Successful management of jejunojejunal anastomosis dehiscence by extra-abdominal exteriorization and bandaging in a cat with septic peritonitis

Duodenal and jejunal resections were performed in a cat with septic peritonitis due to small intestinal perforations by a linear foreign body. Three days later jejunal resection and anastomosis were repeated due to dehiscence of the anastomosis site. This segment of intestine was exteriorized through the body wall and managed with bandages for 5 days before it was surgically replaced into the abdomen. The cat made a full recovery.     

Photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency in evergreen broad-leaved woody species coexisting in a warm-temperate forest

Photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE, photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf nitrogen) varies among species from different habitats and correlates with several ecological characteristics such as leaf life span and leaf mass per area. We investigated eight evergreen broad-leaved woody species with different leaf life spans that coexist in a warm-temperate forest. We determined photosynthetic capacity at ambient CO(2) concentration in saturated light, nitrogen concentration, and the concentration of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), a key enzyme of photosynthesis and the largest sink of nitrogen in leaves. Each species showed a strong correlation between photosynthetic capacity and RuBPCase concentration, and between RuBPCase concentration and nitrogen concentration. Photosynthetic capacity of leaves decreased with increasing leaf life span, whereas PNUE did not correlate significantly with leaf life span. There was a twofold variation in PNUE among species. This relatively small variation in PNUE is consistent with the argument that species that coexist in a single habitat maintain a similar PNUE. The two components of PNUE-photosynthetic rate per unit RuBPCase and RuBPCase per unit leaf nitrogen-were not significantly correlated with other leaf characteristics such as leaf life span and leaf mass per area. We conclude that differences in PNUE are relatively small among coexisting species and that differences in absolute amounts of photosynthetic proteins lead to differences in photosynthetic productivity among species.     

Forest management inspired by natural disturbance dynamics (DISTDYN) – a long-term research and development project in Finland

A large-scale and long-term research and development project Forest management inspired by natural disturbance dynamics (DISTDYN) was initiated in Finland in 2009. The aim is to examine how variation in spatial and temporal scales of felling affects forest structure and biota. Harvesting methods applied in this project include selection, gap, partial and clear felling with variable retention. Rehabilitation is also applied as dead wood is intentionally increased while harvesting. The motivation of the project lies in the growing interest in using natural disturbances as an inspiration of forest-ecosystem management and in the recognition that mid- to small-scale disturbances are a characteristic feature of unmanaged Fennoscandian forests. The effects of felling methods are studied at the stand scale. However, a unique aspect of the project is the focus on landscape-scale impacts of different harvesting alternatives by comparing ca. 150-ha landscape units with varying harvesting regimes. Overall, the project aims at creating a long-lasting multidisciplinary research infrastructure. It also addresses core issues of forest-ecosystem management, including ecological, timber-production, economic and socio-cultural performances of alternative harvesting practices.     

Cost-effective strategies to conserve boreal forest biodiversity and long-term landscape-level maintenance of habitats

Setting aside parcels of land is the main conservation strategy to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss worldwide. Because funding for biological conservation is limited, it is important to distinguish the most efficient ways to use it. Here, we assess implications of alternative measures to conserve biodiversity in managed boreal forest landscapes. We calculated four alternative spatio-temporal scenarios and compared these to the current management regime over 100-year time period. In the alternative scenarios, a fixed amount of funding was invested in (1) permanent large reserves (each tens of ha in size), (2) permanent small reserves (each a few ha in size), (3) temporary small reserves (based on 10-year contracts with private land owners), and (4) green-tree retention (small groups of trees retained on clear-cuts). To assess biodiversity implications, we used habitat suitability indices to calculate overall habitat availability for five groups of red-listed and habitat-specific species associated with decaying spruce logs. The possibilities for timber harvests did not differ among the scenarios, but biodiversity performance was different. The scenarios with permanent reserves tended to outperform other scenarios, suggesting that conservation policies based on permanent reserves are the most cost-efficient in the long term. Results, however, varied among time scales and species groups. In the short term, a strategy of investment in temporary small reserves was the most efficient. Habitat for species associated with old spruce dead-wood and preferring shade was rare throughout all simulations, and therefore, it is likely that these species cannot be sustained in managed forests. Species that live on fresh dead-wood and are associated with forest edges coped well in all scenarios suggesting that such species will persist in managed landscapes without additional conservation efforts. Explicit definition of conservation objectives and time frames for conservation action are thus prerequisites for successful conservation planning.     

