Some measurements of the pH and chemistry of precipitation at Davis and Lake Tahoe,California

Precipitation samples were collected at Davis and Lake Tahoe, California, in 1972–73 and 1977–78 and analyzed for pH and major cations and anions. Rain and snow in this region of northern California are derived primarily from winter cyclonic storms which move easterly from the Pacific Ocean over Davis and then Lake Tahoe. Precipitation at both sites was found to be more acid than water in equilibrium with atmospheric CO₂. Acidity at Lake Tahoe apparently increased over the 5-yr period of the study. Sulfate was the dominant acid anion in 1972–73 (not measured in 1977–78). A major source of sulfate in precipitation was probably industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, upwind of the study sites. Automobile exhaust emissions throughout the region, which contains three major interstate highways and several large urban centers, contribute both sulfate and nitrate precursors to the atmosphere. As in the Eastern United States, these strong acid anions are influencing precipitation chemistry in northern California, including the Sierra Nevada mountains.     

Successful treatment of a pancreatic pseudocyst by omentalisation in a dog

CASE HISTORY A 3-year-old male Labrador retriever was presented with a history of dietary indiscretion followed by vomiting and abdominal pain.

CLINICAL FINDINGS AND TREATMENT: Abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of a fluid-filled cystic structure in the region of the pancreas. Flocculent, dark fluid was drained from the cystic structure during exploratory celiotomy prior to resection of the lateral cystic wall. Omentum was sutured into the cystic cavity to provide drainage and enhance immune response. A jejunostomy feeding tube was placed. Post-surgical care consisted of antibiotic therapy. The dog was clinically normal at 1 and 7 months post-operatively and the pancreas appeared normal on final ultrasonographic examination.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This case describes the use of omentum to provide physiological drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst. This surgical technique may help clinicians manage patients with this condition in the future.     

Reduction in the mRNA expression of sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 is associated with the selection of dominant follicle in cows

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is essential for follicular development by promoting follicular angiogenesis, as well as for the proliferation and survival of granulosa cells. The biological effects of VEGF are regulated by two membrane receptors, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, and two soluble receptors, sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2, which play an antagonistic role. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the mRNA expression pattern of total VEGF, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in bovine preselected follicles (PRF) and post‐selected follicles (POF). The mRNA expression of these five genes in both granulosa cells (GC) and theca cells (TC) was compared between follicles classified as PRF and POF based on their diameter and on their ratio of estradiol/progesterone (E2/P4). Results showed a lower expression of mRNA of sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in POF than in PRF (p < .05). Regarding the mRNA expression of total VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, there was no difference between POF and PRF follicles (p > .05). Our results showed that the mRNA expression of VEGFR2 and sVEGFR1 was more abundant than the expression of VEGFR1 and sVEGFR2, while GC was the main source of mRNA for total VEGF. On the other hand, TC was the follicular compartment where the receptors were most expressed. Our results suggest that non‐dominant follicles maintain a greater concentration of the mRNA expression of both membrane and soluble VEGF receptors. On the other hand, follicular dominance is related to a reduction in the mRNA expression of sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2, which may favour VEGF binding with VEGFR2 and, hence, improve the follicular health and development.     

Seizures during medetomindine sedation and local anaesthesia in two dogs undergoing skin biopsy

Each of two dogs presented for multiple skin biopsies were sedated with intravenous medetomidine and lignocaine was injected subcutaneously to provide local anaesthesia for skin biopsy. One dog had a seizure during skin biopsy and again immediately following reversal of medetomidine with atipamezole. The other dog developed seizures 2 h following skin biopsy at which time the medetomidine was reversed with atipamezole. Both dogs were neurologically normal with no history of seizures prior to the procedure and remained neurologically normal for 14 weeks and 9 months, respectively, following the procedure. A drug interaction between the α₂-adrenergic agonist medetomidine and lignocaine is suspected and highlights the potential for seizures following the subcutaneous administration of relatively large doses of lignocaine under medetomidine sedation.     

