Risk factors associated with feline urolithiasis

Urinary tract diseases are among the main reasons for consultation in veterinary clinics and hospitals. It affects animals of any age, breed and gender. Among the diseases that affect this system, urolithiasis is the second largest cause of clinical signs compatible with feline urinary tract disease. The term urolithiasis refers to the presence of uroliths in any region of the urinary tract, but it is more commonly seen in the bladder and urethra. Uroliths are classified based on the type of mineral present in their composition, therefore, quantitative and qualitative analyzes are important for a better therapeutic approach. The animals may suffer from the disease and be asymptomatic, or show nonspecific clinical signs, making the diagnosis difficult. The disease should not be seen as a single problem, but as a consequence of various disorders. As dietary, metabolic, genetic and infectious causes, as well as factors that potentiate the chance of development of uroliths such as breed, age, sex, age range, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, geographic region and climate. Thus, the knowledge of the factors that influence the formation of uroliths, as well as the understanding of the pathophysiology, are key elements for better alternatives of therapy and prevention. The recognition of these factors helps to identify susceptible populations, minimizing exposure and increasing the protection factors, which facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of patients with urolithiasis. The objective of this paper is to present the main risk factors involved in the formation of urinary lithiasis in felines.     

Growth hormone attenuates branchial HSP70 expression in silver sea bream

In this study the effects of growth hormone (GH) on silver sea bream branchial heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression was investigated using in-vivo and in-vitro experiments. For in-vivo experiments, sea bream were administered recombinant bream GH or the GH secretagogue hexarelin. Pituitary levels of GH were unchanged in fish administered exogenous GH but decreased on hexarelin administration, in comparison with saline controls. Levels of HSP70 were measured using immunoanalysis and it was found that both GH and hexarelin administration caused a significant decrease in branchial HSP70 abundance. For in-vitro analysis, branchial filaments were exposed to a range of GH concentrations (1, 10, and 100 ng/ml) and it was found that HSP70 levels were significantly lowered in all cases. This study adds to the growing body of evidence surrounding the importance of hormones in regulating heat-shock protein expression in fish.     

Sapling biomass allometry and carbon content in five afforestation species on marginal farmland in semi-arid Benin

Allometric equations are routinely used in the estimation of biomass stocks for carbon accounting within forest ecosystems. However, generic equations may not reflect the growth trajectories of afforestation species that are introduced to degraded farmland characterized by water and nutrient limitations. Using sequential measurements of the height, basal diameter, and above- and belowground biomass of juvenile trees, we developed allometric equations for five woody species (Moringa oleifera Lam., Leucaena leucocephala Lam., Jatropha curcas L., Anacardium occidentale L. and Parkia biglobosa Jacq.) subjected to a gradient of water and nutrient availability in an afforestation trial on degraded cropland in the semi-arid zone of Benin, West Africa. For three of the species studied, the allometric relationships between basal diameter and biomass components (i.e. leaves, stems and roots) were described best by a simple power-law model (R² > 0.93). The incorporation of species-specific height–diameter relationships and total height as additional predictors in the power-law function also produced reasonable estimates of biomass. Fifteen months after planting, roots accounted for 10–58% of the total biomass while the root-to-shoot ratio ranged between 0.16 and 0.73. The total biomass of the saplings ranged between 1.4 and 10.3 Mg ha^?1, yielding 0.6–4.3 Mg C ha^?1, far exceeding the biomass in the traditional fallow system. The rate of stem carbon sequestration measured ca. 0.62 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1. Overall, the allometric equations developed in this study are generally useful for assessing the standing shoot and root biomass of the five afforestation species during the juvenile growth stage and can help in reporting and verifying carbon stocks in young forests.     

At5g54160 gene encodes <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-methyltransferase

The function of an Arabidopsis thaliana gene, At5g54160 annotated as a caffeic acid O-methyltransferase CAOMT gene was characterized. The recombinant enzyme of this gene (AtOMT1) catalyzed the O-methylation of phenylpropanoid and flavonoid substrates. The specificity constants (k _cat/K _m) for 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde (5-HCAld) and quercetin were both 0.11 μM⁻¹·min⁻¹. On the other hand, lignins of At5g54160-knockout Arabidopsis mutants lacked syringyl units. In addition, we showed that the gene silencing also resulted in significant accumulation of caffeyl alcohol (CaAlc). These results strongly suggested that At5g54160 gene is involved in syringyl lignin synthesis for the methylation of both 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl compound(s). Part of this work was presented at the Annual Meeting of Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry, March 24–27, 2007     

