Factors Affecting Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi Plant Inoculations and Their Use for Evaluation of Olive Cultivar Susceptibility

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi causes olive knot disease, which is present in most countries where olive trees are grown. Although the use of cultivars with low susceptibility may be one of the most appropriate methods of disease control, little information is available from inoculation assays, and cultivar susceptibility assessments have been limited to few cultivars. We have evaluated the effects of pathogen virulence, plant age, the dose/response relationship, and the induction of secondary tumors in olive inoculation assays. Most P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi strains evaluated were highly virulent to olive plants, but interactions between cultivars and strains were found. The severity of the disease in a given cultivar was strongly dependent of the pathogen dose applied at the wound sites. Secondary tumors developed in noninoculated wounds following inoculation at another position on the stem, suggesting the migration of the pathogen within olive plants. Proportion and weight of primary knots and the presence of secondary knots were evaluated in 29 olive cultivars inoculated with two pathogen strains at two inoculum doses, allowing us to rate most of the cultivars as having either high, medium, or low susceptibility to olive knot disease. None of the cultivars were immune to the disease.     

Immunocytochemical detection of amylase, carboxypeptidase A, carcinoembryonic antigen and alpha 1-antitrypsin in carcinomas of the exocrine pancreas of the dog.

The immunocytochemical detection of amylase, carboxypeptidase A, alpha 1-antitrypsin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and keratin in normal canine pancreatic tissue and in carcinomas of the exocrine pancreas of the dog is described. In the normal pancreas, the acinar cells contain amylase, carboxypeptidase and alpha 1-antitrypsin. The pancreatic ducts react with the antikeratin antibody. Twelve out of 14 pancreatic exocrine carcinomas showed immunoreaction with antiamylase antibody, and 10 with anticarboxypeptidase antibody. Five neoplasms reacted with anti-CEA antibody and three with the anti-alpha 1-antitrypsin antibody. It was not possible to find any systematic difference in the immunocytochemical profiles of acinar, tubular and undifferentiated carcinomas. These results indicate that immunocytochemical marking of amylase and carboxypeptidase is of value in the diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasms in the dog, especially if metastasis is the only material available for study and the tumour does not show any diagnostic feature on routine light microscope preparations.     

Biogenic amines in wines from three Spanish regions

One hundred and sixty-three wines from La Rioja, Utiel-Requena, and Tarragona were analyzed to determine if there were any differences in the concentrations of six biogenic amines that are found in these three regions. The influence of grape variety, type of vinification, wine pH, malolactic fermentation, and storage in bottle on biogenic amine concentrations was studied. Results show important differences in putrescine and histamine concentrations among regions, varieties of grape, and type of wine; differences were less appreciable for the remaining biogenic amines studied. Low pH prevented biogenic amine formation. Malolactic fermentation and short storage periods in bottle (3-6 months) showed increases in histamine concentration, whereas longer periods of storage led to a general decrease in histamine. Several strains of lactic acid bacteria were isolated in this work, and their ability to form biogenic amines was assayed in synthetic media, grape must, and wine. Grape varieties, different types of winemaking, pH, and lactic acid bacteria may be responsible for the differences observed in the biogenic amine concentrations of the wines analyzed.     

Fluxes and storage of fine-grained sediment and associated contaminants in the Na Borges River (Mallorca,Spain)

Samples of suspended and fine channel bed sediment were used to examine the spatial and temporal variability in the amount of fine-grained sediment and associated contaminants temporarily stored in the Na Borges River (319 km²) in Mallorca and the relationship of such channel storage to the fluxes of fine sediment and associated contaminant through the system. This Mediterranean groundwater-dominated river drains a predominantly agricultural catchment, although urbanisation during the twentieth century has changed the catchment hydrology. A re-suspension technique was used to obtain estimates of channel storage at monthly intervals during the 2004–2005 hydrological year at eight locations along the main stem of the stream (i.e. 26 km). The estimates of fine sediment storage ranged between 0 and 13,000 g m^− 2, with a mean value of 2400 g m^− 2. Only Cu exceeded the critical threshold (36 μg g^− 1), established by existing guidelines for the contaminant content of fluvial sediment. The results demonstrated significant spatial and temporal variability, in response to the influence of urban point sources, agricultural practises, seasonal groundwater interactions and the first-flush effect. The amount of fine sediment entering storage during the study period was 515.2 t, representing the net increase in storage over the study period. As a result, the mean specific storage was 21 t km^− 1. Suspended-sediment load and temporary fine sediment storage are the two basic components of the channel sediment budget that interact to determine sediment transport through a channel system, and they can therefore be used to compute the total input of sediment and associated contaminants to the system. Accordingly, storage values were compared with estimates of suspended sediment load and associated contaminant load values at three measuring stations along the river. During the study period, storage in the main channel system represented 87% of the sediment input and 68% of the contaminant input, indicating that deposition was more important than transport. The low gradient of the main channel and the low return period (i.e. 0–2.5 years) of the flood events that occurred during the study period meant that remobilised bed sediment and associated contaminants were redeposited downstream rather than being flushed to the catchment outlet as suspended sediment. Furthermore, the river bed is dry during the summer months, allowing sealing and crusting processes to stabilise the sediment deposited during the wet season and thereby reduce its availability for remobilisation at the beginning of the next wet season. Together, these factors promote sediment deposition and storage, with the result that sediment progressively accumulate over several hydrological years until a major flood event (i.e. return period ≈ 5 years) evacuates the stored sediment.     

