Comparison of N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide and three cardiac biomarkers for discriminatory ability of clinical stage in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

Plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP) concentration increases with progression of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in dogs. This multicentre, prospective study compared plasma NT-proANP, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), ANP, and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations in dogs with MMVD for their characteristics and discriminatory ability to detect cardiac dilatation and congestive heart failure (CHF). Thirty-six healthy dogs and 69 dogs with MMVD were included. Clinical variables were obtained via physical examination, thoracic radiography, and echocardiography. The discriminatory ability of each cardiac biomarker (CB) to determine the presence or absence of cardiac dilatation (event 1) and CHF (event 2) was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curves. Plasma NT-proANP, NT-proBNP, and ANP concentrations showed a significant association with the left atrium/aorta ratio (P<0.01). The area under the curve of plasma NT-proANP and NT-proBNP concentrations were 0.72 and 0.75, respectively in event1 and 0.72 and 0.76, respectively in event2. Plasma NT-proANP and NT-proBNP concentrations showed sensitivity 80.0 and 80.0%; specificity 67.6 and 64.7% in event1 (cutoff value; 8,497.81 pg/ml and 1,453.00 pmol/l, respectively) and sensitivity 85.7 and 81.0%; specificity 60.4 and 64.6% in event2 (cutoff value; 8,684.33 pg/ml and 1,772.00 pmol/l, respectively). In dogs with MMVD, plasma NT-proANP, NT-proBNP, and ANP concentrations increase with left atrial enlargement. Particularly, plasma NT-proANP and NT-proBNP concentrations appeared to be equally useful in the discriminatory ability to detect cardiac dilatation and CHF.     

Soil and phosphorus redistribution along a steep tea plantation in the Feitsui reservoir catchment of northern Taiwan

Feitsui reservoir, the major water supply of Taipei city, has shown declining water quality in recent years. The reservoir is located in an area famous for tea cultivation, and the question arises as to whether the hillside tea plantations have contributed to increased sediment and nutrient discharge into the reservoir. In this study, soil and phosphorus redistribution were examined along a steep tea plantation in the reservoir's catchment and the provenance of reservoir sediment was assessed. Fallout radionuclides were used as soil erosion/deposition tracers and as markers of sediment sources. Continuous fertilizer application has raised (inorganic) phosphorus levels in the studied tea plantation. The plantation's narrow bench terraces trap eroded material and slow down soil and nutrient translocation. Nevertheless, eroded soil and phosphorus have accumulated on a vegetated toeslope below the tea plantation. The reservoir sediment contained significant amounts of inorganic phosphorus and cesium-137, and application of a mixing model resulted in a surface soil contribution of approximately 30%. This points towards tea plantations as possible sediment and pollutant sources and underlines the necessity of soil conservation strategies, such as the maintenance of vegetated riparian buffer zones. However, other sources, such as landslide debris and urban wastewaters, cannot be entirely ruled out. Further research is needed to better characterize the catchment's soils and sediments and to improve sediment fingerprinting efforts. Potential point and non-point pollution sources need to be examined in detail to better understand how phosphorus enters the reservoir.     

Effect of different sources of dietary fibre on growth performance,intestinal morphology and caecal carbohydrases of domestic geese

1. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dietary fibre sources on growth and on the development of the gastro-intestinal tract in growing geese. 2. Six-week-old female White Roman geese were divided at random into 6 groups with 6 dietary treatments. Diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous and contained alfalfa meal, barley bran, rice hulls, cellulose, pectin or lignin as the major dietary source of fibre. 3. Food intake was significantly higher in the barley bran group than in the other groups. Both daily weight gain and food conversion of the pectin and alfalfa meal groups were lower than those of the other groups. 4. In the 9-week-old geese, the relative weight and the length of the small intestine did not significantly differ among treatment groups. However, the relative weight was significantly lightest and the caecal length was significantly shortest ( P 0.05) in the pectin group. 5. Activities of amylase and cellulose hydrolases of the caecal contents were also highest in the pectin group. 6. From SEM micrographs, no morphological damage of the villi was observable in the different intestinal segments of the geese in any of the treatments.     

Refugee impact on collective management of forest resources: a case study of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal's Eastern Terai region

This article analyzes the relationship between forest resources, refugees, and the host population. The findings of the research suggest that the host population are heavily dependent on the local forest for their daily needs such as fuelwood, timber, grazing area, fodder for domestic animals, foods, and medicine in addition to cultural and esthetic needs. The forest has also been relied upon for agricultural needs such as manufacture of agricultural tools, maintenance of irrigation water systems, erosion control, and fertilizer needs. The forest was under a sustained demand as any other Terai forest of Nepal. After the arrival of refugees in 1992, the demand for forest resources increased substantially. Initially, the construction of the refugee camps decreased the total forest area and also required some felling of trees. More significantly, the refugees themselves became active users of the forest resource, which generated extra pressure on the forest and created scarcity of forest resources. Before the arrival of the refugees, forest management and monitoring of illegal use of the forest resources were carried out by the government through its local forester office. The local residents were active users of the forest resources, but were passive in managing and maintaining the forest resource. However, competition from the refugees instilled a desire in the local population to safeguard and protect the dwindling resource against the external threat by creating the Humse Dumse Community Forest.     

Continuum contraction of tension wood fiber induced by repetitive hygrothermal treatment

Wood Science and Technology - Tension wood, when kiln-dried, is likely to deform hugely, which is probably caused by a gelatinous layer of the gelatinous fiber. To elucidate the mechanism behind...     

