Evaluation of reticulocyte hemoglobin content (RET‐He) in the diagnosis of iron‐deficient erythropoiesis in dogs

Background

Reticulocyte hemoglobin content provided by the Siemens ADVIA (CHr) is an established marker of iron deficiency. The IDEXX ProCyte Dx hematology analyzer now provides a similar variable, reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (RET‐He).

Objectives

The objective was to evaluate RET‐He and its diagnostic utility in dogs, and to calculate a cutoff value for diagnosing iron‐deficient erythropoiesis (IDE). Furthermore, the prevalence of RET‐He values below this cutoff value was established.

Methods

One hundred and seventy‐one CBCs of healthy dogs were used to establish a RI. Stability of RET‐He was evaluated by repeated measurements over 48 hours (n = 10). The 25‐run coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated, and correlation and bias between measurements of RET‐He and CHr were assessed (n = 190). A cutoff value for diagnosing IDE was calculated. The utility of RET‐He in the detection of IDE was evaluated in 123 dogs. The prevalence of low RET‐He values was assessed retrospectively in a multicenter study (2012–2014) under participation of 7 veterinary clinics.

Results

Reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent with an RI of 22.2 to 28.6 pg was statistically stable over 48 hours (P = .10). The CV was 1.8%. A fair correlation (ρ = 0.74) between RET‐He and CHr with a small bias of ?0.6 pg was found. The cutoff value for diagnosing IDE was 20.9 pg (sensitivity: 85%; specificity: 99%). The prevalence of RET‐He values below 20.9 pg was 10.3% (1084/10,553 dogs).

Conclusions

RET‐He on the ProCyte Dx is a precise screening tool in dogs to detect iron‐deficient erythropoiesis.     

Evaluation of flow cytometric and automated methods for detection of activated platelets in dogs with inflammatory disease

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate platelet surface-associated P-selectin, mean platelet component concentration (MPC), mean platelet component distribution width (MPCDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) for detection of activated platelets in dogs with septic and nonseptic inflammatory disease. ANIMALS: 20 healthy dogs and 20 dogs with septic and nonseptic inflammatory disease. Procedures-Platelet surface-associated P-selectin (expressed as the median fluorescence intensity [MFI] of the platelet population), MPC, MPCDW, MPV, and PDW were determined in 20 healthy adult dogs, and reference ranges were calculated. These parameters were also determined in 11 dogs with nonseptic and 9 dogs with septic inflammatory disease and evaluated to determine which parameters were useful for detection of activated platelets. Results-12 dogs with inflammatory disease had P-selectin greater than the upper limit of the reference range, whereas 16 dogs with inflammatory disease had MPC lower than the lower limit of the reference range. All dogs in which P-selectin was greater than the upper limit of the reference range had MPC lower than the lower limit of the reference range. The correlation coefficient for P-selectin and MPC was 0.62. Differences in the MPCDW, MPV, and PDW in most dogs with inflammatory disease (compared with healthy dogs) were found; however, the correlation coefficients for P-selectin and MPCDW, MPV, and PDW were low. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Platelet surface-associated P-selectin and MPC appeared to be useful to detect activated platelets in most dogs with septic and nonseptic inflammatory disease.     

Effects of dietary yeast inclusion and acute stress on post-prandial whole blood profiles of dorsal aorta-cannulated rainbow trout

Yeast is a potential alternative to fish meal in diets for farmed fish, yet replacing more than 50 % of fish meal results in reduced fish growth. In a 4-week experiment, 15 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were cannulated and fed three diets each week: 30 % fish meal as a control (FM); 60 % replacement of fish meal protein, on a digestible basis, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC); and 60 % replacement with Wickerhamomyces anomalus and S. cerevisiae mix (WA). Blood was collected at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after feeding. In the final week, fish were exposed to a 1-min netting stressor to evaluate possible diet–stress interactions. Significant increases in pH, TCO₂, HCO₃ and base excess were found after fish were fed the SC and WA diets compared with FM, which elevated blood alkaline tides. Yeast ingredients had lower buffering capacity and ash content than fish meal, which explained the increase in alkaline tides. In addition, fish fed the WA diet had significantly reduced erythrocyte area and fish fed SC and WA diets had increased mean corpuscular haemoglobin levels, indicating haemolytic anaemia. Higher levels of nucleic acid in yeast-based diets and potentially higher production of reactive oxygen species were suspected of damaging haemoglobin, which require replacement by smaller immature erythrocytes. Acute stress caused the expected rise in cortisol and glucose levels, but no interaction with diet was found. These results show that replacing 60 % of fish meal protein with yeasts can induce haemolytic anaemia in rainbow trout, which may limit yeast inclusion in diets for farmed fish.     