An ethogram of post-anesthetic recovery behaviors in horses: comparison of pre- and post-anesthetic behaviors

Pain management is an important post-operative concern. Pain scales may rely on the observer's subjective assessment of the level of discomfort and may not correlate with physiologic or pharmacologic measures of pain. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective measure of behavior in healthy pain-free horses recovering from anesthesia that could be used for comparison with the behavior of horses recovering from a surgical procedure.
Focal sampling with videotape and observation was done on five healthy horses before anesthesia to establish baselines. Behavioral measures included head turns, tail swishes, eyelid aperture/size, ear position, angle of neck, weight shifts, and ambulation. Physiologic measures included heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. The horses were anesthetized for 2 hours with isoflurane, and in the recovery stall, data were collected continuously on videotape from the time of extubation to standing. Focal sampling of 15 minutes was repeated at 1, 2, 4, and 24 hours after the horses returned to their stalls. Video data were analyzed using the Noldus Observer Video Analysis System.
A wide variation in behavior was observed between horses in the recovery stall. Observations at 1, 2, and 4 hours revealed change from the up/forward ear position to the down ear position, and a decrease in weight bearing of the hind limb from a baseline of 11–12 minutes out of 15 minutes to 7–9 minutes with an increase in toe pointing. Time spent standing was similar to baseline of 93.8%, and the neck angle was not changed from baseline of 173.5°. Values had returned to baseline at 24 hours.
Changes in behavior were induced by anesthesia alone and must be taken into consideration when evaluating analgesic treatments.     

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma not related to jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus in a goat

A spontaneous lung tumor in a 5-year-old goat of the Murciano-Granadina breed is described in this paper. Clinical signs of cachexia and tachypnoea were evident, and a considerable amount of white mucous foamy fluid was discharged from the nostrils when the animal's head was lowered. A lung tumor with the characteristics of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma was detected during histopathologic examination. The tumor cells were positive for surfactant proteins C and B, confirming that alveolar type II cells were the origin of the neoplasia. Tumor samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry for the presence of Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV), another retrovirus very closely related to JSRV, but all tests were negative. Therefore, this is the first reported case of spontaneous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma not related to JSRV or ENTV infection in a goat.     

Evaluation of the expression of P-selectin, ICAM-1, and TNF-alpha in bacteria-free lesional skin of atopic dogs with low-to-mild inflammation

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a pruritic skin condition that shares many clinical and pathophysiological features with its human counterpart. A major therapeutic challenge of AD is the control of the skin inflammatory process. A detailed knowledge of the pro-inflammatory molecules involved in cell recruitment in AD would allow for a better control of the disease. We thus have studied the protein expression of P-selectin, ICAM-1 and TNF-alpha in the lesional and non-lesional skin of atopic dogs that had been treated for bacterial infections. Despite a low-to-mild inflammatory process, P-selectin protein was clearly upregulated in the lesional skin areas when compared with non-lesional skin (four-fold average increase). This P-selectin upregulation was accompanied by signs of functional changes such as increased cell margination, and membrane-associated protein expression. Although the expression of ICAM-1 and TNF-alpha was not enhanced in the lesional versus the non-lesional skin, there was a trend towards a correlated upregulation of both molecules. Further studies will help elucidate the significance of the substantial overexpression of P-selectin in canine AD, in particular in a scenario where bacterial antigens are not contributing as pro-inflammatory stimuli.     

Colour Doppler Ultrasonography as a Tool to Assess Luteal Function in Santa Inês Ewes

The aim of this study was to evaluate luteal dynamics in the Santa Inês ewes using colour Doppler (CD) ultrasonography. Oestrus was synchronized in nulliparous females (n = 18), and subsequently, they were only teased (n = 6) or teased and mated (n = 12). Blood samples were collected daily for plasma progesterone (P₄) concentrations. Ultrasonographic images of corpora lutea (CL) in CD mode were obtained for further analysis in its largest diameter. The CD mode allowed an early sequential monitoring of CL that was visualized by the first time 0.77 ± 0.62 days after ovulation, with luteal area 29.68 ± 13.21 mm². During the luteogenesis, a progressive increase was observed, followed by a plateau of luteal area, vascularization area and plasma concentrations of P₄ reaching maximum values in D11 (124.0 ± 38.0 mm², 52.78 ± 24.08 mm² and 11.23 ± 4.89 ng/ml, respectively). In the luteolysis, the plasma concentrations of P₄ decreased sharply, whereas luteal and vascularization area gradually. The vascularization area was positively correlated with plasma concentrations of P₄ during the luteogenesis (r = 0.22) and luteolysis (r = 0.48). The luteal dynamics of Santa Inês ewes showed patterns similar to those observed in other sheep breeds studied. The CD ultrasonography has the potential to be used as a tool to assess luteal function in sheep.