A retrospective study of clinical signs and epidemiology of chronic valve disease in a group of 207 Dachshunds in Poland

Background

Chronic mitral valve disease is frequently seen in the Dachshund. Dachshunds (n=207) made up 11.73% of the dogs admitted to the Cardiology Service at the Small Animal Clinic, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland (first visits only).

Results

Of these, 35 dogs had no clinically detectable heart disease while 172 had chronic valve disease with the mitral valve affected most often (130 dogs), both mitral and tricuspid valves infrequently (39 dogs) and rarely the tricuspid valve (3 dogs). Males were affected more frequently than females and the average age of dogs with chronic valve disease was 11.9 years for females and 11.3 years for males. A majority of the diseased Dachshunds were classified as ISACHC 2 (79), followed by ISACHC 1 (60). Most frequent clinical signs noted by owners included coughing, exercise intolerance, dyspnea and tachypnea. Heart murmurs were generally louder with increased disease severity; however there were 20 dogs in the ISACHC 1 group with no audible heart murmurs. The most frequent electrocardiographic abnormalities included an increased P wave and QRS complex duration, increased R wave amplitude and tachycardia. With increased disease severity, echocardiography revealed an increase in heart size. A higher ISACHC class was related to increased heart size (based on echocardiography) and increased percentage of patients exhibiting enlargement of both left atrium and left ventricle (based on radiography).

Conclusions

The Dachshund is often affected by chronic mitral valvular disease with a late onset of associated clinical signs and few cardiac complications.     

The impact of carbofuran on acetylcholinesterase activity in Anisakis simplex larvae from Baltic herring

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of carbofuran, a carbamate pesticide on the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the larvae of the herring nematode parasite Anisakis simplex. A. simplex larvae collected from herring were exposed to carbofuran in vivo at concentrations of 50, 100, 500 and 1000 μg/l, for 24, 48 and 72 h, at a temperature of 4 °C. Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were applied to analyze the relationship between AChE activity and carbofuran concentration, the time of exposure and the biological parameters of the host. The results indicate that A. simplex larvae have a high threshold of sensitivity to carbofuran. The average enzymatic activity was higher in parasites obtained from male hosts, when compared with female hosts. These data suggest that host sex-dependent biological processes may also influence AChE enzymatic activity in parasites.     

Virulence structure of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blumeria graminis</Emphasis> DC.f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">avenae</Emphasis> populations occurring in Poland across 2010–2013

The aim of the present study was to determine the virulence structure of powdery mildew of oats (Blumeria graminis DC.f. sp. avena) in Poland in the years 2010–2013. For this purpose, powdery mildew isolates were collected from three experimental stations in Poland. To assess the virulence of the isolates, eight oat varieties with different responses to the pathogen were used. The results showed that a significant proportion of powdery mildew isolates found in Poland overcame the resistance genes of varieties Bruno (Pm6), Jumbo (Pm1) and Mostyn (Pm3). In contrast, lines Av1860 (Pm4), Am27 (Pm5) and Cc3678 (Pm2) were completely resistant to all pathogen isolates involved in the experiment. Changes constantly occurring in the powdery mildew population perfectly reflect diversity indexes, which were the smallest in the first year of observation, where in the following years these parameters were significantly higher. It is worth noting that the presence of powdery mildew is seasonal and local, which is reflected in the prevalence of the disease in a defined area of the country.     

Wild pollinator communities are negatively affected by invasion of alien goldenrods in grassland landscapes

The increasing spread of invasive alien plants has changed biodiversity throughout the world. To date research in this area has focused on how invasive plant species affect pollinator behaviour, but there is a lack of data on the impact that alien plant species have on wild pollinator populations. Since their introduction in the 19th century, and rapid spread after the 1950s, alien goldenrods (Solidago canadensis, Solidago gigantea) have been among the most successful invasive plant species in Europe. We studied the effects of goldenrods on wild pollinator communities in SE Poland. The abundance, species richness and diversity of wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies were compared between wet meadows invaded by goldenrod (10 transects) and non-invaded controls (10 transects). Furthermore, we compared the plant diversity and average cover between the two groups of sites. Invasion of goldenrods had a very strong negative effect on wild pollinator diversity as well as abundance. Plant diversity and average cover were also negatively affected by goldenrod invasion. Wild pollinators were grouped according to their nesting and food specialization, but none were resistant to the invasion, indicating that introduced goldenrod may affect the entire wild pollinator community. Our study emphasises the urgent need to develop specific protection plans for wild pollinators in habitats threatened by foreign plants and we call for the introduction of programs to stop the invasion of goldenrod not only in Poland, but also on a continental scale.     

A comparison between different chlorophyll content meters under nutrient deficiency conditions

Chlorophyll content meters have been used successfully to estimate foliar chlorophyll content in various plant species in non-destructive way, especially to study stress physiology and abiotic stresses, such as nutrient deficiency. The main aim of this work was to compare the records of different chlorophyll content meters with the results obtained by the destructive method under the deficiency of main macronutrients in plants growth medium. Four devices (CL-01, SPAD-502, Dualex, and CCM-200) were used to estimate chlorophyll content in maize and tomato plants. In maize plants, all devices validated high accuracy for potassium and nitrogen deficiency and low accuracy for phosphorous and magnesium. In tomato, they showed a high degree of accuracy for calcium, potassium, and iron deficiencies, and low accuracy for phosphorus deficiency. All devices proved to be suitable to provide a reasonably estimation of chlorophyll content under optimal nutrient conditions. However, under nutrient deficiency conditions, tested devices showed different values for the same plant under the same nutrient deficiency. This suggest that, these devices should be validated by a sampling destructive method under such conditions.     

