A dog with myelodysplastic syndrome: chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

An eleven-year-old female pug was referred to Yamaguchi University Animal Hospital for evaluation of anemia and thrombocytopenia. The cytological examination of the peripheral blood showed some giant monocytic lineage blast cells. A few granulocytes and platelets had dysplastic features. On day 7, in addition to increasing the monocytic lineage cells, the dysplastic features of the blood had also increased compared to the initial examination. We performed bone marrow aspiration upon her death. The bone marrow revealed dysplastic features in all three hematopoietic cell lines, and an increase in the monocytic cell line. Based on the features of the bone marrow and the peripheral blood, this case was confirmed to be myelodysplastic syndrome--Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (MDS-CMML).     

Effects of insect predation on hypocotyl survival and germination success of maturequercus variabilis acorns

The rates of hypocotyl and radicle survival and of germination success were investigated in mature acorns ofQuercus variabilis Blume in relation to endosperm loss due to seed insects. The acorns were damaged by curculio weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and moths, including tortricid moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae); the former were more abundant than the latter. Acorns damaged by curculio weevils showed a significantly lower germination rate when there was a large endosperm loss than the rate for sound acorns. The survival rate of the hypocotyl and radicle also decreased as endosperm loss increased. These results suggest that acorn germination is directly inhibited by damage to the hypocotyl and radicle, which depends on the amount of endosperm eaten by the weevils. However, the germination rate of acorns with hypocotyl and radicle was consistently high, irrespective of the degree of endosperm loss, which suggests that weevil-damaged acorns probably germinate, provided the hypocotyl and radicle survive until the cessation of damage. Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This study was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (No. 09001647, No. 10660144, and No. 11460068) and the Nippon Life Insurance Foundation.     

Prediction of the binding mode of imidacloprid and related compounds to house-fly head acetylcholine receptors using three-dimensional QSAR analysis

The binding activity of imidacloprid and related compounds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) of house flies was measured by use of radioactive α-bungarotoxin as a ligand. Variations in the activity were examined three-dimensionally using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). The CoMFA results suggest that one conformer among the four stable ones is active and provide support for one of the proposed binding models for this class of compound, in which the nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring and the nitrogen atom at the 1-position of the imidazolidine ring interact with the hydrogen-donating and electron-rich sites of nAChR, respectively. The CoMFA field map showed that the nitroimino moiety and a portion of the imidazolidine ring were mainly surrounded by a sterically and electrostatically sensitive region of nAChR. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of imidazole-1-carboxylates

A series of imidazole-1-carboxylates was prepared by reacting various alcohols with trichloromethyl chloroformate and imidazole or N,N'-carbonyl-diimidazole. They were tested for fungitoxic activity in vitro against two phytopathogenic fungi, Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) and Gibberella fujikuroi, and for preventive efficacy against grey mould on cucumber leaves. 1-(4-Substituted phenoxymethyl)-2,2-dimethylpropylimidazole-1-carboxylates showed excellent in-vitro activity against B. cinerea, and moderate activity against G. fujikuroi, and some of them also effectively controlled grey mould in vivo. A 1H-1,2,4-triazole derivative corresponding to an imidazole derivative did not have any activity, while a thiocarboxylate corresponding to an imidazole carboxylate showed excellent activity against both B. cinerea and G. fujikuroi.     

Competence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Frankliniella occidentalis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Frankliniella intonsa</Emphasis> strains as vectors for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus</Emphasis>

The vector competence of Frankliniella occidentalis for Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus (CSNV) was evaluated. Three vector strains with distinct competences for Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) transmission were investigated, including an artificially selected strain (TsH) that has a particularly high competence (>90 %). Newly hatched larvae of F. occidentalis were given an acquisition access period of 5 days on CSNV-infected D. stramonium leaves, and reared to maturity. Their transmission efficiencies were examined using a leaf disk assay using Petunia x hybrida leaves. Following the leaf disk assay, the virus accumulation in the vectors was examined via a double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) of their bodies. The results showed that the CSNV acquisition and transmission efficiency of the TsH strain did not differ from those of the others, indicating that the competence of F. occidentalis as a vector for CSNV is not related to that for TSWV. The CSNV transmission and acquisition efficiencies of two F. intonsa strains (Hiroshima and Fukuoka) were also evaluated. In Hiroshima strain, 35 % of adults were viruliferous, but only two transmitters (3 %) were observed. In Fukuoka strain, 6 % were viruliferous, and no transmitters were observed. These results indicate that F. intonsa cannot be a major vector for CSNV. The accumulation of CSNV in the adults of F. occidentalis and F. intonsa evaluated using DAS-ELISA showed a significant difference in ELISA values among transmitter, viruliferous non-transmitter, and non-viruliferous individuals. These results clearly demonstrated that only transmitters that accumulated a threshold quantity of virus can transmit CSNV to plants.     

Effects of temperature–humidity index on health and growth performance in Japanese black calves

Tropical Animal Health and Production - We evaluated the relationship between the temperature–humidity index (THI) and health and growth performance in Japanese black calves in Japan. Data...