Comparison of noninvasive cardiac output measured by use of partial carbon dioxide rebreathing or the lithium dilution method in anesthetized foals

OBJECTIVE: To compare cardiac output (CO) measured by use of the partial carbon dioxide rebreathing method (NICO) or lithium dilution method (LiDCO) in anesthetized foals. SAMPLE POPULATION: Data reported in 2 other studies for 18 neonatal foals that weighed 32 to 61 kg. PROCEDURES: Foals were anesthetized and instrumented to measure direct blood pressure, heart rate, arterial blood gases, end-tidal isoflurane and carbon dioxide concentrations, and CO. Various COs were achieved by administration of dobutamine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, phenylephrine, and isoflurane to allow comparisons between LiDCO and NICO methods. Measurements were obtained in duplicate or triplicate. We allowed 2 minutes between measurements for LiDCO and 3 minutes for NICO after achieving a stable hemodynamic plane for at least 10 to 15 minutes at each CO. RESULTS: 217 comparisons were made. Correlation (r = 0.77) was good between the 2 methods for all determinations. Mean +/- SD measurements of cardiac index for all comparisons with the LiDCO and NICO methods were 138 +/- 62 mL/kg/min (range, 40 to 381 mL/kg/min) and 154 +/- 55 mL/kg/min (range, 54 to 358 mL/kg/min), respectively. Mean difference (bias) between LiDCO and NICO measurements was -17.3 mL/kg/min with a precision (1.96 x SD) of 114 mL/kg/min (range, -131.3 to 96.7). Mean of the differences of LiDCO and NICO measurements was 4.37 + (0.87 x NICO value). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The NICO method is a viable, noninvasive method for determination of CO in neonatal foals with normal respiratory function. It compares well with the more invasive LiDCO method.     

Tryptophan-accelerated electron flow through proteins

Energy flow in biological structures often requires submillisecond charge transport over long molecular distances. Kinetics modeling suggests that charge-transfer rates can be greatly enhanced by multistep electron tunneling in which redox-active amino acid side chains act as intermediate donors or acceptors. We report transient optical and infrared spectroscopic experiments that quantify the extent to which an intervening tryptophan residue can facilitate electron transfer between distant metal redox centers in a mutant Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin. Cu(I) oxidation by a photoexcited Re(I)-diimine at position 124 on a histidine(124)-glycine(123)-tryptophan(122)-methionine(121) beta strand occurs in a few nanoseconds, fully two orders of magnitude faster than documented for single-step electron tunneling at a 19 angstrom donor-acceptor distance.     

Hematuria following administration of ethanol

Hematuria, with some erythrocytes also appearing in the urine, was observed in male albino rats given 20 percent and 40 percent ethanol in lieu of drinking water for several weeks. However, the amounts of hemoglobin in the blood of the treated group did not change relative to those of the control group; this finding indicates that the degree of hematuria was not sufficient to produce an anemia.     

Purification and characterization of two antifungal chitinases extracellularly produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens V656 in a shrimp and crab shell powder medium

A Gram-positive bacterium with antagonistic activity was isolated from the soil. It has been identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain V656 on the basis of 16S ribosomal DNA analysis and standard bacteriological tests. B. amyloliquefaciens V656 produced antifungal enzymes when it was grown in a medium containing shrimp and crab shell powder (SCSP) of marine waste. The antifungal enzymes displayed chitinase activities. Two extracellular antifungal chitinases (FI and FII) were purified and characterized, and their molecular weights, isoelectric points, pH and thermal stabilities, and antifungal activities were determined. The characteristics of V656 chitinases are similar to those of the known bacterial chitinases in terms of their isoelectric points, thermal instabilities, and lack of lysozyme activity. In contrast to other known bacterial chitinases, the unique characteristics of V656 chitinases include extremely low molecular weights and nearly neutral optimum pH. Furthermore, this is the first report of the isolation of chitinases from B. amyloliquefaciens that are active against fungi.     