Effect of Replacing Cocoa Powder by Carob Powder in the Muffins on Sensory and Physicochemical Properties

The increasing demand for cocoa and search for ingredients rich in bioactive compounds encouraged us to investigate the possibility of replacing it by carob powder in the muffins containing soy beans, sesame oil and flaxseeds. There was 5% addition of carob or cocoa powder to the individual doughs. The muffins with the addition of carob were characterized by improved antiradical activity (by 36% - 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) method, by 83% - 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method), higher content of genistein (18%) and total phytosterols (17%) in the dry mass. The color differences in the carob muffins crusts were not perceptible by consumers (ΔE?=?0.70 for crust, ΔE?=?5.6 for crumb) and their taste was found to be less bitter and sweeter than the taste of cocoa muffins. Moreover, the addition of carob powder as well as cocoa powder resulted in good sensory quality. The high content of phytosterols, genistein and improved antiradical properties proved carob to be a source of bioactive compounds. The results show that carob powder may be used as valuable alternative muffin ingredient to cocoa.     

Humic acid and biochar as specific sorbents of pesticides

Purpose

The aim of the research was to compare the effect of two types of organic sorbents—humic acid (HA) and biochar (BC)—in sorption-desorption processes of different polar pesticides, which residues are commonly present in arable soils and are potentially harmful for the environment. It also aims to advance the understanding of behavior of both ionizable and nonionizable pesticides in the presence of BC and HA in soils.

Materials and methods

Three different classes of pesticides were investigated: carbamates (carbaryl and carbofuran), phenoxyacetic acids (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA)), and aniline derivatives (metolachlor). Investigated humic acid was extracted by Shnitzer’s method from topsoil horizon of arable Gleyic Phaeozem. Biochar was produced from wheat straw in gasification process at 550 °C, remaining 30 s in the reactor. To obtain the experimental goal structural properties of both sorbents were determined and sorption-desorption experiments conducted. To the investigated organic matter samples (HA or BC), 10 or 15 mg L^?1 pesticide solutions in 10 mM CaCl₂ were added and the mixtures were shaken for 24 h. Afterwards, the samples were centrifuged and supernatants analyzed by LC-MS/MS for the pesticide content. Analogous experiment was performed for desorption studies (samples refilled with 10 mM CaCl₂).

Results and discussion

Humic acids exhibited strong affinity for the ionic substances, for which high-percentage uptake (74.6 and 67.9% initial dose of 2,4-D and MCPA, respectively) was obtained. Retention of nonionic carbamates on HA was much weaker (35.4% of carbofuran and 10.2% of carbaryl sorbed). Sorption of carbamates to BC was significantly reduced (76.4–84.3%) by the alkaline hydrolysis. Metolachlor was bound comparably strong both by HA (72.9%) and BC (70.2%), although different mechanisms governed its sorption. Noticeable desorption occurred only in the case of 2,4-D bound to HA (over 50%), whereas other studied compounds were released from HA within the range of 4.4–10.8% of the dose sorbed. Oppositely to HA, desorption of all studied pesticides from BC was completely inhibited, except for 2,4-D (3.7% desorbed).

Conclusions

Investigated humic acid has high affinity to polar, ionic pesticides of high water solubility, which are sorbed via specific interactions with HA functional groups. Studied biochar, due to its moderately hydrophobic character, preferentially attracts nonionic pesticides of relatively high logP values and low water solubility. Hydrophobic bonding is postulated as a main mechanism of their attraction to BC. Besides sorbent structural properties, pH is the main factor governing sorption equilibria in the studied mixtures.

     

Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia</Emphasis> spp. spores in Madeira Island and their phytopathological importance

The genus Puccinia represents rust infections, which are responsible for great productivity losses in crops of commercial and ornamental plants worldwide. This work is aimed at determining the occurrence of Puccinia spp. spores in Madeira Island in order to infer the exposure risks from a phytopathological point of view. A phytopathological analysis was performed in 203 local plant samples between January 2003 and December 2012. During the same period the airborne concentrations of rust spores were monitored following well-established guidelines. Aerobiological data was compared with meteorological records. Based on macro and microscopic analyses, five species of rusts were identified: P. horiana, P. buxi, P. porri, P. pelargonii-zonalis, and P. sorghi, and they were found mostly in spring and summer. A total of 20 samples out of 203 analysed plants (9.8%), were infected with Puccinia spores, i.e., P. horiana (5.9%), P. buxi (1.47%), P. porri and P. pelargonii-zonalis (0.98%), and P. sorghi (0.5%). During the studied period Puccinia spores attained an annual average concentration of 126 spores m^?3 and most of them were recorded between March and October. Meteorological factors were determinant in fluctuations in spore concentration. Relative humidity was the parameter that favoured the biggest release and dispersal of the rust spores, whereas rainfall revealed a significant negative effect. Rusts do not represent an important plant pathogen in Madeira Island, as shown by the low infection frequencies and levels of airborne spore concentrations.