Molecular evaluation of the incidence of Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys and Babesia spp. in dogs from Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia canis is endemic in many regions of Brazil. Since thrombocytopenia is a common finding in infected dogs, many clinicians tend to use it as an indication for antibiotic treatment. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR were used to study the presence of E. canis, Anaplasma platys and Babesia spp. in thrombocytopenic and non-thrombocytopenic dogs from Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. Despite the high prevalence of E. canis infection among thrombocytopenic dogs, 46.7% of the thrombocytopenic dogs studied were either infected with Babesia spp. or A. platys or not infected with any of the three pathogens. There was a high incidence (25.4%) of E. canis infection in non-thrombocytopenic dogs. Although infection with E. canis should be considered in thrombocytopenic dogs, the final diagnosis needs to be confirmed by complementary tests such as blood smears and PCR to avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics.     

High-yielding preparation of a stable precursor of hydroxytyrosol by total synthesis and from the natural glycoside oleuropein

The unprecedented acetonide of the antioxidant hydroxytyrosol has been synthesized by a two-step high-yielding procedure and found to be both purifiable by chromatography and stable over a wide pH range. The protection stabilizes hydroxytyrosol against oxidation, thereby allowing long-term storage. The protection can quantitatively be removed, under nonaqueous conditions, to afford pure hydroxytyrosol suitable for use as an additive in food and cosmetic preparations. Extension of the same methodology to the natural and easily accessible glycoside oleuropein, followed by saponification of the resulting complex mixture of acetonides, allowed hydroxytyrosol acetonide to be recovered in high yield. This constitutes a new interesting methodology to obtain the antioxidant hydroxytyrosol.     

Water quality,phytoplankton composition and growth of Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) in an integrated biofloc system with Gracilaria birdiae (Greville) and Gracilaria domingensis (Kützing)

A 28-day indoor trial was conducted to evaluate the water quality, phytoplankton composition and growth of Litopenaeus vannamei in an integrated biofloc system with Gracilaria birdiae and Gracilaria domingensis. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments: control (shrimp monoculture); SB (shrimp and G. birdiae) and SD (shrimp and G. domingensis), all with three replicates. Random sampling was done (6 % of total population per experimental unit) to confirm white spot syndrome Virus (WSSV) infection using nested-PCR analysis due to suspicion of presence of the virus in the experiment (treatment and control groups). Shrimp L. vannamei (2.63 ± 0.10 g) were stocked in experimental tanks at a density of 425 shrimp m^?3, and the Gracilaria was stocked at a biomass of 2.0 kg m^?3. Shrimp mortality began in both the experimental and control groups at 10 days of culture. The integrated biofloc system (shrimp and seaweed) increased settleable solids (by 26–52 %); final weight (by 6–21 %); weekly growth (by 17–43 %); weight gain (by 17–43 %); specific growth rate (by 16–36 %); and yield (by 5–7 %) and decreased feed conversion ratio (by 21–28 %) and Cyanobacteria density about 16 % as compared to the control (shrimp monoculture). The use of red seaweed Gracilaria in an integrated biofloc system can enhance shrimp growth and reduce Cyanobacteria density in the presence of WSSV.     

A Glimpse at Siderophores Production by Anabaena flos-aquae UTEX 1444

In this study, a strain of Anabaena flos-aquae UTEX 1444 was cultivated in six different concentrations of iron (III). Cultures were extracted with organic solvents and analyzed using our dereplication strategy, based on the combined use of high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry and molecular networking. The analysis showed the presence of the siderophores’ family, named synechobactins, only in the zero iron (III) treatment culture. Seven unknown synechobactin variants were present in the extract, and their structures have been determined by a careful HRMS/MS analysis. This study unveils the capability of Anabaena flos-aquae UTEX 1444 to produce a large array of siderophores and may be a suitable model organism for a sustainable scale-up exploitation of such bioactive molecules, for the bioremediation of contaminated ecosystems, as well as in drug discovery.     

Standardization of canine meningioma grading: Validation of new guidelines for reproducible histopathologic criteria

Canine meningiomas are currently graded using the human grading system. Recently published guidelines have adapted the human grading system for use in dogs. The goal of this study was to validate the new guidelines for canine meningiomas. To evaluate the inter-observer agreement, 5 veterinary surgical pathologists graded 158 canine meningiomas following the human grading system alone or with the new guidelines. The inter-observer agreement for histologic grade and each of the grading criteria (mitotic grade, invasion, spontaneous necrosis, macronucleoli, small cells, hypercellularity, pattern loss and anaplasia) was evaluated using the Fleiss kappa index. The diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) was assessed by comparing the diagnoses obtained with the 2 grading systems with a consensus grade (considered the reference classification). The consensus histologic grade was obtained by agreement between 4 experienced veterinary neuropathologists following the guidelines. Compared with the human grading alone, the canine-specific guidelines increased the inter-observer agreement for: histologic grade (κ = 0.52); invasion (κ = 0.67); necrosis (κ = 0.62); small cells (κ = 0.36); pattern loss (κ = 0.49) and anaplasia (κ = 0.55). Mitotic grade agreement remained substantial (κ = 0.63). The guidelines improved the sensitivity in identifying grade 1 (95.6%) and the specificity in identifying grade 2 (96.2%) meningiomas. In conclusion, the new grading guidelines for canine meningiomas are associated with an overall improvement in the inter-observer agreement and higher diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing grade 1 and grade 2 meningiomas.