Clinical signs and left atrial size in cats with cardiovascular disease in general practice

Objectives : To evaluate population characteristics, clinical signs and simple echocardiographic measurements of a general practice population of cats, in identifying characteristics that reliably distinguish cats with heart disease from others, including those with respiratory disease, using widely available techniques. Methods : Cats presented with heart disease (n=103), respiratory disease (n=19) and a normal group (n=29) were prospectively recruited. All cats were subject to full clinical examination, echocardiography and additional diagnostic procedures as appropriate to establish definitive diagnosis. Cats were classified as Group 1: no heart disease ± respiratory disease; Group 2: heart disease with no clinical signs; Group 3: heart disease with clinical signs. Murmur, gallop sound and arrhythmia prevalence and left atrial size were compared between the groups. Results : Low heart rates prevailed in Group 3. Murmurs were prevalent in Group 2, but in Group 3 prevalence was significantly lower. Dyspnoea, gallop sounds, arrhythmias and left atrial diameter were significantly different between groups. Clinical Significance : Heart rate is unreliable for diagnosing heart failure in cats. Absence of murmur is prevalent in cats with clinical signs of heart failure, but arrhythmia and gallop sounds are prevalent. Echocardiographic measurement of left atrial diameter >16.5 mm may distinguish heart failure from respiratory disease in general practice.     

'Wound cat'

'Wound man' refers to a stylised diagram used in early medical textbooks to illustrate the various injuries that the human body can sustain in battle. We have adapted this concept to create 'Wound cat', as a way to emphasise the type and location of injuries cats may inflict on one another during combat. We have further extended this concept to include wounds that may result from interactions with rodents and snakes. It is hoped that our 'Wound cat' concept will assist less experienced clinicians locate sites of cat bites and scratches, and to recognise why certain infections arise in particular stereotyped locations. In addition, this approach should assist veterinarians in determining which pathogens are most likely to be involved in wounds located in a given anatomical region.     

A multi-scale analysis of species-environment relationships: breeding birds in a pitch pine-scrub oak (Pinus rigida-Quercus ilicifolia) community

Analyses of species-environment relationships are critically needed to guide conservation of many declining species. Comprehensive investigations of these relationships must incorporate environmental variables at multiple spatial scales since species responses to the environment vary with the scale of observation. We used partial canonical correspondence analysis to associate a bird assemblage in a threatened pitch pine-scrub oak (Pinus rigida-Quercus ilicifolia) community in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA, with plot, patch, and landscape level variables. The first level of analysis partitioned the amount of variance in the bird community explained by plot, patch, and landscape factors from that explained by spatial autocorrelation. The second level partitioned the amount of variance explained by plot, patch, and landscape factors alone and in combination. All three levels of environmental variables together accounted for 43% of the variance in the species data and only 5% of the variance was explainable by spatial factors alone. Landscape level factors accounted for a slightly larger amount of the explained variation (12%) than plot (11%) or patch (8%) level factors. We also examined the cumulative fit of each species to the plot, patch, and landscape partial models. Nine species of regional and/or national conservation concern had distributions that fit one model considerably better than the others. The Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) and Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) were predominantly associated with plot level factors; the Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) was predominantly associated with patch level factors; and the Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), and Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) were predominantly associated with landscape level factors. This study suggests that focusing conservation efforts at the landscape level would provide the most effective protection for the largest number of sensitive species.     

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa L.) protects against menadione-induced DNA damage through scavenging of reactive oxygen species: bioassay-directed isolation and characterization of active principles

The roots/rhizomes of Cimicifuga racemosa L. (Nutt.) (black cohosh) have traditionally been used to treat menopausal symptoms through an unknown mechanism of action. In an effort to determine if black cohosh had additional health benefits, methanol extracts were investigated for their potential to scavenge reactive oxygen species and to protect against menadione-induced DNA damage. These extracts effectively scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. In addition, the extracts showed dose-dependent decreases in DNA single-strand breaks and oxidized bases induced by the quinone menadione using the comet (single-cell gel electrophoresis assay) and fragment length associated repair enzyme assays, respectively. Bioassay-directed fractionation of the methanolic extracts using the DPPH assay as a monitor led to the isolation of nine antioxidant active compounds: caffeic acid (1), methyl caffeate (2), ferulic acid (3), isoferulic acid (4), fukinolic acid (5), cimicifugic acid A (6), cimicifugic acid B (7), cimicifugic acid F (8), cimiracemate A (9), and cimiracemate B (10). Six of these antioxidants were found to reduce menadione-induced DNA damage in cultured S30 breast cancer cells with the following order of potency: methyl caffeate (2) > caffeic acid (1) > ferulic acid (3) > cimiracemate A (9) > cimiracemate B (10) > fukinolic acid (5). These data suggest that black cohosh can protect against cellular DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species by acting as antioxidants.     

Mapping species richness and human impact drivers to inform global pelagic conservation prioritisation

Given the widely recognized need to better protect the oceans but limited resources to do so, methods for prioritizing potential protected area sites are important. This is particularly true for the open oceans, where few protected areas currently exist and data availability is limited. Here, we examine the relationship between the distributions of tuna and billfish species richness (an indicator of pelagic biodiversity), the human impact drivers of fishing pressure (quantified as cumulative removals) and sea surface temperature increase (quantified as the increase in large positive anomalies) in tropical to temperate oceans at the scale of a 5° × 5° grid. We investigate relationships using Generalised Additive Models and Regression Tree analysis, and identify the top 50 “hotspot” cells for species richness and each of the two impact drivers. We find that both impact drivers significantly overlap with high species richness, but relationships are complex, non-linear and ocean-basin specific. Higher fishing pressure is associated with higher species richness in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and this overlap is particularly prominent in the central Pacific, and in the Indian Ocean around Sri Lanka. In the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, species richness is generally higher in areas that have seen lower levels of change in sea surface temperature and only one cell, near Easter Island, is a hotspot for species richness and sea surface temperature increase. While species richness and impact drivers overlap in some areas, there are many areas with high species richness and limited apparent impact. This suggests that area-based conservation strategies that aim to protect areas of high pelagic biodiversity may be achievable with limited displacement of fishing effort.