Use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for characterization of focal splenic lesions.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was used to study focal and multifocal lesions of the spleen in 26 dogs and two cats affected by 11 benign and 18 malignant splenic diseases. A second-generation microbubble contrast medium (Sonovue) was injected into the cephalic vein and enhancement patterns were subjectively described and time intensity curves calculated. Final diagnosis was obtained by histopathologic examination after splenectomy (n=19) or by needle aspiration and sonographic follow-up after 4 and 8 weeks (n=9). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters, improving the characterization between benign and malignant lesions, were established. The most useful criterion was the hypoechogenicity of the lesion in the wash-out phase combined with the presence of tortuous feeding vessels, which was observed in association with malignancy. All malignant lesions were hypoechoic to the surrounding spleen 30s after starting the contrast medium injection. Lymphosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma had characteristic perfusion patterns. Lymphosarcoma had rapid time to peak and early wash-out phase with a honeycomb pattern during the wash-out. Hemangiosarcomas were large nonperfused masses in all phases surrounded by hypervascular splenic parenchyma. Benign lesions except one hematoma and a benign histiocytoma had the same perfusion pattern as the surrounding spleen. Ultrasonographic and contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings of an accessory spleen are reported. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can improve the characterization of focal or multifocal lesions of the spleen.     

A true "triphasic" pattern: thoracolumbar spinal tumor in a young dog

An 8-month-old male Bernese Mountain Dog was referred with a history of hindlimb weakness that progressed to paresis on the right side. An intradural mass was detected in the spinal canal at the level of the 2nd and 3rd lumbar vertebrae. During surgical removal, 2 small fragments of the mass were prepared for cytologic examination by the squash technique. Cytologic examination revealed 3 different cell types: mesenchymal (stromal) cells, epithelial cells, and small undifferentiated hyperchromatic cells. On the basis of location and the triphasic cytologic pattern, a diagnosis of spinal nephroblastoma (thoracolumbar spinal tumor of young dogs) was made; histologic examination of the mass confirmed the cytologic diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a triphasic pattern in a cytologic sample; recognizing this pattern is an important aid in reaching a definitive cytologic diagnosis.     

Antioxidant and other biological activities of olive mill waste waters.

During olive oil production, large volumes of water are generated and subsequently discarded. Olives contain a variety of bioactive components, and some of them, according to their partition coefficients, end up in the water phase. The current investigation aimed at comparing different methods for the extraction of biologically active components of the olive mill waste waters (OMWW) and evaluating the in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the resulting extracts. The results indicate that OMWW extracts are able to inhibit human LDL oxidation (a process involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis) and to scavenge superoxide anions and hypochlorous acid at concentrations as low as 20 ppm. Finally, two of the three extracts also inhibited the production of leukotrienes by human neutrophils. The potency of the extracts depended on their degree of refinement: extracts containing only low molecular weight phenols were the most effective.     

Devices to detect red palm weevil infestation on palm species

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and other palm species have recently been threatened by the red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, which is very difficult to be detected at early stage. This research tested non invasive approaches to detecting RPW including: a TreeRadarUnit? (TRU); a densitometer, a penetrometer used for evaluation of the standing trees stability; a thermal camera and a digital camera. The technologies were applied in Italy on 715 palms (173 P. dactylifera, 453 Phoenix canariensis Chabaud and 311 of other palm species), and on 86 adult date palms in Saudi Arabia. In Italy, the thermal camera showed a high accuracy (96.29%) compared to close visual observation over the following nine months. The digital camera did almost as well (92.57%). Tree Radar Unit and densitometer also showed good accuracy (83.33 and 88.89% respectively). In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the thermal camera showed a good accuracy (77.73%) when compared to invasive diagnosis (i.e. cutting down and opening up palm trunks). The digital camera showed a lower accuracy of 66.67% due to the fact that the red weevil mainly attacks the base of the stem and therefore there are no visible symptoms on the crown shape that would be picked up in image analysis. TRU gave good results (74.73% compared to invasive diagnosis), with the best accuracy at ground level (80.65%). The densitometer results were similar to the TRU case, with higher accuracy (82.26% compared to invasive diagnosis) and the highest at ground level (87.10%).     

New Drugs from Marine Organisms in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder. Current approved drugs may only ameliorate symptoms in a restricted number of patients and for a restricted period of time. Currently, there is a translational research challenge into identifying the new effective drugs and their respective new therapeutic targets in AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, selected examples of marine-derived compounds in neurodegeneration, specifically in AD field are reported. The emphasis has been done on compounds and their possible relevant biological activities. The proposed drug development paradigm and current hypotheses should be accurately investigated in the future of AD therapy directions although taking into account successful examples of such approach represented by Cytarabine, Trabectedin, Eribulin and Ziconotide. We review a complexity of the translational research for such a development of new therapies for AD. Bryostatin is a prominent candidate for the therapy of AD and other types of dementia in humans.     

Weak effects of habitat type on susceptibility to invasive freshwater species: an Italian case study

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ROS and 9-oxylipins are correlated with deoxynivalenol accumulation in the germinating caryopses of Triticum aestivum after Fusarium graminearum infection

Wheat germinating caryopses may represent a starting point for the Fusarium Head Blight disease; however, only few studies concern the defence repertoire of wheat caryopses against fungal challenge. The germinating caryopses of two wheat commercial varieties (Blasco and Sagittario), differentially susceptible to FHB in the field, were inoculated with F. graminearum and the redox status in the interaction milieu, oxylipin production, the expression profile of some host-defence related genes, and programmed cell death in the aleuronic layer, were analysed. In Sagittario, the redox balance was profoundly modified and 9-oxylipins accumulated during fungal contamination. In this variety, F. graminearum produced a high quantity of deoxynivalenol whilst programmed cell death, also through metacaspases activation, was enhanced in the aleuronic layer of its caryopses. In Blasco, the expression of tolerance factors such as Pathogenesis-Related-protein1, glucosyl-transferase and glutathione transferase genes was up-regulated consequent to infection. Results show that unscavenged ROS and 9-oxylipins may be related to deoxynivalenol accumulation in the germinating caryopses of wheat after F. graminearum infection.     

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