Mammary tumor recurrence in bitches after regional mastectomy

Objectives— To investigate the histologic diagnosis and incidence of new mammary tumor growth in the remaining mammary chain tissue after regional mastectomy.
Study Design— Prospective clinical study.
Animals— Female dogs (n=99) that had excision of a single mammary tumor.
Methods— Female dogs that had regional mastectomy to remove a single tumor were followed for ≥1 year postoperatively. Data regarding tumor type, tumor recurrence, and development of metastasis were recorded.
Results— Fifty-seven (58%) dogs developed a new tumor in the ipsilateral mammary chain after the 1st surgery; 77% had repeat surgery. There was no significant correlation between the time to new tumor development and the histologic diagnosis for the 1st and 2nd tumor types. In 31 dogs, the histologic diagnosis for initial and subsequent tumors was identical and there was a significant correlation such that dogs with an initial malignant tumor are likely to develop another malignant tumor ( P =.0089). The histologic classification of the new tumor was likely to be malignant if it was located close to the side where the initial tumor had been removed ( P =.026).
Conclusions— Our results show that 58% of dogs developed a new tumor in the remaining mammary glands of the ipsilateral chain after regional mastectomy for removal of a single tumor.
Clinical Relevance— This should be taken into account when deciding on the surgical management (radical or regional mastectomy) in dogs with single mammary tumors.     

Irrigation with plant extracts in ecofarming increases biomass production and mineral and organic nitrogen content of plants

Seedlings of alfalfa, rape, spinach, and wheat, potted on sandy soil, were irrigated with an aqueous extract of pea shoot (PE, 9.84 g dry weight l^–1) or a solution of Ca, K, Mg, P, and NO₃‐N salts (SS) in a concentration similar to that in PE, for 31–48 days. In comparison to water‐irrigated controls, both SS and PE treated plants showed nearly equal increases in shoot dry weight (29–40 %), whereas PE‐treated plants had higher fresh weights (38–84 %) due to increased succulence. Treatment with SS did not enhance, but sometimes even reduce, the concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, and several trace elements in shoot tissues. In contrast, PE‐treated plants had higher Ca, K, Mg, and organic N, but lower As and Ni contents and were thus of higher nutritive value. Reduced contents of metals in plant tissue correlated with their reduced solubility in the soil solution, which was not due to changes in pH. Fertilizer components such as K and Mg (metals of lower exchange intensity) were incorporated into the soil to release Ca, Sr, and Ba (metals of higher exchange intensity) and reduce the solubility of most trace elements and metal‐complexing humic substances. In addition, application of Ca precipitated heavy metals and humic complexes directly from the soil solution. This effect was partially overcome by PE. Its carboxylic acids could act as phytochelators of metal ions and as mobilizers of the highly diffusible humic substances which carry metals to roots. It is concluded that continuous PE application replaces the quantities of Ca, K, Mg, P, and organic N, but not of NO₃‐N consumed during plant growth. Using PE does not add any relevant quantities of toxic metals to the plant‐soil system.     

Extraktion eines kupferbelasteten Bodens unter Verwendung eines aminosäurehaltigen Reststoffhydrolysats. 2. Elutionsdynamik und Bilanzierung der Aminosäuren nach kontinuierlichem Eintrag in Bodensäulen

Extraction of a copper contaminated soil material by the percolation of an amino acid containing residue hydrolysate. 2. Time course of amino acid elution and input/output balance of amino acids During 16 days an amino acid containing blood meal hydrolysate (amino acid concentration: 188 mMol·L^?1) was percolated through a column packed soil material (soil content per column: 4.1 kg dry weight, four parallels). The copper contaminated material (soil type: Typic Udifluvent, soil texture: sandy loam, loamy sand) was sampled from an area formerly used for cultivation of hop (Humulus lupus). Besides the investigation of the copper liberation the experiments aimed to determine the elution dynamic and input/output balance of amino acids (time span for amino acids balance 14 days). In total 11.7 L of hydrolysate, containing 2.2 Mol of amino acids, were introduced into each column. The mean amino acid output with the column effluent was 1.13 Mol. This corresponds to an elution degree of 51.2%, related to the sum of applicated amino acids, and to a mean substance specific elution degree of 48.4% reflecting the elution of 15 compounds. The substance specific elution ranged from 9.6% (serine) to 75.5% (valine). The highest concentrations of serine and threonine were determined in the effluents after two days, whereas the histidine concentration was highest at the last sampling. The differences in the percolation properties of the amino acids are discussed in terms of important retention and elimination processes (biodegradation, ad-/desorption, intercalation).     

Taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants: Literature review 1985/1986

Summary Important papers on taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants published in 1985 and 1986 were compiled and briefly discussed.

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Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen: Literaturübersicht 1985/1986

Zusammenfassung Wichtige Arbeiten über Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen aus den Jahren 1985 und 1986 wurden zusammengestellt und kurz kommentiert.

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¶rt; : 1985–1986

¶rt; , 1985 1986 . .

     

Upscaling spatio‐temporal patterns of cation fluxes in acid forest soils

One main problem with current research on spatio‐temporal modeling of ion fluxes in forest soils is the separation of space and time effects in the soil‐monitoring concept. This article describes an approach to overcome this weakness. Time trends of point information on soil‐solution data (base‐cation concentrations and fluxes) are scaled by linking them to soil‐chemical data which is available in higher spatial resolution and can be upscaled to an area base. This approach is based on a combined evaluation of bulk soil and soil‐solution data using both statistical and process‐oriented methods. Multiple‐linear‐regression analyses coupled with geostatistics were developed to predict spatial patterns of exchangeable cation percentages. In a second step, empirical ion‐distribution coefficients were adapted according to Gapon using data of suction‐cup plots and bulk‐soil samples. Seasonally adjusted time‐series data of soil‐solution chemistry were then connected with the maps of the predicted exchangeable‐cation percentages by means of the Gapon equations. This evaluation step provided both time‐ and space‐dependent maps of cation concentrations in the soil solution. Finally, using the results of a water‐budget model it was possible to derive spatio‐temporal patterns of soil cation fluxes. Methodological limitations and the results of verification processes are discussed. The methods described can only be used in acidic soils and should not be used in soil layers rich in humus, since adsorption to C compounds differs from adsorption to clay minerals. The time increments of the models should be not shorter than yearly in order to suppress annual periodicity. Although the Gapon equations were not based on laboratory‐determined exchange solutions at quasi‐equilibrium, but rather on field data from the suction‐cup technique, the exchangeable‐cation percentages showed steady functions of selectivity coefficients. The methods tested at a watershed scale may be flexible enough to be applied at other scales as well.     

Taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants: Literature review 1988/1989

Summary Important papers on taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants published in 1988 and 1989 were compiled and briefly discussed.

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Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen: Literaturübersicht 1988/1989

Zusammenfassung Wichtige Arbeiten über Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen aus den Jahren 1988 und 1989 wurden zusammengestellt und kurz kommentiert.

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: 1988–1989

, 1988 1989 . .

     

Soil‐ and plant‐based nitrogen‐fertilizer recommendations in arable farming

Under‐ as well as overfertilization with nitrogen (N) will result in economic loss for the farmer due to reduced yields and quality of the products. Also from an ecological perspective, it is important that the grower makes the correct decision on how much and when to apply N for a certain crop to minimize impacts on the environment. To aggravate the situation, N is a substance that is present in many compartments in different forms (nitrate, ammonium, organic N, etc.) in the soil‐plant environment and takes part in various processes (e.g., mineralization, immobilization, leaching, denitrification, etc.). Today, many N‐recommendation systems are mainly based on yield expectation. However, yields are not stable from year to year for a given field. Also the processes that determine the N supply from other sources than fertilizer are not predictable at the start of the growing season. Different methodological approaches are reviewed that have been introduced to improve N‐fertilizer recommendations for arable crops. Many soil‐based methods have been developed to measure soil mineral N (SMN) that is available for plants at a given sampling date. Soil sampling at the start of the growing period and analyzing for the amount of NO ‐N (and NH ‐N) is a widespread approach in Europe and North America. Based on data from field calibrations, the SMN pool is filled up with fertilizer N to a recommended amount. Depending on pre‐crop, use of organic manure, or soil characteristics, the recommendation might be modified (±10–50 kg N ha^–1). Another set of soil methods has been established to estimate the amount of N that is mineralized from soil organic matter, plant residues, and/or organic manure. From the huge range of methods proposed so far, simple mild extraction procedures have gained most interest, but introduction into practical recommendation schemes has been rather limited. Plant‐analytical procedures cover the whole range from quantitative laboratory analysis to semiquantitative “quick” tests carried out in the field. The main idea is that the plant itself is the best indicator for the N supply from any source within the growth period. In‐field methods like the nitrate plant sap/petiole test and chlorophyll measurements with hand‐held devices or via remote sensing are regarded as most promising, because with these methods an adequate adjustment of the N‐fertilizer application strategy within the season is feasible. Prerequisite is a fertilization strategy that is based on several N applications and not on a one‐go approach.     

