The timber and energy biomass potential of intensively managed cloned Norway spruce stands

We used ecosystem model simulations to study the timber and energy biomass potential offered by intensively managed cloned Norway spruce stands. More specifically, we analysed how the use of cloned trees compared with non‐cloned trees, together with thinning, nitrogen (N) fertilisation and rotation length (from 60 to 100 years), affects the annual mean production of timber (i.e., saw logs, pulpwood) and energy biomass (i.e., stumps and harvesting residuals in the final felling) and its economic profitability [annual mean of net present value (NPV) with a 2% interest rate]. Furthermore, we employed a life cycle analysis/emission calculation tool to assess the total net CO₂ emissions per unit of energy (kg CO₂ MW h^?1) produced based on energy biomass. We found that both the annual mean production of timber and the NPV increased substantially, regardless of the management regime, if cloned trees with an annual growth increase of up to 30% compared with non‐cloned trees were used in regeneration. In general, the use of a short rotation with N fertilisation clearly increased the annual mean of the NPV. Consequently, the use of cloned trees also clearly increased the annual mean production of energy biomass and decreased the total net CO₂ emissions per unit of energy produced based on energy biomass. However, the total annual net CO₂ emissions were the lowest if a long rotation was used with N fertilisation. To conclude, the use of cloned trees together with intensive management could potentially be highly beneficial for the cost‐efficient and sustainable production of timber and energy biomass in an integrated way.     

EFFECTS OF MORINGA OLEIFERA SEED EXTRACT ON RUMEN FERMENTATION IN VITRO

Moringa oleifera is a pantropical tree of the family Moringaceae. A previously undescribed property of an aqueous extract from the seeds of this plant is the modulation of ruminal fermentation patterns, especially protein degradation, as demonstrated in a short-term batch incubation system. Gas, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and cellulolytic enzyme activities were determined as general fermentation parameters. A dot blot assay able to directly detect true protein in rumen fluid samples was used to quantify protein degradation. For complex substrates the interpretation of protein degradation profiles was amended by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of the samples. When incubated with pure carbohydrates at a concentration of 1 mg ml^–1, the extract reduced microbial degradation of the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), such that its concentration was at least 40% above the control after 12 h of incubation. Total protein degradation was thus delayed by approximately 9 h. When fermented along with wheat straw, leaf protein (Rubisco) was almost entirely protected during 12 h of fermentation. The degradation of soy proteins was retarded by at least 4- 6 h, depending on the protein band. There were strong side effects on the fermentation of pure cellulose (SCFA yield -60% after 12 h), whereas cellobiose and starch fermentation were less affected (-18 and -8%, respectively). When the complex substrates were fermented, SCFA yield was reduced by approximately 30% after 12 h. In our work we clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the new substance, which is neither a tannin nor a saponin, in an in vitro system, using pure as well as complex substrates. The properties shown in vitro for the crude extract suggest that it could have a positive effect on the protein metabolism of ruminants under intensive management and that negative side effects can be overcome by an optimized dosage. If the chemical nature of the active substance and its mechanism of action can be clarified, it may provide an alternative to replace critical synthetic feed additives (such as antibiotics) for high yielding dairy cows.     

Correlative light and electron microscopy imaging of autophagy in a zebrafish infection model

High-resolution imaging of autophagy has been used intensively in cell culture studies, but so far it has been difficult to visualize this process in detail in whole animal models. In this study we present a versatile method for high-resolution imaging of microbial infection in zebrafish larvae by injecting pathogens into the tail fin. This allows visualization of autophagic compartments by light and electron microscopy, which makes it possible to correlate images acquired by the 2 techniques. Using this method we have studied the autophagy response against Mycobacterium marinum infection. We show that mycobacteria during the progress of infection are frequently associated with GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles, and that 2 types of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles were observed. The majority of these vesicles were approximately 1 μm in size and in close vicinity of bacteria, and a smaller number of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles was larger in size and were observed to contain bacteria. Quantitative data showed that these larger vesicles occurred significantly more in leukocytes than in other cell types, and that approximately 70% of these vesicles were positive for a lysosomal marker. Using electron microscopy, it was found that approximately 5% of intracellular bacteria were present in autophagic vacuoles and that the remaining intracellular bacteria were present in phagosomes, lysosomes, free inside the cytoplasm or occurred as large aggregates. Based on correlation of light and electron microscopy images, it was shown that GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles displayed autophagic morphology. This study provides a new approach for injection of pathogens into the tail fin, which allows combined light and electron microscopy imaging in vivo and opens new research directions for studying autophagy process related to infectious diseases.     

Seasonal occurrence and ecological aspects of Afrodiplozoon polycotyleus (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) from the gills of three cyprinids from the Nwanedi-Luphephe dams,South Africa

The effect of seasonal changes and ecological aspects of Afrodiplozoon polycotyleus (Paperna, 1973) collected on Labeobarbus marequensis (Smith, 1841), Enteromius trimaculatus (Peters, 1852) and Enteromius radiatus (Peters, 1853) was investigated from January to October 2008. Fish were collected at the Nwanedi-Luphephe dams, Limpopo River System, South Africa using gill, cast and seine nets and electrofishing gear. Enteromius radiatus and E. trimaculatus were the most infested compared with L. marequensis. Seasonal changes had an influence on the intensity of A. polycotyleus, with infestation rates higher in spring, summer and autumn. The adults predominantly infected the medial region of the second gill arch, whereas diporpae were mainly found on the first gill. Neither sex nor water quality changes had an influence on the intensity of the parasite. The health condition of the hosts was not affected by the parasite. The different infestation rates of the parasite between the species could be attributed to host characteristics, behaviour and habitat preferences. The selection of a particular gill/region could be attributed to space for attachment organs and food supply, as well as flow and velocity of the water over the gills. The occurrence of A. polycotyleus on E. radiatus constitutes a new host record.     

