Effects of treatment with ivabradine and atenolol on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices of left heart size and function in healthy cats

ObjectivesData on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices in cats are commonly derived from studies in healthy, non-treated animals. However, medical treatment may alter reproducibility of such data possibly influencing interpretation of results of clinical trials assessing the effects of drugs on cardiovascular function. The objectives were therefore to investigate the effects of ivabradine and atenolol on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices of left heart function.AnimalsEight healthy cats.MethodsRepeated echocardiographic examinations were performed by two observers in mildly sedated cats at baseline and after four weeks of treatment (Group 1, ivabradine 0.3 mg/kg q12 h PO, n = 4; Group 2, atenolol 6.25 mg/cat q12 h PO, n = 4) in a prospective, double-blind, randomized study. Test reliability was determined by estimating measurement variability, within-day interobserver variability, and between-day intraobserver variability of all echocardiographic indices. Variability was expressed as coefficient of variation (CV) and the absolute value below which the difference between two measurements lay with 95% probability. Effects of treatments on variability were compared using linear mixed effects models ANOVA and Fisher's exact test.ResultsOverall, CVs ranged from 0.5 to 50.6% at baseline, 0.5–45.5% after ivabradine, and 0.5–23.3% after atenolol. Reproducibility of all variables determined did neither improve nor worsen consistently after either treatment although atenolol exhibited a tendency toward higher reliability with none of the CVs exceeding 24% as compared to ivabradine.ConclusionsTreatment of healthy cats with either atenolol or ivabradine had only minor effects on reproducibility of echocardiographic data. Whether these findings can be extrapolated to cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy deserves further study.     

The exceptionality of stress response in Magnaporthe oryzae: a set of “salt stress-induced” genes unique to the rice blast fungus

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The ability of pathogens to signal perception and adaptation to environmental changes is an important prerequisite for successful colonization of the host...     

Higher grain yield and higher grain protein deviation underline the potential of hybrid wheat for a sustainable agriculture

Grain yield and protein content are traits of major importance in wheat breeding, but their combination is challenging due to a tight negative correlation. Protein yield and grain protein deviation have been proposed as selection criteria to simultaneously improve both traits. Sedimentation volume is an indicator of protein quality, which plays an important role for bread‐making quality in wheat. All these traits have been investigated in our study with 135 parental inbred lines, their 1,604 hybrids and 10 commercial check varieties evaluated at five environments. The focus of our study was to investigate the usefulness of the grain protein deviation and to define a bivariate model for calculating the grain protein deviation. Further, we compared line and hybrid wheat for grain yield and quality‐related parameters such as protein content and sedimentation volume. The grain protein deviation determined with a bivariate model delivered robust estimates of variance components and enabled a balanced selection of genotypes with improved protein content and grain yield across different quality classes. Although heterosis for protein content and sedimentation volume was negative, hybrids had a higher grain protein deviation as well as higher grain yield at a given sedimentation volume or a given protein content than line varieties.     

Indicators for assessing anthropogenic impact on urban surface and groundwater

Background, Aim and Scope  Our study focuses on the indication of anthropogenic impacts on the urban surface and groundwater in large cities, demonstrated for the cities of Halle/Saale and Leipzig (Germany). For the study we selected indicator substances such as xenobiotics, trace elements, and stable isotopes which are connected to human activities in urban areas. The xenobiotics reported here are the pharmaceutical carbamacepine, the polycylic musk compounds galaxolide and tonalide, the life style product caffeine, and industrial chemicals such as bisphenol A and t-nonylphenol. The investigated xenobiotics pose largely unknown risks to human health and the aquatic ecosystem. Trace elements are represented by the rare earth element gadolinium (Gd), used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast substance. Nitrogen isotopes in dissolved nitrate characterize the origin of nitrogen compounds, mixing and reaction processes. Methodology  River water was sampled along the flow path of the rivers Saale and Weisse Elster through the city of Halle/Saale, the rivers Luppe and Weisse Elster through the city of Leipzig. Separate samples were collected from the effluent of the local waste water treatment plants. Groundwater from Quaternary plain aquifers along the rivers and from different urban locations was collected at the same time. The indicators were analysed and assessed according to their sources, concentration and distribution patterns. Results and Discussion  Based on the nitrogen isotopic signature, dissolved nitrate in river water of the Saale was referred mainly to two sources: the effluent of the water treatment plant and a mixture of diffusive inputs from rain water channels, sewage leakages and agriculture activities along the rivers. The Gd anomaly was recognized in surface water of both cities, particularly in the effluent of the water treatment plants, but clearly attenuated in groundwater. We measured concentrations of xenobiotics in river and sewer water between 10 and 60,000 ng L⁻¹, and, in groundwater, one order of magnitude lower. Distinctions of xenobiotic patterns were found in river water before and after the effluent of treated waste water into the rivers. Degradation of endocrine disrupters and fragrances, but also persistence of carbamacepine were recognized as essential processes during waste water treatment. At the study site Halle/Saale, mass balances were set up for xenobiotics and water fluxes. Conclusions  At both sites, we demonstrated that indicators such as xenobiotics, gadolinium, and nitrogen isotopes are suitable for assessing anthropogenic impacts on urban water. However, the behaviour of these indicators in surface and groundwater has to be considered according to the different geochemical environments.     

