Sacroiliac Luxation in the Cat: Defining a Safe Corridor in the Dorsoventral Plane for Screw Insertion in Lag Fashion

Objective— To define a safe corridor in the dorsoventral plane within the feline sacral body for placement of screws inserted in lag fashion for repair of sacroiliac luxation.
Study Design— Anatomic study.
Sample Population— Frozen cadaveric feline sacra.
Methods— Feline sacra (n=20) were used to perform a radiographic study to define a safe corridor to a depth of 66% of the sacral body width. Two drill start points (A and B) were evaluated. Dorsal exit from the safe corridor was considered unacceptable.
Results— Forty safe corridors were measured. The mean articular surface was 100±6.4° from horizontal. Mean maximum, optimum, and minimum safe corridor drill angles from drill point A were 107±6.8°, 97±6.9°, and 87±7.2°, respectively, from the articular surface. Mean maximum, optimum, and minimum angles from drill point B were 109±7.2°, 99±7.1°, and 89.5±7.2°, respectively. Point B increased the risk of ventral exit from the sacral body.
Conclusions— Point A and a drill angle of 90±4° for drilling of the feline sacral body is recommended. This margin for error risks ventral exit from the body in 23/40 (58%) of the sacra in this study. Reduction of the margin for error to ±2° would reduce the risk of ventral exit to 14/40 (35%) of the sacra in this study.
Clinical Relevance— Drilling at 90° to the feline sacral articular surface is recommended. Findings from this study present a strong case for use of angled drill guides.     

Fumigant doses for the control of Trogoderma granarium1

The diapausing larvae of Trogoderma granarium are among the most tolerant of all storage pests to fumigation and effective dosage schedules are required. For this purpose, the toxicity of methyl bromide (MeBr), phosphine, methyl chloroform (MC), ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chlorobromomethane, and of mixtures of MeBr and MC, EDC and MC, and phosphine and MeBr, to diapausing larvae of the pest was examined at 15, 20 or 25°C. At 15 and 20°C the tolerance of larvae was high and very high dosages of MeBr or liquid fumigants, or long exposures to phosphine, were required for total kill. At 25°C larvae were more susceptible to phosphine but retained a high tolerance of other fumigants. A mixture of 2% MeBr in MC showed evidence of potentiation at 25°C and achieved control of larvae at moderate dosages.     

Arachidonic acid, arachidonic/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio, stearidonic acid and eicosanoids are involved in dietary-induced albinism in Senegal sole (Solea senegalensis)

Senegal sole larvae were fed live prey enriched with different amounts of arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n‐6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n‐3) to re‐evaluate the effect of these two fatty acids on flatfish pigmentation. Echium oil, a plant‐derived oil rich in gamma‐linolenic acid (18:3n‐6) and stearidonic acid (18:4n‐3) was also used as a component of one of the enrichment emulsions. Although ARA content did not have any effect on growth there was a clear influence on pigmentation that correlated clearly with prostaglandin production. Inclusion of Echium oil, on the contrary, exerted a positive effect on pigmentation rate even though dietary ARA levels were as high as in the other emulsions. The relationships between dietary ARA levels and dietary ARA/EPA ratio, prostaglandin production and pigmentation are discussed.     

Effects of substitution of dietary fish oil with a blend of vegetable oils on liver and peripheral blood leucocyte fatty acid composition, plasma prostaglandin E2 and immune parameters in three strains of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Duplicate groups of three genetic strains of Atlantic salmon smolts were cultured on diets containing either fish oil (FO) or a blend of vegetable oils (VO). Fatty acid compositions of liver and peripheral blood leucocytes were compared. The effect of different strains and diets on innate immune parameters and plasma prostaglandin E₂ were also measured. Two strains were selected as being either 'fat' or 'lean' in terms of muscle adiposity. The third strain was a commercial stock (MH). Total replacement of dietary FO with VO resulted in reduced docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6 n -3) and eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA; 20:5 n -3) in liver, while oleic (18:1 n -9), linoleic (18:2 n -6) and α-linolenic (18:3 n -3) acids were all increased in VO-fed fish. Fatty acid compositions of blood leucocytes showed similar changes. Evaluation of innate immune function showed that in the fat strain, circulating leucocytes were significantly lower in VO fish. The lean strain also had significantly higher serum lysozyme activity than MH fish. Reduced haematocrit was seen in VO lean fish compared with FO lean fish. This study provides evidence of strain-induced differences in liver and leucocyte fatty acid compositions and innate immunity in Atlantic salmon fed either FO- or VO-based diets.     

Estimation of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) habitat in waters adjacent to Australia’s East Coast: making the most of commercial catch data

The physical environment directly influences the distribution, abundance, physiology and phenology of marine species. Relating species presence to physical ocean characteristics to determine habitat associations is fundamental to the management of marine species. However, direct observation of highly mobile animals in the open ocean, such as tunas and billfish, is challenging and expensive. As a result, detailed data on habitat preferences using electronic tags have only been collected for the large iconic, valuable or endangered species. An alternative is to use commercial fishery catch data matched with historical ocean data to infer habitat associations. Using catch information from an Australian longline fishery and Bayesian hierarchical models, we investigate the influence of environmental variables on the catch distribution of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). The focus was to understand the relative importance of space, time and ocean conditions on the catch of this pelagic predator. We found that pelagic regions with elevated eddy kinetic energy, a shallow surface mixed layer and relatively high concentrations of chlorophyll a are all associated with high yellowfin tuna catch in the Tasman Sea. The time and space information incorporated in the analysis, while important, were less informative than oceanic variables in explaining catch. An inspection of model prediction errors identified clumping of errors at margins of ocean features, such as eddies and frontal features, which indicate that these models could be improved by including representations of dynamic ocean processes which affect the catch of yellowfin tuna.