Polypoid uterine leiomyosarcomas in a sheep.

Leiomyosarcoma was diagnosed in the uterus surgically removed from a 3-year-old pet Suffolk ewe with a history of bleeding from the vulva, spontaneous lactation, and nursing behavior. The uterus contained multiple well-circumscribed, soft, intraluminal polypoid masses of variable sizes (0.5-4 cm). The masses were red, with white, smooth, and glistening cut surfaces. Histologically they comprised variably dense sheets of moderately pleomorphic, plump spindle cells embedded in richly vascularized stroma. The mitotic index was usually low (0-1/high-power field), but in some polyps there were up to 10 mitoses/high-power field. Neoplastic cells stained positive for alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) by immunohistochemistry. Ultrastructural features of neoplastic cells included the presence of basal lamina, scant microfilaments, contracted nuclei with blunt ends, and flat intercellular junctions. Uterine leiomyosarcoma was diagnosed based on cellular morphology and atypia and positive immunohistochemistry for alpha-SMA.     

Muscular pseudohypertrophy (steatosis) in a bovine fetus.

Muscular pseudohypertrophy was diagnosed in the cervical musculature of a full-term crossbred Simmental fetus delivered by fetotomy. Only head and cervical regions were submitted for pathologic examination; the rest of the fetal body was reportedly normal. The neck musculature of the fetus was markedly deformed by 23 cm and 18 cm in diameter, firm, spherical masses that consisted of enlarged and pale left splenius and right serratus ventralis cervicis muscle, respectively, covered by intact skin. Additionally, lipomatous masses were present within the cervical vertebral canal, compressing the spinal cord. Microscopically, the prominent muscular enlargement was due to massive adipose and fibrous connective tissue replacement of atrophic muscle. Focal myelodysplasia and astrocytosis affecting the grey matter was detected in the mid-cervical region of the spinal cord, accompanied by degeneration in the ascending and descending tracts of the remaining cord segments. Abnormal spinal cord development as a result of severe spinal cord compression by the lipomatous masses within the spinal canal leading to replacement of muscle by fat and fibrous tissue was considered to be the cause of the muscular malformation in this fetus.     

Ernährungsversuche mit pflanzlicher Mischkost zur Ermittlung der Aufwertbarkeit von pflanzlichen Eiweißstoffen

Zusammenfassung Nach den Ergebnissen aus N-Bilanzversuchen an Mensch und Ratte, die sich z.T. über 5–10 Wochen erstreckten, ist die Eiweißqualität rein vegetabiler, in sich aufgewerteter Mischkost beachtenswert. 1 g dieser Kostmischungen je kg Körpergewicht befriedigte den täglichen Leistungsbedarf bei allen Versuchspersonen, wie klinische Untersuchungen vor und nach den Perioden zeigten. Das Aminosäuremuster einzelner, besonders guter Mischungen war praktisch frei von Ungleichgewichten und den Spektren hochwertiger tierischer Proteine vergleichbar.

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Summary The results of nitrogen balance studies in men and rats, lasting 5–10 weeks, proved the good protein quality of vegetable diets. One gram of these mixed diets per kilo body weight was sufficient for the daily protein requirement of all persons in the experiment, as the clinical determination at the beginning and the end of the testing period showed. The amino acid spectrum was free from imbalances in the case of specially mixed diets and was similar to that of high animal proteins.

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Vortrag gehalten auf dem Wissenschaftlichen Kongreß der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ernährung in Mainz am 10. 4. 1958.     

Prevalence and molecular typing of Giardia spp. in captive mammals at the zoo of Zagreb, Croatia

A total of 131 faecal samples from 57 mammalian species housed at the zoo of Zagreb, Croatia, were tested for the presence of Giardia spp. cysts using epifluorescence microscopy. The overall prevalence (29%) was high, yet all animals were asymptomatic at the time of sampling. Positive samples were characterized by PCR and sequence analysis of both conserved and variable loci, for the identification of Giardia species and G. duodenalis assemblages and genotypes. Assemblages A and C were identified in Artiodactyla, assemblage B in Primates, Rodentia and Hyracoidea, and assemblages A, B, C and D, as well as Giardia microti, in Carnivora. Genotyping at the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, at the triose phosphate isomerase, glutamate dehydrogenase and beta-giardin genes revealed extensive polymorphisms, particularly among assemblage B isolates. A phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences showed that isolates from captive mammals housed at the zoo are genetically different from isolates of human and domestic animal origin. This is the first survey in a zoological garden to include a molecular characterization of the parasite, and provides novel sequence data of G. duodenalis from many previously uncharacterized hosts.     

