State-of-the-art review of goat TSE in the European Union, with special emphasis on PRNP genetics and epidemiology

Scrapie is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease of sheep and goats. It is also the earliest known member in the family of diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases, which includes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and chronic wasting disease in cervids. The recent revelation of naturally occurring BSE in a goat has brought the issue of TSE in goats to the attention of the public. In contrast to scrapie, BSE presents a proven risk to humans. The risk of goat BSE, however, is difficult to evaluate, as our knowledge of TSE in goats is limited. Natural caprine scrapie has been discovered throughout Europe, with reported cases generally being greatest in countries with the highest goat populations. As with sheep scrapie, susceptibility and incubation period duration of goat scrapie are most likely controlled by the prion protein (PrP) gene (PRNP). Like the PRNP of sheep, the caprine PRNP shows significantly greater variability than that of cattle and humans. Although PRNP variability in goats differs from that observed in sheep, the two species share several identical alleles. Moreover, while the ARR allele associated with enhancing resistance in sheep is not present in the goat PRNP, there is evidence for the existence of other PrP variants related to resistance. This review presents the current knowledge of the epidemiology of caprine scrapie within the major European goat populations, and compiles the current data on genetic variability of PRNP.     

Determination of acequinocyl and hydroxyacequinocyl on fruits and vegetables by HPLC-DAD

A method for determining residues of the new reduced-risk pesticide acequinocyl and its deacetylated derivative hydroxyacequinocyl on fruits and vegetables (grapes, lemons, pears, and tomatoes) by HPLC is described. The pesticides were extracted from the fruits and vegetables with hexane and ethyl acetate solution (1:1, v/v), determined by HPLC-DAD at 250 nm and confirmed by LC/MS. No cleanup was necessary. This method is characterized by recoveries (0.01-4 mg/kg) > 77%, while the coefficient of variation was determined to be less than 11%. The limit of quantitation for both acequinocyl and hydroxyacequinocyl was 0.01 mg/kg for all matrixes.     

Alley coppice—a new system with ancient roots

Context

Current production from natural forests will not satisfy future world demand for timber and fuel wood, and new land management options are required.

Aims

We explore an innovative production system that combines the production of short rotation coppice in wide alleys with the production of high-value trees on narrow strips of land; it is an alternative form of alley cropping which we propose to call ‘alley coppice’. The aim is to describe this alley coppice system and to illustrate its potential for producing two diverse products, namely high-value timber and energy wood on the same land unit.

Methods

Based on a comprehensive literature review, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of the alley coppice system and contrast the features with well-known existing or past systems of biomass and wood production.

Results

We describe and discuss the basic aspects of alley coppice, its design and dynamics, the processes of competition and facilitation, issues of ecology, and areas that are open for future research.

Conclusion

Based on existing knowledge, a solid foundation for the implementation of alley coppice on suitable land is presented, and the high potential of this system could be shown.     

Apoptosis and anti-apoptotic heat shock proteins in canine cutaneous infundibular keratinizing acanthomas and squamous cell carcinomas

Cell stress and death are linked in the neoplastic process, and heat shock proteins appear to play an important role by inhibiting apoptotic pathways. The apoptotic rates in 9 canine infundibular keratinizing acanthomas (IKAs) and 17 canine squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) were correlated with the immunohistochemical expression of caspase-3 and the antiapoptotic heat shock proteins Hsp27, 72 and 73. Apoptosis was evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) method. The absence of a correlation between the TUNEL index and active-caspase-3 expression, a paucity of active-caspase-3-positive cells and Hsp72 over-expression were considered to be indicative of inhibition of apoptosis, and suggestive that inhibition of cell death plays a key role in oncogenesis and tumour growth of some canine skin neoplasms.     

Organ-dependent induction of systemic resistance and systemic susceptibility in Pinus nigra inoculated with Sphaeropsis sapinea and Diplodia scrobiculata

Systemic induced resistance (SIR) is a well-known host defense mechanism against pathogen attack in herbaceous plants, but SIR has only recently been documented in conifers. We tested if inoculation of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) with Sphaeropsis sapinea (Fr.:Fr.) Dyko and Sutton or Diplodia scrobiculata de Wet, Slippers and Wingfield results in SIR or systemic induced susceptibility (SIS) to subsequent colonization by S. sapinea. Induction at the stem base resulted in significant (P < 0.01) SIR in the upper stem, and induction in the upper stem resulted in significant (P < 0.05) SIR at the stem base, indicating that SIR is bidirectional in Austrian pine. However, inoculation at the stem base resulted in significant (P < 0.01) SIS in shoot tips, demonstrating that, in the same host species, the expression of resistance can be organ-dependent, resulting in either SIR or SIS depending on the site of challenge infection. Systemic induced resistance in the stem was associated with induced lignification, supporting a potential role for this defense mechanism in disease resistance. Systemic induced susceptibility has been documented before, but this is the first demonstration of organ-dependent expression of both SIR and SIS in a tree or any other plant.     

Nitrogen and phosphorous budgets during a farming cycle of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum: An in situ experiment

In the Sacca di Goro lagoon a farming cycle of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) was simulated seeding young molluscs in an unexploited sandy spot. The experimental area (2100 m²) consisted of three sectors: a control (C), almost devoid of clams (∼ 1600 m^− 2, ∼ 30 ind m^− 2), a low (L) density area (400 m², ∼ 300 ind m^− 2) and a high (H) density zone (∼ 110 m^− 2, ∼ 800 ind m^− 2). Water chemistry, external freshwater nutrient loads, molluscs filtration rates, biomass, elemental composition and nutrient recycling were analysed.Clam filtration rates and light and dark fluxes of nutrients were measured with intact core incubations. Three replicate cores (i.d. 20 cm) were collected from C, L and H in April, one month after the seeding, June, August and October 2003. External loads were calculated multiplying dissolved and particulate nutrients concentration by freshwater flow from the main lagoon tributaries. Direct excretion, filtration activity of clams and particulate matter deposition resulted in significantly higher ammonium (NH₄⁺) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) effluxes to the water column at L and H. For the entire farming cycle, particulate nitrogen (PN) uptake by clams from the water column was 1.7 (C), 9.1 (L) and 16.3 (H) mol m^− 2, whilst total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) fluxes were − 0.3 (C), 1.6 (L) and 6.9 (H) mol m^− 2. Particulate phosphorus (PP) uptake from the water column was 0.1 (C), 0.6 (L) and 1.0 (H) mol m^− 2, whilst total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) efflux was 0.2 (C), 0.5 (L) and 0.8 (H) mol m^− 2. At the end of the farming cycle, harvested N as mollusc flesh was negligible for C, 0.4 mol m^− 2 for L and 1.8 mol m^− 2 for H. Harvested P as mollusc flesh was negligible for C, 0.02 mol m^− 2 for L and 0.04 mol m^− 2 for H. Farmed areas seem to have a great potential for fast coupling between sedimentation (filter feeder mediated biodeposition) and benthic recycling. At the lagoon level, mollusc farming probably attenuates the export of particulate matter to the open sea. Our results show that a minor fraction of biodeposited N (∼ 6%) and P (∼ 3%) was exported as a commercial product at the end of the farming cycle, whilst a larger fraction was incorporated in the sediments or recycled as dissolved inorganic or organic forms.     

Chronic cystitis with ossification of the bladder wall in a 6-month-old German shepherd dog

Ossification of the bladder wall, detected radiographically as a nonhomogeneous radiopaque area in the cranioventral part of the bladder in a puppy, is reported. We speculate that chronic inflammation due to the presence of uroliths in the lumen may have stimulated a metaplastic transformation of the cells.