Markers of Borna disease virus infection in cats with staggering disease

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a RNA-virus causing neurological disorders in a wide range of mammals. In cats, BDV infection may cause staggering disease. Presently, staggering disease is a tentative clinical diagnosis, only confirmed at necropsy. In this study, cats with staggering disease were investigated to study markers of BDV infection aiming for improvement of current diagnostics. Nineteen cats fulfilled the inclusion criteria based on neurological signs and pathological findings. In 17/19 cats, BDV infection markers (BDV-specific antibodies and/or BDV-RNA) were found, and antibodies in serum (13/16, 81%) were the most common marker. BDV-RNA was found in 11/19 cats (58%). In a reference population without neurological signs, 4/25 cats were seropositive (16%). The clinical history and neurological signs in combination with presence of BDV infection markers, where serology and rRT-PCR on blood can be helpful tools, improve the diagnostic accuracy in the living cat.     

Adrenal function in cats with hyperthyroidism

Adrenal function may be altered in animals with hyperthyroidism. The aim of the study was to assess adrenal function of hyperthyroid cats (n = 17) compared to healthy cats (n = 18) and cats with chronic diseases (n = 18). Adrenal function was evaluated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test and the urinary cortisol to creatinine ratio (UCCR) was determined. Length and width of both adrenal glands were measured via ultrasound. Hyperthyroid cats had significantly higher cortisol levels before and after stimulation with ACTH than the other groups. However, the UCCR was not elevated in hyperthyroid cats. The size of the adrenal glands of hyperthyroid cats was not significantly different from the size of those of healthy cats. The results indicate that cats with hyperthyroidism have a higher cortisol secretory capacity in a hospital setting. The normal size of the adrenal glands suggests that cortisol levels may not be increased permanently.     

Use of Small Public Urban Green Spaces (SPUGS)

During recent years, the use of urban green space (UGS) has received increased attention within several research fields, as well as politically, especially in relation to the benefits it provides for human health. Much research on larger green areas has shown that they are beneficial to people's health, physically, socially and mentally. However, because of densification tendencies in cities in Western countries, large green areas are a limited resource and many people live in city areas where the distance to larger green areas reduces the possibility for frequent use. Small Public Urban Green Spaces (SPUGS) in dense city areas might contribute to satisfy the need for everyday experiences of outdoor areas, but research on SPUGS is limited. In this paper, we describe how nine SPUGS in Copenhagen are used by the citizens based on data from 686 respondents who completed on-site questionnaires during their visit. The results show that SPUGS are primarily used for ‘socialising’ and ‘rest and restitution’. Furthermore, they are mainly used by well-educated people between the ages of 30 and 49. For ‘socialising’, SPUGS are primarily used on the way home. For ‘rest and restitution’, SPUGS are primarily used ‘en route’ or on the way home. More than half of the respondents reported living more than 1000 m from the SPUGS, and more than half of the respondents reported that they travel more than 500 m to get to the SPUGS. People aged 50–65 are more likely to visit the SPUGS for ‘rest and restitution’ than the younger age groups. Furthermore the older people are, the less likely they are to visit SPUGS to socialise. These results show that SPUGS are an important asset in citizen's everyday lives, and the results may provide inspiration for landscape architects, city planners and policy makers for the future planning of dense city areas.     

Prevalence of subclinical mastitis and isolated udder pathogens in dairy cows in Southern Vietnam

Dairy production is not traditional in Vietnam. The farmers have little practical knowledge and udder health control is generally lacking. In order to give the farmers appropriate advice, knowledge about the distribution of udder pathogens is crucial. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of sub-clinical mastitis and to identify udder pathogens isolated from smallholder dairy herds in Southern Vietnam. Twenty farms with a herd somatic cell count (SCC) ranging from low (≤400?×?10³?cells/mL) to high (>400?×?10³?cells/mL) were randomly selected. Milk samples were collected from 458 quarters of 115 clinically healthy cows. SCC was analyzed on farm by a portable cell counter. Bacteriological samples were taken using Mastistrip^© cassettes and sent to Sweden for examination. For all herds the mean herd SCC was 632?×?10³/mL milk. The prevalence of subclinical mastitis at quarter SCC basis was 63.2 % and at cow basis 88.6 %. Only 40 % of all cows were bacteriologically negative in all quarters. Streptococcus agalactiae was the most commonly found bacteria species, isolated from 96 of the 458 quarter samples, in 13 of the 20 farms. The results indicate pronounced subclinical mastitis problems among the dairy cows in this region mainly due to infections with S. agalactiae. The high prevalence of this highly contagious pathogen is probably attributable to the generally poor milking hygiene and low awareness of proper measures to prevent occurrence and spread of udder infections. A strict, targeted action program for the herds in this area is required in order to lower the prevalence of subclinical mastitis.     

