Efficacy of a mephentermine‐based product as a vasopressor and a cardiac performance enhancer when given intramuscularly to cattle

The goal of this study was to confirm the vasopressor and cardiac effects of POTENAY^® INJETÁVEL (POT), a mephentermine‐based product, given to cattle with induced vascular/cardiac depression. Ten healthy Holstein cattle (206 ± 13 kg) followed a randomized‐complete‐block design (RCBD) utilizing crossover study design. Each animal randomly received (1 ml/25 kg, IM) of either POT (n = 10) or volume‐matched placebo control (0.9%NaCl, CP, n = 10). A subset of animals (n = 5) received POT first (day 0) while the remaining (n = 5) received CP; after a six‐day washout period, cattle received the opposite compound. Animals were anesthetized and catheterized for systemic/left ventricular hemodynamic monitoring. Myocardial dysfunction/hypotension was induced by increasing the end‐tidal isoflurane concentration until arterial blood pressure was 20% lower than at baseline and remained stable. Once the animal was determined to be hypotensive and hemodynamically stable, steady‐state hypotensive baseline data (BL2) were acquired, and treatment with either POT or CP was given. Data were acquired post‐treatment at every 15 min for 90 min. POT improved cardiac output (+68 L/min, ±14%, p < 0.05), MAP (+14 mmHg, ±4%, p < 0.05), HR (+22 bpm, ±8%, p < 0.05), and peak rates of ventricular pressure change during both systole (dP/dt_max: +37 mmHg/s ±13%, p < 0.05) and diastole (dP/dt_min: +31 mmHg/s, ±7%, p < 0.05). No improvements were noted following placebo‐control administration. Results indicate that POT improves cardiac performance and systemic hemodynamics in cattle with induced cardiovascular depression when given as single intramuscular injection.     

Canine squamous cell carcinoma: Electrochemotherapy association with surgery and correlation with overall survival

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an important malignancy in dogs, due to its incidence and clinical presentation, which can be of locally aggressive single or multiple lesions with a metastatic potential. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate SCC response to treatment, anatomopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics, disease-free interval and overall survival time. 54 dogs with histopathologically diagnosed SCC were included in this study. Their mean age was 9.16 years with a range of 1–14 years. Of the 54 animals in the study, 34 (65.4%) had white skin and white fur coats. There was a significant correlation between fur coat colour and the development of tumours in areas of sun exposure (p = .001). Animals with tumours in areas of the body exposed to the sun had longer overall survival time than animals with tumours in areas not associated with sun exposure (p = .001). Surgery combined with electrochemotherapy (ECT) yielded a survival rate 32% higher than using a surgical approach alone (HR = 0.32, p = .038, IC = 0.11–0.94). ECT, with or without surgery, had an objective response rate of 90.9%. Local lymph node and/or distant site metastasis at diagnosis, or at some point during follow-up, occurred in 34.6% (18/52) of animals. Animals with tumours in sun exposed locations had more aggressive histopathological characteristics but had longer overall survival time. This is probably due to individualised therapeutic treatment with both surgery and ECT.     

抗除草剂转基因小麦生态安全评估(二)——普通小麦与其近缘植物的属间和种间杂交研究

以普通小麦为父本,以与小麦亲缘关系较近的黑麦、偃麦草和山羊草等属中7个种的10个品种为母本进行人工杂交,结果表明普通小麦与卵穗山羊草的可交配性最高,其两个品种Ae23和Y100与普通小麦的杂交结实率分别为11．96％和14．10％,与黑麦杂交的结实率最低,授粉496朵,未结1粒,与其他近缘种的杂交结实率介于前二者之间。与倍性高的种相比,二倍体种与普通小麦之间的可交配性要差,其杂种幼胚在培养基上也很难出愈。所得杂种的育性非常低,甚至雌雄蕊均不育。由此看来,自然条件下普通小麦基因漂流到野生近缘种中的可能性非常低,通过转基因小麦田间释放产生“超级杂草”是非常困难的。     

Corneal endothelium of the Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) by scanning electron microscopy.

