The thermal antinociceptive effects of a high-concentration formulation of buprenorphine alone or followed by hydromorphone in conscious cats

ObjectiveTo evaluate the thermal antinociceptive effects of a high-concentration formulation of buprenorphine alone or followed by hydromorphone in conscious cats.Study designRandomized, blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study design.AnimalsA total of six purpose-bred, adult female ovariohysterectomized Domestic Short Hair cats.MethodsCats were allocated into three treatments each consisting of two injections, subcutaneous then intravenous (IV) administration, 2 hours apart: treatment SS, two injections of 0.9% saline; treatment BS, buprenorphine (0.24 mg kg^–1, 1.8 mg mL^–1) and saline; and treatment BH, buprenorphine (0.24 mg kg^–1) and hydromorphone (0.1 mg kg^–1). Skin temperature (ST) and thermal threshold (TT) were recorded before (baseline) and for 24 hours following first injection. TT data were analyzed using mixed linear models and a Benjamini–Hochberg sequential adjustment procedure (p < 0.05).ResultsThere were no significant differences among treatments for baseline ST and TT values, treatment SS over time and between treatments BS and BH. Compared with baseline, TT was significantly increased at all time points in treatments BH and BS except at 2 hours in treatment BS. TT was significantly higher than SS at 3–18 hours and 4–12 hours for treatments BS and BH, respectively. Maximal increases in TT were 47.5 °C at 2 hours, 53.9 °C at 3 hours and 52.4 °C at 6 hours in treatments SS, BS and BH, respectively.Conclusions and clinical relevanceAdministration of IV hydromorphone following high-concentration buprenorphine provided no additional antinociception and decreased the duration of effect when compared with high-concentration buprenorphine alone. Alternative analgesics should be considered if additional analgesia is required after administration of high-concentration buprenorphine.     

Enzyme Bioprospection of Marine-Derived Actinobacteria from the Chilean Coast and New Insight in the Mechanism of Keratin Degradation in Streptomyces sp. G11C

Marine actinobacteria are viewed as a promising source of enzymes with potential technological applications. They contribute to the turnover of complex biopolymers, such as pectin, lignocellulose, chitin, and keratin, being able to secrete a wide variety of extracellular enzymes. Among these, keratinases are a valuable alternative for recycling keratin-rich waste, which is generated in large quantities by the poultry industry. In this work, we explored the biocatalytic potential of 75 marine-derived actinobacterial strains, focusing mainly on the search for keratinases. A major part of the strains secreted industrially important enzymes, such as proteases, lipases, cellulases, amylases, and keratinases. Among these, we identified two streptomycete strains that presented great potential for recycling keratin wastes—Streptomyces sp. CHA1 and Streptomyces sp. G11C. Substrate concentration, incubation temperature, and, to a lesser extent, inoculum size were found to be important parameters that influenced the production of keratinolytic enzymes in both strains. In addition, proteomic analysis of culture broths from Streptomyces sp. G11C on turkey feathers showed a high abundance and diversity of peptidases, belonging mainly to the serine and metallo-superfamilies. Two proteases from families S08 and M06 were highly expressed. These results contributed to elucidate the mechanism of keratin degradation mediated by streptomycetes.     

Multilocus sequence typing detects new Piscirickettsia salmonis hybrid genogroup in Chilean fish farms: Evidence for genetic diversity and population structure

Piscirickettsia salmonisis the causative bacterial pathogen of piscirickettsiosis, a salmonid disease that causes notable mortalities in the worldwide aquaculture industry. Published research describes the phenotypic traits, virulence factors, pathogenicity and antibiotic‐resistance potential for various P. salmonisstrains. However, evolutionary and genetic information is scarce for P. salmonis. The present study used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to gain insight into the population structure and evolution of P. salmonis. Forty‐two Chilean P. salmonisisolates, as well as the type strain LF‐89^T, were recovered from diseased Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus kisutchand Oncorhynchus mykissfrom two Chilean Regions. MLST assessed the loci sequences of dnaK, efp, fumC, glyA, murG, rpoD and trpB. Bioinformatics analyses established the genetic diversity among P. salmonis isolates (H = 0.5810). A total of 23 sequence types (ST) were identified, 53.48% of which were represented by ST1, ST5 and ST2. Population structure analysis through polymorphism patterns showed few polymorphic sites (218 nucleotides from 4,010 bp), while dN/dS ratio analysis indicated purifying selection for dnaK, epf, fumC, murG, and rpoD but neutral selection for the trpB loci. The standardized index of association indicated strong linkage disequilibrium, suggesting clonal population structure. However, recombination events were detected in a group of seven isolates. Findings included genogroups homologous to the LF‐89^T and EM‐90 strains, as well as a seven‐isolate hybrid genogroup recovered from both assessed regions (three O. mykiss and four S. salar isolates). The presented MLST scheme has comparative potential, with promising applications in studying distinct P. salmonis isolates (e.g., from different hosts, farms, geographical areas) and in understanding the epidemiology of this pathogen.     

