Electrical stimulation of lumbar spinal nerve roots in dogs

The aim of this study was to test the applicability of electrical stimulation of lumbar spinal nerve roots and obtain normative electrical root stimulation (ERS) data for L7 nerve root and sciatic nerve in dogs. For that purpose ERS and sciatic nerve stimulations were performed consecutively, in totally 40 healthy dogs. ERS was applied in the L7/S1 intervertebral space via monopolar needle electrodes. Muscle responses were recorded from the gastrocnemius muscles on the left and right hind limbs. Sciatic nerve stimulation was performed at the greater trochanter level on the left hind limb, with records obtained from the left gastrocnemius muscle. Mean root latencies of the left and right side were 5.22?±?0.49 ms and 5.29?±?0.53 ms, respectively. There was no significant difference in root latency between the right and left sides. The mean terminal latency was 3.82?±?0.46 ms. The proximal motor nerve conduction velocity of the sciatic nerve was 63.15?±?3.43 m/s. The results of this study show that ERS provides objective data about the integrity of lumbar spinal nerve roots by evaluating the entire population of motor fibres and total length of the motor axon in dogs. ERS can be considered a useful diagnostic method for confirmation of diagnoses of lumbosacral diseases.     

Building shade affects light environment and urban greenery in high-density residential estates in Singapore

Urban green spaces are an important component of the urban ecosystem of cities as they provide a range of ecosystem services that contribute to sustainability and livability of urban areas. The extent to which such services are provided is influenced by limitations on biological processes that underpin such ecosystem services. A poorly understood limitation in the urban environment is the effects of shade created by buildings on the adequacy of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for plant growth. We examined the effects of building shade in high-density, high-rise residential estates in Singapore on the level and distribution of PAR, and how PAR might in turn be correlated with growth of plants in community green spaces nested within these estates. Our estimates showed that high-rise and high-density buildings reduced daily PAR by almost 50% when compared to fully exposed conditions. The reduced PAR levels were correlated with lower vegetative and reproductive growth of several species of shrubs, and increased slenderness of two tree species. The shade environment created by buildings was differentiated from shade under vegetation canopies by longer periods of high instantaneous PAR during a diurnal cycle. There was also evidence of higher red to far-red ratio in the spectral composition of PAR. We suggest that an understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of PAR is necessary for appropriate selection of plants, particularly to match daily PAR received on site to daily light integral requirements of plants for improved delivery of ecosystem services.     

Immunogenicity of infectious bursal disease viruses in chickens.

Cross-protective properties of infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs) were studied. Viruses represented different subtypes of serotype 1, including recently isolated viruses (variants), and a serotype 2 virus. Chickens were vaccinated at 3 weeks of age with inactivated vaccines containing 10(5), 10(6), 10(7), or 10(8) mean tissue-culture infectious dose of a given virus and challenged 2 weeks later using either 10(2) or 10(3.5) mean embryo infectious dose (EID50) of either a standard virus or a variant serotype 1 virus. Protection was evaluated at 5 and 10 days post-challenge, based on gross and microscopic lesions, body weight, and bursa/body-weight ratios. The serotype 2 virus did not confer protection on birds challenged with the serotype 1 viruses. Vaccines made of variant viruses at the low doses protected chickens challenged with the high or low doses of either the standard or the variant viruses. Vaccines made of the standard or variant strains at low doses protected against high or low challenge doses of the standard strain. Vaccines made of the high dose of any of the standard strains protected chickens against the variant virus when the low challenge dose (10(2) EID50) was used, but not when the high challenge dose (10(3.5) EID50) was used. The lowest dose of the standard viruses vaccines required to confer protection against the variant virus varied depending on the strain. Results indicated that protection depended on the strain and dose of both the vaccine and challenge viruses and that the variant strains and standard strains share a common protective antigen(s).     

