Ultrasonographic diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunt in 14 cats

Twenty-four cats with clinical and, or, clinico-pathological signs compatible with portosystemic shunting were examined prospectively using two-dimensional grey-scale, duplex and colourflow Doppler ultrasonography. Diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunt was subsequently confirmed in 14 cats using operative mesenteric portography and surgery. Of the 14 affected cats, nine were purebred; eight were male and six female. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was nine months (range four to 27 months). Ultrasonographic evidence of a small liver was present in seven cats (50 per cent); visibility of intrahepatic portal vessels was reduced in three (21 per cent). An anomalous blood vessel was identified ultrasonographically in each cat; in 10 cats (71 per cent) the vessel was observed to originate from the portal vein and drain into the caudal vena cava. Abnormally variable portal blood flow waspresent in eight of the 10 cats in which it was measured. At surgery, six shunts were intrahepatic and eight extrahepatic; the ultrasonographic diagnosis of intra- versus extra-hepatic shunt was correct in 13 cats (93 per cent). No anomalous blood vessels or abnormalities affecting the portal vein were detected ultrasonographically in any of the 10 cats that did not have congenital portosystemic shunting. Hence, the accuracy of ultrasonography for diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunting in this series was 100 per cent.     

Comparison of B-mode and Doppler ultrasonographic findings with histologic features of benign and malignant superficial lymph nodes in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To compare and correlate B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonographic characteristics with histopathologic findings of benign and malignant superficial lymph nodes in dogs. STUDY POPULATION: 50 superficial lymph nodes that were normal, abnormally large on physical examination, or represented regional lymph nodes draining an area of suspected primary malignancy in 30 dogs. PROCEDURES: Before excision, lymph nodes were evaluated via B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonography to assess size, echogenicity, presence of a hilus, acoustic transmission, and vascular flow. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of excised lymph nodes were stained with H&E and examined for the presence and extent of necrosis, fibrosis, fat, metastases, and tissue heterogeneity. To assess vascularity, the number and distribution of vessels stained by the Verhoeff van Gieson technique were recorded. RESULTS: In superficial lymph nodes, a varied echogenicity corresponded to tissue heterogeneity. The ultrasonographic detection of a hilus was associated with the presence of fibrous tissue, fat, or both in the hilar region. Acoustic enhancement corresponded to presence of areas of intranodal necrosis. There was significant correlation between both the distribution and the number of vessels detected via ultrasonography and that detected by histopathology. The amount of flow estimated via ultrasonography was typically higher than that estimated via histologic examination. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that histopathologic changes in canine lymph nodes have associated ultrasonographic changes and suggest that lymph node ultrasonography has an important role in the evaluation of lymph nodes in dogs in general and in dogs with neoplastic disease in particular.     

喀斯特地区烟田土壤有效态微量元素的空间变异特征——以贵州省毕节地区为例

以典型的喀斯特地区——贵州省毕节地区为研究区域,采用地统计学和地理信息系统(GIS)相结合的方法,对烟田土壤中有效态微量元素Cu、Zn、Fe、Mn、B和Mo含量的空间变异特征进行研究。结果表明,烟田土壤中各微量元素的变异系数在45.75%～82.45%,均属于中等变异。半方差函数分析表明,烟田土壤微量元素中Cu、Zn、Fe的最适模型是线性模型,而Mn、B和Mo的最适模型为指数模型;各微量元素的块基比〔C0/(C0+C)〕均在25%～75%,表现为中等空间相关性,其空间变异受结构性因素(土壤母质、地形地貌、气候)和随机性因素(施肥、耕作措施、工业污染等)的共同影响。烟田土壤微量元素的空间分布表明,除有效铁含量分布呈现连续空间分布特点外,其他几种微量元素的空间分布并未呈现明显的分布规律。     

