Liver biopsy techniques for adult horses and neonatal foals to assess copper status

Objective To evaluate standing, percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, transthoracic liver biopsy in mares, and transabdominal, laparoscopically-guided, liver biopsy under general anaesthesia in foals, as techniques for obtaining tissue for assessment of copper status. The techniques were evaluated with respect to ease of use and effect on the animal.
Procedure Twenty of 24 Thoroughbred mares and 21 of their foals were biopsied. The animals were part of a larger study of the effect of copper supplementation on copper status and the prevalence of developmental orthopaedic disease. Livers were also collected from unrelated horses and sampled to investigate the variability in the distribution of copper in liver tissue.
Result The biopsy technique caused no lasting effect on the mares, but there was an increased risk of viscus penetration associated with taking multiple biopsy cores. The use of ultrasonography to scan the target area for the liver identified four cases that were not appropriate candidates for liver biopsy, because of large intestine being located in the biopsy area. In the foals there were no serious postoperative adverse effects, nor was there any evidence of problems caused by the procedure when the abdomen was examined post-mortem at 5 months of age. In livers collected to investigate the variability of copper concentration, copper appeared to be relatively evenly distributed through the liver.
Conclusion Standing, percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, transthoracic liver biopsy in mares, and transabdominal, laparoscopically-guided, liver biopsy under general anaesthesia in foals are convenient procedures for obtaining liver tissue for assessing copper status in horses. The use of ultrasound to identify liver tissue is recommended, especially in older mares.     

Luteoma in two mares treated by ovariectomy

A 15-year-old Paint mare (Case 1) and a 15-year-old Arabian mare (Case 2) were presented for aggressive and undesired behaviour. Reproductive evaluation revealed, initially, an enlarged ovary with a smaller/normal sized contralateral ovary in each case. Granulosa cell tumour (GCT) panel testing revealed elevated inhibin B in both cases and elevated anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels only in Case 1 determined from currently established reference ranges. Based on a presumptive diagnosis of GCT, bilateral standing ovariectomy was elected for both mares. In each case neoplastic tissue consistent with luteoma was detected only on histological examination in the smaller/normal sized left ovary; the right ovary appearing normal. Long-term follow-up was performed 1 year and 5 years post-operatively by telephone. The owners were satisfied with the outcome and each patient demonstrated resolution of aggressive stallion-like behaviour. Each case returned to the owners' intended use. In conclusion, luteoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis for ovarian neoplasms in horses related to behavioural abnormalities, even in normal-sized ovaries.     

Effects of environmental factors on plant functional traits across different plant life forms in a temperate forest ecosystem

New Forests - Plant functional traits have been shown to vary with environmental conditions. However, we lack empirical data on how plant functional traits of different plant life forms respond to...     

Systemic accumulation of novel proteins in the apoplast of the leaves of potato plants following root invasion by the cyst-nematode Globodera rostochiensis

Systemic changes in gene expression have been analysed in potato plants following root infection with the cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis. Root invasion by the pathogen induced major changes to occur in the composition of proteins extracted in intercellular fluid from the leaf apoplastic space. The changes involved the disappearance of innate leaf proteins and the accumulation of novel gene products. Analysis by SDS-PAGE indicated that the leaf polypeptides induced on nematode invasion are not cultivar or nematode pathotype-specific. Aspirin treatment of leaves induced a similar pattern to that induced systemically by nematodes, but several gene products were specific for the latter method of induction. In particular, two abundant [¹²⁵I]-Con A binding polypeptides of high M_r accumulated in intercellular fluid only on aspirin treatment. The results are discussed in the context of the role of the extracellular leaf proteins and their modulation by systemic signals.     

A fluoroquinolone resistance protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that mimics DNA

Fluoroquinolones are gaining increasing importance in the treatment of tuberculosis. The expression of MfpA, a member of the pentapeptide repeat family of proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causes resistance to ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin. This protein binds to DNA gyrase and inhibits its activity. Its three-dimensional structure reveals a fold, which we have named the right-handed quadrilateral beta helix, that exhibits size, shape, and electrostatic similarity to B-form DNA. This represents a form of DNA mimicry and explains both its inhibitory effect on DNA gyrase and fluoroquinolone resistance resulting from the protein's expression in vivo.     

