Heat-treated bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) residue meal as an alternative protein source in pelleted diets for Nile tilapia fingerlings: growth,body composition,and physical characteristics of diets

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The study aimed to evaluate heat-treated bean residue meal (Phaseolus vulgaris)—BRM—as an alternative protein source in diets for Nile tilapia...     

Fusarium species and chemotypes associated with fusarium head blight and fusarium root rot on wheat in Sardinia

Environmental conditions in Sardinia (Tyrrhenian Islands) are conducive to fusarium root rot (FRR) and fusarium head blight (FHB). A monitoring survey on wheat was carried out from 2001 to 2013, investigating relations among these diseases and their causal agents. FHB was more frequently encountered in the most recent years while FRR was constantly present throughout the monitored period. By assessing the population composition of the causal agents as well as their genetic chemotypes and EF‐1α polymorphisms, the study examined whether the two diseases could be differentially associated to a species or a population. Fusarium culmorum chemotypes caused both diseases and were detected at different abundances (88% 3‐ADON, 12% NIV). Fusarium graminearum (15‐ADON genetic chemotype) appeared only recently (2013) and in few areas as the causal agent of FHB. In F. culmorum, two haplotypes were identified based on an SNP mutation located 34 bp after the first exon of the EF‐1α partial sequence (60% adenine, 40% thymine); the two populations did not segregate with the chemotype but the A‐haplotype was significantly associated with FRR in the Sardinian data set (P = 0·001), suggesting a possible fitness advantage of the A‐haplotype in the establishment of FRR that was neither dependent on the sampling location nor the sampling year. The SNP determining the Sardinian haplotype is distributed worldwide. The question whether the A‐haplotype segregates with characters facilitating FRR establishment will require further validation on a specifically sampled international data set.     

Cone beam computed tomography in the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint alterations in cats

The aim of this study was to describe the use of cone beam computed tomography as an auxiliary method to diagnose changes to the temporomandibular joints in cats. We used five cats of various ages, breeds and genders that showed clinical signs consistent with changes in the temporomandibular joint. Cone beam computed tomography enables a complete and thorough examination of the temporomandibular joints by allowing the evaluation of selected images as a whole. It also enables the identification of all anatomical structures and any changes that may be present. The results showed that this method is effective in confirming or ruling out changes in the temporomandibular joint in cats, such as disjunctions of the palatine raphe; fractures of the mandibular symphisis, zygomatic bone and condylar; and dental resorption.     

Profundal macrobenthos structure as a measure of long-term environmental stress in a polluted lake

Profundal macrobenthic community in a polluted lake (Lake Nemi, Italy) was analyzed in three distinct surveys from 1976 to 1984, in order to define long-term changes in environmental conditions of sediments. Profundal macrobenthos was mainly composed of Oligochaeta. Only a few Chironomidae and a few other taxa were characteristically found in the superior zone. The long-term stress, due to persistent hypolimnetic O₂ deficit, caused progressive simplification of the total community structure. This leads to a high faunal similarity among stations at different depths. The temporal trend of the community structure parameters and the significant role of some taxa (Potamothrix heuscheri, Procladius and Chaoborus flavicans) in the eutrophication process of the lake are also discussed.     

A statistical approach to evaluate compost genotoxicity

Parallel experiments were carried out to evaluate the induction of genotoxic effects in Vicia faba seedlings treated both with aqueous and organic extracts (dimethyl sulphoxide 5%) of 13 composts, or grown on soil samples to which different doses of the same composts were added. Pearsons linear correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used to study how these two different methodological approaches (treatment with the extracts versus direct contact with the composts in soil) agree. In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the role of heavy metals and humic substances in genotoxic effects and to construct a model to be used to accurately predict potential genotoxicity of the composts. Experimental data obtained at the highest application rate of compost on soil were found to fit the model and evidenced the role of the humic substances in modulating the potential genotoxicity of the different composts.