Functioning unilateral adrenocortical carcinoma in a dog

An 11-year-old, 24-kg, intact female Siberian husky dog in anestrus had a 2-month history of polyuria and polydipsia. The dog had signs of mineralocorticoid excess such as hypertension and hypokalemia refractory to potassium supplementation. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an irregular mass in the left adrenal gland. The ACTH stimulation test for aldosterone concentration did not reveal hyperaldosteronism. Unilateral adrenalectomy was performed and histopathology identified adrenal cortical carcinoma. All clinical signs of mineralocorticoid excess ceased after surgery.     

Upregulation of LENK and VIP in paracervical ganglion neurons supplying the urinary bladder of tetrodotoxin- and resiniferatoxin-treated female pigs

Both resiniferatoxin (RTX) and tetrodotoxin (TTX) have been reported to be effective in several clinical trials aiming to cure urinary bladder dysfunction. The goal of this experiment was to study the effect of intravesical administration of RTX and TTX on the chemical coding of paracervical ganglion (PCG) neurons that supply the urinary bladder in pigs. The vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and the opioid family member Leu5-enkephalin (LENK) are both known for their regulatory effects in the function of the porcine genitourinary tract. The PCG neurons innervating the urinary bladder were identified by application of the retrograde tracer Fast Blue (FB), injected into the bladder wall prior to intravesical RTX or TTX administration. Immunocytochemical detection of LENK and VIP expression in the FB-labelled perikarya revealed that in the control group 25.15% of the FB-positive PCG neurons contained LENK, and 9.22% of them expressed VIP. Intravesical infusion of RTX resulted in an increase in the number of LENKIR neurons to 48.19% and VIP-IR perikarya to 11.25%. Optional treatment with TTX induced increase of LENK-IR neurons up to 81.67% and VIP-IR population to 16.46% of the FB-positive PCG cells. The present results show that both neurotoxins affect the chemical coding of PCG nervous cells supplying the porcine urinary bladder and that they stimulate both LENK and VIP expression. Furthermore, the results indicate a possible involvement of LENK and VIP neurons in the mechanisms of action of RTX and TTX in the therapy of overactive bladder disorder.     

Effects of β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate and γ-Oryzanol on Blood Biochemical Markers in Exercising Thoroughbred Race Horses

In both the horse and the man, nutritional ergogenic aids have been used to improve physical ability in conjunction with an appropriate training regimen. Although training increases physical condition, the ease of taking a nutritional additive to improve training results explains the demand for supplementation, which may increase mechanical energy of work, delay onset of fatigue, or improve neuromuscular coordination. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of oral supplementation of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) and γ-oryzanol (GO) on indices of exercise-induced muscle damage in Thoroughbred race horses. In this 32-week study, the horses were assigned to either a placebo, GO (3.0 g/d), HMB (15 g/d), or GO and HMB treatment groups. The supplements were administered for the first 16 weeks of the study during the training period before the racing season began. Blood samples were taken at baseline, and then during training, before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 30 minutes after exercise. Heart rate and speed were monitored in each exercise session. Hematocrit, glucose, lactate (LA), creatine phosphokinase, and aspartate aminotransferase were measured before and after each exercise session. Analysis of variance showed a significantly greater increase in postexercise creatine kinase activity in placebo-supplemented group than in the other treatment groups, both in the training period and during the racing seasons (P < .05). Blood LA was higher immediately after exercise in the placebo group compared with the supplemented groups. In conclusion, supplementation with HMB and GO resulted in decreased creatine kinase and LA after exercise. These findings support the hypothesis that HMB and GO supplementation helps to prevent exercise-induced muscle damage.     

The effect of different dietary sodium levels on blood mineral concentrations and tibia mineralization in turkeys

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different dietary levels of sodium in diets with and without sodium chloride on mineral metabolism, including blood electrolyte levels and tibia mineralization parameters, in young turkeys (to six weeks of age). The influence of diets with a low (L), medium (M) and high (H) sodium content, at 0.34, 1.34 and 2.82 g/kg respectively, was compared. The content of chloride and potassium in turkey diets (1.7 - 5.9 and 11 g/kg, respectively) was above the recommended levels. The sodium-deficient diet L decreased the serum concentrations of sodium, chloride and phosphorus, and it increased the serum levels of calcium and magnesium in turkeys, compared with groups M and H. Relative to group L, different dietary sodium levels in groups M and H contributed to a similar increase in the body weights of birds (1.06 vs. 1.46 and 1.44 kg, p < 0.001) and in the absolute (4.60 vs. 6.83 and 6.62 g, p < 0.001) and relative tibia weight (0.42 vs. 0.46 and 0.46% body weight, p = 0.031). No significant differences were found between groups with respect to the content of ash, calcium and phosphorus in tibia dry matter. Supplemental sodium increased the bone density index (from 50.6 to 68.4 and 66.3 mg/mm in groups L, M and H, respectively, p < 0.001), the maximum bending moment (from 5.27 to 7.40 and 7.33 N/mm, p = 0.002) and the minimum breaking strength of tibia (from 0.136 to 0.191 and 0.189, p = 0.002). In conclusion, our study indicates that the applied dietary treatment with a moderate sodium level (1.34 g/kg) resulted in a rate of bird growth and tibia mineralization similar to those observed with the treatment with much higher Na content (2.82 g/kg).     

