Extranodal γδ-T-cell lymphoma in a dog with leishmaniasis

Abstract: An 8-year-old intact male mongrel dog with alopecia and weight loss was referred to the Veterinary Faculty of Naples. The dog had pale mucous membranes, enlarged prescapular lymph nodes, and splenomegaly. Laboratory abnormalities included anemia, thrombocytopenia, and hyperglobulinemia. Bone marrow aspirate smears contained numerous Leishmania amastigotes and an immunofluorescent antibody titer was strongly positive (1:1280) for leishmaniasis. The dog was treated with a combination of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol for 60 days and showed clinical improvement. Two months after the end of treatment the dog was again referred because of relapse of leishmaniasis and the presence of a firm subcutaneous mass on the medial right thigh. Based on cytologic examination of fine needle aspirates of the mass, a diagnosis of large-cell lymphoma was made. Flow cytometry of tumor cells revealed γδ-T-cell lymphoma with a CD5+, CD3+, TCRγδ+, CD4−, CD8−, CD45RA+ immunophenotype. Using nested PCR, amastigotes were not detected in the neoplastic tissue. An association between leishmaniasis and hematopoietic tumors has been described rarely. γδ-T cells may be involved in the host response to this parasite, and prolonged antigenic stimulation and chronic immunosuppression (typical of leishmaniasis) play a crucial role in the etiopathogenesis of T-cell lymphoma.     

Can a golf course support biodiversity and ecosystem services? The landscape context matter

Landscape Ecology - In the last 30 years, the number of golf courses has increased dramatically worldwide. Since no other sport occupies and manages such large areas of green space, landscape...     

Compensatory growth and digestive enzyme activity of Litopenaeus vannamei submitted to feeding restriction in a biofloc system

Feeding restriction is a strategy in shrimp farming management that may promote compensatory growth after feeding is re‐established. This study aims to evaluate the effects of two feeding restriction regimens on the compensatory growth and digestive enzymes activity of Litopenaeus vannamei reared in biofloc system. Juvenile shrimp (0.46 ± 0.18 g) were stocked (320 individuals/m³) in 310 L tanks. The experiment comprised two phases: (a) Feeding Restriction (30 days) when shrimp were submitted to three feeding regimes, Control (fed daily), R1F1 (repetitively fasted one day and fed one day) and R2F1 (repetitively fasted 2 days and fed 1 day); and (b) Refeeding (28 days) when shrimp were fed daily. In the restriction phase, shrimp growth and digestive enzyme activities were reduced in R2F1 and R1F1. However, during the refeeding phase, enzyme activities and feed conversion improve significantly in R2F1 and R1F1. Control group attained higher final weight, but its final biomass was similar to R1F1. Litopenaeus vannamei exhibited partial compensatory growth, probably due to improved feed conversion efficiency driven by increased enzyme activity. It is possible to reduce feeding by 50% (R1F1) in biofloc systems for 28 days, without compromising the biomass produced at the end of a 30‐day refeeding period.     

High-Throughput Screening of a Marine Compound Library Identifies Anti-Cryptosporidium Activity of Leiodolide A

Cryptosporidium sp. are apicomplexan parasites that cause significant morbidity and possible mortality in humans and valuable livestock. There are no drugs on the market that are effective in the population most severely affected by this parasite. This study is the first high-throughput screen for potent anti-Cryptosporidium natural products sourced from a unique marine compound library. The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University has a collection of diverse marine organisms some of which have been subjected to medium pressure liquid chromatography to create an enriched fraction library. Numerous active compounds have been discovered from this library, but it has not been tested against Cryptosporidium parvum. A high-throughput in vitro growth inhibition assay was used to test 3764 fractions in the library, leading to the identification of 23 fractions that potently inhibited the growth of Cryptosporidium parvum. Bioassay guided fractionation of active fractions from a deep-sea sponge, Leiodermatium sp., resulted in the purification of leiodolide A, the major active compound in the organism. Leiodolide A displayed specific anti-Cryptosporidium activity at a half maximal effective concentration of 103.5 nM with selectivity indexes (SI) of 45.1, 11.9, 19.6 and 14.3 for human ileocecal colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (HCT-8), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep G2), human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and green monkey kidney cells (Vero), respectively. The unique structure of leiodolide A provides a valuable drug scaffold on which to develop new anti-Cryptosporidium compounds and supports the importance of screening natural product libraries for new chemical scaffolds.     

Sperm vitrification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Litopenaeus vannamei</Emphasis>: effect of cryoprotectant solutions on sperm viability and spawning quality after artificial insemination

Vitrification is a fast freezing method with promising results for penaeids sperm cryopreservation. This study evaluated the efficiency of three cryoprotectant solutions for sperm vitrification and artificial insemination with cryopreserved spermatophores of Litopenaeus vannamei. The cryoprotectant solutions tested were 30% methanol, 2% soy lecithin, and 30% methanol?+?2% soy lecithin. Fully mature females were artificially inseminated with vitrified and fresh spermatophores as a control group. The vitrification method was efficient in maintaining high rates of sperm survival and membrane integrity. Although the egg fertilization was successfully attained by artificial insemination with cryopreserved spermatophores, low hatching rates suggested that possible DNA fragmentation of sperm cells should be further investigated. This is the first report of artificial insemination using vitrified sperm in penaeids.     

