Intake of specific flavonoids and risk of acute myocardial infarction in Italy

OBJECTIVE: As intake of flavonoids has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease but data on the relation with specific classes of flavonoids are scarce, we assessed the relation between dietary intake of specific classes of flavonoids and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in an Italian population.DESIGN: Case-control study. Dietary information was collected by interviewers on a questionnaire tested for validity and reproducibility. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by multiple logistic regression models including terms for energy and alcohol intake, as well as sociodemographic factors, tobacco and other major recognised risk factors for AMI.SETTING: Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 2003.SUBJECTS: Cases were 760 patients, below age 79 years, with a first episode of non-fatal AMI, and controls were 682 patients admitted to hospital for acute conditions unrelated to diet.RESULTS: A reduced risk of AMI was found for increasing intake of anthocyanidins (OR=0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.78 for the highest vs. the lowest quintile, Ptrend=0.003) and flavonols (OR=0.65, 95% CI 0.41-1.02, Ptrend=0.02). A tendency towards reduced risks, although not significant, was observed for flavan-3-ols (OR=0.73, 95% CI 0.48-1.10) and total flavonoids (OR=0.74, 95% CI 0.49-1.14). No meaningful heterogeneity was found between the sexes. No association emerged for other flavonoids, including isoflavones, flavanones and flavones.CONCLUSIONS: High intake of anthocyanidins reduced the risk of AMI even after allowance for alcohol, fruit and vegetables, supporting a real inverse association between this class of flavonoids and AMI risk.     

Acclimation to partial shading or full sunlight determines the performance of container-grown Fraxinus ornus to subsequent drought stress

Cultivation techniques in the nursery aimed to improve tolerance to abiotic stresses after planting in the landscape may have great ecological value. Here we tested the hypothesis that the irradiance at which plants grow in the nursery may impact on their responses to a subsequent drought stress. Measurements of relevant morpho-anatomical, physiological and biochemical traits were conducted in Fraxinus ornus, a member of the Oleaceae family of increasing interest as an urban tree. Leaves developed under moderate shade displayed a lower ability to preserve water balance, thus suffering from a greater decline in net CO₂ assimilation than leaves acclimated to full sunlight, when subsequently exposed to drought stress. Shaded leaves also displayed an inherently lower capacity to dissipate excess radiant energy through nonphotochemical quenching, thus suffering from greater oxidative damage than sun leaves under drought. These results indicate that sunlight irradiance at which container-grown ash trees grow in the nursery may tightly affect the tolerance to subsequent drought stress. This may have great value for enhancing the establishment of container-grown plants in the landscape, as fully leaved plants may suffer from severe drought stress during early stages of acclimation in the landscape.     

Pemphigus foliaceus in a goat

Abstract A 7-year-old-female goat was referred with a 3-month history of chronic dermatitis, which partially responded to combined corticosteroid and antibiotic therapy. At dermatological examination diffuse alopecia, pustules and crusts were observed on the head, neck, dorsum and perianal area. Dermatophyte culture and skin scrapings were negative. Trichoscopic examination revealed a concurrent infestation with Damalinia caprae , which was successfully treated with ivermectin. Cytological examination of pus from intact pustules revealed nondegenerate neutrophils, absence of bacteria and numerous nucleated, irregularly shaped keratinocytes. Histopathological examination of lesional skin revealed intracorneal pustules containing neutrophils and acantholytic cells, and a mixed cell superficial perivascular dermatitis. Immunohistochemical stains of lesional skin showed intercellular IgG deposits in the spinous layer. Remission of the dermatitis was obtained with injectable dexamethasone-21-isonicotinate, every two months for one year. This is the first report to describe the cytological appearance of impression smears from intact pustules of pemphigus foliaceus in a goat and to document the presence of IgG deposits in lesional skin by means of immunohistochemistry.     

Inflorescence-visiting insects of a functionally dioecious wild grapevine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">sylvestris</Emphasis>)

The wild grapevine [Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris (Gmelin) Hegi] is the Eurasian dioecious ancestral form of mostly monoecious domesticated cultivars (Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera). There are different hypotheses about grapevine pollination, varying from insect to wind pollination to spontaneous self-pollination. The aim of this paper is to update our knowledge on the biology of the wild grapevine by studying the insects visiting their inflorescences. During the fieldworks, floral visitors were observed, captured and identified. The most frequent insects visiting both sexes of wild grapevine were beetles (55%) followed by bees (45%). The present study shows that although in vineyards the wind may play a role in the cross-pollination, insects can contribute to the reproductive success of the wild grapevine. The knowledge of inflorescence-visiting insects, which potentially can act as pollinators may represent an important contribution to the conservation perspective of wild grapevine.     

A Submarine Journey: The Pyrrole-Imidazole Alkaloids

In his most celebrated tale “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, Oscar Wilde stated that “those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril”. This sentence could be a prophetical warning for the practitioner who voluntarily challenges himself with trying to synthesize marine sponge-deriving pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids. This now nearly triple-digit membered community has been growing exponentially in the last 20 years, both in terms of new representatives and topological complexity – from simple, achiral oroidin to the breathtaking 12-ring stylissadines A and B, each possessing 16 stereocenters. While the biosynthesis and the role in the sponge economy of most of these alkaloids still lies in the realm of speculations, significant biological activities for some of them have clearly emerged. This review will account for the progress in achieving the total synthesis of the more biologically enticing members of this class of natural products.     

