Radiation-Induced Breeding in Camelina Sativa

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - The ionizing radiation methods, including X-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons to create variation is well established and used in major crops. Many...     

Determination of reference intervals for metabolic profile of Hanwoo cows at early,middle and late gestation periods

Background

Metabolic profile was initially designed as a presymptomatic diagnostic aid based on statistical analyses of blood metabolites to provide an early warning of certain types of metabolic disorder. However, there is little metabolic profile data available about Korean Hanwoo cows. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the reference intervals of metabolic profile for Korean Hanwoo cows.

Methods

Healthy animals (2,205) were selected and divided into early (day 1 to 95), middle (day 96 to 190) and late (day 191 to 285) period according to their gestating period. Metabolic profile including total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), urea (UREA), glucose (Glu), total cholesterol (T-Cho), long-chain fatty acid (LCFA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), creatinine (Crea), calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorous (iP) and magnesium (Mg) were analyzed using a TBA-40FR automatic biochemical analyzer. The data of Korean Hanwoo cows were then compared to those of the Japanese Wagyu cows.

Results

Most of the data of the Korean Hanwoo cows were relatively higher than those of Japanese Wagyu cows, with the exception of Glu and GGT. This may indicate that the nutritional level of feed for the Korean Hanwoo cows was higher than that of the Japanese Wagyu cows because of the different feeding system. In particular, relatively higher levels of UREA and LCFA were observed in the Korean Hanwoo cows, and this may also contribute to the low reproduction efficiency.

Conclusions

These findings may provide some theoretical basis for understanding the reproductive and feeding situation of Korean Hanwoo cows.     

Canine squamous cell carcinoma: Electrochemotherapy association with surgery and correlation with overall survival

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an important malignancy in dogs, due to its incidence and clinical presentation, which can be of locally aggressive single or multiple lesions with a metastatic potential. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate SCC response to treatment, anatomopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics, disease-free interval and overall survival time. 54 dogs with histopathologically diagnosed SCC were included in this study. Their mean age was 9.16 years with a range of 1–14 years. Of the 54 animals in the study, 34 (65.4%) had white skin and white fur coats. There was a significant correlation between fur coat colour and the development of tumours in areas of sun exposure (p = .001). Animals with tumours in areas of the body exposed to the sun had longer overall survival time than animals with tumours in areas not associated with sun exposure (p = .001). Surgery combined with electrochemotherapy (ECT) yielded a survival rate 32% higher than using a surgical approach alone (HR = 0.32, p = .038, IC = 0.11–0.94). ECT, with or without surgery, had an objective response rate of 90.9%. Local lymph node and/or distant site metastasis at diagnosis, or at some point during follow-up, occurred in 34.6% (18/52) of animals. Animals with tumours in sun exposed locations had more aggressive histopathological characteristics but had longer overall survival time. This is probably due to individualised therapeutic treatment with both surgery and ECT.     

Gastric inflammatory pseudotumour secondary to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Actinomyces hordeovulneris</Emphasis> infection in a cat

Background

The authors report the first case of feline gastric actinomycosis associated with infection by Actinomyces hordeovulneris.

Case presentation

A 4-year-old, neutered male, semi-feral European cat, with a 1 year history of chronic vomiting, was referred to the clinic. Abdominal ultrasound examination identified a hypoechoic focal transmural thickening with loss of normal wall layering and hyperechoic speckles at the gastric body. Initial gastroscopic examination showed a tumour-like gastric mass with an ulcerated depression at the level of the greater curvature. Histologic examination of endoscopic biopsy specimens was consistent with a severe lymphoplasmacytic gastritis. After 2 months, due to persistence of abdominal discomfort, surgical exploration and intraoperative sampling of gross abnormalities was recommended. Full thickness gastric wall biopsies, and fine needle aspiration of the gastric thickening and gastric lymph node, were performed. Histopathological examination identified a transmural pyogranulomatous gastritis. Aspirate samples of the gastric wall cultured positive, with colony morphology, biochemical testing and PCR of the 16 s rRNA gene compatible with Actinomyces hordeovulneris. After 4 months of treatment with cefovecin (8 mg/kg subcutaneously every 14 days), the vomiting completely resolved, as well as the ultrasonographic gastric alteration.

Conclusion

This case report of feline gastric actinomycosis, caused by Actinomyces hordeovulneris, suggests that gastric bacterial infection should be considered in cases of focal gastric wall thickening associated with chronic vomiting in the cat, which may otherwise closely resemble neoplastic disease. Once a diagnosis of actinomycosis was obtained, a correct treatment with antibiotic therapy can resolve it.

