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To report the signalment, indications for surgery, postoperative complications and medium-/long-term outcomes in dogs undergoing partial penile amputation.Retrospective case series. The electronic medical records of a single small animal referral hospital were searched between January 2014 and January 2021 for dogs that underwent a partial penile amputation. Data collected included signalment, presenting clinical signs, indication for partial penile amputation, surgical technique, postoperative complications and outcome.Ten dogs were included in the study. Indications for surgery were treatment of preputial neoplasia (n=5), penile neoplasia (n=1), idiopathic paraphimosis (n=3) and chronic urethritis (n=1). Five of five preputial tumours were cutaneous mast cell tumours, and the penile tumour was a squamous cell carcinoma. All dogs recovered uneventfully from surgery with a median postoperative hospitalisation time of 28.8 hours. Two of the three dogs treated for paraphimosis had major postoperative complications requiring further resection of the tip of the penis at 2 weeks and 24 months. Four dogs had minor complications managed without surgical intervention. The outcome was good to excellent in nine of nine dogs for which medium- or long-term follow-up data were available.In this group of dogs, partial penile amputation, performed with or without concurrent resection of the prepuce, was a well-tolerated surgical procedure with low intraoperative and postoperative complication rates and good functional outcomes. Partial penile amputation should be considered for conditions affecting the distal penis and prepuce.

Background and purpose: The nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) receptor (NOP) is a member of the opioid receptor family and is involved in a number of physiological responses, pain and immune regulation as examples. In this study, we conjugated a red fluorophore-ATTO594 to the peptide ligand N/OFQ (N/OFQATTO594 ) for the NOP receptor and explored NOP receptor function at high (in recombinant systems) and low (on immune cells) expression. Experimental approach: We assessed N/OFQATTO594 receptor binding, selectivity and functional activity in recombinant (CHO) cell lines. Live cell N/OFQATTO594 binding was measured in (i) HEK cells expressing NOP and NOPGFP receptors, (ii) CHO cells expressing the hNOPGαqi5 chimera (to force coupling to measurable Ca2+ responses) and (iii) freshly isolated human polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). Key results: N/OFQATTO594 bound to NOP receptor with nM affinity and high selectivity. N/OFQATTO594 activated NOP receptor by reducing cAMP formation and increasing Ca2+ levels in CHOhNOPGαqi5 cells. N/OFQATTO594 was also able to visualize NOP receptors at low expression levels on PMN cells. In NOP-GFP-tagged receptors, N/OFQATTO594 was used in a FRET protocol where GFP emission activated ATTO, visualizing ligand-receptor interaction. When the NOPGFP receptor is activated by N/OFQATTO594 , movement of ligand and receptor from the cell surface to the cytosol can be measured. Conclusions and implications: In the absence of validated NOP receptor antibodies and issues surrounding the use of radiolabels (especially in low expression systems), these data indicate the utility of N/OFQATTO594 to study a wide range of N/OFQ-driven cellular responses.

Objectives The objectives of this study were to: (1) document the incidence of surgical site dehiscence after full-thickness gastrointestinal biopsy in dogs and cats and (2) identify potential risk factors. Methods Data relating to dogs and cats undergoing full-thickness gastrointestinal biopsy were reviewed retrospectively following submission of a completed questionnaire by 12 referral institutions. Outcome measures were definite dehiscence, possible dehiscence (clinical records suggestive of dehiscence but not confirmed), suspected dehiscence (definite and possible combined) and death within 14 days. Logistic regression was planned for analysis of association of dehiscence with low preoperative serum albumin, biopsy through neoplastic tissue, biopsy alongside another major abdominal surgical procedure and biopsy of the colon. Results Of 172 cats, two (1·2%) had definite dehiscence, and four (2·3%) had possible dehiscence. Low preoperative serum albumin was significantly associated with definite dehiscence in univariable analysis and with suspected dehiscence and death within 14 days in univariable analysis, but all odds ratios had wide 95% confidence intervals. A histopathological diagnosis of neoplasia was significantly associated with death within 14 days in univariable analysis. Of 195 dogs, two (1·0%) had definite dehiscence, and three (1·5%) had possible dehiscence. In dogs, there was no association between any outcome measure and the putative risk factors. Clinical Significance Incidence of dehiscence following full-thickness gastrointestinal biopsy was low in this study. When determining the appropriateness of biopsy in individual cases, this information should be balanced against the potentially life-threatening consequences of dehiscence.

