Retrospective evaluation of measles antibody titers in vaccinated captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Retrospective analyses of banked serum samples and medical records from captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Lincoln Park Zoo showed that vaccination of gorillas with a human vaccine induced antibody production. No significant relationship was found between the groups that received one, two, or three vaccinations and the probability of seroconversion. These data also suggested that antibodies in western lowland gorillas persist for at least 11 yr. This information is useful in the assessment of vaccination protocols for captive gorillas and in the implementation of preventive care in wild gorilla populations.     

Doxorubicin and BAY 12-9566 for the treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess the efficacy of a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor in prolonging posttreatment survival for dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma after treatment with amputation and doxorubicin chemotherapy. HYPOTHESIS: Survival will be prolonged in dogs receiving BAY 12-9566. ANIMALS: The study included 303 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. METHODS: Dogs were treated with doxorubicin (30 mg/m2) every 2 weeks for 5 treatments starting 2 weeks after amputation. Dogs were randomly allocated to receive a novel nonpeptidic biphenyl inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, BAY 12-9566; 4-[4-4-(chlorophenyl)phenyl]-4-oxo-2S-(phenylthiomethyl) butanoic acid) or placebo after doxorubicin chemotherapy. RESULTS: Median survival for all 303 dogs was 8 months; and 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 35%, 17%, and 9%, respectively. Treatment with BAY 12-9566 did not influence survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that increasing age (P = .004), increasing weight (P = .006), high serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P = .012) and high bone ALP (P < .001) were independently associated with shorter median survival times. Additional analyses on available data indicated that as the number of mitotic figures in the biopsy increased (P = .013), and as plasma active MMP-2 concentrations increased (P = .027), the risk of dying increased. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Doxorubicin is an effective adjuvant to amputation in prolonging survival for dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.     

Evaluation of a novel tumor vaccine in dogs with hemangiosarcoma

BACKGROUND: Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a highly metastatic and often rapidly fatal tumor of dogs. At present, adjuvant chemotherapy is the only proven effective treatment for dogs with HSA, though the benefits from chemotherapy are modest. Administration of immunotherapy together with chemotherapy has also been reported to improve survival in dogs with HSA. Therefore, we evaluated safety and immunologic responses to a novel tumor vaccine administered together with doxorubicin chemotherapy in dogs with different stages of HSA. HYPOTHESIS: That tumor vaccination could be safely and effectively combined with doxorubicin chemotherapy for treatment of dogs with HSA. ANIMALS: Twenty-eight dogs with various stages of HSA were enrolled in the study. METHODS: The HSA vaccine was prepared with lysates of allogeneic canine HSA cell lines mixed with an adjuvant composed of liposome-DNA complexes. Dogs received a series of 8 immunizations administered over a 22-week period, and most also received chemotherapy. Clinical adverse effects were noted, immune responses were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry, and survival times were calculated. RESULTS: The most common adverse effects observed in vaccinated dogs also treated with doxorubicin chemotherapy were diarrhea and anorexia. Vaccinated dogs were found to mount strong humoral immune responses against a control antigen and, most dogs also mounted antibody responses against canine HSA cells. Thirteen dogs with stage II splenic HSA that received the tumor vaccine plus doxorubicin chemotherapy had an overall median survival time of 182 days. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that an allogeneic tumor lysate vaccine is safe in dogs with HSA and can elicit humoral immune responses in dogs that are receiving concurrent doxorubicin chemotherapy.     

Identification of key soil indicators influencing plantation productivity and sustainability across a national trial series in New Zealand

New Zealand is committed to developing sustainable forest management practices as evidenced through Government involvement in international forestry agreements such as the Montreal Process, and the forestry sector's adoption of forest certification mechanisms. Despite this, there is little quantitative evidence of how plantation forestry affects site quality and long-term site productivity. To address this issue, a nationwide study of site quality was established at 31 key sites covering the range of edaphic and environmental conditions for New Zealand plantation forests. At each location, eight short-term site quality plots were planted at a very high stand density (40,000 stems ha⁻¹) to rapidly identify key soil indicators of growth which may be useful for determining site sustainability. The plots at each site were arranged in a factorial design with the following three factors: species (Pinus radiata D. Don and Cupressus lusitanica Mill.), fertiliser (no fertiliser and nutrients supplied in excess of crop demands) and disturbance (low and high disturbance). These plots were harvested after 4 years and data was used to (i) examine treatment and site effects on volume mean annual increment (MAI) and (ii) identify key soil properties that influence volume MAI for the two species.Volume MAI significantly ranged 7-fold across sites. For the treatments, species accounted for most of the variance in volume MAI, with values for P. radiata significantly exceeding those of C. lusitanica by 95%. Volume MAI was significantly affected by fertilisation which induced gains of 33%. Disturbance did not significantly affect volume MAI. After correction had been made for climatic variables, soil properties that were most strongly related to volume MAI for both species included C:N ratio, total phosphorus (P), and organic P. When soil properties were included in combination, the best predictive models of volume MAI formulated for P. radiata included total P and C:N ratio while the best predictive model for C. lusitanica included C:N ratio and Olsen P. Variation in species sensitivity to total P and C:N ratio is likely to be attributable to their different mycorrhizal associations. For both species, the most important soil physical property influenced by management operations was total porosity. This research suggests that total P, C:N ratio, Olsen P and total porosity should be used as indicator properties for determining sustainability of plantation grown P. radiata and C. lusitanica.     

