EFFECTS OF ANESTHETIC PROTOCOL ON NORMAL CANINE BRAIN UPTAKE OF 18F‐FDG ASSESSED BY PET/CT

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of four anesthetic protocols on normal canine brain uptake of 2‐deoxy‐2‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐d ‐glucose (FDG) using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Five clinically normal beagle dogs were anesthetized with (1) propofol/isoflurane, (2) medetomidine/pentobarbital, (3) xylazine/ketamine, and (4) medetomidine/tiletamine–zolazepam in a randomized cross‐over design. The standard uptake value (SUV) of FDG was obtained in the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, cerebellum, brainstem and whole brain, and compared within and between anesthetic protocols using the Friedman test with significance set at P<0.05. Significant differences in SUVs were observed in various part of the brain associated with each anesthetic protocol. The SUV for the frontal and occipital lobes was significantly higher than in the brainstem in all dogs. Dogs receiving medetomidine/tiletamine–zolazepam also had significantly higher whole brain SUVs than the propofol/isoflurane group. We concluded that each anesthetic protocol exerted a different regional brain glucose uptake pattern. As a result, when comparing brain glucose uptake using PET/CT, one should consider the effects of anesthetic protocols on different regions of the glucose uptake in the dog's brain.     

Metabolism of Sucrose in Apples I.

The volatile oil contents of dried leaves of Majorana hortensis, Melissa officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis and Thymus vulgaris reached maximum values in summer. Different harvest dates are required in order to obtain the highest yields of dried leaves ha^-1, the highest levels of volatile oil in the dried leaves, and the highest yields of volatile oil ha^-1. The upper parts of balm, oregano and sage plants yielded the most dried leaves, but the lower parts showed the highest levels of volatile oil in the dried leaves.     

Biofortification of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit with the anticancer compound methylselenocysteine using a selenocysteine methyltransferase from a selenium hyperaccumulator

Methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys) is an amino acid derivative that possesses potent anticancer activity in animals. Plants that can tolerate growth on soils with high Se content, known as Se hyperaccumulators, do so by converting inorganic Se to MeSeCys by the enzyme selenocysteine methyltransferase (SMT). A cDNA encoding the SMT from a Se hyperaccumulator was overexpressed in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Transgenic plants were provided with selenite or selenate to the roots during fruit development, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to show that MeSeCys accumulated in the fruit but not in the leaves. Depending on the transgenic line and Se treatment, up to 16% of the total Se in the fruit was present as MeSeCys. MeSeCys was produced more effectively from selenite on a percentage conversion basis, but greater accumulation of MeSeCys could be achieved from selenate due to its better translocation from the roots. MeSeCys was heat stable and survived processing of the fruit to tomato juice.     

In this issue – November 2011

H1N1 influenza in pigs in Australia · Postnatal neurogenetic disorders · Deltamethrin collar for paralysis ticks in dogs · Myocardial laceration from sewing needle · Physiotherapy for tetanus in a foal · Morbillivirus in a bottle‐nosed dolphin · Sarcoptic manage in a swamp wallaby · Psychological health of veterinarians in Australia · History of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists     

Antibiotic Resistance, Gene Transfer, and Water Quality Patterns Observed in Waterways near CAFO Farms and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

We examined water quality indicators (pH, temperature, turbidity, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform density) and bacterial antibiotic resistance (prevalence, conjugative transfer, and genetic linkage of resistance elements) at locations impacted by confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and compared them to nearby reference sites. Sites located upstream and downstream of two wastewater treatment facilities were also compared. Sites near CAFO farms had poor water quality (elevated total phosphorus and turbidity), while water quality remained relatively good downstream of wastewater treatment plants. High proportions of antibiotic-resistant bacteria were observed at all study sites, and frequent conjugative transfer of resistance was observed in laboratory assays. Out of a total of 830 environmental bacterial isolates, 77.1% were resistant to only ampicillin, while 21.2% were resistant to combinations of antibiotics including ampicillin (A), kanamycin (K), chlorotetracycline (C), oxytetracycline (O), and streptomycin (S). Multi-drug-resistant bacteria were significantly more common at sites impacted by CAFO farms. In conjugation assays, 83.3% of the environmental isolates transferred one or more antibiotic resistance genes to a laboratory strain of Salmonella typhimurium. A subset of multi-drug-resistant (A, C, and O) isolates was screened for specific tetracycline resistance genes and class I and II integrons. None of the screened isolates (n?=?22) were positive for integrons, while 13 isolates contained resistance genes for tet (B) and tet (C). Our results indicate that CAFO farms not only impair traditional measures of water quality but may also increase the prevalence of multi-drug-resistant bacteria in natural waters.