IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—FDG‐PET/CT OF A CANINE SPLENIC PLASMA CELL TUMOR

An 8‐year‐old Shih Tzu developed abdominal pain and hyperglobulinemia. A round splenic mass was noted radiographically and sonographically. The patient was evaluated by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography coupled with computed tomography (FDG‐PET/CT). There was no evidence of metastasis or bone marrow involvement on PET/CT images. The standardized uptake value (SUV) of the splenic mass was increased over the reference range (SUV=4.83). The patient was diagnosed as splenic extramedullary plasmacytoma through immunohistopathologic study. After the splenectomy, the globulin level normalized and the patient is alive without complications.     

Comparison of intraoperative cardiorespiratory and behavioral responses to medetomidine combined with tramadol or butorphanol during standing laparoscopic ovariectomy in horses

The purpose of this study was to assess the cardiorespiratory and behavioral responses to the combination of medetomidine and tramadol (M-T) or butorphanol (M-B) in standing laparoscopic ovariectomy in horses. One ovary was removed under M-T and the contralateral ovary was removed under M-B with at least 4 weeks between operations at random. Horses were sedated using intravenous medetomidine (5 µg/kg) followed by tramadol (1 mg/kg) or butorphanol (10 µg/kg) after 5 min. Sedation was maintained through the repeated injection of medetomidine (1 µg/kg) and tramadol (0.4 mg/kg) or medetomidine (1 µg/kg) and butorphanol (4 µg/kg) every 15 min. Cardiorespiratory function and behavioral responses, including, sedation, ataxia, and analgesia, were assessed during the surgery. There were no significant differences in cardiorespiratory values and sedation and analgesia scores between M-T and M-B. Ataxia scores were significantly lower in M-T than in M-B. This result suggests that M-T could maintain smooth and stable standing surgery with minimal cardiorespiratory changes in horses.     

THE EFFECTS OF IOHEXOL ADMINISTRATION ON TECHNETIUM THYROID SCINTIGRAPHY IN NORMAL CATS

Administration of iodinated contrast medium interferes with iodide uptake in the human thyroid gland and compromises diagnostic thyroid scintigraphy and radioiodine treatment for 4–6 weeks. However, the degree and duration of inhibition of thyroid uptake of pertechnetate (^99mTcO₄^?) by iodinated contrast medium has not been established in any species. The main objective of this study was to better understand the temporal characteristics and magnitude of inhibition of feline thyroid uptake of ^99mTcO₄^? due to iohexol administration. Routine thyroid scintigraphy was performed in eight cats by intravenous (IV) injection of 185 MBq (5 mCi) of ^99mTcO₄^? both 4 days before and 0,1, 3, 7,14, and 28 days after IV administration of 880 mg I/kg iohexol (240 mg I/ml). Thyroid scintigraphy data were used to calculate thyroid:salivary gland ratios (T:S) and the percentage of total injected ^99mTcO₄^? dose uptake within the thyroid (%TU) at 20 min postinjection. After iohexol administration, mean T:S was significantly decreased below baseline only on day 1. At no point during the study did any cat have a T:S that fell below the published normal reference range of 0.71±0.14. There was a significant decrease in %TU on day 1, 3, and 14; however, at no point during the study, did any cat have a %TU that fell below the published normal reference ranges of 0.64±0.57, 0.68±0.9, or 0.75±1.38.     

