Computed tomography or rhinoscopy as the first-line procedure for suspected nasal tumor: A pilot study

There are no evidence-based guidelines as to whether computed tomography (CT) or endoscopy should be selected as the first-line procedure when a nasal tumor is suspected in a dog or a cat and only one examination can be performed. Computed tomography and rhinoscopic features of 17 dogs and 5 cats with a histopathologically or cytologically confirmed nasal tumor were retrospectively reviewed. The level of suspicion for nasal neoplasia after CT and/or rhinoscopy was compared to the definitive diagnosis. Twelve animals underwent CT, 14 underwent rhinoscopy, and 4 both examinations. Of the 12 CT examinations performed, 11 (92%) resulted in the conclusion that a nasal tumor was the most likely diagnosis compared with 9/14 (64%) for rhinoscopies. Computed tomography appeared to be more reliable than rhinoscopy for detecting nasal tumors and should therefore be considered as the first-line procedure.     

Therapeutic Potential of Hemoglobin Derived from the Marine Worm Arenicola marina (M101): A Literature Review of a Breakthrough Innovation

Oxygen (O₂) is indispensable for aerobic respiration and cellular metabolism. In case of injury, reactive oxygen species are produced, causing oxidative stress, which triggers cell damaging chemical mediators leading to ischemic reperfusion injuries (IRI). Sufficient tissue oxygenation is necessary for optimal wound healing. In this context, several hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers have been developed and tested, especially as graft preservatives for transplant procedures. However, most of the commercially available O₂ carriers increase oxidative stress and show some adverse effects. Interestingly, the hemoglobin derived from the marine lugworm Arenicola marina (M101) has been presented as an efficient therapeutic O₂ carrier with potential anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties. Furthermore, it has demonstrated promise as a supplement to conventional organ preservatives by reducing IRI. This review summarizes the properties and various applications of M101. M101 is an innovative oxygen carrier with several beneficial therapeutic properties, and further research must be carried out to determine its efficacy in the management of different pathologies.     

Risk assessment in fish welfare, applications and limitations

The Treaty of Amsterdam, in force since 1 May 1999, has established new ground rules for the actions of the European Union (EU) on animal welfare. It recognizes that animals are sentient beings and obliges the European Institutions to pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals when formulating and implementing Community legislation. In order to properly address welfare issues, these need to be assessed in a scientific and transparent way. The principles of risk assessment in terms of transparency and use of available scientific data are probably well suited for this area. The application of risk assessment for terrestrial and aquatic animal welfare is a relatively new area. This paper describes the work developed in the context of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opinions on the application of a risk assessment methodology to fish welfare. Risk assessment is a scientifically based process that seeks to determine the likelihood and consequences of an adverse event, which is referred to as a hazard. It generally consists of the following steps: (i) hazard identification, (ii) hazard characterisation, (iii) exposure assessment and (iv) risk characterisation. Different approaches can be used for risk assessments, such as qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative approaches. These are discussed in the context of fish welfare, using examples from assessments done to aquaculture husbandry systems and stunning/killing methods for farmed fish. A critical review of the applications and limitations of the risk methodology in fish welfare is given. There is a need to develop appropriate indicators of fish welfare. Yet, risk assessment methodology provides a transparent approach to identify significant hazards and support recommendations for improved welfare.     

Evidence of genotype–diet interactions in the response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) clones to a diet with or without fishmeal at early growth

This study examined the genetic variability and genotype × diet interactions during early growth (initial mean body weight 1.2 g) among seven heterozygous clones of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The clones were hand-fed a diet containing either fishmeal or plant proteins during a 49-day trial divided into two periods (P1, 26 days, and P2, 23 days). Weight, variation of weight within clone, feed intake, feed efficiency and mortality were calculated for both periods.There was a highly significant effect of diet and of clone for all traits at both periods, except for feed efficiency and mortality at P1. Highly significant interactions between diet and clone were also recorded for all these traits, except for mortality at P1. The occurrence of genotype × diet interactions when feeding juvenile rainbow trout with an all plant-protein diet indicates that a highly performing genotype on a fishmeal diet may perform poorly when fed a plant-protein diet. Interactions were found for the two major determinants of growth, i.e. feed intake and feed efficiency, showing that the dietary response differs according to the genotype. Monitoring of the within-clone variability of weight showed that a plant-based diet is likely to enhance the overall phenotypic variance in a population, whatever its initial genetic variability.     

Activity of quinones on colletotrichum species

The antifungal activity of 1,4-naphthoquinones, 1,2-naphthoquinones, 1,4-benzoquinones, and anthraquinones from our natural products collection was tested by direct bioautography to identify natural products with potential use in agricultural fungal pathogen control. Quinones demonstrated good to moderate antifungal activity against Colletotrichum spp. Colletotrichum fragariae was the most sensitive species to quinone-based chemistry, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides had intermediate sensitivity, while Colletotrichum acutatum was the species least sensitive to these compounds.     

Ascorbic acid concentration in Cv. conference pears during fruit development and postharvest storage

L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) concentration changes during the development of cv. Conference pears and the influence of postharvest handlings (gas condition, cooling rate, cooling duration) on L-AA breakdown were studied. L-AA concentration fluctuates in young fruits, remains stable during fruit maturation, and starts to decline 1 week before commercial harvest. The most rapid decrease in L-AA concentration was found during immediate controlled atmosphere. During short-term storage, only the gas condition was found to influence L-AA breakdown; no significant difference between gradually or immediately cooled pears was determined. Under air conditions, both cooling strategies did not differ from the L-AA breakdown in pears allowed to ripen on the tree up until 3 weeks after the optimal harvest date. During long-term storage, the cooling duration (1-3 weeks) had no effect whereas both O2 and CO2 had a significant effect on L-AA retention. After 7 months of storage, no difference was found in dehydroascorbic acid concentration; the L-AA and total L-AA concentrations, in contrast, were significantly lower in the 5% CO2 conditions.     

磷改良剂对中度和高度含碳酸盐的菜园土壤中Cd和Pb环境有效性和植物有效性的影响

The behaviour of metals mainly depends on soil p H, carbonate contents and contamination level, which should be considered for the management of contaminated soils. In this study, kitchen garden topsoils(0–25 cm) were sampled from the area around three smelters in France, with different Cd and Pb contamination levels. Effect of a phosphate amendment(a mixture of diammonium phosphate and hydroxyapatite) on the environmental availability and phytoavailability of Cd and Pb was evaluated by different chemical extractions and cultivating lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.), respectively. Changes in the distribution of Cd and Pb were found in most contaminated soils after phosphate amendment. An increase of Cd and Pb in the residual phase was highlighted in almost all carbonated contaminated soils, whereas a decrease of Pb in the exchangeable, water and acid-soluble phase was observed in most contaminated soils with the lowest carbonate contents. The concentrations of extractable Cd and Pb using calcium chloride and acetic and citric acids generally decreased after the soil amendment. Lettuces grown on amended soils were acceptable for human consumption as regard to Pb concentration. In contrast, some lettuces were unacceptable for human consumption, since the concentrations of Cd in the leaves were higher than the European legislation limit. Surprisingly, in carbonated soils with very low concentration of Cd, the Cd concentrations in lettuce reached up to the European legislation limit, making the lettuce unacceptable for human consumption.Our study highlighted the fact that the total metal concentration in soils does not always allow to predict the metal accumulation in the edible parts of vegetables in order to make a judgement about their acceptability or unacceptability for human consumption.