Intraocular signet-ring cell melanoma in a hamster (Cricetulus griseus)

A two‐and‐a‐half year‐old male Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) was referred for evaluation of an intraorbital mass involving the right eye. Based on ophthalmic examination and ultrasonography, a diagnosis of intraocular neoplasia was made. Enucleation of the affected eye was performed. The mass was histologically diagnosed as a primary malignant intraocular signet‐ring cell melanoma. No signs of recurrence were detected, and the hamster remained clinically healthy until it died 6 months after surgery. This case report attempts to contribute to the limited body of knowledge available in the literature on primary intraocular neoplasms in hamsters.     

Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein, chymosin and pepsinogen immunoreactivity of proteins extracted from fetal gastric tissue in bovine species

The objective of this work was to investigate the expression of gastric aspartic proteinases in fundic and pyloric mucosa removed from bovine fetuses. For this purpose, fractions issued from classical biochemical protocols were analyzed by proteolytic method, by PAG-RIA and by Western blot with the use of antisera raised against both pepsinogens and PAG. A strong reaction of proteins extracted from the fundic mucosa collected at the beginning of pregnancy was revealed with both anti-bPAG-I and anti-bPAG-II antisera, suggesting the expression of pepsinogen F in bovine species. Concerning pyloric mucosa, the analysis by Western blot highlighted a very strong immunoreaction with the anti-bovine chymosin serum. Amino-terminal sequencing allowed to identify bovine fetuin and albumin in fundic extracts, chymosin in the pyloric mucosa extracts, as well as some unknown proteins in both mucosa. Despite no N-terminal microsequence corresponding to the hypothetical pepsinogen F could be identified, it cannot be excluded that an existing bovine pepsinogen F-like molecule could be degraded during the purification procedure or that co-purified proteins could be responsible for masking its N-terminal microsequence.     

High value triterpenic compounds from the outer barks of several Eucalyptus species cultivated in Brazil and in Portugal

The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of the inner and outer bark fractions of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urograndis (E. grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla) cultivated in Brazil and Eucalyptus maidenii, cultivated in Portugal was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The extracts were shown to be mainly composed of triterpenic compounds (along with mono and sesquiterpenes in E. maidenii) followed smaller amounts of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and aromatic compounds.Triterpenic acids (mainly ursolic, betulinic and oleanolic acids), are particularly abundant in outer barks representing 5.2 g/kg, 5.7 g/kg and 9.3 g/kg in E. urograndis, E. grandis and E. maidenii outer barks, respectively. Although these compounds were found in considerably smaller amounts than those previously reported for Eucalyptus globulus, the total amounts of bark generated every year in South American pulp mills using E. urograndis and E. grandis, as well as the growth potential of E. maidenii plantations, the bark residues from these species are obvious candidates for the extraction of valuable triterpenic compounds.     

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic assessment of marine cyanobacteria - Synechocystis and Synechococcus

Aqueous extracts and organic solvent extracts of isolated marine cyanobacteria strains were tested for antimicrobial activity against a fungus, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and for cytotoxic activity against primary rat hepatocytes and HL-60 cells. Antimicrobial activity was based on the agar diffusion assay. Cytotoxic activity was measured by apoptotic cell death scored by cell surface evaluation and nuclear morphology. A high percentage of apoptotic cells were observed for HL-60 cells when treated with cyanobacterial organic extracts. Slight apoptotic effects were observed in primary rat hepatocytes when exposed to aqueous cyanobacterial extracts. Nine cyanobacteria strains were found to have antibiotic activity against two Gram-positive bacteria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosum and Cellulomonas uda. No inhibitory effects were found against the fungus Candida albicans and Gram-negative bacteria. Marine Synechocystis and Synechococcus extracts induce apoptosis in eukaryotic cells and cause inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria. The different activity in different extracts suggests different compounds with different polarities.     

