Claudin-7-positive synchronous spontaneous intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, adenocarcinoma and adenomas of the gallbladder in a Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

In this study, synchronous spontaneous, independent liver and gallbladder tumours were detected in a Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). The multiple tumours consisted of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma as well as in situ adenocarcinoma and two adenomas of the gallbladder. The biliary epithelial cells and the cholangiocarcinoma showed membranous cross-immunoreactivity for claudin-7. The gallbladder epithelial cells, its adenoma and adenocarcinoma showed basolateral cross-reactivity for claudin-7. We think that the humanised anti-claudin-7 antibody is a good marker for the detection of different primary cholangiocellular and gallbladder tumours in Bearded dragons. The cholangiocytes, the cholangiocarcinoma, the endothelial cells of the liver and the epithelial cells and gallbladder tumours all showed claudin-5 cross-reactivity. The humanised anti-cytokeratin AE1-AE3 antibody showed cross-reactivity in the biliary epithelial cells, cholangiocarcinoma cells, epithelial cells and tumour cells of the gallbladder. It seems that this humanised antibody is a useful epithelial marker for the different neoplastic lesions of epithelial cells in reptiles. The humanised anti-α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) antibody showed intense cross-reactivity in the smooth muscle cells of the hepatic vessels and in the muscle layer of the gallbladder. The portal myofibroblasts, the endothelial cells of the sinusoids and the stromal cells of the cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder tumours were positive for α-SMA. The antibovine anti-vimentin and humanised anti-Ki-67 antibodies did not show crossreactivity in the different samples from the Bearded dragon.     

Yield and mineral content of ten enset (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ensete ventricosum</Emphasis>) varieties

A study was conducted to evaluate the macro and trace mineral contents of ten enset varieties collected from Sidama zone of southern Ethiopia. Samples of leaf lamina, leaf midrib, pseudostem and corm were taken from ten enset varieties at the age of 5 to 6 years during the main rainy season. The dry weight of each variety and fraction were also determined. Mineral contents in fractions of different enset varieties were analysed and compared with nutrient requirements of ruminants. The contribution of different enset fractions to the total dry weight was variable (P < 0.05), the highest being from pseudostem and the lowest from leaf lamina. There were varietal differences (P < 0.05) in macro and trace mineral content in different fractions except phosphorus (P) content of leaf lamina. Most enset fractions were rich sources of major minerals such as P, potassium (K), calcium (Ca) (except corm) and magnesium (Mg). Sodium (Na) content was very low. Most fractions were rich in iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), but deficient in copper (Cu), except leaf lamina. Zinc (Zn) content was high in corm, but low in other fractions. This account of the macro and trace mineral content of different enset varieties and fractions could help in strategic supplementation intended to alleviate mineral deficiencies.     

Purification and characterization of a 45-kDa concealed antigen from the midgut membranes of Ornithodoros erraticus that induces lethal anti-tick immune responses in pigs

Ornithodoros erraticus is an argasid tick that can transmit severe diseases such as human relapsing fever and African swine fever. In the search for a vaccine against this parasite, a crude extract of tick midgut membranes (GME) was obtained that in pigs and mice induced a protective response able to kill up to 80% of the nymphs in the first 72 h post-feeding and to reduce the fecundity of females by more than 50%. To identify the protective antigens, the GME was subjected to successive biochemical fractionations and the resulting simpler protein fractions were inoculated in pigs. A 45-kDa antigen, the so-called Oe45, was detected, purified and demonstrated to be responsible for the protection induced by the GME. Oe45 seems to be a membrane protein that is presumably expressed on the luminal membrane of midgut epithelial cells. Oe45 consists of at least two differently charged bands (cationic and neutral), which show antigenic cross-reactivity. The possibility that these bands might be different isoforms of the same protein is discussed. Although Oe45 is constitutively expressed at low levels throughout the trophogonic cycle, its expression is up-regulated by the ingestion of blood, as suggested by the higher levels observed between 6 and 72 h post-feeding.     

Effects of extracerebral dopamine on salsolinol‐ or thyrotropin‐releasing hormone‐induced prolactin (PRL) secretion in goats

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of extracerebral dopamine (DA) on salsolinol (SAL)‐induced prolactin (PRL) secretion in goats. An intravenous injection of SAL or thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) was given to female goats before and after treatment with an extracerebral DA receptor antagonist, domperidone (DOM), and the PRL‐releasing response to SAL was compared with that to TRH. DOM alone increased plasma PRL concentrations and the PRL‐releasing response to DOM alone was greater than that to either SAL alone or TRH alone. The PRL‐releasing response to DOM plus SAL was similar to that to DOM alone, and no additive effect of DOM and SAL on the secretion of PRL was observed. In contrast, the PRL‐releasing response to DOM plus TRH was greater than that to either TRH alone or DOM alone and DOM synergistically increased TRH‐induced PRL secretion. The present results demonstrate that the mechanism involved in PRL secretion by SAL differs from that by TRH, and suggest that the extracerebral DA might be associated in part with the modulation of SAL‐induced PRL secretion in goats.     

