Validity of goniometric joint measurements in cats

OBJECTIVE: To compare and validate goniometric joint measurements obtained from nonsedated and sedated cats with measurements from radiographic evaluation. ANIMALS: 20 adult cats with no evidence of joint disease. PROCEDURES: Measurements of flexion and extension of the carpus, elbow, shoulder, tarsus, stifle, and hip joints and of carpal and tarsal joints during varus and valgus angulation were made by a single investigator before and after sedation of cats. Measurements were made by use of a goniometer with a masked dial. Joint angle measurements were compared between nonsedated and sedated cats and also with measurements from radiographs made while cats were sedated. Each series of measurements was repeated 4 times. To evaluate repeatability, Cronbach alpha values were calculated for repeated measure results of goniometric joint measurements of nonsedated and sedated cats. An intraclass correlation was calculated to determine reliability among the 3 measurement types (ie, measurements from nonsedated and sedated cats and on radiographic evaluation). RESULTS: Joint measurements did not differ significantly by measurement type, when comparing radiographic measurements with goniometric measurements in sedated and nonsedated cats. Cronbach alpha values were > 0.99 for goniometric joint measurements within individual nonsedated and sedated cats and also for comparison of mean measurements obtained from sedated cats versus nonsedated cats versus radiographs. An intraclass correlation of 0.999 revealed high reliability among measurement types. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that goniometric joint measurements in nonsedated and sedated cats are repeatable and valid.     

Seasonal and photoperiodic regulation of secretion of hormones associated with reproduction in Magang goose ganders

This study examined the reproductive endocrine profile under natural and artificial photoperiods in Magang goose ganders. Group 1 ganders (n=8) served as non-treated controls and were exposed to natural photoperiod throughout the experiment from 13th January to 17th December 2004. Group 2 ganders (n=8) were exposed to 18 h long daily photoperiod for 60 days from 13 January till 15 March 2004 and again to 16 h photoperiod for 75 days till 10th October 2004, and the 11h short photoperiod in the remainder periods of the experiment. In control ganders, plasma LH concentrations were high in normal breeding seasons (August-March) and decreased to low levels in non-breeding season from April to July. Testosterone concentrations changed similarly to that of LH throughout the seasons. Seasonal pattern of PRL concentrations was opposite to those of LH and testosterone, with low values in breeding season and high values in non-breeding season. In artificial photoperiod treated ganders, increasing photoperiod increased PRL and decreased LH and testosterone concentrations, while decreasing photoperiod reversed these changes. There were no seasonal or photoperiod caused changes in plasma T3 concentrations in both control ganders and artificial photoperiod treated ganders. These results demonstrated that in Magang goose ganders that long photoperiod stimulates PRL secretion and decreases LH secretion, which terminates reproductive season in spring and early summer, and short photoperiod stimulates LH secretion and inhibits PRL secretion rendering ganders enter into reproductive season.     

Rapid identification of virulence genes in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolates associated with diarrhoea in Queensland piggeries

OBJECTIVE: To identify virulence genes in enterotoxigenic E coli (ETEC) isolates associated with diarrhoea in neonatal, 1 to 3 week-old and weaned pigs in southeast Queensland. DESIGN: Multiplex PCR and serotyping were applied to E coli isolates obtained over a 5-year period (1998-2002) from cases diagnosed at Toowoomba Veterinary Laboratory. PROCEDURE: A total of 126 isolates from 25 different Queensland piggeries were tested for haemolytic activity on 5% sheep blood agar and by multiplex PCR for the presence of five commonly recognised fimbrial (F4, F5, F6, F41 and F18) and three enterotoxin genes (STa, STb, LT). A subset of 62 representative isolates were serotyped by slide agglutination. For comparative purposes, multiplex PCR was also performed on the DNA of 31 ETEC isolates from 9 serotypes originating from piggeries in southern New South Wales. RESULTS: A total of 113 (89.7%) of the isolates from Queensland possessed ETEC virulence genes, including 14 of 15 isolates from neonatal pigs (93.3%), 18 of 23 isolates from 1 to 3 week old pigs (78.3%) and 81 of 88 isolates from weaned pigs (92.1%). F4:STa:STb:LT (serotype O149) was the most prevalent pathotype in neonatal and 1-3 week old pigs and F4:STa:STb:LT (serotype O149) and F18:STa:STb:LT (serotype O141) were most prevalent in weaned pigs. In comparison, isolates obtained from neonatal pigs from New South Wales belonged to a more diverse range of pathotypes and serotypes. CONCLUSION: Multiplex PCR was a rapid and specific method for detecting the presence of ETEC virulence genes in porcine E coli isolates. For isolates obtained from cases of suspected colibacillosis in Queensland, growth of a heavy pure culture of haemolytic E coli was a sensitive prognostic indicator of the presence of ETEC virulence genes in the isolate. ETEC pathotypes and serotypes remained stable in Queensland piggeries over the five-year study period and appear to have changed little over the last three decades.     

