Noncitrated blood transfusions used as adjunctive treatment in a 7-year-old Shetland Pony with haemoperitoneum due to a ruptured corpus haemorrhagicum

Chronic bleeding due to extensive haemorrhage from a ruptured corpus haemorrhagicum developed 2–4 weeks after parturition and was identified as the cause for a haemoperitoneum in a 7-year-old Shetland Pony mare, leading to anaemia. Diagnosis was made upon exploratory coeliotomy and a unilateral ovariectomy was performed. Intra- and post operatively, the mare received autologous blood transfusions of noncitrated blood. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an autologous blood transfusion accomplished using noncitrated blood collected from the abdominal cavity.

Exposure to stallion accelerates the onset of mares' cyclicity.

Horses (Equus caballus) belong to the group of seasonally polyestrous mammals. Estrous cycles typically start with increasing daylight length after winter, but mares can differ greatly in the timing of onset of regular estrus cycles. Here, we test whether spatial proximity to a stallion also plays a role. Twenty-two anestrous mares were either exposed to one of two stallions (without direct physical contact) or not exposed (controls) under experimental conditions during two consecutive springs (February to April). Ovarian activity was monitored via transrectal ultrasound and stallion's direct contact time with each mare was determined three times per week for one hour each. We found that mares exposed to a stallion ovulated earlier and more often during the observational period than mares that were not exposed to stallions. Neither stallion identity nor direct contact time, mare age, body condition, size of her largest follicle at the onset of the experiment, or parasite burden significantly affected the onset of cyclicity. In conclusion, the timing of estrous cycles and cycle frequency, i.e., crucial aspects of female reproductive strategy, strongly depend on how the mares perceive their social environment. Exposing mares to the proximity of a stallion can therefore be an alternative to, for example, light programs or elaborated hormonal therapies to start the breeding season earlier and increase the number of estrous cycles in horses.

Ultrastructural mitochondrial alterations in Equine myopathies of unknown origin.

Background: Very few mitochondrial myopathies have been described in horses. Objective: To examine the ultrastructure of muscle mitochondria in equine cases of myopathy of unknown origin. Materials & methods: Biopsies of vastus lateralis of the Musculus quadriceps femoris were taken predominantly immediately post mortem and processed for transmission electron microscopy. As a result, electron micrographs of 90 horses in total were available for analysis comprising 4 control horses, 16 horses suffering from myopathy and 70 otherwise diseased horses. Results: Following a thorough clinical and laboratory work-up, four out of five patients that did not fit into the usual algorithm to detect known causes of myopathy showed ultrastructural mitochondrial alterations. Small mitochondria with zones with complete disruption of cristae associated with lactic acidemia were detected in a 17-year-old pony mare, extremely long and slender mitochondria with longitudinal cristae in a 5-year-old Quarter horse stallion, a mixture of irregular extremely large mitochondria (measuring 2500 by 800 nm) next to smaller ones in an 8-year-old Hanoverian mare and round mitochondria with only few cristae in a 11-year-old pony gelding. It remains uncertain whether the subsarcolemmal mitochondrial accumulations observed in the fifth patient have any pathological significance. Conclusions: Ultrastructural alterations in mitochondria were detected in at least four horses. To conclude that these are due to mitochondrial dysfuntions, biochemical tests should be performed. Practical applications: The possibility of a mitochondrial myopathy should be included in the differential diagnosis of muscle weakness.

Effects of ground semen collection on weight bearing on hindquarters, libido, and semen parameters in stallions

Collection of semen on the ground from the standing stallion represents an alternative method to dummy mount semen collection and is of increasing popularity for sport stallions, males suffering from health problems, or in studs without a dummy or suitable mare at disposal. Our aim was to collect and compare spermatological and physiological data associated with traditional and ground semen collection. Twelve of 23 Franches-Montagnes stallions were selected to carry out semen collection on a dummy and while standing in a crossed experimental protocol. Semen quantity and quality parameters, weight bearing on hindquarters, and behavioral and libido data were recorded. Ground versus dummy mount semen collection was accompanied by lower seminal volume (15.9 ± 14.6 vs. 22.0 ± 13.3 mL; P < 0.01) and lower total sperm count (4.913 ± 2.721 × 10(9) vs. 6.544 ± 2.856 × 10(9) sperm; P < 0.001). No significant differences were found concerning sperm motility and viability. Time to ejaculation was longer, and the number of attempts to ejaculation was higher (P = 0.053) in the standing position compared with the mount on the dummy. A higher (P < 0.01) amount of tail flagging was manifested by the stallions during ejaculation on the dummy compared to when standing. There was no difference in weight bearing on hindquarters when comparing dummy collection (51.2 ± 2.5%) and standing collection (48.9 ± 5.5%). Ground semen collection can be considered as a viable option for stallions that cannot mount a dummy or a mare. However, it requires training and may be not easily accepted by all stallions. Owners should be advised that ground semen collection is associated with significantly lower sperm numbers than with dummy mount semen collection.

