Drying and wetting of Mediterranean soils stimulates decomposition and carbon dioxide emission: the "Birch effect"

Observations on the net carbon exchange of forests in the European Mediterranean region, measured recently by the eddy covariance method, have revived interest in a phenomenon first characterized on agricultural and forest soils in East Africa in the 1950s and 1960s by H. F. Birch and now often referred to as the "Birch effect." When soils become dry during summer because of lack of rain, as is common in regions with Mediterranean climate, or are dried in the laboratory in controlled conditions, and are then rewetted by precipitation or irrigation, there is a burst of decomposition, mineralization and release of inorganic nitrogen and CO(2). In forests in Mediterranean climates in southern Europe, this effect has been observed with eddy covariance techniques and soil respiration chambers at the stand and small plot scales, respectively. Following the early work of Birch, laboratory incubations of soils at controlled temperatures and water contents have been used to characterize CO(2) release following the rewetting of dry soils. A simple empirical model based on laboratory incubations demonstrates that the amount of carbon mineralized over one year can be predicted from soil temperature and precipitation regime, provided that carbon lost as CO(2) is taken into account. We show that the amount of carbon returned to the atmosphere following soil rewetting can reduce significantly the annual net carbon gain by Mediterranean forests.     

Management of feral domestic cats in the urban environment of Rome (Italy)

In Italy, which is rabies-free, the national Law No. 281 [Legge Nazionale 14 agosto 1991. No. 281: Legge Quadro in materia di animali di affezione e prevenzione del randagismo. Gazz. Uff. Rep. Ital. no 203 del 30 agosto 1991: p. 3] on the management of pets and on the control of feral cats has introduced the no-kill policy for this species. Thus, “trap-neuter-release” (TNR) programs have been carried out for >10 years. In this paper we present data on registered colonies and censused cats in Rome from 1991 to 2000; the results of the neutering campaign from 1991 to 2000; and a survey, on 103 cat colonies, on the effects of demographic control of urban feral-cat colonies in the city of Rome, carried out by the local Veterinary Public Services (VPS) in collaboration with the associations of cat care-takers. In 10 years almost 8000 were neutered and reintroduced in their original colony. The spay/neuter campaigns brought about a general decrease in cat number but the percentage of cat immigration (due to abandonment and spontaneous arrival) is around 21%. This suggests that all these efforts without an effective education of people to control the reproduction of house cats (as a prevention for abandonment) are a waste of money, time and energy.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN 13 HORSES WITH LYMPHOMA

Ultrasonography and radiography are commonly used for staging of lymphoma in horses, however there is little published information on imaging characteristics for horses with confirmed disease. The purpose of this retrospective, case series study was to describe ultrasonographic and radiographic findings for a group of horses with a confirmed diagnosis of lymphoma. A total of 13 horses were sampled. Lymphadenopathy (8/13), peritoneal effusion (6/13), splenic (6/13), and hepatic (5/13) lesions were the most frequently identified. The predominant splenic and hepatic ultrasonographic lesions were hypoechoic nodules, organomegaly, and changes in echogenicity. Digestive tract lesions were detected in three horses and these included focal thickening and decreased echogenicity of the small (2/13) and large intestinal (2/13) wall. Thoracic lesions were predominantly pleural effusion (4/13), lymphadenopathy (4/13), and lung parenchymal changes (3/13). Enlarged lymph nodes were detected radiographically (4/13) and/or ultrasonographically (2/13) in the thorax and ultrasonographically in the abdomen (7/13) and in the caudal cervical region (4/13). Findings supported the use of abdominal and thoracic ultrasonography for lymphoma staging in horses. Ultrasound landmarks for localizing cecal and caudal deep cervical lymph nodes were also provided.     

Effects of the supplementation with an high‐polyphenols extra‐virgin olive oil on kinetic sperm features and seminal plasma oxidative status in healthy dogs

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of the supplementation of two extra‐virgin olive oils (EVOO) having different polyphenols content, on canine spermatozoa kinetic parameters and seminal plasma oxidative status. The study was conducted on 12 clinically healthy dogs of different breeds (2–7 years, 5–48 kg of body weight) divided into two groups: an experimental group supplemented with EVOO (Coratina cultivar) high in polyphenols (H‐P) and a control group fed EVOO (Cima di Bitonto cultivar) low in polyphenols (L‐P). The oil was daily administered per os (1 ml/3 kg BW) before meal. Semen collection was made twice at 15 days distance (D0₁ and D0₂) and then at 30 (D30), 60 (D60) and 90 (D90) days. Semen concentration and kinetic parameters were measured using computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system to evaluate: sperm total count, sperm motile (MOT%), progressive motility (PROGR%) and its fractions, straight‐line velocity (VSL, μm/s), curvilinear velocity (VCL, μm/s), average path velocity (VAP, μm/s), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH, μm), beat cross frequency (BCF, Hz), straightness (STR%) and linearity (LIN%). On seminal plasma, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) were tested. From findings, no differences were found for sperm MOT, VSL, VCL, VAP, ALH, BCF, STR, LIN and BAP. A gradual enhancement of PROGR% was observed in H‐P group (p < .01). The ROS levels were higher in dogs H‐P compared to the other group (p < .05). In conclusion, our results highlight the positive effects of EVOO polyphenols on sperm PROGR% in healthy dogs.     

