The emergence of Schmallenberg virus across Culicoides communities and ecosystems in Europe

Schmallenberg virus (SBV), a novel arboviral pathogen, has emerged and spread across Europe since 2011 inflicting congenital deformities in the offspring of infected adult ruminants. Several species of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) have been implicated in the transmission of SBV through studies conducted in northern Europe. In this study Culicoides from SBV outbreak areas of mainland France and Italy (Sardinia) were screened for viral RNA. The role of both C. obsoletus and the Obsoletus complex (C. obsoletus and C. scoticus) in transmission of SBV were confirmed in France and SBV was also discovered in a pool of C. nubeculosus for the first time, implicating this species as a potential vector. While collections in Sardinia were dominated by C. imicola, only relatively small quantities of SBV RNA were detected in pools of this species and conclusive evidence of its potential role in transmission is required.     

A simple stem taper model with mixed effects for boreal black spruce

We simplified Kozak’s taper model by setting the inflection point at 1.3 m (dbh) without losing accuracy and precision. The simplification was required to facilitate the estimation of the covariance parameters when using a mixed-effects method. This method was necessary to take into account the correlation among multiple diameter measurements on an individual stem. The simple stem taper model was fitted to an extended data set collected across the province of Quebec, Canada. Comparison of the predicted stem taper and the derived stem volume with those obtained using existing models showed a comparable predictive power for the simple model. Including a prediction of the tree random effects based on supplementary diameter measurements of the bole improves the predictive ability of the model around the extra diameter observation. This model offers welcome simplicity as a means of predicting tree taper at coarse resolution for planning tree harvesting.     

Short term effects of alternative silvicultural treatments on stand attributes in irregular balsam fir-black spruce stands

The eastern Canadian boreal forest exhibits a specific disturbance regime where forest fires are less frequent than in the western part. This particularity may explain the abundance of irregular stands with distinct ecological features. To ensure sustainable forest management, these characteristics require the implementation of an adapted silviculture regime. In this context, two selection cutting methods were developed and compared with more conventional techniques, initially designed for cutting more regular stands of the boreal forest (cutting leaving small merchantable stems, careful logging preserving advance regeneration). The comparison focused on the capacity of treatments to maintain the primary attributes of irregular boreal forests, including complex vertical structure, abundant tree cover, species composition, and an abundance of dead wood. Mortality and regeneration processes were also compared.     

Immediate impacts of partial cutting strategies on stand characteristics and value

This study evaluated the impacts of partial cutting on stand characteristics, product recovery, and financial return in mature black spruce-balsam fir stands in Quebec. Four harvesting strategies (clearcut with advance growth protection, irregular shelterwood cutting leaving small merchantable stems, and two patterns of selection cutting) were each applied four times in 20 ha harvest blocks representing irregular black spruce-balsam fir stands. Before the four harvesting strategies were applied, there were no significant differences in stand characteristics (i.e., quadratic mean DBH, basal area, and merchantable stem volume) or expected product recoveries (i.e., lumber volume and value, chip volume and value, and total product recovery) estimated using the Optitek sawing simulation package. There was no significant difference in stand characteristics or product recovery values of the harvested stems between the selection cutting approaches (p > 0.05). However, significant differences in stand characteristics and product recovery values of the harvested stems existed between these treatments and both of the two other treatments. After cutting, the two selection cutting treatments had the lowest impacts on stand characteristics, as compared to the two other treatments. The selection cutting approach which used temporary skidding trails and where cutting was initially concentrated over half of the stand resulted in the highest benefit/cost ratio, relatively high net income and high total product value of residual trees.     

Diversity in the chemical composition and digestibility of leaves from fifty woody species in temperate areas

Agroforestry Systems - In temperate regions, tree leaves could be a source of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals for ruminants. Our objective was to study the diversity in chemical composition...     

Disposition and metabolic profiling of bisphenol F in pregnant and nonpregnant rats

The distribution of bisphenol F (4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl-methane, BPF) was studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Pregnant and nonpregnant animals were gavaged with a single dose of 7 or 100 mg/kg [3H]BPF and were kept for 96 h in metabolic cages. The excretion of BPF residues occurred mainly in urine (43-54% of the administered dose), which was found to contain at least six different metabolites, and to a lesser extent in feces (15-20% of the administered dose). Sulfatase treatment and subsequent high-performance liquid chromatography analyses suggest that the major urinary metabolite (more than 50% of the radioactivity present in urine) is a sulfate conjugate of BPF. At 96 h, BPF residues were detectable in all tissues examined with the largest amounts in the liver (0.5% of the dose). In pregnant rats dosed at day 17 of gestation, BPF residues were detected in the uterus, placenta, amniotic fluid, and fetuses (0.9-1.3% of the administered dose). Large amounts of radioactivity (8-10% of the dose) were still located in the digestive tract lumen at the end of the study. After administration of a single oral dose of [3H]BPF, 46% of the distributed radioactivity was excreted in bile over a 6 h period. In rats, BPF and/or its metabolites very likely undergo enterohepatic cycling, which could be responsible for the relatively high amounts of residues still excreted 4 days after BPF administration. This bisphenol is efficiently absorbed and distributed to the reproductive tract in female rats, and its residues pass the placental barrier at a late stage of gestation in rats.     

