Molecular identification of Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and detection from frass samples based on real-time quantitative PCR

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky 1853) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), the Asian Longhorned Beetle, is native to temperate and subtropical areas of China...     

Successful treatment of an intrathoracic bronchogenic cyst in a Holstein-Friesian calf

A 5-½-month-old female Holstein-Friesian calf was presented with a history of recurring ruminal tympany and poor development. The absence of lung sounds on the right hemithorax suggested a right-sided intrathoracic pathology. Radiography and computed tomography revealed a large thin-walled cavernous lesion with a gas-fluid interface which almost completely filled the right thoracic cavity. Fluid aspirated from the lesion was clear, yellowish and odorless. These findings led to the diagnosis of a bronchogenic cyst. Thoracotomy was performed under general anesthesia. The cyst strongly adhered to the adjacent lung tissue. After removal of the free wall, the adjacent lung tissue was sealed using surgical stapling instruments, and the non-removable part of the wall was curetted and rinsed. The intensive postoperative management included antibiotic therapy, oxygen supplementation and regional lidocaine infusion. Anti-inflammatory drugs were administered for further pain control. The calf recovered well and was released from the clinic on postoperative day 11. Intra- or extrathoracic bronchogenic cysts result from abnormal budding during the embryonic development of the tracheobronchial system. Successful treatment of this calf despite the size of the lesion and the invasive character of the surgical intervention indicates that resection of bronchogenic cysts in cattle may be an option for valuable animals.     

Genetic diversity in cultivated sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) and related wild species in East Africa

Genetic diversity of traditional sesame landraces and related wild species in East Africa remains largely unexplored. Knowing what fraction of the available genetic diversity is actually used by the farmers is of central importance for understanding how cultivation shapes the genetic structure of a crop and for the management of biodiversity preservation. Genetic diversity in cultivated sesame and related wild species in East Africa was determined using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Six reliable ISSR primers generated 51 amplification fragments of which 36 (70.6%) were polymorphic. The number of amplified fragments ranged from 7 to 12 with a mean of 8.5 fragments per primer. The overall gene diversity and Shannon’s index were 0.28 and 0.34, Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.26 to 0.96, with an average of 0.67. Forty-six accessions of sesame were divided into six clusters, although the clustering did not indicate any clear division among sesame accessions based on their geographical locations. Each wild species was more distant from cultivated sesame than from other wild species, indicating that no cross-pollination with these wild species occurred during sesame domestication. These results showed a relatively high genetic diversity in sesame and related wild species. Indian-1 and Indian-2 accessions showed a good amount of genetic divergence. The genetic diversity data uncovered in this study can be exploited to improve traditional landraces of sesame in East Africa.     

Dog attachment to man: A comparison between pet and working dogs

Shared activities are known to create a good relationship between dog and man. Therefore, it can be expected that animals working in harness with their handlers, such as search and rescue dogs, show a higher attachment to man.The aim of the current research was to assess whether there are differences between pet and working dogs in the attachment to owners/handlers.Forty dogs were involved, 26 pets and 14 search and rescue dogs (taken home when not working). Their attachment to owners/handlers was analyzed by using a modified version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test and a recall test, while owners and handlers filled in a questionnaire and were scored on the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale.Statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between pet and working dogs for behaviors indicating an attachment bond: behavior oriented to door/chair/shoe during the absence of owner/handler (which represents “search of absent person”; U = 132.000, P = 0.156), contact with/proximity to owner/handler (i.e., “contact maintenance effect”; U = 157.000, P = 0.478), whining during owner's/handler's absence (“protest at the separation”; U = 147.000, P = 0.288), and individual play (U = 146.000, P = 0.288) and exploration (U = 138.500, P = 0.215) in presence of owner/handler, representing the “secure base effect.”Despite the lack of statistical differences, the formulated hypothesis may be not completely rejected, as a trend of a higher attachment in search and rescue dogs existed. It can be concluded that in carefully owned dogs, the level of attachment is increased by working as a search and rescue dog, but the difference does not lead to statistically relevant results.     

Effects of vehicle and region of application on absorption of hydrocortisone through canine skin

