Anatomical and Morphometric Variations in the Arterial System of the Domestic Cat

We document the anatomical architecture and frequency of occurrence of variations in the branching pattern of the brachiocephalic artery and the origin of the internal iliac arteries in the domestic cat, a widely used model organism in both anatomical training and research. Based on the study of 56 preserved specimens, we observed three distinct arrangements in the branching pattern of the brachiocephalic artery. The most common pattern (52% of the examined specimens) was that in which the brachiocephalic artery was divided into two branches, the left common carotid artery and a common branch for the right subclavian artery and the right common carotid artery. The frequency of occurrence of each variation type was independent of the gender and body size. The internal iliac arteries originated caudal to the point at which the external iliac arteries branched off from the abdominal aorta. However, the portion of the abdominal aorta between the external and internal iliac arteries varied greatly in length and was not significantly correlated with its width, nor with body size or gender. This study is the first to report and quantify the occurrence of such variations in North American cats. Given the anatomical similarity between the cat and other felids, the results of this study can be applied to other species, including endangered species.     

Immunohistochemical Expression of Growth Factors in the Follicular Wall of Normal and Cystic Ovaries of Sows

The expression of growth factors was evaluated immunohistochemically in normal and cystic ovaries of sows. The immunohistochemically stained area (IHCSA) was quantified by image analysis to analyse the expression of these proteins in the follicular wall of secondary, tertiary and cystic follicles. IGF‐I immunoreactivity was strong in the granulosa cell layer (GC), moderate in the theca interna (TI) and mild in the theca externa (TE) of the normal follicles. There was severe reduction of the labelling to IGF‐I in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts. In the normal follicles, the reactivity for IGF‐II was very similar to pattern noted in IGF‐I. There was reduction of the IHCSAs in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts, but the decrease was not significant. The staining of the IGF‐II in the TI and TE of the cysts was increased, in comparison with normal follicles. The IHCSAs for VEGF were higher in the GC and TE of the normal follicles in contrast to TI, but this difference was noted only in the tertiary follicle. The VEGF reactivity increased in the GC of the cysts, in relation to normal follicles. The results of the current study show that the formation of ovarian cysts in sows is associated with alterations in the immunohistochemical expression of some growth factors.     

Can the nitrogenous composition of xylem sap be used to assess salinity stress in Casuarina glauca?

It is predicted that dryland salinity will affect up to 17 Mha of the Australian landscape by 2050, and therefore, monitoring the health of tree plantings and remnant native vegetation in saline areas is increasingly important. Casuarina glauca Sieber ex Spreng. has considerable salinity tolerance and is commonly planted in areas with a shallow, saline water table. To evaluate the potential of using the nitrogenous composition of xylem sap to assess salinity stress in C. glauca, the responses of trees grown with various soil salinities in a greenhouse were compared with those of trees growing in field plots with different water table depths and groundwater salinities. In the greenhouse, increasing soil salinity led to increased allocation of nitrogen (N) to proline and arginine in both stem and root xylem sap, with coincident decreases in citrulline and asparagine. Although the field plots were ranked as increasingly saline-based on ground water salinity and depth-only the allocation of N to citrulline differed significantly between the field plots. Within each plot, temporal variation in the composition of the xylem sap was related to rainfall, rainfall infiltration and soil salinity. Periods of low rainfall and infiltration and higher soil salinity corresponded with increased allocation of N to proline and arginine in the xylem sap. The allocation of N to citrulline and asparagine increased following rainfall events where rain was calculated to have infiltrated sufficiently to decrease soil salinity. The relationship between nitrogenous composition of the xylem sap of C. glauca and soil salinity indicates that the analysis of xylem sap is an effective method for assessing changes in salinity stress in trees at a particular site over time. However, the composition of the xylem sap proved less useful as a comparative index of salinity stress in trees growing at different sites.     

Impact of physicochemical parameters on the decomposition of deoxynivalenol during extrusion cooking of wheat grits

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by molds of the Fusarium genus and is known to cause a spectrum of diseases in animals such as vomiting and gastroenteritis. It is found in cereals and cereal products as most processing techniques lead only to a partial reduction of deoxynivalenol levels. One technique with a reported relatively high impact on deoxynivaleol decomposition is extrusion cooking. In the current work, systematic studies of a range of physicochemical parameters, such as temperature, moisture, compression, residence time in the extruder, pH value, and protein content, on their impact on deoxynivalenol decomposition during extrusion cooking were performed. The analysis of deoxynivalenol was made by high-performance liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe-based cleanup with 15-d(1)-deoxynivalenol as an internal standard. It could be shown that the reduction of deoxynivalenol levels is dependent on a set of parameters partially interacting with each other. Especially the moisture content and compression are key factors for the reduction of deoxynivalenol levels. A correlation between residence time of the mycotoxin in the extruder and deoxynivalenol degradation was also observed when screws without a compression factor were used. Generally, the reduction of deoxynivalenol levels was increased by the use of screws with a high compression factor. As known from cooking, deoxynivalenol could also be easily degraded by extrusion under alkaline conditions. Furthermore, an increase of the protein content of the starting material resulted in higher reduction rates of deoxynivalenol.     

