Eosinophilic leukaemoid reaction in a dog

A haematological disorder in a dog characterised by a massive leucocytosis, mainly composed of eosinophils and their precursors is reported here. The normal composition of cells in the bone marrow was displaced in favour of the eosinophils and their precursors. No apparent cause for the pronounced eosinophilia could be determined by clinical, haematological, clinical-chemical, radiological or pathological examinations. A diagnosis of eosinophilic leukaemoid reaction was suggested as the criteria for the diagnosis of eosinophilic leukaemia in the dog but this was not firmly established.     

Aortic rupture causing cardiac tamponade in a 24‐day‐old Friesian colt with concurrent colonic Chlamydiosis and Balantidiasis

A 24‐day‐old Friesian colt died suddenly and a physical examination the morning the foal died showed no abnormalities and serum IgG levels >8.0 g/l. Necropsy examination revealed haemopericardium and a 2 cm transverse tear at the root of the aorta. The foal was also found to have Chlamydophila spp. in the epithelium and Balantidium coli on the mucosal surface of the large colon. An aortic rupture is a novel finding in a foal, colonic Chlamydiosis has not been previously reported in horses and Balantidium coli has not been reported in equids in North America.     

A cost‐effectiveness analysis of live feeds in juvenile turbot Scophthalmus maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) farming: copepods versus Artemia

The biological benefits of copepods as live feed for marine finfish larvae have already been well established in the literature. Copepods have better biochemical compositions that improve growth, reduce malpigmentations and allow successful farming of ‘new’ marine finfish species. However, their current usage is quite limited. One of the reasons has been lack of economic knowledge concerning the cost‐effectiveness of copepod application compared to other commonly used feed items such as the brine shrimp Artemia. In this study, a cost‐effectiveness analysis is made on two alternative live feed items (copepods and Artemia) in juvenile turbot farming. Unit cost of production and profit are compared between the two feeding regimes using a unique data set from an existing turbot fry production facility in Denmark. The result reveals that copepods are not only biochemically superior but they are also economically a cost‐effective alternative. Thus, a commercial use of copepods will significantly reduce the production costs for turbot. Furthermore, the unexploited economic potential can be utilized for the successful farming of other high‐valued marine finfish species such as tuna, flounders, cod, sole and halibut. Generally, the biochemical superiority coupled with economic benefits can lead to the commercial utilization of copepods as complementary live feed in the short run and in some situations as a substitute in the long run.     

Low ratios of sodium to potassium in the serum of 238 dogs

Serum sodium:potassium (Na:K) ratios are often reported in biochemical studies of dogs, although their value has not been assessed. The aims of this study were to identify diseases associated with a low Na:K ratio in dogs and to compare their prevalence with the prevalence in dogs from the same referral hospital with normal Na:K ratios. A total of 238 dogs with a Na:K ratio less than 27 were identified from medical records. Sample contamination with edta was suspected in 74 cases (31 per cent) and these and two cases that had been supplemented with potassium were removed from the analysis. The remaining 162 cases and 147 control dogs were divided into five categories depending on the organ system affected. Among the cases there were significantly more in the endocrine category than among the control dogs. Hypoadrenocorticism was the most single common cause of a low Na:K ratio and affected 27 (16.7 per cent) of the cases. Other clinical problems associated with low Na:K ratios included different urogenital, cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal diseases.     

Anaerobic co‐digestion of perennials: Methane potential and digestate nitrogen fertilizer value

Co‐digestion of crop biomass improves the traditional manure‐based biogas yield due to an increased content of easily degradable carbon compounds. In this study, the methane potential of three perennials (grass, legumes, and grass+legume) was determined using various amounts together with animal manure. The nitrogen (N) mineralization dynamics in soil and the N‐fertilizer value of the derived digestates were subsequently tested in both a soil incubation study and a pot experiment with spring barley. Digestion of all tested perennials together with a manure‐based inoculum increased the cumulative methane yield four to five times compared to digestion of the inoculum alone, with the highest increases observed with pure grass. However, the methane potential decreased along with increasing grass biomass concentration. In the plant pot experiment, all tested digestates increased barley shoot biomass by 40–170%, to an extent statistically comparable to mineral N fertilizer. However, the application of the digestate originating from fermentation with pure grass resulted in lower plant growth and a more fluctuating soil mineral N content throughout the incubation study compared to the other digestates. Considering the high dry matter and methane yield ha^?1, the possibility to substitute mineral N fertilizer inputs by leguminous biological N₂ fixation capacity, and the digestate fertilizer value, the integration of grass–legume mixtures or sole legumes into anaerobic digestion systems as co‐substrate for manure seems to be promising. This could furthermore contribute to the diversification of cropping systems for bioenergy production.     