Effect of temperature and oxygen on the activity of microsomal oleyl-coenzyme A desaturase of potato tubers

Summary To check if the oxygen concentration in the cell medium-higher at low temperatures-is a factor regulating the synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the effects of temperature and oxygen concentration were studied in vitro on the activity of the microsomal oleyl-coenzyme A desaturase of potato tubers. The highest activity of this enzyme was observed at 30° C, and not at low temperatures, and at an oxygen concentration of about 20%. These results suggest that the above hypothesis is not valid for the potato tuber cell.

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Zusammenfassung Um zu prüfen. ob die Sauerstoffkonzentration in der Zelle-bei niedriger Temperatur h?herein regulierender Faktor bei der Synthese der mehrfach unges?ttigten Fetts?uren ist, wurde der Einfluss der Temperatur und der Sauerstoffkonzentration auf die Aktivit?t der mikrosomalen Oleyl-coenzym A Desaturase der Kartoffelknollen in vitro untersucht. Die h?chste Aktivit?t des Enzyms wurde bei einer Temperatur von 30°C gefunden und nicht bei tieferen Temperaturen (Abb. 1) und bei einer Konzentration von ca. 20% Sauerstoff (Abb. 2). Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die angeführte Hypothese im Falle der Kartoffelknollen nicht zutrifft.

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Résumé Pour vérifier si l'hypothèse selon laquelle la concentration en oxygène du milieu cellulaire-plus élevée à basse température-est un facteur régulant la synthèse des acides gras polyinsaturés, les effets de la température et de la concentration en oxygène sur l'activité de l'oléyl-coenzyme A désaturase microsomale du tubercule de pomme de terre ont été étudiés in vitro. L'activité la plus élevée de l'enzyme est observée pour la température de 30°C et non à basse température (Fig. 1) et pour une concentration en oxygène d'environ 20% (Fig. 2). Ces résultats suggèrent que l'hypothèse exposée plus haut n'est pas valable dans le cas du tubercule de pomme de terre.

     

Two new benzylbenzoate glucosides from Curculigo orchioides

An extract from in vitro cultures of Curculigo orchioides grown as bulbils in shake flasks, afforded two new glucosides of substituted benzylbenzoate - curculigoside C (3) and curculigoside D (4) - together with two known compounds - curculigoside A (1) and curculigoside B (2). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence, in particular by using 2D NMR methods. Their vasoactive properties were assessed in isolated rat aortic rings.     

Bartonella and Rickettsia in arthropods from the Lao PDR and from Borneo, Malaysia

Rickettsioses and bartonelloses are arthropod-borne diseases of mammals with widespread geographical distributions. Yet their occurrence in specific regions, their association with different vectors and hosts and the infection rate of arthropod-vectors with these agents remain poorly studied in South-east Asia. We conducted entomological field surveys in the Lao PDR (Laos) and Borneo, Malaysia by surveying fleas, ticks, and lice from domestic dogs and collected additional samples from domestic cows and pigs in Laos. Rickettsia felis was detected by real-time PCR with similar overall flea infection rate in Laos (76.6%, 69/90) and Borneo (74.4%, 268/360). Both of the encountered flea vectors Ctenocephalides orientis and Ctenocephalides felis felis were infected with R. felis. The degrees of similarity of partial gltA and ompA genes with recognized species indicate the rickettsia detected in two Boophilus spp. ticks collected from a cow in Laos may be a new species. Isolation and further characterization will be necessary to specify it as a new species. Bartonella clarridgeiae was detected in 3/90 (3.3%) and 2/360 (0.6%) of examined fleas from Laos and Borneo, respectively. Two fleas collected in Laos and one flea collected in Borneo were co-infected with both R. felis and B. clarridgeiae. Further investigations are needed in order to isolate these agents and to determine their epidemiology and aetiological role in unknown fever in patients from these areas.     

Evaluation of beta3-adrenoceptor-mediated relaxation in intact and endotoxin-treated equine digital veins

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the functional expression of beta3-adrenoceptors (beta3-ARs) in equine digital veins (EDVs) and to examine whether beta3-AR relaxation was altered in EDVs incubated with endotoxin. SAMPLE POPULATION: Forelimbs obtained from 30 horses. PROCEDURE: Forelimbs were obtained from horses in an abattoir. Equine digital veins were carefully removed from distal portions of the forelimbs. Rings of dissected EDVs were mounted in 5-mL organ baths to record isometric tension in the presence of various beta3-AR agonists (SR 58611A, ZD 2079, and ZM 215001). RESULTS: In intact EDVs, isoprenaline, SR 58611A, ZD 2079, and ZM 215001 induced concentration-dependent relaxation. Isoprenaline and SR 58611A-induced relaxations were reduced or unaffected by nadolol, respectively. In intact EDVs, SR 58611A-induced relaxation was significantly reduced in the presence of 2 microM ZM 215001 (used as a beta3-AR antagonist). In endothelium-denuded EDVs or intact EDVs in the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, isoprenaline and SR 58611A-induced relaxations were significantly decreased. The endothelium-independent relaxation to SR 58611A was significantly inhibited in the presence of ZM 215001. In endotoxin-treated EDV, isoprenaline- and SR 58611A-induced relaxations were significantly reduced. In these conditions, cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor) and ibuprofen (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) restored the relaxant response to SR 58611A. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Beta3-adrenoceptors are functionally expressed in EDVs. Incubation in the presence of endotoxin, used as an in vitro model of laminitis, induced an alteration of beta-AR-mediated relaxations in EDVs, which could be the consequence of cyclooxygenase induction and subsequent prostanoid production.