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of various vehicles on the penetration and retention of hydrocortisone applied to canine skin. SAMPLE POPULATION: 20 canine skin samples obtained from the thorax, neck, and groin regions of 5 Greyhounds. PROCEDURE: Skin was harvested from dogs after euthanasia and stored at -20 degrees C until required.The skin was then defrosted and placed into diffusion cells, which were maintained at approximately 32 degrees C by a water bath. Saturated solutions of hydrocortisone that contained trace amounts of radiolabelled [14C]-hydrocortisone in each vehicle (ie, PBS solution [PBSS] alone, 50% ethanol [EtOH] in PBSS [wt/wt], and 50% propylene glycol in PBSS [wt/wt]) were applied to the outer (stratum corneum) surface of each skin sample, and aliquots of receptor fluid were collected for 24 hours and analyzed for hydrocortisone. RESULTS: The maximum flux of hydrocortisone was significantly higher for all sites when dissolved in a vehicle containing 50% EtOH, compared with PBSS alone or 50% propylene glycol, with differences more prominent in skin from the neck region. In contrast, higher residues of hydrocortisone were found remaining within the skin when PBSS alone was used as a vehicle, particularly in skin from the thorax and neck. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Penetration of topically applied hydrocortisone is enhanced when EtOH is used in vehicle formulation. Significant regional differences (ie, among the thorax, neck, and groin areas) are also found in the transdermal penetration and skin retention of hydrocortisone. Variability in clinical response to hydrocortisone can be expected in relation to formulation design and site of application.     

Investigation of in vitro transdermal absorption of fentanyl from patches placed on skin samples obtained from various anatomic regions of dogs

OBJECTIVE: To investigate in vitro transdermal absorption of fentanyl from patches through skin samples obtained from various anatomic regions of dogs. SAMPLE POPULATION: Skin samples from 5 Greyhounds. PROCEDURE: Skin samples from the dogs' thoracic, neck, and groin regions were collected postmortem and frozen. After samples were thawed, circular sections were cut and placed in Franz-type diffusion cells in a water bath (32 degrees C). A commercial fentanyl patch, attached to an acetate strip with a circular hole, was applied to each skin sample. Cellulose strips were used as control membranes. Samples of receptor fluid in the diffusion cells were collected at intervals for 48 hours, and fentanyl concentrations were analyzed by use of high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Mean+/-SD release rate of fentanyl from the patch, defined by its absorption rate through the non-rate-limiting cellulose membrane, was linear during the first 8 hours (2.01+/-0.05 microg/cm2 of cellulose membrane/h) and then decreased. Fentanyl passed through skin from the groin region at a faster rate and with a significantly shorter lag time, compared with findings in neck or thoracic skin samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In vitro, fentanyl from a patch was absorbed more quickly and to a greater extent through skin collected from the groin region of dogs, compared with skin samples from the thoracic and neck regions. Placement of fentanyl patches in the groin region of dogs may decrease the lag time to achieve analgesia perioperatively; however, in vivo studies are necessary to confirm these findings.     

Modification of the effective mesh size for measuring landscape fragmentation to solve the boundary problem

Patch-based landscape metrics can be biased by the boundaries and the extent of a reporting unit if the boundaries fragment patches. We call this the “boundary problem”. The effective mesh size m _eff is a convenient method to quantify landscape fragmentation, that is based on the probability that two points chosen randomly in a region will be connected, e.g., not be separated by roads, railroads, or urban development. The cutting-out (CUT) procedure, used in the original computation of m _eff, suffers from the boundary problem because the boundaries of the reporting units are considered to be additional barriers. Therefore, m _eff will be underestimated, particularly if reporting units are embedded within the broader landscape. In this paper, we present a solution to overcome this limitation by a new method called “cross-boundary connections” (CBC) procedure. It attributes the connections between two points that are located in different reporting units to both reporting units. We systematically compare the CBC procedure to the CUT procedure and show that the boundary problem is intrinsic to the CUT procedure, while the CBC procedure is independent of the size and administrative boundaries of reporting units. In addition, we elucidate the superior performance of the new procedure in the case study of South Tyrol where m _eff is being used for sustainability reporting on the level of municipalities. The new CBC procedure eliminates the bias due to the boundaries and the size of reporting units in measuring landscape fragmentation through m _eff.     

Masked,diluted and drowned out: how global seafood trade weakens signals from marine ecosystems

Nearly 40% of seafood is traded internationally and an even bigger proportion is affected by international trade, yet scholarship on marine fisheries has focused on global trends in stocks and catches, or on dynamics of individual fisheries, with limited attention to the link between individual fisheries, global trade and distant consumers. This paper examines the usefulness of fish price as a feedback signal to consumers about the state of fisheries and marine ecosystems. We suggest that the current nature of fisheries systems and global markets prevent transmission of such price signals from source fisheries to consumers. We propose several mechanisms that combine to weaken price signals, and present one example – the North Sea cod – to show how these mechanisms can be tested. The lack of a reliable price feedback to consumers represents a challenge for sustainable fisheries governance. We therefore propose three complimentary approaches to address the missing feedback: (i) strengthening information flow through improved traceability and visibility of individual fishers to consumers, (ii) capitalizing on the changing seafood trade structures and (iii) bypassing and complementing market mechanisms by directly targeting citizens and political actors regarding marine environmental issues through publicity and information campaigns. These strategies each have limitations and thus need to be pursued together to address the challenge of sustainability in global marine fisheries.