Necrotising fasciitis in a domestic shorthair cat – negative pressure wound therapy assisted debridement and reconstruction

A 10‐year‐old, domestic shorthair cat was presented for acute lameness of the left forelimb accompanied by severe pain, swelling, skin necrosis, malodorous discharge and pyrexia. Following a presumptive diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis aggressive surgical debridement of the affected soft tissues of the antebrachium and negative pressure wound treatment of the open defect were performed. Surgical findings supported the tentative diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis and Streptococcus canis was isolated from the wound. A free skin graft was performed 29 days after admission, and augmented by 3 days of negative pressure wound therapy to facilitate graft incorporation. Healing was achieved without complications and no functional or aesthetic abnormalities remained.     

Microscopic examination of the intestinal wall and selected organs of minipigs orally supplemented with humic acids

Humic acids are used to prophylactically treat intestinal diseases in a wide number of species, yet the mechanism of action remains unknown. The general assumption has been that humic acids act locally; however studies using young piglets show orally supplemented humic acids can penetrate the intestinal wall, and thus potentially act systemically. The objective of this study was to determine if humic acids could also cross the intestinal barrier in adult pigs and be detected in other organs. Adult minipigs (>18 months old) orally received either 1 g humic acids/kg body weight (verum, n = 3) or placebo (control, n = 3), for 2 weeks. At the end of the feeding period tissue samples were harvested from the intestine, various glands and organs. Unstained tissue samples were examined by light microscopy for the presence of humic acid particles. No humic acid particles were detected in any of the unstained tissues from verum or control pigs.     

Ore metals through geologic history

The ores of chromite, nickel, copper, and zinc show a wide distribution over geologic time, but those of iron, titanium, lead, uranium, gold, silver, molybdenum, tungsten, and tin are more restricted. Many of the limitations to specific time intervals are probably imposed by the evolving tectonic history of Earth interacting with the effects of the biomass on the evolution of the earth's s surface chemistry. Photosynthetic generation of free oxygen and "carbon" contributes significantlly to the diversity of redox potentials in both sedimentary and igneous-related processes of ore formation, influencing the selection of metals at the source, during transport, and at the site of ore deposition.     

Leaf photosynthetic characteristics of beech (Fagus sylvatica) saplings during three years of exposure to elevated CO(2) concentration

Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seedlings were cultivated from seeds sown in pots or directly in the ground in outdoor chambers that were transparent to solar radiation, and provided either ambient air or CO(2)-enriched air (ambient + 350 &mgr;mol mol(-1)). The rooting volume was high in all experiments. In the short-term experiment, potted plants were assigned to a factorial CO(2) x nutrient treatment (optimal nutrient supply and severe nutrient shortage) for 1 year. In the long-term experiment, plants were grown directly in the ground and received an optimal supply of water and nutrients in both CO(2) treatments for 3 years. Nutrient stress caused carboxylation capacity (V(m)) to decrease in the potted seedlings exposed to CO(2)-enriched air during their first growing season. In the long-term experiment with optimal nutrient supply, CO(2)-enriched air did not affect V(m), but caused an upward acclimation of maximum electron transport rate (J(m)). Consequently, there was a 14% increase in the J(m)/V(m) ratio, indicating nitrogen reallocation to maintain an equilibrium between RuBP consumption and RuBP regeneration. Both V(m) and J(m) decreased during the growing season in both CO(2) treatments. Although upward acclimation of J(m) was no longer apparent at the end of the third growing season, plants in CO(2)-enriched air maintained a higher J(m)/V(m) ratio than plants in ambient air, indicating that photosynthetic acclimation always occurred. Second flush leaves appeared during each growing season. When expressed on the basis of foliar nitrogen concentration, their photosynthetic characteristics (V(m) and J(m)) were enhanced compared with other leaves. Because the number of second flush leaves was also increased in the elevated CO(2) treatment, this response should be taken into account when modeling the effects of elevated CO(2) concentration on canopy photosynthesis. Stomatal conductance decreased in response to atmospheric CO(2) enrichment; however, the stomatal response to irradiance followed a single relationship based on two stomatal conductance models.     