Soil organic carbon stock assessment for the different cropland land uses in Italy

The aim of this work was to quantify the soil organic C (SOC) stock in the top 30 cm of mineral soil for the whole Italian territory, according to the different land use types of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cropland category (arable land, agroforestry, vineyards, olive groves, orchards and rice fields), as a basis for future land use scenarios and to address mitigation policy at country level. A database for SOC stock was created with the data from the national project denominated SIAS and partly from regional map reports. All data were referred to the year 2000 since they were derived from surveys conducted from 1995 to 2005. The data were stratified according to the Italian climatic regions, the landscape position and the IPCC cropland subcategories. Taking into account the uncertainty in the estimate, the mean SOC stock values of the different subcategories show significant differences (p < 0.05) among climatic regions and landscapes, ranging from 41.9 ± 15.9 Mg C ha⁻¹ in the vineyards to 63.3 ± 27.9 Mg C ha⁻¹ in the rice fields. Generally, a small decrease of the SOC stock from the temperate regions toward the Mediterranean ones is observed. Taking into account the mean value of each subcategory and the country area they occupied in 2000, the total C stored in the upper 30 cm of soil was estimated at 490.0 ± 121.7 Tg C. The resulting estimate represents the 17% of the value reported by another study for the soil of the whole country down to 50 cm depth, suggesting the importance of preserving this large C pool. Considering the cropland category as a whole, the estimated mean SOC stock is 52.1 ± 17.4 Mg C ha⁻¹, similar to that reported for other European countries, 50–60 Mg C ha⁻¹. In conclusion, the assessment of the mean SOC stock of the different cropland land uses, landscape position and climate regions could notably help when assessing the impact of different agricultural practices and future stock change evaluation.     

Methods for assessing the toxicity of herbicides to submersed aquatic plants

A new test design for the non-axenic submergent aquatic macrophytes Elodea canadensis Michx. and Myriophyllum spicatum L. has been developed for potential use in herbicide toxicity testing. For the non-axenic cultures, the best growth conditions were observed in the Elendt-M4 medium in which no growth of algae or bacteria was observed. Cuttings were placed in beakers containing only the artificial M4 medium or were planted in small beakers containing OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) sediment (5% peat, 75% sand, 20% kaolinite), which were then placed in larger vessels with the M4 medium. The plants were observed for main and secondary shoot length, biomass and root formation within 2-3 weeks of planting. Growth rates were calculated for total plant length and biomass. The variance between the replicates was low throughout the experiment [coefficient of variation (CV) < 26% for total plant length, and between 16 and 40% for biomass]. Relative growth rates based on total plant length were determined as 0.028 and 0.050 per day for M. spicatum in the systems containing M4 medium only and medium plus sediment respectively. Similar results were observed for E. canadensis, with relative growth rates of 0.26 and 0.073 per day in the two test systems. The root-shoot ratio at harvest was greater by a factor of 2-3 for E. canadensis in the M4 medium than in the system containing sediment. However, comparable ratios were observed for M. spicatum in the two test systems. Both growth in total plant length and growth in biomass of the two species have potential as measures of toxicity.     

Molecular identification,morphological characterization and new insights into the ecology of larval Pseudoterranova cattani in fishes from the Argentine coast with its differentiation from the Antarctic species,P. decipiens sp. E (Nematoda: Anisakidae)

Larvae of the genus Pseudoterranova constitute a risk for human health when ingested through raw or undercooked fish. They can provoke pseudoterranovosis in humans, a fish-borne zoonotic disease whose pathogenicity varies with the species involved, making their correct specific identification a necessary step in the knowledge of this zoonosis. Larvae of Pseudoterranova decipiens s.l. have been reported in several fish species from off the Argentine coasts; however, there are no studies dealing with their specific identification in this region. Here, a genetic identification and morphological characterization of larval Pseudoterranova spp. from three fish species sampled from Argentine waters and from Notothenia coriiceps from Antarctic waters was carried out. Larvae were sequenced for their genetic/molecular identification, including the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (mtDNA cox2), the first (ITS-1) and the second (ITS-2) internal transcribed spacers of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, and compared with all species of the P. decipiens (sensu lato) species complex (sequences available in GenBank). Further, adults of Pseudoterranova spp. from the definitive host, the southern sea lion, Otaria flavescens, from Argentine and Chilean coasts were sequenced at the same genes. The sequences obtained at the ITS-1 and ITS-2 genes from all the larvae examined from fish of Argentine waters, as well as the adult worms, matched 100% the sequences for the species P. cattani. The sequences obtained at mtDNA cox2 gene for Antarctic larvae matched 99% those available in GenBank for the sibling P. decipiens sp. E. Both MP and BI phylogenetic trees strongly supported P. cattani and P. decipiens sp. E as two distinct phylogenetic lineages and depicted the species P. decipiens sp. E as sister taxon to the remaining taxa of the P. decipiens complex. Larval morphometry was similar between specimens of P. cattani from Argentina, but significantly different from those of P. decipiens sp. E, indicating that larval forms can be distinguished based on their morphology. Pseudoterranova cattani is common and abundant in a variety of fish species from Chile, whereas few host species harbour these larvae in Argentina where they show low levels of parasitism. This pattern could arise from a combination of factors, including environmental conditions, density and dietary preferences of definitive hosts and life-cycle pathways of the parasite. Finally, this study revealed that the life-cycle of P. cattani involves mainly demersal and benthic organisms, with a marked preference by large-sized benthophagous fish.     

Genetic variability of Lizard canary breed inferred from pedigree analysis

The genealogical data of 471 (whole population: WP) Lizard canaries of an Italian breeder were analyzed to evaluate the genetic variability of the breed. The reference population (RP) comprised 346 living reproductive birds. Average generation interval was 1.61 ± 0.718 for males and 1.72 ± 0.863 for females. The average value of inbreeding (F) and relatedness (AR) in the RP were 15.83% and 22.63%, while the average increase in inbreeding was estimated to be 6.71% per generation (effective population size = 7.49). The results showed the need to reduce the level of inbreeding which would result in significant loss of genetic variation and in significant inbreeding depression.