Compositions and antifungal activities of essential oils of some Algerian aromatic plants

Essential oils extracted from ten Algerian plants were analyzed for their potential activity against Candida albicans. The highest efficiency was obtained with the essential oil from Thymus numidicus which showed antifungal effect 1357 fold stronger than that measured with amphotericin B.     

Soilless systems as an alternative to wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) traditional open-field cultivation in marginal lands of the Tuscan Apennines to enhance crop yield and producers’ income

Yield and quality of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) cultivars ‘Regina delle Valli’ and ‘Alpine’ cultivated in soil, as the traditional production system, and in soilless (both in open air and protected environments), as an innovative and sustainable production system, were investigated in a marginal and inner area of the Pistoiese Apennine Mountains during two production seasons. An earlier marketable production was obtained in soilless culture, but total marketable yield was higher from plants grown in a traditional open-field environment. Fruits obtained from the protected soilless system were larger, but developed some mildew, had some visual defects, and revealed a reduced skin chroma index, flesh firmness, and total soluble solids content compared to fruits harvested from plants grown under direct sunlight, while no significant differences were observed in total titratable acidity and pH between growing systems. ‘Alpine’ was more suited to soilless protected cultivation, with a much higher yield compared to ‘Regina delle Valli’. Physicochemical properties of berries were not affected by the cultivar, but fruit quality changed with plant age and seasonal crop cycle. ‘Alpine’ fruits gained a greater sensorial preference, both in traditional soil and soilless culture.     

Diagnostic imaging of congenital porto-systemic shunts in dogs and cats: a review

An overview of clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging features of congenital porto-systemic shunt (PSS) in dogs and cats is presented through the analysis of recent literature, and personal case log. Particular emphasis is given to diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic examination of PSS in the evaluation of shunt vessel anatomy, and of ancillary findings such as abnormalities of portal vein flow, portal branches, and liver size. Operative mesenteric portography to obtain information on PSS morphology and position, and quantitative hepatic scintigraphy, which allows the calculation of shunt fractions, are also described. Limitations for each diagnostic imaging technique are given.     

Monitoring of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Francisella noatunensis</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">orientalis</Emphasis> in farmed Nile tilapia (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oreochromis niloticus</Emphasis>) in Brazil

Francisella noatunensis orientalis is a bacterium that causes emerging bacteriosis in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in many parts of the world, including Brazil. It is a non-motile, Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, facultative intracellular coccobacillus. This species of bacteria is responsible for low to high mortality in fish farms, causing economic losses for fish farmers. This study aimed to detect the presence of F. noatunensis orientalis using qPCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) and to describe lesions caused by the bacterium in O. niloticus in Brazilian aquaculture. For this purpose, 360 fish from six fish farms (30 per farm) were sampled at two time points (n = 180 per sampling). Necropsies and histopathology were performed for lesion observation, in addition to qPCR and sequencing for detection and identification of Francisella species. Environmental data were collected using a multiparameter sonde YSI EXO2. All measured limnological variables were within the optimum range for cultivation of Nile tilapia. The major lesions present were melanization of the skin, splenomegaly, granulomas, and inflammatory cell responses. The prevalence of francisellosis varied from 0 to 86.66% between time periods and fish farms analyzed, and an outbreak was observed during the second sampling period. This study describes the prevalence of francisellosis in O. niloticus and reports that the lesions found are not exclusively associated with this bacterial disease.     

Relationship Between Benthic Fluxes and Macrophyte Cover in a Shallow Brackish Lagoon

The relationship between macrophyte cover and benthic fluxes of oxygen. nutrients and sulphide has been examined in a shallow fishpond with a nearly homogeneous meadow ofRuppia cirrhosa (Pelagna) Grande (Bassin d'Arcachon. western France). In 1993 and 1994, benthic fluxes were treasured in early and late summer. These periods were selected to represent the production and decay phases ofRuppia in order to determine the effect on benthic processes. Benthic fluxes of elements were measured by means of multiple dark and light benthic chambers in the presence or absence of community components. In summer 1994. at the end of the incubation period, profiles of acid volatile sulphide (AVS) and chromium reducible sulphur (CRS) were measured also in the 0–5 cm sediment horizon in cores withdrawn from the dark benthic chambers and from the sediment outside the chambers. Oxygen production and consumption were closely related to macrophyte cover, whilst the contributions of plankton and microphytobenthic communities were less significant. In the water column, dissolved inorganic nutrients were almost totally depleted, while dissolved organic nitrogen attained concentrations up to 200 μM. In late summer.Ruppia biomass underwent a significant decay due to the build up of a thick epiphyte layer, mostly around floating leaves. The epiphyte slime was rich in labile organic matter, the decomposition of which led to a significant oxygen uptake as well as to sulphide production. Therefore, we postulate that epiphyte growth can cause disturbance in the aquatic system keeping dissolved sulphide at very high levels. Biogeochemical reactions, such as precipitation of iron sulphide, can exert a control lowering the amplitude of such disturbances.     

