Echinococcus multilocularis and Toxocara canis in urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Brussels, Belgium

During the last decades, European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been implicated in the transmission of several viral or parasitic pathogenic agents to domestic animals and humans. In urban areas, risks of zoonoses transmission are likely to increase as a result of a higher rate of intra- and inter-species contacts. Foxes occur on 35% of the Brussels-Capital Region area and local densities reach up to 4 family groups per square kilometre. According to the directive 2003/99/ECC, a first survey for the presence in foxes of Echinococcus multilocularis and Toxocara canis was conducted in Brussels from 2001 to 2004. None of 160 foxes were found to be infected with E. multilocularis and 24 of 134 foxes were found to be infected with T. canis. Considering numbers of examined foxes, the sensitivity and the specificity of tests used for diagnosis, the 95% credibility intervals for the true prevalence of E. multilocularis and T. canis were estimated in a Bayesian framework to be 0 to 1.87% (median value of 0%) and 12.7 to 26% (median value of 18.7%), respectively. For T. canis, a significantly higher risk to be a carrier occurs in cubs and a significantly lower risk in adults.     

Perceptions of veterinarians and clients to expressions of clinical uncertainty

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of veterinarians and clients towards expressions of clinical uncertainty. METHODS: Questionnaires that assessed the respondent's attitudes towards expressions of clinical uncertainty were completed by clients at six small animal practices. In addition, questionnaires that evaluated what veterinarians thought their client's attitudes would be towards expressions of clinical uncertainty were completed by veterinarians. The responses from clients and veterinarians were statistically compared. RESULTS: Veterinarians significantly underestimated the desire of clients to be told about uncertainties in treatment and significantly overestimated how the expression of uncertainty would generally reduce client confidence. Veterinarians significantly overestimated the loss of client confidence resulting from saying "I am not sure about this" and from asking a nurse for advice. Both clients and veterinarians considered that verbal expressions of uncertainty would lead to a greater reduction in client confidence than behavioural expressions of uncertainty. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that most clients want to be told about their veterinarian's clinical uncertainties, and how this uncertainty is expressed can markedly influence client confidence.     

MicroLEIS: A microcomputer-based Mediterranean land evaluation information system

Abstract. A computer-based land evaluation information system (MicroLEIS) was developed for optimal use of agricultural and forestry land systems under Mediterranean conditions. Through an interactive procedure several land capability, suitability and yield prediction methods may be applied. The system addresses land evaluation at reconnaissance, semi-detailed and detailed scales in an interrelated manner. Biophysical land evaluation methods are incorporated using empirical, scale-appropriate models, which range from purely qualitative (reconnaissance) through semi-quantitative (semi-detailed) to quantitative (detailed). This software is helpful for teaching, research and development, predicting appropriate agroforestry land uses. Its use is illustrated by an example.
MicroLEIS runs on IBM PC, XT, AT, or a compatible microcomputer with at least 128 kilobytes of RAM and a PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 2.0 or later operating system. The software package on double or high density diskettes can be obtained from the first author.     

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus found in milk macrophages but not in milk lymphocytes or mammary gland epithelia of naturally infected sheep

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) causes ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma. JSRV can be transmitted via infected colostrum or milk, which contain somatic cells (SCs) harboring JSRV provirus. Nevertheless, the cell types involved in this form of transmission and the involvement of the mammary gland remain unknown. We separated adherent cells (macrophages and monocytes) by plastic adherence, and lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and B cells) by flow cytometry, from SCs in milk samples from 12 naturally infected, PCR blood test JSRV–positive, subclinical ewes. These cell populations were tested by PCR to detect JSRV provirus. The ewes were euthanized, and mammary gland samples were analyzed immunohistochemically to detect JSRV surface protein. We did not detect JSRV provirus in any milk lymphocyte population, but milk adherent cells were positive in 3 of 12 sheep, suggesting a potential major role of this population in the lactogenic transmission of JSRV. Immunohistochemistry did not reveal positive results in mammary epithelial cells, pointing to a lack of participation of the mammary gland in the biological cycle of JSRV and reducing the probability of excretion of free viral particles in colostrum or milk.     

