Management of equine orthopedic pain.

Pain management is an extremely vital part of equine orthopedic surgery. Providing optimum analgesia for the patient will decrease recovery time, decrease physiologic stress on the animal, and provide maximum comfort during the post-operative period. The major analgesic drug categories and routes covered are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local anesthetics, intra-articular drugs, and epidurals.     

Genetic analysis of flowering and maturity time in high latitude spring wheat

Due to the short growing season in the high northern latitudes, the development of early maturing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars is important to avoid frost damage which can lower production and quality. We investigated earliness of flowering and maturity, and some associated agronomic traits, using a set of randomly selected high northern latitude adapted spring wheat cultivars (differing in maturity) and their F₁ and F₂ crosses made in a one-way diallel mating design. The parents, and their F₁ and F₂ crosses were evaluated under field conditions over 2 years. Anthesis and maturity times were controlled by both vernalization response and earliness per se genes, mainly acting additively. Non-additive genetic effects were more important in controlling grain fill duration, grain yield and plant height. Additive × additive epistatic effects were detected for all traits studied except time to anthesis. Segregation analyses of the F₂ populations for time to anthesis indicated the presence of different vernalization response genes. Molecular genetic analyses revealed the presence of Vrn-A1 and Vrn-B1 genes in the parental cultivars. Narrow-sense heritability was medium to high (60–86%) for anthesis and maturity times but low to medium (13–55%) for grain fill duration, plant height and grain yield. Selection for early flowering/maturity in early segregating generations would be expected to result in genetic improvement towards earliness in high latitude spring wheats. Incorporation of the vernalization responsive gene Vrn-B1 in combination with vernalization non-responsive gene Vrn-A1 into spring wheats would aid in the development of early maturing cultivars with high grain yield potential for the high latitude wheat growing regions of the northern hemisphere.     

Whither or wither microbicides?

After disappointing results from all efficacy trials conducted to date, the field of microbicides research now faces substantial challenges. Poor coordination among interested parties and the choice of nonvalidated scientific targets for phase III studies have hampered progress and created mistrust about the use of microbicides as a method to prevent HIV-1 sexual transmission. Although new promising strategies are available, there will need to be serious reappraisals of how decisions are made to advance the next generations of candidates into clinical trials, and the use of appropriate animal models in this process will be critical.     

Infrared echoes near the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

Two images of Cassiopeia A obtained at 24 micrometers with the Spitzer Space Telescope over a 1-year time interval show moving structures outside the shell of the supernova remnant to a distance of more than 20 arc minutes. Individual features exhibit apparent motions of 10 to 20 arc seconds per year, independently confirmed by near-infrared observations. The observed tangential velocities are at roughly the speed of light. It is likely that the moving structures are infrared echoes, in which interstellar dust is heated by the explosion and by flares from the compact object near the center of the remnant.     

Export-mediated assembly of mycobacterial glycoproteins parallels eukaryotic pathways

Protein O-mannosylation is an essential and evolutionarily conserved post-translational modification among eukaryotes. This form of protein modification is also described in Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, the mechanism of mannoprotein assembly remains unclear. Evaluation of differentially translocated chimeric proteins and mass spectrometry to monitor glycosylation demonstrated that specific translocation processes were required for protein O-mannosylation in M. tuberculosis. Additionally, Rv1002c, a M. tuberculosis membrane protein homolog of eukaryotic protein mannosyltransferases, was shown to catalyze the initial step of protein mannosylation. Thus, the process of protein mannosylation is conserved between M. tuberculosis and eukaryotic organisms.     

兴安落叶松种源试验研究(Ⅰ)——地理变异的规律与模式

通过8a生16个种源13个参试点9类53个性状的系统研究,将兴安落叶松的适生范围划分了3个造林生态相似区:即大兴安岭西北部低湿、低温、低产区(包括满归、库都尔和莫尔道嘎);大小兴安岭中湿、中温、过渡区(包括甘河、加格达奇、黑河三站和北安);小兴安岭及张广才岭完达山高湿、高温、速生区(包括凉水、帽儿山、错海、石河、桦南和东方红)。以各造林生态区内代表试点为据,揭示了兴安落叶松主要性状的地理变异规律与模式。其主要特点是:变异性状多、内容丰富广泛、遗传性变异大,以经向变异为主,纬向变异为辅,属经纬双重连续渐变型。经向偏东、纬向偏南的种源项芽萌动晚、封顶迟、年生长期长、枝粗叶茂、苗期心止率低、季节生长量均匀、高径生长量大,特别是生长性状已形成了明显的南北东西的梯度变异。体现了由西—东、由北—南、干—湿、冷—暖气候生态模式的渐变。水热因子的综合作用是兴安落叶松产生变异的主要因素。在大兴安岭北部,种源子代的变异突出了种源与试点的互作,以当地和小兴安岭西北部种源表现较好。因此,在全分布区范围内适当由南向北调拔种子,将获得较大的增产效益。在种源的遗传分化中,以生长性状的分化最为明显,可作为种源选择和区划种源的主要依据。