Vasopressin-stimulated release of atriopeptin: endocrine antagonists in fluid homeostasis

Administration of pharmacological doses of arginine-vasopressin, related peptides, and other pressor agents induced a profound release of atriopeptin immunoreactivity into the circulation. The stimulated release of atriopeptin apparently was related to increased arterial blood pressure. Neither the nonpressor vasopressin analog 1-deamino-D-Arg8-vasopressin nor arginine-vasopressin in the presence of a specific pressor antagonist caused atriopeptin to be released into the circulation. Urine output was correlated with the level of atriopeptin released. Physiological levels of arginine-vasopressin suppress diuresis and produced vasoconstriction. Pharmacological levels of the hormone stimulated the cardiac endocrine system to release atriopeptin, which may cause diuresis and vasodilation to physiologically antagonize the effects of vasopressin.     

Effects of Long-Term Aerial Pollution on Soil Seed Banks in Drained Pine Mires in Southern Finland

The effects of pollution on thecomposition of soil seed banks in four drained pinemires located along a pollution gradient in southernFinland were studied using the emergence method. Thespecies composition of the seed bank was compared withthe above ground vegetation. Dominant species in theseed banks were Calluna vulgaris, Betulaspp. and Ledum palustre. Seeds seemed to beviable despite a heavy pollution load. Especially inthe vicinity of the pollution source, seed bank andabove ground vegetation were weakly correlated.     

Agronomic performance of crosses between Nordic and exotic barleys

Exotic germplasm may be useful for the improvement of agronomic performance of barley breeding material. This study was conducted in order 1) to evaluate if it is possible to improve performance of Nordic barley breeding material by utilizing exotic germplasm sources (unadapted landraces and H. spontaneum), 2) to evaluate incorporation of exotic germplasm into a genetic base widely adapted to the agro-ecological conditions of the extreme Scandinavian north as well as to the base adapted to the conditions of the south of this geographical region, and 3) to evaluate whether an index composed of several traits corresponded to 'breeder's phenotypic evaluation' of the progenies. Earliness, straw length, number of ears/plant, yield/plant, seed shattering, persistence of awns and an index computed from these traits were studied in Swedish and Finnish 4-way crosses along with their adapted parents. Most of the crosses headed earlier than their adapted parents and none of the crosses outyielded the adapted parents. The most favorable frequency distributions for the index were found in the crosses with only cultivated barleys as parents. Transgressive segregates were also found in progenies with H. spontaneum parents. Incorporation of exotic barleys was most successful into the local genetic base. Comparisons between indices and breeder's phenotypic evaluation suggested reconsideration of evaluation methods early in parent development.     

A preliminary study of uterine derived polymorphonuclear cell function in mares with chronic uterine infections

From 6 mares with chronic uterine infection, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) were obtained from the uterus. In order to recover an adequate number of viable PMNs, 0.1% oyster glycogen was infused into the uterus as a mild irritant 12 h prior to the uterine flushing. Phagocytosis and chemotaxis of the uterine derived PMNs were determined. The supernatant from the uterine flushing was compared with autologous serum for its capacity as an opsonin and chemoattractant. There was a significant increase of both phagocytosis and chemotaxis when autologous serum was used compared with the supernatant from the uterine flushing. This study indicates that autologous serum has a greater opsonizing capacity than uterine secretion from mares with chronic uterine infection. Since all mares conceived following this study, the use of oyster glycogen was not considered to have deleterious effect on the uterine mucosa.     

An epidemiologic study of mortality in veal calves subsequent to an episode of zinc toxicosis on a California veal calf operation using zinc sulfate-supplemented milk replacer

Ninety-five 3- to 6-month old male Holstein veal calves were evaluated after an episode of zinc toxicosis, to describe clinical signs and to identify management and/or host-related factors that may have contributed to death. Clinical signs appeared 23 days after feeding of milk replacer commenced. Of 85 calves examined, 64 had pneumonia (75.5%), 62 had ocular signs (72.9%), 46 had diarrhea (54.1%), 34 were anorectic (40.0%), 15 were bloated (17.6%), 8 had cardiac arrhythmias (9.4%), 3 had convulsions (3.5%), and 3 were polydipsic/polyphagic (3.5%). Clinical signs began to appear when calves each were being fed approximately 1.5 to 2.0 g of zinc/day and exposed to a cumulative zinc intake of 42 to 70 g, from a milk replacer containing 706 micrograms of elemental zinc/g of milk replacer. Of 95 calves studied, 1 died before zinc was supplemented, 16 died during the episode, 12 were euthanatized, 1 was lost to follow-up evaluation, 1 was culled, and 64 were slaughtered. Deaths attributable to zinc toxicosis were observed between 25 and 53 days after the milk replacer was supplemented with zinc. Calves died while being exposed cumulatively to 30 to 66 g of zinc. The factors of previous pneumonia severity, age, cumulative daily exposure to zinc, and calf location within a bay were examined for possible associations with mortality, using stepwise logistic regression. Though younger calves tended to have a higher mortality than older calves, neither age category nor severity of pneumonia, before zinc supplementation, accounted for a significant mortality.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Serratia-mastitis in cows as a herd problem