Intermittent Stress in Pigs: Behavioural and Pituitary-Adrenocortical Reactivity

Abstract

Ninetysix pigs, half females and half castrated males from 12 litters, were housed in 24 groups of 4 litter mates (2 females, 2 castrates). The pigs were weaned at 4 weeks of age and from the age of 115 days half of the groups were subjected to a schedule of unpredictable, inescapable electroshocks for 33 days, and half served as control. The adrenocortical reactivity to ACTH stimulation and to an emotional stressor (the procedure associated with initiation of blood collection) was measured in females, whereas the behavioural and pituitary-adrenocortical reactivity to an open field test was measured in castrates, as was the behavioural reactivity in a social test. Intermittent stress increased adrenocortical reactivity to ACTH stimulation significantly. This effect was present within the first week of intermittent stress (p < 0.06), but no difference was found after 4–5 weeks of stress. In contrast, the adrenocortical reactivity to additional emotional stressors was unaffected by stress after one week of intermittent stress, but increased after 4–5 weeks. In the open field test, centre location increased after one week of intermittent stress, whereas exploration decreased and walking and ambulation increased after 4–5 weeks of stress. In addition, 4–5 weeks of intermittent stress decreased aggressiveness in a social test. In conclusion, the change in reactivity to an additional acute stressor during intermittent stress appeared in different variables and contexts at different times during the course of intermittent stress. Thus, assessment of stress based on changed reactivity has to include several distinct measures of behavioural and hormonal reactivity.     

Urbanization-induced acid rain causes leaching loss of calcium from limestone-derived soil in South China

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Acid rain events in Yuebei, a region of northern Guangdong Province, China, have been increasing due to rapid urbanization in recent years. A three-year study was...     

Metabolism of the lignan macromolecule into enterolignans in the gastrointestinal lumen as determined in the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem

Estrogenic plant compounds from the human diet such as the lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, 1) can exert biological activity in the human body upon ingestion and bioactivation to enterodiol (END, 5) and enterolactone (ENL, 6). Bioavailability of lignans is influenced by the food matrix and gut microbial action, of which the latter is subject to a large interindividual variation. In this study, the fate of the lignan precursor SDG, present in the lignan macromolecule of flax seed ( Linum usitatissimum), was determined during an artificial stomach and small intestinal digestion and during metabolism by two different enterolignan phenotypes in a TWINSHIME environment (TWIN Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem). The lignan macromolecule acted as a delivery system of SDG in the large intestine. SDG was only hydrolyzed into secoisolariciresinol (SECO, 2) through microbial action in the ascending colon, after which it was bioactivated into enterolignans from the transverse colon onward. Single demethylation was a first step in the bioactivation, followed by dehydroxylation. Enterolignan phenotypes remained stable throughout the experimental period. The establishment of END and ENL production equilibria reflected the subdominance of ENL-producing bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.     

Prevalence and identification of fungal DNA in the small intestine of healthy dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathies

Limited information is available about the prevalence and phylogenetic classification of fungal organisms in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs. Also, the impact of fungal organisms on gastrointestinal health and disease is not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of fungal DNA in the small intestine of healthy dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathies. Small intestinal content was analyzed from 64 healthy and 71 diseased dogs from five different geographic locations in Europe and the USA. Fungal DNA was amplified with panfungal primers targeting the internal transcriber spacer (ITS) region. PCR amplicons were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Fungal DNA was detected in 60.9% of healthy dogs and in 76.1% of dogs with chronic enteropathies. This prevalence was not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.065). Fungal DNA was significantly more prevalent in mucosal brush samples (82.8%) than in luminal samples (42.9%; p=0.002). Sequencing results revealed a total of 51 different phylotypes. All sequences belonged to two phyla and were classified as either Ascomycota (32 phylotypes) or Basidiomycota (19 phylotypes). Three major classes were identified: Saccharomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Hymenomycetes. The most commonly observed sequences were classified as Pichia spp., Cryptococcus spp., Candida spp., and Trichosporon spp. Species believed to be clinically more important were more commonly observed in diseased dogs. These results indicate a high prevalence and diversity of fungal DNA in the small intestine of both healthy dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathies. The canine gastrointestinal tract of diseased dogs may harbor opportunistic fungal pathogens.