Factors associated with gastrointestinal parasite infection in dogs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Factors associated with parasitism by helminths and protozoans in 500 dogs presented to three veterinary clinics in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro from November 2003 to September 2004 were evaluated. Dogs were submitted to physical examination and owners were interviewed about the animal's management. One fecal sample from each dog was examined by centrifugal flotation and sedimentation methods followed by the safranin–methylene blue staining technique. Positive results for gastrointestinal parasites were detected in 46.4% of the examined samples. Infection with protozoans (29.6%) was more frequent than with helminths (23.2%). Cryptosporidium sp. (26.2%) and Ancylostoma sp. (15.2%) were the most frequent parasites. Logistic regression analysis showed that age (p < 0.001), access to soil (p < 0.001), hygiene of the environment (p = 0.001), illness (p = 0.007), owner's level of education (p < 0.006) and veterinary clinic (p = 0.043) were associated with gastrointestinal parasite infections in dogs. Treatment and control are especially important for puppies. Adult dogs should be submitted to fecal examination before treatment, placing special emphasis on those that present one or more factors associated with infection.     

Osteological Examinations on the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus Shaw 1805) with Special Reference to Skeletal Alterations Conditioned by Breeding

The aims of this study were to examine the skeleton of domesticated budgerigars of phenotypically different breeding types, to describe the expression of skeletal changes and to discuss the results with special reference to the causes and effects of breed-conditioned alterations. Complete skeletons of 39 adult budgerigars of both sexes were the object of our research. The examinations demonstrated that almost all metrically sized skeleton dimensions of budgerigars of the exhibition type were increased significantly, compared with those of the non-exhibition type. Only for the scapula significant length differences between the budgerigars of both breeding types could not be verified. It can be stated that the measuring parameters 'occipital width', 'maxilla length', 'skull length' and 'prefrontal width' are suitable for the characterization of exhibition budgerigars. However, sexual dimorphisms could be verified in only three parameters (width of the pars symphysialis mandibulae, height of the skull, width of the skull within the range of the occiput). It has to be clarified in future studies to what extent the changes in the skeleton of budgerigars of the exhibition type have already had consequences for their flying ability, metabolism, health and well-being.     

A Case of Schistosoma Reflexum in a Cat with Chromosomal Aberrations

A 2‐year‐old, female Persian cat was presented with a history of distocia. In her first pregnancy, she had whelped four kittens and had eaten all of them right after parturition. She had mated again with the same tomcat. Well‐developed foetuses with weak foetal heart beats were observed in the ultrasonographic examination. En block ovariohysterectomy was performed. Three live and mature foetuses were obtained from the uterus; two of them were female foetuses and had no anatomical problem but the third one exhibiting multiple malformations was a male and diagnosed as ‘schistosoma reflexum’ (SR). The vertebral column deviated markedly to the right (scoliosis) at thoracolumbar region, and the middle lumbar and the sacral vertebrae were directed dorsocranially (lordosis). The entire small intestine, a part of large intestine, stomach, spleen and the right kidney were displayed out of the body, and it seemed that the listed internal organs were protruded from an abdominal cleft associated with the allantoic membrane. Liver, lungs and heart were hypoplastic. The large intestine was seen to have blind end (atresia recti), but anus was normal. Cerebrum and cerebellum were noticed as normal in sizes. Chromosome preparations from lymphocyte cultures of the foetus showed chromosomal aberrations including chromatid and chromosome breaks, exchange figures, non‐homologous pairing, whereas no abnormalities were detected in the chromosome preparations from mother’s cultures. This is probably the first case of SR in a cat, which was examined in detail from clinical, pathological, radiological and chromosomal angles.     

Changes in productivity and profitability of wool-growing farms that follow recommendations from agricultural and veterinary studies

Objective To estimate the changes in productivity and profitability in a group of wool-growing farms as they adopted major recommendations from agricultural and veterinary studies.
Farms Four wool-growing farms in south western Victoria were selected from the clients of the Mackinnon Project, a farm consultancy service run from the University of Melbourne. Each farm had closely followed recommended procedures, kept comprehensive financial and physical records and had been clients for at least 5 years. The comparison group was the South Western Victoria Monitor Farm Project (SWVMFP), about 45 farms in the same region as the study farms that were monitored annually by Agriculture Victoria.
Procedure For a 7-year period, the financial and physical performance of both groups of farms was estimated. Stocking rate, wool production, gross farm income, farm operating costs, net farm income and return on assets were compared.
Results Mean gross farm income of the four study farms steadily rose from 86% of the average SWVMFP farm before the adoption of recommendations to an average of 155%. During the same period, net farm income rose from 70% to 207% of the average of the SWVMFP. Return on asset of the four farms rose irregularly from 26% to 145% of the average of the SWVMFP. Farm operating costs on the four farms were higher than for the SWVMFP group, but the ratio of costs remained relatively constant.
Conclusion The adoption of proven research results was associated with large increases in net farm income. An increase in gross income, rather than a reduction in costs was the main reason for this. Research results offer a way to increase the financial viability of wool-growing farmers, many of whom are currently unable to maintain their lifestyle, resources and infrastructure.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of strychnine in grain baits.l.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure is described for the determination of strychnine. Grain baits containing strychnine alkaloid are ground, mixed, and extracted by shaking with chloroform. Without further cleanup, extract filtrates are injected directly into a liquid chromatograph. Chromatography is complete within 7 min and peak heights are used for quantitation. Separations were made on a 30 cm times 4 mm id stainless steel column packed with mu Porasil (8-12 mum silica). The eluting solvent was methanol-chloroform (10+90) at a flow rate of 2.0 ml/min. Recovery of spiked samples ranged from 91.5 to 95.2%. Confirmation of strychnine from a commercial sample was made by high resolution mass spectrometry with mass agreement to 1.2 ppm.