Nitrogen (N) transformations and fluxes at the sediment-water interface (SWI) were measured in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain, to clarify the role of N in cyanobacterial blooms in temperate, eutrophic lakes. N sources (e.g., N fixation and tributary inputs), sinks (e.g., denitrification/anammox), and internal “links” (e.g., dissimilatory NO3− reduction to NH4+; DNRA) were evaluated at a river discharge (PRM) and in the central basin (MB). Sediments were a more effective NO3− sink at PRM than MB. Sediments at both sites were a net NH4+ source to the water column, but DNRA was not a consistent NH4+ regeneration pathway. Net N2 production at PRM in summer reversed to net N2 consumption/fixation in fall. MB sediments produced N2 at lower rates than PRM; these rates also reversed late in the season. Denitrification was limited by NO3−, especially at MB, and anammox may have contributed up to 10% of total N2 production. Sediment N2 fixation occurred simultaneously with denitrification throughout the ice-free season and, on average, compensated 25–30% of total microbial N losses. A bottom-water hypoxia event at MB in early July 2009 altered the N cycle, with lower actual denitrification rates and higher NH4+ effluxes (not from DNRA), while phosphorus (P) flux was unaffected. The hypoxia-altered N transformation pathways enhanced N bioavailability (but not P) and may have contributed to a non-N-fixing cyanobacterial bloom (Microcystis) observed 5 d later. A preliminary N budget incorporating sediment and water column sources and sinks and external loads suggested an ecosystem-wide N deficit.

Background and Purpose An innovative chemical approach, named peptide welding technology (PWT), allows the synthesis of multibranched peptides with extraordinary high yield, purity and reproducibility. With this approach, three different tetrabranched derivatives of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) have been synthesized and named PWT1-N/OFQ, PWT2-N/OFQ and PWT3-N/OFQ. In the present study we investigated the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological profile of PWT N/OFQ derivatives and compared their actions with those of the naturally occurring peptide. Experimental Approach The following in vitro assays were used: receptor and [35S]-GTPγS binding, calcium mobilization in cells expressing the human N/OFQ peptide (NOP) receptor, or classical opioid receptors and chimeric G proteins, electrically stimulated mouse vas deferens bioassay. In vivo experiments were performed; locomotor activity was measured in normal mice and in animals with the NOP receptor gene knocked out [NOP(−/−)]. Key Results In vitro PWT derivatives of N/OFQ behaved as high affinity potent and rather selective full agonists at human recombinant and animal native NOP receptors. In vivo PWT derivatives mimicked the inhibitory effects exerted by the natural peptide on locomotor activity showing 40-fold higher potency and extremely longer lasting action. The effects of PWT2-N/OFQ were no longer evident in NOP(−/−) mice. Conclusions and Implications The results showed that the PWT can be successfully applied to the peptide sequence of N/OFQ to generate tetrabranched derivatives characterized by a pharmacological profile similar to the native peptide and associated with a higher potency and marked prolongation of action in vivo.

The applications of in vivo probes that can detect the fluorescence of cyanobacterial phycocyanin are emerging and widely used for cyanobacterial detection in source waters. The objectives of this project were to study the sources of interferences involved with the readings of five probes (three commercially available probes and two prototype probes) using laboratory cultures and field samples. To compare the direct readings of different probes, the probe readings were presented in the form of a biovolume equivalent of cyanobacteria. Inorganic turbidity and the presence of algal biomass interfered with probe readings. A correction factor was developed for the cyanobacteria probes using simultaneous chlorophyll a measurements. The field data demonstrate that the potential underestimation of cyanobacterial biomass that corresponds to alert levels is a major issue with the application of in vivo probes. These alert levels are used to trigger monitoring and management actions. This study shows that the correlation between a probe’s reading and cell count is almost meaningless, and that the correlation to biovolume is a relevant option for management purposes. Results show that probe users should be fully aware of the sources of interferences when applying and interpreting the results. In addition, the authors offer a novel procedure that corrects for chlorophyll a interference.

Worldwide, small lakes (

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolosz.) Seenayya et Subba Raju is a planktonic filamentous cyanobacterium whose sudden worldwide proliferation and ability to produce toxins are a reason for concern. In this paper, we suggest that its ecological dominance might be explained by antagonistic interaction with other phytoplankton species due to production of allelopathic metabolites. To test this hypothesis, experiments were run with exudates of natural phytoplankton and C. raciborskii strains isolated from Lagoa Santa, a small natural lake in southeastern Brazil, where this species has become dominant in recent years. The exudates were added to different algal species obtained from the same environment and maintained in culture. After 24 h incubation, PAM fluorometry was used to compare control and treatment photosynthetic responses (relative electron transport rate) to the dissolved extracellular products. Results indicate that most of the target species were sensitive to C. raciborskii exudates, which showed strong inhibitory effects on their photosynthetic activities. These results provide evidence that allelopathy may offer a competitive benefit to C. raciborskii and contribute to its stable dominance in Lagoa Santa. A potential allelopathic advantage could also help to explain the geographic expansion of this species at midlatitudes.

