Corneal endothelial cell morphology of normal dogs in different ages

Endothelial cell function is essential to maintain corneal transparency, but unfortunately the regenerative capacity of the endothelium is limited. There are only a few reports describing the effect of age on morphologic appearance of corneal endothelial cells of dogs. Studies of normal corneal endothelial cells in humans and dogs have shown a decrease in endothelial cell density (ECD) and an increase in pleomorphism and polymegethism with advancing age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on ECD and endothelial cell morphology in dogs. A total of 30 dogs were divided into three groups (10 dogs/group) based on age: group 1 (2-12 months old), group 2 (24-72 months old), and group 3 (84 months or older). Corneas were processed for light and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed only difference in cell density between group 1 and groups 2 and 3, showing an initial decrease in cell density as the animal matured. Whereas there was significantly greater variation in cell size within the dogs in group 3 than there was within the other two groups, suggesting that there was increased polymegethism and pleomorphism with advancing age.     

叶面滞尘量对大叶黄杨反射光谱的影响

【目的】树木叶片表面的滞尘在一定程度上能反映周围环境的污染情况。试验对光谱检测中叶面滞尘的干扰进行初步定量探讨,为叶面滞尘对光谱反射的影响评价及建立修正模型提供方法参考。【方法】以中国林业科学研究院内大叶黄杨叶片为研究对象,采集叶片样本保鲜并速回室内进行试验。使用0.0001 g 高精度电子分析天平称叶片除尘前后的质量,计算叶面滞尘量;采用美国 ASD 公司生产的 FieldSpec3便携式近红外光谱仪测量叶片除尘前后的反射光谱,得出其差异。分析除尘前后叶片反射率、一阶导数光谱及红边参数特征的差异,比较不同滞尘量的叶片反射光谱,建立叶面滞尘量与叶片反射光谱之间的关系模型。【结果】叶片除尘前后的光谱反射率存在差异,在520～560 nm 和760～850 nm 叶片反射率大小分别为有尘叶片＞无尘叶片、有尘叶片＜无尘叶片;不同叶面滞尘量的反射光谱也不同,大叶黄杨叶片光谱反射率在可见光波段随着叶面滞尘量的增加逐渐增大,而近红外波段区域随着叶面滞尘量的增加逐渐减小;红边和黄边的位置、蓝边斜率和面积在除尘前后无变化,有尘叶片的蓝边位置较无尘叶片增大,黄、红两边斜率和黄、红两边面积均较无尘叶片减小;在5个光谱参数中,红边指数所建的叶面滞尘量预测模型的 R 2值最大为0.716,叶面滞尘量与光谱之间存在着一定的相关关系。【结论】叶面滞尘使得叶片在可见光波段的反射率增加,在近红外光区的反射率减小,这可能与叶片自身内部结构有一定的相关性;利用红边指数(SDr)作为参数可以在一定精度范围内预测大叶黄杨叶片表面滞尘量,简单比值指数与叶面滞尘量呈正相关。     

近30年济宁市雾和霾的时空分布特征及影响因子分析

利用山东省济宁市11个气象观测站点30年(1985-2014年)的雾和霾地面观测资料、风向风速、相对湿度、降水时间等资料,运用统计分析方法对济宁市雾和霾的时空分布特征及影响因子进行研究。结果表明,济宁市近30年雾日秋、冬季节多,占全年的70%左右,春、夏季节少,霾日呈明显增多的趋势;东南的丘陵地带地势较高,雾日一直较少(例如邹城);西北地区的梁山、汶上处于洼地,地势较低,雾日较多;雾和霾时间与降水时间呈负相关,且雾时间与降水时间呈明显负相关;济宁市95%的霾出现在风速小于3.0 m/s的天气情况下,一半以上出现在风力小于1级的天气情况下;霾日的年代变化和济宁市煤化工、装备制造、食品制造、能源工业四大千亿级产业占规模以上工业比例变化基本一致,这是未来关于霾防治应该注意的地方。     

Epidemiology and clinical significance of canine distichiasis: A retrospective study of 291 cases

Objective

To describe the epidemiological factors and clinical significance of canine distichiasis.

Animals studied

Two hundred and ninety-one client-owned dogs.

Methods

Retrospective study of medical records for canine patients diagnosed with distichiasis between 2010 and 2019 in an ophthalmology specialty practice. The breed, sex, skull conformation, coat type, age at the time of diagnosis, reason for presentation, clinical examination findings, and affected eyelid(s) were reviewed.

Results

The prevalence of distichiasis was 5.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.9–6.1) in the population of dogs presented to an ophthalmology specialty practice. The breeds with the highest prevalence were English bulldogs (35.2%, 95% CI: 26.7–43.7) and American cocker spaniels (19.4%, 95% CI: 8.3–30.5). The prevalence was significantly higher in brachycephalic dogs (11.9%, 95% CI: 9.8–14.0) than in non-brachycephalic dogs (4.6%, 95% CI: 4.0–5.3) and in short-haired dogs (8.2%, 95% CI: 6.8–9.6) than in dogs with other coat types (5.3%, 95% CI: 4.5–6.1). Most dogs were affected bilaterally (63.6%, 95% CI: 58.0–69.1). Among dogs with clinical signs, 39.0% (95% CI: 26.5–51.4) exhibited corneal ulceration, including superficial ulcers (28.8%, 95% CI: 17.3–40.4) and deep stromal ulcers (10.2%, 95% CI: 2.5–17.8). Distichiasis was non-irritating in 85.0% (95% CI: 80.6–89.4) of affected dogs.

Conclusion

This study reports the largest cohort of canine distichiasis to date. In a large proportion of dogs, distichiasis was a non-irritating condition. However, brachycephalic breeds, especially English bulldogs, were the most frequently and severely affected.     

Prevalence of equine ulcerative keratomycosis in Colorado and association of environmental factors: A retrospective and descriptive study (2002–2017)

Equine ulcerative keratomycosis is relatively commonly presented to teaching hospitals in North America, with a prevalence from 24 to 86%. Horses in Colorado may have lower risk due to the dry mountain climate, but data are lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ulcerative keratomycosis amongst horses with ulcerative keratitis presented to Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CSU-VTH) ophthalmology service and to evaluate environmental factors (season, temperature, humidity, wind speed and elevation) associated with ulcerative keratomycosis in Colorado. A database search identified horses with ulcerative keratitis presented to the ophthalmology service at CSU-VTH from January 2002 to August 2017. Sixty-one horses met the inclusion criteria of a corneal cytology and/or culture or histopathology at the time of diagnosis; cases lacking that were excluded. Environmental factors at the boarding sites, including season, temperature, humidity, wind speed and elevation and clinical outcomes for fungal cases, were recorded. Prevalence of fungal infection amongst equine ulcerative keratitis was 16.4% (10/61), suggesting that CSU-VTH has considerably fewer ulcerative keratomycosis cases than other veterinary teaching hospitals in North America. Spring (50%, 5/10) and fall (40%, 4/10) had the highest prevalence of fungal ulcerative keratitis in Colorado. Only one case was reported in summer (10%, 1/10); no horses were positive (0%, 0/10) in winter. Only wind speed seemed to influence the development of ulcerative keratomycosis with higher wind speeds associated with greater rates of fungal involvement (P = 0.047). Other environmental factors did not show a detectable association (all P-values >0.05). Outcomes were variable. It was concluded that horses from the area of CSU-VTH appear to be at lower risk for ulcerative keratomycosis than from the areas around other North American veterinary teaching hospitals that have reported data. Most horses with keratomycosis in this area present in the spring and fall.