Evaluation of concurrent perineal hernia in adult male dogs presenting with nontraumatic,acquired inguinal hernias

A possible association between the development of nontraumatic, acquired inguinal hernias (NAIH) and perineal hernias (PH) has been postulated in adult dogs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of concurrent diagnosis of PH in dogs presented with NAIH and determine potential risk factors for concurrent PH and NAIH. Medical records of adult male dogs presented for NAIH to 4 hospitals between 2007 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-one dogs with NAIH were included, 8 of which had concurrent PH. There were no significant differences between dogs with and without PH; however, among dogs with both conditions, intact dogs (8.1 ± 1.4 years) were younger than neutered dogs (11.7 ± 1.0 years; P = 0.007). Thirty-eight percent of male dogs presenting for NAIH had concurrent PH, indicating that these conditions commonly occur together. Dogs presenting for NAIH should be carefully evaluated for concurrent PH before surgical intervention.     

Determination of the Inflammatory Potential of Bioaerosols from a Duck‐Fattening Unit by Using a Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay and Human Whole Blood Cytokine Response

Inhalation of bioaerosols from animal houses can induce acute inflammatory reactions in the respiratory tract. Determination of the concentration of airborne endotoxins is widely used to characterize this risk. In this study, the activity of bioaerosol samples from a duck‐fattening unit to induce interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) in human blood and to react with Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) was investigated. The activity detected in the whole blood assay correlated well with the endotoxic activity found in the LAL assay (Spearmen's ρ = 0.902). However in all samples, the inflammation‐inducing potential was overestimated by the LAL assay. It is assumed that this overestimation could be, in part, a result of an overestimation of the inflammatory potential of endotoxins originating from Pseudomonadaceae by the LAL assay. Pseudomonadaceae were regularly isolated from the air of the duck‐fattening unit. The results presented here indicate that the whole blood assay can be used besides the LAL assay as an additional method to characterize the inflammation‐inducing potential of bioaerosols.     

The Knockdown Resistance (kdr) Mutation in Pyrethroid-Resistant German Cockroaches

A point mutation in thepara-homologous sodium channel gene has been shown to be associated with knockdown resistance (kdr) in several insect species including the German cockroach. In this study, we analyzed the genomic organization of the region where thekdrmutation resides and then performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing using genomic DNA as the template to detectkdrmutation in 24 pyrethroid-resistant German cockroach strains, most of which have been collected recently from the field. Thekdrmutation, G to C at nt 2979 resulting in a leucine to phenylalanine amino acid substitution, was detected in 20 strains including 2 strains from overseas (China and Germany). Our results clearly indicate that thekdrmutation is widespread in German cockroach populations. However, the super-kdrmutation detected in super-kdrhouse flies was not found in any of the 4 strains that showed higher levels of knockdown resistance. Little correlation was observed between the presence of thekdrmutation and the level of knockdown resistance, suggesting the existence of multiple resistance mechanisms in many of these strains.     

Lyso-phosphatidylcholine is a signal in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis represents the most widely distributed mutualistic root symbiosis. We report that root extracts of mycorrhizal plants contain a lipophilic signal capable of inducing the phosphate transporter genes StPT3 and StPT4 of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), genes that are specifically induced in roots colonized by AM fungi. The same signal caused rapid extracellular alkalinization in suspension-cultured tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cells and induction of the mycorrhiza-specific phosphate transporter gene LePT4 in these cells. The active principle was characterized as the lysolipid lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) via a combination of gene expression studies, alkalinization assays in cell cultures, and chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses. Our results highlight the importance of lysophospholipids as signals in plants and in particular in the AM symbiosis.     

Primer-directed enzymatic amplification of DNA with a thermostable DNA polymerase

A thermostable DNA polymerase was used in an in vitro DNA amplification procedure, the polymerase chain reaction. The enzyme, isolated from Thermus aquaticus, greatly simplifies the procedure and, by enabling the amplification reaction to be performed at higher temperatures, significantly improves the specificity, yield, sensitivity, and length of products that can be amplified. Single-copy genomic sequences were amplified by a factor of more than 10 million with very high specificity, and DNA segments up to 2000 base pairs were readily amplified. In addition, the method was used to amplify and detect a target DNA molecule present only once in a sample of 10(5) cells.     

Rebound insomnia: a new clinical syndrome

Rebound insomnia followed the withdrawal of three benzodiazepine hypnotic drugs, each of which had been administered in a single nightly dose for only short-term periods. The intense worsening of sleep is attributed to the short duration of the action of these drugs. A hypothesis involving benzodiazepine receptors in the brain is proposed in which there is a delay or lag in replacement of endogenous benzodiazepine-like molecules after the abrupt withdrawal of exogenous drugs.     

Bibliographie der Gibberellin-Untersuchungen an Kulturpflanzen

Zusammenfassung Als I. Mitteilung einer Serie über die Bibliographie der Gibberellin-Untersuchungen an Kulturpflanzen werden für die Kartoffelpflanze,Solanum tuberosum L., die bis 1964 vorliegenden Veröffentlichungen in alphabetischer Anordnung aufgeführt.

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Summary In the I. part of a series on the bibliography of the gibberellin investigations on cultivated plants the papers concerning the potato plant,Solanum tuberosum L., published till 1964 are catalogued alphabetically.

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am ¶rt;au , , ,Solanum tuberosum L., 1964 .

     

More than classical Chlamydia psittaci in urban pigeons

In the literature, studies of Chlamydia infection in birds have usually been confined to the search for Chlamydia (C., formerly Chlamydophila) psittaci, so that little is known about the presence of other chlamydial agents. In the present study, cloacal swabs and faeces samples of urban pigeons have been examined by real-time PCR, DNA microarray assays and partial ompA sequencing. Whilst C. psittaci was the predominant chlamydial agent in this pigeon population (75.8% of all Chlamydiaceae positives), the combined use of highly specific and sensitive molecular assays facilitated the detection of atypical serovars of C. psittaci, as well as other species of Chlamydia, such as C. abortus. Detection of C. pecorum and C. trachomatis from an avian host is reported here for the first time. Rather unexpectedly, 19.5% of all Chlamydiaceae-positive cases turned out to be infected with non-classified organisms. The considerable prevalence of these novel agents raises the question of their epidemiological importance and possible role as pathogens. Future surveys in domestic and wild birds will have to take the extended variety of chlamydial organisms into account.