The goal of this article is to describe differences between the written examinations required for dental licensure in Japan and in the United States. Candidate guides, old exams, and other published data pertaining to the Japan National Examination for Dentists (NED) and the U.S. National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) were used. Dental education in Japan consists of a six-year program following high school graduation. The U.S. counterpart is usually a four-year program following a bachelor’s degree. The NED, which is made up of 330 questions, is a single, all-important gatekeeper test that immediately grants licensure to practice dentistry throughout Japan. The NED contains no evaluation of technical skills; it is purely a written exam. By contrast, in the United States, the NBDE Parts I and II, which consist of 900 questions, are only components of a three-step licensure process. An additional state or regional board examination on technical skills is required to obtain licensure to practice. There are 400 basic science questions on the NBDE Part I, while the NED has thirty. In terms of cognitive level, questions on the NED place more emphasis on recall, while those on the NBDE Part II are more focused on problem solving. The outcomes of this comparison provide dental educators with comparisons of the licensure examination process for Japanese and U.S. dentists.

An understanding of international dental education systems is critical for the education of foreign-trained dentists in U.S. dental programs. However, there is little information on this topic. This article provides information regarding 1) dental history, 2) dental school system, 3) curriculum/examination at dental school, and 4) dental licensure in India and Japan. There are 185 dental schools in India and twenty-nine in Japan. The number of first-year dental students is 12,872 and 2,647 in India and Japan, respectively. A five-year dental education, which includes 4,035 curriculum hours, leads to the B.D.S. degree in India, whereas a six-year dental education program, which includes 5,060 curriculum hours, leads to the D.D.S. degree in Japan. No undergraduate predental study is needed prior to entry into dental school in both countries. In India, the entrance examination is extremely competitive; however, there is no nationwide licensure examination. In Japan, dental schools use more sophisticated dental materials and equipment in the clinical phases of the curriculum than in India, but there is no clinical examination at the time of graduation. Several implications for U.S. dental programs for foreign-trained dentists with respect to screening applicants and curriculum development are discussed.

The University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry wanted to determine if a predental school manual dexterity test predicts: 1) subsequent grades in preclinical restorative courses, and 2) faculty perceptions of satisfactory performance in these skills that would indicate the student is ready to advance to the clinic. The study population was comprised of all 244 applicants admitted to UCSF School of Dentistry's D.D.S. program from Classes of 2000 to 2002 and who matriculated into the program. The manual dexterity test (MDT) consisted of a two-hour block-carving test. Three preclinical faculty, three clinical faculty, and two basic science faculty graded the blocks. Even after instruction and calibration, faculty varied greatly in their grading (intra-rater reliability kappa statistics ranging from 0.34 to 1.00). Two of three preclinical raters gave No Passes for the MDT in 9.8 percent of the incoming, first-year dental students. Of these twenty-three students, only four (17 percent) were in the lower 10 percent of their classes according to their five preclinical restorative laboratory courses after two years, and four (33 percent) were among the twelve students the three preclinical laboratory directors identified as laboratory cautions. The MDT did not significantly (p=0.342) predict students in the bottom 10 percent after five restorative preclinical laboratory courses, above and beyond current admissions criteria. Among current admissions criteria, PAT score was the only item at least moderately correlated with preclinical average percentile class rank (Spearman correlation = 0.34). In conclusion, the MDT did not appear to add information to the current admissions criteria.