Adequacy of contrasting sampling methods for root mass quantification in a slash-and-burn agroecosystem in the eastern periphery of Amazonia

Root research needs to optimize sampling schemes to address different scales and dimensions of variability within a framework of feasible effort and, in some cases, acceptable soil perturbation. Both large and small sample volumes are utilized in root research, and this study is designed to help field researchers in optimizing root sampling. We evaluate the performance of three contrasting sampling strategies—large monoliths (LM, 25 dm^?3), small monoliths (SM, 3?×?1 dm^?3), and root auger (RA, 5?×?196.3 cm^?3). We compare root biomass estimates obtained in a shifting cultivation agroecosystem in eastern Amazonia. We sampled a slash-and-burn field at 1/2 and 1 1/2 years of cultivation, and a paired 3-year-old spontaneous secondary forest regrowth down to 1 m soil depth, and we distinguish roots by diameter class and taxonomic origin (palm vs. non-palm roots). LMs are the only reliable quantification method for coarse roots. Both SM and RA methods are inadequate due to high variability and the frequent failure to detect the presence of coarse roots in the sampled soil. The SM method is acceptable for mid-sized (2–5 mm) roots, and both methods are adequate for fine root (<2 mm) quantification. Labor costs of LM, SM and RA methods are similar since reduced sampling effort in small sample volumes is compensated by increased costs in sample handling. The small sample volumes of SM or RA may be preferable in situations focusing on fine root dynamics, with the necessity to avoid major perturbations, or in repeated sampling schemes. Both SM and RA samplings gave a strong and systematic overestimation of root biomass in all fractions compared to the LM values, with differences being less pronounced for SM. We establish comparability between the three sampling schemes with transformation equations which are remarkably similar between shifting cultivation and secondary forest, between roots of the babassu palm and those of other origin and down the 1-m soil profile. Thus, future field studies in similar environments can utilize SM or RA fine root sampling and subsequently transform data to LM estimates. We recommend the SM rather than the RA method because of the lower data variability and the lower degree of root mass overestimation.     

Ecology of southern European pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera): first record of two new populations on the rivers Terva and Beça (Portugal)

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High?throughput phenotyping of two plant?size traits of Eucalyptus species using neural networks

In forest modeling to estimate the volume of wood, artificial intelligence has been shown to be quite effi-cient, especially using artificial neural networks (A...     

Reproductive Development of Santa Inês Rams During the First Year of Life: Body and Testis Growth,Testosterone Concentrations,Sperm Parameters,Age at Puberty and Seminal Plasma Proteins

We have investigated the reproductive development of the tropically adapted Santa Inês ram, the most common hair sheep in Brazil. From 8 to 48 weeks of age, 16 animals were evaluated for body and testis growth, semen parameters, testosterone concentrations and seminal plasma proteins, using two‐dimensional SDS‐PAGE. Animals were weaned at 30 days and kept in feedlots thereafter, receiving hay, concentrate (18% of crude protein) and mineral supplement. Body weight increased from 12.3 ± 0.7 to 54.3 ± 1.6 kg between 8 and 48 weeks (p < 0.05), but changes in thoracic perimeter and scrotal circumference were non‐significant after 36 weeks (p > 0.05). The percentage of motile sperm increased slowly until 23 weeks and more rapidly after that age, but significant changes in progressive motility occurred after 25 weeks. Presence of abnormal sperm related inversely to age. Most significant changes in sperm concentration occurred between 38 and 44 weeks (0.38 ± 0.05 to 1.14 ± 0.24 × 10⁹ cells/ml, p < 0.05) and testosterone reached its highest concentrations at 42 weeks, decreasing afterwards. Rams reached puberty at 28.2 ± 0.8 weeks. The number of protein spots on seminal plasma gels was similar from 15 to 18 weeks (45 and 47 spots; p > 0.05), increased until 24 weeks (141 spots) and 28 weeks (170 spots; p < 0.05) and remained without significant (p > 0.05) changes from 28 to 48 weeks (186 ± 10 spots). Furthermore, the intensity of selected spots on 2D maps increased (p < 0.05) between 15 and 28 weeks, which preceded or coincided with the main developmental changes in sperm motility and percentage of defective sperm in the ejaculates. These results will support future studies designed to characterize specific seminal plasma proteins whose expression relate to the development of testis, epididymis and accessory sex glands.     

Newly developed microsatellite markers for the pan‐European duck mussel,Anodonta anatina: revisiting the main mitochondrial lineages

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