Ileocecal intussusception in horses: 26 cases (1981-1988)

The case records of 26 horses with ileocecal intussusception over a 7-year period were reviewed to determine clinical features of the disease and response to treatment. The median age of horses with ileocecal intussusception was 1 year and ranged from 2 weeks to 19 years. There was no apparent gender or breed predisposition to this disease. An acute form of ileocecal intussusception was diagnosed in 19 horses with signs of moderate to severe abdominal pain of less than or equal to 24 hours' duration, and a chronic form was diagnosed in 7 horses with signs of intermittent, mild to moderate abdominal pain of more than 3 days' duration. Horses with chronic ileocecal intussusception had a history of weight loss or failure to gain weight, slow growth, poor appetite, low-grade pyrexia, and postprandial signs of abdominal pain. At surgery, the involved segments of intestine (intussusceptum and intussuscipiens) in chronic cases were 2 to 10 cm long, and the ileum and much of the distal portion of the jejunum were flaccid, dilated, and thick walled. In the acute cases, the length of involved intestine ranged from 6 to 457 cm. Whereas only 1 of 7 chronic intussusceptions (14%) could be reduced, 9 of 19 (47%) acute intussusceptions were reducible. Surgical treatment included resection and jejunocecostomy (6 horses), partial resection through a cecotomy and a side-to-side jejunocecostomy (2 horses), and a side-to-side ileocecostomy or jejunocecostomy without resection (12 horses, 7 of which had chronic intussusception). Six horses with acute intussusception were euthanatized before or during surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Leucine stimulates mammalian target of rapamycin signaling in C2C12 myoblasts in part through inhibition of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is one of the main signaling pathways controlling protein synthesis. Leucine treatment upregulates mTOR signaling, which enhances protein synthesis; however, the mechanisms are not well understood. Herein, treatment of C2C12 myoblast cells with leucine enhanced the phosphorylation of mTOR and ribosomal protein S6 kinase. Leucine treatment also decreased the adenosine monophosphate/ATP ratio in myoblasts by 36.4 +/- 9.1% (P < 0.05) and reduced the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) alpha subunit at Thr172 (28.6 +/- 4.9% reduction, P < 0.05) and inhibited AMPK activity (43.6 +/- 3.5% reduction, P < 0.05). In addition, leucine increased the phosphorylation of mTOR at Ser2448 by 63.5 +/- 10.0% (P < 0.05) and protein synthesis by 30.6 +/- 6.1% (P < 0.05). Applying 5-aminoimidazole-4-carbox-amide 1-beta-d-ribonucleoside, an activator of AMPK, abolished the stimulation of mTOR signaling by leucine, showing that AMPK negatively controls mTOR signaling. To further show the role of AMPK in mTOR signaling, myoblasts expressing a dominant negative AMPKalpha subunit were employed. Negative myoblasts had very low AMPK activity. The activation of mTOR induced by leucine in these cells was abated, showing that AMPK contributed to mTOR activation. In conclusion, leucine stimulates mTOR signaling in part through AMPK inhibition. This study implicates AMPK as an important target for nutritional management to enhance mTOR signaling and protein synthesis in muscle cells, thereby increasing muscle growth.     

QTL mapping of resistance in lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris) to ascochyta blight (Ascochyta lentis)

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of ascochyta blight resistance in lentil was conducted using genomic maps developed from two F₂ populations, viz. ILL5588/ILL7537 and ILL7537/ILL6002. Five QTLs for ascochyta blight resistance were identified by composite interval mapping (CIM) across four linkage groups (LG) in population ILL5588/ILL7537. Three QTLs were identified by CIM in population ILL7537/ILL6002 (two in close proximity on LGI and one on LGII). Two of these coincided with regions identified using multiple interval mapping (MIM) and were shown to be conditioned by dominant and partial dominant gene action. Together, they accounted for approximately 50% of the phenotypic variance of disease severity. Comparison between the two populations revealed a potentially common QTL and several common regions that contained markers significantly associated with resistance. This study demonstrated the transferability of QTLs among populations and identified markers closely linked to the major QTL that may be useful for future marker‐assisted selection for disease resistance.     

