Molecular diagnosis of certain nematode infections can save life and beauty, and preserve breeds of socially relevant and sporting animals

The recognition that the health and welfare of some humans are improved through contact and relationships with animals is now established. Two commonly recognized assistance animals are dogs and horses. Both provide therapeutic benefits to humans with some physical and mental illnesses and both assist people with disabilities. Moreover, the public and scientific attention to the health and conservation of many animal breeds is also increasing worldwide. In the past few years, two potentially life-threatening nematode infections that can induce tumours or tumour-like masses in canids and equids, spirocercosis and draschiosis/habronemosis, respectively, are emerging in several areas of the world. This article reviews and comments how recent insights into the molecular early diagnosis of these diseases can save and preserve life, beauty and breeds of socially relevant and sporting animals.     

Broodstock spawning and larviculture of whiting (Merlangius merlangus L.) reared in captivity

In recent years, an increasing interest in the farming of marine ‘white’ fish, such as cod, has been observed in the aquaculture industry. One species being considered for aquaculture development is whiting (Merlangius merlangus L.). With little data being available on the domestication of this species, our study aimed to characterize spawning behaviour and rhythmicity in captive broodstock and provide original data on egg incubation, embryonic development and larval rearing. The results observed through video recording showed that spawning mainly occurred at night with active courtship behaviour. Daily egg batches were collected from two separate spawning seasons, with an average fertilization success declining from 77% to 53%. Time to hatch was inversely related to the incubation temperature and occurred after 78 degree‐days (9 days at 8 °C), with emerging larvae ranging in size from 3.3 to 3.46 mm total length and hatch success ranging from 48.3% to 99.9%. In comparison with a clear water environment, a green water regime during the first days of larval rearing significantly improved larval growth and survival. These results are the first to describe spawning activity, early development and larval performances in whiting and are promising for the potential future development of whiting aquaculture.     

Designing a Score-Based Method for the Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of the Gluten-Free Bakery Products and their Gluten-Containing Counterparts

Gluten-free (GF) products are consumed both by individuals with celiac disease and by an increasing number of people with no specific medical needs. Although the technological quality of GF products has been recently improved, their nutritional quality is still scarcely addressed. Moreover, the few published studies report conflicting results, mostly because the information from product nutrition facts is the only considered factor. The aim of the present study was to develop a score-based method for the nutritional evaluation of 134 packaged Italian GF bakery products and to compare it with that of 162 matched gluten-containing (GC) food items. The score included the information from the nutrition facts and the presence/absence of some nutritionally relevant components in the ingredients list. Results indicated an overall low nutritional quality of the considered GF bakery products. Additionally, with the sole exception of GF bread substitutes, there was no difference in nutritional quality between GF and equivalent GC bakery products. Future research and development of GF bakery products may take advantage of this scoring method, as it may represent an easy approach to evaluate their nutritional quality. The present findings do not justify the consumption of packaged GF bakery products by people without any specific medical needs.     

Differences in the activity and bacterial community structure of drained grassland and forest peat soils

The microbial activity and bacterial community structure were investigated in two types of peat soil in a temperate marsh. The first, a drained grassland fen soil, has a neutral pH with partially degraded peat in the upper oxic soil horizons (16% soil organic carbon). The second, a bog soil, was sampled in a swampy forest and has a very high soil organic carbon content (45%), a low pH (4.5), and has occasional anoxic conditions in the upper soil horizons due to the high water table level. The microbial activity in the two soils was measured as the basal and substrate-induced respiration (SIR). Unexpectedly, the SIR (μl CO₂ g⁻¹ dry soil) was higher in the bog than in the fen soil, but lower when CO₂ production was expressed per volume of soil. This may be explained by the notable difference in the bulk densities of the two soils. The bacterial communities were assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiling of 16S rRNA genes and indicated differences between the two soils. The differences were determined by the soil characteristics rather than the season in which the soil was sampled. The 16S rRNA gene libraries, constructed from the two soils, revealed high proportions of sequences assigned to the Acidobacteria phylum. Each library contained a distinct set of phylogenetic subgroups of this important group of bacteria.     

Hydrocarbons in Seawater and Water Extract of Jarzouna-Bizerte Coastal of Tunisia (Mediterranean Sea): Petroleum Origin Investigation Around Refinery Rejection Place

In this study, the occurrence of toxic heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and relative bioaccumulation in biota samples were investigated in a freshwater ecosystem, the Basento river, one of the main aquatic systems in the south of Italy, which over the last years has been transformed into a sink of urban and industrial wastes. Therefore, the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc were determined in water, sediments, and tissues of some macroinvertebrate—which are natural assessment endpoints for the evaluation of ecological risk in aquatic systems. Accumulation factors, as a ratio between the concentration of a given contaminant in biota and the one in an abiotic medium, were considered in order to estimate heavy metal contamination loads in biota. Statistical analysis was performed for a comparative evaluation of bioaccumulation among various macroinvertebrates, according to different feeding guilds. The Tukey honestly significantly different test showed significant differences in the bioaccumulation of As, Cd, and Cr among the considered biological receptors (collector–gatherer, predator, and filterer), suggesting that the biological uptake from immediate contact with the sediment or solid substratum (collector–gatherer), instead of the bioconcentration from water (filterer) or biomagnification along the biotic food webs (predators), is the more effective biological sequestering pathway for these metals. Biota–sediment accumulation factors, commonly used for the evaluation of sediment’s role in aquatic systems contamination, were determined for the considered metals. A linear correlation between the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, and Zn in macroinvertebrates and those in the sediments suggested that the metal uptake data in macroinvertebrates can provide useful information for the estimation of heavy metal exposure risk or bioavailability when making assessments of sediment toxicity in freshwater ecosystems.     

