Retrospective comparison of three locoregional techniques for pelvic limb surgery in dogs

ObjectiveTo retrospectively compare the efficacy and duration of effect of three commonly used locoregional blocks in dogs undergoing pelvic limb orthopaedic surgery.Study designRetrospective clinical study.AnimalsA total of 236 dogs that underwent pelvic limb surgery and were administered a locoregional technique.MethodsA total of 236 hospital records were reviewed and 230 included in statistical analysis. Dogs were grouped as following: electrostimulation-guided pre-iliac femoral and sciatic nerve block (group PFS, n = 70); ultrasound-guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block (group SS, n = 76); or lumbosacral epidural (group EPI, n = 84). In group EPI, bupivacaine 0.5% or ropivacaine 0.75% was used with morphine. Dogs were pain scored (short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale) hourly following recovery from anaesthesia. Analysed data included: time to first postoperative dose of methadone, pain score at that time, intraoperative rescue analgesia, intraoperative hypotension and ability to walk and urinate overnight. Separate analyses were performed including all pelvic limb surgeries and including only elective stifle surgeries. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests were performed. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. The median (range) is reported.ResultsFor all pelvic limb surgeries, the time to first postoperative methadone was 530 (110–1337), 440 (140–1030) and 466 (135–1094) minutes in groups EPI, PFS and SS, respectively, and was not significantly different. Postoperatively, 10/84, 15/70 and 12/76 dogs in groups EPI, PFS and SS, respectively, did not require methadone (nonsignificant). Significantly fewer dogs in group EPI (18%) required intraoperative rescue analgesia compared with group SS (38%), but not compared with PFS (30%). Significantly more dogs in group EPI had hypotension intraoperatively (30%) and urinary retention postoperatively (62%).Conclusions and clinical relevanceIntraoperative analgesia may be superior with EPI than SS for some surgeries of the pelvic limb, but not for stifle surgeries. All three techniques provided similar requirement for postoperative analgesia, but EPI caused higher incidence of intraoperative hypotension and postopertive urinary retention.     

Bird habitat preferences drive hemoparasite infection in the Neotropical region

The role that the environment plays in vector-borne parasite infection is one of the central factors for understanding disease dynamics. We assessed how Neotropical bird foraging strata and habitat preferences determine infection by parasites of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon, and Trypanosoma and filarioids, and tested for phylogenetic signal in these host–parasite associations. We performed extensive searches of the scientific literature and created a database of hemoparasite surveys. We collected data on host body mass, foraging strata, habitat preference, and migratory status, and tested if host ecological traits predict each hemoparasite occurrence and prevalence using a phylogenetic Bayesian framework. Species of Plasmodium tend to infect birds from tropical forests while birds from altitudinal environments are likely to be infected by species of Leucocytozoon. The probability of a bird being infected by filarioid or Trypanosoma is higher in lowland forests. Bird species that occur in anthropic environments and dry habitats of tropical latitudes are more susceptible to infection by species of Haemoproteus. Host foraging strata is also influential and bird species that forage in the mid-high and canopy strata are more prone to infection by species of Haemoproteus and filarioids. We also identified phylogenetic signal for host–parasite associations with the probability of infection of Neotropical birds by any hemoparasite being more similar among more closely related species. We provided a useful framework to identify environments that correlate with hemoparasite infection, which is also helpful for detecting areas with potential suitability for hemoparasite infection due to land conversion and climate change.     

Innervation of the wing membrane in the bent-winged bat Miniopterus fuliginosus

The nerves that innervate the fingertips and wing membrane from the upper arm of the bent-winged bat Miniopterus fuliginosus were examined under a stereomicroscope. The radial, median, ulnar and musculocutaneous nerves were formed by the brachial plexus, which ran to the wing membrane. The two suspected axillary nerves ran to the wing membrane. The radial nerve ran to the end of the first digit, while the median nerve ran along the forearm and subsequently branched-off to run along the second to fifth digits up to the end of the phalanges. The ulnar nerve ran to the plagiopatagium on the extensor side of the elbow joint. Finally, the musculocutaneous nerve passed through the ventral side of the humerus and branched out at the elbow joint to run radially to the propatagium area. In this study, the visible nerves that were distributed from the upper arm to the fingertips of Miniopterus fuliginosus were formed by C6–T1.     

The effect of cutting direction on aroma compounds and respiration rate of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether cutting direction and storage temperature could influence aroma formation and respiration rates in minimally processed lettuce. Lettuce was cut both longitudinally and transverse to the mid-rib and stored at 6 and 10 °C for 4 and 5 days. The experiment was performed in January and March 2008. Changes in respiration rate were analyzed during storage, and aroma analysis was carried out after 4 and 5 days of storage in January and March, respectively. Respiration rates increased with increasing storage temperatures. Transverse cuts to the rib were strongly related with volatiles of the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway i.e. cis-3-hexenal, cis-3-hexenol and trans-2-hexenol, while longitudinal cutting enhanced formation of volatiles from other metabolic routes. Aroma formation was also influenced by storage temperature, where higher storage temperatures resulted in increases in α-longipinene, 2-methylbutanal and 3-methylbutanal. Our results demonstrate that cutting the lettuce transverse to the mid-rib caused more severe damage to the tissue than longitudinal cutting, based on aroma production of LOX volatiles.     

