TECHNIQUE FOR ULTRASOUND‐GUIDED INTRAARTICULAR CERVICAL ARTICULAR PROCESS INJECTION IN THE DOG

Ultrasound‐guided intraarticular injection of cervical articular process joints is a well‐established procedure in both humans and horses for neck pain resulting from osteoarthritis, but the technique has not been described in dogs. Aims of this study were to describe the ultrasonographic anatomy and landmarks for cervical articular process joint injections in the dog, develop a technique for articular process joint injections using these landmarks, and determine the accuracy of injections and factors that may influence it. Eleven canine cadavers were used and bilateral joint spaces from C2–3 to C7‐T1 were injected under ultrasound guidance with a blue radiopaque solution. A computed tomographic scan was acquired following each injection, and an injection score was assigned and compared with other patient‐specific factors. Of the 132 injections performed, 110 (83.3%) were intraarticular, 20 (15.1%) were periarticular within 5 mm, and 2 (1.5%) were periarticular beyond 5 mm from the joint. There was no significant difference in mean scores between dogs. Only C2–3 had a significantly lower mean score than any other joint. There was no significant correlation between injection score and any other factors measured. The transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae served as excellent ultrasonographic landmarks for identifying the cervical articular process joints in dogs regardless of the size of the dog or location along the vertebrae. Accuracy of ultrasound‐guided intraarticular process joint injection was 83% in dogs and similar to published techniques in horses. Further studies are needed to examine the safety and efficacy of this procedure in live animals.     

A rapid,inexpensive, and semi-quantitative method for determining pollen tube extension using fluorescence

Background

To identify plant genes involved in various key traits, QTL mapping is a powerful approach. This approach is based on the use of mapped molecular markers to identify genomic regions controlling quantitative traits followed by a fine mapping and eventually positional cloning of candidate genes. Mapping technologies using SNP markers are still rather expensive and not feasible in every laboratory. In contrast, microsatellite (also called SSR for Simple Sequence Repeat) markers are technologically less demanding and less costly for any laboratory interested in genetic mapping.

Results

In this study, we present the development and the characterization of a panel of 96 highly polymorphic SSR markers along the Arabidopsis thaliana genome allowing QTL mapping among accessions of the Versailles 24 core collection that covers a high percentage of the A. thaliana genetic diversity. These markers can be used for any QTL mapping analysis involving any of these accessions. We optimized the use of these markers in order to reveal polymorphism using standard PCR conditions and agarose gel electrophoresis. In addition, we showed that the use of only three of these markers allows differentiating all 24 accessions which makes this set of markers a powerful tool to control accession identity or any cross between any of these accessions.

Conclusion

The set of SSR markers developed in this study provides a simple and efficient tool for any laboratory focusing on QTL mapping in A. thaliana and a simple means to control seed stock or crosses between accessions.     

Eugenol as an efficacious anaesthetic for tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier)

Anaesthetics are important in fish culture to reduce handling stress and mortality. Eugenol is a promising anaesthetic because of its low cost, efficacy, safety margin for fish and lack of toxicity to humans. The goal of this study was to establish a protocol using eugenol as a fish anaesthetic for tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier), and provide information for regulating authorities on establishing safety dosage protocols for its use. Juvenile and sub‐adult tambaqui were first individually exposed to doses of 35, 50, 65, 85, 100 or 135 mg L^?1 eugenol for 10 min. A second experiment examined the effect of the duration of exposure to eugenol on the time required for recovery and survival of tambaqui. A eugenol dose of 65 mg L^?1 was adequate to induce fish of both sizes into a surgical anaesthetic state, and recovery time was similar for dosages up to 100 mg L^?1. Exposure to the ideal dose (65 mg L^?1) for up to 30 min did not cause fish mortality. Fish blood glucose values were similar for all the tested eugenol doses as well as with the benzocaine control. The results show that eugenol is an efficient and safe anaesthetic for tambaqui.     

Evaluation and variation in response to infection with Puccinia striiformis and Puccinia recondita of local wheat landraces

