Evaluation of pancreatic forceps biopsy by laparoscopy in healthy beagles

The effects of laparoscopic biopsies were determined in four healthy laboratory beagles. Biopsies were taken from the pancreas of three dogs and from the peripancreatic fat of one dog. Clinical examinations and blood sampling for hematologic and biochemical tests were performed before laparoscopy and weekly throughout each dog's participation in the study (7 or 21 days). No clinical signs of pancreatitis were observed, and hematologic and biochemical parameters remained within normal limits in three dogs. One dog exhibited a transient increase in trypsinlike immunoreactivity, amylase, and lipase. Minor adhesions between the pancreas, small intestine, and peritoneum were observed macroscopically in this dog. Histologically, granulation tissue and a mild nonsuppurative inflammation in the pancreas were present. No abnormal changes were seen macroscopically or histologically in the other two dogs for which pancreatic biopsies were performed. Thus, laparoscopy appears to be safe, with neither permanent abnormalities in blood parameters nor changes in clinical health occurring during or after the procedure in healthy beagles.     

Moss-Erwinia pathosystem reveals possible similarities in pathogenesis and pathogen defense in vascular and nonvascular plants

Vascular plants have various inducible resistance mechanisms as defense against pathogens. Mosses, small nonvascular plants (subkingdom Bryophyta), have been little studied in regard to their pathogens or modes of defense. Data here show that Erwinia carotovora, a bacterial plant pathogen that causes softrot in many dicotyledonous plants, can also cause soft rot symptoms in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Infection of moss by E. carotovora required pathogenicity factors similar to those required to infect vascular plants and, again as in vascular plants, salicylic acid (SA) induced moss to inhibit tissue maceration by Erwinia. These data reveal that SA-dependent defense pathways may have evolved before differentiation of vascular and nonvascular plants.     

Ultrastructural localization of anaplasmal antigens (Pawhuska isolate) with ferritin-conjugated antibody.

Antibodies from a cow with an experimentally induced infection of the Pawhuska isolate of bovine anaplasmosis were conjugated with ferritin and used to label antigenic sites in preparations of parasitized erythrocytes. Intact erythrocytes did not label on the extracellular surface. Ferritin-conjugated antibody did not pass through the intact erythrocyte to label the parasite, probably due to the large molecular size of the antibody. Damage to erythrocytic plasmalemma and inclusion body in the hemolyzed erythrocytes and complement-fixation antigen allowed labeling of anaplasmal inclusion structures. The positively labeled structures were outer surface of the pellicle, chromatin of the initial body, and inclusion appendage. Unlabeled structures included inner organismic membrane of the initial body, inclusion membrane, fibrillar protoplasmic network of the initial body, and small electron-dense bodies derived from the initial body.     

Filarioid nematodes in cattle,sheep and horses in Finland

Background

In autumn 2006, Finnish meat inspection data revealed lesions in tendons, muscles and ligaments of bovine hind legs leading to partial condemnation of carcasses. In gross pathological examination at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Oulu (now Fish and Wildlife Health) Research Unit, Onchocerca sp. (Filarioidea; Onchocercidae) nematodes were detected in lesions. Due to this, a pilot study was made in order to find out what filarioid nematodes do occur in cattle, horses and sheep in Finland.

Methods

Ventral skin biopsies from 209 dairy cattle and 42 horses, as well as blood samples from 209 cattle, 146 horses and 193 sheep, were collected from different parts of Finland and examined for microfilariae. Visceral organs and other tissues from 33 cattle with parasitic lesions were studied histopathologically.

Results

Onchocerca sp. microfilariae (mf), 240 μm long, range 225–260 μm, 5.4 μm thick, were found in 37% of the skin biopsies of cattle. All blood samples from cattle, horses and sheep and skin biopsies from horses were negative for mf. Ventral skin microfilaria prevalence in cattle was higher in southern Finland than in the North (p = 0.001). Animal age and sampling time was not associated with mf prevalence. The infection was evenly distributed among young and older animals. Macroscopic lesions on tissues included greenish-grey discolouration and often oedema. In most of the lesions, small pale nodules were seen on the fasciae. Histopathologic examination of the samples revealed mild to intense infiltration with eosinophilic granulocytes and multifocal nodular lymphoplasmacytic aggregations were seen. In some samples, there were granulomatotic lesions with central necrotic tissue and cell detritus, surrounded by eosinophilic granulocytes, lympho-, plasma- and histiocytes and some multinucleated giant cells. Around living nematodes no or only weak inflammatory changes were observed.

