Treatment of experimental ureteral strictures by endourological ureterotomy and implantation of stents in the porcine animal model

The objective of this study is to evaluate the dilation of the ureter using endoureterotomy and an expanding-sheath double pigtail ureteral stent in the treatment of experimentally induced ureteral strictures in the porcine animal model. This is a new treatment in the ureteral strictures resolution in Veterinary Urology, although it is not a common affection, it usually appears as a consequence of ureteritis and in the iatrogenic female genital surgery. The experimental study is design in three phases: induction of experimental stricture, diagnosis and treatment of the stricture and follow-up. We have used 10 healthy Large White female pigs. The internal ureteral diameter was measured prior to laparoscopic ligature stricture induction using retrograde ureteropyelography (RUPG). Experimental stricture was diagnosed 4 weeks after intervention, using RUPG and ultrasound, and treated by endoureterotomy and subsequent placement of a double pigtail ureteral stent, which was removed 6 weeks later. The study finished 4 weeks later with measurement of ureteral diameters using RPUG and ultrasound evaluation. Except in one case, all ureters displayed permanent dilation of the strictured area for 10 weeks after treatment (6 weeks with ureteral stent and 4 more weeks without stent). Finally, this technique proved to be effective in cases of short-length and short-living ureteral strictures, and represents a viable alternative to conventional surgery in animals.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improved growth and nutritional quality of greenhouse-grown lettuce

Lettuce can be associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This symbiosis involves a molecular dialogue between fungus and plant that includes the activation of antioxidant, phenylpropanoid, or carotenoid pathways. The objective of this study was to test if the association of lettuce with AMF benefited plant growth and increased the contents of compounds potentially beneficial for human health. Results showed that AMF improved growth of lettuce, thus producing a dilution effect on the concentrations of some mineral nutrients (e.g., Ca and Mn). However, Cu, Fe, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and, to a lesser extent, phenolics appeared in higher concentrations (on a wet basis) in mycorrhizal than in nonmycorrhizal plants.     

Comparative Study of Substrate-Based and Commercial Formulations of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Romaine Lettuce Subjected to Salt Stress

To compare the effect of substrate-based and commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in salt stress tolerance of Romaine lettuce a bifactorial analysis was carried out. Under non-saline conditions, only plants inoculated with formulation 1 stimulated shoot weight but not related with greater root AMF colonization. Phosphorus and potassium concentrations in leaves were improved by mycorrhizal association. Irrigation with 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) did not affect leaf relative water content and we observed no osmotic adjustment in leaves from non-mycorrhizal plants. However, root dry biomass and its starch content decreased, while leaf starch and root soluble sugar concentrations were enhanced. Lettuce inoculated with formulation 2 and substrate-based Glomus intraradices showed the highest root colonization percentages. Nevertheless, none of the mycorrhizal treatments induced a significant improvement on growth of lettuce subjected to salt stress. Romaine lettuce seems to be a moderately tolerant variety to salinity and therefore, the contribution of AMF was minimized.     

LAPAROSCOPIC SONOGRAPHY IN THE URINARY SYSTEM

This work reports the use of laparoscopic-transducer sonography for the examination of the urinary system in a swine model. Animals underwent a two-phase study. In the first phase, the urinary system was examined using laparoscopic sonography. In the second a partial ureteral obstruction was induced, and sonographic changes were recorded and evaluated. Sonography was used to evaluate kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Anatomic structures were evaluated and the following pathological findings were identified: renal cysts, one polycystic kidney, dilation of the renal pelvis, hydronephrosis, and one perirenal pseudocyst. Where necessary, contrast digital fluoroscopy (excretory urography and retrograde ureteropyelography) was also performed. Laparoscopic sonography mainly is used for evaluation prior to laparoscopic surgery to guide decisions relating to surgery. The quality of the images obtained laparoscopically is superior to that of percutaneous or transabdominal images, because artifacts are reduced and the contact surface of the transducer is placed directly over the study area. Laparoscopic sonography proved highly effective for studying renal and ureteral disorders prior to minimally invasive surgery.     

