Aneurysmal dilatation of the right auricle in two dogs

An 8-year-old sexually intact male Golden Retriever with a history of collapse during exercise underwent an examination during which tachydysrhythmia was identified. At another institution, a 12.5-year-old spayed female Lhasa Apso was referred because of a cough and for evaluation of a heart murmur. In the Golden Retriever, radiographic examination revealed bulging of the craniodorsal aspect of the cardiac silhouette and echocardiography revealed right atrial dilatation. In the Lhasa Apso, a cranial mediastinal mass was suspected on the basis of radiographic findings, but no abnormalities were detected echocardiographically. In both dogs, nonselective angiography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a markedly enlarged, thin-walled right auricle. Exploratory thoracotomy in the Golden Retriever revealed a defect in the pericardium through which the right auricle and part of the atrium had herniated. In dogs, a right auricular aneurysm should be considered in differential diagnoses of a cranial mediastinal mass (detected radiographically) adjacent to the cardiac silhouette.     

Intraepithelial but not lamina propria lymphocytes in the porcine gut are affected by dexamethasone treatment

It is well established that glucocorticoids are key regulators of the immune system and act as immunosuppressive agents in high concentrations. In the pig, effects on the gut immune system and trafficking of lymphocytes between tissues and blood plasma were not investigated so far. Twelve pigs of 70 kg were fed 0.4 mg portions of dexamethasone (Dexa) twice daily for 9 days or remained untreated (controls) and were sacrificed for tissue collection at the end of Dexa treatment. Another six pigs with jugular vein catheters were left untreated for 7 days (control period) and then received Dexa for 9 days. Blood was drawn twice during the control period and at days 3, 6 and 9 of the Dexa period for characterization of peripheral blood leukocytes. Cells were obtained from thymus, mesenteric lymph nodes, jejunal mucosa and Peyer's patches. Lymphoid cells from gut tissue were isolated from two fractions: the EDTA-fraction, containing the intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), and the Collagenase-fraction, containing the lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL). In all samples, cell counts and phenotypic characterization of cells by flow cytometry (FCM) were performed. In thymus, Dexa led to a more than 90% reduction of the absolute cell number, which was mainly found in the CD4+CD8+ subpopulation. Dexa effects on lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes were less severe (50%) and led mainly to a decrease (71%) of B-lymphocytes. The number of lymphocytes in the EDTA-fraction (IEL) of the jejunal mucosa decreased significantly by 56% in the Dexa-treated animals compared to the controls, whereas the number of lymphocytes in the Collagenase-fraction (LPL) decreased only moderately. In the Peyer's patches, a decreasing tendency in the number of lymphocytes in the EDTA-fraction was observed which, however, was not significant. In blood, monocytes and granulocytes were significantly increased in an order of 60%. The data show that supraphysiological amounts of Dexa remarkably reduce cell numbers in thymus and also in the intraepithelial compartment of the jejunal mucosa and ileal Peyer's patches. In blood, a notable homeostasis was observed for several leukocyte populations whereas both monocytes and granulocytes increased.     

Evaluation using hoof wall strain gauges of a therapeutic shoe and a hoof cast with a heel wedge as potential supportive therapy for horses with laminitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate using strain gauges, a hoof cast with heel wedge, and a therapeutic shoe with unsupported toe for their effectiveness in redistribution of load from the dorsal hoof wall. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro biomechanical study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Twenty forelimb specimens. METHODS: Rosette strain gauges were placed on the dorsal and lateral hoof wall of 20 normal shaped hooves. Limbs were loaded vertically using a tensile testing machine with a 1 Hz sinusoidally cycling load up to 3000 N during 15 seconds. Mean values of principal strain and direction at 2500 N load were calculated for 3 experimental conditions (unshod, therapeutic shoe with unsupported toe, and hoof cast with heel elevation) and tested by ANOVA (P<.05). RESULTS: Vertical limb loading in an unshod hoof leads to a biaxial compression of the dorsal wall with high longitudinal compression (epsilon2 = -1515 microm/m). Principal strain at the dorsal wall (epsilon2) was decreased by 23% with the therapeutic shoe and by 59% with the hoof cast. On the lateral hoof wall principal strain was unchanged with the shoe, but increased by 34% with the cast. CONCLUSIONS: Strain measurements indicate unloading of the dorsal hoof wall by both methods with the cast being more effective than the shoe. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The hoof cast with wedge offers substantial unloading of the dorsal wall, but increases load on the quarter. Therefore a hoof cast would likely be most helpful in acute laminitis when palmar structures can still bear load. The therapeutic shoe offers rehabilitation and regrowth of the dorsal wall without increased load on the quarter wall.     

