Mixed germ cell tumor in the eye of a dog.

A 3-year-old female neutered Staffordshire Bull Terrier presented with a mixed germ cell tumor involving the base of the iris and the ciliary body of the right eye. The tumor mass was composed primarily of packeted vacuolated, polygonal (hepatoid) cells and small round cells; epithelial cells lining tubuloacinar structures were a less prominent component. The hepatoid and round cells stained positively for alpha-fetoprotein and cytokeratin. The epithelial cells stained positively for cytokeratin only, and some contained cytoplasmic mucin droplets. The polygonal cells were interpreted as a hepatoid variant of yolk sac tumor, and the epithelial cells were considered a teratomatous component. Trabeculae of bone were observed within the mass and may have been metaplastic or a teratomatous element. Extragonadal germ cell tumors are rare in dogs and have previously been reported only in the suprasellar region. This is the first report of this tumor type in the eye of a nonhuman species.     

The responses of soil,litter and root carbon stocks to the conversion of forest regrowth to crop and tree production systems used by smallholder farmers in eastern Amazonia

The impact of substituting forests for smallholder agricultural production systems on soil carbon (C) stocks is not well understood in Brazilian Amazonia. Most surveys of soil C stocks are restricted to the top 30 cm of soil and do not include measurements of litter and root stocks. Here, we quantify the stocks of C in soil (0–100 cm depth), aboveground litter and coarse roots of traditional (slash‐and‐burn) and alternative (Schizolobium amazonicum‐planted forest and silvopastoral system) smallholder agricultural systems, which were compared with a reference area (forest regrowth) in the eastern Amazonia. The soil C stocks in the 0–100 cm layer were larger in the forest regrowth treatment (156.8 ± 15.5 Mg/ha) than in the other treatments (S. amazonicum = 85.3 ± 6.5, silvopastoral = 108.0 ± 4.4 Mg/ha) but did not differ from the soil C stock in the slash‐and‐burn treatment (127.2 ± 6.1 Mg/ha). The soil C stocks at the 0–30 cm layer, which represented 33–50% of the total C of the 0–100 cm layer, did not differ among the treatments. The litter C stocks were ranked in the following order: silvopastoral > forest regrowth > S. amazonicum > slash‐and‐burn. The forest regrowth treatment had a greater coarse root C stock (0.84 ± 0.10 Mg/ha) than the other treatments (silvopastoral = 0.28 ± 0.03, S. amazonicum = 0.18 ± 0.03, slash‐and‐burn = 0.27 ± 0.04 Mg/ha). Soil, litter and root C stocks were negatively impacted by the conversion of forest regrowth to cultivation systems.     

Management of a caseous lymphadenitis outbreak in a new Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) stock reservoir

Background

In 2010, an Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica) stock reservoir was established for conservation purposes in north-eastern Spain. Eighteen ibexes were captured in the wild and housed in a 17 hectare enclosure. Once in captivity, a caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) outbreak occurred and ibex handlings were carried out at six-month intervals between 2010 and 2013 to perform health examinations and sampling. Treatment with a bacterin-based autovaccine and penicillin G benzatine was added during the third and subsequent handlings, when infection by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was confirmed. Changes in lesion score, serum anti-C. pseudotuberculosis antibodies and haematological parameters were analyzed to assess captivity effects, disease emergence and treatment efficacy. Serum acute phase proteins (APP) Haptoglobin (Hp), Amyloid A (SAA) and Acid Soluble Glycoprotein (ASG) concentrations were also determined to evaluate their usefulness as indicators of clinical status.Once in captivity, 12 out of 14 ibexes (85.7%) seroconverted, preceding the emergence of clinical signs; moreover, TP, WBC, eosinophil and platelet cell counts increased while monocyte and basophil cell counts decreased. After treatment, casualties and fistulas disappeared and both packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration significantly increased. Hp, SAA and ASG values were under the limit of detection or showed no significant differences.

Conclusions

A role for captivity in contagion rate is suggested by the increase in antibody levels against C. pseudotuberculosis and the emergence of clinical signs. Although boosted by captivity, this is the first report of an outbreak of caseous lymphadenitis displaying high morbidity and mortality in wild ungulates. Treatment consisting of both vaccination and antibiotic therapy seemed to prevent mortality and alleviate disease severity, but was not reflected in the humoural response. Haematology and APP were not useful indicators in our study, perhaps due to the sampling frequency. Presumably endemic and irrelevant in the wild, this common disease of domestic small ruminants is complicating conservation efforts for the Iberian ibex in north-eastern Spain.     

Antiproliferative effect of Canavalia brasiliensis lectin on B16F10 cells

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins with the ability to link to carbohydrates at the cell surface in a specific and reversible manner. Studies have showed that lectins are demonstrate immunomodulatory and antitumor agents. This study aims to evaluate the effect of lectin extracted from the seeds of Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) on murine melanoma B16F10 cells by analyzing cell viability, apoptosis index, cell migration, production of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO). Results showed that ConBr was able to reduce cell viability and thwart apoptosis, which could be observed by decrease in cell migration. ConBr also induced NO and IL-12 synthesis. Altogether, these data demonstrate the potential of ConBr as a therapeutic agent for melanoma.     

