Biliothorax in a Siamese cat

A 2-year-old male neutered cat presented for further investigation of biliothorax. The cat was initially treated for pyothorax, including bilateral chest drains for lavage of the pleural space. Five days later, the pleural effusion turned clear-yellow and had a bilirubin concentration of 427 μmol/l compared to the serum bilirubin concentration of 15 μmol/l. Exploratory surgery revealed a 2mm tear in the diaphragm, with a corresponding 2mm defect in the diaphragmatic surface of the gall bladder, creating a fistula between the gall bladder and the pleural cavity. The defects were repaired routinely and the cat made a full recovery. It was suspected that the tears had been created at the time of the thoracostomy tube placement. Biliothorax has not been described before in a cat, and appears to be a rare complication following thoracostomy tube placement.     

Immunochemical characterization of proteins from scrapie-infected hamster brain, using immunoblot analysis

Preparations of brain plasma membrane from scrapie-infected or noninfected hamsters were extracted with a solvent and were used to inoculate rabbits. Antisera evaluated by immunoblot analysis revealed a protein of 45 kD in scrapie-infected hamster brain that had a greater signal compared with proteins of comparable relative mass in noninfected brain. This 45-kD protein was not increased in scrapie-infected mouse, sheep, or goat brain. Seemingly, the 45-kD protein may be a degradation product of glial fibrillary acidic protein.     

Dietary energy restriction and successful weight loss in obese client-owned dogs

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in dogs. Although weight loss by dietary caloric energy restriction is successful in experimental studies, there is limited information on success of such programs in client-owned dogs who are obese. Further, no information currently exists on the changes in body composition during weight loss in clinical cases. HYPOTHESIS: Key determinants of outcome of weight loss, including energy allocation and body composition, are influenced by both individual and weight program factors. ANIMALS: Nineteen client-owned dogs with naturally occurring obesity. METHODS: In this prospective clinical study, body composition was quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry before and after weight loss on an individually tailored program that incorporated a high-protein and moderate-fiber diet. RESULTS: Mean percentage weight loss was 18% (range, 6-29%), and mean rate of weight loss was 0.85% per week (range, 0.35-1.56%). Mean energy allocation required to achieve weight loss was 60% of maintenance energy requirement at target weight (MERTW) (range, 50-82%). Significant dietary noncompliance was reported (mean, 1.0% MERTW; range, 0.0-9.5%). The mean composition of tissue lost was 84: 15:1 (fat : lean : bone mineral content [BMC]). Lean tissue loss was positively associated with overall percentage of weight loss (Pearson correlation coefficient [Rp] = 0.591, P = .008), whereas BMC loss was greater in retrievers compared with other breeds (1.9% +/- 1.16% versus 0.8% +/- 0.44%; P = .008). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This clinical study demonstrated body composition changes during weight loss in dogs. Conventional programs produced safe weight loss, but marked energy restriction was required and the rate of loss was slower than in experimental studies.     

Cohort Study of the Success of Controlled Weight Loss Programs for Obese Dogs

Background

Most weight loss studies in obese dogs assess rate and percentage of weight loss in the first 2–3 months, rather than the likelihood of successfully reaching target weight.

Objective

To determine outcome of controlled weight loss programs for obese dogs, and to determine the factors associated with successful completion.

Animals

143 obese dogs undergoing a controlled weight loss program.

Methods

This was a cohort study of obese dogs attending a referral weight management clinic. Dogs were studied during their period of weight loss, and cases classified according to outcome as “completed” (reached target weight), “euthanized” (was euthanized before reaching target weight), or “stopped prematurely” (program stopped early for other reasons). Factors associated with successful completion were assessed using simple and multiple logistic regression.

Results

87/143 dogs (61%) completed their weight loss program, 11 [8%] died or were euthanized, and the remaining 45 [32%] stopped prematurely. Reasons for dogs stopping prematurely included inability to contact owner, refusal to comply with weight management advice, or development of another illness. Successful weight loss was positively associated with a faster rate (P < .001), a longer duration (P < .001), and feeding a dried weight management diet (P = .010), but negatively associated with starting body fat (P < .001), and use of dirlotapide (P = .0046).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Just over half of all obese dogs on a controlled weight loss program reach their target weight. Future studies should better clarify reasons for success in individual cases, and also the role of factors such as activity and behavioral modification.     