Feline primary nonhematopoietic malignant liver tumours: A multicenter retrospective study (2000–2021)

There is scant literature on primary nonhematopoietic malignant liver tumours (PMLT) in cats. In this retrospective study, medical data of 40 cats diagnosed with PMLT were reviewed over a period of 22 years (2000–2021). The most frequent epithelial tumours were hepatocellular (42.5%) and bile duct carcinomas (32.5%), only six (15%) cats had mesenchymal tumours. The median age was 13 years and clinical signs commonly included ano-/hyporexia (62.5%), apathy/lethargy (52.5%), weight loss (42.5%) and vomiting (35%). At initial diagnosis, metastases were confirmed in 1 (2.5%) and suspected in three (7.5%) cats. Massive was the most frequent morphology (75%). Most intrahepatic tumours were left-sided (54.2%) with the left medial lobe being primarily affected (25%). Extrahepatic tumours were rare (5%). In 34 (85%) cats, liver lobectomy was performed (surgery group), four (10%) were treated palliatively (non-surgery group), and two (5%) received no treatment. Intraoperative complications occurred in 11.8% with four (15.4%) postoperative deaths. Recurrence was detected in 28.6% at a median of 151 days (range, 79–684 days), while postoperative metastases were suspected in 21.4% at a median of 186 days (range, 79–479 days). The median survival time (MST) was significantly longer in cats of the surgery group (375 days) than in the non-surgery group (16 days) (p = .002). MST was 868 days for hepatocellular compared to 270 days for bile duct carcinomas (p = .06). In summary, liver lobectomy is associated with prolonged survival times and good prognosis in cats with hepatocellular, and an acceptable prognosis in cats with bile duct carcinoma.     

Influence of water relations on Quercus cerris-Hypoxylon mediterraneum interaction: a model of drought-induced susceptibility to a weakness parasite

The association between water stress and susceptibility of Quercus cerris to the fungal parasite Hypoxylon mediterraneum was studied in field-grown trees and greenhouse-grown seedlings. Susceptibility of Q. cerris to the fungus, expressed as extension of wood discolorations, increased in field-grown trees during drought and increased in greenhouse-grown seedlings in response to limited water supply. In both seedlings and trees, spread of the fungus in the vascular system was higher when leaf water potentials were low than when leaf water potentials were high, and was significantly correlated to loss of hydraulic conductivity of xylem. The presence of the fungus in the xylem suggests that H. mediterraneum could use embolized vessels to spread in the host.     

Applicability of SCAR markers to food genomics: olive oil traceability

DNA analysis with molecular markers has opened a shortcut toward a genomic comprehension of complex organisms. The availability of micro-DNA extraction methods, coupled with selective amplification of the smallest extracted fragments with molecular markers, could equally bring a breakthrough in food genomics: the identification of original components in food. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) have been instrumental in plant genomics because they may allow rapid and reliable analysis of multiple and potentially polymorphic sites. Nevertheless, their direct application to the analysis of DNA extracted from food matrixes is complicated by the low quality of DNA extracted: its high degradation and the presence of inhibitors of enzymatic reactions. The conversion of an AFLP fragment to a robust and specific single-locus PCR-based marker, therefore, could extend the use of molecular markers to large-scale analysis of complex agro-food matrixes. In the present study is reported the development of sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) starting from AFLP profiles of monovarietal olive oils analyzed on agarose gel; one of these was used to identify differences among 56 olive cultivars. All the developed markers were purposefully amplified in olive oils to apply them to olive oil traceability.     

Quantification of milk fat in chocolate fats by triacylglycerol analysis using gas-liquid chromatography

The development and in-house testing of a method for the quantification of milk fat in chocolate fats is described. A database consisting of the triacylglycerol profiles of 310 genuine milk fat samples from 21 European countries and 947 mixtures thereof with chocolate fats was created under a strict quality control scheme using 26 triacylglycerol reference standards for calibration purposes. Out of the individual triacylglycerol fractions obtained, 1-palmitoyl-2-stearoyl-3-butyroyl-glycerol (PSB) was selected as suitable marker compound for the determination of the proportion of milk fat in chocolate fats. By using PSB values from the standardized database, a calibration function using simple linear regression analysis was calculated to be used for future estimations of the milk fat content. A comparison with the widely used butyric acid method, which is currently used to determine the milk fat content in nonmilk fat mixtures, showed that both methods were equivalent in terms of accuracy. The advantage of the presented approach is that for further applications, i.e., determination of foreign fats in chocolate fats, just a single analysis is necessary, whereas for the same purpose, the C4 method requires two different analytical methods.     

New constituents of sweet Capsicum annuum L. fruits and evaluation of their biological activity

Four new acyclic diterpene glycosides named capsianosides (1-4), together with 12 known compounds, were isolated from the fresh sweet pepper fruits of Capsicum annuum L., a plant used as a vegetable food, spice, and external medicine. The chemical structures of new natural compounds, as well as their absolute configurations, were established by means of spectroscopic data including infrared, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and by chemical derivatization. The known capsidiol (11) showed bacteriostatic properties in vitro against Helicobacter pylori with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 200 microg/mL when compared with the commercial drug metronidazole (MIC, 250 microg/mL). Some purified components were also tested for their antioxidant activities.