Modeling driving forces of avian diversity in a spatial configuration surrounded by farm ponds

Farm ponds provide a home for birds and numerous species of aquatic animals in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Urbanization and development of infrastructure resulted in the gradual disappearance of these ponds. Currently, only 3800 ponds originally approximately 15.4 % remain, and 84.6 % of the surface area of the ponds has vanished. Aiming to protect avian diversity, this study used logistic regression analysis and the geostatistical approach to analyze the relationship between avian diversity and landscape structure, in an effort to elucidate the spatial driving force of avian diversity. We detected that regression-kriging (RK) was even more accurate than logistic regression (LR). In addition, the value of diversity (H′) measures may decrease instead of increase when evenness (J′) is increased. The results of this study also indicated that an exceedingly strong relationship existed among avian diversity and landscape scale, agricultural landscape indices, and pond landscape indices. The models predict that preservation of large areas of waterscapes and paddy landscapes result in greater diversity of avian species. Spatial estimation of the research area indicated that human activity substantially affected avian ecology, leading to reductions in avian diversity. Thus, the reduction of the area of ecological corridors due to urban development is expected to further reduce avian diversity in the Taoyuan region. Our approach can be used to effectively analyze the correlations between characteristics of ecosystems and the environmental landscape, to ensure that pondscapes can be appropriately maintained and ecological reserves designated to prevent further decline in avian diversity.     

A method for estimating the loss in tuber yield caused by late blight of potato

A method was developed for estimating tuber yield losses caused by late blight of potato (Phytophthora infestans) (Mont.) de Bary. The method is based on yield and disease data collected for the varieties Green Mountain and Katahdin grown in eastern Canada during the period 1953–1970. The percentage yield loss can be calculated for any disease progress curve. The estimated loss was within 5% of the actual loss in nine cases out of ten.     

Systemic lidocaine infusion as an analgesic for intraocular surgery in dogs: a pilot study

Objective To determine if systemic administration of lidocaine during intraocular surgery reduces post-operative ocular pain. Study design Randomized, masked, controlled experimental trial. Animals Twelve dogs weighing 15.5 ± 1.7 kg (mean ± SD) and aged 2.5 ± 0.6 years. Methods All dogs underwent a baseline ophthalmic examination and subjective pain score. Anesthesia consisted of acepromazine (0.1 mg kg⁻¹, IM), propofol (4–6 mg kg⁻¹, IV), and isoflurane in oxygen. There were three groups each receiving a bolus followed by an infusion (n = 4): saline (0.3 mL kg⁻¹ IV + 0.2 mL kg⁻¹hour⁻¹ IV); morphine (0.15 mg kg⁻¹ IV + 0.1 mg kg⁻¹hour⁻¹ IV); and lidocaine (1.0 mg kg⁻¹ IV + 0.025 mg kg⁻¹minute⁻¹ IV). All treatments began 15 minutes prior to starting of phacoemulsification and lens removal from the right eye. Pain scores were recorded at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 16, and 24 hours after t = 0 (extubation). Rescue morphine was administered (1.0 mg kg⁻¹ IM) if the subjective pain score ≥9 (maximum = 24), and the dog was excluded from further data analysis. Differences in pain scores and time-to-treatment failure (TTF) were analyzed using the Wilcoxon's rank sum test. Differences in incidence of treatment failure were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Physiologic data were analyzed using repeated measures anova . Significance was defined as P < 0.05. Results Incidence of treatment failure was 100% in saline-treated dogs and 50% in morphine- or lidocaine-treated dogs. There was no difference in intraocular pressure, aqueous flare, cell count (or protein) between groups in the operated eye at any time following extubation. Conclusion and clinical relevance This pilot study suggests that intraoperative lidocaine may provide analgesic benefits similar to morphine for intraocular surgery in dogs, but more definitive research is needed. This model appears to be appropriate for pain assessment studies as the negative control group demonstrated 100% failure rate.     