Process-based modelling of erosion,sediment transport and reservoir siltation in mesoscale semi-arid catchments

Purpose

To support scientifically sound water management in dryland environments a modelling system has been developed for the quantitative assessment of water and sediment fluxes in catchments, transport in the river system, and retention in reservoirs. The spatial scale of interest is the mesoscale because this is the scale most relevant for management of water and land resources.

Materials and methods

This modelling system comprises process-oriented hydrological components tailored for dryland characteristics coupled with components comprising hillslope erosion, sediment transport and reservoir deposition processes. The spatial discretization is hierarchically designed according to a multi-scale concept to account for particular relevant process scales. The non-linear and partly intermittent run-off generation and sediment dynamics are dealt with by accounting for connectivity phenomena at the intersections of landscape compartments. The modelling system has been developed by means of data from nested research catchments in NE-Spain and in NE-Brazil.

Results and discussion

In the semi-arid NE of Brazil sediment retention along the topography is the main process for sediment retention at all scales, i.e. the sediment delivery is transport limited. This kind of deposition retains roughly 50 to 60 % of eroded sediment, maintaining a similar deposition proportion in all spatial scales investigated. On the other hand, the sediment retained in reservoirs is clearly related to the scale, increasing with catchment area. With increasing area, there are more reservoirs, increasing the possibility of deposition. Furthermore, the area increase also promotes an increase in flow volume, favouring the construction of larger reservoirs, which generally overflow less frequently and retain higher sediment fractions. The second example comprises a highly dynamic Mediterranean catchment in NE-Spain with nested sub-catchments and reveals the full dynamics of hydrological, erosion and deposition features. The run-off modelling performed well with only some overestimation during low-flow periods due to the neglect of water losses along the river. The simulated peaks in sediment flux are reproduced well, while low-flow sediment transport is less well captured, due to the disregard of sediment remobilization in the riverbed during low flow.

Conclusions

This combined observation and modelling study deepened the understanding of hydro-sedimentological systems characterized by flashy run-off generation and by erosion and sediment transport pulses through the different landscape compartments. The connectivity between the different landscape compartments plays a very relevant role, regarding both the total mass of water and sediment transport and the transport time through the catchment.     

Asymmetry of lineages and the direction of evolutionary time

Evolutionary time has a characteristic direction as demonstrated by the asymmetry of clade diversity diagrams in large statistical samples. Evolutionary groups generally concentrate diversity during their early histories, producing a preponderance of bottom-heavy clades among those that arise early in the history of a larger group. This pattern holds across taxonomic levels and across differences in anatomy and ecology (marine invertebrates, terrestrial mammals). The quantitative study of directionality in life's history (replacing vague, untestable, and culturally laden notions of "progress") should receive more attention from paleobiologists.     

Early detection of Verticillium wilt resistance in a potato breeding program

Nine potato clones/cultivars selected for varying degrees of Verticillium wilt (VW) resistance based on degree of vascular colonization, were intercrossed and outcrossed to 13 uncharacterized clones. Based on growth characteristics of 3,535 seedling transplants and an assay quantifyingV. dahliae in potato vascular tissue, 404 clones were selected for further tests. The average number ofVerticillium dahliae colony forming units (CFU) expressed as Log₁₀(CFU + l)/0.1 ml of plant sap for the 404 clones was 2.3, and 1.3 and 3.7 for resistant Reddale and susceptible Kennebec checks, respectively. Thirty-five clones (8.66%) had CFU values equal to or less than Reddale suggesting that VW resistance is a readily transmitted trait.     

Community-Based Forest Management: What Scope for Conservation and Livelihood Co-Benefits? Experience from the East Usambara Mountains,Tanzania

The Tanzanian Community-Based Forest Management policy is based on the assumption that formalized forest tenure by village communities results in increased incentives for sustainable forest management. We compared the policy expectations to village forest management practices in northeastern Tanzania. Findings suggest that the practices follow policy in terms of increased security of rights, but exclusionary management of village forests precludes livelihood benefits while costs are unevenly distributed. Management appears effective at the village scale, but concerted efforts are likely to be needed to increase its long-term and landscape-level sustainability, and to create more significant incentives for the communities involved.