Mackerels, tunas, and billfishes (suborder Scombroidei and Teleostei) provide an ideal taxonomic context in which to examine the evolution of endothermy. Multiple origins and diverse strategies for endothermy exist among these fish. Here a molecular phylogeny of the Scombroidei has been determined by direct sequencing of a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The distribution of endothermic species within this proposed genealogy indicates that the ability to warm the brain and retina arose independently in three lineages, each time in association with a movement into colder water. This suggests that the evolution of cranial endothermy in fish was selected in order to permit thermal niche expansion and not selected for increased aerobic capacity.

The medical records of 80 horses treated for left laryngeal hemiplegia by prosthetic laryngoplasty, ventriculectomy and vocal cordectomy were examined, first to compare the subjective and objective success rates for groups of horses of different ages and used for different purposes, and secondly, to compare the efficacy of including vocal cordectomy in the surgical protocol with published success rates for laryngoplasty and ventriculectomy alone. Subjectively, 70 per cent of the horses were said to have had a successful surgical outcome. The success rate for thoroughbred racehorses (66 per cent) was lower than for other breeds (90 per cent) on the basis of a subjective assessment by owners and trainers. Thoroughbreds two years old or younger had a success rate of 69 per cent, but older thoroughbreds had a success rate of 61 per cent. Of the 17 horses for which an objective performance index could be calculated, 10 (59 per cent) had an improved performance postoperatively. There was a nearly significant association between the objective and subjective assessments (P=0.078). Six of 69 horses (8.7 per cent) continued to make a respiratory noise after surgery. The subjective assessment of success did not appear to correlate with the objective measure of success used in this study and age had no apparent association with a successful surgical outcome. Inclusion of a vocal cordectomy in the surgical protocol may be more important in the eradication of postoperative respiratory noise than in improving clinical success rates.

Summary Reasons for performing study: Previous studies of sinus surgery on standing horses have been based on techniques which utilise powered hand bone saws and preserve the bone flap, which was thought to be essential for a good cosmetic result. This report describes a simplified technique applied to the standing horse where the sinus flap construction used a large skull trephine and where the bone flap is necessarily discarded. Objectives: To assess whether the modified standing frontonasal flap (SFF) surgery offers an effective method to investigate and/or treat sinunasal disorders in the horse. Methods: The case records of 60 horses subjected to modified SFF surgery were reviewed to analyse the efficacy of the technique when applied to a range of sinunasal disorders in terms of diagnosis, surgical findings, complications and long‐term outcomes, including cosmetic effect. Results: Resolution of clinical signs was achieved in 54 out of 60 horses, and for the remainder the SFF technique proved useful on a diagnostic basis. The cosmetic result was, in the opinion of the owners, excellent or satisfactory in 48 of 56 (86%) horses. Conclusions: The modified SFF technique was found to be practicable and provided satisfactory exposure of the sinus contents for diagnosis and removal of diseased tissue in a range of disorders. An acceptable cosmetic result can be obtained in the majority of horses despite rejection of the disc of overlying bone. Apart from avoiding the risks associated with general anaesthesia, the advantages of the modified SFF sugery are: a reduction of haemorrhage in the standing horse; reduced mucosal engorgement; straightforward anatomical orientation; a comfortable working height; and reduced surgery time. A sound knowledge of the functional anatomy of the area is a prerequisite before embarking on any form of sinunasal surgery. Complications are infrequent and usually transient. Potential relevance: The modified SFF technique is a valuable alternative to other invasive methods of sinunasal surgery.

Rift valley fever virus (RVFV) infection is an emerging zoonotic disease endemic in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa and in Egypt. In this study we show that human small airway epithelial cells are highly susceptible to RVFV virulent strain ZH-501 and the attenuated strain MP-12. We used the reverse-phase protein arrays technology to identify phosphoprotein signaling pathways modulated during infection of cultured airway epithelium. ZH-501 infection induced activation of MAP kinases (p38, JNK and ERK) and downstream transcriptional factors [STAT1 (Y701), ATF2 (T69/71), MSK1 (S360) and CREB (S133)]. NF-κB phosphorylation was also increased. Activation of p53 (S15, S46) correlated with the increased levels of cleaved effector caspase-3, -6 and -7, indicating activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. RVFV infection downregulated phosphorylation of a major anti-apoptotic regulator of survival pathways, AKT (S473), along with phosphorylation of FOX 01/03 (T24/31) which controls cell cycle arrest downstream from AKT. Consistent with this, the level of apoptosis inhibitor XIAP was decreased. However, the intrinsic apoptotic pathway marker, caspase-9, demonstrated only a marginal activation accompanied by an increased level of the inhibitor of apoptosome formation, HSP27. Concentration of the autophagy marker, LC3B, which often accompanies the pro-survival signaling, was decreased. Cumulatively, our analysis of RVFV infection in lung epithelium indicated a viral strategy directed toward the control of cell apoptosis through a number of transcriptional factors. Analyses of MP-12 titers in challenged cells in the presence of MAPK inhibitors indicated that activation of p38 represents a protective cell response while ERK activation controls viral replication.

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