Presumed post‐traumatic ocular chondrosarcoma with intrathoracic metastases in a cat

An indoor‐only, 5‐year‐old, spayed female domestic shorthair cat presented for an ophthalmic examination of the left eye. An intraocular tumor with secondary glaucoma and blindness was diagnosed; the globe was enucleated and sent for histopathological examination. Gross examination revealed a solid white mass filling the entire vitreous space and replacing the iris and ciliary body. The lens and retina appeared to be similarly replaced by the neoplasm. Histological examination revealed a complete loss of the internal ocular structures, with a ruptured capsule as the only remnant of the lens within an extensive malignant mesenchymal neoplastic cell proliferation. The cells were polygonal, with well‐defined cytoplasmic borders and abundant weakly basophilic cytoplasm, embedded within the islands of chondroid matrix. No neoplastic invasion of the sclera was apparent. The animal died 6 months after the enucleation due to respiratory distress. Gross examination revealed numerous firm, white to tan nodular masses with smooth to mildly irregular surfaces dispersed throughout the parietal pleura, thoracic surface of the diaphragm, tracheobronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes, pericardium, and lungs. On cross‐section, the neoplastic nodules were solid and variably translucent, resembling hyaline cartilage. Histologically, these nodules were similar to the neoplasm identified earlier in the left globe. Metastasis of post‐traumatic ocular chondrosarcoma has not yet been described in cats. This is therefore believed to be the first report of metastases of this type of neoplasm in cats. This case adds to the limited set of data on the outcome of this type of tumor.     

Performance of dual and triple fungicide premixes for managing soybean rust across years and regions in Brazil: A meta-analysis

Soybean rust in Brazil is currently controlled with several commercial fungicide premixes composed of demethylation inhibitors (EPOXiconazole, CYPRoconazole, PROThioconazole, TEBUconazole), quinone-outside inhibitors (AZOXystrobin, TriFLoXystrobin, PYRAclostrobin, PICOxystrobin), and succinate demethylation inhibitors (BENZovindiflupyr, BIXaFen, FLUXapyroxad). Here, we summarize the performance of eight premixes evaluated in 177 cooperative trials conducted in 46 locations across 10 states from 2015 to 2020. All fungicide treatments were sprayed three times starting at R1/R2. Percentage control (, %), from back-transforming meta-analytic estimates of the log of the ratio, ranged from 56.2% (PICO + CYPR) to 76.8% (BIXF + TFLX + PROT). Estimates of mean yield difference (, kg/ha) between fungicide-treated and untreated plots were greatest for BIXF + TFLX + PROT (1,080) followed by PICO + BENZ (1,010), PYRA + EPOX + FLUX (981.5), AZOX + BENZ (910), TFLX + PROT (891), PICO +TEBU (682), TFLX + CYPR (646), and PICO + CYPR (600). Significant declines in both and in as little as 4 years were detected for AZOX + BENZ (35.3%; 550 kg/ha) and PICO + BENZ (15.5%; 359.8 kg/ha). Variance in was reduced by the inclusion of baseline severity as covariate. In trials where baseline disease was ≥70%, yield was 250 kg/ha greater compared to areas with low baseline disease. Disease control and yield response were generally greater in the south-east, where the frequency of profitable scenarios was 30% higher on average than in the north-west. Results of this meta-analysis are critical for supporting decisions during planning of fungicide programmes.     

The concentration of phenolics in brown-rot decay resistant and susceptible Scots pine heartwood

The concentrations of three individual stilbenes, pinosylvin (PS), pinosylvin monomethyl ether (PSM), and pinosylvin dimethyl ether (PSD), and the total concentration of phenolic compounds were determined in 34-year-old Scots pines which were known to have either decay-resistant or susceptible heartwood. The sample trees were selected from two progeny tests among 783 trees; the decay resistance of which had been screened earlier in vitro against a brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. Ten decay-resistant and ten susceptible trees from each of the progeny tests were analysed. In the heartwood of the resistant trees, the average total concentration of the stilbenes was 7.5 and 6.4 mg/g of dry weight, while in the heartwood of the susceptible trees the respective values were 5.0 and 4.7 mg/g. The difference between the decay resistant and susceptible trees was statistically significant in both progeny tests. The difference in concentration of total phenolics, analysed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, was also significant. A high concentration of phenolics was connected to the low hygroscopicity of wood. The results support the argued hypothesis that the stilbenes make a contribution to the differences in the decay rate of natural wood substrate. On the other hand, the results show that the stilbenes alone do not explain the variation in decay rate.     

