Canine choroidal melanoma with metastases

A 3-year-old-female, spayed Golden Retriever was examined for a unilateral retinal detachment with exophthalmos. Ultrasonographically, a mass was detected with intra- and extraocular extension. The orbit was exenterated and the dog recovered uneventfully. Histopathologic diagnosis was a primary choroidal melanoma with orbital extension, however, the behavioral and cytologic features were benign. Routine examinations postsurgically were nonremarkable. Twenty-one months after surgery the dog was euthanized for respiratory collapse with radiographic signs of metastasis. Necropsy revealed black lesions in the lung and liver. Histopathologic diagnosis was metastatic melanoma with morphology and behavior identical to the primary choroidal melanoma. This is the first definitive case of a canine choroidal melanoma with metastasis.     

Flystrike prevention on Merino lambs with the insect growth regulator dicyclanil

The efficacy of a ready-to-use 5% dicyclanil pour-on formulation as a preventative of natural flystrike on Merino lambs was investigated in a field trial involving 5 sites in the southern Cape Province. A total of 1,804 lambs treated with dicyclanil were compared with 882 untreated control lambs for up to 25 weeks after treatment. Efficacy was assessed by calculating the weekly cumulative strike rate at each site and aggregated for all sites, as well as by calculating the percentage reduction achieved in treated lambs. Cumulative strike rates for the untreated controls aggregated for all sites at Weeks 9,14 and 19 after treatment reached 6.2, 12.8 and 17.8%, respectively, compared with 0.4, 1.7 and 3.6% for the dicyclanil treated lambs. Percentage control aggregated for all sites at Weeks 9,14 and 19 after treatment was 93, 87 and 80%, respectively. Heavy rains during the 1st half of the trial did not substantially reduce the efficacy of the product.     

Electrophysiologic differentiation of homozygous and heterozygous Abyssinian-crossbred cats with late-onset hereditary retinal degeneration

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method to electrophysiologically differentiate heterozygous-carrier Abyssinian-crossbred cats from homozygous-affected Abyssinian-crossbred cats before clinical onset of inherited rod-cone retinal degeneration. ANIMALS: 14 back-crossed Abyssinian-crossbred cats of unknown genotype (homozygous or heterozygous) for inherited rod-cone retinal degeneration, 24 age-matched mixed-breed control cats, 6 age-matched heterozygous Abyssinian-crossbred cats, and 6 homozygous Abyssinian cats. PROCEDURE: Electroretinography (ERG) of heterozygous and homozygous cats revealed differences, especially for scotopic recordings. Frequent ophthalmoscopy and ERG (2 to 5 times; at intervals of 3 to 6 months) of back-crossed cats were performed. Amplitudes and implicit times were analyzed by use of a graphic representation of results. Ratios for amplitudes of the b-waves to amplitudes of the a-waves (b-wave:a-wave) were compared. RESULTS: 8 back-crossed cats had decreased a-wave amplitudes, increased b-wave implicit times, and abnormal ERG waveforms. Values for the b-wave:a-wave for the highest scotopic light intensity were significantly higher for those same 8 cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The 8 back-crossed Abyssinian-crossbred cats with abnormal results developed fundus changes over time consistent with disease. A graphic representation of ERG results can be used to differentiate between genotypes prior to funduscopic changes. Values for the b-wave:a-wave ratio provide confirmation. These ERG analyses may be applied clinically in the diagnosis of retinal degenerations in various species. IMPACT FOR HUMAN MEDICINE: Cats with hereditary rod-cone degeneration may be a useful model for comparative studies in relation to retinitis pigmentosa in humans. Similar evaluations of ERG results could possibly be used for humans with suspected generalized retinal degeneration.     

The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.     

Loan financing of smallholder treefarming in the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur,the Philippines

Following the model of a credit program for pulpwood production and agroforestry by smallholders in another region of the Philippines, the World Bank financed a similar scheme to produce fuelwood for the small-scale tobacco-curing industry in the Ilocos region. This project proved to be unsuccessful due to local cultural attitudes toward borrowing money, inadequate forestry extension services, and the dispersed characteristics of the fuelwood market.