Pancreatic Degenerative Atrophy and Chronic Pancreatitis in Dogs a Comparative Study of 60 Cases

During the years 1977–1980 60 cases of non-neoplastic chronic exocrine pancreatic disease in dogs were investigated clinically and pathologically. The disorders were clinically divided into pancreatic degenerative atrophy (PDA) and chronic pancreatitis. Fifty dogs had PDA and 45 of them were German shepherd dogs. The PDA cases formed both clinically and pathologically a homogeneous group except for 1 case. All the dogs had maldigestion and protease activity was absent from the faeces. General inanition and highly atrophic pancreas were the most typical macroscopic findings. Histologically the exocrine pancreas contained atypical acinar tissue and mononuclear cell infiltrations. Five of the dogs died spontaneously, 4 of them had intestinal torsion and 1 had paralytic ileus. There were 10 dogs with chronic pancreatitis. This group was rather heterogeneous both clinically and pathologically. The pancreas was slightly enlarged and the consistency was firm. The histologic picture was one of fibrous tissue proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltrations in the interstitium. The dogs nutritional state as well as faecal protease activity were normal.     

Quality assurance of selective culture media for bacteria, moulds and yeasts: an attempt at standardization at the international level

To facilitate monitoring of culture media, a simple quantitative streaking technique, implying ever-decreasing numbers of colony-forming units per surface area, as in spiral plating, was developed. The procedure evaluates, in quantitative terms, the ability of media (1) to support the formation of colonies by organisms that it was designed to grow and (2) to resist colonization by organisms that it is expected to suppress. The procedure was therefore termed ecometric evaluation. The ecometric results appeared to agree well with observations made on productivity and selectivity of the media studied during routine examination of specimens.
These encouraging results prompted further, rigorous standardization of ecometry. A template was developed to standardize inoculation and the depth of the agar was controlled to within ± 10%. Finally the attributes of the inocula used were accurately defined.
The standardized ecometric technique has been found useful for the following purposes: (1) to assess the practical significance of the inhibitory effect of gentamicin observed in some moulds and yeasts (this was solved by replacing poorer basal media by one particular richer modification, viz. yeast morphology agar); (2) the development of a blood-free selective enumeration medium for Campylobacter jejuni , i.e. sulphide iron motility agar plus the combination of antibiotics suggested by Skirrow (1977); and (3) verification of the absence of antimicrobial activity of enzyme preparations, e.g. catalase, used in culture media to remedy sublethal damage in certain groups of bacteria.
Ecometric evaluation can now be recommended for (1) routine monitoring of consignments of dehydrated or ready-to-use, purchased media; and (2) in-house checking of the functioning of medium preparation departments. Only occasionally is it necessary to use conventional counting techniques to confirm the results.     

Towards evaluating the economic impact of bovine neosporosis

In spite of the global importance of neosporosis as a cause of bovine abortion, there is very little information about its economic consequences. The economic costs are a product of estimations of the quantity of the effects attributable to Neospora infection, and the particular unit costs of those effects. In this brief review, which arose from a workshop on the economics of coccidiosis held at the COST 820 meeting, Toledo 1998, we discuss the possible effects of neosporosis which are of economic significance and summarise the available estimates of their magnitude to provide a basis for further economic analysis. Neospora infection has been associated with abortion, increased culling and reduced milk yield. In addition, it has been diagnosed in cases of stillbirth and neonatal mortality, it is likely to contribute to early foetal death and resorption and it is responsible for a reduction in the value of female breeding cattle. In quantifying the role of Neospora, it is important that epidemiologically based, case-controlled studies are conducted because, given the extreme efficiency with which bovine Neospora infection is vertically transmitted, demonstration of prevalence of infection in affected animals (including foetuses) is not a true indicator of the significance of this disease. Relatively few epidemiological studies have been conducted, but in investigations in the USA, Holland and Britain, infected cows have been shown to be about three times more likely to abort than non-infected cattle. In the UK this approach has been used to estimate the proportion of abortions in the national dairy population which may be attributable to Neospora caninum.     

