Echocardiographic and Doppler echocardiographic findings in 11 wolves (Canis lupus)

Two-dimensional real-time, M-mode and Doppler echocardiographic measurements were made in 11 adult wolves (Canis lupus) anaesthetised with an intramuscular combination of medetomidine, ketamine, butorphanol and acepromazine followed by isoflurane in oxygen. M-mode measurements of the left ventricle, B-mode measurements of the left atrium and aorta, systolic indices, and Doppler measurements of aortic and pulmonary blood outflow, and of mitral and tricuspid blood inflow, were recorded. The values obtained were compared with those reported for dogs of similar bodyweight and body type. The diastolic measurements of the cardiac chambers and walls were similar to those reported for healthy, conscious dogs, but the use of anaesthesia probably resulted in the markedly different systolic cardiac measurements, systolic indices and Doppler blood flow velocities observed in the wolves. Mild mitral regurgitation, probably due to mitral endocardiosis, was observed in one wolf, and trivial functional mitral insufficiency was observed in five others.     

The Influence of Emotional Stress on Doppler‐derived Aortic Peak Velocity in Boxer Dogs

Background

Subaortic stenosis (SAS) is a common congenital heart disease in Boxers. Doppler‐derived aortic peak velocity (AoPV) is a diagnostic criterion for the disease.

Objectives

To investigate the influence of emotional stress during echocardiographic examination on AoPV in normal and SAS‐affected Boxers. To evaluate the effects of aortic root diameters on AoPV in normal Boxers.

Dogs

Two hundred and fifteen normal and 19 SAS‐affected Boxers.

Methods

The AoPV was recorded at the beginning of echocardiographic examination (T0), and when the emotional stress of the dog was assumed to decrease based on behavioral parameters and heart rate (T1). AoPV0–AoPV1 was calculated. In normal dogs, stroke volume index was calculated at T0 and T1. Aortic root diameters were measured and their relationship with AoPV and AoPV0–AoPV1 was evaluated.

Results

In normal dogs, AoPV was higher at T0 (median, 1.95 m/s; range, 1.60–2.50 m/s) than at T1 (median, 1.76 m/s; range, 1.40–2.20 m/s; P < .0001; reduction 9.2%). The stroke volume index at T0 also was greater than at T1 (P < .0001). Weak negative correlations were detected between aortic root size and aortic velocities. In SAS‐affected dogs, AoPV0 was higher than AoPV1 (P < .0001; reduction 7.3%).

Conclusion and Clinical Importance

Aortic peak velocity was affected by emotional stress during echocardiographic examination both in SAS‐affected and normal Boxers. In normal Boxers, aortic root size weakly affected AoPVs, but did not affect AoPV0–AoPV1. Stroke volume seems to play a major role in stress‐related AoPV increases in normal Boxers. Emotional stress should be taken into account when screening for SAS in the Boxer breed.     

Maternal antibiotic treatment affects offspring gastric sensing for umami taste and ghrelin regulation in the pig

Background: Scarce is knowledge on the process regulating the development of acid secretion, orexigenic signaling, and chemosensing in the stomach of young pigs. Changes of early microbial encounters by suckling pigs can interact with the gut maturation, by the induction of different molecular signaling. Our goal was to assess if the age of offspring and the maternal environment, influenced by sow antibiotic treatment peripartum, could affect gastric morphology and the expression of genes involved in the control of hydrochloric secretion, feed intake, taste,and inflammation in offspring stomach.Methods: 84 pigs from sows fed a diet with amoxicillin(on –d10 to +d21 from farrowing, ANT) or without(CON)were sacrificed at d14, d21, d28(weaning) or d42. Samples of oxyntic(OXY), pyloric(PY) and cardiac mucosae close to OXY were collected and parietal and enteroendocrine cells(EECs) were counted. Relative gene expression of a set of 11 key genes(ATP4 A, SSTR2, GAST, GHRL, MBOAT4, PCSK1, GNAT1, TAS1 R1, TAS1 R3, IL8 and TNF) was assessed by qRT-PCR. In addition, 40 offspring obtained from the same ANT and CON sows were offered a normal or a fatenriched diet for 4 weeks between 140 and 169 d of age, and then OXY and PY were sampled.Results: The number of parietal and EECs increased with age(P 0.001). ATP4 A increased with age(within suckling,P = 0.043, post-weaning vs. suckling, P 0.001), SSTR2 increased only after weaning(P 0.001). In OXY, GHRL increased during suckling(P = 0.012), and post-weaning as a trend(P = 0.088). MBOAT4 tended to increase during suckling(P = 0.062). TAS1 R1 increased from suckling to post-weaning period(P =0.001) and was lower in ANT offspring(P = 0.013). GNAT1 in PY was higher in ANT offspring(P = 0.041). Antibiotic treatment of sows peripartum increased expression of GHRL and MBOAT4 in OXY of growing-finishing offspring aged 5 months.Conclusions: Data show that sensing for umami taste and ghrelin regulation can be affected by maternal environment, but the development of acid secretion, orexigenic signaling and taste perception in the stomach are mostly developmentally controlled.     