Cytologic examination of fine‐needle aspirates from mammary gland tumors in the dog: diagnostic accuracy with comparison to histopathology and association with postoperative outcome

Background: Mammary tumors are the most common neoplasms in female dogs. Malignant tumors may carry a poor prognosis and necessitate surgery. Few data are available on the value of cytologic examination as a diagnostic or prognostic tool for mammary tumors in dogs. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine whether cytologic findings in fine‐needle aspirate specimens of canine mammary tumors correlate with histopathologic results and whether the cytologic diagnosis is associated with postoperative outcome. Methods: In this prospective study, fine‐needle aspirate samples were obtained from 50 mammary tumors in 50 dogs. Results of cytologic and histopathologic examination were compared, using the histologic diagnosis as the reference method. Kaplan–Meier log rank analysis was used to evaluate univariate association of the cytologic diagnosis with duration of survival, local control, and metastasis‐free interval. Results: Adequate cytologic samples were obtained in 43/50 (86%) cases. The cytologic diagnosis correlated with the histologic diagnosis for benign and malignant tumors in 40/43 (93%) and 35/43 (81%) cases, respectively. Cytologic examination had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 96% for the diagnosis of malignancy. The cytologic diagnosis had significant univariate association with duration of survival (P=.016), recurrence‐free interval (P=.003), and metastasis‐free interval (P=.014). Conclusions: Cytologic examination of mammary tumors in the dog has satisfactory accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for the diagnosis of malignancy and is associated with postoperative outcome. Further studies on the diagnostic accuracy of cytology as well as multivariate analysis of its preoperative prognostic value in mammary tumors in the dog are warranted.     

Dissection of antioxidant activity of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) grains as evaluated by the new LOX/RNO method

Antioxidant activity (AA) of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) grains was studied using the innovative LOX/RNO method, able to simultaneously detect different antioxidant mechanisms, and the TEAC assay, one of the most widely used assays. Insoluble-bound and free-soluble phenols, hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds were extracted from eight different whole flour samples; extracts were analyzed for AA and their content in several antioxidants. The LOX/RNO method measured very high AA values, with the highest ones [850–1500 μmol Trolox eq./g whole flour (dry weight)] for insoluble-bound phenolic extracts, highly correlated to total phenolic (r = 0.761, P < 0.001) and ferulic acid (r = 0.816, P < 0.001) contents. Hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts showed lower AA [70-140 and 40–60 μmol Trolox eq./g (dry weight), respectively], highly correlated to flavonoid (r = 0.583, P < 0.01) and protein (r = 0.602, P < 0.01), as well as β-tocotrienol (r = 0.684, P < 0.05) contents, respectively. Interestingly, the LOX/RNO method suggests that insoluble-bound phenolic compounds may exert very strong synergistic interactions within the extract. Contrarily, the TEAC assay did not correlate to any antioxidant content, resulted unable to highlight differences among samples, measured much lower AA values and did not suggest synergism. The use of the LOX/RNO method is useful to unearth new properties of phytochemicals from durum wheat grains, potentially giving health benefits.     

Consequences of spatial heterogeneity for ecosystem services in changing forest landscapes: priorities for future research

Changes in key drivers (e.g., climate, disturbance regimes and land use) may affect the sustainability of forest landscapes and set the stage for increased tension among competing ecosystem services. We addressed two questions about a suite of supporting, regulating and provisioning ecosystem services in each of two well-studied forest landscapes in the western US: (1) How might the provision of ecosystem services change in the future given anticipated trajectories of climate, disturbance regimes, and land use? (2) What is the role of spatial heterogeneity in sustaining future ecosystem services? We determined that future changes in each region are likely to be distinct, but spatial heterogeneity (e.g., the amount and arrangement of surviving forest patches or legacy trees after disturbance) will be important in both landscapes for sustaining forest regeneration, primary production, carbon storage, natural hazard regulation, insect and pathogen regulation, timber production and wildlife habitat. The paper closes by highlighting five general priorities for future research. The science of landscape ecology has much to contribute toward understanding ecosystem services and how land management can enhance—or threaten—the sustainability of ecosystem services in changing landscapes.     

Characterization of the lentil landrace Santo Stefano di Sessanio from Abruzzo,Italy

In the world lentil is grown on more than 3 million hectares and is one of the most important, low-cost, food source of protein. In Italy lentil has been cultivated since ancient times, but in the last decades its cultivation has been confined to marginal areas, small islands and hilly, mountainous areas of central and southern Italy. Local varieties are still common and are often greatly appreciated for their taste and cooking qualities. Several accessions from the Santo Stefano di Sessanio area, Abruzzo Region, were collected and phenotypically and genotypically characterized in order to look for the existing variability within and between populations. Image analysis of seeds was also used. Populations grown in Santo Stefano di Sessanio and in the neighbouring area basically share most of their characteristics. However, some of the accessions anonymously gathered from the local market were shown to be different from those collected from farmers. The paper reports and discusses how this local product needs be characterized and promoted in order to avoid fraud that could negatively affect the local economy and put valuable, adapted, genetic resources at risk of erosion.