Canine choroidal melanoma with metastases

A 3-year-old-female, spayed Golden Retriever was examined for a unilateral retinal detachment with exophthalmos. Ultrasonographically, a mass was detected with intra- and extraocular extension. The orbit was exenterated and the dog recovered uneventfully. Histopathologic diagnosis was a primary choroidal melanoma with orbital extension, however, the behavioral and cytologic features were benign. Routine examinations postsurgically were nonremarkable. Twenty-one months after surgery the dog was euthanized for respiratory collapse with radiographic signs of metastasis. Necropsy revealed black lesions in the lung and liver. Histopathologic diagnosis was metastatic melanoma with morphology and behavior identical to the primary choroidal melanoma. This is the first definitive case of a canine choroidal melanoma with metastasis.     

Flystrike prevention on Merino lambs with the insect growth regulator dicyclanil

The efficacy of a ready-to-use 5% dicyclanil pour-on formulation as a preventative of natural flystrike on Merino lambs was investigated in a field trial involving 5 sites in the southern Cape Province. A total of 1,804 lambs treated with dicyclanil were compared with 882 untreated control lambs for up to 25 weeks after treatment. Efficacy was assessed by calculating the weekly cumulative strike rate at each site and aggregated for all sites, as well as by calculating the percentage reduction achieved in treated lambs. Cumulative strike rates for the untreated controls aggregated for all sites at Weeks 9,14 and 19 after treatment reached 6.2, 12.8 and 17.8%, respectively, compared with 0.4, 1.7 and 3.6% for the dicyclanil treated lambs. Percentage control aggregated for all sites at Weeks 9,14 and 19 after treatment was 93, 87 and 80%, respectively. Heavy rains during the 1st half of the trial did not substantially reduce the efficacy of the product.     

Loan financing of smallholder treefarming in the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur,the Philippines

Following the model of a credit program for pulpwood production and agroforestry by smallholders in another region of the Philippines, the World Bank financed a similar scheme to produce fuelwood for the small-scale tobacco-curing industry in the Ilocos region. This project proved to be unsuccessful due to local cultural attitudes toward borrowing money, inadequate forestry extension services, and the dispersed characteristics of the fuelwood market.     

Sirtuin 2 inhibitors rescue alpha-synuclein-mediated toxicity in models of Parkinson's disease

The sirtuins are members of the histone deacetylase family of proteins that participate in a variety of cellular functions and play a role in aging. We identified a potent inhibitor of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) and found that inhibition of SIRT2 rescued alpha-synuclein toxicity and modified inclusion morphology in a cellular model of Parkinson's disease. Genetic inhibition of SIRT2 via small interfering RNA similarly rescued alpha-synuclein toxicity. Furthermore, the inhibitors protected against dopaminergic cell death both in vitro and in a Drosophila model of Parkinson's disease. The results suggest a link between neurodegeneration and aging.     

The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.