Perspectives d'amélioration du conseil prévisionnel de fertilisation azotée à la parcelle en Wallonie par l'utilisation du logiciel AzoFert®

Prospects for improving the provisional nitrogen fertilization recommendation at field scale in Wallonia using the AzoFert® software. The French software AzoFert® for nitrogen fertilization recommendation is currently under adaptation and validation for soil and climatic conditions in Wallonia by the CRA-W within the INTERREG IV project "SUN" (Sustainable Use of Nitrogen). This adaptation has raised the need for a change of values in the parameter tables and catalogs relating to meadow residues, crop residues, catch crop practices, crops, organic amendments and soil type. Data from 25 trials of increasing nitrogen fertilizer rates conducted by CRA-W between 1996 and 2011 in cereal, potato and vegetable crops located on loam and sandy loam soil were used to validate the AzoFert® software adapted for Wallonia. The difference between nitrogen rates recommended on the one hand by AzoFert® or Azobil® (software currently used in the reference lab for Nitrate [Requasud] at CRA-W) and the optimal dose of nitrogen fertilizer assessed in each trial on the other hand shows that, in most cases, AzoFert® gives a recommendation closer to the optimum than Azobil®. The nitrogen uptake measured in the plants collected in the unfertilized control plot also shows a higher correlation with nitrogen supply from the soil assessed by AzoFert® than for plants assessed by Azobil®. The more accurate estimate of the mineralization of organic sources, probably linked to the dynamic soil nitrogen supply approach integrated into AzoFert®, may explain the gain in the greater accuracy of the AzoFert® recommendation in comparison with that of Azobil®

Feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia presenting as a rectal mass.

Case summary A 9-year-old neutered male cat was referred owing to dyschezia and weight loss. Abdominal CT revealed a heterogeneous mass in the rectum and thickening of one caudal mesenteric lymph node. The mass induced a focal rectal obstruction. Cytological evaluation of fine-needle aspirates showed signs of mixed inflammation for the rectal mass and a reactive lymph node. Because a definite diagnosis was not achieved, complete resection of the mass via a dorsal approach to the rectum was attempted. Histopathology confirmed complete removal and diagnosed feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia (FGESF). The cat was treated with psyllium husks and lactulose after surgery. In the postoperative year, the owner reported normal behaviour, food intake and defecation of the patient. Dyschezia reoccurred 14 months after surgery. Imaging revealed recurrence of a rectal mass. Owing to clinical deterioration, the owner elected for euthanasia. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of rectal FGESF with dyschezia and weight loss as the main clinical signs. The case demonstrates an acceptable outcome for more than 1 year without additional immunosuppressive therapy, and emphasises that FGESF must be considered as a differential diagnosis for rectal masses in cats

Accuracy of end-on fluoroscopy in predicting implant position in relation to the vertebral canal in dogs.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of end-on fluoroscopy in predicting implant position in relation to the vertebral canal in the canine thoracolumbar vertebral column. Study design In vitro imaging and anatomic study. Animals Canine cadaveric thoracolumbar vertebral columns (n = 5). Methods Smooth Steinmann pins were inserted bicortically into the thoracolumbar vertebral columns between T10 and L7 using recommended insertion angles. Penetration of the spinal canal was not strictly avoided. After pin placement, end-on fluoroscopy images were obtained of each pin. Pin position was subsequently assessed by four evaluators and determined to either being out of the vertebral canal or in, with the latter being additionally divided into partially or completely penetrating the canal. To assess potential differences in modalities, fluoroscopy images were gray-scale inverted and evaluated again later by the same four individuals. Correct identification of pin position in relationship to the vertebral canal was assessed for both fluoroscopy images. Anatomic preparation of the spines was used for verification of pin position in relation to the spinal canal. Some data from this study were compared with historical data on accuracy using orthogonal radiography and computed tomography (CT). Results Overall sensitivity and specificity of F to detect vertebral canal penetration was 98.8 % (95% confidence interval (CI), 96.0-99.6) and 98.0% (95% CI, 77.0-99.9), respectively. For Fi, sensitivity and specificity were 97.0% (95% CI, 91.5-99.0) and 98.5% (95% CI, 81.5-99.9) respectively. F exceeded Fi for the sensitivity of detecting pin penetration into the vertebral canal (p = 0.039) but specificities were not different (p = 0.585). When comparing to historical data, the overall accuracy of end-on fluoroscopy (F) and inverted fluoroscopy (Fi) was statistical better than conventional radiographic assessment (p < 0.001). Conclusion End-on fluoroscopy is a highly accurate method for the assessment of pin position in relationship to the thoracolumbar spinal canal in cadaveric dogs. Clinical significance End-on fluoroscopy, with or without inversion, is accurate in identifying vertebral canal violation by bicortically placed Steinmann pins. When CT is not available, end-on fluoroscopy might be a valuable imaging modality to determine pin position in the canine vertebral column

Reply to : Proofreading deficiency in mitochondrial DNA polymerase does not affect total dNTP pools in mouse embryos

Non peer reviewe

North Atlantic Ocean

RADIALES (IEO), with the support of the Korea Institute for Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST)Versión del edito

Developmental and Pathological Changes in the Human Cardiac Muscle Mitochondrial DNA Organization, Replication and Copy Number

Peer reviewe

Immediate response of myocardium to pressure overload includes transient regulation of genes associated with mitochondrial bioenergetics and calcium availability

Ventricular hypertrophy is one of the major myocardial responses to pressure overload (PO). Most studies on early myocardial response focus on the days or even weeks after induction of hypertrophic stimuli. Since mechanotransduction pathways are immediately activated in hearts undergoing increased work load, it is reasonable to infer that the myocardial gene program may be regulated in the first few hours. In the present study, we monitored the expression of some genes previously described in the context of myocardial hypertrophic growth by using the Northern blot technique, to estimate the mRNA content of selected genes in rat myocardium for the periods 1, 3, 6, 12 and 48 h after PO stimuli. Results revealed an immediate switch in the expression of genes encoding alpha and beta isoforms of myosin heavy chain, and up-regulation of the cardiac isoform of alpha actin. We also detected transitory gene regulation as the increase in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene expression, parallel to down-regulation of genes encoding sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca+2 ATPase and sodium-calcium exchanger. Taken together, these results indicate that initial myocardial responses to increased work load include alterations in the contractile properties of sarcomeres and transitory adjustment of mitochondrial bioenergetics and calcium availability

The accessory subunit of mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma determines the DNA content of mitochondrial nucleoids in human cultured cells.

The accessory subunit of mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma, POLGbeta, functions as a processivity factor in vitro. Here we show POLGbeta has additional roles in mitochondrial DNA metabolism. Mitochondrial DNA is arranged in nucleoprotein complexes, or nucleoids, which often contain multiple copies of the mitochondrial genome. Gene-silencing of POLGbeta increased nucleoid numbers, whereas over-expression of POLGbeta reduced the number and increased the size of mitochondrial nucleoids. Both increased and decreased expression of POLGbeta altered nucleoid structure and precipitated a marked decrease in 7S DNA molecules, which form short displacement-loops on mitochondrial DNA. Recombinant POLGbeta preferentially bound to plasmids with a short displacement-loop, in contrast to POLGalpha. These findings support the view that the mitochondrial D-loop acts as a protein recruitment centre, and suggest POLGbeta is a key factor in the organization of mitochondrial DNA in multigenomic nucleoprotein complexes