Gossypol toxicity in preruminant calves

SUMMARY Twenty-four of 57 calves fed a diet containing 33% cotton seed meal (CSM) died between 7 and 15 weeks of age. Initial deaths were not accompanied by premonitory signs, but after CSM withdrawal most calves developed rough coats, anorexia, weakness, ascites and subcutaneous oedema. Those that died had large volumes of serous fluid in the body cavities, hard livers of ‘nutmeg’ appearance, and pulmonary congestion. Histopathologically the livers showed periacinar necrosis in acute cases and periacinar fibrosis in chronic cases. Lungs from several calves had oedema, haemosiderosis and fibrosis in some pulmonary vessels. Atrophy of myocardial fibres was present in most cases. The concentration of free gossypol in the diet was 100 to 220 mg/kg. Ante-mortem and post-mortem findings supported a diagnosis of gossypol poisoning. The deaths continued for 4 weeks after withdrawal of CSM from the diet.     

A vasectomy technique for Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus).

Bats in captivity reproduce well and contraceptive techniques are needed. In initial attempts at vasectomy using a prescrotal approach, it was difficult to identify the mesoductus deferens. The technique described here uses a scrotal approach with exteriorization of the testis, followed by identification and ligation of the mesoductus deferens. Nine Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) underwent vasectomy for this study. No postoperative complications were seen (n = 18 testes), but some of the testes (5/18, 27%), which previously moved freely from the scrotum to the abdominal cavity, were still adhered to the scrotal sac 14 mo postoperatively. This technique appears safe, is fast, and is relatively easy to perform.     

Flow alteration and thermal pollution depress modelled growth rates of an iconic riverine fish,the Murray cod Maccullochella peelii

The serial discontinuity concept (SDC) proposes that hypolimnetic‐releasing impoundments cause major disruptions to the naturally occurring physical, chemical and biological gradients of rivers but that this impact diminishes with distance downstream. Such a gradient in discharge, flow velocity and temperature regime occurs below a large hypolimnetic‐releasing impoundment, the Hume Dam, on the River Murray in south‐eastern Australia. To examine the effects of this disturbance gradient on a warm‐water large‐bodied freshwater fish, the Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii), a bioenergetics model was developed and calibrated to explore energy expended under differing water velocities and temperature regimes. Model simulations predicted negative growth of juveniles directly downstream of the impoundment, due largely to the energetic costs associated with active and, to a lesser extent, standard metabolism outweighing the achievable energetic gains through food consumption. As flow velocity and temperature regimes became more favourable downstream, so did the simulated growth of the species. It was not until +239 km downstream of the impoundment that the model predicted that flow velocity and temperature regimes were suitable for greater weight gains. The modelled growth responses of juvenile Murray cod are consistent with the predictions of the SDC, emphasising that changes in the bioenergetics of individuals are likely to be reflected in reduced growth rates under the changed flow velocity and temperature regimes imposed by disturbance gradients. This research represents a valuable step in the biological understanding of Murray cod within variable riverine environments and emphasises the urgency required to mitigate impacts associated with hypolimnetic impoundments.     

Evaporation from fetch-limited water bodies

An analytic model to calculate evaporation from fetch-limited water bodies is described. By modifying the surface boundary condition to an analytic solution to the advection-diffusion equation for specific humidity in the air flow over a water body, we are able to solve for the entire specific humidity field q (x, z) from a single measurement of humidity, surface temperature, and wind speed. Comparisons of model predictions with measurements from Rushy Billabong, a small turbid lake, over a 146 day period show that on average the model underestimates evaporation rates by 12%. We believe that the evaporation shortfall is due to the downwind advection of heat within the billabong when the billabong is highly stratified in temperature. When the thermal stratification is weak, the advection of heat within the water column is less important and the model is an accurate predictor of evaporation.     

Total intravenous feeding of calves.

Total intravenous feeding was accomplished for 5 clinically normal calves and for 1 calf with atresia coli. During the trials, which lasted 8 to 14 days (mean of 12 days), calves were not permitted to ingest any food or water. Body weight and state of hydration remained essentially constant. Plasma protein content decreased, but there were only minor changes in other physiologic measures. Calves were clinically normal at the conclusion of the trials.     

