Risk factors associated with development of postoperative ileus in horses.

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors associated with development of postoperative ileus in horses undergoing surgery for colic. DESIGN: Case-control study. ANIMALS: 69 horses that developed ileus after surgery for colic and 307 horses that did not develop postoperative ileus. PROCEDURE: Signalment, history, clinicopathologic data, treatment, lesions, and outcome were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Variables associated with increased risk of postoperative ileus included age > 10 years, Arabian breed, PCV > or = 45%, high serum concentrations of protein and albumin, anesthesia > 2.5 hours' duration, surgery > 2 hours' duration, resection and anastomosis, and lesions in the small intestine. Enterotomy reduced the risk of postoperative ileus. After multivariate logistic regression, the final model included the variables Arabian breed, PCV > or = 45%, lesion type, duration of surgery (> 2 hours vs < or = 2 hours), and pelvic flexure enterotomy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that by evaluating certain factors, horses at increased risk of postoperative ileus may be recognized before the condition develops. Preventative treatment and early intervention may be instituted in these horses. Shortening surgery time and performing an enterotomy may decrease the probability of horses developing postoperative ileus.     

Decay control and fungicide residues in citrus fruits seal-packed in a high-density polyethylene film

The effects of a new packaging method of sealing individual fruits in film of highdensity polyethylene (HDPE), on decay control and the residue levels of various fungicides applied to the fruit, were investigated with four different citrus cultivars. HDPE seal-packaging by itself reduced the decay of Marsh grapefruit but slightly enhanced the decay of Valencia orange fruit in comparison with conventionally handled fruit. Seal-packaging of individual fruit resulted in much less decay than sealing a whole carton of fruit together. The fungicides imazalil, sec-butylamine, 2-phenylphenol, benomyl and thiabendazole markedly reduced the decay of sealed fruit in all cultivars of citrus fruits tested. Residue levels in treated fruit were below the tolerances permitted. The new method of packaging had no effect on the residue levels of benomyl, 2-phenyl-phenol and thiabendazole in the fruit; neither did it affect the extent of absorption of these fungicides into the fruit. Only the volatile fungicide sec-butylamine was found at a higher level (73% higher in the packaged fruit compared with conventionally treated fruit).     

Differential inhibition of potassium ion absorption by difenzoquat in wild oat and cereals

Over a concentration range of 5.0 × 10^?6?7.5 × 10^?4M, the selective herbicide difenzoquat (1,2-dimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolium) caused more pronounced inhibition of potassium ion (K⁺) absorption by excised seedling roots of susceptible wild oat (Avena fatua L.) compared to those of tolerant barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Bonanza) or wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Neepawa). At 2.5 × 10^?5M difenzoquat, the relative inhibition of K⁺ (⁸⁶Rb) absorption by wild oat root segments inceased from 30% with a 10-min uptake period to 75% with an uptake period of 90 min, whereas no inhibition at all was evident for wheat root segments even after a 90-min exposure to the herbicide. An ion efflux compartmental analysis procedure demonstrated that difenzoquat did not affect the passive permeability properties of the plasma membrane of wild oat root cells. The experimental findings indicated that difenzoquat interfered directly with the process of active ion transport across the plasma membrane of root cells.     

Antiviral effect of a factor from TMV-infected plants on the inoculativity of an insect vector

The capacity of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) to acquire and transmit tomato yellow leaf curl virus successfully is reduced if the insect is membrane-fed on a solution of an antiviral factor (AVF) from virus-infected plants. Whiteflies are known to have a native protective mechanism, involving at least two different factors. AVF was shown to act via the same pathway as the above-mentioned protective mechanism, since at least one of the above factors was induced in the insect body by AVF even in virus-free insects     

Storage capability at different temperatures of lemons grown in Israel

For prolonged storage of lemons, the best temperature to avoid rots and physiological disorders such as internal browning and peel pitting, was 14°C; for short periods only, storage at lower temperatures, 2–8°C, did not cause damage. Physiological disorders appeared in storage earlier, the lower the storage temperatures, and in fruit picked at a less ripe stage. The general appearance of the fruit is better when stored at the lower temperature. Color development, chemical changes, weight loss, respiration rate and ethylene evolution during storage of lemons at different temperatures and stages of maturity were examined.