Rooting potential in plum hardwood cuttings: I. Relationship with shoot diameter

The length of the annual shoots produced on hedges of the plum rootstock Prunus insititia ‘Pixy’ was determined more by the duration of their growth than by their growth rate. The most dominant shoots from the distal part of the framework grew for more than 16 weeks while weak shoots from lower down the framework stopped growing in half that time. There was a curvilinear relationship between shoot length and the proximal diameter of the cutting prepared from it, for shoots from various sources comprising different levels of winter pruning and different parts of the framework of the bush. The extent to which rooting potential was expressed was determined by the management of the rooting medium. When this was too wet, cutting bases developed necrosis which was particularly prevalent in the thinner cuttings. This problem was avoided by planting cuttings with their bases on rapidly draining sand rather than in granulated bark. Under these circumstances percentage rooting decreased with increasing cutting thickness. Before necrosis was controlled in this way rooting increased with increasing proximal stem diameter up to 6-8 mm, reflecting the susceptibility of thin cuttings to over-wet conditions.     

Antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferative responses in vaccinated and Hypoderma lineatum-infested calves.

Cattle infested with the common cattle grub, Hypoderma lineatum (Villers) develop specific humoral antibodies and a cellular immune reaction, defined by delayed-type hypersensitivity, to purified H. lineatum proteins. This investigation was designed to study the antigen-specific bovine lymphocyte response to hypodermin A (HyA), a serine protease of larval first-instar H. lineatum. Calves were vaccinated with either native or denatured HyA, and challenge-infested with H. lineatum. The kinetic development of a cellular immune response to HyA was monitored during vaccination and infestation. The HyA-specific responses were highly variable and weak during vaccination and infestation. Although HyA-specific lymphocyte blastogenic responses were observed, no correlation was noted between the magnitude of antigen-specific, peripheral lymphocyte proliferation and larval mortality. In striking contrast to responses observed during infestation, intense HyA-specific lymphocyte responses were observed with 3 calves 6 months after recovery from infestation. In addition, those responses were further heightened by a 250 micrograms booster injection of pure HyA.     

Polymorphism of the CD4 and CD5 differentiation antigens in cattle.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for bovine CD4 and CD5 antigens have been found to identify polymorphic determinants on these molecules. In the case of CD5, mAb IL-A67 recognises one allotypic form of the antigen while four other CD5-specific mAbs in the workshop (CC17, CC29, BLT-1 and 8C11) recognise a second allotype. The CD4-specific mAbs submitted to the workshop reacted with the cells of all animals tested. However, a further two mAbs (CC26 and IL-A18) specific for CD4 were found to react with cells only from about 85% of animals tested. Sequential immuno-precipitation experiments together with family studies showed that the allotypes of CD4 and CD5 are both inherited in a simple Mendelian manner and are co-dominantly expressed. One of the CD5 allotypes was not detected in Bos taurus animals while the gene frequency of the second allotype was only about 10% in the B. indicus animals tested. The gene frequency of the CD4 allotype detected by CC26 and IL-A18 was similar in the two sub-species.     

Further sources of resistance toHeterodera rostochiensis woll. in the andigena potatoes

Summary The Andigena potatoes (Solanum tuberosum ssp.andigena) of the Commonwealth Potato Collection (C.P.C.) were screened for resistance to non-pathotype A populations ofHeterodera rostochiensis. Three populations were used: Duddingston (pathotype B), Nocton (pathotype C) and Changed Little Ouse (pathotype C). Resistance was found in C.P.C. 2775, 2802 and 2805. C.P.C. 2775 also had resistance to pathotype A (Feltwell population) and appeared to have two dominant genes,H ₁ giving resistance to pathotype A andH ₃ giving resistance to pathotypes B and C. C.P.C. 2802 was susceptible to pathotype A and appeared to have only anH ₃-type gene. C.P.C. 2805, which has not been investigated thoroughly because the plants lacked vigour, may also have anH ₁ and anH ₃ gene. The value of C.P.C. 2775, 2802 and 2805 for breeding nematode-resistant potatoes will only be known when they have been tested with further non-pathotype A populations and when the genetics of resistance have been investigated thoroughly.