Nasopharyngeal cryptococcosis

Naturally occurring cryptococcosis in five cats, a dog and a koala is described. Involvement of the nasopharynx was documented in all patients, and nasopharyngeal mass lesions accounted for the major presenting complaints in four. Signs referable to nasopharyngeal disease included snoring, stertor, inspiratory dyspnoea and aerophagia. Diagnoses were made by caudal rhinoscopy using a retroverted flexible endoscope, vigorous orthograde flushing with saline, or at necropsy. Concurrent cryptococcal rhinitis was present in all cases, although involvement appeared limited to the caudal nasal cavity in most cases. Typical signs of nasal cavity disease, such as sneezing and nasal discharge, were often absent. Treatment of nasopharyngeal cryptococcosis should include physical dislodgement or debulking of lesion(s) to provide immediate alleviation of upper airway obstruction, followed by systemic antifungal therapy to eliminate residual infection from the nasal cavity. Infections caused by Cryptococcus neoformans var gattii accounted for a disproportionately large number of these cases.     

Molecular simulations probing Kushecarpin A as a new lipoxygenase inhibitor

Zizyphus oxyphylla Edgew is used in Pakistan as a folk medicinal remedy for inflammatory conditions, pains especially rheumatic pain, fevers, allergy and diabetes. The aim of the current study was to scientifically validate the folk use of Z. oxyphylla Edgew by using the isolated compound in vitro and in vivo levels. Kushecarpin A was isolated from ethyl acetate fraction of the plant crude extract. Molecular docking simulations predicted Kushecarpin A as a potential new lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitor. Kushecarpin A showed significant lipoxygenase inhibition (IC50: 7.2 ± 0.02 μM) thus validated computational prediction. It also exhibited significant and highly significant inhibition (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01) of carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema at the doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg. Kushecarpin A seems to be a potentially new anti-inflammatory compound responsible for anti-inflammatory activities of Z. oxyphylla Edgew. In vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory inflammatory activities were found in good agreement with the folk medicinal use of Z. oxyphylla Edgew in inflammatory disorders.     

The role of potassium in alleviating detrimental effects of abiotic stresses in plants

Plants exposed to environmental stress factors, such as drought, chilling, high light intensity, heat, and nutrient limitations, suffer from oxidative damage catalyzed by reactive oxygen species (ROS), e.g., superoxide radical (O₂equation/tex2gif-sup-1.gif^–), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and hydroxyl radical (OHequation/tex2gif-sup-4.gif). Reactive O₂ species are known to be primarily responsible for impairment of cellular function and growth depression under stress conditions. In plants, ROS are predominantly produced during the photosynthetic electron transport and activation of membrane‐bound NAD(P)H oxidases. Increasing evidence suggests that improvement of potassium (K)‐nutritional status of plants can greatly lower the ROS production by reducing activity of NAD(P)H oxidases and maintaining photosynthetic electron transport. Potassium deficiency causes severe reduction in photosynthetic CO₂ fixation and impairment in partitioning and utilization of photosynthates. Such disturbances result in excess of photosynthetically produced electrons and thus stimulation of ROS production by intensified transfer of electrons to O₂. Recently, it was shown that there is an impressive increase in capacity of bean root cells to oxidize NADPH when exposed to K deficiency. An increase in NADPH oxidation was up to 8‐fold higher in plants with low K supply than in K‐sufficient plants. Accordingly, K deficiency also caused an increase in NADPH‐dependent O₂equation/tex2gif-sup-6.gif^– generation in root cells. The results indicate that increases in ROS production during both photosynthetic electron transport and NADPH‐oxidizing enzyme reactions may be involved in membrane damage and chlorophyll degradation in K‐deficient plants. In good agreement with this suggestion, increases in severity of K deficiency were associated with enhanced activity of enzymes involved in detoxification of H₂O₂ (ascorbate peroxidase) and utilization of H₂O₂ in oxidative processes (guaiacol peroxidase). Moreover, K‐deficient plants are highly light‐sensitive and very rapidly become chlorotic and necrotic when exposed to high light intensity. In view of the fact that ROS production by photosynthetic electron transport and NADPH oxidases is especially high when plants are exposed to environmental stress conditions, it seems reasonable to suggest that the improvement of K‐nutritional status of plants might be of great importance for the survival of crop plants under environmental stress conditions, such as drought, chilling, and high light intensity. Several examples are presented here emphasizing the roles of K in alleviating adverse effects of different abiotic stress factors on crop production.