Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder in a Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

A transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder was found in a beluga whale stranded in the St. Lawrence middle estuary. Various organs of this animal were submitted to high resolution gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis. High frequency of urinary bladder cancer in the human population of the same area and the presence of carcinogenic compounds in the marine environment of this animal are discussed.

Concurrent isolation of Edwardsiella tarda from various organs of this whale is also reported.

     

Sources of variation and prospects for improvement of productive efficiency in the dairy cow: a review

In this review, "productive efficiency" in dairy cows is defined as the yield of milk obtained in ratio to the nutritional costs associated with maintenance, milk synthesis and loss of body condition during lactation. Improvements in efficiency could occur as a result of changes in digestion and nutrient absorption, maintenance requirement, utilization of metabolizable energy for production or nutrient partitioning. Digestibility can be greatly enhanced by appropriate dietary manipulation. Likewise, it may be possible to reduce maintenance requirements and improve the efficiency with which metabolizable energy is used for milk synthesis by manipulation of the pattern of nutrients presented to tissues. However, these factors apparently do not respond to selection for increased milk yield, and little variation is observed among cows. In contrast, individual cows differ substantially in feed intake and in the partitioning of nutrients among body tissues. Techniques associated with genetic engineering and the early prediction of genetic merit have the potential to improve productive efficiency by manipulation of these processes. However, changes in nutrient partitioning and feed intake during lactation are coordinated by a complex network of controls that accommodate the nutrient requirements of each tissue while maintaining homeostatic balance. Future improvements in productive efficiency will therefore depend on our ability to understand the manner in which these controls operate.     

Shell strength of eggs from medium‐bodied hybrid hens housed in cages or on range in outside pens

1. On average, over the laying year, a higher proportion of eggs were cracked from cages (4.6%) than from range (2.0%); the difference tended to increase as the flocks aged.

2. There was evidence that eggs from range had stronger shells: they required more energy to crack, shell thickness was greater and shell deformation at 70 weeks was less (though the difference was not significant).

3. The differences between systems in shell strength, although real, were small. It is probable that environmental insults make a much larger contribution than shell strength to differences in crack incidence.

4. Eggs laid by hens on range were larger (+ 6.8% at 36 weeks and + 2.9% at 70 weeks) than those laid by the same stock housed in cages.     

Behaviour of roaster chickens towards an automatic weighing perch

1. Automatic weighing equipment was tested on a flock of 752 roaster chickens reared on litter to 10 weeks of age.

2. Mean body weights obtained automatically were lower than those obtained manually, mainly because of birds perching on the automatic weighing perch with part of their body in contact with the floor.

3. Birds observed on the weighing perch on one day of the week were 3–5 times more likely to use the perch again on the following 2 d than expected on the basis of random perch use by flock members. These birds were also more likely to be seen in the area immediately surrounding the perch than in similar areas elsewhere in the pen.     

Caprine beta-Mannosidosis in Kids from an Ontario Herd

Caprine β-mannosidosis, a fatal inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-mannosidase, was diagnosed in neonatal female Nubian crossbred twin kids from a small herd near Guelph, Ontario. The kids had been tetraplegic since birth, with whole body tremors, abnormal nystagmus and an intention tremor of the head.     

Microorganisms associated with pneumonia in slaughter weight swine.

The lungs of 334 pigs were obtained from two slaughter plants in Minnesota and examined in detail. Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation, direct fluorescence for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and bacterial culture were done on all of them and a subsample of 50 were selected for virus culture. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida and Haemophilus spp. were detected in 24.0%, 34.1% and 27.0% of the lungs, commonly in conjunction with each other. One isolate of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 was detected and this represents the first report of its presence in the United States. No virus was detected in any of the lungs. Lungs with both M. hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida had the greatest amount of macroscopic pneumonia (9.8% of the lung). Lungs with M. hyopneumoniae or P. multocida alone had 4.9% and 5.2% of the lung involved with pneumonia respectively. Lungs with Haemophilus sp. Taxon "minor group" had 3.8% of the lung involved which was not significantly different from lungs with none of these organisms being detected (1.6%). There was a positive correlation between the extent of M. hyopneumoniae infection, as scored by FAT and the amount of macroscopic pneumonia present (r = 0.46; P less than 0.001). Likewise, there was a positive correlation between the estimated concentration of P. multocida present, as scored by the relative number of colonies on blood agar and the amount of macroscopic pneumonia present (r = 0.60; P less than 0.001). Microscopically, the amount of lymphoreticular proliferation, polymorphonuclear cells and alveolar macrophages were evaluated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Elimination of toxicity from polyurethane foam plugs used for plant culture

Polyurethane foam plugs commonly are used as collars or supports to grow plants in solution culture. Despite their utility, these foam plugs can be quite toxic to plants, particularly to small seedlings. We have observed tissue injury in tests using plugs to support lettuce, red beet, and potato plants in solution culture. Typically, the injury is initiated on the hypocotyl or stem tissue in direct contact with the foam, and appears within 30 hr as a brownish discoloration on the tissue surface. This discoloration can be followed by complete collapse of affected tissue and eventual death of the seedling. When injury does not progress beyond surface browning, the seedling survives but growth is slowed. In this paper, we report on different treatments that can be used to remove the toxicity of these plugs so they can be used in plant research.