Untersuchungen zum Reihenabstand im Kartoffelbau. III. Sammelernte

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Evaluation of biomarkers of kidney injury following 4% succinylated gelatin and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 administration in a canine hemorrhagic shock model

Objective : To investigate the association between synthetic colloids and biomarkers of acute kidney injury (AKI) in dogs with hemorrhagic shock. Design : Experimental interventional study. Setting : University. Animals : Twenty‐four healthy ex‐racing Greyhounds. Interventions : Anesthetized Greyhounds subjected to hemorrhage for 60 min were resuscitated with 20 mL/kg of fresh whole blood (FWB), 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4, 4% succinylated gelatin (GELO), or 80 mL/kg of isotonic crystalloid (CRYST) over 20 min (n = 6 per treatment). Concentrations of biomarkers of AKI were measured at baseline, end of hemorrhage, and at 40 (T60), 100 (T120), and 160 (T180) min after fluid bolus. Biomarkers included neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin in urine and serum (uNGAL; sNGAL), and urine cystatin C (uCYSC), kidney injury molecule‐1 (uKIM), clusterin (uCLUST), osteopontin, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (uMCP), interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, protein (uPROT), hyaluronan, and F₂‐isoprostanes. Renal histology was scored for tubular injury and microvesiculation. Biomarker fold‐change from baseline was compared between groups using mixed effects models (Bonferroni–Holm corrected P<0.05). Frequencies of histology scores were compared by Fisher's exact test. Measurements and main results : In dogs treated with GELO, uNGAL fold‐change was markedly greater compared with all other groups at T60, T120, and T180 (all P<0.001), and uCYSC was greater at T60 compared with CRYST (P<0.001), and at T120 and T180 compared with all other groups (all P<0.001). Smaller, albeit significant, between‐group differences in uKIM, uCLUST, uMCP, and urine protein concentration were observed across the FWB, GELO, and HES groups, compared with CRYST. The GELO group more frequently had marked tubular microvesiculation than the other groups (P = 0.015) although tubular injury scores were comparable. Conclusion : In dogs with hemorrhagic shock, GELO was associated with greater magnitude increases in urine biomarkers of AKI and more frequent marked tubular microvesiculation, compared with FWB, CRYST, and HES.     

Diagnostic orientation values for ACTH and other parameters for clinically healthy donkeys and mules (insulin,triglycerides, glucose,fructosamines, and ɣ-GT)

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction is the most prevalent endocrine disease in horses. Although donkeys and mules may also be affected, only a few data have been published. Reference values for diagnostic parameters, such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), are especially scarce or even lacking. Therefore, in the present study, available data from the literature have been verified and completed to facilitate a reliable diagnosis. Clinical inspections and haematological and biochemical examinations were carried out four times in a three-month interval (February to November) in 44 donkeys and 31 mules. Data from clinically healthy animals were used as an orientation. Plasma ACTH concentrations showed seasonal changes in both animal groups. However, it was generally higher in donkeys than mules. Although blood glucose (EDTA plasma) showed no difference between groups, serum insulin concentrations were consistently higher in donkeys. Serum fructosamine levels were slightly higher in mules, whereas, in some cases, serum triglyceride levels were considerably higher in donkeys. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase showed a striking peak in mules in August, whereas the remaining gamma-glutamyltransferase values were lower compared to donkeys. By comparing donkeys and mules, the present work reveals differences in various blood parameters which should be considered for diagnoses and future studies.     

Effects of malnutrition on the expression of daintain/AIF-1 in the gut mucosa of pigs

The allograft inflammatory factor (AIF-1/daintain) is a hormone-like peptide produced by activated monocytic cells in a variety of traumatic, inflammatory and degenerative lesions. Gut-derived AIF-1 has been shown to modulate insulin production and to attenuate autoimmune diabetes. As the localization of this gastrointestinal peptide in the porcine duodenum is not known and the pig is a convenient model for the study of nutritional modulation of the mucosal immune compartment, we have localized expression of AIF-1 by immunohistology in the duodenum of either malnourished (energy and protein supply 50% of demands, n = 5) or optimally fed pigs (n = 5). AIF-1 macrophages were predominantly located at the villus tip. The number of positively stained cells per high-power field was significantly (P < or = 0.001) higher in the malnourished pigs (74.6 +/- 2.44; least square means +/- SEM) compared to optimally fed pigs (32.56 +/- 1.99). It is likely that the effect in malnourished pigs can be explained by a more pronounced antigen contact of macrophages due to loss of epithelial integrity. Thus, AIF-1 is a novel marker for the study of the nutritional regulation of the mucosal immune system of the pig. AIF-1 expression in the duodenum was further validated by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Surprisingly, we detected a slight deviation from the original sequence (probably representing an allelic variation) and an AIF-1 splice variant, previously not known to occur in pigs.     

Abdominal pythiosis in a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris).

An adult Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) housed in an outdoor sanctuary in Florida exhibited vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. A clinical workup did not reveal the source of the clinical signs and antibiotic therapy was unrewarding. Radiographs revealed the presence of an abdominal mass. The tiger died during an immobilization for a follow-up clinical examination. A necropsy was performed and tissue samples of intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes were submitted for histopathologic diagnosis. A pyogranulomatous panenteritis and lymphadenitis with intralesional hyphae led to a presumptive etiologic diagnosis of intestinal/abdominal pythiosis. The diagnosis of pythiosis was confirmed by serology and immunoblotting.     

