Radiographic Progression of Osteoarthritis of the Canine Stifle Joint: A Prospective Study

A radiographic scoring system for features of osteoarthritis of the canine stifle joint was devised. Intra- and inter-rater agreement was assessed by calculation of unweighted kappa statistics. "Global score," "effusion," "osteophytosis," and "intra-articular mineralization" were all features that had acceptable reliability, but "subchondral sclerosis" did not. The scoring system was used in a 13-month prospective study of the radiographic progression of osteoarthritis of the stifle joint, secondary to cranial cruciate ligament deficiency, in 58 dogs. In the index stifle joints all features were characterized by significant change over time, but osteophytosis had the greatest degree of change. In addition, 40% of contralateral joints showed progressive osteophytosis.     

Virulence of the nine serovar reference strains of Haemophilus paragallinarum

The virulence of the reference strains of the nine currently recognized Kume serovars of Haemophilus paragallinarum was investigated. The capacity of the H. paragallinarum strains to cause the typical clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease associated with infectious coryza in unvaccinated, nasal-challenged chickens was assessed. Differences in virulence were assessed by means of a standardized scoring system for clinical signs. All nine strains were pathogenic to chickens, producing typical clinical signs of infectious coryza. The highest clinical signs score was obtained for serovar C-1 (1.72), while the lowest clinical signs score was obtained for serovar C-4 (0.32). Our results indicate that virulence differences exist among the serovars of H. paragallinarum.     

Protection conferred by bivalent and trivalent infectious coryza bacterins against prevalent serovars of Avibacterium (Haemophilus) paragallinarum in Mexico

The protection and level of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies conferred in infectious coryza bivalent- and trivalent-immunized chickens against Avibacterium (Haemophilus) paragallinarum field isolates of the prevalent serovars in Mexico (A-1, A-2, B-1, and C-2) were investigated. The bivalent bacterin (A-1 and C-1) conferred significant protection and increased HI antibodies against isolates of serovars A-1, A-2, and C-2, but not against a serovar B-1 isolate. The trivalent bacterin (A-1, B-1, and C-2) conferred protection and increased HI antibodies against all four of the isolates. The results confirmed that in poultry areas where serovar B-1 is prevalent, the inclusion of this serovar in bacterins is needed to confer protection against infectious coryza caused by A. (H.) paragallinarum isolates of serovar B-1.     

Binderless fiberboard from steam exploded banana bunch

Musacea bunch was pretreated and used to produce fiberboard with non-synthetic binders. The lignocellulosic material was steam exploded with a thermomechanical aqueous vapor process in a batch reactor. The effect of the pretreatment and the pressure conditions on the physical–mechanical responses of the fiberboard was evaluated and the conditions maximizing the responses were found. Response surface methodology with a central composite design was used. The variables studied and their respective variation ranges were: pretreatment severity, 3.16–4.84; pressing temperature, 133–217 °C; pressing pressure, 3.95–14.04 MPa. The fiberboards obtained were good quality and satisfied the requirements of the relevant standard specifications. The effect of the pretreatment severity on the lignin, cellulose and xylans content was also determined by an analysis of variance. The decrease in xylans was clearly related to the increase in the dimensional stability of the fiberboards.     

Punicalagin and catechins contain polyphenolic substructures that influence cell viability and can be monitored by radical chemosensors sensitive to electron transfer

Plant polyphenols may be free radical scavengers or generators, depending on their nature and concentration. This dual effect, mediated by electron transfer reactions, may contribute to their influence on cell viability. This study used two stable radicals (tris(2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-4-nitrophenyl)methyl (TNPTM) and tris(2,4,6-trichloro-3,5-dinitrophenyl)methyl (HNTTM)) sensitive only to electron transfer reduction reactions to monitor the redox properties of polyphenols (punicalagin and catechins) that contain phenolic hydroxyls with different reducing capacities. The use of the two radicals reveals that punicalagin's substructures consisting of gallate esters linked together by carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds are more reactive than simple gallates and less reactive than the pyrogallol moiety of green tea catechins. The most reactive hydroxyls, detected by TNPTM, are present in the compounds that affect HT-29 cell viability the most. TNPTM reacts with C-C-linked gallates and pyrogallol and provides a convenient way to detect potentially beneficial polyphenols from natural sources.     