Mouse models of tumor development in neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a prevalent familial cancer syndrome resulting from germ line mutations in the NF1 tumor suppressor gene. Hallmark features of the disease are the development of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors (neurofibromas), which can progress to malignancy. Unlike humans, mice that are heterozygous for a mutation in Nf1 do not develop neurofibromas. However, as described here, chimeric mice composed in part of Nf1-/- cells do, which demonstrates that loss of the wild-type Nf1 allele is rate-limiting in tumor formation. In addition, mice that carry linked germ line mutations in Nf1 and p53 develop malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), which supports a cooperative and causal role for p53 mutations in MPNST development. These two mouse models provide the means to address fundamental aspects of disease development and to test therapeutic strategies.     

An Exceptional Rainfall Event in the Central Western Pyrenees: Spatial Patterns in Discharge and Impact

An exceptional rainfall and hydrological event occurred on 19–21 October 2012 in the central western Pyrenees and was particularly significant in the Upper Aragón River basin and its tributaries, mainly the Irati River. Analysis of historical records showed that, considered separately, the event of 19 and 20 October ranked between the second and fifth highest most extreme daily precipitation events. For the two days combined (with a total between 200 and 260 mm), the precipitation event was the most extreme 2‐day event among all observation stations but one. The consequent flood destroyed part of an urban area, and a long stretch of a national road triggered landslides, enlarged the alluvial plain and caused generalised soil erosion in cultivated fields cropped with winter cereals. Badlands in the marls of the Inner Depression yielded high volumes of sediment. The floods in the tributaries were relatively moderate (return periods of 14–42 years), whereas in the Upper Aragón River, the flood corresponded to a return period of approximately 400–500 years and to 142 years at the end of the Yesa reservoir, although difficulties in estimating the discharge increased the uncertainty of these values. The Yesa and Itoiz reservoirs considerably reduced the intensity of the flood in the middle and lower Aragón River and confirmed the importance of the water level in the reservoirs when such rainfall events occur. The water storage in the Yesa reservoir increased from 16% to 53% as a consequence of the event. More integrated studies are necessary to decrease the risks associated with flood hazards. This is particularly the case in mountain areas, where the steep slopes and longitudinal gradients of the rivers shorten the concentration time of floods and increase the energy that erodes channels and riverbanks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tagging the juvenile locus in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] with molecular markers

Soybean cultivars carrying the `long juvenile trait' show a delayed flowering response under short day conditions. The incorporation of this character into genotypes of agronomic interest may allow a broader range of sowing dates and latitudes for a single cultivar adaptation. The objective of this work was to identify molecular markers linked to the juvenile locus in soybean. Experiments were carried out using two pairs of near isogenic lines(NILs) differing in the presence of the long juvenile trait, and RAPD markers. Four hundred primers were first screened to find polymorphism associated with the trait. Additional differences between NILs were sought by digesting the genomic DNA with five restriction enzymes. Polymorphic fragments detected between NILs were tested for linkage to the juvenile locus in the corresponding F₂ segregating populations. Marker bc357-HaeIII was linked (χ²L = 46.316) to the juvenile locus with an estimated recombination frequency of 0.13 ± 0.03in one of the genetic backgrounds studied. The fragment was cloned, sequenced and converted into a SCAR marker. Moreover,bc357-HaeIII was used as RFLP probe. Both, SCAR and RFLP generated markers linked to the juvenile locus in the two genetic backgrounds analysed. Results presented in this work can be utilised for both, the localisation of the gene associated with the character and for tagging the juvenile trait in soybean breeding programs. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Six cycles of selection for adaptation in two exotic populations of maize

Summary The maturity rating of maize (Zea mays L.) grown in Galicia (Northwestern Spain) varies from FAO 200 to 600. Later germplasm has usually too much moisture content in the kernel at normal harvesting time so serious problems with storing could appear. Besides, farmers have tended to use earlier varieties in the last few years. All this imposes limitations on the amount of germplasm available to develop varieties adapted to this area.To study the possibility of adapting late, exotic material to the environment of the Atlantic coast of Galicia we carried out six cycles of individual selection on two non-adapted populations of maize (Purdue A and Purdue B). The criterion of selection was early silking and the criterion of response was moisture content of kernel at harvesting.The original populations and the populations obtained after each cycle of selection were crossed to the hybrids CM105 × CM109 (tester Reid) and H99 × H95 (tester Lancaster) and were evaluated in four environments to study the efficiency of the selection scheme. There were significant reductions in days to silking (6.1 and 6.7 days from cycle 0 to cycle 6 for Purdue A and Purdue B, respectively) and grain moisture at harvesting (3.0 and 3.9% from cycle 0 to cycle 6 for Purdue A and Purdue B, respectively). There were also reductions in plant height and yield in both populations.In general, the crosses population × Lancaster were higher for yield than the crosses population × Reid. Yield of the population crosses by both testers decreased after the six cycles of selection probably because of the earlier maturity of the selected populations. Some inbreeding depression may also have occurred.