Reaction of monosaccharides with proteins: possible evolutionary significance

Measurements were made of the rate of condensation of various monosaccharides with amino groups of hemoglobin to form Schiff base linkages. The reactivity of each sugar was dependent on the extent to which it exists in the open (carbonyl) structure rather than in the ring (hemiacetal or hemiketal) structure. Among the 15 monosaccharides tested, aldoses showed higher reactivities than ketoses. Glucose was the least reactive of the aldohexoses. The emergence of glucose as the primary metabolic fuel may be due in part to the high stability of its ring structure which limits potentially deleterious nonenzymatic glycosylation of proteins.     

Preliminary investigation of the effect of treating sheep during pregnancy with a vitamin A,D, E formulation on the incidence of vaginal prolapse

ABSTRACT

Aim: To determine if vitamin D₃ treatment reduced the incidence of vaginal prolapse in pregnant sheep on a North Canterbury sheep breeding property.

Methods: Pregnant ewes from a single farm were allocated to three treatment groups in May 2018. At this time, the first group (EarlyVitADE; n?=?512) received an I/M 1?mL dose of 500,000?IU/mL vitamin D₃, 60,000?IU/mL vitamin A, and 25?mg/mL vitamin E. This was repeated in July 2018, when the second group (LateVitADE; n?=?695) also received the same treatment. The third group (n?=?737) were untreated controls. All cases of vaginal prolapse on the property were recorded from pregnancy diagnosis in June 2018 until ewes were set-stocked in August 2018. The planned start of lambing was 10 August 2018.

Results: During the period of observation, vaginal prolapses were recorded in 3/699 (0.4%) 2-year-old ewes, and the odds of vaginal prolapse were not associated with treatment group in these ewes (p?>?0.3). Amongst ewes aged ≥3 years, during the same period, there were 6/333 (1.8%), 6/443 (1.4%) and 25/469 (5.3%) cases in the EarlyVitADE, LateVitADE and control groups, respectively. Compared to control ewes, the odds of vaginal prolapse were reduced in both the EarlyVitADE (OR?=?0.37; 95% CI?=?0.15–0.92) and LateVitADE (OR?=?0.25; 95% CI?=?0.10–0.62) treatment groups.

Conclusions and clinical relevance: In this preliminary study, administration of injectable vitamins A, D₃, and E to pregnant ewes reduced the incidence of vaginal prolapse during the period from pregnancy diagnosis to set-stocking on one North Canterbury hill-country farm. Due to the restricted data collection period, this investigation should be replicated to better quantify the repeatability of the observed treatment effect over the complete lambing period.     

NUCLEATION,POLYMERIZATION, AND PRECIPITATION OF FeOOH1

Fresh Fe(ClO₄)₃ solutions, 0.01 M or 0.001 M in iron (III), were seeded with iron (III) hydroxide brown sols and the reaction processes were investigated. In two experiments, HC1O₄ was added to fresh Fe(ClO₄)₃ solutions to lower their degrees of super saturation with respect to iron (III) hydroxide. Depending upon the quantity of seeding solution added, it was found that samples differed greatly in appearance and in the stability during ageing. With a small amount of seeding solution added and following a relatively long induction period, the sample rapidly developed to a dense, cloudy yellow suspension with FeOOH precipitate settled shortly afterwards. With an increased amount of seeding solution added, the sample gradually became more brownish and less turbid and eventually a clear brown sol was observed. Although α-FeOOH was the major hydrolysed species in all samples, a yellow precipitate which settled under gravity was found only in those containing a small quantity of seeding solution. The above results provide experimental evidence supporting the hypothesis (Hsu and Ragone, 1972) that the initial number of nuclei relative to the concentration of mono-meric species is the key factor governing the appearance and the stability of an hydrolysed iron (III) solution. In another experiment, varying amounts of a seeding solution were added to a fresh, pure 0.001 M Fe(ClO₄)₃ solution to which no HC1O₄ was added. All samples rapidly hydrolysed to clear brown sols in less than 6 hours and no noticeable seeding effect was observed. It is suggested that a pure 0.001 M Fe(ClO₄)₃ solution is highly supersaturated with respect to iron (III) hydroxide and a large number of nuclei spontaneously form in situ shortly after preparation.     

Lesions in sheep following administration of a vaccine of a Freund's complete adjuvant nature used in the control of ovine paratuberculosis

CASE HISTORIES: Occurrences of adverse reactions in seven sheep flocks in Australia following vaccination against paratuberculosis where veterinary attention was requested are reviewed. All cases occurred within the 3-year period following commencement of use of a vaccine of a Freund's complete adjuvant nature, at a time when approximately six million doses of vaccine had been administered.

