Anaplastic atypical myeloma with extensive cutaneous involvement in a dog

A 7-year-old, male, mixed breed dog was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Kitasato University because of anorexia, lameness and multiple cutaneous lesions. Observation of bone marrow plasmacytosis, osteolytic bone lesions, serum myeloma protein and cutaneous infiltration of myeloma cells led us to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) with cutaneous involvement. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis for the rearranged genes of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor demonstrated that the neoplastic cells found in skin lesions or bone marrow are of B-lymphocyte lineage and share a common original precursor cell. The dog was treated with UW-Madison protocol or melphalan/prednisone protocol and survived 175 days. This is rare case of anaplastic MM with cutaneous involvement in dog.     

Comparison of the glucosinolate-myrosinase systems among daikon (Raphanus sativus, Japanese white radish) varieties

Myrosinase is a cytosolic plant enzyme present in daikon ( Raphanus sativus, Japanese white radish) roots that hydrolyzes 4-methylthio-3-butenyl glucosinolate (MTBGLS) into the natural pungent agent 4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC), which possesses antimicrobial, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic properties. The concentration of MTBGLS, myrosinase activity, and production of MTBITC in seven daikon varieties (one conventional and six heirlooms) were determined to rank the activity of the glucosinolate-myrosinase system and identify critical factors influencing the production of MTBITC. The six heirloom varieties produced 2.0-11.5 times higher levels of MTBITC as compared to the conventional variety, Aokubi, which is consumed by the present Japanese population. The myrosinase was located exclusively in the outer epidermal layer in Aokubi, and MTBGLS was widely distributed throughout the root tissue. Although the skin is a potentially rich source of myrosinase in Aokubi, the skin is usually peeled off in the current practice of preparing daikon for cooking. New practices are therefore proposed for the preparation of daikon tubers that eliminate the peeling of the skin to avoid removing the enzyme needed to convert MTBGLS to the health-beneficial MTBITC. It is also concluded that the consumption of heirloom daikon varieties in addition to changes in food preparation will optimize the health benefits of daikon.     

Cortical laminar necrosis detected by diffusion-weighted imaging in a dog suspected of having hypoglycemic encephalopathy

We describe a 5-year-old castrated male dog suspected hypoglycemic encephalopathy that was evaluated by using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The dog experienced hypoglycemia after prolonged generalized and continued partial seizures. In the acute phase, DWI showed hyperintensity in the left temporal lobe. After about a month, DWI maintained hyperintensity, and left middle cerebral artery dilation was noted on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). In the chronic phase, the left temporal lobe lesion was replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. In humans, it was reported that cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) with hypoglycemic encephalopathy presents hyperintensity in the cerebral cortex on DWI and increased vascularity of the middle cerebral artery branches on MRA. In conclusion, DWI has detected CLN in a dog suspected hypoglycemic encephalopathy.     

CONTRAST AGENT Gd‐EOB‐DTPA (EOB·Primovist®) FOR LOW‐FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF CANINE FOCAL LIVER LESIONS

Contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a new liver‐specific contrast agent gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine penta‐acetic acid (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA; EOB·Primovist®) was studied in 14 normal beagles and 9 dogs with focal liver lesions. Gd‐EOB‐DTPA accumulates in normally functioning hepatocytes 20 min after injection. As with Gd‐DTPA, it is also possible to perform a dynamic multiphasic examination of the liver with Gd‐EOB‐DTPA, including an arterial phase and a portal venous phase. First, a reliable protocol was developed and the appropriate timings for the dynamic study and the parenchymal phase in normal dogs using Gd‐EOB‐DTPA were determined. Second, the patterns of these images were evaluated in patient dogs with hepatic masses. The optimal time of arterial imaging was from 15 s after injection, and the optimal time for portal venous imaging was from 40 s after injection. Meanwhile, the optimal time to observe changes during the hepatobiliary phase was from 20 min after injection. In patient dogs, 11 lesions were diagnosed as malignant tumors; all were hypointense to the surrounding normal liver parenchyma during the hepatobiliary phase. Even with a low‐field MR imaging unit, the sequences afforded images adequate to visualize the liver parenchyma and to detect tumors within an appropriate scan time. Contrast‐enhanced MR imaging with Gd‐EOB‐DTPA provides good demarcation on low‐field MR imaging for diagnosing canine focal liver lesions.     

