Short-term biological variation of clinical chemical values in Dumeril's monitors (Varanus dumerili).

Plasma biochemical values are routinely used in the medical management of ill reptiles, and for monitoring the health of clinically normal animals. Laboratory tests, including clinical biochemical values, are subject to biological and analytical variation, the magnitude of which determines the utility of population-based reference ranges for the detection of abnormal results in the individual animal. Nested analysis of variance of repeated measurements allows the variance to be broken into within-individual, between-individual, and analytical variation. When the within-individual variation is large and the interindividual variation is low, a sample may be accurately classified as normal or abnormal based on a population-based reference interval. However, if the intraindividual variation is low and the interindividual variation high, population-based reference intervals are of limited value as the ranges for an individual encompass only a part of the conventional reference interval. Between-lizard, within-lizard, and analytical components of variance were assessed by nested analysis of variance for 16 commonly measured plasma biochemical parameters in eight healthy adult Dumeril's monitors (Varanus dumerili). Albumin, cholesterol, phosphate, calcium, sodium, and total protein demonstrated levels of individuality suggesting that comparison of a single measurement to a conventional population-based reference range may be too insensitive to detect small but significant alterations in the value for that animal. Only for potassium and AST did the index of individuality suggest that the use of reference values may be warranted. Uric acid, globulin, glucose, and amylase fell in a gray zone, where population-based ranges should be used with caution. The critical difference indicates the difference between two consecutive analytical results that may be safely ascribed to natural variation. In the present study critical difference varied from 7 and 11%, respectively, for sodium and chloride to 75 and 125% for uric acid and AST.     

Changes in Plasma Cortisol, Glucose, and Selected Blood Properties in the Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus Associated with Sequential Movement to Three Experimental Conditions

To determine the changes in blood chemistry associated with sequential transfer of summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus (320–480 g), 300 hatchery-reared fish were moved to three different environmental conditions during a 20-d period. Fish were transferred in progression from a recirculating seawater system (22 ppt, 22.5 C) to a flow-thru seawater system (31 ppt, 20.0 C), to three small coastal net pens (33 ppt, 15.5 C), and finally to a large open ocean net pen (33 ppt, 16.0 C). For this study, eight random fish were captured at each progressive step (environmental condition), anesthetized (MS222), and bled from the caudal vein (2 mL). Transferred flounder were bled every 12 h for 48 h to collect plasma cortisol and glucose samples. Fish were bled 24 h after transport and every 3 d thereafter for osmolarity, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin content, glucose, cortisol, and the electrolytes Cl^- Na⁺, K⁺ and Ca⁺. The most significant perturbations to blood chemistry (P < 0.05) occurred within 24 h of initial transfer from the recirculating to flow-thru seawater systems, suggesting an osmoregulatory rather than handling or transfer related stress. Osmolarity, electrolyte, and hematological parameters fluctuated and then recovered to stable levels by day 8 in the flow-thru seawater system. However, unlike the initial transfer, successive movement to the coastal and then the open ocean net pens produced transient increases in both plasma cortisol and glucose levels, suggesting a high level of stress associated with extended flounder handling and transfer.     

Mild to moderate overweight in dogs: is there an impact on routine hematological and biochemical profiles,echocardiographic parameters and cardiac autonomic modulation?

Veterinary Research Communications - Obesity is considered the most common nutritional disease of dogs. Even though overt obesity is more likely to impair health, even moderately overweight dogs...     

EFFECTS OF FLUID AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC TECHNICAL FACTORS ON CONSPICUITY OF CANINE AND FELINE NASAL TURBINATES

Turbinate destruction is an important diagnostic criterion in canine and feline nasal computed tomography (CT). However decreased turbinate visibility may also be caused by technical CT settings and nasal fluid. The purpose of this experimental, crossover study was to determine whether fluid reduces conspicuity of canine and feline nasal turbinates in CT and if so, whether CT settings can maximize conspicuity. Three canine and three feline cadaver heads were used. Nasal slabs were CT‐scanned before and after submerging them in a water bath; using sequential, helical, and ultrahigh resolution modes; with images in low, medium, and high frequency image reconstruction kernels; and with application of additional posterior fossa optimization and high contrast enhancing filters. Visible turbinate length was measured by a single observer using manual tracing. Nasal density heterogeneity was measured using the standard deviation (SD) of mean nasal density from a region of interest in each nasal cavity. Linear mixed‐effect models using the R package ‘nlme’, multivariable models and standard post hoc Tukey pair‐wise comparisons were performed to investigate the effect of several variables (nasal content, scanning mode, image reconstruction kernel, application of post reconstruction filters) on measured visible total turbinate length and SD of mean nasal density. All canine and feline water‐filled nasal slabs showed significantly decreased visibility of nasal turbinates (P < 0.001). High frequency kernels provided the best turbinate visibility and highest SD of aerated nasal slabs, whereas medium frequency kernels were optimal for water‐filled nasal slabs. Scanning mode and filter application had no effect on turbinate visibility.     

Dissipation of the herbicide benzofenap (Taipan 300) in a rice field ecosystem

The fate of benzofenap [2-[4-(2,4-dicholoro-m-toluoyl)-1,3-dimethylpyrazol-5-yloxy]-4'-methylacetophenone] applied to flooded rice was studied at two locations in New South Wales (Australia). Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was compared with liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for the determination of the commercial chemical in water samples. SPE performed well as compared to LLE (84 vs 80%) in irrigation waters. However, at the lower end of the concentration range (3 microg/L), LLE achieved higher recoveries than SPE (72 vs 59%). Rates of dissipation (DT50) from floodwaters and soils were measured. Dissipation of the herbicide from water and soil occurred fairly erratically in both mediums and can be best explained by a first-order decay process. The DT50 value for benzofenap was <1 day in irrigation water due to rapid deposition of the suspension concentrate formulation. The DT50 in surface soil was 44 days. The maximum measured concentration of benzofenap in a rice field floodwater was 39 microg/L, taking approximately 32 days to dissipate to <1 microg/L.     

Agroforestry systems recover tree carbon stock faster than natural succession in Eastern Amazon,Brazil

Agroforestry Systems - The potential of agroforestry systems (AFS) for atmospheric carbon sequestration in degraded tropical lands is of key interest for climate change and rural development...     

Genomic analysis of influenza A virus from captive wild boars in Brazil reveals a human-like H1N2 influenza virus

Influenza is a viral disease that affects human and several animal species. In Brazil, H1N1, H3N2 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza A viruses (IAV) circulate in domestic swine herds. Wild boars are also susceptible to IAV infection but in Brazil until this moment there are no reports of IAV infection in wild boars or in captive wild boars populations. Herein the occurrence of IAV in captive wild boars with the presence of lung consolidation lesions during slaughter was investigated. Lung samples were screened by RT-PCR for IAV detection. IAV positive samples were further analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRRT-PCR), virus isolation, genomic sequencing, histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Eleven out of 60 lungs (18.3%) were positive for IAV by RT-PCR and seven out of the eleven were also positive for A(H1N1)pdm09 by qRRT-PCR. Chronic diffuse bronchopneumonia was observed in all samples and IHC analysis was negative for influenza A antigen. Full genes segments of H1N2 IAV were sequenced using Illumina's genome analyzer platform (MiSeq). The genomic analysis revealed that the HA and NA genes clustered with IAVs of the human lineage and the six internal genes were derived from the H1N1pdm09 IAV. This is the first report of a reassortant human-like H1N2 influenza virus infection in captive wild boars in Brazil and indicates the need to monitor IAV evolution in Suidae populations.