Suppression of influenza virus infection by the orf virus isolated in Taiwan

Orf virus (ORFV), a member of parapoxvirus, is an enveloped virus with genome of double-stranded DNA. ORFV causes contagious pustular dermatitis or contagious ecthyma in sheep and goats worldwide. In general, detection of viral DNA and observing ORFV virion in tissues of afflicted animals are two methods commonly used for diagnosis of orf infection; however, isolation of the ORFV in cell culture using virus-containing tissue as inoculum is known to be difficult. In this work, the ORFV (Hoping strain) isolated in central Taiwan was successfully grown in cell culture. We further examined the biochemical characteristic of our isolate, including viral genotyping, viral mRNA and protein expression. By electron microscopy, one unique form of viral particle from ORFV infected cellular lysate was demonstrated in the negative-stained field. Moreover, immunomodulating and anti-influenza virus properties of this ORFV were investigated. ORFV stimulated human monocytes (THP-1) secreting proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 and TNF-α. And, pre-treatment of ORFV-infected cell medium prevents A549 cells from subsequent type A influenza virus (IAV) infection. Similarly, mice infected with ORFV via both intramuscular and subcutaneous routes at two days prior to IAV infection significantly decreased the replication of IAV. In summary, the results of a current study indicated our Hoping strain harbors the immune modulator property; with such a bio-adjuvanticity, we further proved that pre-exposure of ORFV protects animals from subsequent IAV infection.     

Financial performance of diverse levels of early competition suppression and pre-commercial thinning on loblolly pine stand development

New Forests - Competition suppression within loblolly pine plantations (Pinus taeda L.) is typically carried out within the first 2 years of a plantation, but competition control for longer...     

Comparison of Antral and Preantral Ovarian Follicle Populations Between Bos indicus and Bos indicus‐taurus Cows with High or Low Antral Follicles Counts

The objective was to compare populations of antral and pre‐antral ovarian follicles in Bos indicus and Bos indicus‐taurus cows with high and low antral follicle counts. Nelore (Bos indicus, n = 20) and Nelore X Angus (1/2 Bos indicus‐taurus, n = 20) cows were subjected to follicular aspiration without regard to the stage of their oestrous cycle (day of aspiration = D0) to remove all follicles ≥3 mm and induce growth of a new follicular wave. Ovaries were examined by ultrasonography on D4, D19, D34, D49 and D64, and antral follicles ≥3 mm were counted. Thereafter, cows were assigned to one of two groups: high or low antral follicular count (AFC, ≥30 and ≤15 antral follicles, respectively). After D64, ovaries were collected after slaughter and processed for histological evaluation. There was high repeatability in the numbers of antral follicles for all groups (range 0.77–0.96). The mean (±SD) numbers of antral follicles were 35 ± 9 (Bos indicus) and 38 ± 6 (Bos indicus‐taurus) for the high AFC group and 10 ± 3 (Bos indicus) and 12 ± 2 (Bos indicus‐taurus) follicles for the low AFC. The mean number of preantral follicles in the ovaries of Bos indicus‐taurus cows with high AFC (116 226 ± 83 156 follicles) was greater (p < 0.05) than that of Bos indicus cows (63 032 ± 58 705 follicles) with high AFC. However, there was no significant correlation between numbers of antral and preantral follicles.     

MALDI‐MS Lipid Profiles of Oocytes Recovered by Ovum Pickup from Bos indicus and 1/2 indicus × taurus with High vs Low Oocyte Yields

The aim of the present study was to compare the lipid profile in oocytes of indicus and 1/2 indicus × taurus cows with high and low antral follicle count (AFC)/oocyte yields. After an OPU procedure (D0), antral follicles ≥3 mm were counted by ultrasonography (D4, 19, 34, 49, 64), and cows were assigned to groups with either high AFC (≥30 follicles; indicus, NH group; 1/2 indicus × taurus, AH group) or low AFC (≤15 antral follicles; indicus, NL group; 1/2 indicus × taurus, AL group). The lipid profiles of the oocytes were determined by MALDI‐MS. For GI, GII and GIII oocytes, the indicus samples tend to cluster separately from the 1/2 indicus × taurus samples. The lipid species [PC (P‐38:5) + H]⁺ and/or [PC (P‐36:2) + Na]⁺, [PC (38:2) + H]⁺, [PC (38:5) + Na]⁺ and [TAG (60:8) + NH⁴]⁺ were more abundant in indicus (NH and NL groups) than 1/2 indicus × taurus. The higher lipid content in the indicus oocytes likely reflects differences in the rate of lipid metabolism and may contribute to oocyte competence and embryo development.     

Pleiotropic effect of the dwarfing gene d18-k on cool tolerance at booting stage under the genetic background of an extremely cool-tolerant line Norin-PL8 in rice

Norin‐PL8 (‘PL8’) is an extremely cool‐tolerant line of rice in Japan that contains genes for cool tolerance originating from a javanica landrace. It was investigated to see whether the dwarfing gene d18‐k (kotaketamanishiki dwarf) exerts its pleiotropic effect on enhancing the cool tolerance at the booting stage in the genetic background of PL8. The d18‐k isogenic line of the recurrent parent PL8 (D8), PL8, and two commercial cultivars ‘Hayayuki’ and ‘Kirara 397’ were used. For each line/cultivar, the 12°C‐5‐day treatment was conducted at various times during the booting stage. In addition to spikelet fertility, the ratio (%) of the fertilized‐spikelet number of each treated panicle to the varietal mean of fertilized‐spikelet number per panicle in the control (FS‐T/C) was adopted to estimate cool temperature damage. For FS‐T/C, the lines‐cultivars ranked in the order of D8 > PL8 > ‘Hayayuki’ > ‘Kirara 397’, reflecting their cool tolerances. D8 exceeded PL8 in both pollen grain number per anther in the control and as an indicator of pollen fertility after the treatment, as a result of the effects of d18‐k. Consequently, d18‐k can be used to develop super‐highly cool‐tolerant cultivars for cool‐weather areas.