有机氮部分替代无机氮对香料烟产量、产值及品质的影响

为了提高香料烟的产量、产值和品质,采用田间小区试验研究了有机氮部分替代无机氮(取代比例分别为0、25%、50%)对香料烟产值及品质的影响。结果表明,有机氮取代部分无机氮对烤烟的产量、产值、上等烟比例和化学成分协调程度及矿质营养元素含量有很大的影响。其中,产量、产值和上等烟比例以有机氮取代50%无机氮处理最高,分别达到2 212.00kg/hm2、53 362.00元/hm2和70.22%。有机氮部分取代无机氮对香料烟叶片中化学成分、矿质元素的影响比较复杂,不同部位叶片以及不同化学成分的响应不同,但总体表现为有机氮取代无机氮改善了烤烟化学成分的协调程度,促进了有益矿质元素的积累。总之,对浙江省绍兴香料烟烟区来说,在施氮水平为105kg/hm2情况下,有机氮取代50%的无机氮时香料烟的经济产量、产值和烟叶品质较好。     

青藏高原东北部唐古特铁线莲种子萌发特性的研究

唐古特铁线莲是中国一种珍贵药用植物,青海省是其主要分布区。针对唐古特铁线莲野生资源受到严重破坏的情况,对其人工引种栽培过程中种子发芽率进行了研究,旨在为唐古特铁线莲的栽培和野生资源的保护提供理论依据。研究表明:自然状态下唐古特铁线莲种子萌发率低;经变温、温汤浸种、KNO3和GA3处理后种子发芽率显著提高。     

蒙古斑点马黑、白毛色区域皮肤中相关基因的表达研究

本试验以蒙古斑点马为研究对象,分别对蒙古斑点马体躯白色区域和黑色区域皮肤的表型和差异表达基因进行分析并验证,试图解析蒙古斑点马毛色形成的分子机制,为今后保护和开发利用蒙古斑点马奠定基础.选择蒙古斑点马体躯白色和黑色区域皮肤制作组织切片,HE染色后在显微镜下观察其表型差异;对白色和黑色区域皮肤组织进行转录组测序,比较差异...     

娟姗牛与西杂牛杂交后代生长发育观测

[目的]旨在繁育适于牦牛杂交改良的乳肉兼用父本.[方法]在海拔相对较低的半农半牧区,用娟姗牛与西杂牛杂交,观察杂交后代的生长发育和配种情况.[结果]娟姗牛与西杂牛的杂交后代在甘南州高海拔地区具有较好的适应性,表现出明显的杂交优势,能与甘南牦牛自然交配.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—MALIGNANT PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR PRESENTING AS AN INTRA‐AXIAL BRAIN MASS IN A YOUNG DOG

A 3‐year‐old Labrador retriever was presented with acute onset seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intra‐axial mass affecting the right temporal lobe of the brain. Surgical resection and histopathological findings were most consistent with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. After initial recovery, deterioration 3 months post surgery prompted euthanasia. Post‐mortem revealed a mass protruding from the ventral surface of the temporal lobe, encroaching upon the optic chiasm and invading the brain. Histopathology findings were again consistent with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Although rare, this tumor should be included as a possible differential diagnosis for intra‐axial brain masses in dogs.     

Cryptosporidium scrofarum n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa)

We describe the morphological, biological, and molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium pig genotype II and propose the species name Cryptosporidium scrofarum n. sp. to reflect its prevalence in adult pigs worldwide. Oocysts of C. scrofarum are morphologically indistinguishable from C. parvum, measuring 4.81–5.96 μm (mean = 5.16) × 4.23–5.29 μm (mean = 4.83) with a length to width ratio of 1.07 ± 0.06 (n = 400). Oocysts of C. scrofarum obtained from a naturally infected pig were infectious for 8-week-old pigs but not 4-week-old pigs. The prepatent period in 8-week-old Cryptosporidium-naive pigs was 4–6 days and the patent period was longer than 30 days. The infection intensity of C. scrofarum in pigs was generally low, in the range 250–4000 oocysts per gram of feces. Infected pigs showed no clinical signs of cryptosporidiosis and no pathology was detected. Cryptosporidium scrofarum was not infectious for adult SCID mice, adult BALB/c mice, Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), southern multimammate mice (Mastomys coucha), yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), or guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit rRNA, actin, and heat shock protein 70 gene sequences revealed that C. scrofarum is genetically distinct from all known Cryptosporidium species.