Influence of river inflows on plankton distribution around the southern perimeter of the Salton Sea,California

The influence of river inflows (2.5–5 g l⁻¹) on phytoplankton and zooplankton was assessed with samples collected at 17 sites around the 50 km perimeter of the southern basin of the Salton Sea (41–45 g l⁻¹) along the 5 m isobath on 2 September and 11 December 2000. Phytoplankton generally increased in abundance downcurrent of the points of inflow, but patterns in downcurrent abundance varied widely among species. Several diatom species showed large increases; Chaetoceros muelleri var subsalsum, Cylindrotheca closterium and Thalassionema sp. increased up to 800-fold in abundance by ca. 20 km downcurrent from inflow points in September. In contrast, the dinoflagellates Gyrodinium uncatenum and Prorocentrum minimum increased 6- and 4-fold, respectively, in December, and Gonyaulax grindleyi actually decreased downcurrent of the rivers in September. In September, patterns in downcurrent abundance were correlated with the ratio of cell surface area to cell biovolume, with species with high ratios showing the largest increases. Zooplankton abundances did not show regular trends downcurrent of river inflows except for the larvae of Balanus amphitrite, which increased in density ca. 100-fold. This increase most likely reflected the abundance of adult-colonized rocky substrates near river inflow points. The strong upcurrent trends documented for some species seemed to have been due to the injection of nutrient-rich water from central to nearshore areas and near-site mortality due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide. This study gives a first glimpse of the complexity of the responses of nearshore plankton to river inflow and provides evidence for how changes in factors such as current speed, nutrient supply and salinity stratification may influence plankton dynamics. Guest Editor: John M. Melack Saline Waters and their Biota     

Experience using web services for biological sequence analysis

Programmatic access to data and tools through the web using so-called web services has an important role to play in bioinformatics. In this article, we discuss the most popular approaches based on SOAP/WS-I and REST and describe our, a cross section of the community, experiences with providing and using web services in the context of biological sequence analysis. We briefly review main technological approaches as well as best practice hints that are useful for both users and developers. Finally, syntactic and semantic data integration issues with multiple web services are discussed.     

Environmental Pollution Affects the Plumage Color of Great Tit Nestlings through Carotenoid Availability

Birds need to acquire carotenoids for their feather pigmentation from their diet, which means that their plumage color may change as a consequence of human impact on their environment. For example, the carotenoid-based plumage coloration of Great tit, Parus major, nestlings is associated with the degree of environmental pollution. Breast feathers of birds in territories exposed to heavy metals are less yellow than those in unpolluted environments. Here we tested two hypotheses that could explain the observed pattern: (I) deficiency of carotenoids in diet, and (II) pollution-related changes in transfer of carotenoids to feathers. We manipulated dietary carotenoid levels of nestlings and measured the responses in plumage color and tissue concentrations. Our carotenoid supplementation produced the same response in tissue carotenoid concentrations and plumage color in polluted and unpolluted environments. Variation in heavy metal levels did not explain the variation in tissue (yolk, plasma, and feathers) carotenoid concentrations and was not related to plumage coloration. Instead, the variation in plumage yellowness was associated with the availability of carotenoid-rich caterpillars in territories. Our results support the hypothesis that the primary reason for pollution-related variation in plumage color is carotenoid deficiency in the diet.     

Cell biological mechanism for triggering of ABA accumulation under water stress in Vicia faba leaves

Water stress-induced ABA accumulation is a cellular signaling process from water stress perception to activation of genes encoding key enzymes of ABA biosynthesis, of which the water stress-signal perception by cells or triggering mechanism of the ABA accumulation is the center in the whole process of ABA related-stress signaling in plants. The cell biological mechanism for triggering of ABA accumulation under water stress was studied in leaves of Vicia faba. Mannitol at 890 mmol · kg-1 osmotic concentration induced an increase of more than 5 times in ABA concentration in detached leaf tissues, but the same concentration of mannitol only induced an increase of less than 40 % in ABA concentration in protoplasts. Like in detached leaf tissues, ABA concentration in isolated cells increased more than 10 times under the treatment of mannitol at 890 mmol · kg-1 concentration, suggesting that the interaction between plasmalemma and cell wall was essential to triggering of the water stress-induced ABA accumula     

