Pilot study: prevalence of positive aeroallergen reactions in 10 cats with small-airway disease without concurrent skin disease

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of positive allergen reactions in cats with small-airway disease (i.e. 'feline asthma', 'feline allergic bronchitis', 'feline bronchial disease'). Intradermal skin tests (IDT) and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests were performed in 10 cats with idiopathic small-airway disease and in 10 normal cats without a history of respiratory disease. None of the cats had a history of skin disease or clinical signs of skin disease at the time of testing. Significantly more individual positive allergen reactions were found on serum IgE tests than on IDT in both groups of cats. Affected cats had significantly more individual positive allergen reactions on both tests than unaffected cats. Both IDT and serum IgE tests resulted in more individual positive allergen reactions to weeds, trees, grasses, and/or moulds in affected cats than in normal cats. Significantly more positive allergen reactions to house dust mites were found in affected compared to non-affected cats by IDT but not by serum IgE testing. One unexpected obstacle to inclusion of more affected cats in the study was the concurrent presence or history of suspect or known allergic skin disease. Concurrent allergic skin disease has not been reported in association with small-airway disease in cats. The increased prevalence of individual positive allergen reactions in affected cats may be due to increased immunological reactivity in these cats. Further studies are needed to answer this question and to determine what role, if any, aeroallergens have in the pathogenesis of this complex feline disease.     

Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy in dogs with thyroid carcinoma

Currently, a histological diagnosis of highly vascularized canine (c) thyroid carcinoma (TC) is primarily obtained following excisional biopsy (EB) through thyroidectomy. Non-EBs are contraindicated in unresectable invasive cTCs due to their highly vascularized nature, which subsequently, lack histological diagnosis. We hypothesised ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (UGCNB) to be a safe biopsy technique to obtain an accurate histological diagnosis in unresectable TCs. Nine client-owned dogs with suspected naturally occurring TC, presented for surgical excision, were included. First, a UGCNB was taken from the cervical tumour, followed by EB. Haemorrhage following UGCNB was evaluated preoperatively and once the tumour was surgically exposed by visual inspection and ultrasonography. Histological analysis, including cell organisation, tumour capsular and vascular invasion, and immunohistochemistry were performed and compared between both biopsy specimens (i.e., UGCNB and EB) of the same dog. Pre- and peroperative visual inspection revealed minor, localised haemorrhage, subsequent to the UGCNB, in 7/9 dogs. Histology of the EBs confirmed TC in 8/9 dogs and was inconclusive in 1/9 dogs. Histology of the UGCNBs revealed neoplastic thyroid tissue in 7/9 UGCNBs and was inconclusive in 1/9 UGCNBs. The remaining UGCNB contained no mass related tissue and was, therefore, excluded. Histological parameters (i.e., cell organisation, tumour capsular and vascular invasion) were not concordant between 6/8 included UGCNBs and their respective EB. Immunolabelling for thyroglobulin and calcitonin was concordant between all eight included UGCNBs and their respective EB. The remaining evaluated immunohistochemical markers (i.e., cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2], P-glycoprotein and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) were concordant between the included UGCNBs and the EBs in 6/8 dogs. To conclude, UGCNBs can be safely obtained in suspected cTCs and enable a reliable diagnosis of the thyroid origin, thyroid cell origin and potential therapeutic markers such as COX-2, P-glycoprotein and VEGF. Subsequently, UGCNB enables clinicians to establish an individually tailored treatment plan in dogs with unresectable TC.     

A survey on the use of rugs in Australian horses

The practice of horse rugging has important implications for horse welfare and performance, but in Australia, rugging practices have not been properly documented. The objective of this study was to obtain an understanding of Australian horse rugging practices. An online survey reviewed the management of 2659 Australian horses over 12 months. Of the reported horses a total of 84.8% were rugged, although most owners (69.5%) indicated that they were unsure whether horses needed to be rugged at all. Rugging was felt by 59.8% of owners to be a requirement for horses in competition. Riding and competition were significantly associated with the use of rugs. Nearly all respondents (89.0%) felt that ‘over-rugging’ was a concern. However, 4.8% of owners would use up to 4 rugs at any one time on their horse and 21.4% of horses were still rugged in temperatures above 20°C in Australia. Many Australian horse owners (42.8%) also believe that horses feel cold if they are not rugged. Anthropomorphism when it comes to rugging horses cannot be justified as the horse has a much wider thermoneutral zone (TNZ) than humans. Australian climate, owner opinions, equestrian discipline and whether a horse is used for riding influence Australian horse rugging practices. However, current practices are based on limited available research and are not necessarily to the benefit of the horse. The major limitation was that the survey likely attracted respondents who are interested in the topic creating a self-selection bias.     

