Successful treatment of distichiasis in a cat using transconjunctival electrocautery

A 2-year-old male castrated Domestic Short-haired cat presented to the Ophthalmology Service at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania for evaluation of chronic bilateral ocular discharge and blepharospasm. Initial ophthalmic examination revealed severe conjunctivitis and keratitis and the presence of upper eyelid distichiae bilaterally. Initial therapy for suspected feline herpesviral infection provided moderate, but not complete, resolution of the clinical signs. Over the subsequent year, the cat suffered from recurrent, severe, ulcerative keratitis in both eyes despite appropriate medical therapy. Approximately 13 months after the initial presentation, the distichiae were surgically removed using transconjunctival electrocautery, which resulted in complete resolution of the clinical signs. This report documents bilateral distichiasis in a cat, a condition that is considered rare in this species.     

Development of a novel self-medicating applicator for control of internal and external parasites of wild and domestic animals

Four trials, three in the United States and one in South Africa, were conducted to evaluate the potential value of a novel self-medicating applicator in the passive control of gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle and deer, and of files and ticks on cattle using oil-based treatments. The results of the trials demonstrated that this applicator is an effective and practical device for the passive treatment of both deer and cattle for trichostrongyle infections using the endectocide, moxidectin (Cydectin. Fort Dodge Animal Health, USA), of cattle for hom fly (Haemotobia irritans) infestations using the insecticide, cyfluthrin (CyLence, Bayer AG, Germany) and of cattle for tick infestations (in particular Amblyomma hebraeum and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) using the acaricides deltamethrin and amitraz (Delete All, Intervet, South Africa).     

Cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins added to fresh bull ejaculates improve sperm cryosurvival

Damage occurring to spermatozoa during cryopreservation results in a loss of motile cells and cells that are functionally normal, compared with fresh sperm samples. Treating bull sperm with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins (CLC) before cryopreservation results in increased sperm cryosurvival. However, in previous studies, CLC were always added to sperm samples that had been highly diluted. The aim of this study was to develop a procedure for adding CLC to whole bull ejaculates that would optimize sperm cryosurvival. Adding 2 or 4 mg of CLC/120 x 10(6) sperm to sperm samples ranging in concentration from 120 to 2,000 x 10(6) sperm/mL resulted in greater (17 to 28 percentage points; P < 05) numbers of live cells compared with control samples (no CLC treatment), regardless of the sperm concentration, except for samples at 120 x 10(6) sperm/mL treated with 4 mg of CLC. Incubating sperm with CLC at 23 or 37 degrees C before cryopreservation resulted in similar sperm cryosurvival. The cooling rate used to cryopreserve CLC-treated cells did not affect sperm cryosurvival. Finally, adding CLC to undiluted ejaculates (2 mg of CLC/120 x 10(6) sperm) resulted in greater percentages of live sperm compared with the control samples (62 vs. 45%; P < 0.05), although the percentages of motile sperm were similar for both CLC-treated and control samples (58%). In conclusion, bull sperm cryo-survival can be improved if spermatozoa are treated with CLC before freezing. In addition, CLC can be added to fresh ejaculates at either 23 or 37 degrees C. This technique is simple, practical, and can be easily integrated into current cryopreservation protocols.     

Damage by Homalinotus depressus in commercial coconut palm crops in the Amazonian region of Brazil

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L., Arecaceae) has great economic and social importance for many industrial and non-industrial products. Pests can reduce its productivity and cause its death. In 2005, larvae and adults of a Curculionidae were observed damaging the floral stalk of coconut palms in commercial plantations in the municipality of Moju, Pará State, in the Brazilian Amazon. Insects were identified as the black coconut bunch weevil, Homalinotus depressus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cholini). This is the first report of this pest damaging coconut palms in Brazil.     