     

Spatial patterns of the Citrus leprosis virus and its associated mite vector in systems without intervention

Leprosis is caused by the Citrus leprosis virus cytoplasmic type and is vectored by the mite Brevipalpus yothersi. Miticide applications, which cost $54 million annually, are based on inspection for the presence of mites. The aim of the present study was to characterize the spatial patterns of B. yothersi-infested trees and trees with leprosis symptoms for further improvement in sampling and disease control. The presence of mites and the occurrence of leprosis were assessed over two years in 1160 Valencia trees and 720 Natal trees in a commercial sweet orange grove in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. To assess the natural growth and dispersal of mites and leprosis, mite populations were not controlled during the experimental period. Maps of mite-infested trees and trees with leprosis symptoms were analysed at three different levels of spatial hierarchy using complementary methods, i.e. among adjacent trees within and across rows, within quadrats, and the strength and orientation of aggregation among quadrats. The study showed that the spatial patterns of virus-infected and mite-infested trees were different, with a strong aggregation pattern of trees with leprosis symptoms that increased over time. Conversely, the spatial pattern of B. yothersi showed randomness or weak aggregation at all three spatial hierarchical levels. Disease incidence increased steadily in plots of both cultivars, unlike in mite-infested trees where incidence fluctuated over time. These results have important implications for the development of better management strategies for leprosis. Sampling methods and action thresholds for mite control should consider primary disease inoculum in addition to the incidence of mites.     

Soybean cultivar performance in the presence of soybean Asian rust,in relation to chemical control programs

Soybean rust is caused by an obligate parasite (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) which has spread in Brazil in each new season since 2001 and, despite the efforts to control the disease, losses have occurred every year. Its control demands several tactics amongst which chemical control with fungicides is the main method and remains indispensable. Control strategies such as the use of cultivars with partial resistance are desirable, but are not yet commercially available. The present study analyzed the existing differences in the reactions of short, medium and long cycle soybean cultivars against Asian rust and their responses to fungicide sprays. The experiment was conducted at Uberlandia-MG, Brazil, under field conditions from December 2007 to May 2008, in the Syngenta Seeds Experimental Station. The high pressure of the disease in the experiment simulated the natural pressure that the disease often reaches in Brazil. The studied variables were: visual severity (percentage of infected leaf area), percentage defoliation and productivity (kg ha⁻¹). Disease severity was expressed as AUDPC (area under disease progress curve). Variance analysis and comparison of means by the Tukey test (5% significance) were done for all variables studied. Significant differences were observed between cultivar effects and chemical control programs. The results obtained here indicate that the cultivars M-Soy 8199RR and Emgopa 315RR were less susceptible to disease, and that a control program termed “monitoring” (in which the appearance of new pustules of the pathogen were monitored to make the decision at each fungicide spray) was the most effective.     

Influence of thermal processing conditions on acrylamide generation and browning in a potato model system

Fried potato products such as French fries and chips may contain substantial amounts of acrylamide. Numerous efforts are undertaken to minimize the acrylamide content of these products while sensory properties such as color and flavor have to be respected as well. An optimization of the frying process can be achieved if the basic kinetic data of the browning and acrylamide formation are known. Therefore, heating experiments with potato powder were performed under controlled conditions (moisture, temperature, and time). Browning and acrylamide content both increased with heating time at all temperatures and moisture contents tested. The moisture content had a strong influence on the activation energy of browning and acrylamide formation. The activation energy strongly increased at moisture contents below 20%. At higher moisture contents, it was very similar for both parameters. At low moisture contents, the activation energy of acrylamide formation was larger as compared to the one for browning. This explains why the end of the frying process is very critical. Therefore, a lower temperature toward the end of frying reduces the acrylamide content of the product while color development is still good.     

Production,characterization, and effects on tomato of humic acid-like polymerin metal derivatives from olive oil mill waste waters

The dark polymeric organic fraction rich in potassium recovered from olive oil mill waste waters (OMWW) and named polymerin and the potassium salified deglycosylated polymerin derivative (K-SDpolymerin) were easily transformed into their metal derivatives by saturation with various metals, including Na, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Al. Saturated metal polymerins were characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry. Tests on tomato plants of the various polymerins showed that only the soluble polymerin, K-SDpolymerin, and the insoluble Mn-SDpolymerin were significantly toxic. The toxic effects of OMWW on tomato at the original concentration and diluted 1:10 were much stronger than those of any polymerin. The possible exploitation of polymerins as bioamendments and/or metal biointegrators as a functon of their phytotoxic effects, their humic acid-like nature, and their richness in macro- and micronutrient metals is also discussed.