Contrasting genetic structure between Magnaporthe grisea populations associated with the golf course turfgrasses Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) and Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyugrass)

Gray leaf spot (GLS) disease of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in golf courses in California was first noted in 2001 and 2003, respectively, and within 5 years had become well established. The causal agent of the disease is the fungus Magnaporthe grisea, which is known to consist primarily of clonal lineages that are highly host specific. Therefore, our objective was to investigate host specificity and population dynamics among isolates associated primarily from perennial ryegrass and kikuyugrass since the disease emerged at similar times in California. We also obtained isolates from additional hosts (tall fescue, St. Augustinegrass, weeping lovegrass, and rice) and from the eastern United States for comparative purposes. A total of 38 polymorphic amplified fragment length polymorphism makers were scored from 450 isolates which clustered by host with high bootstrap support (71 to 100%). Genetic structure between kikuyugrass and perennial ryegrass isolates differed significantly. Isolates from kikuyugrass were genotypically diverse (n = 34), possessed both mating types, and some tests for random mating could not be rejected, whereas isolates from perennial ryegrass were less genotypically diverse (n = 10) and only consisted of a single mating type. Low genotypic diversity was also found among the other host specific isolates which also only consisted of a single mating type. This is the first study to document evidence for the potential of sexual reproduction to occur in M. grisea isolates not associated with rice (Oryza sativa). Moreover, given the significant host specificity and contrasting genetic structures between turfgrass-associated isolates, the recent emergence of GLS on various grass hosts in California suggests that potential cultural practices or environmental changes have become conducive for the disease and that the primary inoculum may have already been present in the state, despite the fact that two genotypes associated with perennial ryegrass and St. Augustinegrass in California were the same as isolates collected from the eastern United States.     

Resveratrol treatment controls microbial flora, prolongs shelf life, and preserves nutritional quality of fruit

Resveratrol is known as a grapevine secondary metabolite with fungicide activity. Its exogenous application on harvested grapes resulted in the reduction of microbial flora growth, and consequently, prolonged shelf life, without affecting the nutritional quality of the fruit. Resveratrol treatment also resulted in being effective on fruit that normally does not accumulate such metabolites as, for example, tomatoes, apples, avocado pears, and peppers. As a result, all treated fruits maintained their post-harvest quality and health longer than the untreated ones. This study demonstrates the potential use of resveratrol as a natural pesticide to reduce post-harvest fungi development on a broad spectrum of fruit types.     

Presence of porcine parvovirus in sera from pigs is independent of antibody titers

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a widespread DNA virus that causes reproductive failure in swine. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of PPV in sera of nursery piglets (healthy n = 191 and wasting n = 132) and regularly vaccinated sows (with different parity rank [PR] n = 129), collected from different herds. Altogether, 452 animals were sampled in 27 herds owned by five companies. All sera were analyzed for the presence of PPV DNA by nested-PCR. The samples from sows were in addition tested for the presence of antibodies by Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI). PPV DNA was detected in healthy piglets (15.7%), wasting piglets (18.2%) and sows (17.8%). 25 herds had at least one positive sample and four companies had positive animals. The serology revealed that 84.7% of the sows had detectable antibodies and the fourth PR sows had the highest mean PPV antibody titers. Thirteen sows (19.1%) were found to be positive for DNA detection in the presence of high levels of antibody titers (> 512). This finding indicates that PPV DNA can be detected in different swine production categories irrespective of antibody titers.     

Acaricidal properties of extracts from the aerial parts of Hypericum polyanthemum on the cattle tick Boophilus microplus

Laboratory tests were carried out on larvae and adults of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus to determine the toxicity of n-hexane and crude methanolic extracts of Hypericum polyanthemum (Guttiferae) using the larval immersion test (LIT) and adult immersion test (AIT). In the AIT, the effectiveness of treatment against engorged females was assessed by measuring egg production: the n-hexane extract was found to have a small effect on the egg laying at the highest concentration (19.2% of egg-laying inhibition) whilst the crude methanolic extract did not affect the egg production. For the LIT the n-hexane extracts were highly toxic to the larvae at all the concentrations (100% of mortality). The crude methanolic extract was also toxic to the larvae at higher concentrations killing 100, 96.7, 84.7 and 52.7% at the concentrations of 50, 25, 12.5, and 6.25 mg/ml, respectively, 48 h after the immersion of the acarus.     

The soil microbiomes of the Brazilian Cerrado

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The slightly exuberant appearance suggests a misleading idea of an insignificant diversity of microorganisms in Cerrado soils. Thus, a review is necessary,...