Studies on the mechanisms of accumulation of phorate by the free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus

Accumulation and metabolism of the organophosphate pesticide, phorate by the free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus was studied under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of carbon monoxide or SKF 525A, and compared with results obtained under normal, aerobic conditions and using heat-killed nematodes. Both phorate hydrolysis and side-chain oxidation were inhibited under anaerobic conditions and with heat-killed nematodes, but only hydrolysis was affected in the presence of carbon monoxide. The much greater phorate accumulation in the nematodes under anaerobic conditions and with carbon monoxide could be explained by this metabolic inhibition. SKF 525A had no significant effect on phorate metabolism or accumulation. The possible mechanisms involved in phorate breakdown by P. redivivus are discussed.     

Hip dysplasia in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) at the San Diego Zoo.

A retrospective/prospective radiographic study documented 55 cases of moderate to severe hip dysplasia, with varying degrees of shallowing of the acetabulum, flattening or loss of the femoral head, widening or loss of the femoral neck, and femoral diaphyseal abnormalities in northern koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the San Diego Zoo (San Diego, California, USA) collection. For the retrospective study, historic radiographs were examined when availble. For the prospective study, three standard views (ventrodorsal extended leg, ventrodorsal frog leg, and lateral extended leg) were used. A scoring system was developed using four areas (acetabulum, femoral head, femoral neck, and femur) and ranges of 0 to 5 (0 = not affected to 5 = severely affected) for each area, creating a total score out of 40. Scores were graded as follows: 0-2 = normal dysplasia; 3-6 = mild dysplasia; 10-19 = moderate dysplasia; and 20-40 = severe dysplasia. Thirty koalas were graded as severe, 25 koalas as moderate, and 38 koalas as excellent or mild. Affected koalas may or may not demonstrate gait abnormalities. Mild to severe degenerative joint disease may develop and symptoms may be alleviated with glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The etiology of hip dysplasia in koalas is not currently understood.     

Development of a method for Bayesian nonparametric ROC analysis with application to an ELISA for Johne's disease in dairy cattle

Six hundred and sixty-eight dairy cattle were tested for Johne's disease using a direct-fecal real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR), fecal culture, and serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Likelihood ratios (LRs) were estimated for five categories of sample-to-positive (S/P) values for the ELISA: <0.1, 0.1-0.249, 0.25-0.399, 0.4-0.999, > or =1.0. The statistical method assumed a single multinomial model for cross-classified rt-PCR, fecal culture results, and ELISA category strata. Conditional dependence between tests was investigated by the inclusion of all possible pairwise dependence terms. Sensitivity covariance between ELISA and fecal culture was estimated as 0.017. Estimates for the accuracy of the ELISA at the usual cutoff of 0.25S/P was 67.2% and 95.2% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively for a model that adjusted for the dependence between ELISA and fecal culture. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (95% probability interval) for the ELISA was 0.867 (0.796, 0.928). Point estimates for likelihood ratios (95% probability intervals) were 0.24 (0.11, 0.38), 1.52 (0.48, 3.27), 2.49 (0.31, 13.4), 6.33 (2.54, 16.5), and 103 (25.0, 2412) for the categories <0.1, 0.1-0.249, 0.25-0.399, 0.4-0.999, >/=1.0, respectively. Assumptions concerning the underlying distribution of test results for infected and uninfected animals were not necessary and this model can be employed for the general estimation of LRs and ROC curves in absence of knowledge concerning true disease status.     

Effect of preoperative administration of tepoxalin on induction dose of injectable anesthetics in dogs

Medications given preoperatively have the potential to affect the induction dose of injectable anesthetics, which could result in an anesthetic overdose. Tepoxalin is an NSAID approved for the treatment of arthritis in dogs in the United States and hence could be administered in patients requiring anesthesia. In this study, administration of a single dose or a 10-day course of tepoxalin did not affect the induction dose (dose that allowed intubation) of propofol, thiopental, or ketamine-diazepam and also did not affect the time required for dogs to recover from anesthesia.     

Charcoal production through selective logging leads to degradation of dry woodlands:a case study from Mutomo District,Kenya

Provision of woodfuel is an important ecosystem service of dry forests and woodlands.However,charcoal production through selective logging of preferred hardwood species has the potential to alter the physiognomic composition of the residual or re-growth woodlands and may lead to their deterioration and degradation.This study,conducted through forest inventory in Mutomo District in Kenya,assessed the impact of charcoal production on unprotected dry woodlands in terms of tree density,targeted species basal area,species richness,evenness and Shannon diversity.The parameters of the disturbed woodlands were evaluated for significant differences with those of the neighbouring protected Tsavo East National Park,which served as a reference for an ecologically undisturbed ecosystem.By evaluating a consequence of tree harvesting for charcoal production,this study confirmed the overall significant differences between the protected and unprotected woodlands in all the tested parameters.To confirm if the differences in the land-covers of the woodlands had any influence on their degradation,all mentioned parameters were compared between the four differentiated classes and their respective control plots in the protected areas.At the "land-cover level",the statistically significant difference in the basal area of tree species preferred for charcoal production between the protected and unprotected open trees confirms that the class with a high density of large mature trees is the prime target of charcoal producers.In addition,there seems to be a general trend of lower values of tree species richness,evenness and Shannon diversity for the unprotected woodlands subjected to charcoal production.On the other hand,the disturbed woodlands display the potential to recover through their comparably high saplings density.The findings make an important contribution to the discourse on the impact of charcoal production in dry woodlands,a topic that is highly controversial among researchers.