Development of an express method for measuring soil nitrate,phosphate, potassium,and pH for future in-field application

Background

In practical farming, there is often a need for short-term availability of information on the soil nutrient status.

Aims

To develop a new express method for the extraction of major plant-available nutrients and measurement of soil nutrients. In future, this method shall serve for in-field measurements of soil samples with an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET).

Methods

Various extraction conditions such as type of extractant, soil-to-solution ratio, time, and intensity were investigated on a broad selection of dried soil samples in the laboratory. Based on 83 field-moist soil samples with varying clay contents, these conditions were compared to standard laboratory methods.

Results

With increasing extraction time, the nutrient concentrations increased. When the soil-to-solution ratio was reduced, a greater share of nutrients was extracted, independent of soil type. H₂O and 0.01 M CaCl₂ and standard calcium-acetate-lactate (CAL) solution proved to be too weak in the short period to reach the ISFET sensor measurement range. Higher concentrated CAL solutions performed much better. Finally, a 5-min CaCl₂ extraction followed by the removal of an aliquot for the determination of soil pH and NO₃⁻ was found to be effective. The remaining solution was then mixed with 0.20 M CAL solution for the analysis of H₂PO₄⁻ and K⁺ at 10 min of extra extraction time. This extraction method showed very good correlations with the values based on the German laboratory reference methods for pH (R² = 0.91) and for nitrate (R² = 0.95). For phosphorus and potassium, we obtained an R² of 0.70 and 0.81, respectively, for all soils. When soils were grouped according to clay content higher correlations were found.

Conclusions

A new express method based on a wet-chemical approach with a soil preparation procedure was successfully developed and validated. This seems to be a valuable basis for future in-field measurements via ISFET.     

Organic carbon and nitrogen in soil particle-size aggregates under dry tropical forests from Guanacaste,Costa Rica — Implications for within-site soil organic carbon stabilization

In this study we report results on the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool (0–50 cm) from a chrono-sequence of dry tropical forest (dTf) of increasing age and a yearly burned ancient pasture in the “Sector Santa Rosa” at the “Área de Conservación Guanacaste” (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica, where intense human induced land-use modifications has occurred during the past century. The effects of land conversion on soil organic carbon (SOC) have mainly been conducted in the Atlantic humid forests while overlooking dTfs. We quantified the depth distribution of SOC concentration down to 50-cm and in physically separated mineral soil fractions, as these data are scanty from the dTf. Additional objectives were to identify the relationship with selected soil physical and chemical properties, including stabilized SOC fractions by means of multivariate ordination methods. Statistically significant differences were found for the main fixed factor ecosystem for all soil variables analyzed (ANOVA). SOC and N concentrations were significantly higher in the oldest dTf compared to the other dTfs. Soil physical properties like aggregate size distribution and bulk density changed with depth, and varied significantly among the three dTf stands sampled. The multivariate analysis, i.e. between-within class principal component analysis (PCA), revealed a significant ordination of dTfs (P < 0.0001). The SOC concentration decreased in particle size fractions of < 200 μm aggregates with increasing soil depth. The lowest and highest C concentrations were obtained in the fine sand (105–200 μm) and clay + silt (< 20 μm) fractions, respectively. Mineral-associated and stable SOC pool increased with depth, and poorly crystalline Fe oxides and ferrihydrite were the most important minerals for SOC stabilization at 40–50 cm depth. The highest SOC pool was found in the old-growth and > 80 years-old dTfs, i.e., 228.9 and 150.3 Mg C ha^− 1, respectively, values similar to those obtained in the Atlantic humid forests of Costa Rica. Comparatively to other studies, soils under dTf at Santa Rosa store a considerable amount of SOC with potentially large CO2 emissions if this ecosystem is not preserved.