The electroretinographic phenotype of dogs with Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy

Objective To characterize the flash electroretinogram (ERG) in the Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog and to compare the results with those from a control group of Golden Retrievers. To investigate whether similar abnormalities of the ERG as those found in a majority of human patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are also observed in the GRMD dog, the canine model for DMD. Animals Five GRMD dogs and five age‐matched clinically normal Golden Retrievers. Procedure An ophthalmic examination was carried out prior to performing electroretinography under general anesthesia. Rod, combined rod–cone and oscillatory potentials responses were recorded after dark adaptation. Responses to 30‐Hz‐flicker were recorded after light adaptation. The ERG responses of the GRMD dogs were compared with those of the control dogs by use of a Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results GRMD dogs had significantly reduced a and b‐wave amplitudes after dim white flash stimuli (rod response) and reduced a‐wave amplitude after bright white flash stimuli (rod–cone response). Conclusion and clinical relevance The ERG abnormalities observed in the GRMD dog suggest a dysfunction in the rod signaling pathway. These ERG alterations are different from those observed in human patients with DMD.     

Interaction of red raspberry cultivars with isolates of Phragmidium rubi-idaei

Seven cultivars of red raspberry ( Rubus idaeus ) showed different susceptibility to infection by yellow rust ( Phragmidium rubi-idaei ) at two commercial plantations in Scotland and North Wales, The cultivars Latham, Chief and Boyne were completely resistant. Mailing Delight and Glen Clova supported more telial more than Mailing Jewel. In contrast the last named was the most susceptible cultivar at the aecial stage in Scotland but developed similar numbers of aecia to Glen Clova and Mailing Delight in Wales.
Meeker had an extended latent period, fewer and smaller pustules and a very small yield of urediniospores compared to the other susceptible cultivars, thus showing the characteristics of slow-rusting genotypes. At the Scottish site in 1982, where rust was less than in Wales, Meeker and Mailing Jewel performed differently to the other cultivars at the telial stage. Inoculation studies under controlled environmental conditions with urediniospores from each site revealed an interaction between cultivars and isolates suggesting that variation in pathogenicity is present in populations of P. rubi-idaei in the UK.     

Site of protein digestion in steers: predictability

The nature and predictability of protein digestion in steers were examined in a series of experiments. Bypass and intestinal digestion of supplemental proteins were measured with Angus steers (203 to 254 kg) fitted with dual reentrant intestinal cannulas. Daily feed intakes were 1.8 to 1.9% of body weight. Two trials were conducted with soybean meal, cottonseed meal, a hardened casein, meat meal and two different sources of dehydrated alfalfa meal fed with an 80% concentrate diet. In the third trial, digestion of soybean meal and cottonseed meal were measured with a 60% prairie hay diet. Estimates of ruminal escape or bypass were 43, 50, 36, 76, 57, 62, 24 and 43%, respectively. Results suggest that roughage level alters bypass. A standard reference system for predicting bypass based on measurements of N solubility and in situ disappearance rates was compared with measured bypass. The correlation between observed bypass to the small intestine and bypass predicted by this system was high (r = .91, P less than .01). Combining pepsin solubility, an indicator of true intestinal digestibility, with bypass estimated by the standard reference system, allowed us to predict N disappearance from the small intestine. Predicted and measured N disappearance of fed N from the small intestine were very close.     

Molecular tracing of the transmission routes of bois noir in Mediterranean vineyards of Montenegro and experimental evidence for the epidemiological role of Vitex agnus‐castus (Lamiaceae) and associated Hyalesthes obsoletus (Cixiidae)

Epidemiological aspects and transmission routes of bois noir (BN), a grapevine yellows disease induced by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’, have been exhaustively studied in the affected vineyards of continental Europe but not in the Mediterranean coastal zone. Because ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ and its principal vector Hyalesthes obsoletus presumably originate from the Mediterranean, gaining knowledge of the epidemiological peculiarities of the disease in this area is essential for understanding its global spread and diversification, as well as for designing local management strategies. In this study, molecular epidemiology was applied to trace transmission pathways of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ in the Mediterranean vineyards of Montenegro, using multilocus sequence typing of tuf, vmp1 and stamp genes of the isolates associated with various hosts. Thus, ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’ was tracked from a tentative reservoir plant (inoculum source) through an associated vector population to the infected grapevine. Three pathways of transmission were documented, originating from Urtica dioica, Convolvulus arvensis and Vitex agnus‐castus; however, only the route originating from U. dioica was direct, whereas the latter two were overlapping and could be intermixed. Vitex agnus‐castus is a natural source of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’, representing an important link in disease epidemiology in the Mediterranean and a possible origin of several genotypes occurring in central Europe. Experimental confirmation of the role of Vitex‐associated H. obsoletus in BN transmission in Montenegrin vineyards indicates its tentative role as a vector in the wide area of the Mediterranean, where some of the major wine‐producing regions are located.     

Blood glucose concentrations in critically ill neonatal foals

Reasons for Performing Study: Critical illness is associated with hyperglycemia in humans, and a greater degree and duration of hyperglycemia is associated with nonsurvival. Hypoglycemia is also seen in critically ill humans, and is associated with nonsurvival. This might also be true in the critically ill foal.
Objectives: To investigate the association of blood glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).
Methods: Blood glucose concentrations at admission (515 foals) and 24 hours (159 foals), 36 hours (95), 48 hours (82), and 60 hours (45) after admission were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, a positive blood culture, or SIRS.
Results: 29.1% of foals had blood glucose concentrations within the reference range (76–131 mg/dL) at admission, 36.5% were hyperglycemic, and 34.4% were hypoglycaemic. Foals that did not survive to hospital discharge had lower mean blood glucose concentrations at admission, as well as higher maximum and lower minimum blood glucose concentrations in the 1st 24 hours of hospitalization, and higher blood glucose at 24 and 36 hours. Foals with blood glucose concentrations <2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) or >10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL) at admission were less likely to survive. Hypoglycemia at admission was associated with sepsis, a positive blood culture, and SIRS.
Conclusions and Potential Relevance: Derangements of blood glucose concentration are common in critically ill foals. Controlling blood glucose concentrations may therefore be beneficial in the critically ill neonatal foal, and this warrants further investigation.     

Usefulness, completeness, and accuracy of Web sites providing information on osteoarthritis in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of information regarding osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs currently available on the World Wide Web. DESIGN: Survey study. PROCEDURE: 5 search engines were searched with the keywords "dog," "degenerative joint disease," "canine," and "osteoarthritis," and the first 50 sites listed by each search engine were analyzed. Unique Web site addresses were distributed to 3 diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, who provided a standardized evaluation of each site. RESULTS: 30 unique Web sites were evaluated. Twenty (66%) provided information consistent with conventional knowledge as outlined in textbooks and peer-reviewed literature, 8 (27%) provided experimental or anecdotal information in addition to conventional knowledge, and 2 (7%) provided misleading information. Mean scores for overall usefulness of the information provided in regard to clinical features of and treatment for OA were 1.3 and 1.5, respectively (1 = information of minimal use; 5 = very useful information). Twenty-three (77%) sites encouraged pet owners to seek the advice of a veterinarian. Twenty-three (77%) sites were given overall quality scores < 2, and 7 (23%) were given scores between 2 and 3 (1 = site was counterproductive; 5 = site was very valuable). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that the quality of information currently available on the Web that addresses OA in dogs is questionable. Although most of the sites conveyed some conventional information with reasonable accuracy, the information was incomplete, of minimal use, and often considered counterproductive.