Ultraviolet-B (UVB, 280‐320 nm) radiation is a natural component of sunlight that harms organisms and disturbs natural communities in surface waters. A natural planktonic assemblage of organisms (,240 mm) was studied in a mesocosm experiment for 7 d under varying conditions of UVB radiation: UVB excluded, natural radiation, and UVB enhanced at two different levels. The dynamics of several populations at different trophic levels comprising heterotrophic bacteria (,1 mm), heterotrophic flagellates (2‐10 mm), small phytoplankton (,5 mm), large phytoplankton (5‐20 mm), and ciliates (15‐35 mm) were monitored during the experiment. Enhanced UVB provoked a significant decrease in the number of ciliates (66%) and large phytoplankton (63%) relative to natural UVB conditions. The severe effects of UVB radiation on ciliates and large phytoplankton communities shown here would strongly limit upward transfer of mass and energy. The decline of predator abundance (ciliates) under UVB stress relative to natural conditions resulted in a positive feedback between enhanced UVB radiation and prey abundances, shown by increased abundances of bacteria (49%), heterotrophic flagellates (up to 300%), and small phytoplankton (41%). Similarly, with respect to carbon partitioning, the decrease in ciliate and diatom carbon biomass (64 and 56%, respectively) under enhanced UVB exposure was balanced by an increase in the carbon biomass of heterotrophic bacteria (48%), heterotrophic flagellates (126%), and autotrophic flagellates (162%). As a manifestation of enhanced UVB at the community level, the ecosystem develops toward a microbial food web in preference to an herbivorous food web. Thus, enhanced UVB radiation can change the structure and dynamics of the pelagic food web.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of liquid oral dietary supplements among nursing home residents who were eating poorly and losing weight. DESIGN: A prospective, descriptive, anthropological study. SETTING: Two proprietary nursing homes with 105 and 138 beds. PARTICIPANTS: Purposive sampling was used to select 40 residents from among the 100 residents who were not eating well. Dietary data were collected on this sub-sample of 40 residents. MEASUREMENTS: Participant observation, in-depth interviews, event analysis, bedside dysphagia screenings, oral health examinations, body weight, body mass index (BMI), and chart review were used to collect data. Dietary data were collected over a 3-day period, and data were gathered on how supplements were ordered, served, and consumed. RESULTS: Supplements had been ordered for 29 of the subsample of 40 residents. Only nine of 29 residents were served the correct number and type of supplements as ordered by their physicians, and only two residents consumed the full amount of supplement as ordered. The overall mean percentage of supplement consumed compared with that ordered was 55.1%. Although supplements were ordered primarily to prevent weight loss and to facilitate weight gain, nearly half (n = 14) of the residents continued to lose weight. Supplements were ordered without investigating the underlying factors contributing to weight loss, such as inadequate staffing and lack of supervision at mealtime, undiagnosed dysphagia, and poor oral health. Without evaluation of these factors, it is unknown which residents might benefit from oral supplements. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that supplements were used nonspecifically as an intervention for weight loss in nursing home residents without regard to dose, diagnosis and management of underlying problem(s), amount of supplement consumed, and outcome. Further research is needed to establish when supplements should be ordered, how to ensure that they will be taken, and whether they are effective.

— Active oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide are produced as a result of UV radiation interaction with natural organic matter and can build up to high concentrations in many aquatic environments. Although the resulting oxidizing potential may affect biological materials and processes, the ecological effects have not yet been studied in any detail. We examined the influence of hydrogen peroxide exposure on phytoplankton and bacterioplankton production in Lac Cromwell, a small humic lake in the Laurentian Hills (Quebec, Canada). A range of hydrogen peroxide concentrations were added to natural samples that were incubated in situ; results indicate that even small amounts of added hydrogen peroxide (50 nM inhibited bacterial production in this lake. A 100 nM addition inhibited bacteria by as much as 40%. On the other hand, low concentrations of added hydrogen peroxide usually stimulated photosynthesis. Catalase addition to eliminate hydrogen peroxide from water usually stimulated bacterial production but had no effect on algal carbon fixation. If these results represent true changes in growth rate, they indicate very different sensitivities of phytoplankton and bacteria to oxidative stress.

We have developed a protocol for the cytometric enumeration of bacterioplankton in lakes with the nucleic acid stain SYTO 13; our protocol can be used with any standard bench-top flow cytometer equipped with an argon laser with excitation at 488 nm. The protocol performs well in the range of bacterial densities from 10 5 to 10 6 ml -1 . Estimates of bacterial abundance using the cytometric technique ranged from 72 to 141% of the epifluorescence estimates with DAPI staining. The average C.V. of replicate cytometric counts was 2.4%, and the average C.V. for cytometric counts in replicate water samples was 6.7%. The precision of cytometric counts was 10-fold higher than corresponding epifluorescence bacterial counts, and the sample processing time is decreased by 10-15-fold relative to the epifluorescence technique. This cytometric protocol can be applied to samples from a wide variety of lakes and offers an accurate, precise, and fast alternative to standard epifluorescence bacterial counts.