Food habits of fishes in a freshwater reed belt in Lake Kitaura,eastern Japan,in summer

The diets and feeding guild structure of a freshwater reed belt fish assemblage (30 species) were examined in Lake Kitaura, part of the Lake Kasumigaura system, eastern Japan, from June to September in 2009 and 2010. Ontogenetic dietary shifts were recognized in 14 species, including several species (e.g., Cyprinus carpio, Tridentiger brevispinis and Hyporhamphus intermedius) targeted by local fisheries. Juveniles of these species generally fed on zooplankton, later switching to other prey items (e.g., benthic chironomid larvae, gammaridean amphipods, shrimps, juvenile fishes, diatoms and decomposing reeds) with growth. A cluster analysis based on dietary overlaps showed that the reed belt fish assemblage comprised five feeding guilds (plant, zooplankton, benthic invertebrate, terrestrial insect and fish feeders). Of these, zooplankton feeders were the most abundantly represented in terms of species numbers, suggesting that the main food items for the fish assemblage were zooplankton (e.g., cladocerans, and calanoid and cyclopoid copepods). Fish feeders included five species, of which one was an alien species introduced from another region in Japan (Opsariichthys uncirostris) and three were from foreign countries (Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus and Ictalurus punctatus).     

Spatio-temporal variation of environmental signals inducing seed germination in temperate conifer plantations and natural hardwood forests in northern Japan

To document the spatial and temporal variation of environmental signals inducing seed germination in temperate forests, we measured temporal patterns of environmental signals and seed germination of six pioneer tree species in unthinned and thinned stands of conifer forests (Cryptomeria japonica plantations) and in the understory and gaps of hardwood forests in Japan. We also conducted germination experiment in laboratory for the six pioneer species to test the effects of red:far-red (R:FR) light ratio and temperature fluctuations on the seed germination. In conifer forests, the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), the R:FR ratio, and the amplitude of temperature fluctuations in thinned stands were 2, 1.5, and 3 times higher, respectively, than those of unthinned stands. The PPFD and R:FR ratios just above forest floor also increased after the removal of thick litter accumulation. As a result, higher seed germination was observed in thinned compared to unthinned stands for three photoblastic species, whereas little differences were observed for three non-photoblastic species. These findings suggest that thinning, which frequently reduces litter accumulation, can substantially affect the regeneration of pioneer species and the resultant species diversity in conifer plantations. None of the measured environmental signals changed seasonally in unthinned stands of conifer forests, but they all changed remarkably in the understory of the hardwood forests. In this system, all signals were high and nearly identical to those in the gaps in early spring prior to canopy closure. Thus, the percent germination of the three photoblastic species was enhanced by high R:FR ratios and/or large temperature fluctuations even beneath the canopy and was nearly equal to that in the thinned conifer stands where the environmental conditions were nearly identical to those in the gaps. However, all of the environmental signals decreased with the expansion of canopy leaves and reached minimums at canopy closure. Even in the thinned stands and the gaps, the PPFD and magnitude of temperature fluctuations decreased over time due to shading by growing herbs and/or emerging canopy leaves. In these temporally changing environments, the germination of all photoblastic species ceased simultaneously. This study clearly demonstrated that the environmental signals inducing seed germination of photoblastic pioneer species spatially and temporally change in temperate forests, particularly in deciduous hardwood forests. Furthermore, these signals, PPFD, R:FR ratio, and the amplitude of temperature fluctuations, appear to play a very important role in tree regeneration and subsequent species diversity.     

Chronic Gingivostomatitis with Esophagitis in Cats

Background

Chronic gingivostomatitis in cats (FCG) is a debilitating disease with potentially deleterious effects on overall health.

Hypothesis/Objectives

Little is known about the pathophysiology and overall impact of FCG. The aims of our study were to investigate whether gingivostomatitis occurs concurrently with esophagitis, if FCG treatment contributes to esophagitis and if esophagitis exacerbates signs of FCG.

Animals

Fifty‐eight cats with clinical signs of FCG and 12 healthy control cats exhibiting no signs of oral disease, all client‐owned.

Methods

Prospective study. Physical, oral and endoscopic examinations were performed on all cats. Measurements of salivary and esophageal lumen pH were obtained from both groups. Biopsies were acquired from sites of esophageal inflammation in cats with FCG and from normal‐appearing esophageal mucosa in control cats.

Results

The majority of cats with clinical signs of FCG exhibited some degree of esophagitis especially in the proximal (44/58) and distal (53/58) parts (P < 0.001) with or without columnar metaplasia, compared to controls. All cats lacked signs related to gastrointestinal disease. Salivary and esophageal lumen pH were not statistically different compared to controls.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Feline chronic gingivostomatitis seems to occur concurrently with esophagitis. Esophagitis also should be managed in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis because it may aggravate the existing condition.