Association of Vitamin D Status and Clinical Outcome in Dogs with a Chronic Enteropathy

Background

Dogs with a chronic enteropathy (CE) have a lower vitamin D status, than do healthy dogs. Vitamin D status has been associated with a negative clinical outcome in humans with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives

To examine the relationship between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations at diagnosis and clinical outcome in dogs with a CE.

Animals

Forty‐one dogs diagnosed with CE admitted to the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Hospital for Small Animals between 2007 and 2013.

Methods

Retrospective review. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were compared between dogs which were alive at follow up or had died because of non‐CE‐related reasons (survivors) and dogs which died or were euthanized due to their CE (non‐survivors). A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of death in dogs with CE.

Results

Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D at the time a CE was diagnosed were significantly lower in nonsurvivors (n = 15) (median nonsurvivors 4.36 ng/mL, interquartile range 1.6–17.0 ng/mL), median survivors (n = 26) (24.9 ng/mL interquartile range 15.63–39.45 ng/mL, P < .001). Serum 25(OH)D concentration was a significant predictor of death in dogs with CE (odds ratio 1.08 [95% CI 1.02–1.18)]).

Conclusions

Serum 25(OH)D concentrations at diagnosis are predictive of outcome in dogs with CE. The role of vitamin D in the initiation and outcome of chronic enteropathies in dogs is deserving of further study.     

Breeding components for mixture performance

Summary The problems posed by breeding components for use in binary mixtures are discussed. Breeding and selection strategies designed to overcome some of these problems are outlined.     

Apiculture and forestry (bees and trees)

Honey bees are found associated with forests globally. Flowers of forest trees provide subsistence for honey bees and the trees physically provide shelter for a swarm or bee hive. Forest management and beekeeping have each had a long history both in the United States and globally, but have seldom been integrated or studied in a systematic fashion. Purposeful plantings of trees, as in agroforestry systems, could be designed to favor bee forage or hive protection.Tree growing and beekeeping can easily be combined for several reasons. Both are sustainable on land that is hilly or otherwise less desirable for other agricultural purposes. Both require labor intermittently, and can be sustained while the grower/beekeeper is busy with other farming occupations. Bee hives require very little space, while the bees themselves can forage in a radius of 4 to 5 km. Hives may be located within or near a tree plantation, and utilize both the trees and surrounding other flowering plants for forage. Combining forestry and beekeeping provides annual honey bee products (e.g. honey, beeswax) to supplement income from a landowner's long term forest managements. In areas like Kentucky, where more than half of the forest landowners own 4 ha or less of commercially valuable woodland, it is important to produce economic benefit from those lands without harvesting all the trees. Combining bees and trees is one way of accomplishing this goal. This paper addresses several important known bee-tree interactions which need more systematic study.     

Comparison between old-growth stands and secondary stands regenerating after clear-felling in warm-temperate forests of Yakushima, southern Japan

In order to infer successional changes in structure, species composition and diversity of warm-temperate forest, we compared secondary stands regenerating after clear-felling (41–64-years old) with old-growth stands at altitudes between 300 and 800 m on Yakushima Island, southern Japan. Stem density and maximum stem diameter differed between secondary and old-growth stands, but basal area and aboveground biomass did not. At lower altitudes, the dominant species in old-growth stands with a strong sprouting capacity (Castanopsis cuspidata) also dominated secondary stands, and species composition of secondary and old-growth stands was similar. At higher altitudes, by contrast, the dominant species in old-growth stands (Distylium racemosum) had little sprouting capacity and was poorly represented in diverse secondary stands, which were dominated by Castanopsis or other less abundant species. Secondary stands had greater species diversity (Shannon–Wiener index) than old-growth stands, particularly at higher altitudes. This was due to greater species richness resulting from higher stem density per area, but not to greater evenness. We grouped the component species that share ecologically similar traits into four guilds (fagaceous, primary evergreen, secondary evergreen and deciduous species). Secondary stands were characterized by greater numbers of deciduous and secondary evergreen species. We concluded that different sprouting capacities of dominant species and different regeneration traits among guilds are responsible for the change in species composition and diversity during succession.     

Lakeshore diversity and rarity relationships along interacting disturbance gradients: catchment area, wave action and depth

Diversity patterns of riparian plant communities have been associated with disturbance. Populations of a diversity of Atlantic Coastal Plain plants occur as disjuncts on shores of large catchment area lakes in Nova Scotia. These lakeshore communities contain rare plants with local, national and global rankings. The populations of rare plants are dynamic and their management requires an understanding of the relationship between disturbance and the survival of rare plants. This present study measured (overwinter wooden dowel removal) and observed disturbance along gradients of catchment area (CA), exposure and depth. In three separate experiments ranging from the landscape to the lake, to the single shoreline level, disturbance was linked to lake CA, exposure and depth, respectively. At all scales, disturbance was positively associated with the presence of rare species. The pattern of rare species richness over the river system was complex; at the within-lake level, the frequency of rare species per site was greatest in the intermediate CA lake while the pool of rare species was greatest in the largest CA lake. The findings focus field efforts on wide, exposed shorelines of large CA lakes where new rare plants continue to be discovered. In addition, the discrepancy between highest frequency of rare plants on intermediate CA lakes and highest species pools of rarities on large CA lakes, reinforces the need for larger protected area systems for the most naturally disturbed ecosystems which often support populations having a high turnover rate but a low site to site frequency.     