The Effect of Season on Semen Characteristics and Freezability in Bos indicus and Bos taurus Bulls in the Southeastern Region of Brazil

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of season in southeast of Brazil comparing genotypes on semen characteristics, freezability and peripheral plasma concentrations of testosterone. Ejaculates of five Bos indicus bulls and six Bos taurus bulls were evaluated over a period of 27 months, which was divided into winter (July, August, September), spring (October, November, December), summer (January, February, March) and autumn (April, May, June). Semen was evaluated according to standard procedures for ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, gross-motility, progressive motility and sperm morphology. After preparing and freezing the ejaculates according to commercial procedures, the straws were stored in liquid N₂ until post-thaw evaluation. Ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, gross-motility, progressive sperm motility, vigor and morphological sperm defects were significantly influenced by season and genotype (p < 0.05). Heat tolerance was better in B. indicus bulls than in B. taurus bulls characterized by lower values of sperm abnormalities throughout the observation period. The highest values were recorded for abnormal heads followed by cytoplasmatic droplets in B. taurus bulls. The proportion of ejaculates which were eliminated before freezing for reasons of bad quality was lower in the B. indicus bulls. Temporal changes in peripheral plasma testosterone concentrations were higher in B. indicus bulls than in B. taurus bulls not revealing seasonal influences. The results of this study show clear genotype differences regarding semen quality. Freezability of B. taurus semen varies considerably throughout the year, leading to a high proportion of eliminated ejaculates. Collecting semen from B. taurus bulls during the summer in an artificial insemination centre may not be profitable.     

Partial Right Ventriculectomy Using the Incised Patch Technique to Treat Double Chambered Right Ventricle and Chylothorax in a Cat

Objective— To report successful surgical treatment of double chambered right ventricle (DCRV) in a cat.
Study Design— Clinical report.
Animals— Cat with DCRV.
Methods— DCRV was diagnosed in a 5-month-old male Maine Coon cat using echocardiography and angiocardiography. At 2 years, despite medical therapy, chylothorax developed. A section of the right ventricular free wall that spanned the fibromuscular obstruction was excised under total venous inflow occlusion (TVIO) using the incised pericardial patch technique.
Results— Short-term recovery was complicated by return of chylothorax but this resolved after thoracocentesis and diuretic therapy. Three years after surgery, the cat is free of clinical signs and no longer on any medical therapy.
Conclusions— Partial right ventriculectomy can be performed under TVIO through an incised pericardial patch.
Clinical Relevance— DCRV in cat can be successfully treated by partial right ventriculectomy performed under TVIO through an incised pericardial patch.     

Allium discoloration: the color-forming potential of individual thiosulfinates and amino acids: structural requirements for the color-developing precursors

Structural requirements for compounds involved in Allium discoloration have been investigated in detail. The abilities of all 20 protein amino acids and six naturally occurring 1-propenyl-containing thiosulfinates to form the pigments have been studied. Furthermore, several analogues of these thiosulfinates were prepared by synthesis, and their color-forming abilities were evaluated, together with those of various amino compounds. It has been found that an unsubstituted primary amino group and a free carboxyl group are essential structural features required for amino compounds to be able to generate the pigments. Out of the thiosulfinate analogues tested, only those containing at least a three-carbon chain with the beta-carbon bearing a hydrogen atom yielded the pigments after reacting with glycine. Thiosulfonates, sulfoxides, sulfides, and disulfides did not form any colored products when mixed with glycine. The pH optimum for pigment formation has been found to be between 5.0 and 6.0 for all thiosulfinates tested.