scholarly journals Development and Genetic Characteristics of the Selkirk Rex Cats

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Min Wang

The Selkirk Rex is one of the four curly cats and is the latest in a long line of natural breeds. Naturally occurring cat breeds, unlike those that have been bred in captivity, appear without any human involvement.

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prouteau ◽  
André

Despite recent genetic advances and numerous ongoing therapeutic trials, malignant melanoma remains fatal, and prognostic factors as well as more efficient treatments are needed. The development of such research strongly depends on the availability of appropriate models recapitulating all the features of human melanoma. The concept of comparative oncology, with the use of spontaneous canine models has recently acquired a unique value as a translational model. Canine malignant melanomas are naturally occurring cancers presenting striking homologies with human melanomas. As for many other cancers, dogs present surprising breed predispositions and higher frequency of certain subtypes per breed. Oral melanomas, which are much more frequent and highly severe in dogs and cutaneous melanomas with severe digital forms or uveal subtypes are subtypes presenting relevant homologies with their human counterparts, thus constituting close models for these human melanoma subtypes. This review addresses how canine and human melanoma subtypes compare based on their epidemiological, clinical, histological, and genetic characteristics, and how comparative oncology approaches can provide insights into rare and poorly characterized melanoma subtypes in humans that are frequent and breed-specific in dogs. We propose canine malignant melanomas as models for rare non-UV-induced human melanomas, especially mucosal melanomas. Naturally affected dogs offer the opportunity to decipher the genetics at both germline and somatic levels and to explore therapeutic options, with the dog entering preclinical trials as human patients, benefiting both dogs and humans.


Most naturally occurring excitable media exhibit vortex waves with circular cores. It has been reported that the spiral wave activity in cardiac muscle may revolve around longitudinal or elliptical cores. Here we demonstrate that spiral wave vortices with cores resembling a long line may result from decreasing a small parameter which affects the recovery time in an isotropic and homogeneous excitable reaction-diffusion model. The model results compare well with experimental data in cardiac muscle.


2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Boza Abarca ◽  
Marvin Ramírez-Alvarado ◽  
Juan Barquero-Chanto ◽  
Emilia Calvo-Vargas ◽  
Karen Berrocal-Artavia

The croakers or drums are commercial species, which have been overfished in the Nicoya Gulf, Costa Rica. This study aimed to describe, for the first time, the reproduction and the ontogeny of weakfish, Cynoscion squamipinnis in captivity, in order to perform restocking and mariculture proyects. Wild fish (n= 6, 1-2 Kg) were captured and maintained in the Estación de Biología Marina Juan Bertoglia Richards (Puntarenas, Costa Rica) for a two years period (October 2006- December 2008). During this period, maturation stage was monitored periodically by cannula samples in the females (n= 3) and gentle massage in males (n= 3). All fish were stocked in an 18 t tank, with aeration, 33-35 ups of salinity, and a constant temperature (29 ± 1 °C). The spawning period occurred from January to March 2009, producing 162 000 eggs in three spontaneous spawns. The fertilization percentage was 50-60%, and survival after hatching was 60-85%. The egg diameter was 0.852 mm (Standard deviation (SD)= 0.039), and oil drop of 0.269 mm (SD= 0.016). In the embryonary development, the first mitotic division (MD) was observed one hour after spawning (has), the second MD was 1:30 has, the third MD was 2:00 has, the fourth MD was 2:30 has, and fifth MD at 3:00 has. Morule was observed 3:30 has, the blastule 4:30 has, the gastrule 8:30 has, C shape at 10:00 has, and C shape at 12:00 has. After 19 has hatching larvae occurred. The total length (TL) of the larvae was 2.234 mm (SD= 0.122), and the nothochordial length (NL) was 2.179 mm (SD= 0.119). Preflexion stage was observed 49 has, flexion stage was 11 days after spawn (das) (3.767 mm LT (SD= 0.209)), and postflexion stage was 14 das (4.015 mm LT (SD= 0.302)). After 45 das, the juvenile weights 3.68 g (SD= 1.09). Hatch time of the weakfish larvae was minor than of others croaker species. The stages times of embrionary development were a little different from others croaker species, and probably respond to genetic characteristics of each species and the eggs incubation temperature. The spontaneously spawning without broodstock hormonal applications, and the juveniles production in captivity showed that weakfish is a potential species for restocking programs and mariculture projects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 2060-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin E O’Brien ◽  
Cécile Bellanger ◽  
Christelle Jozet-Alves ◽  
Nawel Mezrai ◽  
Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq ◽  
...  

Abstract Stress has profound effects on animals, particularly if it occurs during reproduction or embryonic development. The cuttlefish Sepia officinalis is an economically and scientifically important species that is often cultured in captivity. The effects of stressors applied to reproducing females and developing embryos were investigated and compared by measuring the number and quality of eggs produced by females in a typical captive setting with females subjected to stress during egg-laying (confined space and repeated removal from the water) as well as comparing the hatching size and success of embryos subjected to naturally occurring (predator cues) and artificial (random bouts of bright LED light) stressors. Stressed females produced significantly fewer eggs and fewer of those eggs hatched. In addition, nearly a quarter of stressed mothers laid mostly white eggs lacking the dark pigment typical of this species. In contrast to maternal stress, stressors applied directly to embryos had no effect on hatching rate and neither maternal nor embryonic stress was associated with differences in hatching size. Our results suggest that reducing stress during egg-laying can increase aquacultural egg yields in S. officinalis and that the presence of pigment-less (white) eggs is a sign of maternal stress during egg-laying.