The purpose of this study was to identify the species of local landraces of wheat (Triticum spp.), held in the Israel Gene Bank, to evaluate them for basic characters and to assess their response to infection by two rust fungi under artificial inoculation conditions. One-hundred-thirty one seed samples were collected from local or Beduin farmers during 1978–1981 throughout the Galilee, Mt. Gilboa. Judean Desert and the south Negev. The samples were collected and stored in the Israel Gene Bank without any characterization or evaluation. Each accession was planted in a 1 m row at Bet Dagan and grown under favorable conditions for plant growth and rust development. Determination of the species, data of plant height, days to heading and reaction of the landraces to artificial inoculation with a composite inoculum of Puccinia recondita and P. striiformis were collected from each row. A small part of the landraces collection consisted of mixed populations of T. durum and T. aestivum plants, where one of the two species was predominant. One-hundred-fourteen and 17 accessions from this collection represented, respectively, Triticum durum and T. aestivum Israel landraces. Large variations were found for all the characters examined. Of the total accessions, 6.5% (8 accessions) and 32% (42 accessions) were resistant, respectively, to yellow- and leaf-rust. It was concluded that the diversified populations of the local landraces of wheat can be used as a source not only for genes affecting basic characters such as plant height and heading date, but also for resistance to leaf rust and yellow rust. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Intra- and inter-population variations in grain protein percentage in wild tetraploid wheat,Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides

Summary Grain protein percentage (GPP) was studied in 910 accessions of the wild tetraploid wheat, Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides, collected from 22 populations representing different ecogeographical conditions in Israel. High values of GPP were found, ranging from 19.7% to 28.0% for population means, and from 14.1% to 35.1% for single accessions. Marginal populations had usually lower GPP and smaller intra-population variation than central ones. Repeated sampling of some central populations for four consecutive years revealed relatively large intra-population fluctuations. A high and significant genetic component of variation was found within and between populations by a nested analysis of variance in two nurseries. However, the regression coefficients of parents vs. offsprings were relatively low, indicating a smaller genetic component of variation which may be accounted for by a significant genotype × environment interaction. No correlation was found between GPP and ecological factors, except for soil type: accessions growing on terra-rossa had higher GPP than those growing on basaltic soil. Accessions with black glumes, or with glabrous auricles, or with large grains exhibited high GPP values. A strategy for collecting accessions with high GPP is presented, and the potential use of high GPP genotypes in breeding programs is discussed.     

Identification of epistatic interaction affecting glycoalkaloid content in tubers of tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Glycoalkaloids are secondary metabolites characterised by an undesirable taste, and known to be toxic when consumed in large quantities. Their content in potato tubers should therefore be selected against and DNA markers can significantly facilitate such a process. This study was designed to describe the genetic control of the total content of glycoalkaloids (TGA) in the potato tuber and to enhance the development of DNA markers. A segregating population was constructed from tetraploid potatoclones, which were characterised by divergent TGA-content. The population had a high-TGA parent, LT7, and a low-TGA parent, NT8. We used 342 Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) single primers or two such primer combinations and 36 Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequence (CAPS)primer pairs, digested with various restriction enzymes, to amplify random PCR products. Parental clones of both populations were used to identify polymorphic PCR products for further linkage analyses with TGA-content. In these analyses, one single ISSR marker was found to be significantly associated with TGA-content. A multiple regression analysis was also carried out using a ‘stepwise’ procedure. In this regression analysis TGA-content was the dependent variable whereas the polymorphic PCR products and all possible two-way interactions among them were the independent variables. The resulting best model consisted of an interaction between two loci in addition to a single locus effect. This interaction suggests that the expression of TGA-content is partially modulated by two interacting loci. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Practice-based Research on Popularity of Tea Culture in Northern Mountainous Area and Improvement of Students＇ Humanism Spirit

In this paper,questionnaires about college tea culture and humanism spirit have been investigated in the undergraduates of Hebei Agricultural University in mountainous area of Northern China.After analyzing the survey results and the causes,the author made references and gave recommendations to the university students about the tea culture and humanism spirit cultivation.     

Soil: a natural sink for carbon monoxide

A potting soil mixture depleted carbon monoxide in a test atmosphere from a concentration of 120 parts per million to near zero within 3 hours. Maximum activity occurred at 30 degrees C. Steam sterilization of the soil, the addition of antibiotics or 10 percent (by weight) saline solution, and anaerobic conditions all prevented carbon monoxide uptake. Sterilized soil inoculated with nonsterile soil acquired activity with time. Samples of various natural soils differed in their ability to remove carbon monoxide from the air. Acidic soils with a high content of organic matter were generally the most active. The soil's ability to remove carbon monoxide from the atmosphere is ascribed to the activity of soil micro-organisms.     

The dog genome: survey sequencing and comparative analysis

A survey of the dog genome sequence (6.22 million sequence reads; 1.5x coverage) demonstrates the power of sample sequencing for comparative analysis of mammalian genomes and the generation of species-specific resources. More than 650 million base pairs (>25%) of dog sequence align uniquely to the human genome, including fragments of putative orthologs for 18,473 of 24,567 annotated human genes. Mutation rates, conserved synteny, repeat content, and phylogeny can be compared among human, mouse, and dog. A variety of polymorphic elements are identified that will be valuable for mapping the genetic basis of diseases and traits in the dog.