Thermography and ultrasonography in back pain diagnosis of equine athletes

The object of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of thermography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of thoracolumbar lesions in Quarter Horse athletes and associate the different types of lesions found with the athletic modality practiced. Twenty-four horses were admitted to the Surgery Service for Large Animals of the Veterinary and Animal Science Faculty, UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil, with complaints of back problems. All the horses were submitted for physical examinations to confirm the existence of thoracolumbar alterations and then for thermography and ultrasonography. Thermography was used to map the lesioned areas of this region and ultrasonography for lesion characterization. The lesions found were supraspinous desmitis, interspinous desmitis, dorsal intervertebral osteoarthritis, and impingement of the spinous processes or kissing spines. The existence of a relation between the type of event practiced by the horse and the type of lesion found was determined. In horses that competed in the barrel race, a predominance of lesions in the thoracic caudal, thoracolumbar, and cranial lumbar regions occurred, with intervertebral osteoarthritis and interspinous desmitis being the most common. In cutting horses, most of the lesions were observed in the caudal lumbar region, whereas horses competing in reining showed a preferential location for lesions in the middle lumbar, with a predominance of supraspinous desmitis and myositis. Thermography associated with ultrasonography was shown to be efficient in the diagnosis of the thoracolumbar lesions of these horses.     

Genetic diversity and a long evolutionary history of plum pox virus strain rec in Turkey

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Plum pox virus strain Recombinant (PPV-Rec) is hypothetically considered as homologous recombinant between strains PPV-M and PPV-D. The nucleotide position...     

Diversity among Turkish maize landraces based on protein band analyses and kernel biochemical properties

Maize (Zea mays L.) landraces are considered to be important genetic resources for improving maize. To use these sources effectively, the extent of genetic diversity among them needs to be determined. While maize landraces from different countries have been evaluated, there is only limited information available on Turkish maize landraces. Thus, our objective was to investigate the genetic relations among 35 different landraces, along with inbred lines B73 and Mo17, using the sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). We also measured seven kernel-quality traits, viz., protein content, oil content, zein content, lysine content, tryptophan content, and amylose/amylopectin content. Cluster analysis was performed to classify the Turkish maize landraces relative to protein-band variation. Results of protein-band analyses showed there was significant diversity among maize landraces. There was also considerable variation for the kernel-quality traits of the landraces. Kernel oil varied from 2.83% to 6.27%, protein from 6.67% to 11.34%, zein from 1.87% to 8.88%, tryptophan from 0.017% to 0.053%, lysine from 0.14% to 0.81%, amylose from 5.9% 37.6%, and amylopectin from 62.4% to 94.1% among the landraces. A total of 25 protein subunits, with molecular weight ranging from 10 to 110 kDa, were determined, and all of them, except for three bands, were polymorphic. Polymorphism information content (PIC) of the subunits ranged between 0.00 and 0.50. Maize landraces were classified into two main clusters; the first cluster included 18 landraces and inbred lines B73 and Mo17, whereas the second cluster comprised 17 maize landraces. Overall, results revealed that Turkish maize landraces having similar geographical origins were classified in the same clusters and exhibited a high level of diversity relative to protein subunits.     

UPTAKE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SELENIUM,NITROGEN AND SULFUR IN THREE BARLEY CULTIVARS SUBJECTED TO SELENIUM APPLICATIONS

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals, and also affects plant metabolism. In this study, the effects of increasing doses of Se application on the uptake of selenium (Se), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) content of three barley cultivars were investigated. The analysis indicated that the Se contents were highest in root tissues, intermediate in grain, and lowest in stem tissues in all cultivars. Total Se accumulations (whole plant) were highest in ‘Bülbül 89’ (0.171 mg kg^?1), intermediate in ‘Çetin 2000’ (0.153 mg kg^?1), and lowest in ‘Tarm 92’ cultivars (0.124 mg kg^?1). In all cultivars, the increase in grain Se content resulted in a decrease in the grain N content. While ‘Bülbül 89’ can be suggested for biofortification purposes, less Se accumulating ‘Tarm 92’ cultivar can be suggested as a fodder in Se contaminated or high Se containing areas.