Ultrasonographic intestinal muscularis thickening in dogs with histologically confirmed inflammatory bowel disease: 13 cases (2010–2021)

Ultrasonographic intestinal muscularis thickening has not been described as an imaging feature of canine inflammatory bowel disease. In this retrospective case series, patients were identified by searching sonographic reports for “muscularis” and/or “muscular layer.” Patients were included if small intestinal muscularis thickening was reported, and sonographic images and histopathological samples of the small intestine were available for review. Cases with small intestines nodules, masses, or complete loss of wall layering were excluded. Sonographic images were retrospectively evaluated for jejunal muscularis layer thickness, and ratios of intestinal layer measurements were performed. Histological samples were retrospectively reviewed. Thirteen dogs met inclusion criteria: all dogs had sonographic intestinal muscularis thickening relative to the submucosa (>1.0, range of 1.3–2.5), and most dogs had muscular layer thickness above normal published ranges (11/13; all 13/13 above the weight-specific mean). More than half of the patients had overall normal wall thickness (11/13) and several had normal mucosal echogenicity (6/13). Therefore, in some dogs, the only sonographic abnormality in the small intestine was muscularis thickening. No dogs had lymphadenomegaly. Endoscopic partial-thickness (n = 11, duodenum and/or ileum) or surgical full-thickness (n = 2) samples confirmed inflammatory bowel disease. Direct comparison between jejunum sonographic characteristics and histology features was limited due to both partial thickness biopsies and lack of direct comparison between anatomical locations of ultrasonographic assessment and biopsy site. However, no cases that met the inclusion criteria had normal small intestinal histology. Comparable to cats, dogs with ultrasonographic intestinal muscularis thickening may have inflammatory bowel disease, and further workup for enteropathy is indicated.     

Epidemic of blindness in kangaroos - evidence of a viral aetiology

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cause of an epidemic of blindness in kangaroos. DESIGN AND PROCEDURES: Laboratory examinations were made of eyes and brains of a large number of kangaroos using serological, virological, histopathological, electron microscopical, immunohistochemical methods, and PCR with cDNA sequencing. In addition, potential insect viral vectors identified during the disease outbreak were examined for specific viral genomic sequences. SAMPLE POPULATION: For histopathological analysis, 55 apparently blind and 18 apparently normal wild kangaroos and wallabies were obtained from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. A total of 437 wild kangaroos and wallabies (including 23 animals with apparent blindness) were examined serologically. RESULTS: Orbiviruses of the Wallal and Warrego serogroups were isolated from kangaroos affected with blindness in a major epidemic in south-eastern Australia in 1994 and 1995 and extending to Western Australia in 1995/96. Histopathological examinations showed severe degeneration and inflammation in the eyes, and mild inflammation in the brains. In affected retinas, Wallal virus antigen was detected by immunohistochemical analysis and orbiviruses were seen in electron microscopy. There was serological variation in the newly isolated Wallal virus from archival Wallal virus that had been isolated in northern Australia. There were also variations of up to 20% in genotype sequence from the reference archival virus. Polymerase chain reactions showed that Wallal virus was present during the epidemic in three species of midges, Culicoides austropalpalis, C dycei and C marksi. Wallal virus nucleic acid was also detected by PCR in a paraffin-embedded retina taken from a blind kangaroo in 1975. CONCLUSION: Wallal virus and perhaps also Warrego virus are the cause of the outbreak of blindness in kangaroos. Other viruses may also be involved, but the evidence in this paper indicates a variant of Wallal virus, an orbivirus transmitted by midges, has the strongest aetiological association, and immunohistochemical analysis implicates it as the most damaging factor in the affected eyes.     