Status of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in artificial lake ecosystems with and without management for recreational fisheries: Implications for conservation

1. Humanity is facing a biodiversity crisis, with freshwater-associated biodiversity in a particularly dire state. Novel ecosystems created through human use of mineral resources, such as gravel pit lakes, can provide substitute habitats for the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity. Many of these artificial ecosystems are subject to a high intensity of recreational use, however, which may limit their biodiversity potential.
2. The species richness of several taxa (plants, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies, waterfowl, and songbirds) was assessed and a range of taxonomic biodiversity metrics were compared between gravel pit lakes managed for recreational fisheries (n = 16) and unmanaged reference lakes (n = 10), controlling for non-fishing-related environmental variation.
3. The average species richness of all the taxa examined was similar among lakes in both lake types and no substantial differences in species composition were found when examining the pooled species inventory. Similarly, there were no differences between lake types in the presence of rare species and in the Simpson diversity index across all of the taxa assessed.
4. Variation in species richness among lakes was correlated with woody habitat, lake morphology (surface area and steepness), and land use, but was not correlated with the presence of recreational fisheries. Thus, non-fishing-related environmental variables had stronger effects on local species presence than recreational fisheries management or the presence of recreational anglers.
5. Collectively, no evidence was found that anglers and recreational fisheries management constrain the development of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in gravel pit lakes in the study region; however, the conservation of species diversity in gravel pit lakes could benefit from an increasing reliance on habitat enhancement activities.

     

The effects of light and temperature on the photosynthesis of the Asparagopsis armata tetrasporophyte (Falkenbergia rufolanosa), cultivated in tanks

The integrated aquaculture of the tetrasporophyte of Asparagopsis armata Harvey (Falkenbergia rufolanosa) using fish farm effluents may be viable due to the species high capacity of removing nutrients and its content of halogenated organic compounds with applications on the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In order to optimize the integrated aquaculture of F. rufolanosa, we followed the daily variation of the potential quantum yield (F_v/F_m) of PSII on plants cultivated at different biomass densities and different total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) fluxes to check if they are photoinhibited at any time of the day. Moreover, the photoinhibition under continuous exposure to highly saturating irradiance and its potential for subsequent recovery in the shade was assessed. The potential for year round cultivation was evaluated by measuring rates of O₂ evolution of plants acclimated at temperatures ranging from 15 to 29 °C, the temperature range of a fish farm effluent in southern Portugal where an integrated aquaculture system of F. rufolanosa was constructed.Photoinhibition does not seem to be a major constrain for the integrated aquaculture of F. rufolanosa. Only when cultivated at a very low density of 1.5 g fresh weight (FW) l^− 1 that there was a midday decrease in maximal quantum yield (F_v/F_m). At densities higher than 4 g FW l^− 1, no photoinhibition was observed. When exposed to full solar irradiance for 1 h, F. rufolanosa showed a 33% decrease in F_v/F_m, recovering to 86% of the initial value after 2 h in the shade. A midday decline of the F. rufolanosa F_v/F_m was also observed under the lowest TAN flux tested (∼6 μM h^− 1), suggesting that this fast and easy measurement of fluorescence may be used as a convenient diagnostic tool to detect nutrient-starved unbalance conditions of the cultures. Maximum net photosynthesis peaked at 15 °C with 9.7 mg O₂ g dry weight (DW)^− 1 h^− 1 and remained high until 24 °C. At 29 °C, the net oxygen production was significantly reduced due to a dramatic increase of respiration, suggesting this to be the species' lethal temperature threshold.Results indicate that F. rufolanosa has a considerable photosynthetic plasticity and confirm it as a good candidate for integrated aquaculture at temperatures up to 24° C and cultivation densities of at least 5 g FW l^− 1. When cultivated at these densities, light does not penetrate below the first few centimetres of the surface zone. Plants circulate within the tanks, spending around 10% of the time in the first few centimetres where they are able to use efficiently the saturating light levels without damaging their photosynthetic apparatus.     

