Tolerability and efficacy of benazepril in cats with chronic kidney disease

The objective of the study was to test the effect of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) benazepril in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A total of 192 cats with CKD with an initial plasma creatinine concentration > or = 2 mg/dL (> or = 177 micromol/L) and urine specific gravity < or = 1.025 were recruited into a double-blind, parallel-group, prospective, randomized clinical trial. Cats received daily (q24h) PO placebo (n = 96) or benazepril x HCl at a dosage of 0.5-1.0 mg/kg (n = 96) for up to 1,119 days. Most cats were fed exclusively a diet containing low amounts of phosphate, protein, and sodium. Benazepril produced a significant reduction in proteinuria, assessed by the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC, P = .005). This effect of benazepril was present in all subgroups tested, including cats with UPC <0.2, although the effect was largest in cats with higher UPCs. Plasma protein was maintained at higher concentrations with benazepril as compared with placebo during treatment in cats with initial UPC <1 (P = .038 versus P = .079 for all cats). There was no difference in renal survival time between the 2 groups when all 192 cats were compared. Mean +/- SD renal survival times were 637 +/- 480 days with benazepril and 520 +/- 323 days with placebo (P = .47). Mean +/- SD renal survival times in the 13 cats with initial UPC > or = 1 were 402 +/- 202 days with benazepril and 149 +/- 90 days with placebo (P = .27). Cats with initial UPC > or = 1 treated with benazepril had better appetite (P = .017) as compared with those treated with placebo. Benazepril was well tolerated. In conclusion, benazepril decreased proteinuria in cats with CKD.     

Biomass production, foliar and root characteristics and nutrient accumulation in young silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) stand growing on abandoned agricultural land

The above-ground biomass and production, below-ground biomass, nutrient (NPK) accumulation, fine roots and foliar characteristics of a 8-year-old silver birch (Betula pendula) natural stand, growing on abandoned agricultural land in Estonia, were investigated. Total above-ground biomass and current annual production after eight growing seasons was 31.2 and 11.9 t DM ha⁻¹, respectively. The production of stems accounted for 62.4% and below-ground biomass accounted for 19.2% of the total biomass of the stand. Carbon sequestration in tree biomass reaches roughly 17.5 t C ha⁻¹ during the first 8 years. The biomass of the fine roots (d < 2 mm) was 1.7 ± 0.2 t DM ha⁻¹ and 76.2% of it was located in the 20 cm topsoil layer. The leaf area index (LAI) of the birch stand was estimated as 3.7 m² m⁻² and specific leaf area (SLA) 15.0 ± 0.1 m² kg⁻¹. The impact of the crown layer on SLA was significant as the leaves are markedly thicker in the upper part of the crown compared with the lower part. The short-root specific area (SRA) in the 30 cm topsoil was 182.9 ± 9.5 m² kg⁻¹, specific root length (SRL), root tissue density (RTD) and the number of short-root tips (>95% ectomycorrhizal) per dry mass unit of short roots were 145.3 ± 8.6 m g⁻¹, 58.6 ± 3.0 kg m⁻³ and 103.7 ± 5.5 tips mg⁻¹, respectively. In August the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, accumulated in above ground biomass, was 192.6, 25.0 and 56.6 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. The annual flux of N and P retranslocation from the leaves to the other tree parts was 57.2 and 3.7 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (55 and 27%), respectively, of which 29.1 kg ha⁻¹ N and 2.8 kg ha⁻¹ P were accumulated in the above-ground part of the stand.