Concurrent phenomena contributing to the formation of the aroma of wine during aging in oak wood: an analytical study

Red wine was stored in different oak barrels or in stainless steel, and samples were taken for two years to determine 79 aroma compounds. Aging in oak affects 41 compounds. The type of wood affects 11 compounds. At least seven different processes seem to take place concurrently in aroma evolution, and five such processes, affecting 37 compounds, are linked to the oak cask. These are extraction from the wood, oxidation of wine alcohols and amino acids, microbiological formation of ethyl phenols, sorption processes, and condensation of acetaldehyde with polyphenols. The wood can release linear gamma- and delta-lactones, beta-damascenone, and ionones. Some compounds are released very fast from wood, which suggests they lie in the external part of the wood. Some extraction profiles are too complex to be explained by physical processes. Finally, the levels of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-ethyl-5-methyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone increase even in the reference wine, which suggests the presence of a precursor.     

Laparoscopic ovariectomy in dogs: comparison between laparoendoscopic single-site and three-portal access

This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and therapeutic safety of laparoendoscopic single-site ovariectomy (LESS-OVE) and 3-portal laparoscopic ovariectomy (Lap-OVE) in dogs. Ten female mixed breed dogs were included in the study. Dogs were divided into group 1 (LESS-OVE; n = 5) and group 2 (Lap-OVE; n = 5). All procedures were performed by laparoscopic-skilled surgeons, and the anesthetic protocol was the same for all patients. In both groups, the ovarian vascular pedicle and ligaments were transected using a bipolar vessel sealer/divider device. The mean total surgical time was slightly longer in LESS-OVE (36.6 ± 3.5 min) than Lap-OVE (32.0 ± 3.0 min); however, the differences were not significant. Perioperative complications were not reported in any group. Both laparoscopic techniques were shown to be equally feasible and safe for patients. However, surgeons found LESS-OVE to require more skill than Lap-OVE. Therefore, additional studies should be conducted to evaluate this novel approach in clinical veterinary practice, and a proper laparoscopic training program for veterinary surgeons should be developed.     

Physicochemical model to interpret the kinetics of aroma extraction during wine aging in wood. Model limitations suggest the necessary existence of biochemical processes

A model based on physicochemical parameters has been developed and applied to the study of the kinetics of extraction of aroma compounds from oak casks having been used a variable number of times. Two major deviations from the model can be observed: a strong seasonal dependence of extraction (unexpected in a thermostated cellar); and higher yields with a smaller number of longer extractions. 4-Propylguaiacol follows both behaviors, and its levels have been found to be closely related to those of 4-ethylguaiacol and to the number of uses of the barrel, which suggests that this compound may be formed by the same microorganisms forming ethylphenols from a precursor found in wood. Although the extraction kinetics of all aroma compounds appear to be more or less mediated by the action of microorganisms, those of whiskeylactones, eugenol, and 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol are more in accordance with the physicochemical model, whereas those of vanillin, syringaldehyde, furfuryl alcohol, and, of course, 4-propylguaiacol are much more coherent with a microbiological extraction/formation.     

Structural equation models to disentangle the biological relationship between microbiota and complex traits: Methane production in dairy cattle as a case of study

The advent of metagenomics in animal breeding poses the challenge of statistically modelling the relationship between the microbiome, the host genetics and relevant complex traits. A set of structural equation models (SEMs) of a recursive type within a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) framework was proposed here to jointly analyse the host–metagenome–phenotype relationship. A non-recursive bivariate model was set as benchmark to compare the recursive model. The relative abundance of rumen microbes (RA), methane concentration (CH₄) and the host genetics was used as a case of study. Data were from 337 Holstein cows from 12 herds in the north and north-west of Spain. Microbial composition from each cow was obtained from whole metagenome sequencing of ruminal content samples using a MinION device from Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Methane concentration was measured with Guardian^® NG infrared gas monitor from Edinburgh Sensors during cow's visits to the milking automated system. A quarterly average from the methane eructation peaks for each cow was computed and used as phenotype for CH₄. Heritability of CH₄ was estimated at 0.12 ± 0.01 in both the recursive and bivariate models. Likewise, heritability estimates for the relative abundance of the taxa overlapped between models and ranged between 0.08 and 0.48. Genetic correlations between the microbial composition and CH₄ ranged from −0.76 to 0.65 in the non-recursive bivariate model and from −0.68 to 0.69 in the recursive model. Regardless of the statistical model used, positive genetic correlations with methane were estimated consistently for the seven genera pertaining to the Ciliophora phylum, as well as for those genera belonging to the Euryarchaeota (Methanobrevibacter sp.), Chytridiomycota (Neocallimastix sp.) and Fibrobacteres (Fibrobacter sp.) phyla. These results suggest that rumen's whole metagenome recursively regulates methane emissions in dairy cows and that both CH₄ and the microbiota compositions are partially controlled by the host genotype.