Effect of Inoculation with Anaerobic Nitrogen-Fixing Consortium on Salt Tolerance of Miscanthus sinensis

A functional community of bacterial endophytes, an anaerobic nitrogen-fixing consortium (ANFICO), was previously isolated from grasses. In the present study, we investigated another function of ANFICO. The grass Miscanthus sinensis was inoculated with an ANFICO that included Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 and Enterobacter sp. B901-2 and was more tolerant to salinity stress than uninoculated or B901-2-inoculated plants. Microscopic observations using an immunostaining technique revealed the presence of endophytic colonization by the clostridia and the maintenance of a substantial clostridial population until the end of plant cultivation. We conclude that endophytic Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 accompanying Enterobacter sp. B901-2 enhances the salinity tolerance of the host plant.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial DNA in White Leghorn and White Plymouth Rock chickens

Among the chicken breeds, White Leghorn (WL) and White Plymouth Rock (WR) are major breeds and have different history in their establishments. Whole mitochondrial DNA of the breeds were sequenced in order to elucidate the genetic relationship between the breeds. The lengths of the two WL and two WR mitochondrial DNA were found to be 16 788 and 16 785 base pairs, respectively. When the DNA sequences were compared, the similarity was found to be 99.96% (six nucleotide differences). In addition, the present study conformed the existence of an extra nucleotide ‘C’ in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (ND3) of the chicken mitochondrial DNA, which has been consistently observed in Galliformes.     

Common potato disease symptoms: ambiguity of symptom-based identification of causal pathogens and value of on-site molecular diagnostics

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Because symptoms of plant diseases are often ambiguous for identifying the causal pathogen, chemical applications and cultural managements are occasionally...     

Hierarchical Bayesian models for soil CO2 flux using soil texture: a case study in central Hokkaido,Japan

Hierarchical Bayesian (HB) methods are useful tools for modeling multifaceted, nonlinear phenomena such as those encountered in ecology, and have been increasingly applied in environmental sciences, e.g., to estimate soil gas flux from different soil textures or sites. We have developed a model of soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux based on soil temperature (T, 5 cm depth) and water-filled pore space (WFPS, 5 cm depth) using HB theory. The HB model was calibrated using a dataset of CO₂ flux measured from bare soils belonging to four texture classes in 14 upland field sites in a watershed in central Hokkaido, Japan, in the nonsnow-cover season from 2003 to 2011. The numerical software HYDRUS-1D was used to simulate daily WFPS, and the estimated values were significantly correlated with the measured WFPS (R² = 0.68, P < 0.001). Compared to a nonhierarchical Bayesian model (Bayesian pooled model), the CO₂ predictions with the HB model more accurately represented texture-specific observations. The simulation–observation fit of the CO₂ flux model was R² = 0.64 (P < 0.001). More than 90% of the observed daily data were within the 95% confidence interval. The HB model exhibited high uncertainty for high CO₂ flux values. The HB model calibration revealed differing sensitivity of CO₂ flux to T and WFPS in different soil texture classes. CO₂ flux increased with an increase in T, and it increased to a lesser degree with a finer texture, possibly because the clay and silt facilitated soil aggregation, thus reducing temperature fluctuations. WFPS values between 0.48 and 0.64 resulted in optimal conditions for CO₂ flux. The minimum WFPS value increased with an increase in clay content (P < 0.05). Although only a small number of soil types were studied in only one season in this study, the HB model may provide a method for predicting how the effects of soil temperature and moisture on CO₂ flux change with texture, and soil texture could be regarded as an upscaling factor in future research on regional extrapolation.     

Unidentified compound specifically accumulated in soybean nodules formed with H2-uptake negative rhizobium japonicum strains

A large quantity of an unidentified compound was detected by a fluorogenic method in the soybean nodules formed with H₂-uptake negative Rhizobium japonicum strains. The unidentified compound (compound X) reacted with o-phthalaldehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol giving rise to a fluorescent compound, and was not hydrolyzed in strong acid and strong base. Therefore, the compound X was considered to be one of amines and amino acids. The content of the compound X in the nodules formed with H₂-uptake positive strains was remarkably lower than that in the nodules formed with H₂-uptake negative strains. It was suggested that the compound X may be involved in the process of hydrogen metabolism in soybean nodules. The compound X was not detected in leaves, stems, petioles, and roots of soybean plants, but detected in H₂-uptake negative strains of free-living R. japonicum. In nodules, a great portion of the compound X was distributed into cytosol fraction.     

Peripheral lymphocyte subsets as a prognostic indicator of mortality and morbidity in healthy dogs

To evaluate the relationship among immune status and increased morbidity and mortality, peripheral blood lymphocytes (CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD21(+) cells) from 32 healthy dogs over 8 years of age were analyzed. Twenty-five of the 32 dogs were followed-up for 3 years after the analysis; and 14 dogs were found to be diseased, and nine dogs died. There was no notable difference between the ages of the dogs that died compared with the ones that survived. The relative percentage of CD4(+) and the CD4(+):CD8(+) ratio decreased notably in dogs falling ill compared with healthy dogs. The relative percentage of CD3(+) lymphocytes showed a notable decrease in dogs that died within 3 years in comparison with dogs that survived. In a discriminant analysis of morbidity and mortality, most patients were correctly classified as diseased or not and surviving or dead, respectively. These results indicate that the immunophenotypes of peripheral blood lymphocytes in older dogs offer promise as parameters for evaluating mortality and morbidity.