Einfluß einer abgestuften Wasserversorgung auf CO2-Assimilation,Transpiration, Substanzproduktion und Wasserverbrauch vonAvena sativa

Zusammenfassung Gefäßkulturen von Hafer in Sand und Erde mit abgestuftem, jeweils gleichbleibend gehaltenem Wasserangebot von 100, 75, 50, 30 und 15% der Boden wasserkapazität ergaben die höchsten Erträge an Gesamttrockenmasse in der Regel bei voller Wassersättigung des Bodens in Verbindung mit gleichzeitig maximalem Wasserverbrauch (bestimmt durch tägliches Wägen der Gefäße). Abnehmende Wasserversorgung verringerte auch Trockenmasse und Wasserverbrauch der Pflanzen. In trockenem Boden und bei reichlicher Wasserzufuhr entwickelte sich die Wurzelmasse im Vergleich mit den oberirdischen Organen stärker als bei mittlerer Bodenfeuchtigkeit. Klimatische Einflüsse, Aussaatzeit und Witterung sowie die Bodenart modifizierten die vom Wasserzustand des Bodens ausgehenden Wirkungen auf Trockenmasseproduktion und Wasserverbrauch, z. B. wurde bei Sommeraussaat gegenüber der Frühjahrsaussaat die Blattentwicklung bedeutend gefördert.Mit registrierenden Infrarot-Gasanalysatoren wurden Tagesgänge von CO₂-Aufnahme, Nachtatmung und Transpiration unter natürlichen Bedingungen gemessen. Bei trockenem Boden war die photosynthetische Leistung der Pflanzen zu Beginn ihrer Entwicklung deutlich gehemmt; sie steigerte sich allmählich und war später merklich größer als bei hohen Wassergaben. Die Transpiration verlief im allgemeinen gleichsinnig wie die Netto-Assimilationsrate, wurde jedoch auch nachts meist auf einer gewissen Höhe fortgesetzt. Die Nachtatmung der sehr trocken gehaltenen Pflanzen war gegenüber den anderen Wasserstufen meist erhöht. Die Trockenkulturen zeigten einen größeren Lichtbedarf; der Lichtkompensationspunkt wurde gewöhnlich erst bei höherer Beleuchtungsstärke erreicht als bei guter Wasserversorgung. Daraus wird auf erhöhten Energiebedarf der sehr trocken kultivierten Pflanzen geschlossen. Das Verhältnis zwischen CO₂-Aufnahme und Transpiration wurde durch unterschiedliche Bodenwasserversorgung meist nur wenig beeinflußt. Die Ergebnisse der CO₂-Assimilationsmessungen stehen im großen und ganzen mit dem wöchentlich festgestellten Trockensubstanzgewinn in Einklang.

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Summary Cultures ofAvena sativa L. grown in pots with sand or garden soil with a graduated, in each case fairly constant water supply of 100, 75, 50, 30, and 15% of field capacity yielded maximum total dry weight, as a rule, in fully water-saturated soils combined with maximum water consumption (measured by daily weighing). Decreasing water supply reduced dry matter production and water consumption of plants. In dry soil and at high degrees of water saturation roots developed more dry matter in comparison to the shoots than at medium soil moisture. Results in dry matter production and water consumption, as caused by water relations in soil, are modified additionally by climatic factors, sowing date and weather, and soil type, e.g. sowing in summer considerably favoured leaf development, compared with the spring seed.Daily courses of CO₂-uptake, night respiration and transpiration were registered by infrared-gasanalyzers. In very dry soil photosynthetic activity of plants was distinctly hampered during the first weeks of development; it gradually increased, and at a later stage photosynthetic activity was markedly higher than at abundant water supply. In general transpiration followed the net assimilation rate, it was continued, however, even over night on a certain level. Night respiration of plants growing in dry soil was higher in relation to the other water stages. Those plants, too, required more light for dry matter production; their light compensation point arrived at higher light intensity than under abundant water supply. This behaviour seems to indicate higher energy requirement of plants distinctly influenced by water stress. Relations between CO₂-uptake and transpiration were but slightly influenced by different soil water level. Results of gas exchange measurements on CO₂-assimilation agreed, as a rule, with the weekly dry matter measurements by weighting.

