Transiliac approach for exposure of lumbosacral intervertebral disk and foramen: technique description

Objective— To describe and evaluate a transiliac approach to the L7–S1 disk and intervertebral foramen in dogs.
Study Design— Cadaver study.
Animals— Fresh canine cadavers (n=10).
Methods— A craniolateral approach was made to each iliac wing of 10 fresh canine mixed breed cadavers. An 18 mm hole was drilled in a standardized position through the iliac wing. The musculature connected to the cranial aspects of the sacral wing was dissected and retracted cranially through this iliac window. Endoscopic exploration of the area was performed.
Results— The foramen and intervertebral disk were clearly observed in all specimens without iatrogenic injury of the L7 nerve branch. Access to the foramen was possible in 16 of 20 specimens without excision of the sacral wing; however, it was always partially excised to observe the intervertebral disk which lies more caudally and ventrally.
Conclusion— Transiliac approach to the lumbosacral joint allows direct exposure of the intervertebral disk and foramen through an iliac window. Endoscopic exploration provided good observation of the intervertebral disk and/or foramen.
Clinical Relevance— Transiliac approach could be used for lateral corpectomy and foraminotomy in dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis caused by ventral or ventrolateral disk protrusion, foramen stenosis, or OCD of the L7–S1 joint. Clinical study will be necessary to evaluate the efficacy of this approach.     

Continuous Plant Regeneration from Established Embryogenic Cell Suspension Cultures of Italian Ryegrass and Tall Fescue

The suitability of different protocols was compared for entire plant regeneration by somatic embryogenesis, of the forage plants Lolium multiflorum Lam. (Italian ryegrass) and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. (tall fescue). In the first protocol, miniature embryos were used as starting material, while mature seeds were retained in the other two. Whichever the considered protocol, undifferentiated calli were produced on Murashige and Skoog MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D. The calli were subcultured in the dark on solid MS agar medium, containing 5 mg/1 2,4-D (protocol 2) or on solid MS medium followed by transfer to a rotated liquid MS medium with 2 mg/1 2,4-D (protocol 1). In these conditions, induction of somatic embryogenesis occurred, and whole plants were regenerated during a limited lapse of time, upon transfer in the light, to MS medium supplemented with BAP but devoid of 2,4-D. The simultaneous elimination of 2,4-D and transfer to light appeared essential for full regeneration of the plants. Using this characteristic, an additional step was added to a new protocol (protocol 3) in which microcalli, cultured on liquid MS medium containing 5 mg/1 2,4-D, were transferred to the same medium with 2 mg/1 2,4-D, in the dark. In these conditions, the suspensions kept their embryogenic potential for months. In all cases, plantlets were successfully transferred into the soil. An evaluation of the somaclonal variation potential of the plants issued from each protocol is now underway.     

Oxidative stability of bovine serum albumin- and sodium caseinate-stabilized emulsions depends on metal availability

Proteins often stabilize food emulsions and are also able to promote or delay lipid oxidation in complex systems. The purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between metal ion availability and oxidative stability of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by bovine serum albumin (BSA) or sodium caseinate (NaCas). Emulsions with similar and stable droplet size distributions were prepared with stripped sunflower oil (30 vol %) and protein solutions (20 g L(-)(1); pH = 6.5). In the absence of the water-soluble metal chelator EDTA, oxygen uptake, conjugated dienes, and volatile compounds developed faster in NaCas-stabilized emulsions than in those prepared with BSA. This effect is attributed to the chelating properties of NaCas and to electrostatic interactions that attract some metal ions at the interface where they could initiate lipid oxidation. When EDTA (100 muM) was present, oxidation was delayed to a greater extent in emulsions made with NaCas than in BSA stabilized emulsions. These conditions probably enabled NaCas to exert free-radical-scavenging activity.     

Analysis of photoperiod sensitivity within a collection of tropical maize populations

We analyzed the variability of a large maize (Zea mays L.) collection of152 tropical populations for photoperiod sensitivity and grain productivityunder long-day conditions to investigate their potential adaptation to temperateconditions. A multilocal experimental design was used: one location withshort-day conditions (Guadeloupe), one location with medium-day conditions (latesowing in the south of France) and two locations with long-day conditions (earlysowing in both the North and South of France). The photoperiod sensitivity wasestimated by the slope of the regression of thermal time from sowing to 50%anthesis on photoperiod. We found highly significant effects of latitude andaltitude of the collecting site of the population on photoperiod sensitivity anda significant but small interaction between these two factors. Populationsoriginated from low altitudes and low latitudes are highly sensitive tophotoperiod, whereas highland populations never display a high photoperiodsensitivity, whatever the latitude of origin. Grain productivity under long-dayconditions was not highly correlated with photoperiod sensitivity. Andeanpopulations were little sensitive to photoperiod and exhibited poor grainproduction under long-day conditions. In contrast, some populations from theCaribbean such as populations from Cuban Flint and Early Caribbean racesexhibited a good grain production although sensitive to photoperiod. The goodadaptation of some Caribbean material to temperate conditions is consistent withthe hypothesis of the successful introduction of Caribbean germplasm in southernregions of the Old World.     

