Thrombocytosis and central nervous system involvement in a case of canine acute megakaryoblastic leukemia

This case report presents a 14‐month‐old female Poodle mix with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia based on a marked thrombocytosis, abnormal platelet morphology, circulating dwarf megakaryocytes, and blast cells in the blood. Bone marrow abnormalities included dysmegakaryopoiesis dygranulopoiesis, and an increased number of blast cells was observed in the blood. Extensive leukemic involvement was also found in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, kidneys, and brain. The cytopathologic features of the abnormal circulating cells were highly suggestive of being megakaryocytic in origin, which was supported by negative myeloperoxidase staining and positive von Willebrand factor staining on immunocytochemistry (ICC). The neoplastic cells were also CD61 positive and had variable von Willebrand factor expression on ICC. Although there were only 25% blast cells in the bone marrow, which theoretically supported myelodysplastic syndrome, the hypothesis that this case represented acute myeloid leukemia of megakaryoblastic origin was confirmed by the continuous increase in circulating blast cell numbers during follow‐up visits and the extensive leukemic involvement of parenchymal organs.     

Computed tomography is a feasible method for quantifying bone density in Macaca mulatta

Osteopathologies are a result of advanced age and decreased bone density and represent a global health problem. It is therefore important to generate models for longitudinal studies of the pathophysiology in order to improve early diagnosis and develop preventive therapies. For this kind of research, the use of computed tomography (CT) to evaluate bone health offers advantages over other techniques since it provides more complete information. The aim of this prospective, pilot study was to obtain measurements of the left femur from a population in captivity of 32 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in order to standardize the model for future research. Healthy subjects from 5 to 28 years old were chosen. Three groups with different ages were formed as follows: (1) 5–9 years, (2) 10–19 years, and (3) 20–28 years. Semi‐automatic segmentation by threshold defined the regions of interest, which were subdivided in the range of 300–700 Hounsfield units (HU) for trabecular bone and >700 HU for cortical bone. Then, the proportional ratios of the volumes of trabecular bone and cortical bone were obtained. Significant differences (analysis of variance test) in the averages of Hounsfield units, cortical, and trabecular bone proportions from each age group proved that a decrease in bone density begins at approximately 20 years of age. The values presented here, as well as the method to obtain them from CT scans, can be used as a baseline in a primate model for long‐term research in bone pathology diagnosis and treatment.     

Improvement of Matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus,Larviculture by Exposing Eggs to Triiodothyronine

This work evaluated the effect of triiodothyronine (T₃) on larviculture of matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus. Oocytes of three females were pooled, fertilized with pooled semen of two males and separated in four batches that were immersed in triiodothyronine solutions as follows: M₁ (control – water); M₂ (0.01 mg/L T₃); M₃ (0.05 mg/L T₃); and M₄ (0.1 mg/L T₃). Triiodothyronine did not affect fertilization rate and number of hatched larvae. Weight of hatched larvae was significantly higher in treatments M3 and M4, as well as among larvae sampled at Day 12 in all treatments. After 12 d of rearing, biomass gain was higher in the hormone treatments (M₁ 688 ± 569 mg; M₂ 2436 ± 562 mg; M₃ 3572 ± 569 mg; and M₄ 4129 ± 770 mg). In general, coefficients of variation of weight (CV_w) and length (CV_l) did not differ among treatments and cannibalism was registered between 36 and 72 hours post‐hatching (h.p.h.) without differences among treatments. Larval survival increased in the hormone treatments (M₁ 26.5%; M₂ 37.6%; M₃ 40.6%; and M₄ 40.8%). The results indicate that the immersion of matrinxã eggs in triiodothyronine can promote beneficial effects to its larviculture and indicate promising perspectives for culture of this tropical species.     

Using otolith microchemistry to reconstruct habitat use of American eels Anguilla rostrata in the St. Lawrence River–Lake Ontario system

Catadromy among freshwater eels is increasingly recognised as being facultative, with some individuals carrying out growth exclusively in brackish or coastal marine waters, or switching between brackish or marine waters and freshwater habitats. In an attempt to reconstruct habitat use of yellow‐stage American eels in a large river‐lake ecosystem, trace element line scans were obtained, using LA‐ICP‐MS, from the otoliths of 110 eels sampled at various locations throughout the St. Lawrence River–Lake Ontario (SLRLO) system. Elemental profiles for strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) enabled us to distinguish three chemical signatures that appear to represent three distinct habitats within the SLRLO. Of these, one was shown to likely correspond to the brackish estuary (high strontium values). The other two signatures, characterised by low strontium but variable concentrations of barium and manganese, may correspond to habitats within the main‐stem St. Lawrence River and one or more of its tributaries. Most (78%) of the switches among habitats occurred within the first four years after recruitment suggesting an increasing likelihood for eels to maintain residence in one habitat as they grow older. This suggests that tributaries may provide important habitats for American eels during the first several years after recruiting to the SLRLO. In addition, our results suggest that a small proportion American eels in the SLRLO can undertake movements on the order of at least 200 km during the early growth stage. This information has important implications for the management and conservation of this species in the system.     

Performance of dual and triple fungicide premixes for managing soybean rust across years and regions in Brazil: A meta-analysis

Soybean rust in Brazil is currently controlled with several commercial fungicide premixes composed of demethylation inhibitors (EPOXiconazole, CYPRoconazole, PROThioconazole, TEBUconazole), quinone-outside inhibitors (AZOXystrobin, TriFLoXystrobin, PYRAclostrobin, PICOxystrobin), and succinate demethylation inhibitors (BENZovindiflupyr, BIXaFen, FLUXapyroxad). Here, we summarize the performance of eight premixes evaluated in 177 cooperative trials conducted in 46 locations across 10 states from 2015 to 2020. All fungicide treatments were sprayed three times starting at R1/R2. Percentage control (, %), from back-transforming meta-analytic estimates of the log of the ratio, ranged from 56.2% (PICO + CYPR) to 76.8% (BIXF + TFLX + PROT). Estimates of mean yield difference (, kg/ha) between fungicide-treated and untreated plots were greatest for BIXF + TFLX + PROT (1,080) followed by PICO + BENZ (1,010), PYRA + EPOX + FLUX (981.5), AZOX + BENZ (910), TFLX + PROT (891), PICO +TEBU (682), TFLX + CYPR (646), and PICO + CYPR (600). Significant declines in both and in as little as 4 years were detected for AZOX + BENZ (35.3%; 550 kg/ha) and PICO + BENZ (15.5%; 359.8 kg/ha). Variance in was reduced by the inclusion of baseline severity as covariate. In trials where baseline disease was ≥70%, yield was 250 kg/ha greater compared to areas with low baseline disease. Disease control and yield response were generally greater in the south-east, where the frequency of profitable scenarios was 30% higher on average than in the north-west. Results of this meta-analysis are critical for supporting decisions during planning of fungicide programmes.     

Effect of Electric Field Treatment on Unsaturated Fatty Acid in Crude Avocado Oil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of the fatty acids in avocado oil when the product is subjected to different conditions of electric field treatment (voltage: 5 kV cm^?1; frequency: 720 Hz; treatment time: 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 min). Fatty acids were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region. Electric field is a suitable method to preserve the oil quality and composition with minimal modifications in unsaturated fatty acids.