Application of biotechnology in breeding lentil for resistance to biotic and abiotic stress

Summary Lentil is a self-pollinating diploid (2n = 14 chromosomes) annual cool season legume crop that is produced throughout the world and is highly valued as a high protein food. Several abiotic stresses are important to lentil yields world wide and include drought, heat, salt susceptibility and iron deficiency. The biotic stresses are numerous and include: susceptibility to Ascochyta blight, caused by Ascochyta lentis; Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum truncatum; Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum; Sclerotinia white mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; rust, caused by Uromyces fabae; and numerous aphid transmitted viruses. Lentil is also highly susceptible to several species of Orabanche prevalent in the Mediterranean region, for which there does not appear to be much resistance in the germplasm. Plant breeders and geneticists have addressed these stresses by identifying resistant/tolerant germplasm, determining the genetics involved and the genetic map positions of the resistant genes. To this end progress has been made in mapping the lentil genome and several genetic maps are available that eventually will lead to the development of a consensus map for lentil. Marker density has been limited in the published genetic maps and there is a distinct lack of co-dominant markers that would facilitate comparisons of the available genetic maps and efficient identification of markers closely linked to genes of interest. Molecular breeding of lentil for disease resistance genes using marker assisted selection, particularly for resistance to Ascochyta blight and Anthracnose, is underway in Australia and Canada and promising results have been obtained. Comparative genomics and synteny analyses with closely related legumes promises to further advance the knowledge of the lentil genome and provide lentil breeders with additional genes and selectable markers for use in marker assisted selection. Genomic tools such as macro and micro arrays, reverse genetics and genetic transformation are emerging technologies that may eventually be available for use in lentil crop improvement.     

The borders within: Mobility and enclosure in the Riau Islands1

Abstract: The border studies literature makes a strong case against claims for unfettered transnationalism and ‘borderlessness’ in our ‘globalising world’. However, its focus on movement across borders means that it fails to address bordering practices that occur within the nation‐state as a result of transnational activity. In this paper, we extend Cunningham and Heyman’s concepts ‘enclosure’ and ‘mobility’ to confront the different layers of bordering (both physical and non‐physical) that have occurred in Indonesia’s Riau Islands since they became part of the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle.     

Information needs and priorities for assessing the sensitivity of marine birds to oil spills

Our experience in developing models to predict the potential impacts of oil spills on colonially breeding marine birds has revealed some major gaps in the information available on these systems. We consider the availability of data for a variety of parameters of seabird biology that are required in modelling efforts, and assign provisional priorities to our information needs. In order to develop means of predicting the impacts of oil spills on seabirds, we suggest that colony- or site-specific information on the timing of reproduction and colony occupancy, chick growth rates and body weights, several metabolic parameters, flight speed, and food load size is of relatively low overall priority. Intermediate priority is assigned to the collection of specific data on the dynamics of oil spills, the age and breeding structure of the populations, reproductive success, foraging activity budgets and flight paths, flight costs, and the response of growing chicks to food deprivation. We suggest that studies of seabird biology should give highest priority to obtaining information on population sizes, the probability of adult death upon encountering a spill, age-specific fecundity and survivorship, the time required in foraging trips, the lag time in the response of birds to an oil spill, foraging rate as a function of resource density, and changes in the availability of resources to the birds as a consequence of oil spills.     

Pioneer venus radar mapper experiment

Altimetry and radar scattering data for Venus, obtained from 10 of the first 13 orbits of the Pioneer Venus orbiter, have disclosed what appears to be a rift valley having vertical relief of up to 7 kilometers, as well as a neighboring, gently rolling plain. Planetary oblateness appears unlikely to exceed 1/2500 and may be substantially smaller.