Giant cell tumor of the bone in a scarlet macaw (Ara macao)

A 6-mo-old female scarlet macaw (Ara macao) was presented after a 2-mo period of anorexia and weakness. The bird was reluctant to fly 1 wk before referral due to a painful left wing. Physical examination revealed a firm swelling around the left shoulder. On radiographs, the diaphysis and proximal metaphysis of the left scapula were radiolucent. Computer tomography revealed an osteolytic process, suggestive of a bone tumor, affecting the left scapula. Cytology of a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the mass showed erythrocytes, a proliferation of spindle-shaped mesenchymal cells, and multinucleated giant cells (osteoclasts) suggestive of a giant cell tumor. The left wing, including the scapula, was amputated. The bird showed a fast recovery but died 1 hr later. Findings during the pathological examination were compatible with shock due to blood loss. The shoulder process was characterized as a giant cell tumor. To our knowledge, this is the first complete report of a giant cell tumor of the bone in a bird.     

Aggregation studied by laser diffraction in relation to plowing and liming in the Cerrado region in Brazil

In the Cerrado savanna region in Brazil, the effects of different land use on Oxisol aggregation were studied using laser diffraction grain size analyses. The topsoil of plowed systems had significantly lower amount of macroaggregates (2000–194 μm) and a significantly higher amount of soil in the microaggregate size and primary particle fraction (<76 μm) compared to pastures and the native Cerrado. In plowed systems low in soil organic carbon (SOC), lime had a negative effect on aggregate stability. Lime addition had no effect on topsoil aggregation in land use systems that were not plowed regularly and generally had a higher SOC content. For all the studied topsoils, pH_KCl was positively correlated with the amount of clay dispersed after 3 h of shaking in water. SOC did not influence clay dispersion in the range of soils studied. In continuous cropping systems in the Cerrado region, with a combination of mechanical stress and low SOC, liming will cause an increase in small aggregates and primary particles and hence contribute to a destabilization of the soil structure.     

Hypercalcemia in two Amazon parrots with malignant lymphoma

Malignant lymphoma is a common malignancy in birds. Paraneoplastic syndromes, which are commonly observed in domestic animals, have not been reported in association with lymphoma in birds. Hypercalcemia and hyperglobulinemia were found on plasma chemistry in two Amazon parrots, which were presented with aspecific symptoms. In both cases radiography and ultrasound demonstrated signs of hepatomegaly, which proved to be due to malignant lymphoma on postmortem examination. The hypercalcemia was found to be most consistent with a paraneoplastic effect of the malignant lymphoma in these birds. The exact origin of the hyperglobulinemia remains unclear.     

Recreational and environmental planning

Developments in recreation and tourism, caused by modern transport, leisure, and prosperity, put heavy pressure on many of the world's most precious and vulnerable landscapes. Even the more remote parts of the globe are gradually coming within the range of the crowd. But if future generations are to have a chance to enjoy the splendour and diversity of this collective heritage, real world-wide activity for the conservation and management of the great touristic resources is required. A humiliating lack of environmental planning results in an outrageous urbanization of the beautiful coastal districts of the Mediterranean and elsewhere in the world. Multi-storey hotels and apartment buildings are constructed without any respect for the scenic beauty or the ecological quality of the environment. To stop this threatening deterioration of valuable natural and cultural landscapes, international action for the promotion of effective environmental planning is urgently needed. A campaign, similar to WWF's action for the survival of endangered species, must be undertaken to protect or to rehabilitate a great number of our most attractive physical surroundings—including historic cities, mountains, forests, natural and semi-natural lands, coastal areas, lakes, and beaches.     