Promoter identification and effect on activation of NF-κB of porcine ISG58

Interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) 56 family (composed of ISG54, ISG56, ISG58, and ISG60) plays important roles in defense against viral infection in mammalian cells. Numerous studies have been conducted on ISG54, ISG56, and ISG60; however, little is known on ISG58. In the present study, the upstream sequence of porcine ISG58 gene was first characterized as functional promoter by luciferase reporter assay, and then two directly adjacent IFN-stimulated response elements (ISREs), one at ?206 to ?194 (ISRE-I) and a second one, directly upstream of this element at ?219 to ?207?bp (ISRE-II), were identified using the bioinformatics method. The subsequent site-directed deletion and transient transfection experiments showed the candidate ISREs are functional. ISRE-I works better than ISRE-II and synergistic cooperation exists between two ISREs. Additionally, the effect of porcine ISG58 on activation of NF-κB was analyzed using the dual-luciferase reporter assay. The results will contribute to revealing the role of ISG58 in immune response.     

A pig–human comparative RH map comprising 20 genes on pig chromosome 13q41 that harbours the ETEC F4ac receptor locus

The enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4ac is a major cause of diarrhoea in newborn and young pigs. The locus for the intestinal ETEC F4ac receptor (F4acR) has been mapped to pig chromosome (SSC) 13q41 with known homology to human chromosome (HSA) 3q21 and q29. However, the causative gene and mutation(s) remain unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize gene-derived markers on SSC13q41 for fine mapping of the F4acR locus, and construct a high-resolution pig–human comparative map to select positional candidate genes for F4acR. Pig-specific sequence-tagged site markers were developed for 20 genes that are located in a 6.8-Mb region on HSA3q21 and q29, and a total of 34 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in 14 of 20 markers developed. Eighteen markers were mapped to SSC13q41, while the other two markers ( PLXNA1 and KLF15 ) were assigned to SSC13q32 and SSC7q13, respectively, by radiation hybrid mapping. This result showed that there was a small conserved segment on SSC7 corresponding to HSA3q21. A framework map comprising 18 markers on SSC13q41 was established, refining the synteny breakpoint on SSC13q41 to a region of 12.3 centiRay. The comparative radiation hybrid (RH) map revealed three interesting candidate genes for F4acR from the human genome, viz. MUC4 , MUC13 and MUC20 . Linkage analysis with six marker polymorphisms revealed that MUC4 had the most significant linkage with the F4acR locus.     

美国DDGS及中国北方玉米中的霉菌毒素检测

<正>霉菌毒素在作物中是不可避免的污染物(CAST,2003),因此它们也发生于货物进入市场链中,包括在酒精生产中使用的这些谷物。目前,玉米是美国酒精生产中使用的主要原料。玉米中可能存在多种霉菌毒素,包括黄曲霉毒素、脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇(DON)、伏马菌素、T-2毒素和玉米赤霉烯酮(ZON)。这些毒素大多数可能在收获之前发生于玉米中,而在收获时存在于玉米     

