Association of magnetic resonance imaging findings and histologic diagnosis in dogs with nasal disease: 78 cases (2001-2004)

OBJECTIVE-To determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features correlated with histologic diagnosis in dogs with nasal disease. DESIGN-Retrospective case series. ANIMALS-78 Dogs undergoing MRI for evaluation of nasal disease. PROCEDURES-Medical records and MRI reports of dogs were reviewed to identify MRI features associated with histologic diagnosis. Features evaluated were presence of a mass effect, frontal sinus involvement, sphenoid sinus involvement, maxillary recess involvement, nasopharyngeal infiltration by soft tissue, nasal turbinate destruction, vomer bone lysis, paranasal bone destruction, cribriform plate erosion, and lesion extent (ie, unilateral vs bilateral). RESULTS-33 Dogs had neoplastic disease, 38 had inflammatory rhinitis, and 7 had fungal rhinitis. Lesion extent was not significantly associated with histologic diagnosis. Absence of a mass effect was significantly associated with inflammatory disease. However, presence of a mass was not specific for neoplasia. In dogs with evidence of a mass on magnetic resonance (MR) images, nasal turbinate destruction, frontal sinus invasion, and maxillary recess invasion were not useful in distinguishing neoplastic from nonneoplastic disease, but cribriform plate erosion, vomer bone lysis, paranasal bone destruction, sphenoid sinus invasion, and nasopharyngeal invasion were. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE-Results suggested that in dogs with nasal disease, the lack of a mass effect on MR images was significantly associated with inflammatory disease. In dogs with a mass effect on MR images, vomer bone lysis, cribriform plate erosion, paranasal bone destruction, sphenoid sinus invasion by a mass, and nasopharyngeal invasion by a mass were significantly associated with a diagnosis of neoplasia.     

Screening and characterization of resistance to succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors in Alternaria solani

Field isolates of Alternaria solani, which causes early blight of potato in Idaho, USA were evaluated in vitro for their sensitivity towards the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides boscalid, fluopyram and penthiopyrad. A total of 20 isolates were collected from foliar‐infected tissue in 2009, 26 in 2010 and 49 in 2011. Fungicide sensitivity was tested using the spiral‐gradient end point dilution method. The frequency of boscalid‐resistant isolates (>50% relative growth when using a spiral dilution gradient starting at 507 mg L^?1) drastically increased over the duration of this study (15% in 2009, 62% in 2010 and 80% in 2011). Increasing resistance to fluopyram and penthiopyrad was observed. However, cross‐resistance was only observed between boscalid and penthiopyrad. The target site of this fungicide class is the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) enzyme complex, which is vital for fungal respiration. Sequence analysis of the SDH complex revealed mutations in the subunits B and D that were correlated with the emergence of boscalid resistance in potato fields in Idaho. In particular, H277R and H133R were identified in SDH subunits B and D, respectively. The presence of restriction sites in the gene sequences allowed the development of a rapid PCR‐RFLP method to assess boscalid sensitivity in A. solani populations.     

Oesophageal ectasia as a cause of dysphagia and milk regurgitation in a neonatal foal

Dysphagia and milk regurgitation are relatively infrequently observed clinical signs in neonatal foals but, when present, can commonly arise from anatomic or functional disorders of the upper airway. Less commonly, milk regurgitation can be caused by anatomic or neuromuscular disorders of the oesophagus. In the report presented here, a neonatal foal was examined for milk regurgitation at 4 days of age and was diagnosed with transient oesophageal ectasia via oesophagoscopy and contrast radiography. Aspiration pneumonia was treated with broad-spectrum antimicrobials and the owner was instructed to intermittently elevate the forelimbs to facilitate passage of milk out of the dilated oesophagus. The milk regurgitation resolved and reassessment of the foal at 6 weeks of age documented the absence of oesophageal ectasia and resolution of aspiration pneumonia. The foal was reported to be healthy and consuming food normally 6 months after initial examination and was in good body condition. This case is unique in that the oesophageal ectasia improved with time; furthermore, other potential causes of dysphagia and milk regurgitation of oesophageal origin in neonatal foals are discussed.     