Assessment of treatment of Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of shoulder joint in dogs--the results of two years of experience

Osteochondrosis is a common and clinically important joint disorder that occurs in human and many species of animals such as pigs, horses and dogs. The aim of this article is to present the results of conservative and surgical treatment of Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) and to compare the recovery time in relation to race, age and extent of cartilage damage. The study was performed on 36 dogs of both sexes, aged from 4 to 24 months, weighing 12-70 kg, of different breeds (predisposed and non-specific for this disease). All patients underwent clinical, orthopedic and radiological examination through which the location of OCD changes in the shoulder joint and the degree of this problem were established. Based on the examinations the patients were qualified for particular treatment procedures. Control tests were performed after 14, 30 and 60 days, which allowed for a precise evaluation of the progress of therapy. Achieved results indicate that dogs age and the lesions extent in the shoulder joint have an impact on the outcome of treatment. Studies showed that the best therapeutic effects were obtained in dogs aged 6-10 months, which underwent surgery. The study proved that the early diagnosis of OCD strongly influence the recovery rate and may inhibit the development of degenerative changes in the joint (DJD).     

Trichoderma atroviride promotes growth and enhances systemic resistance to Diplodia pinea in radiata pine (Pinus radiata) seedlings

Root drench application of Trichoderma atroviride isolates R32, R33, R40 and R84 promoted the growth of potted radiata pine seedlings. After 6 weeks, seedlings treated with R33 and R84 had thicker stems and greater stem and root biomass (p < 0.05) than untreated controls. Treatment with R32 increased seedling root biomass whilst R40 increased stem diameter. None of the isolates affected seedling height. One isolate, R33, induced systemic resistance to stem inoculation with Diplodia pinea and reduced dieback incidence by 20% compared with untreated controls. To our knowledge, this is the first report of systemic induced resistance by Trichoderma in a pine species. Furthermore, seedlings that were treated with R33 (root drench) plus foliar application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) expressed elevated peroxidase activity in their stems 2 weeks later, compared with seedlings treated only with MeJA. Because R33 itself did not affect peroxidase activity, this may be indicative of treatment synergy or defence potentiation by R33. Curiously, R33 + MeJA induced terpenoids but suppressed phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity suggesting possible trade‐offs between phenolic and terpenoid defence pathways in the treated seedlings.     

Thermally initiated solvent-free radical modification of beech (Fagus sylvatica) wood

A procedure for rapidly modifying beech wood using a thermally initiated solvent-free grafting system was examined. In the modification, butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate were used as vinyl monomers. Free radicals were generated from 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) or benzoyl peroxide at 103 and 180 °C by contact heating of the modified material. Chemical changes in the material were investigated by FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The modification resulted in decreased surface wetting of the material manifested by increased water contact angles. The hardness of the resultant material decreased, while its color changed by the effect of temperature. It was shown that the approach allowed for efficient thermal-initiated modification of wood with rapid contact heating.     

Genetic aspects of age dynamics of a natural Picea abies (L.) Karst. population in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

We studied temporal changes in the genetic structure and diversity of a naturally regenerated Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) population in the Bia?owie?a Primeval Forest, Poland. The analysis included five age classes of trees: newly germinating seedlings (in laboratory conditions), seedlings up to 3 years old, young trees 4–10 years old, middle-aged trees 11–100 years old, and trees older than 100 years. We conducted genetic analyses of 26 allozyme loci using dormant buds from 405 individuals and 100 embryos. The results showed that the naturally regenerating Norway spruce population is genetically heterogeneous across the studied age classes. As determined by Chi squared tests, there were statistically significant differences in frequencies of alleles and genotypes as well as Wright’s index values (F) among the five age classes. The level of genetic differentiation (pairwise F_ST = 0.5–2.3 %) among the age class groups was equal to levels previously determined for various populations of this species. The Ewens-Watterson test for neutrality showed that one or two loci across different age classes of Norway spruce were affected by the selection process. The distinctiveness of embryo and seedling classes was confirmed by the number of detected alleles, the number of private alleles, the level of observed heterozygosity, and Wright’s index value. The results obtained in the present study indicate there are interesting dynamics of adaptation processes occurring in the natural age-diverse population of Norway spruce in the Bia?owie?a Primeval Forest.