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Poor germination and limitations during early plant growth are widespread constraints for oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus L.) with increasing importance due to a rising frequency of weather extremes related with global climate change. In this study, efforts have been made to improve health and stress resistance of OSR by exploring perspectives of cost-effective application techniques for micronutrients with stress- protective functions to cover increased demands of these nutrients under stress conditions. After preliminary screening experiments, special emphasis was placed on zinc (Zn) seed treatments including seed priming (SP) and seed dressing (SD). Effects on seedling performance during early growth were recorded at optimal conditions for plant growth in terms of temperature, nutrient and water supply and also under drought stress for winter OSR and under low root zone temperature (RZT) stress in spring OSR. Accordingly, both, ZnSP and ZnSD may offer practical, economically low-cost application methods to improve early seedling establishment particularly under challenging environmental conditions, to improve the perspectives for conversion into higher economic yields and could be equally attractive for small-scale on-farm use and rape seed industry. Reduzierte Keimung und Einschränkungen in der Jugendentwicklung sind weitverbreitete Probleme im Rapsanbau, die aufgrund einer durch den Klimawandel bedingten Erhöhung der Häufigkeit von Witterungsextremen zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden daher Perspektiven für die kostengünstige Anwendung von Mikronährstoffen mit Schutzwirkungen gegen Stressfaktoren untersucht, um einen erhöhten Bedarf dieser Nährstoffe unter Stressbedingungen nach Möglichkeit auszugleichen. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen einführender Screeningversuche. wurden bevorzugt Ansätze zur Saatgutbeizung und zum Saatgutpriming, sowohl unter optimalen Anzuchtbedingungen im Hinblick auf Temperatur, Wasser und Nährstoffangebot sowie Trockenstressbehandlungen bei Winterraps untersucht, während der Einfluss niedriger Wurzelraumtemperaturen bei Sommerraps betrachtet wurde. Sowohl Zn-Saatgutpriming als auch Zn-Saatgutbeizung könnten also praktische und ökonomisch günstige Ansätze bieten, um die Keimlingsentwicklung besonders unter abiotischen Stressbedingungen zu fördern, als Grundlage für eine optimierte Bestandsentwicklung und verbesserte Ertragsbildung. Die Methoden bieten Perspektiven sowohl für direkte On-Farm Anwendungen als auch für großtechnische Ansätze in der Saatgutindustrie.

Background: Diagnostic molecular marker studies are in vogue to have insight of most prevalent animal diseases including cancer. Objectives: Gene expression profiling of pro and anti-apoptotic genes was conducted in dog Lymphoma, CTVT, SCC, granuloma, perianal adenocarcinoma and mammary tumors. Materials and Methods: Cancerous tissues of 21 affected animals were obtained. Total RNA was extracted followed by cDNA synthesis. Comparative Ct method via Taqman assay (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify corresponding mRNA molecules, Tp53 and Hspb1, as normalized by GAPDH as the reference gene . Results:Hspb1 showed ectopic expression in lymphoma, CTVT and mammary tumors; its down-regulation was observed in granuloma and oral SCC with fold difference (FD) of ±35. Similarly, Tp53 as the tumor suppressor gene with pro-apoptotic properties, showed up-regulation in all tumor types, notably 80% of mammary tumors and 60% of CTVT. The FD values were 33.31 and 2.27, respectively. Conclusion: Altered transcriptomic response of Hspb1 and Tp53 was observed in all cancer types of Canis familiaris. The resulting profile depicts the involvement of the genes in cancer pathways. Thus, the data might be helpful for diagnosis, prognosis, identification and classification of these widespread neoplasms in this species.

Background: Low soil temperature in spring is a major constraint for cultivation of tropical crops in temperate climates, associated with impaired seedling development, inhibition of root growth and root activity. In this study, potential cold-stress protectants, such as supplemented micronutrients (Zn, Mn), seaweed extracts, and rhizobacteria with plant growth-promoting potential (PGPRs) were tested in order to improve the tolerance of maize to low root zone temperatures (RZT) during early growth.Methods: Maize (v. Colisee) was cultivated in a root cooling system for adjustment of the RZT. In three independent experiments, after germination at 20 °C, the cold-stress phase (12–14 °C) started at 14 days after sowing to simulate a cold period in spring. Micronutrients, seaweed extracts, and PGPRs were supplied by fertigation (experiment 1), fertigation and seed dressing (experiment 2), and nutrient seed priming (experiment 3). At the end of the experiments, scoring of oxidative leaf damage, biomass production, chlorophyll status (SPAD), root length density, superoxide dismutase activities in leaf and root tissues, and the shoot mineral-nutritional status were determined.Results: Positive effects on plant growth and particularly on root development at low RZT were detected exclusively for seaweed extracts with high Zn/Mn contents and similar growth promotions were induced by Zn and Mn application in comparable amounts. This finding suggests that the selected seaweed extracts were mainly acting via improved Zn and Mn supply to the plants. It was essential that the cold-stress protectants were present during seed imbibition. The beneficial effect of Zn/Mn treatments and sea weed extracts was associated with increased superoxide dismutase activity in the root and leaf tissue, with key functions in antioxidative stress defense, depending on Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe as enzymatic co-factors. Accordingly, leaf damage, shoot and root growth inhibition in cold-stressed plants was associated with a low Zn-nutritional status, mitigated by application of the cold-stress protectants.Conclusions: Since micronutrients are effective already at low concentrations, starter applications of Zn/Mn or the respective seaweed extracts may offer an economic option for cold-stress prophylaxis in crops.