Many nursing home residents have poor oral health and are in need of treatment. A major barrier to pre viding care is the difficulty of examining cognitively impaired elders. In two research studies, 625 exams were conducted on 181 nursing home residents, the majority of whom suffered severe cognitive impairment. Qualitative data collected during the course of these two studies revealed strategies that permitted examiners to conduct the examinations successfully, including developing rapport with the residents, providing a quiet environment, and enlisting the help of the primary caregiver. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among health professionals, especially dentists and nurses, is discussed.

A recently developed method for enumerating aquatic viruses (Yo-Pro stained) was modified to reduce staining time and allow counting of fixed samples. Marine and freshwater virus samples to be enumerated were stained with the cyanine-based dye Yo-Pro-1 by using microwave irradiation, which reduced incubation time from 48 h to 4 min. The modified method and the original protocol yielded similar viral estimates. Easier sample handling and the addition of fixed-sample capability should allow epifluorescence counting of viruses to become a routine part of field studies of viral ecology.

Simultaneous measurements of inorganic carbon fixation and phagotrophic particle uptake by Dinobryon in a metalimnetic algal abundance peak showed that this alga depended more strongly on ingested bacteria for nutrition than on photosynthesis. Measurements of the grazing rate at different depths in Lac Gilbert, Quebec, showed that the particle ingestion rate depends on water temperature rather than light availability. Phagocytosis of bacteria proceeded at a similar rate both day and night in most lakes where Dinobryon was found. Since other chrysomonad genera (Chlsophaerella, Uroglena, Catenochrysis, Ochromonas, Chromulina, and Chrysococcus) were also found to ingest particles, it will not be possible to estimate grazing on bacteria by counting nonpigmented cells and ignoring those containing chlorophyll. In oligotrophic Lac Bowker, 30% of the phytoplankton cells were actively ingesting small particles, and it was these phytoplankton and not the less numerous zooplankton that were responsible for most bacterial grazing in the lake. Phagotrophy by algae appears to be an important but unexpected pathway for energy flow in lakes. The flagellated Chrysophyceae, or chrysomonads, bear affinities to both plants and animals and have been claimed for study by zoologists as well as by botanists (Allen 1969). Coexistence of autoand heterotrophy in the chrysomonads and the widespread tendency toward complete loss of chlorophyll have fostered the suggestion that these algae may model progenitors of the Metazoa (Provasoli and Pintner 1953). The diversity and versatility of the group are strongly expressed in the genus Uchromonas, which is capable of phagotrophy, heterotrophy, photoheterotrophy, and photoautotrophy (Pringsheim 19 5 5; Aaronson and Baker 1959). However, Ochromonas is ’ This work was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada operating grant to J. Kalff and an NSERC postgraduate scholarship to D. Bird. A contribution to the McGill Limnology Research Centre, Lake Memphremagog Project. one of only a few chrysomonads to have been studied extensively in the laboratory, and the nutritional capabilities of other chrysomonads are virtually unknown, especially in their natural setting. Pascher (1943) observed under the microscope that the colonial chrysophycean alga Dinobryon could capture and digest small particles, and thus concluded that at least some part of this alga’s nutrition was heterotrophic. This unusual phagotrophic ability was not studied further until the recent discovery that several Dinobryon spp. are not only phagotrophic in nature, but can be major grazers of bacteria in lakes (Bird and Kalff 1986). Here we present further work on four different aspects of the capabilities of this alga: first, the relative importance of bacterivory and photosynthetic carbon fixation to Dinobryon’s nutrition; second, a comparison of day and night grazing rates; third, the relationship of grazing

Evidence is provided for the importance of phagocytosis to mixotrophic chrysophycean algae and to the phytoplankton community as a whole. First, we confirmed the major assumption of past work that the constituents of ingested particles are incorporated efficiently into algal tissue. Cells of the phagotrophic chrysomonad Dinobryon sertularia collected from Lac Gilbert, Quebec, incorporated carbon from radiolabeled bacterial prey with 54% efficiency (95% C.L. = 40-79%) over a 5-h period. When removed from labeled bacteria, the loss of previously incorporated label from Dinobryon was undetectable over a 4-h period. We conclude that this alga’s quantitative utilization of prey tissue is indistinguishable from that of purely heterotrophic organisms. Second, simultaneous measurements were made of phagotrophic feeding and photosynthesis within a highly concentrated layer of chrysomonads (Dinobryon and Ochromonas) in the metalimnion of Lac Gilbert on 3-4 July 1986. Chrysomonad abundance ranged from 300 cells ml-’ at 6 m, to 9,000 at 7 m, and back to < 100 at 9 m. At the 7-m peak, phagotrophy accounted for 79% of algal community carbon assimilation on this overcast day.