Tropical red gums — a source of 1,8-cineole-rich Eucalyptus oil

Tropical provenances of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. and E. tereticornis Smith were studied, in their natural habitat in Australia and in a 3.75-year-old progeny trial in Zimbabwe, for their potential to produce medicinal-grade essential oils. Substantial interand intra-specific variation in the contents of five prominent monoterpenes, 1,8-cineole, -pinene, -pinene, limonene and p-cymene was found. Plantations of E. camaldulensis established in the wet/dry tropics using seed from Petford in northern Queensland offer immediate potential for oil production. Other widely-planted Queensland provenances with oil potential are Gilbert River Bridge E. camaldulensis and, after some genetic improvement, E. tereticonis from Morehead and Kennedy Rivers. Select individual trees at Petford provide oil of enhanced quality, at about double the yield of average trees.     

Synthesis of Novel Thin-Film Materials by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a conceptually and experimentally simple yet highly versatile tool for thin-film and multilayer research. Its advantages for the film growth of oxides and other chemically complex materials include stoichiometric transfer, growth from an energetic beam, reactive deposition, and inherent simplicity for the growth of multilayered structures. With the use of PLD, artificially layered materials and metastable phases have been created and their properties varied by control of the layer thicknesses. In situ monitoring techniques have provided information about the role of energetic species in the formation of ultrahard phases and in the doping of semiconductors. Cluster-assembled nanocrystalline and composite films offer opportunities to control and produce new combinations of properties with PLD.     

Ovariectomy as treatment for ovarian bacterial granulomas in a Duvaucel's gecko (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii)

CASE HISTORY: An adult female Duvaucel's gecko (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii) from a threatened species breeding programme presented due to a prolonged gestation period and distended abdomen.

CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: The gecko was in lean body condition with an irregularly shaped, firm mass in the coelomic cavity. Radiographically there was a diffuse radio-opacity within the coelomic cavity with cranial displacement of the right lung field. Ultrasonography revealed a round homogenous abdominal mass of medium echogenicity with an echogenic capsule. Haematology showed a leucocytosis with a moderate left shift in heterophils and toxic changes. Bilateral ovariectomy was performed to remove two ovarian granulomas and Salmonella enterica subspecies houtenae (IV) was cultured from the ovarian tissue. The gecko recovered well from the surgery, regained weight and remained in good health 3 years following the surgery.

DIAGNOSIS: Pre-ovulatory stasis and ovarian granulomas associated with infection with Salmonella enterica subsp. houtenae.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The surgery described in this case resulted in recovery of the gecko, which despite its loss of reproductive capability is of value as an education animal. This is the first report of pre-ovulatory stasis and ovarian granulomas associated with infection with Salmonella enterica in a Duvaucel's gecko and is also the first reported case of pre-ovulatory stasis in a viviparous lizard species. The case adds to knowledge regarding potential reproductive pathology in lizards, which is particularly important information for managers of captive lizard breeding programmes.     

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis by Serum Progesterone and Ultrasound in Sheep Carrying Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer-Derived Pregnancies

Early pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring play an important role following embryo transfer in sheep. The aims of the current study were to investigate (i) the pattern of serum progesterone profiles in sheep carrying somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)‐derived (clone) pregnancies, and (ii) the frequency of pregnancy loss during development following SCNT embryo transfer. Sheep SCNT embryos were made using standard nuclear transfer techniques. Day 7 embryos were surgically transferred to oestrus‐synchronized recipients (n = 27). As a control, normal fertile ewes (n = 12) were bred by natural breeding. Serum was collected from all the ewes on the day of estrus (day 0 sample), 7 days post‐estrus (day 7 sample) and 19 days post‐estrus (day 19 sample) and every 10 days thereafter until lambing or pregnancy loss occurred. Serum progesterone (P4) was assessed using enzyme immunoassay. Pregnancy was confirmed by ultrasound scanning on day 35 of pregnancy followed by subsequent scanning every 10 days. In control ewes, pregnancy rate on day 35 was 83.3% (10/12), whereas in the ewes that received SCNT embryos, it was 22.2% (6/27; p < 0.05). The day 45 pregnancy rate in the control ewes was 83.3%, whereas in the SCNT embryo recipients it was 11.0% (p < 0.05). Hormone analysis revealed that SCNT embryo recipients exhibited a significantly lower P4 profiles at different time points in pregnancy compared to controls (p < 0.05). This study highlights the use of serum progesterone in combination with ultrasound for the investigation of embryo loss and crucial times during development of normal and SCNT embryos in sheep. Further, the serum P4 levels directly reflect the degree of placental development in these two groups.     

High mineral and vitamin E intake by pregnant ewes lowers colostral immunoglobulin G absorption by the lamb

A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 78 mature ewes was used to evaluate the effects of supplementing the pregnant ewe's diet with high levels of minerals and vitamin E on immunoglobulin G (IgG) absorption by the lamb and whether any altered efficacy of IgG absorption was due to the colostrum or to the lamb. The ewes were estrus-synchronized in October and housed in wk 10 of gestation. In the final 7 wk of gestation, a grass silage-based diet, offered ad libitum, was supplemented with 500 g of a 19% CP concentrate, and from 1 wk later until lambing, half the ewes was offered 48 g of a mineral/vitamin supplement containing 6.5 g of Ca, 4.9 g of P, 5.9 g of Mg, 4.0 g of Na, 790 mg of Zn, 3.5 mg of Se, 40 mg of I, 200 mg of Mn, 20 mg of Co, and 40 IU of vitamin E. At birth, the lambs were allocated to one of four treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with lamb origin and colostrum origin as the two factors. The lambs born to ewes not offered the mineral supplement were fed colostrum obtained from their own dams or from ewes in the mineral-supplemented treatment, whereas lambs born to ewes given supplemental minerals were fed colostrum obtained either from their dams or from ewes in the control treatment. The ewes were milked at 1, 10, and 18 h postpartum and the lambs were fed using a stomach tube. A 5-mL blood sample was taken from each lamb at 24 h postpartum for IgG analysis. The level of fecal adhesion to the upper tail/rump area of the lamb was subjectively scored at 72 h postpartum. There was no difference in gestation length, lamb birth weight, colostrum yield, or IgG production (P = 0.16 to 0.82). When ewes were fed supplemental minerals, the serum IgG content of the progeny was lower than in their control counterparts (6.8 vs. 16.1 g/L; P < 0.001), regardless of whether the lamb received colostrum from ewes with or without access to supplementary minerals. The difference in serum IgG concentrations at 24 h postpartum was a direct reflection of a compromised efficiency in IgG absorption. The progeny of ewes with access to minerals had higher (P < 0.05) levels of fecal adhesion, which was not related to the origin of the colostrum, indicating altered digestive function in these lambs. We conclude, using the sheep as a model, that high mineral intakes in late pregnancy not only lower serum IgG concentrations in the lamb, but also that high mineral intakes result in the neonate being preprogrammed at birth so that it is born with a compromised ability to absorb colostral IgG.