The effect of topical tripeptide-copper complex on healing of ischemic open wounds

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of topical glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine tripeptide-copper complex (TCC; Iamin 2% Gel; Procyte Corporation, Redmond, WA) on healing in ischemic open wounds. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: Rats were divided into 3 groups: topical TCC, topical TCC vehicle (hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose), and no treatment (control). Six-mm-diameter, full-thickness wounds were created within an ischemic bipedicle skin flap on the dorsum of each rat. Each day, for 13 days, wound margins were traced, and the TCC and TCC vehicle groups were treated topically. Tracings were scanned, and wound perimeter and area were calculated. On days 6, 10, and 13, selected wounds were biopsied and analyzed for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9. RESULTS: A significant decrease in wound area was seen in the TCC group, but not the vehicle group, when compared with the control group on days 3 to 5, 6 to 9, and 11 to 13 and when TCC was compared with TCC vehicle on days 3 and 9. On day 13, initial wound area had decreased by 64.5% in the TCC group, 45.6% in the vehicle group, and 28.2% in the control group. On days 6, 10, and 13, TCC-treated wounds contained significantly lower concentrations of TNF-alpha and MMP-2 and MMP-9 than control wounds. CONCLUSION: Topical TCC resulted in accelerated wound healing in ischemic open wounds. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Topical TCC is an effective stimulant of healing of ischemic open wounds in rats and may have an application for the treatment of chronic wounds in other species. Clinical evaluation of topical TCC is warranted.     

Sympatric ascochyta complex of wild Cicer judaicum and domesticated chickpea

The aim of this study was to isolate, identify and characterize ascochyta blight pathogens from Cicer judaicum , a wild annual Cicer species which grows in Israel and other Mediterranean countries in sympatric distribution with legume crops, and determine their virulence and aggressiveness to other wild and domesticated legumes. Native C. judaicum plants exhibited symptoms resembling ascochyta diseases of grain legume crops. Two distinct pathogens were isolated and identified as Phoma pinodella and Didymella rabiei using morphological and molecular tools; their infectivity was verified using Koch's postulates. The virulence of these pathogens was examined on 13 legume species, of which P. pinodella was virulent to Pisum sativum , P. fulvum , C. judaicum , C. arietinum , C. reticulatum , C. pinnatifidum and C. bijugum . Didymella rabiei infected all these Cicer species, but not the other legume species tested. Aggressiveness of the pathogens was tested on wild and domesticated chickpea and pea. Didymella rabiei isolated from C. judaicum had significantly higher ( P  < 0·001) aggressiveness than P. pinodella from C. judaicum on both wild and domesticated chickpea. Disease severity on the former species ranged from 62·5% to 70% and on the latter from 41% to 56%. Phoma pinodella isolates from C. judaicum were more aggressive on C. arietinum and P. sativum than on C. judaicum and P. fulvum . Results of the current study suggest that C. judaicum may serve as an alternative host to ascochyta pathogens that endanger chickpea and possibly other crops and wild species growing in close proximity.     

The effect of substrate particle size on the production of mucus in Haliotis tuberculata L. and the importance of this in a culture system

Haliotis tuberculata, the ormer, produces mucus from secretory cells in its foot. A relationship between substrate particle size and production of mucus is demonstrated. The results are also related to the energy budget of the ormer and considered in the light of the possible culture of the organism.     

Comparison of the complement-fixation and agar gel immunodiffusion tests for diagnosis of subclinical bovine paratuberculosis

The performance of the serum complement fixation (CF) test was compared with that of a serum agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test on 74 subclinically infected and 154 uninfected cattle in 6 commercial midwestern dairy herds with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection and on 30 cattle in a herd that was free of infection. Infection status of cattle within herds was established by performance of a series of 3 or more fecal cultures and of ileocecal lymph node cultures of culled cattle. In cattle with subclinical infection detected by culturing, the sensitivity estimates of the CF and AGID tests were 10.8% (3.6% SE) and 18.9% (4.5% SE), respectively. In the cattle classified as disease free, the specificity estimates of the CF and AGID tests were 97.4% (1.3% SE) and 99.4% (0.6% SE), respectively. Neither set of estimates was significantly different. Negative test results obtained with the use of either test in apparently normal cattle from suspect herds should be interpreted with caution because both tests suffer from low sensitivities in subclinically infected animals. However, the AGID test may be more useful in regulatory situations in which the CF test is currently used because the AGID test is easier to perform and to interpret.