Ramularia leaf spot disease of barley is highly host genotype-dependent and suppressed by continuous drought stress in the field

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Since the 1980s, Ramularia leaf spot (RLS) is an emerging barley disease worldwide. The control of RLS is increasingly aggravated by a recent decline in...     

Characterization of the sheep Complement Factor B gene (CFB)

The Complement Factor B gene (CFB) of the alternative complement pathway has been identified in the sheep Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and its genomic sequence determined. CFB is located approximately 600 bp upstream of the complement C2 gene, contains 18 exons, and manifests the domain signature characteristic of CFB protein. Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in merino sheep and interbreed variation was identified by comparison with International Sheep Genomics Consortium data. Two predicted non synonymous substitutions were observed and in-silico analysis indicates that these are likely to have a destabilizing effect on the protein structure. Sheep and cattle CFB were compared and shown to contain a common nine nucleotide deletion in exon 18 relative to human CFB. Predicted CFB amino acid sequences for these two species contain 761 aa relative to 764 aa in the human orthologue. Sequencing of the cosmid and BAC clones used in this study permitted the relative positions of three adjacent loci to be determined and showed that the previously described microsatellite locus (BfMs) is located within SKIV2L.     

Expansile, inflammatory middle ear disease causing nasopharyngeal obstruction in a cat

A 7-year-old, entire female, domestic shorthair cat presented with recurrent upper respiratory tract problems. Infectious otitis media caused expansion of the middle ear which ultimately resulted in complete obstruction of the nasopharynx. A ventral bulla osteotomy was successful in relieving the clinical signs.     

Evolution of magnetic and superconducting fluctuations with doping of high-Tc superconductors

Electronic Raman scattering from high- and low-energy excitations was studied as a function of temperature, extent of hole doping, and energy of the incident photons in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+/-delta superconductors. For underdoped superconductors, short-range antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations were found to persist with hole doping, and doped single holes were found to be incoherent in the AF environment. Above the superconducting (SC) transition temperature Tc, the system exhibited a sharp Raman resonance of B1g symmetry and energy of 75 millielectron-volts and a pseudogap for electron-hole excitations below 75 millielectron-volts, a manifestation of a partially coherent state forming from doped incoherent quasi particles. The occupancy of the coherent state increases with cooling until phase ordering at Tc produces a global SC state.     

Regulation of replication fork progression through histone supply and demand

DNA replication in eukaryotes requires nucleosome disruption ahead of the replication fork and reassembly behind. An unresolved issue concerns how histone dynamics are coordinated with fork progression to maintain chromosomal stability. Here, we characterize a complex in which the human histone chaperone Asf1 and MCM2-7, the putative replicative helicase, are connected through a histone H3-H4 bridge. Depletion of Asf1 by RNA interference impedes DNA unwinding at replication sites, and similar defects arise from overproduction of new histone H3-H4 that compromises Asf1 function. These data link Asf1 chaperone function, histone supply, and replicative unwinding of DNA in chromatin. We propose that Asf1, as a histone acceptor and donor, handles parental and new histones at the replication fork via an Asf1-(H3-H4)-MCM2-7 intermediate and thus provides a means to fine-tune replication fork progression and histone supply and demand.     

Tenoscopy in 33 horses with septic and nonseptic digital tenosynovitis (1997–2001)

Tenoscopy is the use of an arthroscope to access tendon sheaths. This article reports clinical findings, treatments, and outcomes of 33 horses with either septic or nonseptic digital tenosynovitis submitted to 36 tenoscopies during 34 occasions at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (1997–2001). Two of the 16 horses with septic tenosynovitis were euthanized at the hospital. From the 32 horses discharged from the hospital, outcome was obtained in 31 cases: 12 horses (6 septic) could work at the same level. No difference was detected between the outcome groups regarding clinical and laboratory variables. In nonseptic cases, lameness grade, circulating white blood cells, and plasma fibrinogen before surgery were lower, while the period between the onset of clinical signs and surgery was longer and duration of phenylbutazone treatment and hospitalization was shorter. No difference in the outcome was detected when septic and nonseptic cases were compared. Tenoscopy was useful for diagnosis and treatment of nonseptic and septic digital tenosynovitis. The small number of cases and the lack of accurate information due to the retrospective nature of the study may have prevented detection of a difference between the outcomes of horses with septic versus nonseptic tenosynovitis.