Performance in racehorses of various colours

A relationship between the coat colour and the horse's performance, which has been suggested since centuries, is possible from the genetic point of view. It may result from a linkage of genes affecting these characters and from pleiotropy of certain genes. The objective of the study has been to examine if there is a relationship between the basic and grey colours and the racing results. Indices (number of starts, log of earnings, log of earnings per start, general handicap) of 14,504 starts from 1103 Thoroughbreds and 796 Purebred Arabians were analyzed. In the analysis of variance, the phenotypes have been considered according to the brightness of the colour (grey/chestnut/light bay and bay/dark bay/seal brown/black), with regard to the alleles in G locus (grey/non-grey) and the alleles in MC1R locus (phaeomelanic/eumelanic). The results indicate that the examined coat colours are not considerably related to the racing performance. A tendency of such relationship may be due to the physiological properties connected with the brightness of the hair and the activity of alleles from MC1R (Extension) locus. No difference found between the results of grey and non-grey horses indicates that possible QTLs affecting the racing performance are not linked with the Grey locus.     

弯曲杆菌可以存在于家禽各器官中

弯曲杆菌污染是人类健康的一大威胁。通常认为该菌仅存在于肉鸡的胃肠道内。然而,美国的一项研究表明该菌也可以存在于其他内脏器官中,甚至存在于1日龄雏鸡体内。     

Brain basal arteries in various species of Felidae

Observations of the branching pattern of head and brain arteries in 10 species of the Felidae family were performed in casts prepared by filling the blood vessels of interest with appropriate kind of plastics. Arterial casts supported by bone structures were obtained as a result of biological maceration of animal heads, in which arteries were filled with vinyl superchloridae, whereas the preparations which were produced by means of Technovit resin were macerated chemically. As may be judged from the results obtained the brain blood supply in Felidae is characterized by obliteration of the extracranial segment of the internal carotid artery and by simultaneous formation of the rete mirabile of the maxillary artery. The arterial circle of the brain in animals from various subfamilies of Felinae and Pantherinae differed in shape. Vascular variation was found in the animals investigated. The arterial pattern of blood supply to the brain of Felidae differs from the vascular pattern of this region in other animals from the Carnivora order.     

白牦牛卵母细胞的采集方法及卵巢贮存条件对其体外成熟的影响

探讨了白牦牛卵母细胞的采集方法以及卵巢保存温度和时间对其体外成熟的影响。结果表明:先抽吸卵泡,每卵巢平均可获可用卵母细胞4.7枚,再切割卵巢,可显著提高可用卵母细胞数9.8枚/卵巢。将屠宰白牦牛卵巢分别置于20~29℃和30~38℃的生理盐水中,6 h内收集卵母细胞,其成熟率、卵裂率分别为65.7%、41.3%和73.3%、45.7%,两者之间的差异均不显著,但均与<20℃组(16.0%、0)差异显著。在30~38℃下,白牦牛卵巢保存时间超过6 h,卵母细胞的成熟率和卵裂率显著下降,卵巢保存时间在2 h以内最好,最晚不超过6 h。     

Efficacy of mitoxantrone against various neoplasms in dogs

One hundred twenty-six dogs with histologically confirmed, measurable malignant tumors were evaluated in a prospective study to determine the response to the antineoplastic drug mitoxantrone. Ninety-five dogs had been refractory to one or more treatment modalities (surgery, n = 57; chemotherapy other than mitoxantrone, n = 37; radiation, n = 4; whole body hyperthermia, n = 1). The extent of neoplastic disease was determined immediately before each dose of mitoxantrone was administered (1 to 10 doses, 2.5 to 5 mg/m2 of body surface area, IV) 21 days apart. Each dog was treated with mitoxantrone until the dog developed progressive disease or until the dog's quality of life diminished to an unacceptable level as determined by the owner or attending veterinarian. A partial or complete remission (greater than 50% volume reduction) was obtained in 23% (29/126) of all dogs treated. Tumors in which there was a partial or complete remission included lymphoma (11/32), squamous cell carcinoma (4/9), fibrosarcoma (2/9), thyroid carcinoma (1/10), transitional cell carcinoma (1/6), mammary adenocarcinoma (1/6), hepatocellular carcinoma (1/4), renal adenocarcinoma (1/1), rectal carcinoma (1/1), chondrosarcoma (1/2), oral malignant melanoma (1/12), cutaneous malignant melanoma (1/1), myxosarcoma (1/1), mesothelioma (1/1), and hemangiopericytoma (1/1). Our results indicated that mitoxantrone induces measurable regression in various malignant tumors in dogs.     

Detection of streptococci from various serological groups in animals

During the period from 1985 to 1988 we determined 228 strains of streptococci isolated from samples of various sorts of biomaterials, mainly animals. From this set of streptococci we classified 207 strains into serological groups according to the Lancefield classification and about 30% strains into species by means of serological and biochemical methods. Most of the strains were allocated to group C (37.28%) and group Q (17.39%). 89 streptococci strains originated from pigs, 40 strains from horses, 13 from cattle, 12 from dogs, 9 from poultry and 8 from coypu. The other streptococci strains originated from other animal species or from different material. Most serological groups of streptococci were determined in pigs, less in cattle (7), in poultry (6), in dogs (6), in horses (5) and in coypu (3). Streptococci of the serological group Q were determined in as many as 9 animal species, group C in 8 species and group G in 6 species.