CLINICAL FINDINGS: In the first case, 26/58 (45%) Merino sheep vaccinated as adults had palpable tissue reactions at or near the site of vaccination; enlarged prescapular lymph nodes were palpated in 17 (29%), and nine (16%) sheep had both palpable lesions at the site of vaccination and enlarged prescapular lymph nodes. The reactions included caseous nodules up to 5.5 cm in diameter. In the other cases, fistulating or granulomatous wounds were occasionally found at the recommended site of injection behind the ear, and myiasis was rare. Occurrences of inappropriate choice of injection site were recorded, including injection into the axilla of two Merino rams, and lesions in the tissues of the maxilla and nose of almost 50% of 350 Border Leicester lambs. Four outbreaks of progressive paralysis due to injection into cervical musculature were reported, described as ‘OJD staggers’ by producers.

DIAGNOSIS: Granulomatous cellulitis and lymphadenitis associated with oil droplets typical of ‘oil granulomata’. Injection of vaccine into the dorsal cervical area resulted in progressive paralysis due to myonecrosis and suspected granulomatous leptomeningitis.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE AND CONCLUSIONS: Although lesions at and near the site of injection are common, adverse reactions to vaccination were rare and included mortality from cervical spinal injection, production losses from injection in the maxilla or axilla or if myiasis resulted, and potential marketing losses if animals or carcasses are discounted as a result of the lesions. Risk factors for adverse reactions included inadequate restraint of sheep, breed of sheep, experience of the operator, poor injection technique, and inappropriate placement of vaccine. Increasing attention to the proper restraint of animals, restricting vaccination to the recommended site behind the ear, careful placement of the vaccine into subcutaneous tissue to avoid drainage of vaccine material into tissues such as the spinal cord, and post-vaccination supervision to address welfare concerns should adverse reactions occur are recommended.     

Musculoskeletal disorders and psychosocial risk factors among veterinarians in Queensland, Australia

Objective   Although musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) represent one of the most important occupational health issues in contemporary society, few studies have specifically investigated this problem among veterinarians.
Design   An anonymous questionnaire survey mailed to all veterinarians registered with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland during 2006.
Results   Almost two-thirds of respondents (63%) had experienced MSD of the lower back, 57% had experienced neck-related MSD, 52% had experienced shoulder-related MSD and 34% had experienced MSD of the upper back during the previous 12 months. MSD was statistically correlated with a range of psychosocial factors, including stress associated with career structure, time pressures, client's attitude, lack of recognition by the public, lack of recognition by colleagues, lack of understanding from family or partners and work stress because of insufficient holidays each year.
Conclusion   Overall, this study has demonstrated significant correlations between MSD and psychosocial risk factors among a large cohort of veterinarians, apparently for the first time in the published literature. The results also suggest that personal and workplace issues may contribute more to the development of MSD among veterinarians than many of the previously recognised ergonomic risk factors.     

Efficacy of inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine in dogs.

Inactivated, nonadjuvanted tissue culture-origin rabies vaccine was tested in 168 dogs for its ability to provide protection against challenge of immunity 1 year after vaccination. Several laboratory methods were used concurrently to measure the potency of the vaccine. When used at full strength, the vaccine protected 70% of dogs after either a 1- or 2-dose vaccination schedule. When vaccine was diluted to contain less antigenic mass, the 1-dose schedule was not as effective as 2 doses. High serum-neutralizing antibody titers developed by 7 days after vaccination, but the titers declined rapidly thereafter. The US reference vaccine protected 28 of 30 dogs.     

Chondrodysplasia in Australian Dexter cattle

Objective To describe the occurrence of chondrodysplasia in Australian Dexter cattle.
Design A pathological and genetic case report.
Procedure Congenital lethal chondrodysplasia was studied in two female Dexter foetuses aborted mid to late gestation. Clinicopathological findings including histological changes in limb bones, and analysis of pedigree information were evaluated.
Results Characteristic features of congenital lethal chon-drodysplasia (Dexter bulldog) include abortion, disproportionate dwarfism, a short vertebral column, marked micromelia, a relatively large head with retruded muzzle, cleft palate and protruding tongue and a large abdominal hernia. Histological changes in limb bones are consistent with failure of endochondral ossification. Dexter chondrodysplasia is considered to be inherited in an incompletely dominant manner with the homozygous form producing the congenital lethal condition. A preliminary minimum estimate of heterozy-gote frequency is 19% within the registered Australian Dexter herd, based on analysis of the contribution of three obligate heterozygotes whose semen has been widely used by artificial insemination in Australia.
Conclusion Dexter chondrodysplasia is present in Australian cattle and further cases of the homozygous form, congenital lethal chondrodysplasia, are likely to occur.
Recommendation It is requested that spleen and liver tissue from bulldog foetuses and blood from their parents be collected to assist research into Dexter chondrodysplasia.