Rare and endangered plant species of the Chinese Altai Mountains

Altai (also named Altay in China) Mountain Country (Mountain System) is a unique natural region,located on the border between different floristic regimes of the Boreal and ancient Mediterranean sub-kingdoms,where distribution of plant species is actually limited. It is known to have sufficient endemic floral biodiversity in the Northern Asia. Many plants of Altai Mountain System need effective care and proper conservation measures for their survival and longer-term protection. Important Plant Area identified as the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature),specified criteria attract global attention for protection of floral biodiversity across the world. The records of 71 plant species from the Chinese Altai Mountains attributed to the criterion A and the dark conifer forests of Chinese Altai Mountains satisfied the criterion C,which may help qualify to fulfill the national obligation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.     

Evaluation of diagnostic tests in the absence of a gold standard using an Anaplasma marginale field data set

The evaluation of newly developed diagnostic tests (tests) commonly involves the comparison of the test outcomes (pos/neg.) of a sample of animals to those of a reference test (gold standard) in order to derive sensitivity and specificity estimates. Often, however, new tests have to be evaluated against an imperfect reference test since a true gold standard test is either too expensive or too costly to apply. This results in bias in the test characteristic estimates. To solve this problem, latent class and Bayesian models can be used to estimate sensitivity and specificity when evaluating a diagnostic test in the absence of a gold standard. They require at least two imperfect reference tests applied to all individuals in the study. In our approach we used a two-test two-population scenario. Both the gold standard and these modelling approaches rely on various assumptions. When violated, biased results will be obtained. The analysis of field data from an Anaplasma marginale outbreak in cattle in Switzerland with four diagnostic procedures (detection of the agent, serology, PCR and hematocrit measurements) was used as a practical example to demonstrate and critically discuss the approaches taken. In this relatively small data set (n = 275) the estimates for the test characteristics obtained by the different methods were quite similar. Overall, the bias in the point estimates depended mainly on the chosen estimation approach. All tests showed a non-negligible correlation mainly in the test sensitivities. This emphasizes the importance of taking into account test dependence even if it seems not biologically plausible at first thought.     

Anthocyanin antioxidant activity and partition behavior in whey protein emulsion

The antioxidant activities of anthocyanins and anthocyanin fractions isolated from blackcurrants, raspberries, and lingonberries were investigated in whey protein-stabilized emulsion. The extent of protein oxidation was measured by determining the loss of tryptophan fluorescence and formation of protein carbonyl compounds and that of lipid oxidation by conjugated diene hydroperoxides and hexanal analyses. The antioxidant activity of berry anthocyanins increased with an increase in concentration. Blackcurrant anthocyanins were the most potent antioxidants toward both protein and lipid oxidation at all concentrations due to the beneficial combination of delphinidin and cyanidin glycosides. Most berry anthocyanins (69.4-72.8%) partitioned into the aqueous phase of the emulsion, thus being located favorably for antioxidant action toward protein oxidation. The presence of the lipid decreased the share of anthocyanin in the aqueous phase. Thus, the structure of food affects the antioxidant activity by influencing the partitioning of the antioxidant.     

Phosphorus homeostasis in dairy cows with abomasal displacement or abomasal volvulus

Abnormal phosphorus homeostasis occurs in dairy cows with an abomasal displacement or volvulus. The goal of this study was to identify potential mechanisms for hypophosphatemia and hyperphosphatemia in cows with a left displaced abomasum (LDA), right displaced abomasum (RDA), or abomasal volvulus (AV). Accordingly, the results of preoperative clinicopathologic analyses for 1,368 dairy cows with an LDA (n = 1,189), RDA, or AV (n = 179) (data set 1) and for 44 cows with an AV (data set 2) were retrieved. Laboratory values were compared by Student's t-tests, and correlation and regression analyses were performed. Thirty-four percent of the animals from data set 1 (463/1,368) were hypophosphatemic (serum phosphorus concentration ([Pi]) < 1.4 mmol/L), and 9% (122/1,368) were hyperphosphatemic ([Pi] >2.3 mmol/L). Serum [Pi] was significantly lower (P < .05) in cows with an LDA (1.60 +/- 0.53 mmol/L; mean +/- SD) than in cows with an RDA or AV (1.85 +/- 0.68 mmol/L). For cows with an LDA, [Pi] was correlated with serum urea nitrogen concentration ([SUN]) (r = 0.34) and serum concentration of magnesium ([Mg]) (r = 0.20). For cows with an RDA or AV, linear correlations existed between [Pi] and [SUN] (r = 0.45), [Mg] (r = 0.43), and serum chloride concentration ([Cl]) (r = -0.27). Stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that low [SUN] and the diagnosis of an LDA had the strongest associations with hypophosphatemia. In cows with hyperphosphatemia, [Pi] was most strongly associated with azotemia. In cows with an AV, the strongest correlations with [Pi] were found for [SUN] and serum creatinine. We conclude that hypophosphatemia in cows with an LDA is primarily due to decreased feed intake. In contrast, hyperphosphatemia in cattle with an RDA or AV appears to result from dehydration and decreased renal blood flow.     

