Ultrasonography of the omasum in cows with various gastrointestinal diseases

The omasums of 30 healthy cows and 55 cows with various gastrointestinal disorders (10 with left displacement and eight with right displacement of the abomasum, 10 with abomasal volvulus, 10 with traumatic reticuloperitonitis, nine with ileus of the small intestines and eight with reticulo-omasal stenosis) were examined ultrasonographically on the right side of the body with a 3.5 MHz linear transducer. The dorsal and ventral margins of the omasum and its size in the fifth to 11th intercostal spaces were determined. Generally, the ultrasonographic appearance of the omasum did not differ between the healthy and abnormal cows. The omasum appeared as a semicircle, and the omasal wall closest to the transducer was visible as a thick echogenic line. In a few of the abnormal cows, the omasal laminae were visible and the omasum appeared to have motility. In the cows with left and right displacement of the abomasum and abomasal volvulus, the dorsal margin of the omasum was significantly further from the dorsal midline in some intercostal spaces than in the healthy cows. In the cows with left displacement of the abomasum, the ventral margin of the omasum was significantly further from the dorsal midline in the 7th intercostal space than in the healthy cows. In the cows with reticulo-omasal stenosis, traumatic reticuloperitonitis and ileus of the small intestine, the ventral margin of the omasum was significantly closer to the dorsal midline in some intercostal spaces than in the healthy cows. The mean (sd) size of the omasum in the healthy cows varied from 16.3 (1.5) cm to 56.9 (10.0) cm, depending on the intercostal space, and the omasum was significantly smaller in some intercostal spaces in the cows with reticulo-omasal stenosis, right displacement of the omasum, abomasal volvulus and ileus of the small intestine.     

Yield and adaptation of hexaploid spring triticale

Summary Gains in yield and stability were analysed using grain yield data from the 8th to the 14th International Triticale Yield Nursery (ITYN) and differences in adaptation between complete and substituted triticales (X Triticosecale Wittmack) were examined. A trend of improving yield and adaptation was observed. As highly significant genotype × site interaction each year was not adequately described using regression analysis, yield stability was examined by ranking genotypes within sites and summarizing scores for individual genotypes across sites. Cluster analysis was used to study the relationships among sites and among genotypes. There was little evidence of sites grouping on a geographical basis. Grouping of genotypes showed a tendency for complete and substituted triticales to perform differently, suggesting that diversity for adaptation is maximized by utilizing both types in breeding.Progress for grain yield is compared with more spectacular gains in test weight and reasons for the different rates of improvement are postulated.Abbreviations CIMMYT International Maize & Wheat Improvement Centre - ITYN International Triticale Yield Nursery contribution from CIMMYT/Agriculture Canada (No. R-002)     

CIMMYT's approach to breeding for wide adaptation

Summary The wheat area in developing countries, including China, is around 100 million ha. To address the needs of these very diverse wheat growing areas, CIMMYT has defined 12 wheat mega-environments (ME). A ME is defined as broad, not necessarily continuous often transcontinental area with similar biotic and abiotic stresses, cropping systems and consumer preferences. The factors describing each ME are presented.CIMMYT's breeding methodology is centered around the development of widely adapted germplasm with high and stable yield across a wide range of environments. Segregating populations are alternating screened in two diverse environments in Mexico. One key requirement is that all germplasm is tested under near optimum conditions for its yield potential. The second one is multi-locational testing of advanced lines at sites that represent a given ME (key locations) and careful screening of germplasm for tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses specific to that environment. This methodology has permitted the pyramiding of a large number of multiple resistance genes for use against a wide spectrum of diseases and tolerance to abiotic stresses within each ME. In addition, the widespread testing of lines allows the identification of traits which are beneficial in several environments. Data from international nurseries are used to further delineate environments within an ME. This approach has proven to be successful since around 70% of the spring wheat area in developing countries (excluding China) is planted to varieties derived directly or indirectly from CIMMYT germplasm. The performance of the bread wheat cultivar Pastor in international trials is given as an example for a wide adaptation.     

