Diagnosis of canine viral infections

The diagnosis of canine viral infections frequently requires the correlation of clinical, hematologic, pathologic, and laboratory findings. When laboratory diagnostics are utilized, appropriate specimens must be collected. In addition, correct timing of specimen collection and the proper handling and transport of these specimens are essential. Whenever possible, the practitioner should not rely on any one laboratory procedure for making a diagnosis; rather, a combination of techniques should be used. Submission of tissue for histopathology, virus isolation, and antigen detection techniques (FAT), serum for serologic analysis, and feces whenever enteric infections are investigated will maximize the chances of making a successful diagnosis.     

Amending Soil with Sludge,Manure, Humic Acid,Orthophosphate and Phytic Acid: Effects on Infiltration,Runoff and Sediment Loss

Application of organic wastes to cultivated lands can replace mineral fertilizers but may also alter soil physical properties and enhance pollution potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biosolids [composted manure (MC) and activated sludge (AS)] and specific biosolid component [orthophosphate (OP), phytic acid (PA) and humic acid (HA)] application on soils differing in texture [loamy‐sand (Ramat‐HaKovesh, RH), loam (Gilat, GL) and clay (Bet‐Dagan, BD)], infiltration rate, runoff volume and soil sediment loss. The soils were packed in erosion boxes (400 × 200 × 40 mm) and subjected to six consecutive simulated rainstorms, each of 186 mm deionized water. The results showed that runoff volume and sediment loss from untreated soils increased with increasing clay contents. In treated soils, the response to AS application differed from the response to other amendments; in the BD clay and GL loam, it was the only amendment that caused a decrease in sediment removed by runoff. In the RH loamy‐sand, all amendments reduced the final infiltration rate, but only AS and HA increased the measured runoff. It is proposed that the difference in the response of the soils to the amendments is associated with the soil's ability to attenuate changes in the negative charge on the clay edges following the increase in the specific adsorption of charged anions, thus controlling clay swelling and maintaining aggregate integrity. The effects of amending soils with a source of organic matter in order to control runoff and soil erosion are not straight forward and depend on soil and amendment properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soluble sugars and carboxylic acids in ripe apricot fruit as parameters for distinguishing different cultivars

Major sugar and carboxylic acid components in apricot flesh fruits were detected and quantified. Fifty-one genotypes including clones growing in France, Spain, Italy, Greece and USA, belonging to the INRA germ plasm collection has been evaluated. Principal component analysis (PCA) has been performed to study correlation among fruit quality measurements and to interpret relationships between genotypes as a tool for germ plasm characterization. A marked variation in malic and citric acid content has been observed and PCA revealed clusters of apricot genotypes for the malic/citric ratio content. A good correlation between sugar component and refractometer index (r = 0.83) has been detected. The wide range of diversity in malic and citric acid content in apricot germ plasm makes it possible to breed and select genotypes with improved flavour on the basis of superior phenotypes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cannabinoids for the pharmaceutical industry

Summary Cannabis sativa, is a rich source of a variety of compounds, including cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids. Their content depends upon the plant genetics, growth conditions, time of harvest and drying conditions. To date, more than 60 different cannabinoids have been identified in the plant. Cannabis has been used medicinally for 4000 years and remained in the British pharmacopaeia until 1932, and in the British Pharmaceutical Codex until 1949. Medical use has been prohibited in the UK since 1973. The principal cannabinoid, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was first isolated in 1964; the first cannabinoid pharmaceutical product Marinol® (a synthetic THC product) was approved in the USA in 1985. The discovery of specific cannabinoid receptors in the early 1990s and subsequent identification of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachadonoylglycerol, led to a resurgence of interest in the field of cannabinoid medicine, especially within the pharmaceutical industry. Cannabidiol (CBD), as a non-psychoactive, cannabinoid is currently a cannabinoid of significant interest, showing a wide range of pharmacological activity. The other classes of compounds present in cannabis also have their own pharmacology (e.g. terpenoids, flavonoids). The potential for interaction and synergy between compounds within the plant, may play a role in the therapeutic potential of cannabis. This may explain why a cannabis-based medicine using extracts containing multiple cannabinoids, in defined ratios, and other non-cannabinoid fractions, may provide better therapeutic success and be better tolerated than the single synthetic cannabinoid medicines currently available. The development and employment of one of these medicines, Sativex®, is described.     

Molecular characerization of the interaction between the fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum and tomato

The fungus Cladosprium fulvum is a biotrophic leaf pathogen of tomato. The fungus develops in the intercellular space without forming specialized feeding structures and does not affect the leaf tissue. The outcome of the C. fulvum-tomato interaction can be described by the gene-for-gene model. Failure of infection is expressed by a hypersensitive response. Two fungal proteins, ECP1 and ECP2, have been isolated and their corresponding genes have been cloned. In a compatible interaction including many physiological races ECP1 and ECP2 are highly produced and a role in pathogenicity is suggestive. The ecp1 gene shows some homology with tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) while the ecp2 gene shows no homology with sequences known in data bases. However, disruption of one of the two genes showed no reduced pathogenicity of the fungus. Two race-specific elicitors, AVR4 and AVR9, have been isolated and their corresponding genes have been cloned. The avirulence genes Avr4 and Avr9 are only present in C. fulvum avirulent on Cf-4 and Cf-9 cultivars, respectively. The expression of these two genes is, like the expression of the ecp genes, highly induced when the fungus grows in planta. Disruption of the Avr9 gene in wild type avirulent races leads to virulence on tomato genotypes carrying the complementary resistance gene Cf-9. A single base-pair change in the avirulence gene Avr4 leads to virulence on tomato genotypes carrying the Cf-4 resistance gene. Isolation, characterization and possible function of ECP1, ECP2, AVR4, and AVR9 will be discussed.     