Enhanced fitness conferred by naturally occurring variation in the circadian clock

Natural variation in clock parameters is necessary for the circadian clock to contribute to organismal fitness over a broad geographic range. Considerable variation is evident in the period, phase, and amplitude of 150 Arabidopsis accessions, and the period length is correlated with the day length at the latitude of origin, implying the adaptive significance of correctly regulated circadian timing. Quantitative trait loci analysis of recombinant inbred lines indicates that multiple loci interact to determine period, phase, and amplitude. The loss-of-function analysis of each member of the ARABIDOPSIS PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR family suggests that they are candidates for clock quantitative trait loci.     

Serologic survey of brucellosis in captive neotropical wild carnivores in northeast Brazil

Abstract. This study reports the detection of antibodies against Brucella abortus and B. canis in wild neotropical carnivores kept in captivity in three zoos in northeastern Brazil. A total of 42 serum samples were examined, 17 from coatis (Nasua nasua), eight from crab-eating raccoons (Procyon cancrivorus), three from crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), three from hoary foxes (Lycalopex vetulus), two from little spotted cats (Leopardus tigrinus), five from tayras (Eira barbara), two from greater grisons (Galictis vittata), and two from neotropical river otters (Lontra longicaudis). The Rose-Bengal test and complement fixation test (CFT) were performed to detect anti-Brucella spp. antibodies, whereas the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID) was employed to detect anti-B. canis antibodies. The overall seroprevalence varied by species and by test; in addition, CFT and AGID seemed better able to detect antibodies against B. abortus and B. canis, respectively. This is the first study on the presence of anti-Brucella spp. antibodies in captive carnivores from Brazil, as well as the first report of antibodies to Brucella spp. in coatis, crab-eating raccoons, hoary foxes, little spotted cats, tayras, and greater grisons.     

Polymorphism,coupling interval and prematurity index in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease and ventricular arrhythmias

Ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are a recognized concern in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD). The coupling interval (CI) and the prematurity index (PI) have been shown to accurately differentiate between benign and malignant VA in people, where ventricular arrhythmias are known to be associated with an increased risk of development of signs of heart failure or sudden death. In this study, we characterized ventricular arrhythmias in dogs with symptomatic and asymptomatic DMVD. Seventy dogs with naturally-occurring DMVD and ventricular arrhythmias were retrospectively studied. A cross-sectional investigation including dogs with either symptomatic (stages C/D; n?=?41) or asymptomatic (stages B1/B2; n?=?29) DMVD was performed. Electrocardiographic tracings were reviewed to calculate both the CI and PI. In eight dogs these indices were compared with those obtained from both a Holter recording and a standard ECG tracing and no statistical differences were found (CI, p?=?0.97; PI, p?=?0.17). Even though CI and PI were determined in all animals enrolled in the study, VPC characteristics were only compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs when a 24-h Holter recording was available (n?=?49). The PI was different (p?=?0.01) between symptomatic (0.65?±?0.17) and asymptomatic (0.56?±?0.18) dogs, but CI was considered similar (p?=?0.91). Also, the symptomatic dogs had more polymorphic VPC (p?=?0.002) and supraventricular arrhythmias (p?=?0.0002) than the asymptomatic animals. Polymorphism, and repeating patterns of ventricular premature complexes, were characteristics frequently present in overtly symptomatic animals affected by mitral endocardiosis.     

Use of cyclodextrins as secondary antioxidants to improve the color of fresh pear juice

In this paper, the color of fresh pear juice was evaluated for the first time in the presence of some natural and modified cyclodextrins (CDs) and the effect of these compounds as browning inhibitors was determined using the color space CIELAB system. Furthermore, because contradictory claims have been published concerning the mechanism by which enzymatic browning is inhibited by CDs, a kinetic model in the presence of CDs is proposed and the corresponding apparent complexation constants between the mixtures of diphenols present in pear juice and alpha-, beta-, and maltosyl-beta-CD have been calculated. Moreover, pear juice color was studied in the presence of different polyphenoloxidase inhibitors. Finally, we show that maltosyl-beta-CD enhances the ability of ascorbic acid to prevent enzymatic browning because of the protection that maltosyl-beta-CD offers against ascorbic acid oxidation. In this respect, maltosyl-beta-CD seems to act as a "secondary antioxidant", reducing pear juice browning and enhancing the naturally occurring antioxidant capacity of pear juice.