A case of extremely severe osteolysis secondary to periodontal disease in a 13 years old Yorkshire dog is presented. When referred to our Hospital, the patient had suffered a great loss of dental ...pieces, severe massive osteolysis in maxilla, mandible and nasal bone leading to oro-nasal fistula and extreme weakening of the affected areas. However, the proprietors had only observed a suppurative wound in the skin. To the authors’ knowledge, the extreme severity of osteolysis affecting both jaws in this dog can not be found in previous scientific descriptions on this species. The treatment consisted of complete teeth removal and general antibiotic medication (Spiramycin/Metronidazole; 10 mg/kg every 24 hours for 10 days, starting 2 days before extraction). The totally satisfactory evolution of the patient was controlled at days 4th and 14th after surgery. Normal alveolar cicatrization was verified. Soft food intake is painless after the teeth removal.
1 Unravelling which factors affect where tropical trees grow is an important goal for ecologists and conservationists. At the landscape scale, debate is mostly focused on the degree to which the ...distributions of tree species are determined by soil conditions or by neutral, distance-dependent processes. Problems with spatial autocorrelation, sparse soil sampling, inclusion of species-poor sites with extreme edaphic conditions, and the difficulty of obtaining sufficient sample sizes have all complicated assessments for high diversity tropical forests. 2 We evaluated the extent and pervasiveness of habitat association of trees within a 10 000 km2species-rich lowland landscape of uniform climate in south-west Amazonia. Forests growing on two non-flooded landscape units were inventoried using 88 floristic plots and detailed soil analyses, sampling up to 849 tree species. We applied single-species and community-level analytical techniques (frequency-distributions of presence records, association analysis, indicator species analysis, ordination, Mantel correlations, and multiple regression of distance matrices) to quantify soil/floristic relationships while controlling for spatial autocorrelation. 3 Obligate habitat-restriction is very rare: among 230 tree species recorded in ≥ 10 localities only five (2.2%) were always restricted to one landscape unit or the other. 4 However, many species show a significant tendency to habitat association. For example, using Monte Carlo randomization tests, of the 34 most dominant species across the landscape the distributions of 26 (76.5%) are significantly related to habitat. We applied density-independent and frequency-independent estimates of habitat association and found that rarer species tend to score higher, suggesting that our full community estimates of habitat association are still underestimated due to the inadequate sampling of rarer species. 5 Community-level floristic variation across the whole landscape is related to the variation in 14 of 16 measured soil variables, and to the geographical distances between samples. 6 Multiple regression of distance matrices shows that 10% of the floristic variation can be attributed to spatial autocorrelation, but even after accounting for this at least 40% is attributable to measured environmental variation. 7 Our results suggest that substrate-mediated local processes play a much more important role than distance-dependent processes in structuring forest composition in Amazonian landscapes.
Hypospadias are the most frequent human penile abnormality. They have a genetic basis, even if environmental factors such as low birth weight, and exposure to hormones and to endocrine disruptors ...during pregnancy are not totally discarded.
In sheep, the variable incidence in different breeds and a coincident occurrence in a couple of twins have suggested a possible genetic origin. We are presenting a detailed study of hypospadia in two rams. In both cases, high inbreeding supports a genetic origin for this pathology. A preliminary analysis on the second exon of the 5α-reductase 2 did not provide evidences for mutations in these individuals, even if they are often responsible for hypospadias in humans.
The cDNA for the bovine activin receptor type II (ACVR2) gene has been cloned and sequenced. It encodes a protein of 513 amino acids which is highly homologous (approximately 98% identity) to the ...human, mouse, and rat proteins. Using PCR analysis of bovine x hamster somatic cell lines, the ACVR2 gene was mapped to syntenic group U17, which has been localised to bovine chromosome 2. Comparative mapping has shown that the genes within U17 are also in a syntenic group on the long arm of human and sheep chromosome 2, as well as on mouse chromosome 1. This group of genes represents an evolutionarily conserved mammalian chromosomal segment. Genotyping a highly polymorphic microsatellite locus, (AT)4(GT)9(AT)11, found within an intron of this gene confirmed the localisation by linking the ACVR2-associated microsatellite to the region of chromosome 2 flanked by CSSM42 and TGLA226. This gene locus, which has the characteristics of a type I and type II mapping locus, represents the first localisation of this gene in any species to date.
