SONOGRAPHY OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM IN DOGS AND CATS

Sonography of the musculoskeletal system in dogs and cats was undertaken to evaluate the application of this imaging procedure in orthopedics. In most of the patients a 7,5 MHz linear transducer was used because of its flat application surface and its resolving power. The evaluation of bone by sonography is limited, but sonography can provide addition information regarding the bone surface and surrounding soft tissue. Ultrasound is valuable for assessing joint disease. Joint effusion, thickening of the joint capsule and cartilage defects can be identified sonographically. It is also possible to detect bone destruction. Instabilities are often identified with the help of a dynamic examination. Soft tissue abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system lend themselves to sonographic evaluation. Partial or complete muscles or tendon tears are able to be differentiated and the healing process can be monitored. Most of the diseases that are in the area of the biceps or the achilles tendon, such as dislocation of the tendon, old injuries with scarification, free dissecates in the tendonsheath, tendinitis and/or tendosynovitis can be differentiated by sonography. In addition, with clinical and laboratory findings, it is often possible to make a correct diagnosis with ultrasound in patients with abscesses, foreign bodies, hematomas, soft tissue tumors and lipomas.     

Feline Ubiquitin Fusion Protein Genes

Using cDNA from a CRFK cell line as a template, PCR amplification was performed with the Ub1S and poly(dT) primers to isolate feline ubiquitin genes. Sequencing of the 495 bp PCR fragment revealed that the putative amino acids induced by this fragment gave a fusion protein consisting of a ubiquitin polypeptide (76 amino acids) and an extension protein of ribosomal proteins L40 (52 amino acids). The putative amino acid sequence of ubiquitin was identical to those of humans, rats and pigs.The recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)–feline ubiquitin fusion proteins were produced in Escherichia coli and purified. The fusion proteins had a molecular weight of about 42 kDa and were detected by immunoblot assay with rabbit anti-ubiquitin antiserum.The mRNAs from heat-shocked and non-heat-shocked cells were subjected to RT-PCR (Ub1S and poly(dT) primers) analysis. The molecular weights of the ubiquitinated proteins in heat-shocked CFRK cells were between 18 kDa and 24 kDa by immunoblot assay.These results suggested that there were more ubiquinated proteins in the heat-shocked CRFK cells than in the pre-heat-shocked cells.     

Chylous effusions revisited

Varying terms and criteria have been used in the veterinary literature to characterize milky opaque pleural effusions through the years. This article addresses ideas widely repeated in the veterinary and human literature upon which time, experience, diagnostic techniques, experimental data, and improved understanding of pathogenesis have cast doubt. Topics discussed include terminology, pathogenesis of chylous and pseudochylous effusions, criteria for differentiation of chylous from pseudochylous effusions, and clinicopathologic changes associated with drainage of chylous effusions.     

Intramedullary Intervertebral Disk Extrusion in a Cat

Intervertebral disk extrusion is rarely reported in the cat. In this case, the clinical, radiologic, and magnetic resonance imaging findings of an acute intramedullary intervertebral disk extrusion in a 5-year-old domestic shorthaired cat are described. Radiographically, there was mineralized disk material within the vertebral canal. On magnetic resonance images, the disk material was found to be within the spinal cord. A linear disk trail extending from the disk space into the spinal cord may be specific for intramedullary disk extrusion.     

Results from the treatment of advanced stage squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum in cats, using a combination of intralesional carboplatin and superficial radiotherapy: a pilot study

Six cats with an advanced stage squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nasal planum were treated with a combination of superficial radiotherapy and intralesional carboplatin therapy. This multimodality protocol was well tolerated by the majority of cats and resulted in complete responses in all cats (100%). Median follow‐up for all cats is 268 days, and the median time‐to‐recurrence, time‐to‐progression and overall survival have not yet been reached. Our study, although limited in number of animals and with a relatively short median follow‐up compared to other studies for this disease, suggests that a combination of radiotherapy and intralesional carboplatin is a useful treatment option for an advanced stage SCC of the nasal planum in cats and warrants further application of the multimodality approach presented here.     

