Prognostic Value of Left Atrial Function in Dogs with Chronic Mitral Valvular Heart Disease

Background

A strong correlation between left atrial (LA) dysfunction and the severity of cardiac disease has been described in human patients with various cardiac diseases. The role of LA dysfunction in dogs with chronic mitral valvular heart disease (CMVHD) has not been addressed.

Objectives

To investigate the correlation between LA function and the prognosis of dogs with CMVHD.

Animals

Thirty‐eight client‐owned dogs with CMVHD.

Methods

Prospective clinical cohort study. Dogs were divided into 2 groups (survivors and nonsurvivors) based on the onset of cardiac‐related death within 1 year. Physical examination and echocardiographic variables were compared between the groups. For the assessment of the comparative accuracy in identifying patients with cardiac‐related death, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and multivariate logistic analysis were used.

Results

The highest accuracy was obtained for the LA active fractional area change (LA‐FAC _act), with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.95, followed by the left atrial to aortic root ratio (LA/Ao), with an AUC of 0.94; peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E), with an AUC of 0.85; and LA total fractional area change (LA‐FAC _total), with an AUC of 0.85. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, LA‐FAC _act emerged as the only independent correlate of cardiac‐related death within 1 year (odds ratio = 1.401, P = .002).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Regarding both the size and function, the LA has a strong correlation with the prognosis of dogs with CMVHD. The most significant independent predictor of mortality in this study was LA‐FAC _act.     

Expression Pattern of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Canine Folliculogenesis and its Effect on the Growth and Development of Follicles after Ovarian Organ Culture

In this study, the expressions of VEGF in dog follicles were detected by immunohistochemistry and the effects of VEGF treatment on the primordial to primary follicle transition and on subsequent follicle progression were examined using a dog ovary organ culture system. The frozen‐thawed canine ovarian follicles within slices of ovarian cortical tissue were cultured for 7 and 14 days in presence or absence of VEGF. After culture, the ovaries were fixed, sectioned, stained and counted for morphologic analysis. The results showed that VEGF was expressed in the theca cells of antral follicles and in the granulosa cells nearest the oocyte in preantral follicle but not in granulosa cells of primordial and primary follicles; however, the VEGF protein was expressed in CL. After in vitro culture, VEGF caused a decrease in the number of primordial follicles and concomitant increase in the number of primary follicles that showed growth initiation and reached the secondary and preantral stages of development after 7 and 14 days. Follicular viability was also improved in the presence of VEGF after 7 and 14 days in culture. In conclusion, treatment with VEGF was found to promote the activation of primordial follicle development that could provide an alternative approach to stimulate early follicle development in dogs.     

Effect of temperature and cell density on ethanol fermentation by a thermotolerant aquatic yeast strain isolated from a hot spring environment

ABSTRACT: A thermotolerant, fermentative yeast strain named RND13 from a hot spring drainage was evaluated for its ethanol-producing ability at elevated temperatures at a high substrate concentration [15% (w/v) glucose] close to the level reflecting industrial practice. The RND13 was capable of utilizing glucose almost completely at 40°C with increasing inoculum size, producing ethanol up to 6.6% (w/v), which is comparable to levels (7.0–7.2%) at 30°C. The maximum rate of ethanol production by the RND13 was found to be 9.0 g/L per h at 40°C in an inoculum sized 5% (w/v). At 43°C, however, the RND13 could not utilize glucose to completion and showed a slight drop in the extent of produced ethanol [6.0% (w/v)]. Thus, the culture at 40°C with a 5% cell inoculum was considered to be the optimal condition for ethanol production at higher temperatures in terms of batch fermentation. In the phylogenetic analysis based on the small-subunit rDNA sequence, the strain was grouped together with both Candida glabrata and Kluyveromyces delphensis , which are relatively close to Saccharomyces cerevisiae .     

Effects of low pH on the reproductive behavior of salmonid fishes

In northern Europe and America, the acidification of lakes and rivers induced by acid precipitation has damaged fish populations. At present, rapidly expanding industrial activities in East Asia have led to continuous increases in the quantity of emission of acidic pollutants, and rain of acidic levels of pH4 has precipitated throughout Japan. In this way, the effects of acid rain on fish populations have also been manifested in Japan. In order to examine the effects of low pH on the reproductive behavior of salmonids which are known to be acid-sensitive species, changes in the frequency of upstream behavior and spawning-related female nest-digging behavior in response to changes in pH were observed in mature hime salmon (land-locked sockeye salmon) Oncorhynchus nerka, brown trout Salmo trutta and Japanese char Salvelinus leucomaenis. Digging and upstream behavior were significantly inhibited in weakly acidic water of pH 5.8–6.4 formulated using sulfuric acid. Land-locked sockeye salmon was the most sensitive to changes in pH among the three species.     

Annual dynamics of marine birnavirus (MABV) in cultured Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis> and sea water

ABSTRACT:   Seasonal changes in the infection state of marine birnavirus (MABV) in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and in rearing sea water are described. Sea water and 10–11 healthy fish were sampled monthly from April 2002 to February 2003. The MABV genome was detected throughout the year in > 80% of the fish examined at each sampling. The virus was isolated from the liver, kidney, and spleen, but not from the brain. The detection rate in each organ increased from April to October, and then decreased. Detection of virus antigen by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique also showed that the virus was present from spring to autumn (June–September) in the liver, kidney, and spleen, but not the brain. Sequence analysis of the MABV genome at the VP2–NS region revealed two specific mutations compared to the standard yellowtail strain (Y-6). It is suggested that the infection state of MABV in Japanese flounder changes to a latent or persistent infection after autumn. MABV was detected in sea water between September and February, suggesting that virus particles in the environment are relatively higher during cool seasons.     

Accumulation of organotin compounds and marine birnavirus detection in Korean ascidians

ABSTRACT:   Recently, a serious disease spread extensively in aquaculture sites of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi in Korea. To understand circumstances of ascidians in Korean aquaculture sites, residue levels of organotin compounds were analyzed, and detection of a marine birnavirus (MABV) in tissues of H. roretzi was attempted. Korean H. roretzi showed high concentrations of butyltins (mono, di, and tributyltins), especially in the gill, hepatopancreas, and digestive tract. However, there was no significant difference in the residues of butyltins in the hepatopancreas between diseased and non-diseased ascidians. The positive rate of MABV detection was high in the hepatopancreas, but also no significant difference was observed between diseased and non-diseased individuals. These observations suggest that an accumulation of tributyltin and a latency of MABV in H. roretzi tissues does not directly relate to the occurrence of the disease.     

Moisture distribution in rice grains used for sake brewing analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging

Water absorption in individual white-core and non-white-core grains of rice varieties used in sake brewing was observed during soaking by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Water was absorbed faster in white-core grains than in non-white-core grains and was pooled in the core. Moisture distributions were compared using the line profiles of nuclear magnetic resonance signal intensities (SI profiles) generated from magnetic resonance images of grains soaked for 2 h. SI profiles of white-core and non-white-core grains overlapped despite slight differences in the central and intermediate regions of the grains. A white-core-like structure with loosely packed starch granules was found to exist in the endosperm of non-white-core grains. SI profiles of grains polished to 70% of the yield weight of brown rice were similar in shape to those of grains polished to 90% of the yield, but their overall moisture content was higher after the removal of the hydrophobic grain periphery. A varietal difference in the thickness of the intermediate region, which may affect fissuring resistance in the polishing process, was detected in SI profiles. Differences in water absorbability between parents and their offspring were also apparent from their SI profiles. MRI enabled the detection of variety-specific water-absorption properties in grains.