Purification of xylitol obtained by fermentation of corncob hydrolysates

Hydrolysates obtained by autohydrolysis-posthydrolysis of corncobs were detoxified with charcoal, concentrated, supplemented with nutrients, and fermented with Debaryomyces hansenii. After biomass removal, the fermented media contained 0.1137 kg of nonvolatile components (NVC)/kg of liquor, which corresponded mainly to xylitol (0.6249 kg/kg of NVC) but also to minor amounts of inorganic components (measured as ashes), proteins, nonfermented sugars (xylose and arabinose), uronic acids, arabitol, and other nonvolatile components (ONVC). The media were subjected to further processing (sequential stages of adsorption, concentration, ethanol precipitation, concentration, and crystallization) to obtain food-grade xylitol. Adsorption experiments were carried out at various solid-to-liquor ratios. Under selected conditions (1 kg of charcoal/15 kg of liquors), the xylitol content increased to 0.6873 kg/kg of NVC, and almost total decoloration was achieved. The resulting liquor was concentrated by evaporation to increase its NVC content to 0.4032 kg/kg of liquor (corresponding to a xylitol concentration of 0.280 kg/kg of liquor), and ethanol was added to precipitate a part of the NVC (mainly proteins, but also uronic acids, ashes, and other nonvolatile compounds). Refined liquors (containing 0.7303 kg of xylitol/kg of NVC) were concentrated again, and ethanol was added (to reach 40-60% volume of the stream) to allow crystallization at -10 or -5 degrees C. Under selected conditions, 43.7% of xylitol contained in the initial fermentation broth was recovered in well-formed, homogeneous crystals, in which xylitol accounted for 98.9% of the total oven-dry weight. Material balances are presented for the whole processing scheme considered in this work.     

Evaluation of single and comparative intradermal tuberculin tests for tuberculosis eradication in caprine flocks in Castilla y León (Spain)

Goats can act as reservoirs for tuberculosis (TB) infection. The main etiological agents of TB in goats are Mycobacterium caprae and Mycobacterium bovis and they infect also a wide range of domestic and wild animals and humans. Control programmes based mainly on the application of single and comparative intradermal tuberculin (SIT and SCIT respectively) tests are being implemented in certain regions of Spain with a high density of caprine flocks as Castilla y León, including goats with epidemiological relationship with cattle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the intradermal tests in naturally TB-infected caprine flocks from this region. The study was performed using data from 17,450 goats in 54 different flocks that were classified as TB-infected in the control programmes executed in 2010 and 2011. Data from 1237 goats from 7 dairy flocks depopulated after the first intradermal testing were used to estimate the sensitivity (Se) using bacteriology as the gold-standard. Overall Se of the SIT test using the severe interpretation was 43.9% (CI 95%, 40.4–47.4) and decreased to 38.8% (CI 95%, 35.5–42.3) using the standard interpretation. Overall Se of the SCIT test ranged between 21.3% (CI 95%, 17.6–25.4) and 7% (CI 95%, 4.9–9.8) depending of the interpretation criteria. A significant weak positive correlation was found between age and skin fold thickness (Spearman’s test p < 0.05). Results from this study yielded, in general, low Se values probably due the systematic detection and slaughter of reactors as a consequence of the eradication programme in previous years or the presence of factors that may interfere in the diagnosis. Therefore, these results suggest the necessity of including ancillary diagnostic tools and/or strict interpretation criteria to maximize detection of positive animals in infected settings.     

Cardiopulmonary effects of reverse Trendelenburg position at 5° and 10° in sevoflurane-anesthetized steers

Objective

To assess the cardiopulmonary effects caused by reverse Trendelenburg position (RTP) at 5° and 10° in sevoflurane-anesthetized yearling steers.

Susceptibility of eight Algerian olive cultivars to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bactrocera oleae</Emphasis> infestation – a pomological and nutritional quality perspective

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), is the major olive pest in the Mediterranean Basin, being responsible for high losses in olive production. The objective of this work was to study the influence of B. oleae infestation on the pomological parameters and nutritive value (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and ash) of eight olive cultivars (Abani, Aellah, Blanquette de Guelma, Chemlal, Ferkani, Limli, Rougette de Mitidja and Souidi) from Algeria. The results displayed different degrees of susceptibility of the studied cultivars to this pest. Fruit size (weight) and the Fruit weight / stone weight ratio are significantly correlated with the attack. The statistical treatment of the results (PCA and HAC) highlighted different behaviors from the cultivars, concerning the attack. There are some cultivars more susceptible, being the nutritional value also affected. The lipid and protein contents were positively correlated with the attack and the carbohydrates negatively, suggesting a careful choice by the B. oleae. Ovipositional preference of olive fruit fly females and the success of larval development in different olive cultivars are crucial to establishing new approaches in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) against this pest.