Helicobacter spp. from gastric biopsies of stranded South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis)

Gastrointestinal lesions with uncertain etiology have been widely described among pinnipeds. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of Helicobacter spp. in the gastric mucosa of South American fur seals (Arctocephalusaustralis). Gastric biopsies from thirteen seals, stranded on the shores of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean in Argentina, were evaluated for the presence of Helicobacter spp. by PCR and DNA sequence analysis. Six gastric biopsies were positive for Helicobacter spp. Pairwise sequence comparisons showed less than 95% identity to novel Helicobacter spp. described from pinnipeds from North America and Australia. However, phylogenetic analysis revealed that the South American fur seal sequences clustered with 99-100% homology with H. cetorum, a species isolated from dolphins and whales. The presence of H. cetorum in pinnipeds, if confirmed by its isolation from the gastric mucosa of these mammals, demonstrates the wide host range of this bacterium in the marine environment.     

The use of ISSR markers to identify Texas bluegrass interspecific hybrids

Seventeen ISSR primers were screened on Texas bluegrass (Poa arachnifera), Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis), Canadian bluegrass (P. compressa), Argentine bluegrass (P. ligularis), cv. ‘Sherman’ (P. secunda), putative Texas × Kentucky (TK) (P. arachnifera ×P. pratensis) hybrids and hybrids involving Texas, Canadian, and Sherman bluegrass [(P. arachnifera × P. compressa) × (P. arachnifera ×P. secunda)], to determine whether they could be used to produce robust and reproducible DNA fingerprints and identify interspecific hybrids. Nine of the 17 primers consistently produced robust fingerprints and nine 2‐way primer combinations were also selected. DNA fingerprints were highly reproducible and the majority of the selected primers (16/18) amplified hybrid profiles using two putative TK full‐sib hybrids. Combined with a rapid DNA extraction protocol, the ISSR technique enabled a fast and practical way to detect F₁ interspecific hybrids early in the breeding programme and could also be useful for other applications that require DNA‐based markers.     

Traumatic urethral avulsion at the preputial fornix in a cat

A cat with pelvic fractures from being hit by a car had voided no urine in 13 hours despite iv administration of fluids. Abdominal radiography had revealed the pelvic fractures and apparently intact urinary bladder. Urine did not flow from a urethral catheter, and contrast radiography revealed the catheter to be extra-urethral within the penis. Intravenous pyelography revealed intact ureters and urinary bladder; celiotomy confirmed intact urinary bladder. Cystotomy and normograde urethral catheterization allowed localization of the ruptured urethra within the deep subcutaneous tissues of the caudal portion of the abdomen. After closure of the cystotomy and celiotomy incisions, perineal urethrostomy was performed.     

Morphology of alpaca (Vicugna pacos) embryos in the first third of pregnancy

The breeding of South American camelids is the main economic activity of the high Andean region of South America and it, is potentially, the most profitable resource in of the Puna environmental conditions of the Puna. The duration of the gestation in alpaca is 339.7 ± 12 days. The objective of the present work was to macroscopically and microscopically describe the ontogenic development of the splanchnic cavities of the alpaca and to determine the gestational time in which the post‐cranial ossification centers are observed in the embryos/fetuses of this species, from day 21 to 107 of gestation. The documentation of normal ontogenic development, which is vacant for this period, is of the utmost importance to understand the consequences of the alterations at the different gestational times, as well as for the estimation of the gestational age in the case of abortions. Forty‐seven alpaca specimens of both sexes, at different times of their gestational development, collected during slaughter at local slaughterhouses of the Department of Huancavelica, Peru, were evaluated. Specimens were assigned to seven groups according to their morphological characteristics. The embryogenesis in the alpaca was characterized by a series of changes comparable to those occurring in other mammals with similar gestational periods. Despite these similarities, species differences were found in some organs as stomach, which are observed too in adult individuals.