A Novel Particle Contact Assay with the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (8 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background   Numerous xenobiotics released into surface waters are transferred to suspended particulate matter and finally attached to sediments. Aquatic organisms may be exposed to them by direct particle feeding, by physical contact with contaminated surfaces as an exposure route, and by the uptake of dissolved contaminants after equilibration via the free water phase. In order to assess potential sediment toxicity, each of these exposure routes has to be addressed. This paper presents a newly developed particle contact assay that uses the fermentation performance of a specific Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for the assessment of toxic effects in sediments. The test procedure is based on the characteristic feature of growing yeast cells to attach to sediment particles, which are also relevant for the accumulation of contaminants. The physical contact with lipophilic contaminants mirrors an exposition pathway for the direct uptake into the cells. In order to quantitatively characterize the toxic effects of particle attached pollutants on the fermentation performance, unpolluted native reference sediment was spiked with representatives for widely distributed anthropogenic contaminants. Methods   Saccharomyces cerevisiae was established as sensitive eukaryotic microorganism for the ecotoxicological assessment of particle attached anthropogenic contaminants in freshwater sediments. For this purpose, yeast cells were cultivated in sediment samples and the resulting fermentation performance was continuously measured. Sediments artifically spiked with HCB, PCB, g-HCH, DDT, and benzo(a)pyrene and solutions of each contaminant were comparatively investigated by means of their adverse effects on yeast fermentation performance. Additionally, four native river sediments characterized by increasing levels of pollution were assessed by the yeast particle contact assay, and simultaneously by standard aquatic tests with algae, daphniae, and luminescent bacteria using pore water and elutriates. Results of the bioassays were related to specific sediment contamination with respect to metals and organic priority pollutants. Results and Discussion   In sediments spiked with PCB and benzo(a)pyrene fermentation, performance was affected extensively below concentrations inhibiting fermentation in contaminant solutions. This suggests a high efficiency of the exposure route by physical contact. The fermentation performance was only slightly affected by single lipophilic pollutants, whereas mixtures of individually spiked sediments caused critically reduced fermentation performance suggesting additive synergistic effects. Native river sediments modestly to critically polluted by hazardous organic compounds lead to a slightly to dangerously reduced fermentation performance in the yeast contact assay. These inhibitory effects were much less pronounced in the standard bioassays conducted with algae, daphniae and luminescent bacteria, applying pore waters and elutriates as sample matrices. Using pore water, inhibition was measured only in the most polluted sediment, elutriates lead to a slight inhibition of the algal growth in the undiluted sample only. These results indicate an improved sensitivity of the yeast particle contact assay compared to the standard assays, due to uptake and physical cell contact as additional routes of exposure. Conclusion   The yeast particle contact assay is a valuable tool for the assessment of ecotoxicological potential in freshwater sediments. Since the assay addresses physical contact as an exposure route, it indicates bioavailability of lipophilic compounds in sediments. Outlook   The sensitive indication of bioavailable contaminants associated to sediment particles by the newly developed yeast particle contact assay recommends it as a complementary microbial bioassay in a test battery for assessing major pathways of contaminants in whole sediments.     

Use of a substrate/alliinase combination to generate antifungal activity in situ

Allicin, an active ingredient of garlic, possesses a range of antimicrobial properties. Unfortunately, certain properties of the compound, such as chemical instability and low miscibility with water, have hampered its practical use in the past. Here, we show that it is possible to use a binary system consisting of the plant enzyme alliinase and its substrate alliin to generate allicin, and hence antifungal activity, in situ. During application, the two inactive components generate compounds that inhibit growth and infection-related development of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea. It is therefore possible to "trigger" biological activity in a controlled, yet effective manner. Apart from circumventing many of the drawbacks of allicin, this binary system has additional important advantages, such as low toxicity of its individual components and selective activation. Importantly, alliinase is also able to use different substrates, therefore paving the way to a range of novel, binary antimicrobial systems with custom-made chemical and biochemical properties.     

Aluminium sulphate solubility in acid forest soils in Denmark

Ion leaching in 3 sandy spruce forest soils of different origin and pH was investigated in the laboratory. Zero-tension lysimeters containing undisturbed soil columns of varying soil depth were subjected to H₂SO₄ loadings for a period of 9 weeks. The analysis of the resulting leachate supports the hypothesis that Al-sulphate minerals may form in acidic soils when exposed to acid (H₂SO₄) deposition. In the B horizon of a glaciofluvial sandy soil (pH 4.2), both H⁺ and sulphate ions were retained to maintain 2pH + PSO₄ = 11.9 in the leachate solutions. This relation between H⁺ and sulphate activity may be due to an adsorption mechanism or a precipitation mechanism. The precipitation mechanism is favored by the good fit of leachate composition to the conditions for jurbanite [AlOHSO₄] formation from gibbsite [Al(OH)₃]. In the B horizon of a sandy till at pH 3.7, the Al in soil solution (0.5 mmol L^?1) was leached with sulphate. As the sulphate load was increased, some sulphate was retained. This may also be due to the dissolution and precipitation of an Al-sulphate mineral. The ion activity products of leachate solutions from the B horizon of this soil were close to the pK_s reported for jurbanite. The conditions for the possible existence and/or formation of Al-sulphate minerals in acidic soils are discussed.