IMAGING DIAGNOSIS–SCLEROSING ENCAPSULATING PERITONITIS IN A DOG

An approximately 5‐month‐old American Staffordshire terrier was presented with a history of recurrent peritoneal effusion. Abdominal radiographs and ultrasound showed a loculated effusion in the ventral abdomen with dorsal displacement of abdominal organs, hepatomegaly and rounding of liver and splenic margins. Computed tomography demonstrated centrally located gastrointestinal segments surrounded by a thin soft tissue band and a thickened peritoneal lining. At necropsy a fibrous membrane continuous with liver and splenic capsules encapsulated all abdominal organs. Microscopically the abdominal wall and fibrous capsule consisted of an irregular thick layer of hypocellular connective tissue. The final diagnosis was sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis.     

Invertebrate diversity associated with a shallow rhodolith bed in the Mediterranean Sea (Mar Piccolo of Taranto,south-east Italy)

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Chronic toxicity of unresolved complex mixtures (UCM) of hydrocarbons in marine sediments

Background, Aim and Scope  Unresolved complex mixtures (UCM) of hydrocarbons, containing many thousands of compounds which cannot be resolved by conventional gas chromatography (GC), are common contaminants of sediments but little is known of their potential to affect sediment-dwelling organisms. Evidence exists for reduced health status in mussels, arising from aqueous exposure to aromatic UCM components acting through a narcotic mode of action. However, UCM contaminants in sediments may not be sufficiently bioavailable to elicit toxic effects. The aim of our study was therefore to measure the sublethal effects of chronic exposure to model UCM-dominated oils at environmentally realistic concentrations and compare this to effects produced by a UCM containing weathered crude oil. A further aim was to determine which, if any, fractions of the oils were responsible for any observed toxicity. Materials and Methods  Whole oils were spiked into estuarine sediment to give nominal concentrations of 500 μg g⁻¹ dry weight. Juveniles of the estuarine amphipod Corophium volutator were exposed to the contaminated sediment for 35 days and their survival, growth rate and reproductive success quantified. Using an effect-directed fractionation approach, the oils were fractionated into aliphatic and two aromatic fractions by open column chromatography and their toxicity assessed by further chronic exposures using juvenile C. volutator. Results  The growth rates of amphipods were reduced following exposure to the oils although this was only statistically significant for the weathered oil; reproductive success was reduced by all oil exposures. Sediment spiked with UCM fractions also caused reduced growth and reproduction but no particular fraction was found to be responsible for the observed toxicity. Survivorship was not affected by any oil or fraction. Discussion  The study showed that chronic exposure to sediments contaminated by UCM-dominated oils could have population level effects on amphipods. The observed effects could not be explained by hydrocarbons resolved by conventional GC and effects were similar for both UCM-dominated and weathered oils. All of the fractions appeared to contribute to the observed effects; this is in contrast to previous research which had shown that an aliphatic UCM did not cause adverse effects in mussels. Conclusions  To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate population-level effects arising from exposure to sediments contaminated by realistic environmental concentrations of UCM hydrocarbons. The results are consistent with many compounds, at very low individual concentrations, contributing towards the overall observed toxicity. Recommendations  Risk assessments of contaminated sediments should take into account the contribution towards the potential for toxic effects from UCM hydrocarbons. Studies into sediment contamination should report both aliphatic and aromatic UCM concentrations to aid risk assessments. ESS-Submission Editor: Henner Hollert (hollert@uni-heidelberg.de) This paper has been developed from a presentation at SETAC Europe 16^th Annual Meeting 2006 held at the The Hague, The Netherlands.     

New Insights Into the Role of Gluten on Durum Pasta Quality Using Reconstitution Method

The effects of varying the gluten composition at constant protein, protein content at constant composition, and glutenin‐to‐gliadin (glu/gli) ratio on durum semolina rheological properties and the quality of the spaghetti derived from these doughs was investigated using the reconstitution method. Reconstituted flours were built up from a common durum starch and water‐soluble fraction but with varying gluten types from a range of wheats at both 12 and 9% total protein. A 10‐g mixograph and microextensigraph properties were affected by the source of the gluten, which was related to glutenin composition and polymeric molecular weight distribution. Cooked pasta firmness was highly correlated to mixograph development time (MDDT). Furthermore, varying the protein content (9–20%) showed an increase in mixograph peak resistance (PR) with no effect on extensigraph Rmax. Pasta firmness increased and stickiness decreased with increasing protein content. In another experiment, the glutenin and gliadin fractions isolated from durum wheat were added to the respective base semolina to investigate the effect of varying the glu/gli ratio by 1.3–1.6 fold. Increasing the ratio increased MDDT but had no effect on PR and resistance breakdown. Variable effects were obtained for spaghetti firmness. The information obtained should prove useful to durum breeders by providing further evidence for the importance of protein to pasta quality.     

Oxygenation and plasma endothelin‐1 concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse‐delivered inhaled nitric oxide

