Evaluation of a long‐acting injectable formulation of omeprazole in healthy dogs

BackgroundTo evaluate the efficacy of a single intramuscular adminsitration of long‐acting omeprazole (LA‐OMEP) in increasing gastric pH in dogs.HypothesisWe hypothesized that LA‐OMEP would meet in healthy dogs the clinical goals defined for human patients for treatment of gastroduodenal ulceration.AnimalsNine healthy research dogs.MethodsProspective experimental study. Dogs were given a 4 mg/kg intramuscular injection of LA‐OMEP. Intragastric pH was continuously recorded on treatment days 0 to 7. Daily mean pH and mean percentage time (MPT) intragastric pH was ≥3 or ≥4 were determined.ResultsThe mean onset of action for the LA‐OMEP was 98.11 min (SD 46.39). The mean number of days the dogs'' pH met established goals for MPT pH ≥3 was 5.5 days (range, 3‐7) and 5.25 days for MPT pH ≥4 (range, 3‐7). Long‐acting omeprazole met the human clinical goals pH ≥3 for 72 hours in 8/8 of the dogs and MPT pH ≥4 for 96 hours in 7/8 of dogs.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe LA‐OMEP formulation produced gastric acid suppression in healthy dogs for an average of 5 days and up to 7 days, after a single intramuscular injection. No major adverse effects were observed.     

Tulip Fire Caused by Botrytis Tulipae (Lib.) Lind.; the Leaf Spotting Phase

Botrytis tulipae causes two types of lesion on tulip leaves, aggressive and non-aggressive, which are distinct and not merely different phases of the same symptoms. Inoculation experiments showed the overriding importance of prolonged periods of high humidity for the formation of aggressive lesions. During periods of 48 hours or less only non-aggressive lesions were usually formed. The development of aggressive lesions during longer periods of humidity increased with increasing numbers of conidia per inoculation droplet and with increasing size (volume) of droplet; they occurred in greater numbers on leaves after the removal of surface wax.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from decomposition of biosolids as affected by stabilization method and soil moisture

Computational models are useful to estimate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions at regional scales. However, empirically based parameter values are required for the models to accurately represent carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization rates of different organic amendments in more and less humid regions or during wet and dry periods of the growing season. A controlled environment study was conducted to assess the rates of C and N mineralization in differently processed sewage sludge (biosolids) in wet and dry soil. Parameter values were estimated for use in modelling the degradation of three types of biosolids. A loam soil with either 49% water-filled pore space (WFPS) or 29% WFPS was amended with mesophilic anaerobically digested (digested), alkaline-stabilized, or composted biosolids. Headspace samples were collected and analysed for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), and soil samples for nitrate (${\mathrm{NO}}_3^{-}$) and ammonium (${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$). Four different first-order models were fitted to the cumulative CO₂–C and N₂O–N data (R² > 0.98), and soil ${\mathrm{NO}}_3^{-}$ (R² > 0.65) and ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$ (R² > 0.93) concentrations. CO₂–C data indicated that C mineralization was higher in soil with 49% WFPS than in soils with 29% WFPS. Seventy-nine percent of the C compounds in digested biosolids degraded in soil with 49% WFPS, compared with 52% for alkaline-stabilized biosolids and 8% for composted biosolids. The fitted coefficient values were similar for all of the four first-order models used in this study and provide useful information for parameterizing more sophisticated mechanistic models of the degradation of biosolids in soil.