Characterisation of a type 2 bovine viral diarrhoea virus isolated from cattle in the UK

Two genotypes of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) are recognised. Type 2 was first recognised when virulent strains caused significant losses among cattle in North America. Subsequently, BVDV type 2 has been found in many other countries, but recent studies have shown that only type 1 BVDV is circulating in the UK herds (sheep and cattle) with type 1a predominating. During routine genotyping of UK BVDV isolates, a type 2 isolate was identified. Phylogenetic analysis of the 5'-untranslated region of the viral genome showed it to be a BVDV type 2a, most similar to a low virulent US strain of BVDV type 2. Antigenic typing with a panel of monoclonal antibodies verified this classification. This is the first confirmed isolation of BVDV type 2 found circulating in the UK.     

Use of scanning electron microscopy to confirm the identity of lice infesting communally grazed goat herds

Lice have been described on goats in commercial farming systems in South Africa but not from flocks on communal grazing. During a longitudinal survey on the causes of goat kid mortality, conducted in Jericho district, North West Province, lice were collected from communally grazed indigenous goats. These lice were prepared for and viewed by scanning electron microscopy, and micro-morphological taxonomic details are described. Three species of lice were found in the study area and identified as Bovicola caprae, Bovicola limbatus and Linognathus africanus. Sucking and biting lice were found in ten of the 12 herds of goats examined. Lice were found on both mature goats and kids. Bovicola caprae and L. africanus were the most common biting and sucking lice respectively in all herds examined. Scanning electron microscopy revealed additional features which aided in the identification of the louse species. Photomicrographs were more accurate aids to identification than the line drawings in the literature and facilitated identification using dissecting microscope.     

Language control in the bilingual brain

How does the bilingual brain distinguish and control which language is in use? Previous functional imaging experiments have not been able to answer this question because proficient bilinguals activate the same brain regions irrespective of the language being tested. Here, we reveal that neuronal responses within the left caudate are sensitive to changes in the language or the meaning of words. By demonstrating this effect in populations of German-English and Japanese-English bilinguals, we suggest that the left caudate plays a universal role in monitoring and controlling the language in use.     

Ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals

To study the potential effects of increased biofuel use, we evaluated six representative analyses of fuel ethanol. Studies that reported negative net energy incorrectly ignored coproducts and used some obsolete data. All studies indicated that current corn ethanol technologies are much less petroleum-intensive than gasoline but have greenhouse gas emissions similar to those of gasoline. However, many important environmental effects of biofuel production are poorly understood. New metrics that measure specific resource inputs are developed, but further research into environmental metrics is needed. Nonetheless, it is already clear that large-scale use of ethanol for fuel will almost certainly require cellulosic technology.     

Single agent gemcitabine chemotherapy in dogs with spontaneously occurring lymphoma

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine has been shown to be effective as a single agent in a variety of tumors including nonHodgkin's lymphoma. Its use in veterinary medicine has been limited and to date this drug has not been used as a first-line therapy in dogs with lymphoma. HYPOTHESIS: Gemcitabine as a single agent may be efficacious in dogs presented for the first time with lymphoma. ANIMALS: Twenty-four dogs with spontaneously occurring lymphoma. METHODS: All dogs were clinically staged and given gemcitabine at 400 mg/m(2) over a 30-minute intravenous infusion weekly for 3 weeks and then given 1 week off treatment before starting a second cycle. RESULTS: A single dose of gemcitabine lowered both neutrophil count (decrease in mean neutrophil count from 10,640 cells/ microL to 3,140 cells/microL) and platelet count (decrease in mean platelet count from 201,290 cells/microL to 139,190 cells/microL) 7 days after administration. Consequently gemcitabine dosage was reduced at the second treatment in 8 of 21 dogs or a dose delay of 1-7 days and a reduction of dosage was used in 7 of 21 dogs. Seven dogs completed the assigned 4-week cycle. Two of these dogs had progressive disease and 5 had stable disease. No objective responses were seen in dogs treated with a second cycle of gemcitabine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Gemcitabine administration as a single agent resulted in hematologic toxicity and did not reduce lymphoma burden. If gemcitabine is to be used in veterinary medicine, additional prospective pharmacologic studies should be done to determine the appropriate dosage, regimen, and schedule of use before it can be recommended for use in the treatment of dogs with lymphoma as a single agent.     

