Echocardiographic findings in a dog with vegetative bacterial endocarditis (Case report)

Definitive diagnosis of mitral and aortic valvular endocarditis in a dog was based on echocardiograpic findings and was then confirmed by positive blood culture. Abdominal ultrasound examination revealed a renal abcess. This case illustrates that echocardiography associated with abdominal ultrasound has become an essential tool for the diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis and for the detection of sequela or initial source of bacteriemia, while waiting for blood culture results. A short review of echocardiographic and Doppler abnormalities associated with bacterial endocarditis is presented.     

Characterization of the morphological and physiological traits of rice cultivars with adaptation to unflooded condition during early vegetative growth

This study aimed to characterize the physiological and morphological traits that are associated with adaptation to unflooded soil conditions in rice. Four indica rice cultivars (Puluik Arang, Badari Dhan, Shwe Nang Gyi, and Ratul), which were previously identified as highly or less adaptable to unflooded soil conditions, were grown under flooded and unflooded (soil water potential; －0.10 MPa) soil conditions. Water uptake was measured every day for three weeks, and then the leaf water potential, the stomatal conductance, the dry matter weight, shoot and root morphological traits were measured. Puluik Arang and Badari Dhan exhibited greater leaf area expansion and higher maintenance of root development under the unflooded condition than that by other cultivars. The leaf water potential and stomatal conductance of fully expanded highest leaf in Puluik Arang and Badari Dhan were not affected by unflooded soil regime. Leaf area and root morphological traits were significantly correlated with water uptake regardless of soil moisture regimes. These results suggested that Puluik Arang and Badari Dhan exhibited great water uptake capacity through physiological and morphological adaptation of shoot and root traits to unflooded condition, resulting in great biomass productivity under the condition.     

Floristic and ecological differences between recent and ancient forests growing on non-acidic soils

The aim of this work was to investigate differences in soil chemistry and understory composition between recent forests (sites afforested in the last 170 years) and ancient forests growing on non-acidic soils. The study was carried out on hardwood forests at moderate elevation (400–600 m asl) in the Jura Mountains (N.E. France) on four main pedological substrates with different characteristics. The floristic composition of 127 stands from recent forests (n = 65) or ancient forests (n = 62) was surveyed. Some functional traits and the Ellenberg indicator values of the surveyed species were recorded. In addition, the topsoil from 30 stands was analysed. The composition of the flora was analysed by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and the species which were typical of one class of forest age were identified using a chi-square (χ²) test. The difference between forest classes for plant traits, their indicator values, or soil chemistry was tested using the generalized linear model and Bonferroni t-tests (or Kruskall–Wallis tests). The floristic composition of the ancient forests was significantly different from that of the recent forests and was characterized by a high occurrence of shrub species in recent forests. These differences were associated with higher specific leaf area, low-range seeds dispersal, and some life forms like geophytes. There was no clear difference in soil chemistry between the two classes of forests, except for δ¹⁵N values. The weakness of the difference in the soil between ancient and recent forests suggested that changes in soil chemistry caused by a former agricultural land use were not responsible for the differences in understory composition recorded. The differences in functional traits between the two forest classes supported this conclusion. We finally concluded that (i) past land use modifies the vegetation composition of current forests, even on neutral soils and that (ii) in our context, biological filters were probably responsible for these changes.     

iFloor公司进行拍卖

多渠道零售商——iFloor公司计划于1月28日拍卖其不动产。在以私人方式投标出售该公司的努力宣告失败之后,iFloor公司决定延缓公司的运转,销售其库存产品和设备。     

Identifying the origin of Corbicula clams using trace element analysis

The trace element contents of Corbicula clam shells collected from Japan, Russia, China, and the Republic of Korea were analyzed to determine their geographic origin. The crushed shells were decomposed with nitric acid–hydrogen peroxide, and the concentrations of 14 elements (Li, Mg, V, Mn, Co, As, Rb, Mo, Ba, Ce, Pb, U, Sr, and Ca) were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Some of the elements identified in samples displayed a geographic trend. The average content of manganese in Japanese samples was twice that of Russian samples. Conversely, the arsenic content in Japanese samples was approximately half of that in Russian samples. Linear discriminant analysis was applied to the data from Japanese and Russian samples, and a discriminant model was constructed. The discriminant model was used to determine the geographic origin of Corbicula clams produced in Japan, with 89.8 % of those identified as Japanese and 92.2 % of those identified as Russian being classified correctly. Therefore, trace element analysis of the shells of Corbicula clams is a useful technique for the identification of their country of origin.     

Anesthetic management of a white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) undergoing an emergency exploratory celiotomy for colic

ObservationsA 26-year-old male white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), weighing approximately 2000 kg was anesthetized for an exploratory celiotomy. Sedation was achieved with intramuscular butorphanol (0.04 mg kg^?1) and detomidine (0.025 mg kg^?1) and induction of anesthesia with intravenous glyceryl guaiacolate (50 g) and three intravenous boluses of ketamine (200 mg, each); the trachea was then intubated and anesthesia maintained with isoflurane in oxygen using a circle breathing system. Positioning in dorsal recumbency for the surgery and later in sternal recumbency for the recovery represented challenges that added to the prolonged anesthesia time and surgical approach to partially correct an impaction. The rhinoceros recovered uneventfully after 10.4 hours of recumbency.ConclusionsAnesthetic management for an exploratory celiotomy with a midline approach is possible in rhinoceroses, although planning and extensive staff support is necessary to adequately position the patient.     

Histological effects on the kidney,spleen, and liver of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fed different concentrations of probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The aims of this study were to evaluate the inclusion of different concentrations of Lactobacillus plantarum in Nile tilapia diet and to verify histological...     

Cytokinin induces bacterial pathogen resistance in tomato

Phytohormones are involved in the regulation of plant responses to biotic stress. How a limited number of hormones differentially regulate defence responses and influence the outcome of plant–biotic interactions is not fully understood. In recent years, cytokinin (CK) was shown to induce plant resistance against several pathogens. In the present study, we investigated the effect of CK in inducing tomato resistance against the hemibiotrophic pathogenic bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). We demonstrate that CK enhances tomato resistance to Xcv and Pst through a process that relies on salicylic acid and ethylene signalling. CK did not directly affect the growth or biofilm formation ability of these pathogens in vitro. Overall, our work provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of CK-induced immune responses against bacterial pathogens in tomato.