The Kaikōura earthquake in southern New Zealand: Loss of connectivity of marine communities and the necessity of a cross‐ecosystem perspective

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Re-imagining the precautionary approach to make collaborative fisheries management inclusive of Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Fisheries science uses quantitative methods to inform management decisions that reflect cultural preferences which, in turn, indirectly influence the states of ecosystems. To date, it has largely supported Eurocentric preferences for the commodification of marine organisms under the tenets of maximum sustainable yield, whereby abundances are intentionally maintained far below their historical baselines despite broader socio-ecological trade-offs. In contrast, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) adhere to the principle of “take only what you need and leave lots for the ecosystem,” implementing lower fishery removals to support socio-ecological resilience. Despite the power imbalance favouring Eurocentric preferences in decision-making, fisheries scientists increasingly recognize that the pairing of IKS and Western science, or Two-Eyed Seeing, would lead to more holistic management goals. For recognition to transcend tokenism, meaningful collaborations and co-governance structures underlying knowledge co-production must carry through to legislated policy changes. Using recent co-governance developments for fisheries management and spatial protections involving federal, provincial and Indigenous governments in Pacific Canada, we illustrate how the precautionary approach, including reference points and harvest control rules broadly applied in international fisheries, could be revised to make collaborative fisheries management compatible with IKS and improve biodiversity and fisheries protections. Our recommendations may create socio-economic trade-offs at different timescales for commercial fishers. Pre-empting that challenge, we discuss IKS-compatible economic approaches for addressing shorter term costs arising from reduced exploitation rates. Although our case study derives from Pacific Canada, the insights provided here are broadly applicable elsewhere in the world.     

Pre-implantation exogenous progesterone and pregnancy in sheep:Ⅰ. polyamines,nutrient transport,and progestamedins

Background:Administration of exogenous progesterone (P4) to ewes during the pre-implantation period advances conceptus development and implantation. This study ...     

Effect of plant nectars on adult longevity of the stinkbug parasitoid,Trissolcus basalis

Abstract

The egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an important biological control agent of stinkbugs worldwide. Although honey has been used as adult food in culturing the parasitoid, no previous studies have explored the potential for maximising its fitness by provision of plant nectars in conservation biological control. In laboratory experiments, we measured the longevity of adult T. basalis females provided with each of 10 nectar-bearing flowering plant species: Lobularia maritima L., Brassica napus L., Tagetes patula L., Ocimum basilicum L., Fagopyrum esculentum Moench., Cosmos bipennatus Cav., Calendula arvensis L., Coriandrum sativum L., Tropaeolum majus L. and Phacelia tanacetifolia Bentham. Longevity was greatest (33 days) on flowering T. patula shoots and significantly lower on shoots of this species from which the inflorescence had been removed (8 days). Of the other plant species, only L. maritima flowers did not enhance longevity. These results indicate that adults of T. basalis benefit from access to floral nectar and also suggest plant species that merit field testing to identify species best suited to enhancing the efficacy of this parasitoid in conservation biological control.     

Structures of the CCR5 N terminus and of a tyrosine-sulfated antibody with HIV-1 gp120 and CD4

The CCR5 co-receptor binds to the HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein and facilitates HIV-1 entry into cells. Its N terminus is tyrosine-sulfated, as are many antibodies that react with the co-receptor binding site on gp120. We applied nuclear magnetic resonance and crystallographic techniques to analyze the structure of the CCR5 N terminus and that of the tyrosine-sulfated antibody 412d in complex with gp120 and CD4. The conformations of tyrosine-sulfated regions of CCR5 (alpha-helix) and 412d (extended loop) are surprisingly different. Nonetheless, a critical sulfotyrosine on CCR5 and on 412d induces similar structural rearrangements in gp120. These results now provide a framework for understanding HIV-1 interactions with the CCR5 N terminus during viral entry and define a conserved site on gp120, whose recognition of sulfotyrosine engenders posttranslational mimicry by the immune system.