Development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Peronospora parasitica</Emphasis> epidemics on radish as modelled by the effects of water vapour saturation deficit and temperature

Epidemics of Peronospora parasitica are strongly affected by temperature and air moisture, and the interaction of these factors. Because a significant percentage of radish plants are grown in greenhouses, it may be possible to influence epidemics by altering the greenhouse climate. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that epidemics of P. parasitica can be modelled by the effects of air temperature and moisture in the greenhouse. Such a model could then be used to analyse greenhouse climate control strategies with regard to managing downy mildew. Five radish crops were grown under greenhouse conditions with set-points for heating and ventilation intended to obtain favourable conditions for disease development during the first part of the growing cycle. Subsequent to this first phase, unfavourable conditions were set until harvest. Disease incidence was measured once a week until the radishes reached marketable size. In addition, experiments were carried out in growth chambers in which inoculated plants were subjected to air temperatures between 8 and 27°C, and disease incidence and sporulation intensity were measured. Data from these two experiments were then used to estimate model parameters. In this model, the interactions of air temperature (T) and water vapour saturation deficit (SD) were adequately described by a multiplicative relationship. The simulated epidemics by the fitted model were highly correlated with the observed epidemics (r = 0.91, R ² = 0.83, n = 29). Parameter estimates indicated that T of ca. 20°C and SD < 0.03 hPa resulted in the highest rates of disease development and that the rate was zero when SD > 2.0 hPa. Both experimental data and simulations showed that epidemics of P. parasitica can be effectively controlled by managing the greenhouse climate.     

The performance of community organisers in promotion of community forestry in Leyte Province,Philippines

A study was conducted to assess the role and effectiveness of community organisers in supporting the development of people’s organisations in achieving community-based forest management objectives in Leyte Province Philippines. Community organisers were found to be effective in forming people’s organisations (POs), motivating people to participate in voluntary activities organised by POs and encouraging cohesiveness among PO members. Community organisers manage to raise the level of environmental awareness and knowledge of members of people’s organisations, develop leadership interest and skills, create various livelihood opportunities and provide direction and facilitate the establishment of large tree plantations. However, the short duration of community organisers’ contracts (typically two years) is insufficient to establish mature and cohesive POs prepared to assume management on their own, including the management of tree plantations. Further, lack of training and funding support, low wages, delayed payment of salaries and limited time to work with people’s organisations, as well as the pressure to produce tangible outputs such the establishment of large tree plantations, prevents them from placing greater emphasis on the development and empowerment of the people.     

Effects of water table management on soil salinity and alfalfa yield in a semi-arid climate

A lysimeter experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of water table management (WTM) on distribution of soil salinity and annual alfalfa (Medicago scutellata) yield. Subirrigations with three levels of water table namely, 0.5 (WT0.5), 0.7 (WT0.7), and 1.0 m (WT1.0) and a free drainage (FD) conventional irrigation treatment were selected for this study. All treatments were arranged in a complete randomized block design with three replicates. The results of this study indicated that the average soil electrical conductivity of the saturated extract (ECe) in the root zone gradually increased and exceeded the designated crop threshold value (4 dS/m) after the first forage harvest in subirrigated lysimeters. A higher salt accumulation was observed at the WT0.5 treatment. The average dry matter yield of annual alfalfa in WT0.5 and WT0.7 treatments was found to be 52 and 73% higher compared with the control treatment, respectively.     

Induced thermotolerance and expression of heat shock protein 70 in sea cucumber <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apostichopus japonicus</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   Thermal limits, induced thermotolerance and the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in an echinoderm Apostichopus japonicus were studied. The sublethal and lethal temperatures for the juveniles were 30 and 34°C, respectively; a previous sublethal heat shock exposure (30°C, 2 h) could increase the survival rates of the sea cucumbers when they were exposed to 34°C. This induced thermotolerance could last for at least 2 days. Levels of Hsp70 increased substantially after sublethal heat shock exposure and linearly decreased with time. This result indicated that a close relationship existed between the induction of thermotolerance and the levels of Hsp70 in A. japonicus.     

Semiarid soils submitted to severe drought stress: influence on humic acid characteristics in organic-amended soils

Purpose  

The objective of this work was to assess the effect of severe drought conditions on the characteristics of semiarid soil humic acids (HAs) as well as the effect of organic amendment on such changes.