Persistent Right Aortic Arch in Two Great Dane Litter Mates

Abstract— -Two cases of oesophageal dilatation occurring in a litter of Great Dane puppies are described. These dilatations were due to a congenital anomaly of the aortic arches causing constriction of the oesophagus. A comparison is made with a previous case.
Résumé— –L'auteur rapporte deux cas de dilatation oesophagienne survenus dans une portée de chiots Dogues allemands. Ces dilatations étaient dues à une anomalie congénitale de la crosse de l'aorte provoquant une constriction de l'oesophage. L'auteur les compare à un cas antérieur.
Zusammenfassung— Zwei Fälle einer Erweiterung der Speiseröhre bei einem Wurf junger Hunde (grosse Doggen) werden beschrieben. Diese Erweiterungen wurden nötig aufgrund einer angeborenen Anomalie der Aortenbögen, die eine Verengung der Speiseröhre verursachten. Ein Vergleich mit einem früheren Fall wird angestellt.     

Echocardiographic and angiographic comparison of ductal dimensions in dogs with patent ductus arteriosus

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a minimally invasive treatment option in dogs. Device selection based on appropriately acquired PDA dimensions and morphology can minimize procedural complications, including minimizing residual ductal flow and inappropriate embolization. HYPOTHESIS: Transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) derived minimum ductal diameter measurements would most accurately reflect angiographic measurements. Color Doppler (CD) TEE and transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) ductal measurements would overestimate two-dimensional (2D) measurements. ANIMALS: Fifteen client-owned dogs with PDA. METHODS: PDA dimensions obtained with angiography, 2D and CD TTE, 2D and CD TEE from the right and left views were prospectively evaluated. RESULTS: PDA dimensions were measured by using TEE most closely approximated angiographic measures. CD TTE and TEE frequently overestimated angiographic measures of minimum ductal diameter. TEE accurately identified a type III (tubular) PDA morphology in 1 dog. Fourteen of 15 dogs were determined to have hemodynamically significant reductions in left to right shunting documented by a first-pass nuclear angiocardiographic ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow < or = 1.2 and trivial (n = 3) to no (n = 11) CD TTE flow at approximately 1 month after PDA occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: TEE provided accurate anatomic information regarding PDA morphology and closely approximated angiographic ductal dimensions while aiding in both coil deployment and confirmation of intra-operative ductal closure.     

Animal-based national surveillance for zoonotic disease: quality, limitations, and implications of a model system for monitoring rabies

Surveillance for zoonotic diseases among wildlife is a research and public health challenge. The inherent limitations posed by the requisite human–animal interactions are often undefined and underappreciated. The national surveillance system for animal rabies in the United States was examined as a model system; reporting of animal rabies is legally mandated, each case of rabies is laboratory confirmed, and data have been consistently collected for more than 50 years. Factors influencing the monthly counts of animal rabies tests reported during 1992–2001 were assessed by univariate and multivariable regression methods. The suitability of passively collected surveillance data for determining the presence or absence of the raccoon-associated variant of rabies within states and within individual counties was assessed by determining critical threshold values from the regression analyses. The size of the human population and total expenditures within a county accounted for 72% and 67%, respectively, of the variance in testing. The annual median number of rabies tests performed was seven for counties without rabies, 22 for counties with non-raccoon rabies, and 34 for counties with raccoon rabies. Active surveillance may be required in locales with sparse human populations when a high degree of confidence in the status of rabies is required.     

Effect of UV-B Dose on Biosynthesis of Epicuticular Waxes in Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens Engelmann.) Primary Needles: Preliminary Investigation

Blue spruce [Picea pungens Engelmann.] seedlings were reared from seed for 8 weeks under one of seven UV-B doses ranging from 0.0 to 9.2 kJ m^-2 d^-1. Emerging primary needles were chopped and incubated 48 h (22°C; 750 μmol m^-2 s^-1 PAR) with [1-¹⁴C] CH₃COONa. Radioactivity incorporated into epicuticular waxes was measured using radio thin-layer chromatography. Biosynthesis of nonacosan-10-ol, the dominant constituent, was affected by the UV-B dose. The results suggest that, if no other factors are limiting, the optimum UV-B dose for wax biosynthesis in emerging primary needles of blue spruce is 6-7 kJ m^-2 d^-1. This dose is below that routinely measured in some northern temperate forests and well within the range of predicted values under stratospheric ozone depletion scenarios. UV-B dose levels above this threshold may cause changes to the wax composition that may predispose the tree to damage from other environmental stresses.     

Diatom Milking: A Review and New Approaches

The rise of human populations and the growth of cities contribute to the depletion of natural resources, increase their cost, and create potential climatic changes. To overcome difficulties in supplying populations and reducing the resource cost, a search for alternative pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, and energy sources has begun. Among the alternative sources, microalgae are the most promising because they use carbon dioxide (CO₂) to produce biomass and/or valuable compounds. Once produced, the biomass is ordinarily harvested and processed (downstream program). Drying, grinding, and extraction steps are destructive to the microalgal biomass that then needs to be renewed. The extraction and purification processes generate organic wastes and require substantial energy inputs. Altogether, it is urgent to develop alternative downstream processes. Among the possibilities, milking invokes the concept that the extraction should not kill the algal cells. Therefore, it does not require growing the algae anew. In this review, we discuss research on milking of diatoms. The main themes are (a) development of alternative methods to extract and harvest high added value compounds; (b) design of photobioreactors; (c) biodiversity and (d) stress physiology, illustrated with original results dealing with oleaginous diatoms.