Lipoma of the long digital extensor tendon sheath in a horse

This paper describes the occurrence of a lipoma associated with the long digital extensor tendon sheath at the level of the tarsus in a 5‐month‐old female Thoroughbred. Radiographic and ultrasonographic images were interpreted as being an atypically located lipoma. Its position and character have some similarities to lipoma arborescens, which is reported to occur in and around human joints and tendon sheaths. Surgical removal is considered to be the treatment of choice.     

Dilated cardiomyopathy in an American Cocker Spaniel with taurine deficiency

An American Cocker Spaniel with low plasma taurine concentration (< 2 nmol/mL) was presented with dyspnoea associated with pulmonary oedema and a left ventricular shortening fraction of 9%. Emergency therapy with furosemide, dobutamine, nitroglycerine and oxygen supplementation led to a good response. Chronic therapy was started with enalapril, furosemide, digoxin and taurine. Improvement in all echocardiographic indices were noted over a 22 week follow-up, most notably an increase in left ventricular shorteningfraction to 20%, a decrease of E-point septal separation from 14 mm to 7 mm and marked left ventricular remodelling. This degree of improvement in myocardial function may represent a direct link between dilated cardiomyopathy in the American Cocker Spaniel andplasma taurine deficiency. Alternatively, this response may reflect a breed-related cardiomyopathy with a natural history and therapeutic response not commonly seen in the morecommon large breed cardiomyopathy presentations.     

Prognosis in equine colic patients using multivariable analysis

Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate prognosis in 308 horses referred to the University of Minnesota veterinary teaching hospital with colic. Bivariate results identified the following significant individual parameters: absent or hypomotile abdominal sounds, medical or surgical classification, peritoneal fluid total protein, anion gap, serum glucose, capillary refill time, blood pH, heart rate, packed cell volume, base excess, serum chloride, plasma bicarbonate, serum urinary nitrogen and age. Two multivariable prognostic models were developed using logistic regression. Model I (based on 257 cases with a mortality rate of 39%) included age, sex, medical or surgical classification, capillary refill time, packed cell volume and heart rate. Model II (based on 138 cases with a mortality rate of 48%) included age, sex, medical or surgical classification, capillary refill time, serum bicarbonate, serum chloride and respiratory rate. Predictive performance of the models was evaluated by treating the calculated probability of death for each horse as a continuous test result. The influence of varying the probability cutoff point for death on test characteristics (sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values) was determined. These models have not been validated and thus their performance in a different population is uncertain.     

Caeco-caecal and caeco-colic intussusception in two half-sibling Standardbred horses

This report describes caecal intussusception in two young half-sibling Standardbred horses. Both horses presented showing signs of low-grade abdominal pain. The horses remained haemodynamically stable despite signs of abdominal pain and associated tachycardia. Exploratory celiotomy was undertaken in both horses due to persistent abdominal pain and a poor response to administration of analgesic medications. Exploration of the abdomen revealed caeco-caecal intussusception in one horse and caeco-colic intussusception in the other horse. An underlying cause for caecal dysfunction and subsequent intussusception was not identified in either patient. Manual reduction of the intussusception was successful in both cases. The horses recovered uneventfully from surgery.     

Carotinoidgehalt und-zusammensetzung verschiedener deutscher Kartoffelsorten und deren Bedeutung für die Fleischfarbe der Knolle

Zusammenfassung Der Carotinoidgehalt bei 13 Kartoffelsorten vom gleichen Standort liegt zwischen 343 μg/100 g (Sorte Monza) und 27 μg/ 100 g Frischgewicht (Sorte Kero). Hauptkomponente ist Violaxanthin (8–244 μg/100 g), gefolgt von Lutein, Lutein-5,6-epoxid und geringen Mengen Neoxanthin und Neoxanthin a. Innerhalb der Knolle (Schale, Rinde, Kern) nehmen die Gehalte an Violaxanthin und Lutein von aussen nach innen stark ab, Lutein-5,6-epoxid dagegen nicht. Fleischfarbe und Carotinoidgehalt stehen in einer direkten linearen Beziehung zueinander. Die beste Korrelation zwischen visueller ebenso wie instrumenteller Farbnote ergibt sich mit dem Gesamt-Carotinoidgehalt. Der Beitrag der einzelnen Carotinoide zur Fleischfarbe ist etwa gleich gross. Die lineare Abh?ngigkeit der Fleischfarbe vom Carotinoidgehalt gilt nicht mehr bei Sorten mit hohem Carotinoidgehalt. Zur Farbmessung sind die vissuelle Benotung (Fleischfarbenkarte) und die instrumentelle Farbmessung (‘Hunter Lab’) in gleicher Weise geeignet.