Surgery alone versus surgery and doxorubicin for the treatment of feline injection-site sarcomas: a report on 69 cases

Sixty-nine cats were treated for injection-site sarcomas at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Grugliasco, Turin (Italy). The animals were divided into two subgroups: those subjected to four doxorubicin cycles combined with radical surgical excision 10 days after the second chemotherapy cycle (group A, 49 cats) or those treated with surgery alone (group B, 20 cats). Each cat was monitored for lung metastasis and local recurrence. In group A, 28 cats were alive at the end of the follow-up period. In this group, the recurrence rate was 40.8% while lung metastasis occurred in 12% of cats. In group B, eight animals were alive at the end of the follow-up period, while the rates of recurrence and metastasis were 35% and 10%. Neither the median disease-free interval nor the median overall survival was reached in either group. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups.     

Porcine circovirus type 2 and associated diseases in Romania--short communication

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been demonstrated to be the causal agent for postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS). This report describes the first detection of PCV2 and associated diseases in a Romanian swine herd located in Transylvania. The clinical signs, pathological and histopathological changes observed in affected pigs were similar to those previously described for PDNS and PMWS. Polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridisation were used for the detection of PCV2 nucleic acids from tissues and serum samples. Complete PCV2 genomes of both PMWS and PDNS cases were sequenced and analysed, and by comparing them with each other no genomic differences could be detected. The sequence analysis showed that the Romanian PCV2 was closely related to PCV2 identified in France and in Hungary.     

Mating behaviour of female Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): polyandry increases reproductive output

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is an important pest of tomato. Mass trapping of males has seldom proved an effective control measure, probably due to the pest’s reproductive biology. There are few studies on female mating behaviour. For this reason, this study aimed to determine female mating frequency and its effects on reproductive output and female longevity; the effects of male mating status on female reproductive output and longevity and the fate of the spermatophore inside the bursa copulatrix. The studied population of T. absoluta mated only once a day at the beginning of the photophase, females remated frequently and can be classified as polyandrous. The refractory period of both T. absoluta males and females was very short and was not observed in many cases. The lack of refractory period could be due to the female’s rapid metabolism of the spermatophore thus allowing the female to reduce the intermating interval and mate again. Remating had direct benefits for T. absoluta females increasing their fecundity, fertility and longevity. These benefits were greater when females could remate to virgin males instead of to the same male. In this species, therefore, polyandry has direct benefits for the female. The occurrence of polyandry together with other known or unknown reasons can explain the failure of control methods based on pheromones in the open greenhouses in some tomato-growing areas.     

The ammonia excretion of trout during a 24-hour period

Ammonia excretion of fed and starved rainbow trout was measured during a period of 24 h. Measurements were performed every 2 h. Fed fish excreted about four times as much as those which were starved for 12 days. Significant differences were noticed between highest and lowest 2-h values, indicating a possible circadian rhythm of ammonia excretion and nitrogen metabolism in fish.     

Nicotine decreases food intake through activation of POMC neurons

Smoking decreases appetite, and smokers often report that they smoke to control their weight. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the anorexic effects of smoking would facilitate the development of novel treatments to help with smoking cessation and to prevent or treat obesity. By using a combination of pharmacological, molecular genetic, electrophysiological, and feeding studies, we found that activation of hypothalamic α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors leads to activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. POMC neurons and subsequent activation of melanocortin 4 receptors were critical for nicotinic-induced decreases in food intake in mice. This study demonstrates that nicotine decreases food intake and body weight by influencing the hypothalamic melanocortin system and identifies critical molecular and synaptic mechanisms involved in nicotine-induced decreases in appetite.