High rate of transplacental infection and transmission of Neospora caninum following experimental challenge of cattle at day 210 of gestation

In order to investigate the pathogenesis of neosporosis following a primary infection in late pregnancy, cattle were subcutaneously challenged with 5 × 10⁸Neospora caninum (NC1 isolate) tachyzoites at day 210 of gestation and serial necropsies were then carried out at 14, 28, 42 and 56 days post-infection (dpi). No abortions occurred and all the foetuses were viable at the time of euthanasia. There was a high rate of vertical transmission, as parasites were detected by immunohistochemical labelling and PCR in all the foetuses from 28 dpi. Focal necrotic lesions were observed in the placentomes of the placenta from 28 dpi and showed resolution during later time points, denoted by infiltration of inflammatory cells at 42 dpi and fibrosis at 56 dpi. Foetuses at 28 and 42 dpi showed scarce and isolated lesions which are unlikely to represent a threat to foetal viability. No lesions were observed in the foetuses at 14 or 56 dpi suggesting control of the infection and resolution of the lesions by maternal and foetal immune responses. Once infection was established, it could not be cleared from the host and vertical transmission of the parasite occurred in all infected hosts. Parasite was detected in the placenta at 28 dpi, while in previous experimental infections of cattle at day 70 and 140 of gestation using the same challenge model, it was already present at day 14 post infection. This suggests that a change in the maternal immune response plays a crucial role in limiting the initial infection during the last term of pregnancy.     

Urinary cortisol‐creatinine ratio in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism

BackgroundBasal serum cortisol (BSC) ≥2 μg/dL (>55 nmol/L) has high sensitivity but low specificity for hypoadrenocorticism (HA).ObjectiveTo determine whether the urinary corticoid:creatinine ratio (UCCR) can be used to differentiate dogs with HA from healthy dogs and those with diseases mimicking HA (DMHA).AnimalsNineteen healthy dogs, 18 dogs with DMHA, and 10 dogs with HA.MethodsRetrospective study. The UCCR was determined on urine samples from healthy dogs, dogs with DMHA, and dogs with HA. The diagnostic performance of the UCCR was assessed based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, calculating the area under the ROC curve.ResultsThe UCCR was significantly lower in dogs with HA (0.65 × 10⁻⁶; range, 0.33‐1.22 × 10⁻⁶) as compared to healthy dogs (3.38 × 10⁻⁶; range, 1.11‐17.32 × 10⁻⁶) and those with DMHA (10.28 × 10⁻⁶; range, 2.46‐78.65 × 10⁻⁶) (P < .0001). There was no overlap between dogs with HA and dogs with DMHA. In contrast, 1 healthy dog had a UCCR value in the range of dogs with HA. The area under the ROC curve was 0.99. A UCCR cut‐off value of <1.4 yielded 100% sensitivity and 97.3% specificity in diagnosing HA.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe UCCR seems to be a valuable and reliable screening test for HA in dogs. The greatest advantage of this test is the need for only a single urine sample.     

Proposal of a simple screening method for a rapid preliminary evaluation of “heavy metals” mobility in soils of contaminated sites

Purpose  

Risks associated to “heavy metals” (HM) soil contamination depend not only on their total content but, mostly, on their mobility. Many extraction procedures have been developed to evaluate HM mobility in contaminated soils, but they are generally time consuming (especially the sequential extraction procedures (SEPs)) and consequently applicable on a limited number of samples. For this reason, a simple screening method, applicable even “in field”, has been proposed in order to obtain a rapid evaluation of HM mobility in polluted soils, mainly focused on the fraction associated to Fe and Mn oxide/hydroxides.     

Where do we go from here? Dispersal simulations shed light on the role of landscape structure in determining animal redistribution after reintroduction

Reintroduction projects represent viable options for animal conservation. They allow the establishment of new local populations and may contribute to recreating functional networks within a metapopulation. In the latter case, landscape connectivity may be a major determinant of the phase of spread of the reintroduced populations. Here, we deal with an example of a red deer (Cervus elaphus) translocation planned to enable the connection among existing isolated populations of the species in the Italian Alps. Our aim was to assess whether the analysis of landscape suitability and the simulation of dispersal of released individuals could shed light on the actual process of population spread. For these purposes, we adopted a modelling approach using radiotracking data to develop a habitat suitability map. On the basis of this map, we simulated the dispersal of the animals after release and we then compared the simulation results with the outcome of null models and with the observed population redistribution. The results suggest that the spread of the subpopulation was easier north-westward than southward. Taking into account landscape suitability, our simulations produced a reliable estimate of the ease of colonization of the valleys neighbouring the release-site and they allowed the identification and validation of a potential pathway for animal dispersal. The suitability model based on the monitoring of individuals in the earliest phase of establishment shed light on the spread of the population and on its potential connections with other deer subpopulations.     

Gibberellic acid and flower bud development in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)

The application of gibberellic acid (GA₃) to the whole loquat tree from mid-May to early June and from early August to the onset of flowering, significantly reduced the number of premature flowering shoots per current shoot and per m³ of canopy, and so reduced the total number of panicles per m³ of canopy. The number of vegetative shoots per m³ of canopy was also significantly reduced by applying GA₃. The response depended on the concentration applied and produced optimal results at 50 mg l⁻¹. Differences in the number of flowers per panicle and leaves per shoot were not significantly modified by the treatment. Nevertheless, GA₃ applied directly to the developing apex near to flower differentiation reduced the number of flowers per panicle by 25–35% and without modifying the morphological characteristics of the panicle. Results suggest that less sprouting of lateral buds was largely responsible for the reduction in flowering intensity caused by GA₃. Best treatments reduced thinning costs (60%, approximately) of premature flowering shoots, slightly increased fruit diameter and significantly improved fruit colour and juice quality, thus advancing harvest date.