Oral-dental disease in cats. A feline practitioner's perspective.

The impact and relevance of dentistry in a general feline practice is detailed. Hospital policy and protocol are described for client education, preanesthetic evaluation, dental procedures, and recall programs. A discussion of commonly observed feline dental problems is included.     

The profitability of variable rate lime in wheat

Grid sampling allows a variable rate of lime to be applied and has been marketed as a cost saver to producers. However, there is little research that shows if this precision application is profitable or not. Previous research on variable-rate lime has considered only a small number of fields. This paper uses soil sampling data from 111 fields provided by producers in Oklahoma and Kansas. The 5-year average net present values are compared between variable-rate and uniform-rate lime for grain-only wheat production, dual-purpose wheat grain and forage production, and a wheat–soybean rotation. Sensitivity analysis was done for varying grain prices as well as grain yield potential. When using historical average yields and recent prices for Oklahoma, variable rate was not profitable on average for these 111 fields for either a grain-only, dual-purpose, or wheat–soybean production. However, when yield or prices were above average, variable rate was profitable. Thus, variable rate liming can be profitable for these fields, but it requires either above average yields, a high value crop, or above average prices.

     

Genetic potential for residual feed intake and diet fed during early- to mid-gestation influences post-natal DNA methylation of imprinted genes in muscle and liver tissues in beef cattle

Discovery of epigenetic modifications associated with feed efficiency or other economically important traits would increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits. In combination with known genetic markers, this would provide opportunity to improve genomic selection accuracy in cattle breeding programs. It would also allow cattle to be managed to improve favorable gene expression. The objective of this study was to identify variation in DNA methylation between beef cattle of differential pre-natal nutrition and divergent genetic potential for residual feed intake (RFI). Purebred Angus offspring with the genetic potential for either high (HRFI) or low (LRFI) RFI were prenatally exposed to either a restricted maternal diet of 0.5 kg/d average daily gain (ADG) or a moderate maternal diet of 0.7 kg/d ADG from 30 to 150 d of gestation. We performed DNA methylation analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMR) of imprinted genes (Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) DMR2, IGF2/H19 imprinting control region (ICR) and IGF2 receptor (IGF2R) DMR2) using post-natal samples of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle taken from male and female calves at birth and weaning, and of LD muscle, semimembranosus (SM) muscle, and liver samples collected from steers at slaughter (17 months of age). Interestingly, for all three DMR investigated in liver, LRFI steers had higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. In LD muscle, IGF2/H19 ICR methylation differences for heifers at birth were due to pre-natal diet, while for steers at birth they were mostly the result of genetic potential for RFI with LRFI steers again having higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. While results from repeated measures analysis of DNA methylation in steers grouped by RFI revealed few differences, in steers grouped by diet, we found higher methylation levels of IGF2 DMR2 and IGF2R DMR2 in LD muscle of restricted diet steers at weaning and slaughter than at birth, as well as increased methylation in LD muscle of restricted diet steers compared with moderate diet steers at weaning and/or slaughter. Our results suggest that differential pre-natal nutrition, and divergent genetic potential for RFI, induces tissue- and sex-specific alterations in post-natal IGF2 and IGF2R methylation patterns and that these patterns can vary with age in Angus beef cattle.     

The importance of manual white blood cell differential counts and platelet estimates in elephant hematology: blood film review is essential

Unique features of elephant hematology are known challenges in analytical methodology like two types of monocytes typical for members of the Order Afrotheria and platelet counts of the comparatively small elephant platelet. To investigate WBC differential and platelet data generated by an impedance-based hematology analyzer without availability of validated species-specific software for recognition of elephant WBCs and platelets, compared to manual blood film review. Blood samples preserved in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) of 50 elephants (n = 35 Elephas maximus and n = 15 Loxodonta africana) were used. A Mann-Whitney test for independent samples was used to compare parameters between methods and agreement was tested using Bland-Altman bias plots. All hematological variables, including absolute numbers of heterophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets, were significantly different (p < 0.0001) between both methods of analysis, and there was no agreement using Bland-Altman bias plots. Manual review consistently produced higher heterophil and monocyte counts as well as platelet estimates, while the automated analyzer produced higher lymphocyte, eosinophil, and basophil counts. The hematology analyzer did not properly differentiate elephant lymphocytes and monocytes, and did not accurately count elephant platelets. These findings emphasize the importance of manual blood film review as part of elephant complete blood counts in both clinical and research settings and as a basis for the development of hematological reference intervals.     

The lipid compositions of two isolates of Cladosporium cucumerinum do not explain their differences in sensitivity to fungicides which inhibit sterol biosynthesis

Isolate 840905 of Cladosporium cucumerinum, when grown on agar or in liqiud medium, was sensitive to triadimenol, HWG 1608 (tebuconazole), fenpropimorph and pimaricin but relatively resistant to terbinafine. Conversely, isolate 49628 was sensitive to terbinafine but relatively resistant to the other fungicides. Changes in sterol composition following treatment with the fungicides reflected the known modes of action of each fungicide. When individual enantiomers of triadimenol were tested against isolate 840905 the order of activity in reducing mycelial growth was 1 S, 2R > 1R, 2R > 1R, 2S ≈? 1S, 2S, and this was paralleled by the depletion of ergosterol and the appearance of 14α-methyl sterols. Isolate 49628 had a greater saturated:unsaturated fatty acid ratio than did isolate 840905 but no major changes in fatty acid composition of either isolate were induced by fungicide treatment. There appears to be no obvious explanation for the differences in fungicide sensitivity of the isolates in terms of their lipid compositions.     

Fungicidal activity and chemical constitution: XVII.—Activity of various 4-(1-substituted n-alkyl)-2,6-dinitrophenols and esters against apple powdery mildew

Members of series of 4-(cyclobutylalkyl, cyclohexylalkyl and benzylalkyl)-2,6-dinitrophenols were tested in a glasshouse against apple powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera leucotricha. Three series involving a cyclohexyl substituent separated from the phenolic nucleus by one, two or three methylene groups were of the same order of activity, but replacement of this substituent by a phenyl group in one case, resulted in a marked decrease in activity. Of a number of esters tested, none was significantly more active than the corresponding phenol.