In most organisms, biological variability rests on the behaviour of the chromosomes in the meiotic context. Despite the importance of meiosis, very little is known about the meiotic behaviour of the
...Eimeria chromosomes. The aim of the present study is to describe the standard synaptonemal complex karyotype from
Eimeria tenella oocyst spreads by electron microscopy. For that purpose, complete sets of pachytene synaptonemal complexes were obtained and the morphological pachytene karyotype was determined. The authors used a previously reported method that overcomes the difficulty of the extreme resistance of protozoan oocysts to disruption and permits the release of intact meiotic chromosomes. The chromosomes were selected under a light microscope and those selected were stained with phosphotungtic acid and studied by transmission electron microscopy. The authors confirmed 14 chromosomes, which were observed as synaptonemal complexes, and the karyotype was constructed by arranging synaptonemal complexes according to their relative lengths and kinetochore position. Components of the synaptonemal complex, lateral elements, central element, recombination nodules and kinetochore were observed. Measures of the kynetochore, width of the synaptonemal complex, diameter of the recombination nodule and length of the telomeres are given. Minimal and no significant differences were found between measures of chromosomes isolated from different
Eimeria tenella strains. To the best of our knowledge, the present investigation for the first time identifies and describes the morphological characteristics of the synaptonemal complex of
Eimeria tenella during the meiosis that occurs within the oocysts. In addition, the authors provide evidence of the presence of recombination nodules, suggesting that the recombination process may play an important role in the molecular evolution of this parasite.
We report on the nonlinear optical absorption of InN films deposited on GaN templates by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. The layers are characterized through the pump-probe technique at 1.55 μm, by ...obtaining a nonlinear absorption coefficient of 167±30 cm/GW with a nonlinear response recovery time of 380 fs. This nonlinear behavior is attributed to a two-photon absorption process followed by a free carrier absorption by the photogenerated carriers. These results render InN films deposited by RF sputtering particularly suitable for ultrafast all-optical devices based on low-cost technology.
The authors have designed and developed a telemedicine-based service for the follow-up and monitoring of patients on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) that consists of two phases; the first involving ...self-testing and the second involving guided self-management. To evaluate the first phase of the protocol, a project was conducted with 108 patients, with a mean age of 72.7 years and a mean treatment time at the start of the study of 55.2 months, divided into two groups: telemedicine and control (conventional procedure). The degree of anticoagulation control was similar in the two groups: individual in-range international normalized ratios (59.2% vs 61.1%; p = 0.55) and individual time within target range (65.7% vs 66.4%; p = 0.85) showed no significant differences. The incidence of adverse events--death (5.5% vs 5.5%; p = 1.0), major hemorrhagic complications (0% vs 1.8%; p = 1.0), minor hemorrhagic complications (7.4% vs 3.7%; p = 0.67), and thromboembolism (1.8% vs 3.7%; p = 1.0)--was also similar, with no significant differences. Acceptability of the change, measured in terms of quality of life (SF-12 and Sawicki questionnaires) and anxiety (state-trait anxiety inventory questionnaire) at the beginning and end of the study period was higher in the telemedicine group, with statistically significant improvements in mental component summary (3.6 vs -6.2; p = 0.02), dissatisfaction (-0.8 vs 0.2; p = 0.001), stress (-0.3 vs 0.05; p = 0.03), limitations (-0.2 vs 0.3; p = 0.005), social problems (-0.1 vs 0.3; p = 0.03), and state anxiety (-2.5 vs 2.3; p = 0.04). Parameters related to costs, such as the mean number per patient of office visits due to OAT (1.7 vs 13.8; p < 0.001) and other office visits (10.1 vs 11.5; p = 0.028), were also more favorable in the telemedicine group, as were additional parameters that enabled an exhaustive evaluation of the service. The positive results obtained indicate that the second phase of the trial can be initiated.
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