Neutrophil function in the dog: shape change and response to a synthetic tripeptide

Isolated dog neutrophils exposed to known chemotactic factors assumed a bipolar configuration in suspension. This response was initiated within 2 minutes with a gradual return to spherical shape. The rate of return to sphere was positively correlated with the dose of stimulant. Dog neutrophils exposed to N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) did not adapt to bipolar conformation and did not bind radiolabeled fMLP. These findings are consistent with other species (pig and cow) that also did not respond to fMLP.     

Crystalluria. Observations, interpretations, and misinterpretations

Crystalluria results from oversaturation of urine with crystallogenic substance. However, oversaturation may occur as a result of in vitro as well as in vivo events. The microscopic appearance of crystals only represents a tentative identification of their composition because variable conditions associated with their formation, growth, and dissolution may alter their appearance. Definitive identification is dependent on physical methods such as optical crystallography, x-ray diffraction, and electron microscopic analysis.     

The pathology of disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection in dogs

Disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection was diagnosed in ten previously healthy adult dogs--nine German shepherds and one dalmatian. The disease was characterized by the presence of multiple granulomas and infarcts in a wide range of organs. The kidney, spleen, and skeletal system were most commonly and severely affected. Fungal hyphae were demonstrated in large numbers within granulomas and thrombi, and A. terreus was readily isolated by culture. This disseminated mycosis appears unique; in this series of cases there was no apparent predisposing factor, portal of entry, or primary focus for dissemination of the infection.     

Evaluation of a Swedish steam-dryer for treatment of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in pine chips

A steam-dryer, designed and manufactured in Sweden, was evaluated for destroying Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in pine chips from southern USA. In a trial, pine chips were treated at different temperature and pressure regimes for 5 or 10min. The lowest time/temperature/pressure combination was to increase the vessel temperature from 85 to 104°C in 5 min at low pressure. Samples of pine chips were assayed for nematodes in laboratories in USA, Sweden, and Finland. No nematodes of any species were recovered from any of the treated pine-chip samples. Large and heterogeneous pieces of wood in the treated samples were also nematode-free. The apparatus was a prototype capable of handling about 400 kg h^-1. The final version would have to be able to process 100-200 th^-1.     

Inherited hyperchylomicro-naemia in the cat: Lipoprotein lipase function and gene structure

Hyperchylomicronaemia was identified in a four-week-old Siamese kitten with lethargy, in-appetence, hindlimb ataxia and profound anaemia. The kitten was euthanased and at necropsy a thrombus was found occluding the caudal aorta. Two littermates later presented with lethargy, inappetence and hypertriglyceri-daemia which resolved after being weaned on to a low fat diet. A similar condition was subsequently diagnosed in a kitten born to the same sire but a different queen. The expression of hyperchylomicronaemia in two related litters was suggestive of an inherited, familial defect in the function of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The activity of this enzyme was reduced in all three parents, the two recovered cases and two related, but apparently unaffected kittens, compared with a control group of unrelated cats belonging to the breeder. This reduction in activity was not attributable to defective activation of LPL by its serum cofactor apolipoprotein C-II or the presence in plasma of a factor that inhibited LPL. The gene that codes for LPL was examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis using a human LPL cDNA probe. The results showed that the cat has a similar, but not identical, LPL gene to man. However, there were no differences in the restriction fragment patterns obtained from affected, unaffected and control animals.     

齐卡商品肉兔在不同饲养条件下的育肥效果

作者在不同条件下，采用全窝育肥法，重复两年、两个季节测定了齐卡商品肉兔的育肥效果；探讨了温度、季节、营养水平、育肥始重对育肥效果的影响。结果表明：在试验场育肥２５０只齐卡商品兔，９０日龄育肥重２．３３～２．５３公斤，日均增重３１克以上，耗料指数３．３１：１，育肥成活率９５％以上，屠宰率５２％，净肉率８０％，肉骨比５．３５：１，兔肉品质正常。在农村条件下育肥１８０只，９０～１００日龄育肥重２．２～２．４公斤，耗精料指数２．５５：１，育肥成活率８８％～９３％。饲养齐卡商品兔与饲养二元杂交兔相比，每只可增加经济收入２０％以上。育肥季节和始重明显影响育肥未重（Ｐ＜０．０５）。依据本试验，作者建议齐卡商品兔适宜３５日龄断奶，育肥始重应不低于６００克；寒冷季节育肥，育肥第一月的室温应不低于１０℃。育肥适宜营养水平建议消化能（ＤＥ）２６００～２７００大卡／公斤，粗蛋白（ＣＰ）１８％，粗纤维（ＣＦ）１２％以上。     

New concepts in fetal and placental amino acid metabolism.

Fetal amino acid nutrition and metabolism have been studied primarily in pregnant sheep. The umbilical uptake of amino acids changes during gestation, but at both mid- and late gestation the total supply exceeds that required for growth. Weight-specific protein synthetic rate decreases with increasing gestational age, and these changes are proportional to the changes in metabolic rate. The use of multiple tracer methodology coupled with measurement of net tracer fluxes into and out of fetal and placental tissues can be used to delineate amino acid metabolism in considerable detail. Such studies demonstrate that even essential amino acids can be oxidized extensively by the fetus. The oxidation rate of leucine exceeds its rate of accretion in tissue proteins. Glycine metabolism is unique in several ways; there is a large umbilical uptake of glycine without a measurable uterine uptake. In late gestation there is no significant umbilical uptake of serine, although there is a significant uterine uptake, suggesting net uteroplacental utilization. Glycine is oxidized within the fetal liver and used for serum production. The interorgan exchange of amino acids between the fetal liver and placenta is clearly of major importance for serine and glycine metabolism and is likely to be of major importance for most nonessential amino acids.     

Regulation of the bacterial intestinal implantation in infant born by caesarean section.

Studies were undertaken to determine the regulation of the bacterial intestinal implantation in 19 newborns delivered by caesarean section. Correlation was made with the infant feeding mode. The effect of human milk seemed to be the result of B. bifidum proliferation, in contrast to artificial alimentation that seemed to favour C. perfringens implantation. The question was raised by us as to whether this opposition was only related to alimentation. In fact, B. bifidum itself also had an effect as demonstrated by the lower mean counts of C. perfringens in bottle-fed infants carrying the bifido-bacterial flora (P = 0.05). None of the other faecal bacteria investigated in this study led to the same decrease.