Urinary aldosterone to creatinine ratio in cats before and after suppression with salt or fludrocortisone acetate

Background: The endocrine diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism in cats currently is based on an increased plasma aldosterone to renin ratio, which has several disadvantages for use in veterinary practice. Objectives: To establish a reference range for the urinary aldosterone to creatinine ratio (UACR) and to determine whether oral administration of either sodium chloride or fludrocortisone acetate is effective for use in a suppression test. Animals: Forty‐two healthy cats from an animal shelter and 1 cat with primary hyperaldosteronism from a veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Morning urine samples for determination of the basal UACR were collected from 42 healthy cats. For the suppression tests, urine samples for the UACR were collected after twice daily oral administration for 4 consecutive days of either sodium chloride, 0.25 g/kg body weight (n = 22) or fludrocortisone acetate, 0.05 mg/kg body weight (n = 15). Results: The median basal UACR was 7.2 × 10^?9 (range, 1.8–52.3 × 10^?9), with a calculated reference range of <46.5 × 10^?9. Administration of sodium chloride resulted in adequate salt loading in 10 of 22 cats, but without significant reduction in the UACR. Administration of fludrocortisone resulted in a significant decrease in the UACR (median, 78%; range, 44–97%; P < .001) in healthy cats. In the cat with an aldosterone‐producing adrenocortical carcinoma, the basal UACR and the UACR after fludrocortisone administration were 32 × 10^?9 and 36 × 10^?9, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Using the UACR for an oral fludrocortisone suppression test may be useful for the diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism in cats.     

热加工方式对牛乳过敏原αs1-酪蛋白二级结构和抗原性的影响

为探究热加工方式对牛乳过敏原αs1-酪蛋白构象和抗原性的影响,利用间接竞争酶联免疫吸附测定方法、 免疫印迹方法分析不同加热条件下αs1-酪蛋白免疫原性的变化,进而通过8-苯胺-1-萘磺酸荧光探针和圆二色谱分 析其二级结构变化,初步揭示热处理调控过敏原αs1-酪蛋白抗原性的机制。结果表明：在80 ℃、60 min,90 ℃、 10 min,90 ℃、60 min条件下热处理后,αs1-酪蛋白中α-螺旋结构含量显著低于未加热αs1-酪蛋白,在70 ℃、 20 min,80 ℃、20 min,90 ℃、20 min条件下热处理后,αs1-酪蛋白中无规卷曲含量显著增加,70～100 ℃加热 20 min条件下表面荧光强度最强,其他温度-时间条件下二级结构含量变化不显著;αs1-酪蛋白构象的变化导致αs1-酪 蛋白的抗原性显著降低,间接竞争酶联免疫吸附测定显示,在70～100 ℃加热20 min条件下,αs1-酪蛋白的抗原残留 量均较高,而免疫印迹方法显示不同温度-时间条件下αs1-酪蛋白仍具有免疫反应特性,建议进一步通过动物实验揭 示热处理调控αs1-酪蛋白抗原性的机制。     

Floristic diversity and vegetation patterns along disturbance gradient in arid coasts in southern Mediterranean: Case of the Gulf of Gabès,southern Tunisia

Knowledge about vegetation patterns along disturbance gradients is essential for conservation and management of coastal habitats in arid regions. This study focuses on the floristic diversity and the factors controlling the vegetation structure in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia). For this purpose, the floristic diversity of 120 relevés belonging to three coastal sites with different disturbance levels (40 relevés per site) was analyzed in relation with 10 environmental and anthropogenic factors. Therophytes constitute 54% of the 237 plants species belonging to 44 families identified in the present study. The species richness and floristic diversity indices exhibited a similar trend and peaked in the slightly disturbed site (H′?=?3.38; S?=?176). The similarity between sites was relatively low and reached its maximum between the little and the highly disturbed sites. Two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis applied on the floristic data resulted in groups mainly determined by disturbance level by explicitly segregating the three sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the spatial pattern of species composition was mainly influenced by anthropogenic variables. Partial CCA revealed that the effect of anthropogenic variables on floristic composition was thrice higher than the effect of environmental variables (57.5% vs. 18.4%, respectively). Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the floristic diversity and vascular plant richness in the Gulf of Gabès. The obtained results reflected a disturbance–diversity pattern and thus revealed the obvious importance of maintaining the intermediate disturbance for biodiversity conservation and monitoring.     

Identification of mutations in the para sodium channel of Bemisia tabaci from Crete, associated with resistance to pyrethroids

We investigated the mechanisms of resistance to α-cypermethrin in a Q biotype, highly resistant Bemisia tabaci strain (GRMAL-RP) isolated from Crete. Cytochrome P450-dependent monoxygenase activity with the substrate ethoxycoumarin, and carboxylesterase activity with the substrates α-naphthyl-acetate, β-naphthyl-acetate, and para-nitrophenol acetate were substantially elevated in the GRMAL-RP, compared to the susceptible SUD-S strain, while glutathione-S-transferase activity with the substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was not different. The metabolic inhibitors piperonyl butoxide and S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate synergised cypermethrin toxicity in the GRMAL-RP strain, however, mortality was still lower than that of the susceptible strain, indicating the presence of an additional resistance mechanism. Analysis of the sequence of the IIS4-IIS6 region of the para sodium channel gene of the GRMAL-RP strain revealed two amino acid replacements compared to that of the SUD-S susceptible strain. One is the leucine to isoleucine substitution at position 925 (L925I) previously implicated in B. tabaci pyrethroid resistance and the other is a novel kdr resistant mutation for B. tabaci, a threonine to valine substitution at position 929 (T929V). Genotype analysis showed that the L925I and T929V were present in all GRMAL-RP males tested, at an approximately 1:1 frequency, but never in combination in the same haplotype.     