宁夏灌区春小麦干热风灾害的时空特征

为给宁夏灌区春小麦干热风防治提供参考,根据春小麦干热风国家气象行业标准,利用1981-2014年宁夏灌区16个气象站的气象资料,分析了当地春小麦高温低湿型干热风日数和天气过程次数的时空分布特征。结果表明,近34年中干热风日数与天气过程次数均呈上升趋势,且在1995年出现了突变;近24年中6月中旬干热风日数增多,7月下旬减少,干热风日出现的时间提前;2001-2010年干热风日数和天气过程次数最多。在宁夏灌区北部、东部和南部春小麦干热风出现较多,其中大武口最多;春小麦干热风日在宁夏灌区发生的区域呈扩大趋势,但干热风天气过程发生区域2008年前呈扩大趋势,2008年后呈缩小趋势。为了减轻干热风灾害对春小麦的危害,在实际生产中,应采取长期治理生态环境和短期预防相结合的防治措施。     

Use of biofloc technology during the pre‐maturation period of Litopenaeus vannamei males: effect of feeds with different protein levels on the spermatophore and sperm quality

The objectives of this study were: (1) Compare two systems for pre‐maturation of Litopenaeus vannamei in terms of spermatophore and sperm quality, (2) Compare the effect of feeds with different protein levels on reproductive quality of males reared in a biofloc‐dominated system. Animals (36.40 ± 3.13 g) reared under biofloc technology (BFT) were used in the 30‐day experiment, which involved four treatments: one in a clear water system (CW) and other three in a BFT system. The BFT treatments were differentiated by feed: mix of fish, squid and crab (BFT+FF) composed of 68.48% dietary protein (DP); broodstock feed (BFT+BF) composed of 52.51% DP; and juvenile feed (BFT+JF) composed of 39.91% DP. Feed in the CW was also the mix of fresh food. Spermatophore and sperm quality were analyzed at the beginning and end of the experiment. Higher normal sperm rate was recorded in the CW compared with the BFT+FF. Among the BFT treatments, the BFT+FF had the lowest normal sperm rate. Thus, the use of BFT for pre‐maturation of L. vannamei allowed the reduction in dietary protein levels from 68.48% (BFT+FF) to 39.91% (BFT+JF) and the maintenance of spermatophore and sperm quality compared to the system based on high daily exchange rate.     

冻融条件下沙丘土壤水分物理性提升的试验研究

基于乌兰敖都试验站内土壤冻融试验,探讨不同外界条件下土壤冻融作用对土壤中水分迁移的影响。结果表明:土壤冻结作用可以增加水分的迁移量,从而提高冻融层土壤水分含量,0-30cm和100-140cm深度土壤中水分迁移受冻结作用的影响比较显著,分别迁移了87.6,210.9mm,30-60cm和60-100cm深度受到的影响较小;冻融期内,稻草覆盖减小了水分向土壤上层迁移或者向下层的入渗;初始地下水埋藏较深能导致土壤水分迁移量变大。通过探究土壤冻融对水分物理性提升的影响作用,测定其提升数量,合理利用其提升的水分,改善固沙植被区浅层土壤水分条件,有利于固沙植物的生长和其他植物物种的侵入,提高固沙植被区的物种多样性,建立持久稳定的固沙植被。     

无芒雀麦引种适应性的观察

无芒雀麦是多年生根茎型丛生性禾本科牧草,在青海省贵南县海拔3400m的地区引种栽培,其结果表明:播种当年出苗整齐,第二年越冬良好,越冬率为91％;第二年、第三年的鲜草产量分别为10436.61kg/hm2、14100kg/hm2,其茎叶比分别为1.4:1、2.17:1,种子产量为87k/hm2,可以在贵南县进行大面积的推广种植,在无芒雀麦的开花盛期适时利用。     

铁棍山药和太谷山药代谢成分差异研究

采用代谢组学方法,利用超高效液相色谱-单四极杆-飞行时间质谱仪对铁棍山药和太谷山药的代谢成分进行分析,以期为山药的功能评价提供参考。结果表明,利用Masslynx软件能将铁棍山药和太谷山药正离子模式下检测到的代谢物进行很好的分组,这表明,铁棍山药和太谷山药代谢物差异较大;进一步对其差异代谢物质进行S-Plot分析,发现有8种差异代谢物质,通过数据库比对,其中3种为植酸、麦角甾醇和豆固醇,分别属于酸类和醇类,有5种代谢物需要进一步鉴定。由此可见,通过对山药代谢物的差异化分析,可以对山药的药效属性进行评估,这为保持山药的地道性提供了重要的检测手段。