Genetische Ressourcen der Kulturpflanzen im alpinen Raum

Zusammenfassung Die Kulturpflanzenevolution im alpinen Raum ist durch drei Faktoren geprägt, durch klimatische, geologisch-landschaftsmorphologische und geschichtliche. Die Aufgliederung in cine Vielzahl von ökologischen Nischen, in denen verdrängte Arten und Varietäten überleben konnten, mußte zwangsläufig zu einer bestimmten Formenanreicherung führen. Ihr stcht aber ein scharfer natürlicher Selektionsdruck einschränkend entgegen, der mit fortschreitender Höhenlage stärker wird. Er bestimmt letztlich das Ausschen der Populationen und läßt allfällige Zufallsfaktoren bei beginnender Einnischung und kleiner werdenden Populationsgrößen in den Hintergrund treten. Darin liegt die Ursache, daß mit zunehmender Höhenlage die Populationen uniformer werden, die umgekehrt im Flachland die größte Variabilität aufweisen.Die Kulturpflanzenarten, Varietäten und Sorten sind einem ständigen Bewegungsprozeß unterworfen, bedingt durch das Streben des Menschen, Leistung, Qualität, Aussehen, usw., zu verbessern. Die Suche nach Neuem birgt stets die Möglichkeit in sich, daß ein besseres Sortiment das altbewährte verdrängt. Ist eine Sorte ausreichend adaptierfähig und bringt sie eine Verbesserung mit sich, wird sie sich schrittweise — das alte Sortiment vor sich herschiebend — bis in die Alpentäler ausbreiten. Die Frage, wieviele Arten und Varietäten auf diese Weise ins Land gelangten, bleibt unbeantwortet. Jedenfalls waren es nur wenige, die diesem Verdrängungsprozeß haben standhalten können und bis heute erhalten geblieben sind.Wenn wir im Rückzugsgebiet der Alpen eine Formenanhäufung finden, die historisch betrachtet einen Abriß des Widerstandsfähigsten aus den letzten Jahrhunderten darstellt, ist dieser Formenreichtum doch bescheiden im Vergleich zu dem eines Genzentrums. Besteht hier das entscheidende evolutionsmotorische Moment darin, daß neu entstandene Formen auch eine entsprechende Überlebens-und Fortpflanzungschance besitzen, wirkt der scharfe Selektionsdruck der Alpen einer solchen Mannigfaltigkeit entgegen und wird stets in genotypische wie phänotypische Uniformität münden.

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Crop genetic ressources in the alps

Summary The evolution of cultivated plants in the area of the Alps is especially influenced by climatical, geological-orographical and historical factors. The available abundance of ecological niches providing chances for the survival of otherwise displaced species and varieties, consequently led to a certain increase of diversity. It is counteracted by strong natural selection pressures increasing with progressive altitudes. These selection pressures ultimately determine the composition of the populations and predominate over coincidental factors during the first phases of annidation connected with descreasing population size. That causes an increasing uniformity of the populations in higher altitudes whereas in the lowlands the highest diversity can be found.Due to human efforts in improving yields, quality, appearance, etc., of cultivated species, varieties and cultivars, they are subject to a permanent evolutionary process. The search for new material always includes the possibility that better accessions displace the well-known old ones. If a variety is sufficiently adaptable and shows improved characters, it will proceed step by step, — pushing the old accessions ahead of it — into the valleys of the Alps. How many species and varieties were introduced in this way is a question which cannot be answered. Anyway, only a few varieties could resist this displacing process and are in existance still today.Though we can find a certain amount of variation in the refugial area of the Alps, which, as seen from the historical standpoint of view, represents a part of the most resistant races from the last few centuries, this variation is relatively low in comparison with that of a gene center. In a gene center the decisive evolutionary mechanisms result in the maintaining of newly evolved forms whereas the strong selection pressures of the Alps counteract a high variability and will always lead to genotypical and phenotypical uniformity.

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Semisynthesis and pharmacological investigation of lipo-alkaloids prepared from aconitine

Processed aconite drugs are widely used in Eastern medicine as painkillers and antirheumatic agents. It is known that the traditional processing of aconite drugs increases the amount of lipo-alkaloids. In order to obtain information about the pharmacological potential of these compounds, semisynthesis of 9 aconitine-derived lipo-alkaloids was carried out and their COX-1, COX-2 and LTB₄ formation inhibitory activities were investigated. It was found that compounds esterified with unsaturated fatty acids demonstrated significant COX-2 inhibitory effects, while in the COX-1 assay only 14-benzoylaconine-8-O-eicosapentaenoate exerted remarkable activity. The inhibition of LTB₄ formation was pronounced in cases of long chain fatty acid derivatives.     

Organochlorine and Metal Accumulation in Fish (Phoxinus phoxinus) Along a North-South Transect in the Alps

Southern populations of the European minnow fromremote oligotrophic mountain lakes along an Alpinenorth-south transect accumulated more p,p DDE andPCBs than northern populations. As these semi-volatileorganochlorines predominantly evaporate in warmcountries, higher rates of condensation (deposition)are assumed to occur in the southern slopes of theAlps. The higher accumulation of lead and cadmium insouthern population is rather attributed to geogenicand specific environmental impacts than to atmosphericdeposition. Increasing liver ratios of [glutathionedisulfide]/[glutathione], a potential indicator foroxidative stress, from north to south reflect thegenerally higher toxic load at remote sites at thesouthern edge of the Alps. However, histopathologicalchanges in the liver did not correlate withaccumulated toxicants indicating that deposition doesnot lead to severe lesions but induces specificmechanisms for detoxification.     

Induction of tumors in mice by genomic hypomethylation

Genome-wide DNA hypomethylation occurs in many human cancers, but whether this epigenetic change is a cause or consequence of tumorigenesis has been unclear. To explore this phenomenon, we generated mice carrying a hypomorphic DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) allele, which reduces Dnmt1 expression to 10% of wild-type levels and results in substantial genome-wide hypomethylation in all tissues. The mutant mice were runted at birth, and at 4 to 8 months of age they developed aggressive T cell lymphomas that displayed a high frequency of chromosome 15 trisomy. These results indicate that DNA hypomethylation plays a causal role in tumor formation, possibly by promoting chromosomal instability.