Aerobes in periodontal disease in the dog: a review

Periodontal disease has been shown to be caused by bacteria. Periodontal inflammation results as the plaque bacteria change from a predominantly non-motile, Gram-positive, aerobic coccoid microbiotal flora to a more motile, Gram-negative, anaerobic, rod-shaped flora. A review of the literature related to aerobic flora is included. The important effects of aerobic flora as well as their importance in contributing to periodontal disease development is reported.     

Clinical evaluation of insecticide-impregnated tags attached to chains and used as backrubbers for control of Haematobia irritans

Fenvalerate and permethrin insecticide tags were tested for horn fly (Haemotobia irritans) control. Three fenvalerate-impregnated ear tags attached to a chain and used as a backrubber controlled horn flies on steers for 8 weeks, and six tags provided 18 weeks control. Ten tags impregnated with permethrin failed to control horn flies. The choice of insecticide in tags attached to chains and used as backrubbers for horn fly control may be important, as fenvalerate and permethrin (both pyrethroids) varied in effectiveness.     

Cocontamination of swine diets by aflatoxin and diacetoxyscirpenol

The effects of dietary aflatoxin (AF) and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), singly and in combination, were evaluated in growing crossbred barrows. The experimental design consisted of 4 treatments of 9 barrows each fed diets containing 1) 0 mg AF and 0 mg DAS/kg feed (control), 2) 2.5 mg AF/kg feed, 3) 2.0 mg DAS/kg feed, or 4) 2.5 mg AF + 2.0 mg DAS/kg feed for 28 days (10-14 weeks of age). Production performance, serum biochemical, hematologic, and pathologic measurements were made. Body weight and body weight gain were significantly decreased by each toxin but more so by the combination treatment. The effects were additive in nature. Liver and spleen weights, as percentages of body weight, were increased by the AF and AF + DAS treatments, and AF or AF + DAS treatments induced diffuse hepatocellular vacuolar change, early portal fibrosis, and early bile duct hyperplasia. Aflatoxin increased serum values of creatinine and gamma glutamyl transferase, cholinesterase, and alkaline phosphatase activities; increased packed cell volume and hemoglobin; and decreased urea nitrogen and total iron binding capacity. DAS reduced serum iron binding capacity. The AF + DAS treatment increased serum gamma glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase activities, increased hemoglobin, and decreased serum iron binding capacity. Generally, the combination treatment could be described as additive or less than additive, with most of the effects attributable to AF. Under the conditions and parameters monitored in this study, AF and DAS had no synergistic toxic effects when incorporated into diets of growing barrows.     

ModuleFinder and CoReg: alternative tools for linking gene expression modules with promoter sequences motifs to uncover gene regulation mechanisms in plants

Background  

Uncovering the key sequence elements in gene promoters that regulate the expression of plant genomes is a huge task that will require a series of complementary methods for prediction, substantial innovations in experimental validation and a much greater understanding of the role of combinatorial control in the regulation of plant gene expression.     

Kinome profiling of Arabidopsis using arrays of kinase consensus substrates

Background  

Kinome profiling aims at the parallel analysis of kinase activities in a cell. Novel developed arrays containing consensus substrates for kinases are used to assess those kinase activities. The arrays described in this paper were already used to determine kinase activities in mammalian systems, but since substrates from many organisms are present we decided to test these arrays for the determination of kinase activities in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana.     

Mandible and mandibular first molar tooth measurements in dogs: relationship of radiographic height to body weight

Height measurements of the mandible and the mandibular first molar tooth were obtained from 234 dogs. Statistical analysis was performed to determine possible associations between these measurements and body weight, sex, age, and body condition. There was a statistically significant association between the mandible: mandibular first molar tooth height measurement ratio and body weight (p < 0.0001) in all body weight groups. Small dogs had proportionally larger mandibular first molar teeth relative to mandibular height compared with larger dogs. This relationship may contribute to an increased susceptibility in small dogs for periodontitis and subsequent tooth loss. There was no statistically significant association between the mandible: mandibular first molar tooth height measurement ratio and other parameters evaluated in this study.     

Vibrationally quantum-state-specific reaction dynamics of H atom abstraction by CN radical in solution

Solvent collisions can often mask initial disposition of energy to the products of solution-phase chemical reactions. Here, we show with transient infrared absorption spectra obtained with picosecond time resolution that the nascent HCN products of reaction of CN radicals with cyclohexane in chlorinated organic solvents exhibit preferential excitation of one quantum of the C-H stretching mode and up to two quanta of the bending mode. On time scales of approximately 100 to 300 picoseconds, the HCN products undergo relaxation to the vibrational ground state by coupling to the solvent bath. Comparison with reactions of CN radicals with alkanes in the gas phase, known to produce HCN with greater C-H stretch and bending mode excitation (up to two and approximately six quanta, respectively), indicates partial damping of the nascent product vibrational motion by the solvent. The transient infrared spectra therefore probe solvent-induced modifications to the reaction free energy surface and chemical dynamics.