Biochemical and molecular diagnosis of insecticide resistance conferred by esterase, MACE, kdr and super-kdr based mechanisms in Italian strains of the peach potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer)

In this paper we analysed the basis of insecticide resistance in 59 Italian strains of the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae using both molecular and biochemical assays. Our data as a whole clearly indicate that most M. persicae strains (76.3%) have high or extremely high production of an esterase enzyme which sequester and detoxify insecticides with esteric group. Kdr genotypes conferring resistance towards pyrethoids are present in 57.7% of the analysed populations. Moreover, 26.5% of the kdr positive strains possess also the M918T mutation conferring super-kdr phenotype. Strains with modified AChE (MACE) are not so numerous (27.1%), although they can be found almost everywhere in Italy. Considering all the strains analysed, both MACE and kdr phenotypes are associated with high levels of esterase activity. In Central–Southern regions, kdr and MACE resistance mechanisms resulted in linkage disequilibrium. Bioassays performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of a pyrethroid insecticide against a strain possessing a F979S mutation within its para-type sodium channel gene suggests that this amino acid substitution could affect the sodium channel responsivity to pyrethroids.     

Carotenoid profiling and biosynthetic gene expression in flesh and peel of wild-type and hp-1 tomato fruit under UV-B depletion

Although light is recognized as one of the main factors influencing fruit carotenogenesis, the specific role of UV-B radiation has been poorly investigated. The present work is addressed to assess the molecular events underlying carotenoid accumulation in presence or absence of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light in tomato fruits of wild-type and high pigment-1 (hp-1), a mutant characterized by exaggerated photoresponsiveness and increased fruit pigmentation. Gene expression analyses indicated that in wild-type fruits UV-B radiation mainly negatively affects the carotenoid biosynthetic genes encoding enzymes downstream of lycopene both in flesh and peel, suggesting that the down-regulation of genes CrtL-b and CrtL-e and the subsequent accumulation of lycopene during tomato ripening are determined at least in part by UV-B light. In contrast to wild-type, UV-B depletion did not greatly affect carotenoid accumulation in hp-1 and generally determined minor differences in gene expression between control and UV-B-depleted conditions.     

Protective effect of the phenolic fraction from virgin olive oils against oxidative stress in human cells

This paper reports the protective effect of the phenolic fraction extracted from extra virgin olive oils (OOPEs) against the cytotoxic effects of reactive oxygen species in human erythrocytes and Caco-2 cells, employed as model systems. Pretreatment of cells with various OOPEs, indeed, provides a remarkable protection against oxidative damages: this effect was strictly dependent on the o-diphenolic content of the extracts. Moreover, the protective effects observable in cellular systems were compared with in vitro antioxidant properties, measured by using the FRAP (ferric reducing/antioxidant power) assay; the reducing ability of OOPEs strictly parallels their o-phenolic content. The linear relationship demonstrated between biological effects and antioxidant capacity measured by the FRAP assay allows us to propose the use of this rapid colorimetric method in assessing and certifying the antioxidant power of extra virgin olive oil.