Delayed (24 hours postinjury) treatment with erythropoietin (EPO) improves functional recovery following experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, the authors tested whether therapeutic effects of delayed EPO treatment for TBI are dose dependent in an attempt to establish an optimal dose paradigm for the delayed EPO treatment.Experimental TBI was performed in anesthetized young adult male Wistar rats using a controlled cortical impact device. Sham animals underwent the same surgical procedure without injury. The animals (8 rats/group) received 3 intraperitoneal injections of EPO (0, 1000, 3000, 5000, or 7000 U/kg body weight, at 24, 48, and 72 hours) after TBI. Sensorimotor and cognitive functions were assessed using a modified neurological severity score and foot fault test, and Morris water maze tests, respectively. Animals were killed 35 days after injury, and the brain sections were stained for immunohistochemical analyses.Compared with the saline treatment, EPO treatment at doses from 1000 to 7000 U/kg did not alter lesion volume but significantly reduced hippocampal neuron loss, enhanced angiogenesis and neurogenesis in the injured cortex and hippocampus, and significantly improved sensorimotor function and spatial learning. The animals receiving the medium dose of 5000 U/kg exhibited a significant improvement in histological and functional outcomes compared with the lower or higher EPO dose groups.These data demonstrate that delayed (24 hours postinjury) treatment with EPO provides dose-dependent neurorestoration, which may contribute to improved functional recovery after TBI, implying that application of an optimal dose of EPO is likely to increase successful preclinical and clinical trials for treatment of TBI.

This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of delayed thymosin β(4) (Tβ(4)) treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats.Young adult male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: 1) sham group (6 rats); 2) TBI + saline group (9 rats); 3) and TBI + Tβ(4) group (10 rats). Traumatic brain injury was induced by controlled cortical impact over the left parietal cortex. Thymosin β(4) (6 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally starting at Day 1 and then every 3 days for an additional 4 doses. Neurological function was assessed using a modified neurological severity score (mNSS), foot fault, and Morris water maze tests. Animals were killed 35 days after injury, and brain sections were stained for immunohistochemistry to assess angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and oligodendrogenesis after Tβ(4) treatment.Compared with the saline treatment, delayed Tβ(4) treatment did not affect lesion volume but significantly reduced hippocampal cell loss, enhanced angiogenesis and neurogenesis in the injured cortex and hippocampus, increased oligodendrogenesis in the CA3 region, and significantly improved sensorimotor functional recovery and spatial learning.These data for the first time demonstrate that delayed administration of Tβ(4) significantly improves histological and functional outcomes in rats with TBI, indicating that Tβ(4) has considerable therapeutic potential for patients with TBI.

This study was designed to investigate the beneficial effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice.Adult male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 3 groups: 1) the saline group (TBI and saline [13 mice]); 2) EPO group (TBI and rhEPO [12]); and 3) sham group (sham and rhEPO [8]). Traumatic brain injury was induced by controlled cortical impact. Bromodeoxyuridine (100 mg/kg) was injected daily for 10 days, starting 1 day after injury, for labeling proliferating cells. Recombinant human erythropoietin was administered intraperitoneally at 6 hours and at 3 and 7 days post-TBI (5000 U/kg body weight, total dosage 15,000 U/kg). Neurological function was assessed using the Morris water maze and footfault tests. Animals were killed 35 days after injury, and brain sections were stained for immunohistochemical evaluation.Traumatic brain injury caused tissue loss in the cortex and cell loss in the dentate gyrus (DG) as well as impairment of sensorimotor function (footfault testing) and spatial learning (Morris water maze). Traumatic brain injury alone stimulated cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Compared with saline treatment, rhEPO significantly reduced lesion volume in the cortex and cell loss in the DG after TBI and substantially improved recovery of sensorimotor function and spatial learning performance. It enhanced neurogenesis in the injured cortex and the DG.Recombinant human erythropoietin initiated 6 hours post-TBI provided neuroprotection by decreasing lesion volume and cell loss as well as neurorestoration by enhancing neurogenesis, subsequently improving sensorimotor and spatial learning function. It is a promising neuroprotective and neurorestorative agent for TBI and warrants further investigation.