Models for tetracycline in aquatic environments

The interactions of tetracycline with model clay adsorbents has been studied as a function of suspension pH, ionic strength, and adsorbate concentration. The model clay adsorbents were the Na, Ca, and dodecyltrimethylammonium forms of bentonite and a tannic acid covered bentonite. The adsorption isotherms were of the Langmuir type and the adsorption capacity decreases in the order tannic acid-clay > Ca-clay > Na-clay > dodecyltrimethylammonium-clay. The adsorption onto the clay substrates decreases as the ionic strength and pH increases.     

Origin of French virgin olive oil registered designation of origins predicted by chemometric analysis of synchronous excitation-emission fluorescence spectra

The authentication of virgin olive oil samples requires usually the use of sophisticated and very expensive analytical techniques, so there is a need for fast and inexpensive analytical techniques for use in a quality control methodology. Virgin olive oils present an intense fluorescence spectra. Synchronous excitation-emission fluorescence spectroscopy (SEEFS) was assessed for origin determination of virgin olive oil samples from five French registered designation of origins (RDOs) (Nyons, Vallée des Baux, Aix-en-Provence, Haute-Provence, and Nice). The spectra present bands between 600 and 700 nm in emission due to chlorophylls a and b and pheophytins a and b. The bands between 275 and 400 nm in emission were attributed to alpha-, beta-, and gamma-tocopherols and to phenolic compounds, which characterize the virgin olive oils compared to other edible oils. The chemometric treatment (PLS1) of synchronous excitation-emission fluorescence spectra allows one to determine the origin of the oils from five French RDOs (Baux, Aix, Haute-Provence, Nice, and Nyons). Results were quite satisfactory, despite the similarity between two denominations of origin (Baux and Aix) that are composed by some common cultivars (Aglandau and Salonenque). The interpretation of the regression coefficients shows that RDOs are correlated to chlorophylls, pheophytins, tocopherols, and phenols compounds, which are different for each origin. SEEFS is part of a global analytic methodology that associates spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. This approach can be used for traceability and vindicates the RDOs.     

Fertilization of declining conifer stands in the Vosges and in the French Ardennes

Twenty fertilization experiments were set up in 1985 and 1986 in the Vosges mountains, using mostly calcareous or Mg fertilizers, in order to verify whether fertilization can attenuate defoliation and yellowing recently recorded in Silver fir and Norway spruce. In the Ardennes, a fertilization experiment set up in Norway spruce stands prior to the appearance of yellowing was assessed. In these areas, the total acid deposition is about 2 kg eq H⁺ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Nitrogen deposition is much more important in the Ardennes (52 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in form of wet and dry deposition) than in the Vosges (16 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The results in the eight adult stands showed no uniform reaction to the treatments. Spontaneous improvement, further deterioration independently of the treatment, as well as a positive reaction to fertilization were observed. Additional N or P fertilization sometimes had a beneficial effect on Ca or Mg treatments. The selection of the stands with the best response turns out to be difficult, as the nutrient contents of needles alone seem not to be a satisfactory criterion for selection. Young plantations reacted positivley to the treatments. Soluble Mg fertilizer leads to an immediate response. Low solubility Ca-Mg fertilizers (Ca-Mg lime) did not produce reactions until three years after the application. In the Ardennes, in a 40 yr old spruce stand suffering from severe Mg deficiency, a Ca and Ca-phosphate fertilization applied 5 yr before yellowing appeared had positive effects on crown density, discoloration and wood production. Conversely, a single N fertilization in this experiment, as well as in a young plantation in the Vosges, had a marked negative effect on Mg nutrition, even at low levels.     

A simplified procedure for terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the soil bacterial community to study the effects of pesticides on the soil microflora using 4,6-dinitroorthocresol as a test case

We have studied the structural effects of application to the soil of a potentially detrimental herbicide, 4,6-dinitroorthocresol (DNOC) by analysing amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) signatures of 16S rDNA fragments of culturable bacterial communities isolated from diluted soil suspensions. This approach has the potential to reveal changes induced by stressing the soil microflora with DNOC. This paper shows that, whereas only few changes of the ARDRA and T-RFLP profiles result from ageing of the soil, treatment of the soil with DNOC induces major modifications of these profiles. Therefore, for the practical purpose of pesticide registration, ARDRA and T-RFLP analysis performed on the dominant culturable fraction of the soil bacteria, implemented using conventional gel electrophoresis, offers the means of a routine, simple and meaningful test for detecting some of the changes affecting the structure of the soil microflora in response to pesticide application.