How to perform combined cutting balloon and high pressure balloon valvuloplasty for dogs with subaortic stenosis

Subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) is one of the most common congenital cardiac malformations in dogs. Unfortunately, the long term success rate and survival data following either open heart surgery or catheter based intervention has been disappointing in dogs with severe subaortic stenosis. Medical therapy is currently the only standard recommended treatment option. A cutting balloon dilation catheter has been used successfully for resistant coronary artery and peripheral pulmonary arterial stenoses in humans. This catheter is unique in that it has the ability to cut, or score, the stenotic region prior to balloon dilatation of the stenosis. The use of cutting balloon valvuloplasty combined with high pressure valvuloplasty for dogs with severe subaortic stenosis has recently been reported to be a safe and feasible alternative therapeutic option. The following report describes this technique, outlines the materials required, and provides some ‘tips’ for successful percutaneous subaortic balloon valvuloplasty.     

A new fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) bait base carrier for moist conditions

BACKGROUND: A new water‐resistant fire ant bait (T‐bait; cypermethrin 0.128%) consisting of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a carrier was developed and evaluated against a standard commercial bait (Advion^®; indoxacarb 0.045%) under both laboratory and field conditions. RESULTS: When applying the normal T‐bait or Advion^® in the laboratory, 100% of Solenopsis invicta Buren worker ants were killed within 4 days. However, when the T‐bait and Advion^® were wetted, 70.6 and 39.7% of the ants were killed respectively. Under field conditions, dry T‐bait and dry Advion^® had almost the same efficacy against ant colonies. However, when T‐bait and Advion^® came in contact with water, the former's ability to kill S. invicta colonies in the field was only marginally reduced, while Advion^® lost virtually all of its activity. In addition, DDGS was also shown to be compatible with a number of other insecticides, such as d‐allethrin, permethrin and pyrethrin. CONCLUSION: Based on its properties of remaining attractive to the fire ants when wetted, combined with its ant‐killing abilities both in the laboratory and in the field, T‐bait is an efficient fire ant bait, especially under moist conditions. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of chemical and organic fertilizers on the growth,flower quality and nutrient uptake of Anthurium andreanum, cultivated for cut flower production

Sustainable agriculture has become a concern, due to the pressures of the “energy crisis” and issues of “environmental protection”. The use of organic fertilizer made from agricultural waste regenerates natural resources and reduces the consumption of fossil energy as well as phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) deposits. There is scant information available concerning the use of organic fertilizer as the sole source of nutrients in flower production, especially in the cultivation of flowers in a soilless condition. The objective of this study was to develop an organic fertilization management system to replace the chemical fertilization management of the cut flower production of Anthurium andreanum Lind. cultivated under soilless conditions. Four fertilization treatments were carried out consisting of two chemical fertilizers [controlled release fertilizer (CRF) and a chemical nutrient solution (CNS)], and two organic fertilizers [pea and rice hull compost (PRHC) and cattle dung with tea leaf residue compost (CDTC)]. The effects of the various fertilizations on A. andreanum were evaluated based on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and cut flower quality during the 1-year experimental period. The results show that the growth, yield, and cut flower quality of plants receiving PRHC were the same as those receiving CNS and CRF, indicating that PRHC can substitute for CRF and CNS as a nutrient source for cut flower production of A. andreanum cultivated in soilless condition. The plants that received the CNS and PRHC treatments had a significantly increased leaf number and new leaf growth area than those that received the CRF and CDTC treatments. The plants receiving the CDTC showed the lowest increase in leaf area and number of flowers. The retardant growth of plants treated with CDTC has been explained as being due to less carbon (C) being assimilated, most likely as the result of an insufficient supply of nitrogen (N) and manganese (Mn) toxicity. The petiole and peduncle length of the plants receiving the CRF were the shortest, which might be due to the low level of potassium (K) accompanying the magnesium (Mg) deficiency. Even though there were significant differences in the N and K concentrations of the plants among the different treatments, no significant differences were observed in the cut flower quality. In short, the organic fertilizer PRHC can meet the nutrient requirements of A. andreanum cultivation for the cut flower production under soilless conditions.