QTL analysis of resistance to powdery mildew in hop (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Humulus lupulus</Emphasis> L.)

Hop with powdery mildew [HPM: caused by Podosphaera macularis (Wallr.) U. Braun & S. Takam.] results in significant losses in hop production by reducing yield and quality. One means of increasing yield and quality is the production of resistant hop lines. Breeding for resistance can be significantly improved and accelerated by use of marker-assisted selection. The objective of this preliminary study was to identify QTLs and markers for genetic resistance to HPM. A bi-parental mapping population between the resistant line “Newport” and susceptible line ‘21110M’. Phenotypic data was scored under controlled greenhouse conditions. Significant differences among offspring were observed and disease resistance did not follow a distinct binomial distribution, suggesting quantitative genetic control. Genotyping-by-sequencing resulted in approximately 375 K SNP markers, which were filtered down to 2263 markers mapped to 10 linkage groups. Interval Mapping identified four QTLs with one on linkage group 1 and three located on linkage group 6. Composite interval mapping identified three QTLs, all located on linkage group 6. Mixed linear models identified 15 markers associated with expression of resistance to HPM. Three of these 15 SNPs were also identified in QTL-CIM analysis. Evaluation of the scaffolds containing the significant SNP markers identified seven putative genes—several of which appear involved in disease resistance in other plant species. The SNP markers identified in this study still require validation in unrelated populations prior to implementation in breeding programs.     

Limited effects of land use on soil dissolved organic matter chemistry as assessed by excitation–emission fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular weight fractionation

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil solution represents a complex mixture of organic molecules and plays a central role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in plant–microbial–soil systems. We tested whether excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to characterize DOM and support previous findings that the majority of DOM is of high molecular weight (MW). EEM fluorescence spectroscopy was used in conjunction with MW fractionation to characterize DOM in soil solution from a grassland soil land management gradient in North Wales, UK. Data analysis suggested that three distinct fluorescence components could be separated and identified from the EEM data. These components were identified as being of humic‐like or fulvic‐like origin. Contrary to expectations, the majority of the fluorescence signal occurred in the small MW (<1 kDa) fraction, although differences between soils from the differently managed grasslands were more apparent in larger MW fractions. We conclude that following further characterization of the chemical composition of the fluorophores, EEM has potential as a sensitive technique for characterizing the small MW phenolic fraction of DOM in soils.     

Stem growth during seed production in soybean: Implications for pod yield

In soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), stems remain a competitive carbon resource sink during reproduction. Radial stem expansion after termination of axial stem growth requires resources to produce secondary cell walls in secondary vascular tissues. The impact of both the timing and extent of secondary growth in stems on fruit production in soybean is unknown. We hypothesized that cultivars gaining higher amounts of secondary vascular tissues during seed filling would experience lower reproductive output. Four determinate cultivars were grown in a greenhouse and harvested at the beginning and ending of seed filling for biomass determination and tissue composition measurement (ImageJ-Fiji). Cultivar ‘Hanover’ entered seed filling with the lowest amount of secondary phloem. It produced the largest increase in radial stem expansion, largest seeds, and fewest undeveloped (aborted) fruits. The physiological role of active secondary phloem production in stems for seed production in soybean reproduction is unclear. We reject our initial hypothesis and propose that high fitness may require the concomitant growth of vegetative and reproductive organs.     

Seroprevalence of and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii in the US Swine Herd Using Sera Collected During the National Animal Health Monitoring Survey (Swine 2006)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) in 1983 to collect, analyse and disseminate data on animal health, management and productivity in US domestic livestock populations, including swine. The programme includes an on‐farm serological sampling component which can be used to monitor seroprevalence of various pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in grower/finisher pigs using sera collected during NAHMS Swine 2006 and to determine farm level factors associated with differences in seroprevalence on farms where sera was collected during the Swine 2006 survey. Sera and data on management practices for this study were collected from 185 grower/finisher swine production sites located in 16 states accounting for >90% of US swine production (Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin). A total of 6238 sera were tested for T. gondii antibodies using a commercial ELISA assay (Vet. Parasitol. 128 , 2005, 177). Seroprevalence in this study, as determined by ELISA, was 2.6%, with a herd prevalence of 21.6% and a mean within‐herd prevalence of 2.7%. Analysis of swine management practices indicated that rodent control methods and carcass disposal methods were associated with differences in the number of T. gondii positive samples on farm. These results are consistent with current epidemiological knowledge of the transmission of Toxoplasma on the farm (ingestion of organic matter containing oocysts, or ingestion of infected animal tissues). Production practices which eliminate these sources of exposure can reduce the risk of Toxoplasma infection in pigs, and reduce the likelihood of human infection from consumption of infected pork.