Genotype,production system and sex effects on fatty acid composition of meat from goat kids

Two trials were performed to assess the meat fatty acid profile of goat kids from different genotypes, production systems and sex. In the first trial, genotype effect was determined in 24 suckling male kids from Turkish Saanen, Maltese and Gokceada breeds. In the second trial, male and female Gokceada Goat kids were used to compare the effect of extensive and semi‐intensive production systems on fatty acid composition of meat. Significant genotype effect was observed in the percentages of myristic acid (C14:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1 n‐9), linolenic acid (C18:3 n‐3), arachidonic acid (C20:4 n‐6) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n‐3), despite no differences on the ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA) and n‐6/n‐3 (P > 0.05). The effect of production system had also significant effects on fatty acids, but sex only influenced significantly stearic acid (C18:0), C18:1 n‐9 and C18:3 n‐3 fatty acids and total PUFA level and PUFA/SFA ratio. This study confirms that dairy breeds are prone to produce higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids in their muscle. Meanwhile, meat from Gokceada goat kids, which is one of the indigenous breeds in Turkey, had similar PUFA/SFA and n‐6/n‐3 ratios to Turkish Saanen and Maltase.     

Behavioral Abnormalities in Lagotto Romagnolo Dogs with a History of Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy: A Long‐Term Follow‐Up Study

Background

Lagotto Romagnolo (LR) dogs with benign juvenile epilepsy syndrome often experience spontaneous remission of seizures. The long‐term outcome in these dogs currently is unknown. In humans, behavioral and psychiatric comorbidities have been reported in pediatric and adult‐onset epilepsies.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The objectives of this study were to investigate possible neurobehavioral comorbidities in LR with a history of benign familial juvenile epilepsy (BFJE) and to assess the occurrence of seizures after the remission of seizures in puppyhood.

Animals

A total of 25 LR with a history of BFJE and 91 control dogs of the same breed.

Methods

Owners of the LR dogs in the BFJE and control groups completed an online questionnaire about each dog''s activity, impulsivity, and inattention. Principal component analysis (PCA) served to extract behavioral factors from the data. We then compared the scores of these factors between the 2 groups in a retrospective case–control study. We also interviewed all dog owners in the BFJE group by telephone to inquire specifically about possible seizures or other neurological problems after remission of seizures as a puppy.

Results

Lagotto Romagnolo dogs with BFJE showed significantly higher scores on the factors Inattention and Excitability/Impulsivity than did the control group (P = .003; P = .021, respectively). Only 1 of the 25 BFJE LR exhibited seizures after remission of epilepsy in puppyhood.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Although the long‐term seizure outcome in BFJE LR seems to be good, the dogs exhibit behavioral abnormalities resembling attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in humans, thus suggesting neurobehavioral comorbidities with epilepsy.     

Evaluation of Breeding Value and Selection of Bull Dams in the Danish Dairy Breeds: I. Studies on Realized Efficiency of Bull Dam and Bull Sire Selection

Abstract

The relationship between twice the adjusted daughter yield deviation (DYD) of the son and the average of the estimated breeding values (EBV) of his parents was investigated for milk and fat yield. Deviations from expectations of DYD minus the pedigree index and the regression of DYD on the EBV for each of the parents were estimated. The EBV of each bull dam was calculated in several ways using different combinations of pedigree information and their own records. In all, 1693 bulls (880 Black and White (BW), 418 Red Danish (RD) and 395 Danish Jersey (DJ)) with Direct Updating indices for milk and fat yield were included in the investigation. Mean discrepancies between estimated and observed genetic merit for kg of milk yield were ?348 for BW, ?213 for RD and ?228 for DJ, when all of the bull dams' individual records were utilized in breeding value estimation. The corresponding mean discrepancies for kg of fat yield were ?14.7, ?11.5 and ?11.9, respectively. The discrepancies were positively correlated with the number of lactation records included in the dams' EBVs. Regression coefficients of bull DYDs on bull dam breeding values were significantly lower than expected for RD and BW regardless of the number of individual lactation records included in the dams' indexes for milk and fat yield. For all three breeds, the regression coefficients were lowest for fat yield. The most probable cause of overestimation in bull dam EBVs is preferential treatment, particularly in second and later lactations. To avoid this bias, estimation of a bull dam's breeding value should be based on pedigree information and on records from only her first lactation.