The corneal endothelium is essential for the maintenance of the corneal transparency. The aim of this study was to examine the morphology of the endothelial surface and perform morphometric analysis of the normal corneal endothelial cells of the Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) using scanning electron microscopy. The present work demonstrates that the corneal endothelium of the Magellanic penguin is similar to those described in other vertebrates.     

Microbial activity in the gut of piglets: II. Effect of fibre source and enzyme supplementation

Twenty four Duroc × Landrace male piglets, aged 21 days, were assigned to 1 of 4 experimental diets. Diets 1 and 2 contained 150 g kg^− 1 wheat bran and diets 3 and 4 contained 90 g kg^− 1 maize cobs as the major fibre source. All diets contained 480 g kg^− 1 wheat and 200 g kg^− 1 soybean meal. Diets 2 and 4 were supplemented with the following enzyme complex: 800 U/kg cellulase, 1800 U/kg glucanase and 2600 U/kg xylanase.

The replacement of wheat bran by maize cobs increased the acetic (P < 0.05) and decreased the butyric acid production (P < 0.05) in the cecum. Piglets fed diets with maize cobs had lower (P < 0.05) levels of butyric acid in the colon than those fed wheat bran.

The xylanolytic, pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzyme activities were higher (P < 0.05) in the cecum and colon of piglets fed the wheat bran based diets. The supplementation of the diet with the enzyme complex did not significantly affect the levels of short chain fatty acids formed in the small intestine and there was a non significant increase of the levels of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in the cecum and colon of piglets (P < 0.10). No interactions were present between fibre sources and enzyme addition.

The results suggest that the enzyme supplementation of the diet did not bring significant benefits to the animals and that when maize cobs replaces wheat bran in diets it negatively affects butyric acid production and fibre-degrading enzyme activity in the hindgut of piglets.     

Dissolution Factors of Ta, Th, and U Oxides Present in Pyrochlore

Air pollution can be a problem in industrial processes, but monitoring and controling the aerosols in the work place is not enough to estimate the occupational risk due to dust particle inhalation. The solubility in lung fluid is considered to estimate this risk. The aim of this study is to determine in vitro specific dissolution parameters for thorium (Th), uranium (U), and tantalum (Ta) associated to crystal lattice of a niobium mineral (pyrochlore). Th, U, and Ta dissolution factors in vitro were obtained using the Gamble solution (simulant lung fluid, SLF), particle induced X-ray emission, and alpha spectrometry as analytical techniques. Ta, Th, and U are present in the pyrochlore crystal lattice as oxide; however, they have shown different dissolution parameters. The rapid dissolution fraction (f _r), rapid dissolution rate (λ _r), slow dissolution rate (f _s), and slow dissolution fraction (λ _s) measured for tantalum oxide were equal to 0.1 and 0.45 and 0.00007 day^?1, respectively. For uranium oxide, f _r was equal to 0.05, λ _r was equal to 1.1 day^?1, and λ _s was equal to 0.000068 day^?1. For thorium oxide, f _r was 0.025, λ _r was 1.5 day^?1, and λ _s was 0.000065 day^?1. These results show that chemical behavior of these three compounds in the SLF could not be represented by the same parameter. The ratio of uranium concentration in urine and feces samples from workers exposed to pyrochlore dust particle was determined. These values agree with the theoretical values of estimated uranium concentration using specific parameters for uranium oxide present in pyrochlore.     

A case study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> fingerprinting for breeding

• Introduction  

Tree genetic improvement programs usually lack, in general, pedigree information. Since molecular markers can be used to estimate the level of genetic similarity between individuals, we genotyped a sample of a Portuguese Eucalyptus globulus breeding population—a reference population of 125 individuals—with 16 microsatellites (SSR).     

Duodenal perforation caused by Rhizomucor species in a cat

CLINICAL SUMMARY: A 7-month-old female Persian cat presented with gastrointestinal (GI) necrosis and perforation caused by Rhizomucor species. Unfortunately, the cat died of bacterial peritonitis and sepsis before a definitive diagnosis, based on histopathology and fungal culture, was achieved. PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: This appears to be the first reported case of GI disease caused by Rhizomucor species in a cat. Mucorales infections typically cause acute and rapidly progressive disease. As illustrated by this case, clinicians should be alert to the potentially fatal consequences of an opportunistic Rhizomucor species infection in their feline patients.