Voyager 1 in the foreshock, termination shock, and heliosheath

Voyager 1 (V1) began measuring precursor energetic ions and electrons from the heliospheric termination shock (TS) in July 2002. During the ensuing 2.5 years, average particle intensities rose as V1 penetrated deeper into the energetic particle foreshock of the TS. Throughout 2004, V1 observed even larger, fluctuating intensities of ions from 40 kiloelectron volts (keV) to >/=50 megaelectron volts per nucleon and of electrons from >26 keV to >/=350 keV. On day 350 of 2004 (2004/350), V1 observed an intensity spike of ions and electrons that was followed by a sustained factor of 10 increase at the lowest energies and lesser increases at higher energies, larger than any intensities since V1 was at 15 astronomical units in 1982. The estimated solar wind radial flow speed was positive (outward) at approximately +100 kilometers per second (km s(-1)) from 2004/352 until 2005/018, when the radial flows became predominantly negative (sunward) and fluctuated between approximately -50 and 0 km s(-1) until about 2005/110; they then became more positive, with recent values (2005/179) of approximately +50 km s(-1). The energetic proton spectrum averaged over the postshock period is apparently dominated by strongly heated interstellar pickup ions. We interpret these observations as evidence that V1 was crossed by the TS on 2004/351 (during a tracking gap) at 94.0 astronomical units, evidently as the shock was moving radially inward in response to decreasing solar wind ram pressure, and that V1 has remained in the heliosheath until at least mid-2005.     

Variation in two Begonia × hiemalis clones after in vitro propagation

In order to study the variation of Begonia × hiemalis after in vitro propagation, one plant of ‘Aphrodite Pink’ and one of ‘Schwabenland Red’ were vegetatively propagated in four ways. One group of plants was obtained by propagation by means of cuttings. For the second group, the bacterial elimination system, as developed by Hakkaart and Versluijs (1983), was applied which includes an in vitro propagation step. The third and fourth groups were obtained by adding one and two cycles, respectively, of in vitro propagation after the bacterial elimination, so that one, two and three propagation cycles could be compared. One cycle, followed by bacterial elimination, gave nearly uniform offspring. However, when this was followed by one or two cycles of in vitro propagation, the variation increased. Variation also increased when the size of the plantlets obtained in vitro decreased. Thus, an important source of variation can be avoided by eliminating the smallest in vitro plantlets. It is recommended to flower and select the plants before propagation by conventional cuttings, whether or not a further in vitro propagation is applied after the bacterial elimination.     

Blood chemistry for the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease in birds. A review

A review is presented of current knowledge with regard to blood chemistry for the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease in birds. Straightforward conclusions are difficult, because research on this subject has been limited. Jaundice caused by hyperbilirubinaemia occurs infrequently in birds, because the main bile pigment is biliverdin and not bilirubin. A yellow discolouration of avian plasma is often caused by the presence of carotenoids. The diagnostic value of plasma ALAT concentrations is controversial. Although ASAT and LD are not specific for the liver they appear to be sensitive enzymes to detect liver cell damage. GLDH is liver specific in a number of animal species (including birds) and might prove to be a useful enzyme for diagnostic purposes. AP and GGT seem less useful. Little information is available on the diagnostic value of plasma bile acids and plasma dye clearance tests.     

Comparative evaluation of the liver in dogs with a splenic mass by using ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography

Evaluation of dogs with splenic masses to better educate owners as to the extent of the disease is a goal of many research studies. We compared the use of ultrasonography (US) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the accuracy of detecting hepatic neoplasia in dogs with splenic masses, independently, in series, or in parallel. No significant difference was found between US and CT. If the presence or absence of ascites, as detected with US, was used as a pretest probability of disease in our population, the positive predictive value increased to 94% if the tests were run in series, and the negative predictive value increased to 95% if the tests were run in parallel. The study showed that CT combined with US could be a valuable tool in evaluation of dogs with splenic masses.     

Land use effects on labile N extracted with permanganate and the nitrogen management index in the Cerrado region of Brazil

 The effect of land use on the availability of nitrogen (N) was studied by separating total N into a labile and a stable fraction by oxidation and extraction of labile N with KMnO₄. The nitrogen management index (NMI) was calculated following the method of Blair et al. (1995) for the carbon management index. In all systems, labile N released by KMnO₄ was a better indicator of N availability than total and stable N. The NMI was a good indicator of N availability but gave no information about the total amount of N. In land use system analysis, total N and labile N can be used together as a simple and rapid way to evaluate the N status of the soil. Legume-based pastures specifically increased the amount of labile N. Although soybeans had a dominant role in the continuous cropping systems studied, the total N contents of these systems were lower than those of the natural Cerrado. The availability of N under legume-based pastures and legume-based pasture-crop rotations was higher than under the natural Cerrado and the continuous cropping systems. Received: 11 June 1997