Determination of monounsaturated alkyl side chain 2-alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated foods

The 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs) are formed from triglycerides by irradiation treatment and may be used as markers for this type of food processing. This paper describes a detection method for the analysis of monounsaturated alkyl side chain 2-ACBs, which is formed upon irradiation from monounsaturated fatty acids which frequently are the most abundant fatty acids in foods. The estimated radioproduction yields of the cis-2-(dodec-5'-enyl)-cyclobutanones (cis-2-dDeCB) and the cis-2-(tetradec-5'-enyl)-cyclobutanones (cis-2-tDeCB) were 1.0 +/- 0.5 and 0.9 +/- 0.2 nmol.mmol(-1) precursor fatty acid.kGy(-1), respectively, being similar to that of saturated 2-ACBs. The stability study of the s- and mu-2-ACBs in poultry meat samples irradiated at 10 kGy and stored for 3-4 weeks at 4 degrees C and 25 degrees C showed that these compounds undergo some transformation, their amounts being reduced by about 50%. These storage losses did not depend on the saturation state of the alkyl side chain. The EI-MS detection limit of 2-tDeCB is 3 times higher (0.6 pmol) than that of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (0.2 pmol). Consequently, when the oleic acid content of the analyzed food exceeds the content of palmitic acid by a factor of 3, it would be of an advantage to apply 2-tDeCB as a marker for detection of the irradiation treatment.     

Enzymatic synthesis of aroma compound xylosides using transfer reaction by Trichoderma longibrachiatum xylanase

Enzymatic synthesis of aroma compound xylosides was performed by Trichoderma longibrachiatum xylanase. Information concerning the nature of xylosides present in the reaction medium was obtained by GC-EI-MS, by GC-NCI-MS of TFA derivatives, and by positive FAB-MS of the reaction mixtures. Moreover, the structures of isolated benzyl beta-D-xylopyranoside and 4-O-beta-xylopyranosyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside were established by (1)H and (13)C NMR and heteronuclear two-dimensional ((1)H-(13)C) chemical shift correlation. The results obtained for hexyl and benzyl alcohol xylosides indicated that a reaction implying a transfer of one to two or three xylose units from xylan was involved. The enzyme was able to recognize xylobiose, xylotriose, and xylan as xylose donors. Benzyl xyloside, produced independently of xylobioside and xylotrioside, was found as the major kinetic product of the reaction. Benzyl xyloside was produced in higher quantities and at a higher rate than that obtained for the di- and trixyloside derivatives. The maximum production for benzyl xyloside, 1.29 g/L, was obtained in the presence of hexane (50%) used as cosolvent. Xylosides and xylobiosides of several aroma compounds, (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol, heptan-2-ol, geraniol, nerol, and citronellol, were synthesized in different amounts, from 850 mg/L for (Z)-hex-3-en-1-yl xylosides to 1.5 mg/L for citronellyl xylosides. No synthesis occurred when menthol, linalool, and eugenol were used as acceptors.     

Fertilization of declining conifer stands in the Vosges and in the French Ardennes

Twenty fertilization experiments were set up in 1985 and 1986 in the Vosges mountains, using mostly calcareous or Mg fertilizers, in order to verify whether fertilization can attenuate defoliation and yellowing recently recorded in Silver fir and Norway spruce. In the Ardennes, a fertilization experiment set up in Norway spruce stands prior to the appearance of yellowing was assessed. In these areas, the total acid deposition is about 2 kg eq H⁺ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Nitrogen deposition is much more important in the Ardennes (52 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in form of wet and dry deposition) than in the Vosges (16 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The results in the eight adult stands showed no uniform reaction to the treatments. Spontaneous improvement, further deterioration independently of the treatment, as well as a positive reaction to fertilization were observed. Additional N or P fertilization sometimes had a beneficial effect on Ca or Mg treatments. The selection of the stands with the best response turns out to be difficult, as the nutrient contents of needles alone seem not to be a satisfactory criterion for selection. Young plantations reacted positivley to the treatments. Soluble Mg fertilizer leads to an immediate response. Low solubility Ca-Mg fertilizers (Ca-Mg lime) did not produce reactions until three years after the application. In the Ardennes, in a 40 yr old spruce stand suffering from severe Mg deficiency, a Ca and Ca-phosphate fertilization applied 5 yr before yellowing appeared had positive effects on crown density, discoloration and wood production. Conversely, a single N fertilization in this experiment, as well as in a young plantation in the Vosges, had a marked negative effect on Mg nutrition, even at low levels.     

Stochasticity and cell fate

Fundamental to living cells is the capacity to differentiate into subtypes with specialized attributes. Understanding the way cells acquire their fates is a major challenge in developmental biology. How cells adopt a particular fate is usually thought of as being deterministic, and in the large majority of cases it is. That is, cells acquire their fate by virtue of their lineage or their proximity to an inductive signal from another cell. In some cases, however, and in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans, cells choose one or another pathway of differentiation stochastically, without apparent regard to environment or history. Stochasticity has important mechanistic requirements. We speculate on why stochasticity is advantageous-and even critical in some circumstances-to the individual, the colony, or the species.