Novel Alkaloids from Marine Actinobacteria: Discovery and Characterization

The marine environment is an excellent resource for natural products with therapeutic potential. Its microbial inhabitants, often associated with other marine organisms, are specialized in the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. Similar to their terrestrial counterparts, marine Actinobacteria are a prevalent source of these natural products. Here, we discuss 77 newly discovered alkaloids produced by such marine Actinobacteria between 2017 and mid-2021, as well as the strategies employed in their elucidation. While 12 different classes of alkaloids were unraveled, indoles, diketopiperazines, glutarimides, indolizidines, and pyrroles were most dominant. Discoveries were mainly based on experimental approaches where microbial extracts were analyzed in relation to novel compounds. Although such experimental procedures have proven useful in the past, the methodologies need adaptations to limit the chance of compound rediscovery. On the other hand, genome mining provides a different angle for natural product discovery. While the technology is still relatively young compared to experimental screening, significant improvement has been made in recent years. Together with synthetic biology tools, both genome mining and extract screening provide excellent opportunities for continued drug discovery from marine Actinobacteria.     

Pectin purified from pomelo (Citrus maxima) peel as a natural hatching agent for fish embryos

Pectin is a biodegradable polysaccharide, and it has been recently applied as a gene delivery, drug delivery, wound healing and tissue engineering agent. In this study, pectin was extracted from pomelo (Citrus maxima) peel and characterized. The extraction recovery of pectin form pomelo peel was 14.5%, and it had 72.56% degree of esterification, 1,245.56 equivalent weight, 7.82% methoxyl and 68.27% anhydrouronic acid contents. Use of pomelo pectin as a hatching enhancing agent for fish embryos and its effect on hatching enzyme 1 (ZHE1) was investigated. The pectin‐exposed zebrafish embryos (100 µg/ml) showed significantly (p < .05) higher hatching rate (96.6%) compared with untreated (control) embryos (66.6%) at 60 hpf. The mRNA expression of ZHE1 was also significantly (p < .05) elevated up to 55.6‐fold in pectin‐exposed embryos at 24 hpf. In situ hybridization results revealed remarkably strong expression of ZHE1 in pectin‐exposed embryos compared with the control group. In addition, considerably larger size of the hatching gland was observed in pectin‐exposed larvae than that of the unexposed larvae group. These results clearly indicate that pectin isolated from pomelo peel has an ability to enhance the hatching process of zebrafish embryos via upregulation of ZHE1.     

我国南方大豆地方品种农艺和品质性状的遗传参数分析

由南方13省区的3769份夏大豆地方品种按省分层随机抽样而得的143份材料组成地方群体;由20份南方夏大豆推广品种及品系组成改良群体,在南京两年三重复试验表明,南方地方群体主要特点是晚熟(132.56天),秆较矮(58.05cm),中粒(14.34g/100粒),底荚高(18.47cm),分枝中等(3.86),产量低(1199.25kg/ha),蛋白质含量高(43.73％)、脂肪含量中等(20.19％)。该群体农艺和品质性状具有丰富的遗传变异,并由5％相对遗传进展特点将45个性状分为,GSI:极大(>40％);GSⅡ:大(40％—10％);GSⅢ:中等(10％—5％);GSⅣ:一定(<5％)等四类,其中GSⅠ、GSⅡ类多属产量、生育期、粒茎比、株高、百粒重等农艺性状,GSⅢ、GSⅣ类多属蛋白质含量及其氨基酸组分、脂肪含量等品质性状。     

优质稻核心种质青六矮1号及其衍生品种的性状相关性研究

对青六矮1号及其衍生品种(品系)的相关分析表明: 产量与有效穗数呈极显著正相关, 与每穗总粒数和每穗实粒数呈显著负相关; 倒三叶长与倒二叶长呈极显著正相关, 与着粒密度呈显著负相关, 与粒长呈显著正相关, 与垩白率呈显著负相关, 与垩白度呈极显著负相关, 与胶稠度呈显著正相关, 与直链淀粉含量呈显著负相关. 主成分分析表     

浓缩风能型风力发电机的整体模型风洞实验（第Ⅲ报）

低速风洞内进行的实验结果表明：当风速为５．５０ｍ／ｓ时，浓缩风能型风力发电机模型的输出功率为１００Ｗ，是直径相等的普通型风力发电机（风力机和发电机的总机械效率为０．３３２时）的输出功率的３．８倍；其输出功率相当于目前我国草原上使用的小型风力发电机输出功率的６倍；并且该机组的起动风速比相同叶轮普通型风力发电机模型的起动风速低