Rotifers enriched with iodine,copper and manganese had no effect on larval cod (Gadus morhua) growth,mineral status or redox system gene mRNA levels

It currently remains unclear if rotifers contain sufficient mineral levels to meet larval fish requirements. In this study, rotifers were enriched with a commercial enrichment (control), or with additional iodine, iodine and copper, or iodine, copper and manganese, and the effects of feeding these rotifers to Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae from 3 to 18 days post hatch were investigated. Rotifer enrichment with minerals was successful, but Mn enrichment also increased rotifer zinc levels. No differences were observed between treatments in larval growth or survival, or in the mRNA levels in the majority of the redox system genes analysed. Only Zn levels increased in cod larvae in response to mineral enrichment of rotifers. Apart from Zn, little evidence was found to suggest that cod larvae require increased concentrations above the control rotifer levels of the essential elements studied here.     

Growth performance,nutrient digestibility and intestinal morphology of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed graded levels of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Wickerhamomyces anomalus

In a 10‐week study, we evaluated the effects of replacing 20%, 40% or 60% of fishmeal (present in control diet at 300 g/kg) on a digestible protein basis with yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae or a yeast mixture of Wickerhamomyces anomalus and S. cerevisiae on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nutrient retention and intestinal health of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Triplicate tanks with 35 rainbow trout (144.7 ± 25.1 g mean ± SEM) were fed rations of 1.5% of total biomass per tank. Replacement of 60% of fishmeal with yeast mixture resulted in lower specific growth rate of 1.0% versus 1.2%/day for other diets. Apparent digestibility coefficients for crude protein and most amino acids were highest in fish fed fishmeal‐based diet, with similar values for fish fed the diet with 20% replacement with yeast mixture. Diet with 20% replacement with yeast mixture resulted in highest phosphorus digestibility. Replacement of 60% of fishmeal with S. cerevisiae resulted in oedematous mucosal fold tips in the proximal intestine. The results of this study suggest that these yeasts can replace up to 40% of fishmeal under current inclusion levels in diets for rainbow trout without compromising growth performance, nutrient digestibility or intestinal health.     

Relation between soil organic matter and yield levels of nonlegume crops in organic and conventional farming systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interaction between yield levels of nonleguminous crops and soil organic matter (SOM) under the specific conditions of organic and conventional farming, respectively, and to identify implications for SOM management in arable farming considering the farming system (organic vs. conventional). For that purpose, correlations between yield levels of nonlegume crops and actual SOM level (C_org, N_t, C_hwe, N_hwe) as well as SOM‐level development were examined including primary data from selected treatments of seven long‐term field experiments in Germany and Switzerland. Yield levels of nonlegume crops were positively correlated with SOM levels, but the correlation was significant only under conditions of organic farming, and not with conventional farming treatments. While absolute SOM levels had a positive impact on yield levels of nonlegumes, the yield levels of nonlegumes and SOM‐level development over time correlated negatively. Due to an increased demand of N from SOM mineralization, higher yield levels of nonlegumes obviously indicate an increased demand for OM supply to maintain SOM levels. Since this observation is highly significant for farming without mineral‐N fertilization but not for farming with such fertilization, we conclude that the demand of SOM‐level maintenance or enhancement and thus adequate SOM management is highly relevant for crop production in organic farming both from an agronomical and ecological point of view. Under conventional management, the agronomic relevance of SOM with regard to nutrient supply is much lower than under organic management. However, it has to be considered that we excluded other possible benefits of SOM in our survey that may be highly relevant for conventional farming as well.