The role of ear environment in postharvest susceptibility of maize to toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

A kernel screening assay (KSA) was used to assess the genetic and environmental effects on the vulnerability of maize to aflatoxin accumulation. Kernels of 26 inbred lines that had been grown in seven environments, and 190 lines of the Intermated B73xMo17 (IBM) population grown in one location in the United States, were inoculated with a toxigenic strain of A. flavus and incubated in the dark at 30°C for 6 days. Percent kernel colonization (PKC), sporulation and aflatoxin were influenced by the maize genotypes (G), the location (“ear environment” or E) and the GxE interactions. Overall, low broad‐sense heritabilities were observed for PKC, sporulation and aflatoxin. PKC was significantly correlated with sporulation in all environments. Aflatoxin was positively correlated with colonization for two and with sporulation for all ear environments. Higher grain sulphur or magnesium in IBM was associated with less colonization or aflatoxin. Postharvest susceptibility of maize to aflatoxin is thus influenced by factors that are modulated by the ear environment. In a KSA, sporulation could be a proxy test for aflatoxin accumulation.     

Suspected Tension Pneumomediastinum In A Dog: A Case Report

Successful resuscitation of a trauma-induced, suspected tension pneumomediastinum in a dog is presented. The cause was a caudal cervical penetration wound which acted as a one-way valve allowing air to enter, but not exit, the cranial mediastium. Early in the course of hospitalization, respiratory and cardiovascular collapse occurred; an emergent parasternotomy allowed decompression of the mediastinum, and the cradiovascular system immediately responded. The dog made a complete recovery following surgical exploration and removal of contaminated mediastinal tissue. Nine days of intensive care included 24-hour monitoring, oxygen therapy, intravenous crystalloids and colloids, continuous pleural suctioning, nutritional support, antibiotics, and pain control.     

Diagnosis of Congenital Cardiac Right-to-left Shunts with 99mTc-macroaggregated Albumin

Diagnosing right-to-left congenital cardiac shunts can be difficult. Cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography represent the traditional gold standard for diagnosis, but they are invasive. Nuclear scintigraphy using 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) has been employed in humans as an alternate method of diagnosis. This study reviews eight dogs presented for evaluation of a suspect right-to-left cardiac shunt that were examined using 99mTc-MAA. In all, 2-4 mCi (74-148 MBq) of reduced particle 99mTc-MAA were injected IV in a cephalic vein and static images of the whole body, including right and left lateral, dorsal, and ventral views, were acquired for 60 s and stored into a 256 x 256 x 16 matrix. Shunt fractions were calculated. One dog with radiopharmaceutical distribution limited to the lungs did not have a shunt. Seven dogs had distribution of the radiopharmaceutical outside the pulmonary capillary bed, indicating bypassing of the pulmonary capillary circulation due to a right-to-left shunt. Four dogs had 99mTc-MAA within the brain. Three dogs that did not have brain uptake, but instead had a sharp cutoff of radioactivity at the level of the front limbs and neck, were diagnosed with reverse patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The asymmetric distribution of the radiopharmaceutical is due to the location of the shunt, distal to the brachiocephalic trunk and left subclavian artery. Shunt fractions of dogs with extrapulmonary radioactivity ranged from 40% to 59%. Nuclear scintigraphy with 99mTc-MAA is a quick alternative method of diagnosing right-to-left cardiac shunts that permits quantification of shunt fraction. Distinguishing between reverse PDA and other right-to-left shunts may be possible based on the radiopharmaceutical distribution.     

Determination of plasma lysosomal enzyme activity and its relationship to severity of injury following blunt vehicular trauma in dogs

