Optimal conditions for egg storage, incubation and post-hatching growth for the freshwater turtle, Chelodina rugosa: Science in support of an indigenous enterprise

Incubation of northern snake-necked turtle (Chelodina rugosa) eggs and subsequent sale of hatchlings for the pet industry has the potential to provide culturally suitable employment for indigenous communities in northern Australia. Developmental arrest in response to egg inundation is unique to C. rugosa. Eggs can be stored under water for up to 10 weeks without appreciable impact on egg or embryo survival, allowing the transport and sale of eggs into niche markets without high levels of mortality, and permitting eggs to accumulate in diapause until there are sufficient numbers to incubate as batches. Eggs that are not inundated or inundated for short periods experience similar survival rates to eggs inundated for lengthy periods. Incubation temperature influences embryo survival and development period in C. rugosa. Embryonic survival is greatest at 26 °C, steadily declining as temperature increases to 32 °C. A similar increase in incubation temperature decreases incubation period by approximately 40 days, however almost half of this variation is attributed to the increase in incubation temperature from 26 to 28 °C. Hatchling growth in C. rugosa is characterized by two phases. There is an initial phase of relatively slow growth under the partial influence of initial egg size and incubation duration, followed by a second phase of relatively rapid growth under the partial influence of water temperature and mass at hatching. Post-hatching survival is negatively correlated with duration of egg inundation and water temperature. Evidence suggests that inundation of C. rugosa eggs for 6 weeks, incubation of embryos at 28 °C and raising hatchlings in 28 °C water will yield the best overall outcomes.     

Alkyl aryl ketone oxime O-ethers: A novel group of pyrethroids

The alkyl phenyl ketone oxime O-benzyl ethers are a new group of insecticidal compounds. Although they lack the ester linkage, they resemble the pyrethroids in general, and the esters of 2-phenylalkanoic acids, in particular fenvalerate, because they show similar physiological effects on isolated nerve preparations and on whole insects; they also show a similar pattern of change of biological activity in response to structural change. The compounds may exist as two geometric isomers, of which only the (E) series shows significant biological activity; this observation appears to have some bearing on the relationship between conformation and activity in the pyrethroid series as a whole.     

Epidemiology and microscopic diagnosis of tuberculosis in pigs and small ruminants slaughtered at Bobo-Dioulasso abattoir,Burkina Faso

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic, infectious, chronic and contagious disease, caused by Mycobacterium bovis that mainly affects cattle. This pathology has a negative impact on animals and animal products trade. Unfortunately, in Burkina Faso where agriculture and livestock sectors represent around 80% of the socio-economic activities, the real situation of the disease is not well known especially in small ruminants and swine. Thus, our study focused on both the epidemiology and the microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in small ruminants and pigs slaughtered at Bobo-Dioulasso abattoir. A prospective study was conducted between August 2017 and December 2017. Epidemiological data collection was performed during routine meat inspection; moreover, samples were taken and transported to the Bacteriology laboratory of Centre Muraz for microbiological analyses. This diagnosis consisted in search of Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) using the hot Ziehl–Neelsen staining. Out of a total of 14 648 small ruminants and 2430 pigs slaughtered during the study period, 156 and 17 had lesions suggestive of bTB with prevalence of 1.07% and 0.7%, respectively. Females and those between 2 and 4 years old were mainly infected. The most affected organs were: lungs, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. Finally, microscopy revealed 43.35% (75/173) of positive cases for AFB. These results confirm the presence of bTB in small ruminants and pigs in Burkina Faso. Efforts must still be made in the fight against this zoonosis in order to limit its economic and public health impacts.     

Elimination of cetirizine following administration of multiple doses to exercised thoroughbred horses

Cetirizine is an antihistamine used in performance horses for the treatment of hypersensitivity reactions and as such a withdrawal time is necessary prior to competition. The objective of the current study was to describe the disposition and elimination of cetirizine following oral administration in order to provide additional serum concentration data upon which appropriate regulatory recommendations can be established. Nine exercised thoroughbred horses were administered 0.4 mg/kg of cetirizine orally BID for a total of five doses. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to drug administration and at various times postadministration. Serum cetirizine concentrations were determined and selected pharmacokinetic parameters determined. The serum elimination half‐life was 5.83 ± 0.841 h. Average serum cetirizine concentrations were still above the LOQ of the assay (0.05 ng/mL) at 48 h (final sample collected) postadministration of the final dose.     

Shallow Hydrothermal Vent Bacteria and Their Secondary Metabolites with a Particular Focus on Bacillus

Extreme environments are hostile for most organisms, but such habitats represent suitable settings to be inhabited by specialized microorganisms. A marine shallow-water hydrothermal vent field is located offshore in northeast Taiwan, near the shallow shore of the southeast of Kueishantao Island (121°55′ E, 24°50′ N). Research on extremophilic microorganisms makes use of the biotechnological potential associated with such microorganisms and their cellular products. With the notion that extremophiles are capable of surviving in extreme environments, it is assumed that their metabolites are adapted to function optimally under such conditions. As extremophiles, they need specific culture conditions, and only a fraction of species from the original samples are recovered in culture. We used different non-selective and selective media to isolate bacterial species associated with the hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus and the sediments of its habitat. The highest number of colonies was obtained from Zobell marine agar plates with an overall number of 29 genetically distinct isolates. 16S RNA gene sequencing using the Sanger sequencing method revealed that most of the bacterial species belonged to the phylum Firmicutes and the class Bacilli. The present study indicates that hydrothermal vent bacteria and their secondary metabolites may play an important role for the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of the phylum Procaryota.     