Primary structure of the beta subunit of the DHP-sensitive calcium channel from skeletal muscle

Complementary DNAs for the beta subunit of the dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel of rabbit skeletal muscle were isolated on the basis of peptide sequences derived from the purified protein. The deduced primary structure is without homology to other known protein sequences and is consistent with the beta subunit being a peripheral membrane protein associated with the cytoplasmic aspect of the sarcolemma. The protein contains sites that might be expected to be preferentially phosphorylated by protein kinase C and guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase. A messenger RNA for this protein appears to be expressed in brain.     

A predator unmasked: life cycle of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus from a genomic perspective

Predatory bacteria remain molecularly enigmatic, despite their presence in many microbial communities. Here we report the complete genome of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100, a predatory Gram-negative bacterium that invades and consumes other Gram-negative bacteria. Its surprisingly large genome shows no evidence of recent gene transfer from its prey. A plethora of paralogous gene families coding for enzymes, such as hydrolases and transporters, are used throughout the life cycle of B. bacteriovorus for prey entry, prey killing, and the uptake of complex molecules.     

Bioindication and modelling of atmospheric deposition in forests enable exposure and effect monitoring at high spatial density across scales

Key message

Moss surveys provide spatially dense data on environmental concentrations of heavy metals and nitrogen which, together with other biomonitoring and modelling data, can be used for indicating deposition to terrestrial ecosystems and related effects across time and areas of different spatial extension.

Context

For enhancing the spatial resolution of measuring and mapping atmospheric deposition by technical devices and by modelling, moss is used complementarily as bio-monitor.

Aims

This paper investigated whether nitrogen and heavy metal concentrations derived by biomonitoring of atmospheric deposition are statistically meaningful in terms of compliance with minimum sample size across several spatial levels (objective 1), whether this is also true in terms of geostatistical criteria such as spatial auto-correlation and, by this, estimated values for unsampled locations (objective 2) and whether moss indicates atmospheric deposition in a similar way as modelled deposition, tree foliage and natural surface soil at the European and country level, and whether they indicate site-specific variance due to canopy drip (objective 3).

Methods

Data from modelling and biomonitoring atmospheric deposition were statistically analysed by means of minimum sample size calculation, by geostatistics as well as by bivariate correlation analyses and by multivariate correlation analyses using the Classification and Regression Tree approach and the Random Forests method.

Results

It was found that the compliance of measurements with the minimum sample size varies by spatial scale and element measured. For unsampled locations, estimation could be derived. Statistically significant correlations between concentrations of heavy metals and nitrogen in moss and modelled atmospheric deposition, and concentrations in leaves, needles and soil were found. Significant influence of canopy drip on nitrogen concentration in moss was proven.

Conclusion

Moss surveys should complement modelled atmospheric deposition data as well as other biomonitoring approaches and offer a great potential for various terrestrial monitoring programmes dealing with exposure and effects.

     

Zoonotic poxviruses

Poxviruses compromise a group of long known important pathogens including some zoonotic members affecting lifestock animals and humans. While whole genome sequence analysis started to shed light into the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell infection, viral replication as well as virulence, our understanding of poxvirus maintenance in nature and their transmission to humans is still poor. During the last two decades, reports on emerging human monkeypox outbreaks in Africa and North America, the increasing number of cowpox virus infections in cats, exotic animals and humans and cases of vaccinia virus infections in humans in South America and India reminded us that – beside the eradicated smallpox virus – there are other poxviruses that can cause harm to men. We start to learn that the host range of some poxviruses is way broader than initially thought and that mainly rodents seem to function as virus reservoir. The following review is aiming to provide an up-to-date overview on the epidemiology of zoonotic poxviruses, emphasizing orthopoxviruses. By outlining the current knowledge of poxvirus transmission, we hope to raise the awareness about modes of acquisition of infections and their proper diagnosis.