Thymol and Carvacrol Prevent Cisplatin‐Induced Nephrotoxicity by Abrogation of Oxidative Stress,Inflammation, and Apoptosis in Rats

The aim of the present study is to assess the possible protective effects of thymol and carvacrol against cisplatin (CP)‐induced nephrotoxicity. A single dose of CP {6 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)} injected to male rats revealed significant increases in serum urea, creatinine, and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels. It also increased kidney contents of malondialdehyde and caspase‐3 activity with significant reduction in serum albumin, kidney content of reduced glutathione as well as catalase, and superoxide dismutase activity as compared to that of the control group. In contrast, administration of thymol {20 mg/kg, orally (p.o.)} and/or carvacrol (15 mg/kg, p.o.) for 14 days before CP injection and for 7 days after CP administration restored the kidney function and examined oxidative stress parameters. In conclusion, thymol was more effective nephroprotective than carvacrol. Moreover, a combination of thymol and carvacrol had a synergistic nephroprotective effect that might be attributed to antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antiapoptotic activities.     

Anti-carbamylated protein antibodies in the pre-symptomatic phase of rheumatoid arthritis,their relationship with multiple anti-citrulline peptide antibodies and association with radiological damage

IntroductionThe presence of a new autoantibody system, anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies, has been identified in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The presence of anti-CarP antibodies was evaluated in samples taken from individuals who subsequently developed RA before and after onset of symptoms and related to previously analysed antibodies against citrullinated peptides (ACPA specificities) and anti-CCP2.MethodsA total of 252 individuals, with 423 samples from before onset of symptoms of RA, and 197 population controls were identified as donors to the Medical Biobank of Northern Sweden; 192 of them were also sampled at the time of diagnosis. All samples were analysed for anti-CarP IgG and anti-CCP2 antibodies using ELISAs. Ten different antibody reactivities against citrullinated antigens (ACPA specificities) were analysed using a custom-made microarray based on the ImmunoCAP ISAC system (Phadia).ResultsThe concentration of anti-CarP antibodies was significantly increased in the pre-symptomatic individuals compared with controls (P <0.001) and also increased significantly after disease onset (P <0.001). The sensitivity for anti-CarP antibodies in the pre-symptomatic individuals was 13.9% (95% CI: 11 to 17.6) and 42.2% (95% CI: 35.4 to 49.3) following development of RA. Anti-CarP antibody positivity was found in 5.1% to 13.3% of individuals negative for anti-CCP2 or ACPA specificities. Presence of anti-CarP antibodies was significantly related to radiological destruction at baseline, at 24 months and also to radiological change (P <0.05, all).ConclusionsThe results indicate that anti-CarP antibodies are associated with disease development, even after adjusting for the presence of different ACPA fine specificities, and in anti-CCP2 negative individuals and contribute to the identification of a subset of patients with worse radiological progression of the disease independent of ACPA.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0536-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Climate change induces multiple risks to boreal forests and forestry in Finland: A literature review

Climate change induces multiple abiotic and biotic risks to forests and forestry. Risks in different spatial and temporal scales must be considered to ensure preconditions for sustainable multifunctional management of forests for different ecosystem services. For this purpose, the present review article summarizes the most recent findings on major abiotic and biotic risks to boreal forests in Finland under the current and changing climate, with the focus on windstorms, heavy snow loading, drought and forest fires and major insect pests and pathogens of trees. In general, the forest growth is projected to increase mainly in northern Finland. In the south, the growing conditions may become suboptimal, particularly for Norway spruce. Although the wind climate does not change remarkably, wind damage risk will increase especially in the south, because of the shortening of the soil frost period. The risk of snow damage is anticipated to increase in the north and decrease in the south. Increasing drought in summer will boost the risk of large‐scale forest fires. Also, the warmer climate increases the risk of bark beetle outbreaks and the wood decay by Heterobasidion root rot in coniferous forests. The probability of detrimental cascading events, such as those caused by a large‐scale wind damage followed by a widespread bark beetle outbreak, will increase remarkably in the future. Therefore, the simultaneous consideration of the biotic and abiotic risks is essential.     

Metabolic diversity of progressive kidney disease in 325 patients with type 1 diabetes (the FinnDiane Study)

Type 1 diabetic patients with varying severity of kidney disease were investigated to create multimetabolite models of the disease process. Urinary albumin excretion rate was measured for 3358 patients with type 1 diabetes. Prospective records were available for 1051 patients, of whom 163 showed progression of albuminuria (8.3-year follow-up), and 162 were selected as stable controls. At baseline, serum lipids, lipoprotein subclasses, and low-molecular weight metabolites were quantified by NMR spectroscopy (325 samples). The data were analyzed by the self-organizing map. In cross-sectional analyses, patients with no complications had low serum lipids, less inflammation, and better glycemic control, whereas patients with advanced kidney disease had high serum cystatin-C and sphingomyelin. These phenotype extremes shared low unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and phospholipids. Prospectively, progressive albuminuria was associated with high UFAs, phospholipids, and IDL and LDL lipids. Progression at longer duration was associated with high HDL lipids, whereas earlier progression was associated with poor glycemic control, increased saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and inflammation. Diabetic kidney disease consists of diverse metabolic phenotypes: UFAs, phospholipids, IDL, and LDL may be important in the subclinical phase, high SFAs and low HDL suggest accelerated progression, and the sphingolipid pathway in advanced kidney injury deserves further research.