Determining biota succession in a domestic wastewater pond system after treatment with a specific consortium microalgae.

Wastewater stabilization ponds (WSPs) rely on the metabolic activities of the inhabiting microbiota to treat wastewater. A selected consortium of Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella protothecoides were used to manipulate the natural resident microalgae assemblage to improve the treatment performance of a domestic wastewater pond treatment system in a coastal region. Since information is lacking about the resulting influence on the composition or succession of the phytoplankton or associated microbiota assemblage, the current study aimed to determine how dosing with the microalgae C. vulgaris and C. protothecoides change the efficiency of wastewater effluent treatment, as well as the composition and succession of the natural occurring phytoplankton and microbial assemblage throughout WSP system. After a year of specific microalgae inoculations, the effluent in part complied with the standards set by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and the USA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa dominated the sixth (75%) and seventh pond (97%) before the inoculation with C. vulgaris and C. protothecoide commenced. After 12 inoculation events C. vulgaris and C. protothecoides were dominant in ponds three to seven while the dominant microbial groups were Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, Synergistetes and Verrucomicrobia. After the microalgae treatment, the WSP effluent were more compliant regarding to the set guidelines for effluent than prior to microalgae treatment. Based on the ability of the C. vulgaris and C. protothecoides to improve the effluent water quality, it was evident that the consortium of microalgae can be use improve domestic wastewater effluent in rural nutrient sensitive catchments. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-022-00840-z.

131 treatment in dogs with hyperthyroidism caused by a non-resectable ectopic thyroid tumour: 5 cases (2008-2019).

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the clinical and diagnostic characteristics, as well as outcomes of radioiodine treatment in dogs with hyperthyroidism caused by a non-resectable ectopic thyroid tumour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the medical records between 2008 and 2018 of dogs diagnosed with hyperthyroidism secondary to a non-resectable ectopic thyroid tumour and treated with radioiodine. RESULTS: Five dogs were included in the study. Three dogs had sublingual ectopic tumours, of which one also had a unilateral cervical thyroid tumour. The remaining two dogs were diagnosed with an ectopic thyroid tumour at the level of the caudal pharynx and the heart base, respectively. All cases were treated with radioiodine. The size of the ectopic masses decreased after radioiodine treatment. Total thyroxine concentrations returned to reference ranges in all dogs. Further, clinical signs of hyperthyroidism disappeared after treatment in all patients. One dog developed myelosuppression secondary to radioiodine treatment. The dog with metastasis had a very short survival compared to the four dogs without metastasis (3 months compared to 7, 36, 50 and 24 months, respectively) and succumbed most likely to thyroid-related problems. In the remaining four dogs, their quality of life improved. They died due to diseases unrelated to the ectopic thyroid tumour. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Radioiodine therapy should be considered as a treatment option in dogs diagnosed with hyperthyroidism due to a non-resectable ectopic thyroid tumour.

Assessment of acute kidney injury in canine parvovirus infection: Comparison of kidney injury biomarkers with routine renal functional parameters.

Dogs with naturally occurring canine parvovirus (CPV) infection are at risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI) due to several factors, including severe dehydration, hypotension and sepsis. Serum creatinine (sCr) and serum urea are insensitive markers for the assessment of early kidney injury. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate potential kidney injury in dogs with CPV infection using both routine renal functional parameters and several kidney injury biomarkers. Twenty-two dogs with CPV infection were prospectively enrolled and compared with eight clinically healthy control dogs. Urinary immunoglobulin G (uIgG) and C-reactive protein (uCRP) were measured to document glomerular injury, whereas urinary retinol-binding protein (uRBP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) served as markers for tubular injury. These biomarkers were compared to routine renal functional parameters, including sCr, serum urea, urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG). Dogs with CPV infection had significantly higher concentrations of uIgG, uCRP, uRBP and uNGAL compared to healthy dogs. In contrast, sCr was significantly lower in dogs with CPV infection compared to controls, while serum urea was not significantly different. UPC and USG were both significantly higher in CPV-infected dogs. This study demonstrated that dogs with CPV infection had evidence of AKI, which remained undetected by the routine functional markers sCr and serum urea, but was revealed by UPC, uIgG, uCRP, uRBP and uNGAL. These results emphasize the added value of novel urinary kidney injury biomarkers to detect canine patients at risk of developing AKI.

Expression of steroidogenic factor 1 in canine cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumors and normal adrenals.

We report on a screening for the relative messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) in normal canine adrenals (n = 10) and cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumors (11 adenomas and 26 carcinomas). The relative mRNA expression of SF-1 was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis and revealed no differences between normal adrenals, adenomas, and carcinomas. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated SF-1 protein expression in a nuclear pattern throughout the normal adrenal cortex and a predominantly nuclear staining pattern in adrenocortical tumors. Of the 15 dogs available for follow up, 7 dogs developed hypercortisolism within 2.5 yr after adrenalectomy, with metastatic disease in 6 dogs and adrenocortical tumor regrowth in 1 dog. The relative SF-1 mRNA expression in dogs with early recurrence was greater (2.46-fold, P = 0.020) than in dogs in remission for at least 2.5 yr after adrenalectomy. In conclusion, we demonstrated the presence of SF-1 expression in normal canine adrenals and adrenocortical tumors. The high SF-1 mRNA expression in carcinomas with early recurrence might indicate its value as a prognostic marker, as well as its potential for therapeutic development.

Nonlinear mechanics of the inner ear and its relation to otoacoustic emissions: two steps on the way to a mathematical model of DPOAE generation.

Among clinical users of the registration of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), the understanding of the basic causality and interpretation of the phenomenon is not yet widely spread, nor is the expected influence of the middle ear and ear canal clear. On the other side, the effort in mathematical modeling of middle and inner ear structures is driven very far by now. We are convinced, though, that the essentials of an effect as DPOAE generation must be understandable from quite simple models. In a first step de Boer's one-dimensional model was adopted and expanded by a weak frictional and a weak elastic nonlinearity, respectively. By means of perturbation theory the weakly nonlinear problem is converted in an approximation series of linear problems. So it is solvable by the common methods of linear differential equations (DEs), above all the superposition principle can be used. At the same time a structure of causality is introduced: Sources for outgoing waves are in first order approximation formed by incoming waves, and so they can be localized. The calculations show clearly that of all six cubic distortions only the 2f(1) - f(2) term does have a source in its 'allowed' region and so can travel outward. We can use the calculated DPOAE to study the influence of middle ear, external ear canal and probe plug. Some problems remain: the weakly nonlinear model in first order does not give account for proper L(dp) = f(L(1), L(2)) and L(dp) = f(f(2)/f(1)) dependency, nor does it deliver additional sources or the effect of additional suppressor tones. In a second step, therefore, we replace de Boer's simple model basilar membrane (BM) by a doubly resonant, coupled tectorial/basilar membrane (TM/BM) system. By feedback now we introduce a strong nonlinearity, which we can mathematically care for by an iterative feedback loop. The algorithm shapes the incoming waves according to strong compressive nonlinearity. More relastic incoming waves yield better source terms, and after optimization of the mistuning function between TM and BM the model now is able to deliver qualitatively correct L(dp) (L(1),L(2)) and L(dp)(f(2)/f(1)) dependencies.