Yersiniosis in zoo marmosets (Callitrix jacchuss) caused by Yersinia enterocolitica 4/O:3

The aim of this research was to describe two fatal cases of Yersinia enterocolitica bioserotype 4/O:3 infection in non-human primates and to characterise the isolates by PCR and PFGE. In July 2004, two marmosets (Callitrix jacchuss) born in captivity in Zagreb Zoo, died following a few days of intermittent diarrhoea in intervals of 2 weeks. The pathomorphological diagnosis of the female (born in 1997) and the male (born in 1995) marmoset, was disseminated miliary necrosis of the liver. Y. enterocolitica 4/O:3 was isolated from both livers showing that monkeys are susceptible to this bioserotype. The ail gene, which is an essential chromosomal virulence factor in pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates, was present in the marmoset isolates. Two different PFGE patterns were obtained from the isolates of the male liver with NotI enzyme. One genotype of the male marmoset isolate was indistinguishable from the genotype of the female marmoset isolate when NotI, ApaI and XhoI enzymes were used indicating a common infection source for the marmosets. The genotypes of the marmoset isolates differed only slightly from one human (of seven Croatian isolates) and from one pig isolate (representing a common genotype found among human and porcine isolates in Germany) suggesting that raw pork fed to the marmoset could have been the infection source.     

Long‐term development of nitrogen fluxes in a coniferous ecosystem: Does soil freezing trigger nitrate leaching?

In many forest ecosystems chronically large atmospheric deposition of N has caused considerable losses of inorganic N by seepage. Freezing and thawing of soil may alter the N turnover in soils and thereby the interannual variation of N seepage fluxes, which in turn makes it difficult to evaluate the N status of forest ecosystems. Here, we analyzed long‐term monitoring data of concentrations and fluxes of dissolved inorganic N (DIN) in throughfall and seepage from a Norway spruce stand at the Fichtelgebirge (SE Germany) between 1993 and 2004. Despite constant or even slightly increasing N inputs in throughfall, N losses with seepage at 90 cm declined from 15–32 kg N ha^–1 y^–1 in the first years of the study period (1993–1999) to 3–10 kg N ha^–1 y^–1 in 2000 to 2004. The large N losses in the first years coincided with extreme soil frost in the winter of 1995/96, ranging from –3.3°C to –1.0°C at 35 cm soil depth. Over the entire observation period, maximum fluxes of nitrate and ammonium were observed in the mineral soil following thawing of the soil. The elevated ammonium and nitrate fluxes resulted apparently from increased net ammonification and nitrification rates in the mineral soil, whereas mineral‐N fluxes in the O horizon were less affected by frost. Our data suggest that (1) extreme soil frost may cause substantial annual variations of nitrate losses with seepage and that (2) the assessment of the N status of forest ecosystems requires long periods of monitoring. Time series of biogeochemical data collected over the last 20–30 y include years with extreme cold winters and warm summers as well as unusual precipitation patterns. Analysis of such long‐term monitoring data should address climate extremes as a cause of variation in N outputs via leaching. The mean loss of 14.7 kg N with seepage water during 12 y of observation suggests that the forest ecosystem was saturated with N.     

Base cation,aluminum, and phosphorus release potential in Danish forest soils

Long‐term nutrient supply in forest ecosystems is due to the dissolution of primary and secondary minerals in soils. The potential of nutrient release in 19 forest soils in a cool humid climate was examined. The soil profiles are classified as Alfisols (10), Spodosols (2), Entisols (4), Ultisols (1), and Mollisols (2), thus covering a gradient in soil fertility. Short‐term and long‐term release of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and aluminum was evaluated by a batch extraction using dilute nitric acid (0.1 M) for 2 hours, followed by 2 days (48 h), and 7 days (168 h). The solution was renewed after 2 and 50 hours extraction time. Nutrient pools expressed as g m^–2 to soil depth 100 cm, and a base index (Ca²⁺+ Mg²⁺+ K⁺ (mol_c m^–2) : Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺ + K⁺ + Al³⁺ (mol_c m^–2)) were interpreted in relation to soil texture classes. Subsoil texture classes: Coarse: < 5 % clay; medium 5–10 % clay or (> 5 % silt or > 50 % fine sand), or fine > 10 % clay were evaluated as an indicator of forest soil quality. Base cation and phosphorus release decreased in the order fine > medium > coarse. Texture classes explained base cation release by about 80 % of total variation, and phosphorus release by 40–50 %. The base index generally increased by extraction time for sandy soils and decreased for loamy soils. This indicated that sandy soils released accumulated reactive aluminum in the 0–2 hour extraction. Subsoil texture class is suggested as a pedotransfer function for long‐term nutrient release potential in Danish forest soils.     

Isomer selectivity in aquatic toxicity and biodegradation of cypermethrin

Synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) are widely used in both agricultural and urban regions for insect control. Unlike many other pesticides, SPs are chiral compounds consisting of stereoisomers. However, occurrence of isomer selectivity in environmental processes is poorly understood for SPs. We evaluated isomer selectivity in toxicity of cypermethrin (CP) to Ceriodaphnia dubia and in its biodegradation by microbial isolates and in sediment. Among the eight enantiomers, two enantiomers (1R-cis-alphaS and 1R-trans-alphaS) were found to be toxic to C. dubia. Bacteria strains isolated from sediment selectively degraded CP diastereomers and enantiomers. The trans diastereomers were preferentially degraded over the cis diastereomers. Of the two active enantiomers, 1R-cis-alphaS was degraded slower, whereas 1R-trans-alphaS was degraded faster than the other stereoisomers. Similar isomer selectivity was observed during CP degradation in whole sediment. Since ecotoxicity is likely caused only by the biologically active enantiomers, knowledge on isomer selectivity may improve our understanding of the ecological risks of CP and analogous SPs.