Author(s):  
A. W. Fetter ◽  
C. C. Capen

Atrophic rhinitis in swine is a disease of uncertain etiology in which infectious agents, hereditary predisposition, and metabolic disturbances have been reported to be of primary etiologic importance. It shares many similarities, both clinically and pathologically, with ozena in man. The disease is characterized by deformity and reduction in volume of the nasal turbinates. The fundamental cause for the localized lesion of bone in the nasal turbinates has not been established. Reduced osteogenesis, increased resorption related to inflammation of the nasal mucous membrane, and excessive resorption due to osteocytic osteolysis stimulated by hyperparathyroidism have been suggested as possible pathogenetic mechanisms.The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate ultrastructurally bone cells in the nasal turbinates of pigs with experimentally induced atrophic rhinitis, and to compare these findings to those in control pigs of the same age and pigs with the naturally occurring disease, in order to define the fundamental lesion responsible for the progressive reduction in volume of the osseous core.


Author(s):  
W. W. Barker ◽  
W. E. Rigsby ◽  
V. J. Hurst ◽  
W. J. Humphreys

Experimental clay mineral-organic molecule complexes long have been known and some of them have been extensively studied by X-ray diffraction methods. The organic molecules are adsorbed onto the surfaces of the clay minerals, or intercalated between the silicate layers. Natural organo-clays also are widely recognized but generally have not been well characterized. Widely used techniques for clay mineral identification involve treatment of the sample with H2 O2 or other oxidant to destroy any associated organics. This generally simplifies and intensifies the XRD pattern of the clay residue, but helps little with the characterization of the original organoclay. Adequate techniques for the direct observation of synthetic and naturally occurring organoclays are yet to be developed.


Author(s):  
G. M. Hutchins ◽  
J. S. Gardner

Cytokinins are plant hormones that play a large and incompletely understood role in the life-cycle of plants. The goal of this study was to determine what roles cytokinins play in the morphological development of wheat. To achieve any real success in altering the development and growth of wheat, the cytokinins must be applied directly to the apical meristem, or spike of the plant. It is in this region that the plant cells are actively undergoing mitosis. Kinetin and Zeatin were the two cytokinins chosen for this experiment. Kinetin is an artificial hormone that was originally extracted from old or heated DNA. Kinetin is easily made from the reaction of adenine and furfuryl alcohol. Zeatin is a naturally occurring hormone found in corn, wheat, and many other plants.Chinese Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used for this experiment. Prior to planting, the seeds were germinated in a moist environment for 72 hours.


Author(s):  
David R. Veblen

Extended defects and interfaces control many processes in rock-forming minerals, from chemical reactions to rock deformation. In many cases, it is not the average structure of a defect or interface that is most important, but rather the structure of defect terminations or offsets in an interface. One of the major thrusts of high-resolution electron microscopy in the earth sciences has been to identify the role of defect fine structures in reactions and to determine the structures of such features. This paper will review studies using HREM and image simulations to determine the structures of defects in silicate and oxide minerals and present several examples of the role of defects in mineral chemical reactions. In some cases, the geological occurrence can be used to constrain the diffusional properties of defects.The simplest reactions in minerals involve exsolution (precipitation) of one mineral from another with a similar crystal structure, and pyroxenes (single-chain silicates) provide a good example. Although conventional TEM studies have led to a basic understanding of this sort of phase separation in pyroxenes via spinodal decomposition or nucleation and growth, HREM has provided a much more detailed appreciation of the processes involved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 134 (12) ◽  
pp. 1403-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manal Muin Fardoun ◽  
Dina Maaliki ◽  
Nabil Halabi ◽  
Rabah Iratni ◽  
Alessandra Bitto ◽  
...  

Abstract Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables, in addition to beverages such as tea and coffee. Flavonoids are emerging as potent therapeutic agents for cardiovascular as well as metabolic diseases. Several studies corroborated an inverse relationship between flavonoid consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or adipose tissue inflammation (ATI). Flavonoids exert their anti-atherogenic effects by increasing nitric oxide (NO), reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, flavonoids alleviate ATI by decreasing triglyceride and cholesterol levels, as well as by attenuating inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, flavonoids inhibit synthesis of fatty acids and promote their oxidation. In this review, we discuss the effect of the main classes of flavonoids, namely flavones, flavonols, flavanols, flavanones, anthocyanins, and isoflavones, on atherosclerosis and ATI. In addition, we dissect the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of action for these flavonoids. We conclude by supporting the potential benefit for flavonoids in the management or treatment of CVD; yet, we call for more robust clinical studies for safety and pharmacokinetic values.


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