ObjectiveTo assess oxygenation, ventilation‐perfusion (V/Q) matching and plasma endothelin (ET‐1) concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse‐delivered inhaled nitric oxide (iNO).Study DesignProspective experimental trial.AnimalsHealthy adult Standardbred horses.MethodsHorses were anaesthetized with isoflurane in oxygen and placed in lateral recumbency. Six control (C group) horses were anaesthetized without iNO delivery and six horses received pulse‐delivered iNO (NO group). After 2.5 hours of anaesthesia isoflurane and iNO were abruptly discontinued, inhaled oxygen was reduced from 100% to approximately 30%, and the horses were moved to the recovery stall. At intervals during a 30‐minute period following the discontinuation of anaesthesia, arterial and mixed venous blood gas values, shunt fraction (Qs/Qt), plasma ET‐1 concentration, pulse rate and respiratory rate were measured or calculated. Repeated measures anova and a Bonferroni post hoc test was used to analyze data with significance set at p <0.05.ResultsAt all time points in the recovery period, NO horses maintained better arterial oxygenation (oxygen partial pressure: NO 13.2 ± 2.7–11.1 ± 2.7 versus C 6.7 ± 1.1–7.1 ± 1.1 kPa) and better V/Q matching (Qs/Qt NO 0.23 ± 0.05–0.14 ± 0.06 versus C 0.48 ± 0.03–0.32 ± 0.08%) than C horses. Mixed venous oxygenation was higher in NO for 25 minutes following the discontinuation of anaesthesia (NO 6.3 ± 0.2–4.5 ± 0.07 versus C 4.7 ± 0.6–3.7 ± 0.3 kPa). In both groups of horses arterial oxygenation remained fairly stable; venous oxygenation declined over this time period in the NO group but still remained higher than venous oxygen in the C group. ET‐1 concentrations were higher at most time points in C than NO. Changes in other parameters were either minor or absent.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceDelivery of iNO to healthy horses during anaesthesia results in better arterial and venous oxygenation and V/Q matching (as determined by lower Qs/Qt) and lower ET‐1 concentrations throughout a 30‐minute anaesthetic recovery period.     

Environmental and genetic effects on yield and secondary metabolite production in Brassica rapa crops

Twelve Brassica rapa varieties grown, such as turnip green and turnip top, were evaluated in seven environments to determine the environmental and genotypic variables that have an influence on crop production and on the content of glucosinolates and phenolic compounds. Factorial regression analysis showed that, in general, crop production was favored by high temperatures all along the crop cycle. However, the lack of a period of intense cold could be a limiting factor. The metabolite content seems to be regulated by extreme temperatures (daily maximum and minimum temperatures) rather than by average daily temperatures. With regard to genotypic covariables, turnip top production was significantly affected by traits related to the vegetative development and time to flowering. Meanwhile, turnip green production was largely affected by a sinapoyl derivative compound, which is a precursor of cell wall components. Cross-talk between glucosinolate biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid signaling pathways is suggested.     

Corn nitrogen management using NDVI and SPAD sensor-based data under conventional vs. reduced tillage systems

Present analyses to calculate nitrogen fertilizer recommendations are time consuming and costly. Therefore, a field study determining the efficiency of SPAD and NDVI meters to calculate soil N deficiency and guide fertilizer application timing and rate was completed. Reduced vs. conventional tillage at various N application rates was studied. Regardless of tillage system, both NDVI and SPAD were able to detect N deficiency at early growth stages, however, SPAD measurements better reflected plant N status regarding N application rates. A modified Michaelis-Menten model was used to illustrate the relationship between N rates and grain yield, as well as grain N content and leaf N content, and both showed acceptable goodness of fit. Grain yield under reduced tillage was significantly higher than that of conventional tillage. The combination of leaf nitrogen, SPAD, and NDVI data may become a tool to manage corn field nitrogen status and predict grain yield.     

Effect of different salts of sodium and potassium on the growth of Atriplex prostrata (Chenopodiaceae)

Although there are a variety of ions occurring in the soil throughout most of North America, the majority of halophyte literature focuses on the effects of NaCl on plants. In this study, a comparison is made of the effects of NaCl, KC1, Na₂SO₄, and K₂SO₄, on growth of the halophyte Atriplex prostrata Boucher ex DC (SYN: A. triangularis Willd.) at 0, ‐0.75, ‐1.00, and ‐1.50 MPa. Plant survival, height, number of leaves, nodes, and branches were recorded weekly. Photosynthesis was measured once before plants were harvested and dry mass was determined after one month. Content of Na⁺, K⁺,‐Mg²⁺, and Cl^‐ in plant tissue was also measured. A general trend observed was that all plant growth parameters decreased with a lowering of the medium osmotic potential, and that K⁺ salts were more inhibitory than Na⁺ salts. Ion content of plant tissue generally increased with a lowering of osmotic potential. Our data indicated that K⁺, a plant macronutrient, was more inhibitory to plant growth than Na⁺. It is possible that halophytes such as Atriplex prostrata could use Na⁺ as an osmoticum to adjust the vacuolar water potential, but were unable to use K⁺ for this function because of a specific ion toxicity. The inhibitory effect of salt on plant growth parameters and survival follow the pattern; K₂SO₄ >KCl>Na₂SO₄=NaCl.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Functional Genetic Screens for the Identification of Bioactive Metabolites

A common limitation for the identification of novel activities from functional (meta) genomic screens is the low number of active clones detected relative to the number of clones screened. Here we demonstrate that constructing libraries with strains known to produce bioactives can greatly enhance the screening efficiency, by increasing the “hit-rate” and unmasking multiple activities from the same bacterial source.     

Marine Compounds with Therapeutic Potential in Gram-Negative Sepsis

This paper concerns the potential use of compounds, including lipid A, chitosan, and carrageenan, from marine sources as agents for treating endotoxemic complications from Gram-negative infections, such as sepsis and endotoxic shock. Lipid A, which can be isolated from various species of marine bacteria, is a potential antagonist of bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharide (LPSs)). Chitosan is a widespread marine polysaccharide that is derived from chitin, the major component of crustacean shells. The potential of chitosan as an LPS-binding and endotoxin-neutralizing agent is also examined in this paper, including a discussion on the generation of hydrophobic chitosan derivatives to increase the binding affinity of chitosan to LPS. In addition, the ability of carrageenan, which is the polysaccharide of red alga, to decrease the toxicity of LPS is discussed. We also review data obtained using animal models that demonstrate the potency of carrageenan and chitosan as antiendotoxin agents.