Environmental factors and agronomic practices associated with Savi’s pine vole abundance in Italian apple orchards

Journal of Pest Science - The development of an integrated rodent pest management strategy requires the adoption of protocols that should be based on a good knowledge of species–habitat...     

Retrotransposon-related genetic distance and hybrid performance in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Heterosis is a main force leading the development of the hybrid seed industry in sunflower. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if heterosis effects for morphological traits among sunflower hybrids can be related to differences in the repetitive component of the genome of parental lines. The assumption is that, at least for certain traits, heterosis results from mutations in the cis-regulatory elements of genes, largely related to retrotransposon insertions and/or removals. Our experimental approach consists of a correlation study between hybrid performance and retrotransposon-related genetic distances between inbreds. Six sunflower inbred lines of different origin were crossed in a half diallel fashion; comparing parental lines and hybrids, mid parent heterosis of F₁ hybrids was evaluated for six traits. We estimated the parental genetic distances between the six inbreds on data gathered by the inter-retrotransposon-amplified-polymorphism (IRAP) protocol. Different retrotransposons previously isolated in sunflower were targeted by 11 primer pairs designed on conserved LTR domains. As a control, genetic distances were also calculated using 86 genic SNPs. We analysed the correlation between the mid-parent heterosis for each of the six traits analysed and the genetic distance (calculated on data obtained by SNP or IRAP analyses) between the parental lines. Differences between parents showed to be largely related to variations in the retrotransposon component of the genome. Retrotransposon-related genetic distance between parents resulted to be larger than that related to genic SNPs, and significantly correlated to seed yield and, at a lesser extent, to plant height and stem diameter in hybrids. The hypothesis that variations in the repetitive component of the genome, especially LTR-retrotransposons, affect the displaying of heterosis is discussed.     

Polyphenol levels and free radical scavenging activities of four apple cultivars from integrated and organic farming in different italian areas

This paper investigates the influence of cultivar (Annurca, Golden Delicious, Red Chief, and Stayman Neepling), rural practice (integrated and organic), and growing region (different Italian regions) on polyphenol composition and antiradical activity of the pulp and skin of apples, as presented to the consumer at the market. Antiradical activity of fruit was strongly related with the total polyphenolic content, determined both by the spectrophotometric Folin-Ciocalteu method ( R (2) = 0.90; P < 0.01) and by HPLC ( R (2) = 0.85; P < 0.01). Considering the edible portion of the fruit, polyphenolics contribute toward explaining approximately 90% of the overall antiradical activity, thus highlighting their important role in human health protection. Therefore, the data indirectly indicated that ascorbic acid and other antiradical molecules differing from polyphenols play a much less important role in explaining the health-protecting properties of apples. Cultivar effect was by far the most important, and Annurca and Golden Delicious were respectively the best and the worst apples from the point of view of the health-protecting attributes.     

Genetic diversity and changes in phenolic contents and antiradical activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vaccinium myrtillus</Emphasis> berries from its southernmost growing area in Italy

In this study, we evaluated by the RAPD technique the genetic diversity of 42 individual Vaccinium myrtillus L. plant samples, collected from different locations of Tuscan Apennines (Italy), which represent the southernmost growing latitude of this plant. Total polyphenols, total anthocyanins and radical scavenging activity were also determined in two successive harvesting years on bilberry samples obtained from the same individuals characterized by molecular analysis. The RAPD analysis indicated a highly prevalent gamic propagation of bilberry in the investigated area, and, in accordance with genetic findings elsewhere reported for populations of Central and Northern Europe, suggested the presence, from North-to-South Europe, of a clonal-to-gamic genetic gradient of the propagation strategy. In the context of a quite homogeneous panorama of biochemical data, significant variations were occasionally evidenced by comparing closely-located individuals. We tentatively attributed such variations mainly to genetics, due to the very close location of biomes exhibiting different biochemical attributes. However, molecular clustering by RAPD did not show any relationship with biochemical diversity. Strong variations of climatic conditions were probable responsible of the remarkable variability of the investigated biochemical parameters in the two harvesting years.