Clinical mastitis with infection of Serratia marcescens occurred in a tied-up dairy herd in Sweden on a scale widely exceeding what has hitherto been reported in veterinary literature. The herd contained 37 milking cows before the disease period but only 14 at slaughter 21 months later in spite of some recruitment. A very large number of mastitis cases, usually rather mild and of short duration, had then occurred--during one single month not less than 47 cases. Hardly any cow escaped the disease. Instead, the single cows fell ill at short intervals with mastitis in the same quarter as previously or in another quarter. Antibiotic therapy in clinical cases, dry cow therapy and teat dipping had no obvious effect. Serratia marcescens was isolated in all 14 slaughtered cows in one or more quarters. The morphological changes were remarkably mild. Isolated Serratia strains revealed no distinctive marks compared with ordinary saprophytic strains in laboratory tests. Serratia-contaminated sawdust used as litter was possibly the source of infection and the milking machine possibly the tool for the transmission of bacteria to the udder, in the latter case by the aspiration of contaminated sawdust when the claw was attached or detached, or it fell off during milking. The pathogenicity of the bacteria and the susceptibility of the cows to udder infection may have been increased.     

Serum values of amylase and pancreatic lipase in healthy mature dogs and dogs with experimental pancreatitis

Serum values of amylase and pancreatic lipase were determined by the iodometric and the turbidimetric methods, respectively, in 44 mature healthy dogs and in 8 dogs with experimentally induced pancreatitis (plus 1 sham-operated control). Serum value of amylase in mature healthy dogs varied from 250 to 1,500 Caraway units/dl and that of pancreatic lipase varied from 0 to 50 IU/L. Maximal serum values of amylase and pancreatic lipase in the dogs with experimentally induced pancreatitis varied from 4,540 to 14,000 Caraway units/dl and 325 to 810 IU/L, respectively. Following pancreatic damage, serum values of amylase and pancreatic lipase increased rapidly in the 8 dogs and ran parallel to each other in 6 of the 8 dogs studied. However, the serum value of amylase returned to within normal range earlier than the serum value of pancreatic lipase in 2 dogs; the reverse was true in 2 other dogs.     

Hemolytic complement measurement in eleven species of nonhuman primates

A microtiter system was used to measure hemolytic complement levels in serum from eleven nonhuman primate species. The species studied were $\text{Macaca mulatta}$ (rhesus macaque), $\text{Macaca radiata}$ (bonnet macaque), $\text{Macaca nemestrina}$ (pig-tailed macaque), $\text{Macaca fascicularis}$ (crab-eating macaque), $\text{Macaca speciosa}$ (stumptailed macaque), $\text{Papio cynocephalus}$ (yellow baboon), $\text{Papio anubis}$ (olive baboon), $\text{Cercopithecus aethiops}$ (African green monkey), $\text{Aotus trivirgatus}$ (owl monkey), $\text{Ateles fusceps robustus}$ (spider monkey), and $\text{Galago crassicaudatus panganiensis}$ (thick-tailed galago).The optimal hemolytic complement titer of the various nonhuman primate species was found to vary with different species sources of erythrocytes and anti-erythrocyte reagents used in the assay. No single erythrocyte and anti-erythrocyte test reagent produced optimal titers for all of the primate species examined. Sera from several species was found to have high spontaneous lytic activity towards non-sensitized sheep erythrocytes which for six species ($\text{M. mulatta, M. radiata, M. speciosa, P. cynocephalus, P. anubis}$ and $\text{A. trivirgatus}$) was equal to the titer for antibody sensitized erythrocytes. Evidence of alternate pathway complement activation as a possible reason for the high titer of lytic activity towards unsensitized erythrocytes could not be demonstrated for any nonhuman primate species. In one species, $\text{M. mulatta}$, the sensitizing activity of normal serum for sheep erythrocytes was shown to be in the IgM containing fraction obtained with gel filtration and to be absorbed by boiled sheep erythrocyte stroma which contains Forssman antigen.     

Use of the ventrodorsal myelographic view to predict lateralization of extruded disk material in small-breed dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion: 104 cases (2004-2005)

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the ventrodorsal myelographic view can be used to accurately predict the circumferential location of extruded disk material in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion (IVDE) and to describe paradoxical contrast obstruction (PCO). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS:104 dogs with Hansen type I IVDE. Procedures-Ventrodorsal myelographic views were reviewed, and contrast patterns were categorized according to 8 predetermined patterns. Agreement among observers was compared, and the predicted location of extruded disk material was compared with surgical findings. RESULTS: Agreement regarding myelographic pattern and location of extruded disk material was moderate (kappa = 0.74 and 0.80, respectively) among the 4 observers. Ninety-three (89%) dogs had myelographic evidence of lateralized extrusion, and in 83 of the 93 (89%), predicted location of extruded disk material matched the surgically confirmed location. In 33 of the 40 (83%) dogs with bilateral contrast column gaps of unequal length, disk material was found to be located on the side with the shorter, rather than the longer, contrast gap, a phenomenon described as PCO. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that the ventrodorsal myelographic view could be used to predict the circumferential location of extruded disk material in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDE more often than previously reported. The PCO phenomenon may be useful in determining the side of lateralization when contrast material does not outline the extruded disk material.