Prevalence of echocardiographic evidence of cardiac disease in apparently healthy cats with murmurs

The objective of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence of echocardiographic evidence of heart disease in apparently healthy cats with heart murmurs. Thirty-two privately owned domestic cats were examined. All cats were considered healthy on the basis of history and physical examination, except for the finding of a heart murmur on auscultation. Cats on any medications (besides regular flea, tick and heartworm preventative) or that were pregnant or lactating were excluded from this study. The prevalence of echocardiographic evidence of heart disease in this population of cats was 53%. Therefore, identification of a heart murmur on routine physical examination in apparently healthy cats warrants further investigation.     

Use of a self-expanding metallic stent for the treatment of a urethral stricture in a young cat

A 4-month-old intact male domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for urinary outflow obstruction after several weeks of medical management for traumatic urethral rupture. Positive-contrast retrograde urethrography and anterograde cystoscopy performed 4 weeks after the initial urethral injury confirmed a stricture approximately 1cm distal to the bladder trigone at the site of the initial urethral tear. A self-expanding metallic urethral stent (SEMS) was placed under fluoroscopic guidance to relieve the urethral stricture and re-establish luminal patency. After stent placement, the cat was able to void urine normally with minimal urinary incontinence noted. This resolved several months post-stent placement. No known clinical complications persisted other than mild intermittent hematuria.     

Field measurements of CO2 enhancement and climate change in natural vegetation

It is generally assumed that healthy, natural ecosystems have the potential to sequester carbon under favorable environmental conditions. There is also evidence that CO₂ acts as a plant fertilizer. It is of interest to know if these assumptions are valid and how natural systems might respond under future scenarios of CO₂ increase and possible climate changes. Few measurements of the effects of CO₂ and global climate change have been made on “natural” ecosystems under realistic field conditions. Most measurements have been conducted in the synthetic environments of totally controlled greenhouses and growth chambers. Several lines of evidence indicate that controlled environment studies using plants growing in pots induce experimental artifacts that reduce confidence in the use of results for prediction of future global responses. Open top chambers are being used in several autecological field studies in an attempt to obtain more realistic field environments. A few field microcosm studies have been completed and a system for the free air release of CO₂ has been applied in cotton fields. Unfortunately, the requirement of large amounts of CO₂ and financial restrictions have precluded the initiation of larger scale field studies in natural vegetation. This paper lists and summarizes the best field studies available but draws heavily on studies from artificial environments and conditions in an attempt to summarize knowledge of global environmental change on forests and other non-agricultural ecosystems. Finally the paper concludes that there is a need for the development and application of equipment for field measurements in several representative natural ecosystems and makes specific recommendation of the creation of a tropical research center.     

No place to nest or bask: Effects of human disturbance on the nesting and basking habits of yellow-blotched map turtles (Graptemys flavimaculata)

Considerable recent attention has focused on how human disturbance alters the behaviour of imperiled taxa. Data on such impacts are common for waterfowl, marine mammals, and some large game animals. However, little is known about how human disturbances affect reptiles, perhaps because most reptiles are secretive and are not commonly seen by the public. We studied the impact of human disturbances on the nesting and basking behaviour of the yellow-blotched map turtle (Graptemys flavimaculata) on the Pascagoula River in southeastern Mississippi, USA. We found that both nesting and basking behaviour of map turtles were altered by human recreational activities. Turtles attempting to nest commonly abandoned their attempts upon the approach of a boat and, prior to nesting, numerous individuals waited several hours near the beach without emerging. Basking turtles frequently dove into the water upon the approach of a boat and some did not return to bask. Anglers in small boats that remained in the vicinity of basking sites caused the most disturbances, whereas personal water crafts (jet skis) caused fewer disturbances. Our data suggest that interruption of nesting activities may have an especially severe impact on the viability of this population through changes in numbers of clutches females are able to lay and altering the microhabitat females select for their nests.     

Novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester identified from the fruits of Morinda citrifolia (Noni)

Two known glycosides and a novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester were isolated from the n-butanol-soluble fraction of the fruits of Morinda citrifolia (noni). Structure determination was carried out by spectral techniques such as MS, IR, NMR, and 2D-NMR. The novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester was elucidated as 2, 6-di-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-O-octanoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose. The known compounds were identified as rutin and asperulosidic acid.     

Sediment Quality in Arkansas Bait Minnow Ponds

Sediment cores were collected from 7-yr-old, 20- to 25-yr-old, and 30- to 35-yr-old ponds at a bait minnow farm at Lonoke, Arkansas, USA. Average depths of soft sediment (S and M horizons) were 8 cm in young ponds, 12 em in intermediate-age ponds, and 26 cm in old ponds. Organic carbon concentrations in sediment were low to moderate (1–2%) and carbon to nitrogen ratios were wide (20–50). Phosphorus and sulfur concentrations increased as ponds aged. Most of the phosphorus (78.9%) was in organic form, but sulfur was primarily inorganic in form (presumably iron sulfide). There appears to be two major problems associated with sediment accumulation over time. Deep, soft sediment interferes with pond management and especially with harvest. High phosphorus concentration in old sediment may contribute to dense phytoplankton blooms by supplying phosphorus to the water. Sodium nitrate treatment did not increase the rate of sediment organic matter decomposition in laboratory trials and would not be expected to enhance the degradation of sediment organic matter in ponds. The best method for improving the condition of bottoms in older bait minnow ponds probably is to remove the sediment.     

Dry-Tilling of Pond Bottoms and Calcium Sulfate Treatment for Water Quality Improvement

Three different pond bottom treatments were evaluated in 12 earthen ponds. Bottoms of four ponds on the Auburn University Fisheries Research Unit, Auburn, Alabama, were dried for 1 mo and tilled with a roto-tiller (dry-till treatment). Four other ponds were dried and tilled, and after filling with water, enough gypsum (calcium sulfate) was applied to give a total hardness of about 200 mg/L. Gypsum was reapplied as needed to maintain the hardness (dry-till with gypsum treatment). Four ponds were not subjected to bottom drying, tilling or gypsum treatment (controls). Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus fingerings were stocked at 15,000/ha. Selected water quality variables were measured at 1- to 2-wk intervals during the growing season. Concentrations of most variables increased over time because feeding rate was increased progressively as fish grew. Compared to the controls, both treatments had lower concentrations of total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus, and higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen ( P < 0.05). In addition, ponds of the dry-till with gypsum treatment had in addition lower concentrations ( P < 0.05) of chlorophyll a , chemical oxygen demand, gross primary productivity, and total alkalinity than control ponds. The reduction in chlorophyll a concentration suggested less phytoplankton in gypsum-treated ponds, and this effect was probably related to lower phosphorus availability because of calcium phosphate formation. Secchi disk visibility, total suspended solids concentrations, and turbidity did not differ significantly among the treatments ( P < 0.05). Total fish production and survival rate did not differ significantly ( P < 0.05) among the treatments. These findings suggest that water quality improvement can be achieved by drying and tilling pond bottoms between crops, and benefits possibly may be increased by treating low hardness waters with gypsum.