An assessment of the status of the common seal Phoca vitulina vitulina in Ireland

Common seals Phoca vitulina vitulina Linnaeus 1758 were surveyed throughout Ireland during the 1978 breeding season. Compared with the abundance of the species in Great Britain, the Irish stock is small. The results are discussed in relation to the activities of man, particularly bounty hunting to protect fisheries, and the availability of suitable breeding localities. Problems relating to stock management, not least of which is that the species is subject to legislation in the south but not in the north, are discussed.     

Visual patterned reflex present during hypothalamically elicited attack

A cat from which attack is elicited by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus lunges more frequently toward a mouse presented to the eye contralateral to the stimulated site than it does to a mouse presented to the ipsilateral eye. This differential effect does not appear to be attributable to a temporary or permanent defect in the ipsilateral eye.     

The clinical and histopathological effects of prednisone on acute radiation-induced dermatitis in dogs: a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, prospective clinical trial

This study evaluated and compared the clinical and histopathological effects of prednisone on acute radiation-induced dermatitis (ARID) in dogs treated with 48 Gray of fractionated irradiation targeted to the skin surface. The study was designed as a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled prospective clinical trial. Twenty-two otherwise healthy companion dogs completed the clinical study. Three dogs were excluded from complete histopathological analysis because the owner declined one (one dog) or both (two dogs) biopsies. The study duration for each dog was 36 days from the start of radiation therapy (RT) to the first re-examination post RT. Dogs were treated with either oral prednisone at 0.5 mg kg(-1) or sugar pill, daily. All dogs received 48 Gray of fractionated, standardized RT, beginning 2 weeks after tumour excision. Acute Radiation Morbidity Scores, Cutaneous Toxicity Extent and Severity scores, digital images, and impression cytology were carried out on days 1, 8, 15, 22 and 36. Four-millimetre skin specimens from days 15 (RT-11) and 36 (2 weeks after the last RT dose) were scored by a pathologist and a dermatologist, blind to specimen identity. A one-way analysis of variance for longitudinal data was used to compare scores between groups. Spearman's rho correlation coefficient was used to measure strength of association between clinical and histopathology scores (HPS). There was no significant difference in CUTES, AMS or HPS scores between groups. There was a strong correlation between clinical and HPS scores. Prednisone did not decrease ARID severity clinically or histopathologically.     

Alternative activation of ruminant macrophages by Fasciola hepatica

The helminth parasite, Fasciola hepatica, has a worldwide distribution and infects a wide variety of mammalian hosts, including ruminants and man. In response to infection, these hosts mount a type 2 helper (Th2) response that is highly polarized and results in the downregulation of type 1 helper (Th1) mechanisms. In a murine macrophage model F. hepatica induces alternative activation of macrophages. These macrophages differ from classically activated cells in that they preferentially use arginase instead of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) for metabolism of nitrogen. In this study we sought to characterize macrophage phenotype following stimulation of the ovine cell line MOCL7 with recombinant F. hepatica enzymes and crude parasite extracts. An in vitro model using the MOCL7 cell line was established and arginase levels in cells were used to determine the activation status of cells. Stimulation of this cell-line in vitro with F. hepatica products induces alternative activation. We have also found a chitinase-like protein in supernatants which is capable of differentiating alternatively activated from classically activated macrophages.     

Transplacental Transfer of Iron in the Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): Uteroferrin and Erythrophagocytosis

The objectives of this investigation were to understand transplacental transport of iron by secreted uteroferrin (UF) and haemophagous areas of water buffalo placenta and clarify the role(s) of blood extravasation at the placental‐maternal interface. Placentomes and interplacentomal region of 51 placentae at various stages of gestation were fixed, processed for light and transmission electron microscopy, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Haemophagous areas were present in placentomes collected between 4 and 10 months of pregnancy. Perl’s reaction for ferric iron was negative in placentomes, but positive in endometrial glands. Positive staining for UF indicated areas in which it was being taken up by phagocytosis and/or fluid phase pinocytosis in areolae of the interplacentomal mesenchyme, with little staining in endometrial stroma. Imunohistochemistry detected UF in trophectoderm of haemophagous regions of placentomes and in other parts of the foetal villous tree, but the strongest immunostaining was in the epithelial cells and lumen of uterine glands. Ultrastructural analyses indicated that erythrophagocytosis was occurring and that erythrocytes were present inside cells of the chorion that also contained endocytic vesicles and caveolae. Results of this study indicate that both the haemophagous areas of placentomes and the areolae at the interface between chorion and endometrial glands are important sites for iron transfer from mother to foetal‐placental tissues in buffalo throughout pregnancy.     

中国成为美国进口木地板的主要来源

近年来中国已经成为美国木地板市场的主要供应商。美国从中国进口木地板的总量(包括硬木地板,软木地板和镶木地板)从1998年不足600万美元到2003年增加超过4100万美元．仅2004年上半年进口量就增加到3700万美元．比2003年上半年增加141％。     

中国木业吸引了第一流的国外公司我眼中的"2003中国木制品进出口贸易洽谈会"

我非常高兴参加了今年的"CWEIC",所有到会者一致认为这是一个成功的会议.因为我介绍了很多国外公司(他们在会上简要介绍了公司的情况),我对于国外到会公司的高质量印象深刻.总的来说,这些公司在成为产品的潜在客户方面,在原材料来源方面,在成为合资伙伴方面,对于中国的企业意味着巨大潜力.对于那些没能来参加今年会议的公司,我想介绍一些前来参会的非常重要的公司,从而使你们明了这次会议(包括明年的会议)对于中国木制品工业的潜在影响力.