Monothiol glutaredoxin cDNA from Taiwanofungus camphorata: a novel CGFS-type glutaredoxin possessing glutathione reductase activity

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) play important roles in the redox system via reduced glutathione as a reductant. A TcmonoGrx cDNA (1039 bp, EU158772) encoding a putative monothiol Grx was cloned from Taiwanofungus camphorata (formerly named Antrodia camphorata). The deduced amino acid sequence is conserved among the reported monothiol Grxs. Two 3-D homology structures of the TcmonoGrx based on known structures of human Grx3 (pdb: 2DIY_A) and Mus musculus Grx3 (pdb: 1WIK_A) have been created. To characterize the TcmonoGrx protein, the coding region was subcloned into an expression vector pET-20b(+) and transformed into E. coli C41(DE3). The recombinant His6-tagged TcmonoGrx was overexpressed and purified by Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid Sepharose. The purified enzyme showed a predominant band on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited glutathione reductase (GR) activity via dithionitrobenzoate (DTNB) assay. The Michaelis constant (K(M)) values for GSSG and NADPH were 0.064 and 0.041 mM, respectively. The enzyme's half-life of deactivation at 60 °C was 10.5 min, and its thermal inactivation rate constant (k(d)) was 5.37 × 10(-2) min(-1). The enzyme was active under a broad pH range from 6 to 8. The enzyme retained 50% activity after trypsin digestion at 37 °C for 40 min. Both mutants C(40)→S(40) and C(165)→S(165) lost 40-50% GR activity, whereas the mutant S(168)→C(168) showed a 20% increase in its GR activity.     

Fate of diuron and terbuthylazine in soils amended with two-phase olive oil mill waste

The addition of organic amendments to soil increases soil organic matter content and stimulates soil microbial activity. Thus, processes affecting herbicide fate in the soil should be affected. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of olive oil production industry organic waste (alperujo) on soil sorption-desorption, degradation, and leaching of diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] and terbuthylazine [N2-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N4-ethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], two herbicides widely used in olive crops. The soils used in this study were a sandy soil and a silty clay soil from two different olive groves. The sandy soil was amended in the laboratory with fresh (uncomposted) alperujo at the rate of 10% w/w, and the silty clay soil was amended in the field with fresh alperujo at the rate of 256 kg per tree during 4 years and in the laboratory with fresh or composted alperujo. Sorption of both herbicides increased in laboratory-amended soils as compared to unamended or field-amended soils, and this process was less reversible in laboratory-amended soils, except for diuron in amended sandy soil. Addition of alperujo to soils increased half-lives of the herbicides in most of the soils. Diuron and terbuthylazine leached through unamended sandy soil, but no herbicide was detected in laboratory-amended soil. Diuron did not leach through amended or unamended silty clay soil, whereas small amounts of terbuthylazine were detected in leachates from unamended soil. Despite their higher sorption capacity, greater amounts of terbuthylazine were found in the leachates from amended silty clay soils. The amounts of dissolved organic matter from alperujo and the degree of humification can affect sorption, degradation, and leaching of these two classes of herbicides in soils. It appears that adding alperujo to soil would not have adverse impacts on the behavior of herbicides in olive production.     

Observed flow compensation associated with the MOC at 26.5 degrees N in the Atlantic

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), which provides one-quarter of the global meridional heat transport, is composed of a number of separate flow components. How changes in the strength of each of those components may affect that of the others has been unclear because of a lack of adequate data. We continuously observed the MOC at 26.5 degrees N for 1 year using end-point measurements of density, bottom pressure, and ocean currents; cable measurements across the Straits of Florida; and wind stress. The different transport components largely compensate for each other, thus confirming the validity of our monitoring approach. The MOC varied over the period of observation by +/-5.7 x 10(6) cubic meters per second, with density-inferred and wind-driven transports contributing equally to it. We find evidence for depth-independent compensation for the wind-driven surface flow.