Objective: To determine plasma β‐d ‐glucuronidase (βG) activity in the first 4 hours following injury in dogs struck by a motor vehicle, and to evaluate whether the degree of enzyme activity is correlated with the severity of injury. Design: A prospective clinical study. Setting: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Animals: Thirteen client‐owned dogs that were presented to the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania between June and August 1999 for blunt vehicular trauma. Ten healthy student and staff‐owned dogs served as controls. Interventions: None. Measurements: Plasma was analyzed for βG enzyme activity at the time of presentation (n=13), and 1 and 4 hours (n=7) following presentation to the Emergency Service for blunt vehicular trauma. The results were compared with enzyme activity from healthy controls evaluated serially over 4 hours. Fluorometric analysis using 96‐well microtiter plates was used to perform the enzyme assays. The relationships between presentation (n=13) and 4 hours (n=7) of enzyme activity and 3 indices of metabolic and physical disturbance (serum pH, serum lactate and Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score) at the time of presentation were also investigated. Main results: Of the 13 dogs, 7 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for comparison of enzyme activity of the trauma over time. A statistically significant difference in βG activity was found in the trauma group (mean 75.6±10.4 U) at 4 hours following presentation compared with controls (mean 48.0±6.4 U). This difference was suggested by 1 hour following presentation (trauma group, mean 70.4±10.9 U; control group, mean 49.8±5.5 U), although it did not reach statistical significance. Thirteen dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria for comparison of only presentation enzyme activity with trauma severity score, serum lactate, and serum pH. No statistically significant relationship was found between the βd ‐glucuronidase activity and the presenting ATT score, serum lactate concentration, or serum pH at either presentation or 4 hours, although the power of these analyses was low. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the activity of βG, a lysosomal enzyme, increases significantly in the systemic circulation in dogs 4 hours following blunt trauma. Additional research to include more severely injured dogs, a larger number of dogs, and to follow the course of injury for a longer period of time would be beneficial to further characterize βG activity following blunt trauma.     

Regional variability in landscape effects on forest bird communities

Landscape Ecology - Functional responses to landscape heterogeneity are context-dependent, hampering the transferability of landscape-scale conservation initiatives. Japan provides a unique...     

Randomly primed,strand-switching,MinION-based sequencing for the detection and characterization of cultured RNA viruses

RNA viruses rapidly mutate, which can result in increased virulence, increased escape from vaccine protection, and false-negative detection results. Targeted detection methods have a limited ability to detect unknown viruses and often provide insufficient data to detect coinfections or identify antigenic variants. Random, deep sequencing is a method that can more fully detect and characterize RNA viruses and is often coupled with molecular techniques or culture methods for viral enrichment. We tested viral culture coupled with third-generation sequencing for the ability to detect and characterize RNA viruses. Cultures of bovine viral diarrhea virus, canine distemper virus (CDV), epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, infectious bronchitis virus, 2 influenza A viruses, and porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus were sequenced on the MinION platform using a random, reverse primer in a strand-switching reaction, coupled with PCR-based barcoding. Reads were taxonomically classified and used for reference-based sequence building using a stock personal computer. This method accurately detected and identified complete coding sequence genomes with a minimum of 20× coverage depth for all 7 viruses, including a sample containing 2 viruses. Each lineage-typing region had at least 26× coverage depth for all viruses. Furthermore, analyzing the CDV sample through a pipeline devoid of CDV reference sequences modeled the ability of this protocol to detect unknown viruses. Our results show the ability of this technique to detect and characterize dsRNA, negative- and positive-sense ssRNA, and nonsegmented and segmented RNA viruses.     

Comparison of three methods of temperature measurement in hypothermic, euthermic, and hyperthermic dogs

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability and accuracy of a predictive rectal thermometer, an infrared auricular thermometer designed for veterinary use, and a subcutaneous temperature-sensing microchip for measurement of core body temperature over various temperature conditions in dogs. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 8 purpose-bred dogs. PROCEDURES: A minimum of 7 days prior to study commencement, a subcutaneous temperature-sensing microchip was implanted in 1 of 3 locations (interscapular, lateral aspect of shoulder, or sacral region) in each dog. For comparison with temperatures measured via rectal thermometer, infrared auricular thermometer, and microchip, core body temperature was measured via a thermistor-tipped pulmonary artery (TTPA) catheter. Hypothermia was induced during anesthesia at the time of TTPA catheter placement; on 3 occasions after placement of the catheter, hyperthermia was induced via administration of a low dose of endotoxin. Near-simultaneous duplicate temperature measurements were recorded from the TTPA catheter, the rectal thermometer, auricular thermometer, and subcutaneous microchips during hypothermia, euthermia, and hyperthermia. Reliability (variability) of temperature measurement for each device and agreement between each device measurement and core body temperature were assessed. RESULTS: Variability between duplicate near-simultaneous temperature measurements was greatest for the auricular thermometer and least for the TTPA catheter. Measurements obtained by use of the rectal thermometer were in closest agreement with core body temperature; for all other devices, temperature readings typically underestimated core body temperature. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Among the 3 methods of temperature measurement, rectal thermometry provided the most accurate estimation of core body temperature in dogs.