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Chloramphenicol resistance plasmids in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis.

Chloramphenicol resistance (CmR) could be detected in 11 of 217 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bovine subclinical mastitis. All isolates were assigned to biotypes A or C. The CmR-determinants were found to be located exclusively on small plasmids of approximately 4.6 kb as revealed by protoplast transformation. The 11 CmR-plasmids could be differentiated on the basis of restriction endonuclease analyses. The restriction maps of these CmR-plasmids identified two separate groups. One group demonstrated homology to the plasmid pC 221, the other to the plasmid pC 223. Both prototype plasmids, pC 221 and pC 223, had been isolated from S. aureus of human origin.     

Phage types, ribotypes and tetracycline resistance genes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains isolated from different origins in Italy

The tetracycline resistance (tet) gene patterns of 52 tetracycline resistant Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (S.) serovar Typhimurium isolates collected from animals, food of animal origin, and humans in Italy, were investigated to evaluate whether the tet gene patterns could be used for strain differentiation in addition to phage typing and ribotyping. The detection of tet genes was performed by specific PCR assays. Ribotyping was performed automatically using PvuII as restriction enzyme. Ten different ribotyping patterns were detected. All isolates were positive for at least one of the tet genes studied and six different tet gene patterns were observed. Ribotyping and tet gene patterns showed discriminatory indices of 0.741 and 0.812, respectively. Multiple tet genes were commonly found among tetracycline resistant S. typhimurium isolates from various sources. The resulting tet gene patterns allowed further discrimination of strains which were otherwise indistinguishable by their phage type, ribotype and origin. Thus, the analysis of tet gene patterns might represent an additional tool for the differentiation of S. typhimurium isolates.     

Imaging bond formation between a gold atom and pentacene on an insulating surface

A covalent bond between an individual pentacene molecule and a gold atom was formed by means of single-molecule chemistry inside a scanning tunneling microscope junction. The bond formation is reversible, and different structural isomers can be produced. The single-molecule synthesis was done on ultrathin insulating films that electronically isolated the reactants and products from their environment. Direct imaging of the orbital hybridization upon bond formation provides insight into the energetic shifts and occupation of the molecular resonances.     

Effects of different media on proliferation and differentiation capacity of canine, equine and porcine adipose derived stem cells

Adult stem cells are of particular interest for therapeutic use in the field of regenerative medicine. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are an attractive stem cell source for all fields of regenerative medicine because adipose tissue - and therewith cells - can easily be harvested from each donor. However, common expansion using fetal bovine serum (FBS) can not be used for clinical applications as xenogenic proteins must be avoided. Adipose tissue from equine, canine and porcine donors was digested with collagenase to isolate ASCs. ASCs were either expanded in a cell culture medium supplemented with FBS or in a serum-free medium (UltraCulture; UC) supplemented with a serum substitute (UltroserG). From all three animal species, the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential of ASCs cultured with different media was analyzed in vitro. Cell proliferation analysis showed a population doubling time of 48-68 h for canine cells, 54-65 h for porcine cells and 54-70 h for equine cells, expanded in different media. Except for porcine ASCs, cells cultured in media supplemented with FBS grew faster than cells expanded in UC medium with UltroserG. Yet, all cells maintained their potential to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts. UltraCulture medium containing UltroserG can for all examined species be recommended if FBS needs to be avoided in the expansion of donor-derived (stem) cells.     

Nonsuppurative encephalitis in a dog

A 4-year-old male German Hunting Terrier presented with tremor, dyspnea, trismus, spasms of the musculature of the larynx and pharynx, and hypothermia and subsequently died despite intensive clinical care. Prior clinical signs included vomitus and diarrhea. Microscopic examination of the brain revealed a multifocal nonsuppurative brain stem encephalitis; a few intralesional neurons contained intranuclear inclusions. By immunohistochemistry, Aujeszky disease virus (Suid herpesvirus 1) antigen was detected in neurons in the brain and in ganglion cells of the trigeminal ganglia. Viral culture of brain tissue confirmed the presence of Aujeszky disease virus. Histopathologic findings in the brain with the identification of Aujeszky disease virus by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction are consistent with Aujeszky disease virus-induced encephalitis. Sequencing revealed a 100% homology of the isolated Aujeszky disease virus with Aujeszky disease virus isolates of wild boar from Eastern Germany.