the whole IEP is plant‐available. Furthermore, plants may also use P from non‐IEP sources.