绵羊多胎性状基因调控研究进展

绵羊的繁殖性状受多基因控制，本文综述了现已发现并证明的主基因和QTL住点，如FecB基因、FecX基因、FecX2基因、BMP15(形态发生蛋白15)突变、Q249R突变及Thoka基因等。通过分析这些基因或QTL位点的作用、遗传方式、遗传效应及基因定位，旨在为探讨绵羊多胎性状的基因调控规律提供理论依据。     

Tilmicosin enteric granules and premix to pigs: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and comparative pharmacokinetics

The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability of tilmicosin enteric granules and premix after oral administration at a dose of 40 mg/kg in pigs. Three kinds of different respiratory pathogens were selected for determination of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to tilmicosin. Eight healthy pigs were assigned to a two‐period, randomized crossover design. A modified rapid, sensitive HPLC method was used for determining the concentrations of tilmicosin in plasma. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by using WinNonlin 5.2 software. The MIC₉₀ of tilmicosin against Haemophilus parasuis, Actinbacillus pleuropneumoniae, and Pasteurella multocida were all 8 μg/ml. These results indicated that these common pig respiratory bacteria are sensitive to tilmicosin. The main parameters of time to reach maximum plasma concentration (T_max), elimination half‐life (t_1/2β), mean residence time (MRT), and apparent volume of distribution (V_F) were 2.03 ± 0.37 hr, 29.31 ± 5.56 hr, 25.22 ± 2.57 hr, 4.06 ± 1.04 L/kg, and 3.05 ± 0.08 hr, 17.06 ± 1.77 hr, 15.55 ± 1.37 hr, 2.95 ± 0.62 L/kg after the orally administrated tilmicosin enteric granules and premix. The relative bioavailability of tilmicosin enteric granules to premix was 114.97 ± 7.19%, according to the AUC_0‐t values. These results demonstrated that tilmicosin enteric granules produced faster tilmicosin absorption, slower elimination, larger tissue distribution, and higher bioavailability compared to the tilmicosin premix. The present study results manifest that tilmicosin enteric granules can be used as a therapeutic alternative to premix in clinical treatment.     

6个种源地不同桑树品种叶柄解剖结构与水分运输能力初探

叶柄是水分和营养物质在茎和叶间运输的重要组织。采用石蜡切片技术和木材离析技术,分析6个种源地不同的桑树品种一年生扦插苗叶柄的显微结构特征,对叶柄的水分运输能力和抗蒸腾能力进行评价,并对桑树的抗旱性进行探讨。结果显示在6个桑品种中,吴堡桑的叶柄角质层和厚角组织厚度较小,但维管束最为发达,具有较高的维管束面积占比、中等水平的导管直径和最大的导管长度,水分运输能力最强,同时还能保持对栓塞较强的抵抗性,推测其抗旱能力可能较强,适宜种植在较为干旱的地区;育711号的叶柄角质层较薄,云果桑1号叶柄的厚角组织最薄,这2个品种的叶柄具有较多的维管束,但其维管束面积占比、导管孔腔面积以及导管直径在6个品种中较小,故抗蒸腾能力与水分运输能力均较低,其抗旱能力可能相对较弱,更加适合在水分充足的环境中生长。研究结果为阐释桑树叶柄结构、水分运输能力与桑树抗旱能力之间的关系提供了一定的实验依据。     

Initial sequence characterization of the rhabdoviruses of squamate reptiles, including a novel rhabdovirus from a caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis)

Rhabdoviruses infect a variety of hosts, including non-avian reptiles. Consensus PCR techniques were used to obtain partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene sequence from five rhabdoviruses of South American lizards; Marco, Chaco, Timbo, Sena Madureira, and a rhabdovirus from a caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis). The caiman lizard rhabdovirus formed inclusions in erythrocytes, which may be a route for infecting hematophagous insects. This is the first information on behavior of a rhabdovirus in squamates. We also obtained sequence from two rhabdoviruses of Australian lizards, confirming previous Charleville virus sequence and finding that, unlike a previous sequence report but in agreement with serologic reports, Almpiwar virus is clearly distinct from Charleville virus. Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that most known rhabdoviruses of squamates cluster in the Almpiwar subgroup. The exception is Marco virus, which is found in the Hart Park group.