利用根管法对油菜和冬小麦苗期根系形态的研究

快速、准确的根系原位观测方法是根系研究中的重要技术,本研究介绍了一种根管盆栽方法,该方法在透明PVC管内种植作物,通过遮光膜保持管内黑暗环境,以实现在作物生长过程中对其根系生长的原位动态观测,且根系生长环境更接近田间实际情况,并可通过改变根管长度、半径等将其应用于田间深根作物的研究中。利用此方法、结合根系扫描技术分析了油菜和冬小麦从发芽到出苗后16 d时的根系生长情况。结果表明,出苗后7和16 d冬小麦根系和地上部干物重均大于油菜,出苗后16 d冬小麦和油菜根冠比分别为0.513和0.372。大部分根系分布在0~16 cm表层土壤中,出苗后16 d冬小麦和油菜表层土壤中的根长在总根长中的比例分别为62.60%和67.76%,根系总表面积、总体积和一级侧根数均为表层土壤中占比最多,在出苗后7 d,总根长、总表面积、总体积和一级侧根数均为冬小麦显著高于油菜,而在出苗后16 d,两种作物的总根长和总表面积差别不大,说明油菜根系生长呈先缓后快趋势。表层土壤中根系平均直径小于底层土壤,油菜根系平均直径小于冬小麦,油菜和冬小麦的根系直径均大部分在0~0.50 mm之间,随着根系生长,较细的侧根逐渐增多,根系平均直径变小。出苗后16 d内的冬小麦根系伸长速率为1.83 cm/d,大于油菜的1.51 cm/d。因此,冬小麦苗期根系生长快于油菜,油菜根系呈先缓后快的生长特性。本研究介绍的根管法是一种原位研究根系的有效方法。     

Assessing the influence of mechanical ventilation on blood gases and blood pressure in rattlesnakes

ObjectiveTo characterize the impact of mechanical positive pressure ventilation on heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure, blood gases, lactate, glucose, sodium, potassium and calcium concentrations in rattlesnakes during anesthesia and the subsequent recovery period.Study designProspective, randomized trial.AnimalsTwenty one fasted adult South American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus).MethodsSnakes were anesthetized with propofol (15 mg kg⁻¹) intravenously, endotracheally intubated and assigned to one of four ventilation regimens: Spontaneous ventilation, or mechanical ventilation at a tidal volume of 30 mL kg⁻¹ at 1 breath every 90 seconds, 5 breaths minute⁻¹, or 15 breaths minute⁻¹. Arterial blood was collected from indwelling catheters at 30, 40, and 60 minutes and 2, 6, and 24 hours following induction of anesthesia and analyzed for pH, PaO₂, PaCO₂, and selected variables. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and HR were recorded at 30, 40, 60 minutes and 24 hours.ResultsSpontaneous ventilation and 1 breath every 90 seconds resulted in a mild hypercapnia (PaCO₂ 22.4 ± 4.3 mmHg [3.0 ± 0.6 kPa] and 24.5 ± 1.6 mmHg [3.3 ± 0.2 kPa], respectively), 5 breaths minute⁻¹ resulted in normocapnia (14.2 ± 2.7 mmHg [1.9 ± 0.4 kPa]), while 15 breaths minute⁻¹ caused marked hypocapnia (8.2 ± 2.5 mmHg [1.1 ± 0.3 kPa]). Following recovery, blood gases of the four groups were similar from 2 hours. Anesthesia, independent of ventilation was associated with significantly elevated glucose, lactate and potassium concentrations compared to values at 24 hours (p < 0.0001). MAP increased significantly with increasing ventilation frequency (p < 0.001). HR did not vary among regimens.Conclusions and clinical relevanceMechanical ventilation had a profound impact on blood gases and blood pressure. The results support the use of mechanical ventilation with a frequency of 1–2 breaths minute⁻¹ at a tidal volume of 30 mL kg⁻¹ during anesthesia in fasted snakes.     

Root-released organic acids and phosphorus uptake of two barley cultivars in laboratory and field experiments

A major portion of phosphorus (P) applied as fertilizers is bound in soils as P compounds of variable adsorption strength, reducing the effectiveness of P fertilization. Plant genotypes equipped with mechanisms for utilizing the adsorbed P more efficiently can, therefore, enhance the effectiveness of P fertilization. Such genotypes will also enrich plant gene pools for further analysis and upgrading of P efficiency by selection and breeding. We studied the variation and the mechanisms of P uptake of two winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars Marinka and Sonate (parents of existing 200 haploid progeny lines), by laboratory and field experiments. After cultivation in nutrient solution for 21 days, Marinka produced more roots than Sonate, but similar amounts of dry shoots of lower P content (Marinka 3.4±0.4 mg g⁻¹, Sonate 4.9±0.6 mg g⁻¹). The total P uptake per plant did not differ between the cultivars. Marinka retained more P in roots as indicated by the higher concentration of P in the roots (Marinka 3.9±0.3 mg g⁻¹ and Sonate 3.0±0.4 mg g⁻¹). In sterile nutrient solution culture, the cultivars differed mainly in release of organic acids from the roots, with Marinka releasing three times more citric acid and nearly two times more acetic acid than Sonate. The cultivars had similar root hair lengths and they did not differ (P>0.05) in depletion of available soil P fraction (extracted with 0.5 M NaHCO₃) in the rhizosphere. Marinka absorbed nearly twice as much P from the strongly adsorbed soil P fraction (extracted with 0.1M NaOH). Also under field conditions, Marinka absorbed more P and produced more shoot dry matter. The higher P uptake by Marinka than Sonate can be attributed to its ability to acquire P from strongly adsorbed soil P by releasing more organic acids, especially citric acid, from its roots.     

A quick microtechnique for inspection of potato periderm or wound periderm formation

Summary A method for a quick inspection of wound periderm formation is described. Sections are freehand cut into a stain solution, and microscopic examination is accomplished with an epiplanatic lens.