Precipitation of enzymes and organic matter by aluminum—Impacts on carbon mineralization

The precipitation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by aluminum (Al) results in a stable soil organic matter (OM) fraction. Extracellular enzymes can also be removed from soil solution by sorption or precipitation, but whether this affects their activity and their importance for carbon (C) mineralization is largely unknown. We studied the activity of eight extracellular enzymes, precipitated by Al together with DOM, in relation to C mineralization of the precipitated OM. Dissolved OM was obtained from the Oi and Oa horizon of two forest soils and precipitated at different Al : C ratios and pH values to achieve a large variation in composition and C mineralization of precipitated OM. All eight enzymes were present in a functional state in precipitated OM. On average 53% of DOM was precipitated, containing on average 17%–41% of the enzyme activity (EA) involved in C degradation (chitinase, cellobiohydrolase, β‐glucosidase, glucuronidase, lacasse, and xylosidase) previously present in soil solution. In contrast, on average only 4%–7% of leucine‐aminopeptidase and acid‐phosphatase activity was found in precipitated OM. The EA found in precipitates significantly increased the percentage of C mineralized of precipitated OM, with a stronger influence of C‐degrading enzymes than enzymes involved in N and P cycling. However, after 8 weeks of incubation the correlations between EA and C mineralization disappeared, despite substantial EA being still present and only 0.5%–7.7% of C mineralized. Thus, degradation of precipitated OM seems to be governed by EA during the first degradation phase, but the long‐term stability of precipitated OM is probably related to its chemical properties.     

Impact of land use on soil organic carbon stocks in the humid tropics of NE Tanzania

The conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land use is considered as a major cause for a decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, the extent and impact of different land uses on SOC stock development is highly uncertain, especially for tropical Africa due to a lack of reliable data. Interactions of SOC with the soil mineral phase can modify the susceptibility of SOC to become mineralized. Pedogenic Fe‐, Al‐oxides and clay potentially affect SOC stabilization in highly weathered soils typically found in the humid tropics. The aim of our study was to determine the impact of different land uses on SOC stock on such soils. For that purpose, 10 pedologically similar, deeply weathered acidic soils (Acrisols, Alisols) in the Eastern Usambara Mountains (Amani Nature Reserve, NE Tanzania) under contrasting land use were sampled to a depth of 100 cm. The calculated mean SOC stocks were 17.5 kg C m^?2, 16.8 kg C m^?2, 16.9 kg C m^?2, and 20.0 kg C m^?2 for the four forests, two tea plantations, three croplands, and one homegarden, respectively. A significant difference in mean SOC stock of 1.3 kg C m^?2 was detected between forest and cropland land use for the 0–10 cm depth increment. No further significant impacts of land use on SOC stocks were observed. All soils have a clearly clay‐dominated texture. They are characterized by high content of pedogenic oxides with 29 to 47 g kg^?1 measured for the topsoils and 36 to 65 g kg^?1 for the subsoils. No positive significant relationship was found between SOC and clay content. Statistically significant positive relationships existed between oxalate‐extractable Fe, Al, and SOC content for cropland soils only. Compared to data published in literature the SOC stocks determined in our study were generally high independent of the established land use. It appears that efficient SOC stabilization mechanisms are counteracting the higher disturbance regime under agricultural land use in these highly weathered tropical soils.     