Mineral nutrition and adventitious rooting in microcuttings of Eucalyptus globulus

We characterized the adventitious rooting response of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. to various concentrations of calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, manganese, zinc, boron and copper. The parameters analyzed were percent rooting, root number, root length and mean rooting time. Root number and root length were significantly affected by mineral nutrition, whereas mean rooting time and rooting percentage seemed to be closely related to auxin availability. Root number was affected by calcium, nitrogen source and zinc, whereas root length was influenced by concentrations of phosphorus, iron and manganese, and by nitrogen source. Based on these results, we evaluated various combinations of several concentrations of these minerals in each rooting phase. Cuttings that were rooted in an optimized mineral nutrient medium and acclimatized to ex-vitro conditions for two months showed significantly higher survival after transplanting and drought stress than cuttings rooted in basal medium and treated in the same way.     

Survival and growth of upland oak and co-occurring competitor seedlings following single and repeated prescribed fires

Studies within and outside the U.S. indicate recurring oak (Quercus spp.) regeneration problems. In deciduous forests of the eastern U.S., a prevailing explanation for this trend is fire suppression leading to high competitor abundance and low understory light. In response, prescribed fire is increasingly used as a management tool to remedy these conditions and encourage future oak establishment and growth. Within eastern Kentucky, we implemented single and repeated (3×) prescribed fires over a 6-yr period (2002–2007). Pre- and post-burn, we quantified canopy cover and oak seedling survival and growth compared to other woody seedlings deemed potential competitors, primarily red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees.). Burning temporarily decreased canopy cover 3–10%, but cover rebounded the subsequent growing season. Repeated burning ultimately produced canopy cover about 6% lower than sites unburned and burned once, suggesting a cumulative effect on understory light. Red maple exhibited low survival (∼40%) following single and repeated burns, but growth remained similar to unburned seedlings. Burning had little impact on sassafras survival and led to total height and basal diameters 2× greater than unburned seedlings. A single burn had no impact on red oak (Erythrobalanus spp.) survival and increased height and basal diameters 25–30%, but this positive growth response was driven by seedlings on several plots which experienced high burn temperatures and consequently high overstory mortality. White oaks (Leucobalanus spp.), however, exhibited twice as high mortality compared to those unburned, with no change in growth parameters. Repeated burning negatively impacted survival and growth of both oak groups compared to unburned seedlings. With both burn regimes, oaks with smaller pre-burn basal diameters exhibited the lowest post-burn survival. Thus, despite the ability of prescribed burns to temporarily increase understory light and reduce red maple survival, neither single or repeated burns placed oaks in an improved competitive position. These findings result from a combination of highly variable yet interdependent factors including the (1) life history traits of oaks compared to their co-occurring competitors, (2) pre-burn stature of pre-existing oak seedlings, and (3) variability in fire temperature and effects on understory light.     

Evaluation of maternal parent and puroindoline allele on kernel texture in a reciprocal cross between two hard spring wheat cultivars

Kernel texture is an important characteristic for both the milling and the end-use quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Gene sequence variation and mutations to the two puroindoline genes (Pina and Pinb), located at the Ha locus on chromosome 5DS, account for the majority of variation in wheat kernel texture. Other factors also influence kernel texture, including effects associated with different maternal parent backgrounds. To investigate the effect of two hard puroindoline alleles in different maternal backgrounds, a population of 228 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a reciprocal cross between two wheat cultivars ID377s (Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a) and Klasic (Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b) were examined in two succeeding generations (F₇ & F₈). Kernel texture was determined using the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) and the RIL puroindoline haplotype was identified by the sequence-specific PCR amplification of each gene. Analysis of variance identified a significant (P 0.001) effect of the maternal parent and puroindoline mutation on kernel texture. RILs containing the Pina-D1b mutation were significantly harder than lines containing the Pinb-D1b mutation. RILs which had Klasic as the maternal parent were significantly harder than those which had ID377s as the maternal parent. When the maternal parent and puroindoline allele were analyzed in combination, RILs derived from Klasic as the maternal parent and the Pina-D1b allele were significantly harder (P 0.001) than those containing the same allele but ID377s as the maternal parent. The same occurred for RILs containing the Pinb-D1b allele, lines with Klasic as the maternal parent were harder than lines with ID377s as the maternal parent. These results corroborate the harder phenotype of the Pina-D1b allele and indicate a significant maternally-inherited contribution to kernel texture variation.     

Identification and characterization of the enzymes responsible for the metabolism of the non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs,flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone,in horses

The in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics of flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone have been extensively characterized; however, there are no published reports describing the in vitro metabolism, specifically the enzymes responsible for the biotransformation of these compounds in horses. Due to their widespread use and, therefore, increased potential for drug–drug interactions and widespread differences in drug disposition, this study aims to build on the limited current knowledge regarding P450‐mediated metabolism in horses. Drugs were incubated with equine liver microsomes and a panel of recombinant equine P450s. Incubation of phenylbutazone in microsomes generated oxyphenbutazone and gamma‐hydroxy phenylbutazone. Microsomal incubations with flunixin meglumine generated 5‐OH flunixin, with a kinetic profile suggestive of substrate inhibition. In recombinant P450 assays, equine CYP3A97 was the only enzyme capable of generating oxyphenbutazone while several members of the equine CYP3A family and CYP1A1 were capable of catalyzing the biotransformation of flunixin to 5‐OH flunixin. Flunixin meglumine metabolism by CYP1A1 and CYP3A93 showed a profile characteristic of biphasic kinetics, suggesting two substrate binding sites. The current study identifies specific enzymes responsible for the metabolism of two NSAIDs in horses and provides the basis for future study of drug–drug interactions and identification of reasons for varying pharmacokinetics between horses.