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Summary The carotinoid composition and content of 13 potato cultivars grown under identical conditions were determined by HPLC (Fig. 1). Total carotinoid content varied between 343 μg/100 g (cv. Monza) and 27 μg/100 g fresh weight (cv. Kero) (Table 1). The main component was violaxanthin ranging from 8μg to 244 μg/100 g, followed by lutein and lutein-5,6-epoxide, and in lower concentrations, neoxanthin A and neoxanthin. β-carotene was either detected in trace quantities or not at all. The levels of violaxanthin and lutein fell sharply from the outside to the inside of the tuber (skin, cortex, pith), whereas the levels of lutein-5,6-epoxide stayed practically constant (Table 2). Flesh colour and total carotenoid content were linearly related (Fig. 4) and the contributions of individual carotenoids to colour were similar. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that with the exception of neoxanthin A there was a good correlation between all the carotenoids and colour value or rating (Table 4). The best correlations were between total carotenoid content and both the colour rating assessed from standard colour cards for potato flesh colour and the instrumentally measured colour values (Hunter-Lab) (Fig. 4). The relationship was non-linear for cultivars with very high carotenoid contents. The intensive flesh colour of cv. Ilse, despite relatively low levels of carotenoids, is presumed to be due to the presence of other, as yet unidentified, pigments (Fig. 4). Visual assessment using the potato flesh colour card and instrumental measurements (determining the a, b and L values in Hunter-Lab) were equally suitable for measuring colour. The a and b values, i.e. the instrumentally measured colour values for the red-green and yellow-blue bands, were directly correlated with the visually determined flesh colour, whilst the lightness value L showed no relationship to the flesh colour of the cultivars (Fig. 2).

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Résumé La teneur et la composition des caroténo?des ont été déterminées avec l'aide de la méthode HPLC sur 13 variétés de pommes de terre d'une même provenance (fig. 1). La teneur totale en caroténo?des était situé entre 343 μg/100 g (variété Monza) et 27 μg/100 g de poids frais (variété Kero) (tab. 1). Le composant principal est la violaxanthine avec des valeurs se situant entre 8 μg/100 g et 244 μg/ 100 g, viennent ensuite la luteine et la luteine-5,6-époxide, puis dans des concentrations plus faibles, la néoxanthine A et la néoxanthine. Le β-carotène n'a pas pu être dosé, sinon seulement sous forme de traces. Les teneurs en violaxanthine et en luteine vont en décroissant de la peau à la moelle du tubercule (peau, écorce, moelle), en revanche la luteine-5,6-époxide est pratiquement constante (tab. 2). La coloration de la chair et la teneur en caroténo?des sont en étroite relation (fig. 4). La contribution des différentes caroténo?des sur la coloration de la chair est à peu près égale. L'analyse multiple linéaire de régression donne une bonne corrélation entre les caroténo?des et la note de coloration, à l'exception de la néoxanthine A. La teneur totale en caroténo?des donne pour cette raison, tant avec la méthode visuelle de taxation (échelle de coloration des chairs de pommes de terre) que par la mensuration avec l'appareil (Hunter-Lab), la meilleure corrélation (fig. 4). Pour les variétés à très haute teneur en caroténo?des la relation avec la coloration de la chair n'est plus linéaire. Chez la variété Ilse qui présente une teneur relativement faible de caroténoi?des mais une coloration intensive de la chair, il doit s'agir d'autres pigments non identifiés dans ce travail (fig. 4). Pour la mensuration de la coloration de la chair des pommes de terre, la méthode visuelle avec l'aide d'une échelle de pointage et l'appareil de mesurage (détermination des valeurs a, b, et L avec Hunter-Lab) donnent des résultats identiques. Les valeurs a et b obtenues avec l'appareil sur l'axe rouge-vert et jaune-bleu sont en correlation avec le pointage visuel de la coloration de la chair (fig. 3). En revanche le degré de clarté ne présente pas de relation avec la coloration de la chair (fig. 2).

     

Polymorphism of the Melatonin Receptor Genes and its Relationship with Seasonal Reproduction in the Gulin Ma Goat Breed

Melatonin is thought to be the main molecule that transmits the signal of seasonal change to the neuroendocrine system in seasonal breeding species. Melatonin exerts its effects through specific melatonin receptors, MTNR1A and MTNR1B. In the present study, six native goat breeds in China and one introduced goat breed were analysed to investigate the relationship between the genetic polymorphism of receptor genes and seasonal reproduction. Sequencing results showed that there were five polymorphic mutations in the MTNR1A gene and two in the MTNR1B gene. In the MTNR1A gene, genotypes AA, AB and BB for 424C>T and genotypes CC, CD and DD for 589C>A were observed in these goat breeds. In all six native goat breeds, only genotype AA was detected. In the MTNR1B gene, genotypes EE, EF and FF for 1179G>A and genotypes GG, GH and HH for 1529A>G were detected. However, in Gulin Ma goats, the genotypes EE and HH were not found. Moreover, the base of G at position 1179 and A at position 1529 were linked (By Arlequin ver 3.1, Zoological Institute, Berne, Switzerland, http://cmpg.unibe.ch/software/arlequin3 ,D′ = 0.7496, r² = 0.4421, χ² = 489.8679, p = 0.000). Among these mutations, no amino acid change was found in MTNR1A, while both of the mutations in MTNR1B gene caused amino acid changes of R222H and S339G, respectively. The structural analysis showed that the R222H mutation occurred in the first amino acid residue of the third cytoplasmic loop, and the S339G mutation was located in the carboxyl terminus of the protein. In terms of seasonal breeding, all the genotypes we detected showed a similar kidding frequency distribution trend with a higher frequency in May–August than in January–April and in September–December. This suggests that the relationship between the polymorphisms in the MTNR1A and MTNR1B genes and seasonal breeding could not be established.