Roraimine: a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Cissampelos sympodialis roots

The roots of Cissampelos sympodialis yielded Roraimine (1), a novel bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid and liriodenine (2), a known oxoaporphine alkaloid.     

At-line near-infrared spectroscopy for prediction of the solid fat content of milk fat from New Zealand butter

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy calibrations that will allow prediction of the solid fat content (SFC) of milk fat extracted from butter by one measurement during manufacture were developed. SFC is a measure of the amount of the solid fraction of fat crystallized at a temperature expressed as a percentage (w/w). At-line SFC determinations are currently performed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which involves a 16 h delay period for tempering of the milk fat at 0 degrees C prior to the SFC measurements, from 0 to 35 degrees C in a series of 5 degrees C increments. The NIR spectra (400-2500 nm) were obtained using a sample holder maintained at 60 degrees C. Accurate predictions for the SFC (%) were developed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares (PLS) regression models to relate the NIR spectra to the corresponding NMR values. The independent validation samples (N = 22) had a standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0.385-0.762% for SFC between 0 and 25 degrees C, with SFC reference values ranging between 70.42 and 8.96% with a standard deviation range of 3.36-1.47. The low bias (from -0.351 to -0.025), the slopes (0.935-1.077), and the excellent predictive ability (R2; 0.923-0.978) supported the validity of these calibrations.     

A comparative study of methods for diagnosis of obesity in an urban mixed-race population in Minas Gerais, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Obesity is defined as an excess of total body fat and may be assessed by different methods. The objective of the present study was to establish the discriminatory power of anthropometric data in determining obesity. METHODS: The subjects comprised 685 individuals, aged 20-79 years, sampled from a population-based survey. The following indicators were used: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and total body fat percentage estimated with both Siri's equation (%BF Siri) and foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (%BF BIA). Sensitivity and specificity of different cut-off points for each method were determined using %BF BIA as reference. RESULTS: Of 685 participants, 57.6% were aged >/= 40 years, 69.9% were women and 72.6% self-referred themselves as non-white. To classify obesity based on sex and age among women aged 0.05). Classifying according to skin colour did not change cut-off points in any indicator. CONCLUSION: BMI and WC better discriminate obesity among women and men aged >/= 40 years from a mixed-race population.     

First report and molecular characterization of Trypanosoma vivax in cattle from state of Pernambuco, Brazil

This paper describes an outbreak of Trypanosoma vivax for the first time in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, affecting dairy cattle in the municipality of Itambé in the northern coastal zone of the state. Clinical signs compatible with infection by blood protozoa and epidemic miscarriages were observed. The diagnosis of T. vivax was confirmed through biometric microscopy and molecular analysis with PCR and DNA sequencing. The T. vivax isolate detected in the present study proved to be genetically very close to other Brazilian isolates of the protozoan despite being geographically distant.     

Potassium iodide capsule treatment of feline sporotrichosis

Sporotrichosis is a mycosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii. The most affected animal is the cat; it has played an important role in the zoonotic transmission of this disease, especially in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, since 1998. In order to evaluate the treatment of feline sporotrichosis with potassium iodide, an observational cohort was conducted in 48 cats with sporotrichosis at Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz. All cats received potassium iodide capsules, 2.5 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg q24h. The cure rate was 47.9%, treatment failure was 37.5%, treatment abandonment was 10.4% and death was 4.2%. Clinical adverse effects were observed in 52.1% of the cases. Thirteen cats had a mild increase in hepatic transaminase levels during the treatment, six of them presented clinical signs suggestive of hepatotoxicity. Compared to previous studies with itraconazole and iodide in saturated solution, potassium iodide capsules are an alternative for feline sporotrichosis treatment.