A potential early clinical phenotype of necrotizing meningoencephalitis in genetically at‐risk pug dogs

BackgroundNecrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) in the pug dogs is a fatal neuroinflammatory disease associated with rapid progression and poor response to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. Diagnosis is typically made after severe neurological abnormalities have manifested.Hypothesis/ObjectivePug dogs at genetic risk for NME might manifest neurological abnormalities before developing pathognomonic clinical signs of NME.AnimalsThirty‐six pug dogs less than 4 years of age asymptomatic for NME.MethodsProspective observational cohort study with germline genome‐wide genotyping. Neurological examinations were performed 4 weeks apart to document reproducible findings of central nervous system disease. Magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and testing for infectious diseases were performed in all pugs with reproducible abnormalities detected on neurological examination.ResultsThe overall risk allele frequency in this cohort was 40%; 5 (14%) dogs were high risk, 19 (53%) dogs were medium risk, and 12 (33%) dogs were low genetic risk for NME. Reproducible abnormalities detected on neurological examination were identified in 8/24 (33%) genetically at‐risk dogs and 0/12 (0%) low risk dogs. Clinical abnormalities included multifocal spinal pain in 8/8, reduced menace response in 5/8, and lateralizing postural reaction deficits in 5/8 pugs. There was a strong association between genotype risk and the presence of this clinical phenotype (P = .03).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceOur findings suggest the presence of a novel early clinical phenotype of NME in apparently asymptomatic genetically at‐risk pugs which might be used to plan early diagnostic and therapeutic clinical trials.     

Identification of Volatiles of the Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum

The dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum, often called P. minimum, is a potentially toxic alga found in algal blooms. Volatile compounds released by the alga might carry important information, e.g., on its physiological state, and may act as chemical messengers. We report here the identification of volatile organic compounds emitted by two strains, xenic P. cordatum CCMP 1529 and axenic P. cordatum CCMP 1329. The volatiles released during culture were identified despite their low production rates, using sensitive methods such as open-system-stripping analysis (OSSA) on Tenax TA desorption tubes, thermodesorption, cryofocusing and GC/MS-analysis. The analyses revealed 16 compounds released from the xenic strain and 52 compounds from the axenic strain. The majority of compounds were apocarotenoids, aromatic compounds and small oxylipins, but new natural products such as 3,7-dimethyl-4-octanolide were also identified and synthesized. The large difference of compound composition between xenic and axenic algae will be discussed.     

Influence of amount and frequency of protein supplementation to ruminants consuming low-quality cool-season forages: efficiency of nitrogen utilization in lambs and performance of gestating beef cows

We evaluated the influence of amount and crude protein (CP) supplementation frequency (SF) on nitrogen (N) use by wethers and the performance of late-gestation beef cows. In exp. 1, seven Western whiteface wethers (31.8 ± 1.4 kg) were used in an incomplete 7 × 4 Latin square to evaluate intake and N use. Wethers received one of the seven treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial design containing two levels of supplemental soybean meal offered at a rate of 100% (F) or 50% (H; 50% of F) of the estimated CP requirement daily, once every 5, or once every 10 d, plus a non-supplemented control (CON). Low-quality cool-season forage (4.9 % CP; dry matter [DM] basis) was provided daily for ad libitum intake. Experimental periods lasted 30 d. In exp. 2, 84 Angus × Hereford cows (560 ± 35 kg) were stratified by age, body condition score (BCS), and expected calving date and allocated to 1 of the 21 feedlot pens (three pens per treatment). Pens were randomly assigned to receive the same treatments as in exp. 1 and cows had free access to low-quality cool-season forage (2.9% CP; DM basis). Cow body weight (BW) and BCS were measured every 14 d until calving and within 24 h after calving. In exp. 1, supplementation did not alter total DM and organic matter (OM) intake (P ≥ 0.26), but both parameters linearly decreased as SF decreased (P = 0.02). Supplementation increased DM, OM, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (P ≤ 0.02). Additionally, F feeding linearly increased DM, OM, and NDF digestibility as SF decreased (P ≤ 0.04). Digestibility of N, N balance, and digested N retained were greater with supplementation (P < 0.01), and N digestibility linearly increased as SF decreased (P = 0.01). Mean plasma urea-N concentration was not only greater (P < 0.01) for supplemented vs. CON wethers but also greater (P = 0.03) for F vs. H. In exp. 2, pre-calving BCS change was greater (P = 0.03) for supplemented cows. A linear effect of SF × supplementation rate for pre-calving BCS change was noted (P = 0.05), as F-supplemented cows lost more BCS compared with H as SF decreased. When considering supplementation intervals greater than 5 d, reducing the quantity of supplement provided, compared with daily supplementation, may be a feasible management strategy to maintain acceptable nutrient use and animal performance while reducing supplement and labor costs.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli from swine, horses, dogs and cats as determined in the BfT-GermVet monitoring program 2004-2006

