Nodular dermatofibrosis and cystic renal disease in three mixed-breed dogs and a Boxer dog

Three mixed-breed dogs and a Boxer dog with nodular dermatofibrosis are described. The three mixed breed dogs had concurrent renal epithelial cysts ( n  = 2) or renal cystadenomas ( n  = 1); these lesions were visualized antemortem on ultrasonographic examination. One of these dogs was a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever-Gordon Setter mixed breed which survived 5 years after diagnosis, and was euthanized for unrelated causes. The Boxer dog had renal cystic adenomatous hyperplasia and renal cystadenocarcinomas which were not visualized on ultrasonographic examination but were diagnosed at necropsy.     

Effects of Added Shelter and Stocking Density on Growth of Sleepy Cod Oxyeleotris lineolatus in Ponds

Sleepy cod Oxyeleotris lineolatus is a species of freshwater goby in demand in Australian markets by consumers of Asian origin. It is related to marble goby Oxyeleotris marmoratus , the most expensive freshwater food fish in Asia, which is cultured throughout southeast Asia in ponds and cages. The performance of sleepy cod in culture conditions was investigated to assess the viability of farming them in northern Australia. Sleepy cod fingerlings (62.8 ± 0.8 mm total length and 2.56 ± 0.095 g) were stocked into experimental ponds at 32,857 fish/ha, and grown out for 8 mo. Shelter was provided in each of three replicate ponds and was absent in three control ponds. The provision of shelter in juvenile growout was found to be of no benefit, although fish in ponds provided with shelter weighed slightly more per unit length than fish in ponds without shelter. Cannibalism was not a problem in growout, and survival was close to 100%. After the shelter trial was completed, fish were graded into large and small classes (three replicates of each), and grown out without shelter at the same density for 158 d. Following that, fish were again graded, and the largest 30% retained from growout at a density of 8,857 fish/ha (large, 198 ± 6.44 g) or 10,000 fish/ha (small, 48.9 ± 1.27 g). These were grown out for 188 d. Growth of selected stock at low densities was slower than earlier growth rates, although smaller fish gained weight more rapidly than larger fish. Growth rates were better than the only published data for marble goby. Further investigation into high density culture and different genotypes of sleepy cod needs to be undertaken to determine the viability of pond culture.     

Members of soil bacterial communities sensitive to tillage and crop rotation

Pyrosequencing was used to study the effect of rotation and tillage on total bacterial communities. We designed primers to the bacterial 16s rDNA and amplified DNA from soil samples from a long-term tillage/rotation trial in Kansas for two seasons. The 2 × 2 factorial trial had two rotation treatments (wheat-wheat and wheat-soybean) and two tillage treatments (conventional and no-till). A total of 20,180 16s rDNA sequences were generated and 2337 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were assembled using a 97% similarity cut-off. The phylum Proteobacteria represented 38% of 299 identified taxa. The second most abundant phylum was Acidobacteria, making up 20% of the sequences, the majority of which were Acidobacteria Group 1. The phyla Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes comprised 12% and 3.5% of the sequences. Other groups detected included TM7, Nitrospira, Verrucomicrobia, and Bacteroidetes. Some clusters of Acidobacteria Group 1 were more frequent in continuous wheat versus wheat-soybean rotation, some Acidobacteria Group 2 were more frequent in no-till, and some Acidobacteria Group 4 were more frequent in wheat-soybean rotation. These results were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Pyrosequencing provided taxonomic information about the overall bacterial community, and detected community shifts resulting from different cropping practices.     

In vivo investigation of changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress induced by plant food rich diets

It is well established that vegetables and fruit (VF) contain antioxidant phytochemicals. Consequently, it is expected that individuals who consume diets with a high content of VF should be better protected against oxidative cellular damage than individuals who do not, but not all data support this assumption. The objective of this study was to identify possible explanations for this conundrum. The effects of two diets that differed in VF content on markers of oxidative damage were studied. Sixty-four women participated in a 14-day dietary intervention. Subjects consumed on average either 3.6 or 12.1 servings of VF per day. The primary end points assessed were 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) in peripheral lymphocyte DNA and 8-isoprostaglandin F-2alpha (8-iso-PGF2alpha) excreted in urine. Subjects consuming the high versus low VF diet had lower concentrations of 8-oxo-dG (p < 0.01) and of 8-iso-PGF2alpha (p < 0.01). However, the reduction in oxidative end points by high VF was not uniform. Rather, an antioxidant effect was observed primarily in individuals whose oxidative end points at baseline were above the median for the study population. Using change in plasma carotenoids (end point minus baseline measurements) as an index of phytochemical intake, the reduction in oxidative markers was inversely proportional to change in plasma carotenoids; this effect was stronger for lipid peroxidation (p < 0.01) than DNA oxidation (p < 0.05). These findings imply that increasing exogenous antioxidant exposure may primarily benefit individuals with elevated levels of oxidative stress. Null findings do not necessarily indicate that an antioxidant compound lacks in vivo activity.     