Human graft-derived mesenchymal stromal cells potently suppress alloreactive T-cell responses

After organ transplantation, recipient T cells contribute to graft rejection. Mesenchymal stromal cells from the bone marrow (BM-MSCs) are known to suppress allogeneic T-cell responses, suggesting a possible clinical application of MSCs in organ transplantation. Human liver grafts harbor resident populations of MSCs (L-MSCs). We aimed to determine the immunosuppressive effects of these graft-derived MSCs on allogeneic T-cell responses and to compare these with the effects of BM-MSCs. BM-MSCs were harvested from aspirates and L-MSCs from liver graft perfusates. We cultured them for 21 days and compared their suppressive effects with the effects of BM-MSCs on allogeneic T-cell responses. Proliferation, cytotoxic degranulation, and interferon-gamma production of alloreactive T cells were more potently suppressed by L-MSCs than BM-MSCs. Suppression was mediated by both cell-cell contact and secreted factors. In addition, L-MSCs showed ex vivo a higher expression of PD-L1 than BM-MSCs, which was associated with inhibition of T-cell proliferation and cytotoxic degranulation in vitro. Blocking PD-L1 partly abrogated the inhibition of cytotoxic degranulation by L-MSCs. In addition, blocking indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase partly abrogated the inhibitive effects of L-MSCs, but not BM-MSCs, on T-cell proliferation. In conclusion, liver graft-derived MSC suppression of allogeneic T-cell responses is stronger than BM-MSCs, which may be related to in situ priming and mobilization from the graft. These graft-derived MSCs may therefore be relevant in transplantation by promoting allohyporesponsiveness.

DNA-based analysis of protein variants reveals different genetic variability of the paralogous equine ß-lactoglobulin genes LGB1 and LGB2

The genetic variability of milk protein genes may influence the nutritive value or processing and functional properties of the milk. While numerous protein variants are known in ruminants, knowledge about milk protein variability in horses is still limited. Mare's milk is, however, produced for human consumption in many countries. Beta-lactoglobulin belonging to the protein family of lipocalins, which are known as common food- and airborne allergens, is a major whey protein. It is absent from human milk and thus a key agent in provoking cow's milk protein allergy. Mare's milk is, however, usually better tolerated by most affected people. Several functions of β-lactoglobulin have been discussed, but its ultimate physiological role remains unclear. In the current study, the open reading frames of the two equine β-lactoglobulin paralogues LGB1 and LGB2 were re-sequenced in 249 horses belonging to 14 different breeds in order to predict the existence of protein variants at the DNA-level. Thereby, only a single signal peptide variant of LGB1, but 10 different putative protein variants of LGB2 were identified. In horses, both genes are expressed and in such this is a striking previously unknown difference in genetic variability between the two genes. It can be assumed that LGB1 is the ancestral paralogue, which has an essential function causing a high selection pressure. As horses have very low milk fat content this unknown function might well be related to vitamin-uptake. Further studies are, however, needed, to elucidate the properties of the different gene products.

Plantae Lehmannianae in Guatemala, Costa-Rica, Columbia, Ecuador etc. collectae: Leguminosae

Auctore Mare Micheli

Integrated Data Sets of the EU FP5 Research Project ORFOIS: Origin and fate of biogenic particle fluxes in the ocean and their interactions with atmospheric CO2 concentrations as well as the marine sediment

For a reliable simulation of the time and space dependent CO2 redistribution between ocean and atmosphere an appropriate time dependent simulation of particle dynamics processes is essential but has not been carried out so far. The major difficulties were the lack of suitable modules for particle dynamics and early diagenesis (in order to close the carbon and nutrient budget) in ocean general circulation models, and the lack of an understanding of biogeochemical processes, such as the partial dissolution of calcareous particles in oversaturated water. The main target of ORFOIS was to fill in this gap in our knowledge and prediction capability infrastructure. This goal has been achieved step by step. At first comprehensive data bases (already existing data) of observations of relevance for the three major types of biogenic particles, organic carbon (POC), calcium carbonate (CaCO3), and biogenic silica (BSi or opal), as well as for refractory particles of terrestrial origin were collated and made publicly available.

