Postamputation Orthopedic Surgery in Canine Amputees: Owner Satisfaction and Outcome

Surgical management of postamputation orthopedic disease (PAOD) in canine amputees has rarely been documented, and no reports describing outcome of stifle surgery in canine amputees are available. The objective of this multisite retrospective case series was to describe cases and evaluate satisfaction with and outcome of postamputation orthopedic surgery in canine amputees. Data was obtained through medical records and owner survey responses; data included signalment, amputation cause, diagnosis, surgical treatment, timeframes, and outcome assessment. Outcome was categorized as acceptable or unacceptable, and complications were classified as catastrophic, major, or minor. Eleven thoracic limb amputees and 6 pelvic limb amputees with surgically treated PAOD were identified. Surgically treated PAOD was reported at a median of 9.7 months (range 0.5-110 months) after amputation. All 17 amputees were treated for pelvic limb disease, predominantly for cranial cruciate ligament disease that occurred in 11 of 17 dogs. Major complications following orthopedic surgeries performed in 3 thoracic limb amputees consisted of infection (n?=?2) and uncontrolled pain (n?=?1). No major complications were reported following orthopedic surgeries performed in pelvic limb amputees. Acceptable mid-to-long-term outcome was achieved in 16 of the 17 canine amputees. Surgical treatment of pelvic limb disease did not appear to be associated with a high number of major complications in this case series. These findings suggest that orthopedic surgery, specifically stifle surgery, in canine amputees might be considered a feasible treatment option. Although there are inherent methodological limitations of retrospective studies and owner surveys, our case series provides new information that might help guide surgical treatment decisions in canine amputees suffering from orthopedic disease. Prospective studies using objective outcome measures evaluating surgical management of PAOD are necessary to confirm the provided information.     

Spawning Frequency Analysis of Wild and Pond-Reared Pacific White Shrimp Penaeus vannamei Broodstock under Large-Scale Hatchery Conditions

Second generation Penaeus vannamei broodstack, pond-reared and wild populations, were compared for spawning frequency and several variables associated with reproductive performance. For this purpose, 470 pond-reared and 237 wild-caught individually tagged females were stocked with males of the same origin in ten maturation tanks in a commercial hatchery, and several productivity variables were recorded over time. Results of the analysis indicate that wild shrimp had higher mating and spawning frequencies compared to pond-reared broodstock. The number of nauplii per spawn was higher for wild shrimp, but fertilization and hatching rates were higher for pond-reared spawners. A larger proportion of nonmating females were found in pond-reared shrimp; whereas, wild females had a higher potential for multiple matings. The spawn quality (fertilization and hatching rates, percentage of viable spawns, and number of nauplii) in consecutive matings did not decline substantially. The present study indicates that selection of females with multiple spawning capabilities can be an important commercial strategy to improve nauplii production over the short term. Pond-reared broodstock can be an adequate source for applying this strategy because of their year-round availability and an overall acceptable reproductive performance.     

Hemolymph Metabolic Variables in Response to Experimental Manipulation Stress and Serotonin Injection in Penaeus vannamei

Abstract— The effects of serotonin (5-HT) and the stress of repeated sampling on Penaeus vannamei hemolymph levels of glucose, lactate, triacylglycerol, cholesterol, and total protein were examined. For this purpose, a baseline hemolymph sample was taken and then shrimp were injected with 5-HT (50 μg/shrimp) or saline after which repeated individual samples were taken at 30, 60, and 120 min. Glucose levels tripled in both saline- and serotonin-treated shrimp when compared to baseline values, without any difference between both groups. In contrast, lactate level rose significantly only in the 5-HT group. The levels of this metabolite were significantly higher than in the salineinjection group for all time points. Triacylglycerol decreased in both groups and no substantial differences were observed in cholesterol and protein levels. The results indicate that repeated sampling stress produces strong hyperglycemia and that 5-HT does not produce an additional increase in glucose levels. However. this monoamine strongly increased lactate levels, a response that can be distinguished from stress and probably attributed to glycolysis.     