Biogenic potassium salt particles as seeds for secondary organic aerosol in the Amazon

The fine particles serving as cloud condensation nuclei in pristine Amazonian rainforest air consist mostly of secondary organic aerosol. Their origin is enigmatic, however, because new particle formation in the atmosphere is not observed. Here, we show that the growth of organic aerosol particles can be initiated by potassium-salt-rich particles emitted by biota in the rainforest. These particles act as seeds for the condensation of low- or semi-volatile organic compounds from the atmospheric gas phase or multiphase oxidation of isoprene and terpenes. Our findings suggest that the primary emission of biogenic salt particles directly influences the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei and affects the microphysics of cloud formation and precipitation over the rainforest.     

Symptomless Spread of Blight-inducing Strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris on Cabbage Seedlings in Misted Seedbeds

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris induces two types of symptoms, namely, black rot and blight. Black rot symptoms are V-shaped lesions and black veins on the leaf, and blight symptoms are sudden collapse of interveinal tissues following the lack of veinal necrosis at early stages of infection. These two symptoms can occur simultaneously. However, the tendency to induce either symptom type is strain-dependent. Six strains were evaluated for their rate and pattern of spread in misted seedbeds by using strain-specific monoclonal antibodies and miniplate enrichment/ELISA. Data on pathogen incidence was defined as the presence of the pathogen in or on plants rather than visual symptoms. The results indicated that blight-inducing strains spread to more seedlings than black rot-inducing strains. The high incidences of blight-inducing strains in experimental plots were associated with non-randomness of spatial pattern of pathogen spread, indicating that high incidence is primarily due to the spread from adjacent plants by leaf contact and water splash. Most ELISA-positive seedlings were symptomless, indicating that the sensitivity of the system used in this study was adequate for detection of latent or epiphytic spread.     

Pyrosequencing and mid-infrared spectroscopy reveal distinct aggregate stratification of soil bacterial communities and organic matter composition

This study integrated physical, chemical, and molecular techniques to assess relationships between soil bacterial community structures and the quantity and quality of soil organic carbon (SOC) at the soil microenvironment scale (e.g., within different aggregate size-fractions). To accomplish this goal, soil samples (0–5 cm) were collected from the Texas High Plains region under a variety of dryland and irrigated cropping systems. The soil was separated into macroaggregates, microaggregates, and silt + clay fractions that were analyzed for (1) bacterial diversity via pyrosequencing of the 16s rRNA gene and (2) SOC quantity and quality using a combustion method and mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (mid-IR), respectively. Results from pyrosequencing showed that each soil microenvironment supported a distinct bacterial community. Similarly, mid-IR data revealed distinct spectral features indicating that these fractions were also distinguished by organic and mineral composition. Macroaggregates showed relatively high abundance of Actinobacteria (excluding order Rubrobacteriales) and α-Proteobacteria and contained the most SOC. Microaggregates showed high relative abundance of Rubrobacteriales and the least amount of SOC. Predominance within the soil microenvironment and correlations along the mid-IR spectra were different between members of the order Rubrobacteriales compared with all other members of the Actinobacteria phyla, suggesting they have different ecological niches. Mid-IR results revealed microaggregates had greater absorbance in the 1370–1450 cm^?1 region for phenolic and alkyl groups (possibly recalcitrant C). Silt + clay fractions were distinguished by Gemmatimonadetes and OP10 phyla, which positively correlated with spectral absorption in the1250–1150 cm^?1 range (indicating both degradable and recalcitrant C forms). In contrast to general diversity index measurements, distributions of the more rare bacterial phyla (phyla representing <6% of the identified population) were more important for differentiating between communities in soil microenvironments. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate soil bacterial communities among soil aggregates using pyrosequenging and to associate these communities to specific soil C chemistries as indicated by mid-IR absorbance.     

Binding of [14C]DDT and [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide to a lipoprotein of the membrane sector of mitochondrial ATpase

Intact mitochondria, isolated from red coxal muscle of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana L.), were incubated in the presence of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chloro[¹⁴C]phenyl)ethane ([¹⁴C]DDT) to isolate a suspected binding site for DDT in the membrane sector of the mitochondrial ATPase. The requirements for the binding of DDT were compared with those for the binding of dicyclohexyl[¹⁴C]carbodi-imide([¹⁴C]DCCD), a potent inhibitory probe of mitochondrial ATPase activity. [¹⁴C]DDT appeared to bind to a proteolipid of the membrane sector, which also binds [¹⁴C]DCCD. Exchange experiments, with [¹⁴C]DCCD, [¹⁴C]DDT and unlabelled DDT at different concentrations, indicated that DDT and DCCD may be acting on a similar protein. This protein may act as the energy transducing protonophore required for the synthesis and hydrolysis of ATP in coupled mitochondria. Inhibition of mitochondrial ATPase activity may be a consequence of DDT and DCCD binding to this proteolipid protonophore, resulting in the disruption of energy transduction in muscle and nerve.