江苏省菜籽饼粕的抗营养因子含量分析

收集华东省市当家的甘蓝型、白菜和芥菜型油菜籽品种２０个，经１０５℃３０分钟处理，小型６２机冷榨取饼，测定ＯＺＴ．ＩＴＣ，得出甘蓝型高硫葡萄糖苷品种在饼中的总苷量最高９．３６ｍｇ／ｇ，比苷蓝型低硫葡萄糖苷品种含总苷２．９５ｍｇ／Ｇ高出２倍。白菜型平均总苷３．１３ｍｇ／ｇ；芥菜型含３．５６ｍｇ／ｇ。以淮油６号、秦油２号菜籽作破碎或干热与否的前处理比较，总苷量以未破碎、未干热的菜饼最高，分别含９．８２ｍｇ／ｇ、１０．６４ｍｇ／ｇ；破碎又干热的菜饼总苷最低，分别为８．６９、７．０１ｍｇ／ｇ。以宁油７号品种为例用６２型冷榨总苷最高为１０．７７ｍｇ／ｇ，９５型其次５．１４ｍｇ／ｇ，２００型最低２．５５ｍｇ／ｇ。采集本省各地大、中、小型油厂、油坊的菜饼粕２１个样，２００型菜粕总苷为２．８ｍｇ／ｇｃｖ４５％，９５型３．３９ｍｇ／ｇ，ｃｖ３９．６％。２００型与９５型在加工过程中产生游离总苷量接近，分别为０．３８和０．４１ｍｇ／ｇ。由芥子酶或酶水解产生的腈类化合物以２００型的菜粕中含量高，平均含１３１８ｍｇ／ｋｇ，ｃｖ７９．７％；９５型含３１８ｍｇ／ｇｃｖ１３２％，其中３６％样本未检出腈量。菜饼粕单宁平均含０．８２％；植酸平均?     

Origin of Clostridium perfringens isolates determines the ability to induce necrotic enteritis in broilers

Since the ban on growth-promoting antibiotics in animal feed in the European Union, necrotic enteritis has become a major cause of mortality in broiler chickens. Despite the importance of the disease, the pathogenesis is still not completely understood. In the current study, Clostridium perfringens strains isolated from healthy flocks and isolates from outbreaks of necrotic enteritis were evaluated for the ability to cause gut necrosis in an intestinal loop model in laying hens and in an experimental infection model in broilers. High, intermediate and low alpha toxin producing strains were chosen from each isolation source. Only the isolates from field outbreaks induced necrotic gut lesions, independent of the amount of alpha toxin produced in vitro. It was also shown that alpha toxin producing isolates from calf hemorrhagic enteritis cases were not able to induce necrotic enteritis in poultry. These results suggest the presence of host specific virulence factors in C. perfringens strains, isolated from chickens with intestinal necrotic enteritis lesions.     

Generations in captivity increases behavioral variance: considerations for captive breeding and reintroduction programs

Long-term maintenance of captive populations followed by release of captive animals into the wild is one of many approaches to endangered species conservation. To assess captivity's effects on behavior, a simulated predator was presented and response behaviors measured in oldfield mice, Peromyscus polionotus subgriseus. The animals tested were from four populations collected from Ocala National Forest, Florida, and held in captivity for varying numbers of generations: 35, 14, 2, and 0 (wild caught). Results show (1) that the more generations a population has been in captivity, the less likely an individual is to take cover after seeing a predator and (2) variance in predator-response behaviors increases with generations in captivity. These results point to two ways in which captivity can compromise animal behavior and, in turn, the success of reintroduction programs. First, because individuals from populations that have been in captivity for multiple generations seek refuge less often than their wild counterparts, they might experience increased mortality in the wild due to predation. Second, increased behavioral variance could translate into decreased survivorship upon reintroduction. Therefore, more individuals will need to be released to reach the targeted wild population size.     

猪日粮中酵母硒应用的研究进展

酵母硒是饲料中优质的有机硒源,较无机硒具有更高的吸收率与生物安全性,可提高猪的生长、成活率和繁殖性能,而且可提高肉品质和营养价值。作者综述了酵母硒在猪日粮中的应用研究进展。     

种公鸡体形外貌及精液品质性状的聚类分析

本研究对种公鸡的体形外貌及精液品质共14个性状，用统计分析软件SPSS(Ver．11．0)进行了聚类分析，结果表明：在SPSS提供的聚类分析方法中，沃特氏(Ward’s method)聚类分析法把这些性状分为5类，能较全面反映性状实际情况。这一结果为种公鸡的体形外貌、精液品质的选育提供了科学依据。     

稻谷添加专用酶替代部分玉米时肉鸭生长及物质代谢的影响

本试验采用对照试验设计,以常规的玉米一豆粕为主（不含稻谷）的日粮为对照组,在对照日粮基础上用20％的稻谷替代20％的玉米并添加稻谷专用酶制剂的日粮为试验组,以肉鸭为试验对象进行为期50天的比较研究。结果表明．相对与对照组,试验组的肉鸭的生长性能、养分利用率差异不显著（P〉0．05,可明显提高经济效益;试验组的日粮CF（粗纤维）表观消化率提高了12．6％（P〈0．05）。DM（干物质）、CP（粗蛋白）、EE（粗脂肪）的表观消化率分别降低了2．62％、1．88％、2．59％（P〉0．05）,说明用稻谷代替鸭日粮中的部分玉米是可行的。