Abundance and biomass of zooplankton from 1986-1994 collected in front of Constanta city, Black Sea

The Est Constanta 1986-1994 dataset contains zooplankton data collected allong a 5 station transect in front of the city Constanta (44°10'N, 28°41.5'E - EC1; 44°10'N, 28°47'E - EC2; 44°10'N, 28°54'E - EC3; 44°10'N, 29°08'E - EC4; 44°10'N, 29°22'E - EC5). Zooplankton sampling was undertaken at 5 stations where samples were collected using a Juday closing net in the 0-10, 10-25, 25-50m layer (depending also on the water masses). The dataset includes samples analysed for mesozooplankton species composition and abundance. Sampling volume was estimated by multiplying the mouth area with the wire length. Taxon-specific mesozooplankton abundance was count under microscope. Total abundance is the sum of the counted individuals. Total biomass Fodder, Rotifera , Ctenophora and Noctiluca was estimated using a tabel with wet weight for each species an stage.

Abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton from the Romanian littoral during DANUBS_2002 in spring and autumn 2002

The Danubs 2002 dataset contains zooplankton data collected in April, June,September and October 2002 in 11 station allong 5 transect in front of the Romanian littoral. Zooplankton sampling was undertaken at 11 stations where samples were collected using a Juday closing net in the 0-10, 10-25, and 25-50m layer (depending also on the water masses). The dataset includes samples analysed for mesozooplankton species composition and abundance. Sampling volume was estimated by multiplying the mouth area with the wire length. Taxon-specific mesozooplankton abundance was count under microscope. Total abundance is the sum of the counted individuals. Total biomass Fodder, Rotifera , Ctenophora and Noctiluca was estimated using a tabel with wet weight for each species an stage.

25 Years of Polarstern Hydrography (1982-2007)

Since her commissioning in 1982 RV Polarstern has been operating in the Arctic and Antarctic to carry out scientific research. Between November and March she usually sails to and around the waters of the Antarctic, while the northern summer months are spent in Arctic waters. But also during transits between Bremerhaven and South Africa or South America long-term observations have regularly been performed by using a.o. XBT (Expendable Bathythermograph), CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), and Thermosalinograph which are standard instruments to carry out hydrographic measurements and are part of the standard instrumentation on board Polarstern. This report presents XBT and CTD profiles as well as sea surface temperature and salinity data recorded with Thermosalinograph during Polarstern cruises. In the framework of physical oceanographic studies the measurements were performed as part of international projects (e.g. like WOCE) or to support multidisciplinary studies.

25 Years of Polarstern Meteorology

The most important tool in Germany's polar research program is the research and supply vessel Polarstern. The ship was commissioned in 1982, the maiden voyage started at the end of 1982. The owner of the ship is the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany. Within the last 25 years Polarstern performed a total of 44 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. The ship is well equipped for meteorological research as well as for routine meteorological services. The meteorological office is permanently manned with a weather technician/- observer from the German Weather Service (DWD) who performs the routine 3-hourly synoptic observations and the daily upper air soundings. Additionally, a weather forecaster is responsible to advice the ships captain as well as the helicopter pilots and all scientists in any weather related question. The forecaster gets assistance from the weather technician who performs the satellite picture reception and manages the near real time data flow.

Abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton from the Romanian littoral during DANUBS_2000 in spring and autumn 2000

The Danubs 2000 dataset contains zooplankton data collected in April, June. October and November 2000 in 11 station allong 5 transect in front of the Romanian littoral. Zooplankton sampling was undertaken at 11 stations where samples were collected using a Juday closing net in the 0-10, 10-25, and 25-50m layer (depending also on the water masses). The dataset includes samples analysed for mesozooplankton species composition and abundance. Sampling volume was estimated by multiplying the mouth area with the wire length. Taxon-specific mesozooplankton abundance was count under microscope. Total abundance is the sum of the counted individuals. Total biomass Fodder, Rotifera , Ctenophora and Noctiluca was estimated using a tabel with wet weight for each species an stage.