Efficacy of Chondroprotective Food Supplements Based on Collagen Hydrolysate and Compounds Isolated from Marine Organisms

Osteoarthritis belongs to the most common joint diseases in humans and animals and shows increased incidence in older patients. The bioactivities of collagen hydrolysates, sulfated glucosamine and a special fatty acid enriched dog-food were tested in a dog patient study of 52 dogs as potential therapeutic treatment options in early osteoarthritis. Biophysical, biochemical, cell biological and molecular modeling methods support that these well-defined substances may act as effective nutraceuticals. Importantly, the applied collagen hydrolysates as well as sulfated glucosamine residues from marine organisms were strongly supported by both an animal model and molecular modeling of intermolecular interactions. Molecular modeling of predicted interaction dynamics was evaluated for the receptor proteins MMP-3 and ADAMTS-5. These proteins play a prominent role in the maintenance of cartilage health as well as innate and adapted immunity. Nutraceutical data were generated in a veterinary clinical study focusing on mobility and agility. Specifically, key clinical parameter (MMP-3 and TIMP-1) were obtained from blood probes of German shepherd dogs with early osteoarthritis symptoms fed with collagen hydrolysates. Collagen hydrolysate, a chondroprotective food supplement was examined by high resolution NMR experiments. Molecular modeling simulations were used to further characterize the interaction potency of collagen fragments and glucosamines with protein receptor structures. Potential beneficial effects of collagen hydrolysates, sulfated glycans (i.e., sulfated glucosamine from crabs and mussels) and lipids, especially, eicosapentaenoic acid (extracted from fish oil) on biochemical and physiological processes are discussed here in the context of human and veterinary medicine.     

Monte Carlo simulation of classical swine fever epidemics and control. I. General concepts and description of the model

A Monte Carlo simulation has been developed to describe the spread of classical swine fever virus between farms within a certain region. The data of the farms can be imported and considered individually. Transmission occurs via the infection routes direct animal and indirect person and vehicle contact, as well as by contaminated sperm and local spread. Parameters, such as incubation period and probability of detection, can be varied by the user and their impact on disease spread can be studied. The control measures stamping-out, movement control and pre-emptive slaughter in circular restriction areas as well as contact tracing can be applied and their effect on disease spread can thus be analysed. The numbers of culled and restricted farms and animals per epidemic and per day within an epidemic, the epidemic duration and the total length of restrictions per restricted farm are given. In an example, simulation runs were performed under the condition of application of all four-control measures. Because no real farm data were available, a test area was generated stochastically with a farm density of 1.3 farms/km(2). The distributions of the number of infected farms per epidemic and the epidemic length are shown.     

Evaluation of a modified exogenous creatinine clearance as a suitable renal function test for the small animal practice

A suitable method in the routine veterinary practice for the quantitative determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in dogs and cats has not been available until to date. Therefore, we modified the known plasma clearance model (=P-CL). The resulting P-CLterminal was assessed concerning its diagnostic value. P-CL of exogenous creatinine (P-CLcrea) and of inulin were determined in dogs (n=12, Beagle, 6 months of age) and cats (n=11, Domestic Short Hair, 14 months of age). The marker substances were administered as a bolus injection. In fasted dogs, P-CLcrea was 84.3 +/- 14.85 ml/min/m2 after a creatinine dose of 2.4 g/m2. An electrolyte infusion during the clearance determination did not alter the resulting values (p>0.05). In fasted cats, P-CLcrea was 54.7 +/- 5.8 ml/min/m2 (creatinine dose 2.0 g/m2). The inulin clearance, determined at the same time, was 104.5 +/- 19.81 ml/min/m2. Feeding the cats just before and during the test increased P-CL of both markers significantly (p<0.05). In order to adapt the clearance method for diagnostic assessment of GFR in the small animal practice, we aimed at minimizing the number of required blood samples (3 instead of 7 or more) and introduced the modified exogenous creatinine clearance (P-CLterminal). These values determined were 108.4 +/- 20.81 ml/min/m2 in fasted dogs and 66.3 +/- 11.81 ml/min/m2 in fasted cats. An electrolyte infusion (dogs) and feeding (cats) had the same effect on P-CLterminal values as described above for P-CL. In conclusion,the modified exogenous creatinine clearance is a suitable renal function test for the early diagnosis of renal disease in dogs and cats presented in small animal practices.     

Evolution and host variation of the canine parvovirus: molecular basis for the development of a new virus

Canine parvovirus (CPV) evolved as a new pathogen in dogs between 1976 and 1978 from feline panleukopenia virus (FPV). The new virus hit an unprotected population, caused a dramatic pandemic and infected virtually all populations of domestic and wild carnivores worldwide. The great similarity between the two viruses and their differences in host range, both in vivo as well as in vitro, make it a good model system for emerging diseases and host range shifts of viruses. Recent results showed that CPV expanded its host range by binding to the canine transferrin receptor (Tfr). Residues in the capsid protein that had been defined as host range controlling regions also control the binding to the canine transferrin receptor. These residues are located on a raised region of the capsid at the three-fold axis of symmetry. Interestingly, adaption of the new virus to the new host appears to correlate with an improved binding to the Tfr receptor.