A total of 417 isolates of Escherichia coli collected from five animal species/organ system combinations from swine [urinary/genital tract (UGT) incl. mastitis metritis agalactia syndrome], horses [genital tract (GT)] and dogs/cats [respiratory tract (RT), UGT and gastrointestinal tract (GIT)] were analysed quantitatively for their susceptibility against different antimicrobial agents by determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations. Regardless of which animal species the strains originated from, resistance appeared most frequently against sulfamethoxazole (18-59%), tetracycline (14-54 %), and ampicillin (14-39%). High percentages of intermediate isolates were observed for cephalothin (39-46 %). In general, low prevalences of resistance were detected for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (1-4%), gentamicin (1-9%), and cefazolin (0-11%). Generally speaking, the antimicrobial resistance situation among E. coli isolates from horses and small animals is relatively good.     

NMR-Based Configurational Assignments of Natural Products: Gibbs Sampling and Bayesian Inference Using Floating Chirality Distance Geometry Calculations

Floating chirality restrained distance geometry (fc-rDG) calculations are used to directly evolve structures from NMR data such as NOE-derived intramolecular distances or anisotropic residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). In contrast to evaluating pre-calculated structures against NMR restraints, multiple configurations (diastereomers) and conformations are generated automatically within the experimental limits. In this report, we show that the “unphysical” rDG pseudo energies defined from NMR violations bear statistical significance, which allows assigning probabilities to configurational assignments made that are fully compatible with the method of Bayesian inference. These “diastereomeric differentiabilities” then even become almost independent of the actual values of the force constants used to model the restraints originating from NOE or RDC data.     

Kinetics of a bioactive compound (caffeine) mobility at the vicinity of the mechanical glass transition temperature induced by gelling polysaccharide

An investigation of the diffusional mobility of a bioactive compound (caffeine) within the high-solid (80.0% w/w) matrices of glucose syrup and κ-carrageenan plus glucose syrup exhibiting distinct mechanical glass transition properties is reported. The experimental temperature range was from 20 to -60 °C, and the techniques of modulated differential scanning calorimetry, small deformation dynamic oscillation in shear, and UV spectrometry were employed. Calorimetric and mechanical measurements were complementary in recording the relaxation dynamics of high-solid matrices upon controlled heating. Predictions of the reaction rate theory and the combined WLF/free volume framework were further utilized to pinpoint the glass transition temperature (T(g)) of the two matrices in the softening dispersion. Independent of composition, calorimetry yielded similar T(g) predictions for both matrices at this level of solids. Mechanical experimentation, however, was able to detect the effect of adding gelling polysaccharide to glucose syrup as an accelerated pattern of vitrification leading to a higher value of T(g). Kinetic rates of caffeine diffusion within the experimental temperature range were taken with UV spectroscopy. These demonstrated the pronounced effect of the gelling κ-carrageenan/glucose syrup mixture to retard diffusion of the bioactive compound near the mechanical T(g). Modeling of the diffusional mobility of caffeine produced activation energy and fractional free-volume estimates, which were distinct from those of the carbohydrate matrix within the glass transition region. This result emphasizes the importance of molecular interactions between macromolecular matrix and small bioactive compound in glass-related relaxation phenomena.     

Impact of sedimentation history for As distribution in Late Pleistocene-Holocene sediments in the Hetao Basin,China

Journal of Soils and Sediments - To understand the impact of geochemical sedimentation history for arsenic (As) distribution in the sediment profiles of the Hetao Basin, we (1) evaluated sediments...