Pharmacokinetic profiles of the two major active metabolites of metamizole (dipyrone) in cats following three different routes of administration

This study was performed to determine pharmacokinetic profiles of the two active metabolites of the analgesic drug metamizole (dipyrone , MET), 4‐methylaminoantipyrine (MAA), and 4‐aminoantipyrine (AA), after intravenous (i.v., intramuscular (i.m.), and oral (p.o.) administration in cats. Six healthy mixed‐breed cats were administered MET (25 mg/kg) by i.v., i.m., or p.o. routes in a crossover design. Adverse clinical signs, namely salivation and vomiting, were detected in all groups (i.v. 67%, i.m. 34%, and p.o. 15%). The mean maximal plasma concentration of MAA for i.v., i.m., and p.o. administrations was 148.63 ± 106.64, 18.74 ± 4.97, and 20.59 ± 15.29 μg/ml, respectively, with about 7 hr of half‐life in all routes. Among the administration routes, the area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) value was the lowest after i.m. administration and the AUC_EV/i.v. ratio was higher in p.o. than the i.m. administration without statistical significance. The plasma concentration of AA was detectable up to 24 hr, and the mean plasma concentrations were smaller than MAA. The present results suggest that MET is converted into the active metabolites in cats as in humans. Further pharmacodynamics and safety studies should be performed before any clinical use.     

A fast,low‐cost and efficient method for the diagnosis of sperm DNA fragmentation in several species

Sperm DNA fragmentation is a condition that interferes directly in the reproductive efficiency. Currently, there are several methods for assessing the sperm DNA integrity, such as Alkaline Comet, TUNEL and Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay. However, many of these techniques are laborious and require high‐precision equipment. Thus, the development of new techniques can optimize the evaluation of sperm DNA damage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to standardize the toluidine blue (TB) stain technique for the analysis of DNA fragmentation of dog, cat, bull, stallion and ram spermatozoa. For this purpose, we used six animals of each specie (n = 30), in reproductive age. Sperm was collected by different methods according to the particularities of each species, and such samples were divided into two aliquots: a sperm sample was kept at 5°C (considered as intact sperm DNA), and the remaining samples were submitted to the induction of DNA fragmentation by exposure to ultraviolet light for 4 hr. Samples were then mixed with the intact sample to obtain known and progressive proportions of sperm with fragmented DNA (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). Semen smears were performed and subjected to staining with TB. Blue‐stained spermatozoa were considered to have DNA fragmentation. We observed high linear regression coefficients between the expected proportion of damaged DNA and the results of TB for dog, cat, ram, bull and stallion samples. In conclusion, TB stain was considered a fast and effective technique for the study of spermatozoa DNA in several species.     

遮穗和去颖下燕麦穗部特征变化和穗部光合贡献率估算

随着探索提高植物整体光合能力相关研究的不断开展，麦类作物穗部器官等植物非叶绿色器官光合潜力挖掘逐渐得到关注。本研究在成都平原秋播美达、贝勒、莫尼卡、摄政王、泰克和甜燕60等6个品种燕麦，设置遮穗、去颖2个试验处理，比较分析了各品种间穗部特征、穗部光合贡献率、颖片光合贡献率和茎光合物质转移率等差异。结果表明，燕麦穗部器官光合贡献率为28.56%～49.05%，其中甜燕60最高；6个品种燕麦的颖片光合贡献率为11.03%～36.88%，茎光合物质转移率为6.65%～35.81%。燕麦穗部器官对籽实增重表现了较高的光合贡献，当燕麦穗部器官光合受到限制时，燕麦单粒种子重和单穗种子数显著降低，尤其是影响双粒小穗数。     

高致病性猪蓝耳病防控

随着人们生活方式的变化,养猪户也变得越来越多,不仅能为其带来更多的经济收入,也可提高其生活质量和水平。调查数据显示,很多养殖户在养猪中通常会因很多因素致使猪群感染疾病,倘若不能及时处理,势必会对自身带来较为严重的经济损失,甚至会加大疫病的扩散。该文主要对高致病性猪蓝耳病防控新理念展开分析,并提出一些可行的对策。     

智慧养猪中猪只个体识别技术的选择

智慧养猪已成为生猪产业发展的新趋势,其核心主要聚焦于智能环控、智能饲喂和对猪群的视频监控等技术的应用。大数据采集是实现智能化的前提,因此,通过射频识别（RFID）技术建立猪只大数据是实现智慧养猪的基础。通过正确的猪只个体识别技术的选型,在不同生命周期给猪只选配合适的电子耳标,给猪只建立精准的身份证明。在不同阶段的数据采集场景中,通过识别电子耳标产生真实数据的关联,准确掌握每一头猪从出生到屠宰再到消费市场终端之间的信息,从而确保了动物健康养殖、疫病控制和食品安全,真正意义上实现智慧养猪。