水杉的保护历程和存在的问题

水杉(Metasequoia glyptostroboides)的保护过程在某种程度上可以说是新中国成立50年来中国珍稀植物保护过程的一个缩影。2003年,以保护水杉为主要目的而建设的湖北省国家级星斗山自然保护区是我国水杉保护和发展中的里程碑,对于这一过程的了解有助于今后正确地制订就地和迁地保护计划和采取有效的行动。本文对水杉保护历程进行了全面回顾,针对水杉原产地的保护现状和存在的问题,提出四条具体的保护措施：(1)加强以水杉保护为主要目的的国家级自然保护区建设,建设重点应放在对水杉原生母树及其生境的保护。保护水杉原生母树及其生境要有长远的规划,机构的设置和功能以及人员的素质和经费要能支持水杉原生母树及其生境保护和发展的需要;(2)要把有关水杉保护的法规和措施落到实处;(3)建立基因保存林,对现有水杉原生母树基因进行全面保存;(4)积极协调环保、林业、科学院以及其他教育科研单位的关系,加强在这一领域的分工协作,开展科学研究,加强学术交流,共同促进水杉的保护和利用。     

FinnPRIO: a model for ranking invasive plant pests based on risk

The number of plant pests that may be transported to new areas with international trade is too great for subjecting all of them to a full scale pest risk assessment. There is therefore a need for a quick risk assessment procedure that also ranks the pests according to their risk. The FinnPRIO model can be used to assess the risk of alien plant pests for Finland. It follows the basic structure of a full scale pest risk assessment, i.e. it can be used to separately estimate the probabilities of entry, establishment (including spread), and the likely impacts. The model also includes a section for assessing preventability and controllability of a pest invasion. The model consists of multiple-choice questions with answer options yielding a different number of points. For each question the most likely answer option and the plausible minimum and maximum options are chosen. The total risk score is simulated using a PERT distribution, providing a scale of potential risk for each pest and indicating the level of uncertainty associated with the assessment. The model is accompanied by a guide for the interpretation of the questions and answer options. The model’s functionality has been tested through simulations, and it has been validated by comparing pest rankings produced using the model to those obtained in expert workshops. To date, 95 pests have been assessed with the model. The results indicate that the model is well capable of differentiating pests based on their estimated risk.     

Characterization of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis isolates recovered from blood and stool specimens in Thailand

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Bacteremia due to Salmonella spp. is a life-threatening condition and is commonly associated with immune compromise. A 2009 observational study estimated risk factors for the ten most common non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars isolated from Thai patients between 2002-2007. In this study, 60.8% of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis isolates (n = 1517) were recovered from blood specimens and infection with Salmonella serovar Enteritidis was a statistically significant risk factor for bacteremia when compared to other NTS serovars. Based on this information, we characterized a subset of isolates collected in 2008 to determine if specific clones were recovered from blood or stool specimens at a higher rate. Twenty blood isolates and 20 stool isolates were selected for antimicrobial resistance testing (MIC), phage typing, PFGE, and MLVA. Result Eight antibiogrammes, seven MLVA types, 14 XbaI/BlnI PFGE pattern combinations, and 11 phage types were observed indicating considerable diversity among the 40 isolates characterized. Composite analysis based on PFGE and MLVA data revealed 22 genotypes. Seven of the genotypes containing two or more isolates were from both stool and blood specimens originating from various months and zones. Additionally, those genotypes were all further discriminated by phage type and/or antibiogramme. Ninety percent of the isolates were ciprofloxacin resistant. CONCLUSIONS: The increased percentage of bloodstream infections as described in the 2009 observational study could not be attributed to a single clone. Future efforts should focus on assessing the immune status of bacteriaemic patients and identifying prevention and control measures, including attribution studies characterizing non-clinical (animal, food, and environmental) isolates.