Transient hyperammonemia due to urea cycle enzyme deficiency in Irish wolfhounds

BACKGROUND: Irish Wolfhounds frequently have a congenital portosystemic shunt, but a considerable proportion of the 6- to 8-wk-old pups has hyperammonemia in the absence of portosystemic shunting. This hyperammonemia causes no signs and is transient, normalizing at the age of 3-4 months. HYPOTHESIS: Transient hyperammonemia has a metabolic basis in Irish Wolfhounds. ANIMALS: Two related (same sire) litters of Irish Wolfhounds (17 pups) and their parents were studied. METHODS: Integrity of the portal circulation was examined by ultrasonography and scintigraphy. Absence of parenchymal liver disease was verified by liver biopsy. Amino acid profiles were measured in 4 pups and repeated in 2 of these pups when ammonia concentrations had normalized. The amino acid profiles were compared with those of healthy Irish Wolfhound pups. RESULTS: Fasting venous ammonia concentrations were high (113-622 microg/dL, 65-345 micromol/L) in all pups, whereas bile acids were within reference range in all but 1. The ammonia and bile acid concentrations from all parents were within reference range. Portosystemic shunting was excluded in all but 1 pup. Liver biopsy excluded significant lesions in all 10 pups examined. Hypercitrullinemia was found and persisted even when ammonia had normalized, at the expense of an increase in glutamine and asparagine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Citrulline concentrations are controlled by the urea cycle enzymes argininosuccinase and argininosuccinate synthetase, and a defect in either of these enzymes may be responsible for the transient hyperammonemia in Irish Wolfhounds. Resolution of the hyperammonemia is associated with increased activity of alternative metabolic pathways forming glutamine and asparagine. Confirmation requires measurement of enzyme activities in liver tissue.     

薄荷的快速繁殖与栽培技术的研究

本文介绍了薄荷的特性、栽培技术及用途，表明它在我们日常生活中起着重要的作用。用薄荷的组织培养方法可加速其繁殖系数，以达到迅速应用的目的。     

Statistical Model on the Time and Time Difference Error of Arrival in TDOA Location Estimation

Additional time delay of arrival resulted from non-line of sight(NLOS)propagation and muti-path effect in(cellular) environment is the dominant factor resulting in TDOA location error,study on the statistical property of TDOA error is useful for improving the accuracy of TDOA location.Based on the exponential distribution property of NLOS propagation delay,and considering the system error resulted from the signal detection,the authors establish a statistical model of arrival time and a model of TDOA error distribution by statistics when non-light of sight and multi-path propagation exist.The models reflect the statistical property of arrival time and TDOA error in cell network,the simulation shows that the proposed models have a good accuracy and a satisfactory behavior.     

THE STUDY OF STRAIN FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION BEHAVOURS OF VANADIUM BEARING HSLA STEEL

In this paper, the strain fatigue: crack propagation rates of vanadium bearing HSLA steel with different micro-structures are measured under constant load conditions, and the relationship between the crack propagation rate and the microstructures of steel is also studied.