Metabolomic analysis of Ranunculus spp. as potential agents involved in the etiology of equine grass sickness

Identification of toxic or harmful agents continues to be a key goal in agricultural chemistry. This paper reports a metabolomic analysis of Ranunculus repens and related species, which were recently postulated to be cocausative agents in the etiology of equine grass sickness (EGS). Specifically, samples collected at EGS sites were compared with those from non-EGS sites. Furthermore, interspecific and seasonal variations and the species' response to edaphic and climatic factors were investigated. (1)H NMR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis was applied to the crude methanol extracts of the Ranunculus samples, as well as their chloroform fractions. Samples from EGS sites were significantly different from control samples. The metabolite composition varied greatly between different Ranunculus species. No significant changes could be observed between samples collected in different seasons. This work provides strong evidence that Ranunculus is involved in the etiology of EGS and has implications for agricultural management of pastures.     

Endothelial cells and angiogenesis in the horse in health and disease—A review

The cardiovascular system is the first functional organ in the embryo, and its blood vessels form a widespread conductive network within the organism. Blood vessels develop de novo, by the differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (vasculogenesis) or by angiogenesis, which is the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones. This review presents an overview of the current knowledge on physiological and pathological angiogenesis in the horse including studies on equine endothelial cells. Principal study fields in equine angiogenesis research were identified: equine endothelial progenitor cells; equine endothelial cells and angiogenesis (heterogeneity, markers and assessment); endothelial regulatory molecules in equine angiogenesis; angiogenesis research in equine reproduction (ovary, uterus, placenta and conceptus, testis); angiogenesis research in pathological conditions (tumours, ocular pathologies, equine wound healing, musculoskeletal system and laminitis). The review also includes a table that summarizes in vitro studies on equine endothelial cells, either describing the isolation procedure or using previously isolated endothelial cells. A particular challenge of the review was that results published are fragmentary and sometimes even contradictory, raising more questions than they answer. In conclusion, angiogenesis is a major factor in several diseases frequently occurring in horses, but relatively few studies focus on angiogenesis in the horse. The challenge for the future is therefore to continue exploring new therapeutic angiogenesis strategies for horses to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.     

Precision agriculture research in sub-Saharan Africa countries: a systematic map

Precision agriculture (PA) has a huge potential for growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but it faces a number of social-economic and technological challenges. This study sought to map existing PA research and application in SSA countries following the methodology for systematic mapping in environmental sciences. After screening for relevance, the initial about 7715 articles was reduced to 128. Results show that most of the studies were conducted in countries with socio-economic and technological advancement, mainly South Africa followed by Nigeria and Kenya. The studies were conducted at various scales ranging from field to country level with field scale studies being the most common. Most studies were conducted in relatively small farms typical of most farmlands in SSA. Studies done in relatively large farms are fewer, and such farms would likely belong to a few organisations and individuals with high economic capacity. Many of these studies have been conducted by researchers from outside SSA and a combination of researchers from within and outside SSA. However, based on authorship of the articles, it appears that most of the studies conducted in SSA on precision agriculture have either involved or depended on non-African researchers. It is concluded that there have been significant strides towards use of precision agriculture in SSA. However, with about 21 countries having no research done, there exists greater potential for precision agriculture in the region. Besides, there is need for more research to investigate the low usage of precision agriculture for livestock management.

     

Potential Prognostic Indicators in Diffuse Peritonitis Treated with Open Peritoneal Drainage in the Canine Patient

The purpose of this study was to identify prognostic indicators that may help to predict outcome in clinical cases of diffuse peritonitis treated with open peritoneal drainage. Medical records from 19 canine patients with generalized peritonitis treated with open peritoneal drainage between 1990 and 1996 were reviewed. The signalment, preoperative complete blood count (CBC), preoperative biochemical profiles, and number of days of open peritoneal drainage of surviving patients (n = 15) were compared to nonsurviving patients (n = 4). Significant differences were noted between the surviving and nonsurviving groups in the ALT (p = 0.02) and GGT (p = 0.01) values. Seventy-nine percent of the patients in this study survived.     

Using otolith microchemical analysis to investigate the importance of brackish bays for pike (Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758) reproduction in the southern Baltic Sea

The brackish Baltic Sea is inhabited by several primary freshwater fish species. The pike (Esox lucius) is the largest of these species and acts as the top predator in the marine food web of the Baltic Sea. Prior studies have shown the importance of brackish bays as spawning grounds for the Baltic Sea pike. To identify the spawning habitat of the pike population around the island of Rügen (southern Baltic Sea)—either freshwater streams flowing into the Baltic or brackish lagoons of the Baltic—we used the ICPMS method to quantify the strontium to calcium (Sr:Ca) ratios in sagittal otoliths of 79 adult pike. In total, only six per cent (n = 5) of the analysed Baltic Sea individuals were classified as being of freshwater origin. Ninety‐four per cent (n = 74) of analysed pike were classified as having hatched in brackish water. Compared to previous studies on Baltic Sea pike, our sample shows a high proportion of pike that is of brackish origin: this highlights the adaptive capacity of this species with regard to its ability to reproduce in different salinities. Our data highlight the importance of brackish bays for pike reproduction in the southern Baltic Sea, even if pike live on the upper limit of their salinity tolerance in this area. This is an important finding considering decreases in commercial catches in the last 30 years indicating a population decline supposedly related to recruitment failures.