Environmental Factors Governing Soil Water Repellency Dynamics in a Pinus Pinaster Plantation in NW Spain

Soil water repellency (SWR) is a dynamic property that changes throughout the year. The objective of this work was to identify the environmental factors governing the temporal patterns in SWR in a pine plantation in northwest Spain with a view of predicting its occurrence and persistence. For this purpose, 24 samples were collected from the soil surface (0–5 cm) at 25 different times over a 1‐year period and analysed for SWR by using water drop penetration time test and soil moisture measurements. Temporal variations in SWR exhibited a well‐defined seasonal pattern. The soil surface was largely wettable from late autumn to early spring and extremely water repellent during summer and early autumn. Repellency persistence was rather variable during spring. There was highly significant correlation between SWR and soil moisture content. The moisture range defining the presence or absence of repellency under field conditions was 22–57%. There were also significant correlations with the target variables (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, precipitation and water balance during variably long antecedent periods), with coefficients that increased with increasing length of the antecedent period considered. The moisture content of soil at the time of sampling and the average maximum temperature for the 28 days before sampling are the best predictors of occurrence of SWR and its persistence in different seasons. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Changes in the fatty acid profile of the subcutaneous fat of swine throughout fattening as affected by dietary conjugated linoleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids

The fatty acid profile of the subcutaneous fat of pigs and its evolution throughout fattening as affected by dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and their interaction (CLAxMUFA) were studied. Three levels (0, 1, and 2%) of an enriched CLA oil (28% cis-9, trans-11 and 28% trans-10, cis-12 CLA) were combined with two levels of MUFA (low, 19% average; and high, 39% average) for pig feeding (288 gilts). Subcutaneous shot-biopsies were taken from 48 animals at the beginning of the trial (S1, 70 kg), 14 days later (S2, 80 kg), and at slaughter (S3, 107 kg). Inclusion of CLA in the diet caused an increase during fattening in cis-9, trans-11 CLA, trans-10, cis-12 CLA, and saturated fatty acids (SFA) contents of pig backfat and a decrease in MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). MUFA supplementation also led to a MUFA enrichment of backfat. The interaction CLAxMUFA affected the SFA content. The rates of accumulation of CLA isomers, SFA, and MUFA throughout the trial did not follow a linear behavior, such rates being higher from S1 to S2 than from S2 to S3. These rates were also influenced by dietary CLA and MUFA levels. The increase in the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids of backfat caused by dietary CLA might be balanced by supplementation of pig diets with MUFA.     

Monovarietal extra virgin olive oils: correlation between thermal properties and chemical composition

Thermal properties of monovarietal extra virgin olive oils were evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (upon cooling) and related to their chemical composition (triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, total and free fatty acids, oxidation status). The overall crystallization enthalpy did not significantly differ among samples and did not account for the differences observed in chemical compositions. On the contrary, a higher degree of unsaturation in the lipid profile induced a shift of the crystallization onset towards lower temperatures and narrowing of the crystallization temperature range. The presence of triacylglycerol lysis and lipid oxidation products shifted the crystallization towards higher temperatures and the phase transition developed over a larger temperature range. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms were deconvoluted into three constituent exothermic peaks for all samples. The area of the two lower-temperature exotherms was found to be statistically correlated with the amount of triunsaturated and monosaturated triacylglycerols present in the oil. Thermal properties of extra virgin olive oil were found to be affected by oil chemical composition.     

LC/ESI/MS method for the quantitative detection of guazatine residues in cereals

Guazatine is a fungicide used in agriculture to control a wide range of seed-borne diseases of cereals and other vegetable foods. In this work, a LC-ESI-MS method was developed for the quantitative detection of guazatine residues in maize and hard wheat. Quantitative data were determined for the residues of the main diamines, triamines, and tetramines that cover more than 87% of the total contents of the mixture. The mean recoveries from the fortified cereals at 0.050 mg/kg ranged from 81 to 86%, with the coefficients of variation (CVs) ranging from 0.9 to 5.5% (n = 5). At 0.025 mg/kg, the recoveries ranged from 78 to 87%, with the CVs ranging from 0.8 to 6.3% (n = 5). The limits of quantification have been estimated to be 0.010, 0.004, 0.002, 0.002, 0.005, and 0.002 mg/kg, respectively, for GN, GG, GNG, GGN, GGG, and GGGG in maize and hard wheat (S/N ratio >10).     

Flavonoids from italian multifloral honeys reduce the extracellular ferricyanide in human red blood cells

In this study we investigated some biological properties of flavonoids recovered in the aqueous (AqE) and ether (EtE) extracts from four Italian multifloral honeys. In particular, a cell-free assay was employed to detect direct reduction of ferricyanide, whereas an assay using intact human erythrocytes was used to measure the ability to donate electrons to a trans-plasma membrane oxidoreductase. It was found that the AqE displays greater "in vitro" ferricyanide-reducing activity than the EtE but, unlike the latter, is virtually ineffective in the cell-based assay. Uptake studies employing high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) showed that the different results were explained by the inability of AqE components to cross the erythrocyte plasma membrane and by the excellent uptake of EtE flavonoids, which, once within the cell, donate electrons to the membrane oxidoreductase to efficiently reduce extracellular oxidants. The latter property appears to depend on the content of ether-soluble flavonoids in the starting honeys.