Conclusion

Onchocerca sp. infection in cattle was found to be common in Finland, but the amount of pathological changes leading to condemnation of infected parts is low compared to the mf prevalence. Pronounced pathological changes are distinct but rare and mild changes are difficult to distinguish. No other filarioid nematodes were observed from the animals and it appears that horses and sheep may be free from filarioid nematodes in Finland.     

Identification and Subgrouping of Cucumber mosaic virus with Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies

ABSTRACT Using a mixture of isolates of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) from subgroups I and II as immunogens, 20 mouse hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies were produced. A reliable method for efficient detection and accurate subgrouping of CMV isolates has been developed. Tests with 12 well-characterized strains of CMV and other cucumoviruses demonstrated the presence of epitopes that were virus and subgroup specific. Analyses of 109 accessions of CMV isolates collected from various parts of the world revealed 70% were subgroup I, with 20% identified as subgroup II. Seven isolates (6%) did not react with group-specific antibodies but did react with antibodies that recognized all CMV isolates. Differential reactions among isolates suggested a total of 10 epi-topes were recognized. The antigenic diversity among subgroup II CMVs was greater than for the subgroup I isolates, even though fewer subgroup II isolates were tested.     

A sensitive method for detecting bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and establishment of BaMV-free meristem-tip cultures

A sensitive method was used to detect bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and its associated satellite RNA (satBaMV) by ³²P- and digoxigenin (Dig)-labelled probes synthesized from cDNA clones of BaMV genomic (L probe) and satBaMV (S probe) RNA. Both the ³²P- and Dig-labelled L and S probes could detect as little as 490 pg of BaMV viral RNA by slot- and dot-blot hybridization. In infected leaf extracts, ³²P-labelled L and S probes detected virus at 25-fold higher dilutions than Dig-labelled probes, which were also successfully used to detect BaMV infection in plants derived from meristem-tip culture. However, immunoassays failed to detect BaMV in meristem culture. By dot-blot hybridization assays, 25% of the seedlings were shown to be virus-free. These results suggest that a highly sensitive method for the detection of BaMV infection is required for the establishment of BaMV-free cultures. Meristem-tip culture also provides an efficient method for obtaining virus-free bamboo plants.     

贵州地方血缘自交系配合力研究

用自选及从省内外引进的13个自交系(其中有5个自交系具有贵州地方血缘),按Griffing完全双列杂交方法四组配78个杂交组合,进行了田间试验。估算了这些自交系产量性状的一般配合力效应。结果表明,自交系大013﹑交51、5003的一般配合力较高。     

Protection of cattle against rinderpest with vaccinia virus recombinants expressing the HA or F gene

Rinderpest is a highly contagious ruminant viral disease manifested by a rapid course and greater than 90% mortality. Infectious vaccinia virus recombinants were constructed that express either the hemagglutinin or the fusion gene of rinderpest virus. All cattle vaccinated with either recombinant or with the combined recombinants produced neutralizing antibodies against rinderpest virus and were protected against the disease when challenged with more than 1000 times the lethal dose of the virus.     

Multiclonal origin of polyps in Gardner syndrome

Electrophoretic analysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was performed on polyp tissue from three black female patients with Gardner syndrome and who are heterozygous for the A and B forms of this enzyme. Polyp tissues from the three patients displayed the AB phenotype. This finding suggests a multiclonal origin of polyps in Gardner syndrome. Studies of tumors originating from such polyps may provide information about the sequence of cellular events leading to malignant transformation.     

Cubic AgPb(m)SbTe(2+m): bulk thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit

The conversion of heat to electricity by thermoelectric devices may play a key role in the future for energy production and utilization. However, in order to meet that role, more efficient thermoelectric materials are needed that are suitable for high-temperature applications. We show that the material system AgPb(m)SbTe(2+m) may be suitable for this purpose. With m = 10 and 18 and doped appropriately, n-type semiconductors can be produced that exhibit a high thermoelectric figure of merit material ZTmax of approximately 2.2 at 800 kelvin. In the temperature range 600 to 900 kelvin, the AgPb(m)SbTe(2+m) material is expected to outperform all reported bulk thermoelectrics, thereby earmarking it as a material system for potential use in efficient thermoelectric power generation from heat sources.