DISC1 and PDE4B are interacting genetic factors in schizophrenia that regulate cAMP signaling

The disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene is a candidate susceptibility factor for schizophrenia, but its mechanistic role in the disorder is unknown. Here we report that the gene encoding phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) is disrupted by a balanced translocation in a subject diagnosed with schizophrenia and a relative with chronic psychiatric illness. The PDEs inactivate adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), a second messenger implicated in learning, memory, and mood. We show that DISC1 interacts with the UCR2 domain of PDE4B and that elevation of cellular cAMP leads to dissociation of PDE4B from DISC1 and an increase in PDE4B activity. We propose a mechanistic model whereby DISC1 sequesters PDE4B in resting cells and releases it in an activated state in response to elevated cAMP.     

Recent ice-sheet growth in the interior of Greenland

A continuous data set of Greenland Ice Sheet altimeter height from European Remote Sensing satellites (ERS-1 and ERS-2), 1992 to 2003, has been analyzed. An increase of 6.4 +/- 0.2 centimeters per year (cm/year) is found in the vast interior areas above 1500 meters, in contrast to previous reports of high-elevation balance. Below 1500 meters, the elevation-change rate is -2.0 +/- 0.9 cm/year, in qualitative agreement with reported thinning in the ice-sheet margins. Averaged over the study area, the increase is 5.4 +/- 0.2 cm/year, or approximately 60 cm over 11 years, or approximately 54 cm when corrected for isostatic uplift. Winter elevation changes are shown to be linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation.     

LSD: injection early in pregnancy produces abnormalities in offspring of rats

One of five rats given a single subcutaneous injection of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) early in pregnancy appeared to abort early; two delivered stunted stillborn offspring at term, one delivered a littler of seven healthy and one underdeveloped young, and the last one delivered an apparently normal litter. All five matched controls, given saline injections, went to term and delivered healthy litters of 11 to 16 offspring; there were no abortions and no stillbirths. In a replicate experiment, one of five rats given LSD on the 4th day of gestation aborted, two delivered some stillborn offspring, one gave an abnormally small litter of four, and the last one produced an apparently normal litter of ten. All matched controls delivered healthy litters, totaling 66. Some surviving offspring treated with LSD failed to develop as well as control animals. Treatment of five additional rats with LSD late in pregnancy had no obvious effect on the offspring.     

Dual infection of the central nervous system by AIDS viruses with distinct cellular tropisms

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). A large number of AIDS patients show evidence of neurologic involvement, known as AIDS-related subacute encephalopathy, which has been correlated with the presence of HIV in the brain. In this study, two genetically distinct but related viruses were isolated from one patient from two different sources in the central nervous system: brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. Both viruses were found to replicate in peripheral blood lymphocytes, but only virus from brain tissue will efficiently infect macrophage/monocytes. The viruses also differ in their ability to infect a brain glioma explant culture. This infection of the brain-derived cells in vitro is generally nonproductive, and appears to be some form of persistent or latent infection. These results indicate that genetic variation of HIV in vivo may result in altered cell tropisms and possibly implicate strains of HIV with glial cell tropism in the pathogenesis of some neurologic disorders of AIDS.     

Antarctic krill under sea ice: elevated abundance in a narrow band just south of ice edge

We surveyed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) under sea ice using the autonomous underwater vehicle Autosub-2. Krill were concentrated within a band under ice between 1 and 13 kilometers south of the ice edge. Within this band, krill densities were fivefold greater than that of open water. The under-ice environment has long been considered an important habitat for krill, but sampling difficulties have previously prevented direct observations under ice over the scale necessary for robust krill density estimation. Autosub-2 enabled us to make continuous high-resolution measurements of krill density under ice reaching 27 kilometers beyond the ice edge.     

Rotary photon drag enhanced by a slow-light medium

Transmission through a spinning window slightly rotates the polarization of the light, typically by a microradian. It has been predicted that the same mechanism should also rotate an image. Because this rotary photon drag has a contribution that is inversely proportional to the group velocity, the image rotation is expected to increase in a slow-light medium. Using a ruby window under conditions for coherent population oscillations, we induced an effective group index of about 1 million. The resulting rotation angle was large enough to be observed by the eye. This result shows that rotary photon drag applies to images as well as polarization. The possibility of switching between different rotation states may offer new opportunities for controlled image coding.