Evaluation of left ventricular function with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography after administration of dobutamine and esmolol in healthy beagle dogs

Unlike echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) results in a near-exact assessment of cardiac structures and function. However, most veterinary studies have focused on dogs with normal cardiac function. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in cardiac measurements between cardiac MRI and echocardiography when left ventricular (LV) function was abnormal. This study was undertaken to compare measurements of LV function produced by cardiac MRI and echocardiography in dogs whose LV function was altered by pharmacological agents. This study was conducted with six healthy beagle dogs. We increased left ventricular contractility by administration of dobutamine; we decreased cardiac contractility with esmolol. Stroke volume measurements were made by using both cardiac MRI and echocardiography under seven different conditions with general anesthesia: control, three doses of esmolol (100, 200, and 500 µg/kg/min), and three doses of dobutamine (10, 20, and 50 µg/kg/min). Experiments involving each condition were conducted at least 1 week apart. When LV contractility was normal, ejection fraction (EF) and stroke volume (SV), as measured by echocardiography and cardiac MRI, were not significantly different. However, when contractility was changed by pharmacological agents, EF and SV were overestimated by echocardiography, compared to MRI. Evaluation of cardiac function in patients treated with pharmacological agents should be conducted carefully because EF and SV measured by echocardiography can be overestimated, compared with EF and SV obtained by cardiac MRI.     

当北极不再是北极

北极在许多人心中意味着遥远、寒冷和神秘，是一个冰天雪地的童话世界。然而，近年来气候变暖和油气田开发对北极带来了很大冲击，当地特有的景观、传统和生活方式随着冰雪的消融在慢慢发生变化。     

Migration of kawakawa Euthynnus affinis in the waters near Taiwan

ABSTRACT:   Kawakawa Euthynnus affinis is the most abundant species among the small tuna in the coastal waters of Taiwan. The migration pattern of kawakawa to Taiwan was determined in the present study based on the species' feeding habits and reproductive biology and on temporal variation of catch for kawakawa and its prey fishes. Schools of this species successively migrate to Taiwan from September to May, and then move away in June. They travel to the waters off Taiwan with the warm Kuroshio current, migrate toward coastal waters for feeding and move away for spawning. It is suggested in the present study that the kawakawa spawning ground is in the waters of the northern Philippines. The migration of kawakawa exhibits size-segregating behavior. Schools of immature young fish first arrive in the coastal waters around Taiwan, followed by the adults.     

The use of the green fluorescent protein as a biomarker for sapstain fungi

To understand wood colonization by sapstain fungi and their potential biocontrol agents, it is necessary to differentiate these organisms directly on their natural substrates. In the present study the feasibility of transforming with the green fluorescent protein (GFP), the sapstain fungus Ophiostoma piceae and a potential biocontrol agent Cartapip^®, an Ophiostoma piliferum albino strain was assessed. Transformants of the two fungal species were screened by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses. The GFP was expressed in spores, synnemata and mycelia of the transformants grown in artificial media or wood. The growth, pigmentation and wood colonization of the transformants were similar to that of the non‐transformants, suggesting that the presence of the gfp gene had no negative effect on the biology of the transformants. Using fluorescence and confocal microscopy, the GFP‐expressing fungi were easily differentiated from the wild‐type strains and other fungal species in wood, even 4 months after inoculation. The results show that the use of the GFP system is feasible to monitor Ophiostoma fungi in wood.     

Agglomeration and Competition among Chinese Cities: An Investigation of Taiwanese High‐Tech Foreign Direct Investment

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Taiwanese high‐tech firms' foreign direct investment (FDI) leads to agglomeration and competition among cities in China. By using social network analysis to analyze 1,111 subsidiaries affiliated with 270 multinational corporations (MNCs) during the years between 1988 and 2006 in 30 major Chinese cities, this study finds that: 1) agglomeration in Chinese cities falls into three primary categories: the hub cluster, the communication‐extended cluster, and the computer‐extended cluster. Among the aforementioned clusters, the hub cluster is the most critical in terms of firm location, and therefore is often a high‐priority investment site for Taiwanese high‐tech firms. 2) Chinese cities fall into four primary groups, or “blocks”: the core block, the coast block, the inland block, and the periphery block; these groups were determined by applying a structural equivalence analysis of which members of each type are in competition with one another. By linking the findings of the urban network characteristics to Chinese regional economic policies, this study provides guidance to aid executives in determining the optimal location for future FDI. Implications and suggestions for host country governments in terms of firms' investment strategies are also discussed.