Bee pollen product supplementation to horses in training seems to improve feed intake: A pilot study

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of supplementation of Dynamic Trio 50/50, a bee pollen-based product, to improve physical fitness, blood leukocyte profiles, and nutritional variables in exercised horses. Ten Arabian horses underwent a standardised exercise test (SET), then were pair-matched by sex and fitness and randomly assigned to BP (receiving 118 g of Dynamic Trio 50/50 daily) or CO (receiving 73 g of a placebo) for a period of 42 days. A total collection was conducted from days 18 to 21 on six geldings to determine nutrient retention and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) digestibility. Horses were exercise conditioned and completed another SET on day 42. V160 and V200 were calculated from SET heart rates (HR). Lactate, glucose, haematocrit (HT) and haemoglobin (HB) concentrations were determined from SET blood samples. Total leukocyte count, and circulating numbers of various leukocytes and IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations were determined in rest and recovery blood samples from both SETs. Geldings on BP (n = 3) ate more feed than CO. BP had less phosphorus excretion, and tended to retain more nitrogen. BP tended to digest more NDF and ADF while having lower NDF digestibility and tending to have lower ADF digestibility. No treatment differences existed for V160 and V200, HR, lactate, HT and HB. There was a trend for lymphocyte counts to be lower in BP than CO on day 42. Dynamic Trio 50/50 supplementation may have a positive effect on performance by helping horses in training meet their potentially increased nutrient demands by increasing feed intake and thus nutrient retention.     

Indigenous peoples' food systems for health: finding interventions that work

This is a short report of a 'safari' held in conjunction with the International Congress of Nutrition in September 2005, in Futululu, St. Lucia, South Africa. Participants were several members of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences Task Force on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Nutrition, other interested scientists and members of the Kwa Zulu indigenous community. The paper describes the rationale for and contributions towards understanding what might be successful interventions that would resonate among indigenous communities in many areas of the world. A summary of possible evaluation strategies of such interventions is also given.     

Wetland sedimentation from hurricanes Katrina and Rita

More than 131 x 10(6) metric tons (MT) of inorganic sediments accumulated in coastal wetlands when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita crossed the Louisiana coast in 2005, plus another 281 x 10(6) MT when accumulation was prorated for open water area. The annualized combined amount of inorganic sediments per hurricane equals (i) 12% of the Mississippi River's suspended load, (ii) 5.5 times the inorganic load delivered by overbank flooding before flood protection levees were constructed, and (iii) 227 times the amount introduced by a river diversion built for wetland restoration. The accumulation from hurricanes is sufficient to account for all the inorganic sediments in healthy saltmarsh wetlands.     

Prostatic Masses in Geldings: Two Cases

Prostatic masses were detected in two geldings that were presented to our referral hospital for evaluation of dysuria. The masses were detected during transrectal palpation and ultrasonography of the prostate gland and were further evaluated using urethral endoscopy. A 10-year-old gelding underwent intraurethral debulking of the prostatic mass. Histopathological diagnosis was prostatic cystadenoma. The mass regrew within 9 months, and the horse was euthanized due to deteriorating clinical control of urinary continence. In another case, a 12-year-old gelding was scheduled for transurethral debulking; however, the owners decided against treatment and the horse was euthanized due to progression of clinical disease. Postmortem examination revealed the prostate to be nearly completely obliterated by the mass. Histopathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma incorporated into a spindle cell population of unknown histogenesis. To our knowledge, these represent the first reported cases of equine prostatic cystadenoma and adenocarcinoma. In both horses, referring complaint was dysuria, and identification of the prostatic mass was made on palpation and ultrasonographic examination per rectum. Treatment options for prostatic masses in horses are limited because of the difficulty of obtaining prostatic tissue via biopsy, the surgical inaccessibility of the gland, and the apparent low incidence of occurrence. We have subsequently identified prostatic masses in two additional geldings, both also presenting for dysuria. However, the exact nature of these two apparent prostatic masses has not been definitively diagnosed with histopathological examinations to date. The prostate should be evaluated in male horses presenting for dysuria.