The Diagnosis of Pancreatic Degenerative Atrophy in Dogs – a Practical Method

A convenient method was developed to diagnose pancreatic degenerative atrophy (PDA) in small animal practice based on the observations, that feeding crude soybean increases faecal protease activity in dogs with normal pancreatic function, while PDA-dogs remain completely negative in faecal protease activity. When PDA is suspected, 1 or 2 faecal samples should be investigated with the X-ray film method based on incubation for 2 h at 37°G. If any activity is seen the dog should be considered non-PDA. If no activity is seen the dog should be given food supplemented with 1 g crude soybean/kg body weight twice daily for a few days and a new faecal sample should be collected. If the activity remains negative the diagnosis of PDA is reliable. As the amount of crude soybean in the food increased, a dose dependent increase of faecal protease and amylase was seen as measured with the radial enzyme diffusion method (RED).     

Q fever urban cases in Romania

Q fever urban sporadic cases in Romania in the 1981-87 period are reviewed as concerns their incidence, seasonality and epidemiological data. Urban cases represented 76.8% as against 23.2% rural cases from the 134 Q fever sporadic cases detected in this period. Cases were distributed throughout all months with peaks during April (18.4% of cases) and June (19.4%). Infections were not related to contact with livestock or domestic birds or with raw milk drinking. Cases could not be identified as Q fever occupational ones. 36.7% of patients were working in nonalimentary industry and only 12.6% were involved in meat industry, veterinary or human medical practices. New studies concerning unusual sources of urban infection such as dogs, cats or urban street pigeons are emphasized.     

Nothacrobeles,n. gen., with Descriptions of Four New Species (Nematoda: Cephalobidae)

A new nematode genus, Nothacrobeles, is proposed in the subfamily Acrobelinae. Four new species are described and one new combination made. The five species exhibit a progression from short-to-long, bifurcate, elaborately fringed labial probolae, the longest probolae resembling those of species of Acrobeles.     

Identification of Medically Actionable Secondary Findings in the 1000 Genomes

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommends that clinical sequencing laboratories return secondary findings in 56 genes associated with medically actionable conditions. Our goal was to apply a systematic, stringent approach consistent with clinical standards to estimate the prevalence of pathogenic variants associated with such conditions using a diverse sequencing reference sample. Candidate variants in the 56 ACMG genes were selected from Phase 1 of the 1000 Genomes dataset, which contains sequencing information on 1,092 unrelated individuals from across the world. These variants were filtered using the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD) Professional version and defined parameters, appraised through literature review, and examined by a clinical laboratory specialist and expert physician. Over 70,000 genetic variants were extracted from the 56 genes, and filtering identified 237 variants annotated as disease causing by HGMD Professional. Literature review and expert evaluation determined that 7 of these variants were pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Furthermore, 5 additional truncating variants not listed as disease causing in HGMD Professional were identified as likely pathogenic. These 12 secondary findings are associated with diseases that could inform medical follow-up, including cancer predisposition syndromes, cardiac conditions, and familial hypercholesterolemia. The majority of the identified medically actionable findings were in individuals from the European (5/379) and Americas (4/181) ancestry groups, with fewer findings in Asian (2/286) and African (1/246) ancestry groups. Our results suggest that medically relevant secondary findings can be identified in approximately 1% (12/1092) of individuals in a diverse reference sample. As clinical sequencing laboratories continue to implement the ACMG recommendations, our results highlight that at least a small number of potentially important secondary findings can be selected for return. Our results also confirm that understudied populations will not reap proportionate benefits of genomic medicine, highlighting the need for continued research efforts on genetic diseases in these populations.     

Meeusella and the origin of stamens

Meeusella gen. nov. is a strobilate pollen organ from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalie (east of the Lake Baikal); the branched lateral branches (paracladia), if fully developed, bear a subterminal pair of stalked synangial heads. In some cases the latter are reduced to a pair of sessile heads or the paracladia are sterile. It is suggested that the synangial heads might be further reduced to a pair of bisporangiate thecae, while the paracladium apex between them might form a prominent connective of a typical stamen. ▭ Androecium, androclade, angiosperms, proangiesperms, stamen, evolutionary morphology.     

Comparative Ultrastructure and the Evolution of Nemertines

Nemertines are traditionally viewed as acoelomates with bloodvascular systems and a specialized cavity housing an eversibleproboscis, or, as coelomates with modified coelomic cavitiesforming the rhynchocoel, lateral vessels and gonadal sacs. Comparativeultrastructural data such as cell polarity, the occurrence ofpodocytes and mesodermal cells with rudimentary cilia for proboscis,rhynchocoel, lateral and dorsal vessels, and gonadal liningsare consistent with their interpretation as modified coelomiccavities as found, analogously, in the higher leeches. Theseand additional data regarding musculature, connective tissue,glia-like cells and gametes for 13 species affirm that nemertinesare intermediate between full-blown coelomate and acoelomategrades of organization. A comparison of ultrastructural details,however, indicates that their acoelomate attributes evolvedsecondarily from a more typical coelomate condition.