[Unusual presentation of a mast cell tumor in the ear canal of a cat]. / Ungewöhnlicher Mastzelltumor im Gehörgang einer Katze.

A 12-year-old male neutered European Shorthair cat was presented for pruritus in the right ear region, bleeding from ear canal and a suspected polyp-like mass in its lumen.After the diagnostic imaging a biopsy of the mass was taken and submitted for histopathological evaluation. Histopathologic examination led to the diagnosis of low grade mast cell tumor. The subsequent staging examinations included ultrasonography of the liver and spleen as well as a complete blood count. Total ear canal ablation was performed on the same day, and the removed ear canal was again submitted for histopathologic evaluation of the surgical margins. The excision incision margins were free from infiltrating tumor cells. The cat was euthanised 14 months after the surgery. It is unknown whether the reasons for this were associated to metastatic spread of the initial mast cell tumor.A mast cell tumor in the ear canal is an unusual and rare finding, however it should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for ear canal tumors.

Designing New Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase-Inhibitors Carrying Potential Side Chain Isosteres to Enhance Crop Safety and Spectrum of Activity.

There are several methods to control weeds, which impose particular challenges for farmers in all parts of the world, although applying small molecular compounds still remains the most efficient technology to date. However, plants can evolve to become resistant toward active ingredients which is also the case for protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors, a class of highly effective herbicides in use for more than 50 years. Hence, it is essential to continuously discover and develop new herbicidal PPO inhibitors with enhanced intrinsic activity, an improved resistance profile, enhanced crop safety, favorable physicochemical properties, and a clean toxicological profile. By modifying structural key features from known PPO inhibitors such as tiafenacil, inspired by isostere and mix&match concepts in combination with modeling investigations based on a wild-type Amaranthus crystal structure, we have found new promising lead structures showing strong activity in vitro and in vivo against several notorious dicotyledon and monocotyledon weeds with emerging resistance (e.g., Amaranthus palmeri, Amaranthus tuberculatus, Lolium rigidum, and Alopecurus myosuroides). While several phenyl uracils carrying an isoxazoline motif in their thio-linked side chain showed promising resistance-breaking potential against different Amaranthus species, introducing a thioacrylamide side chain afforded outstanding efficacy against resistant grass weeds.

Design, synthesis and screening of herbicidal activity for new phenyl pyrazole-based protoporphyrinogen oxidase-inhibitors (PPO) overcoming resistance issues.

BACKGROUND: Whilst there are several methods to control weeds, which continuously plague farmers around the globe, the application of small molecular compounds is still the most effective technology to date. Plants can evolve to become resistant to PPO-inhibitors, a class of herbicides in commercial use since the 1960s. It is therefore essential to continuously develop new herbicides based on this mode-of-action with enhanced intrinsic activity, an improved resistance profile and favourable physicochemical properties. Based on an Amaranthus PPO crystal structure and subsequent modelling studies, halogen-substituted pyrazoles have been investigated as isosteres of uracil-based PPO-inhibitors. RESULTS: By combining structural features from the commercial PPO-inhibitors tiafenacil and pyraflufen-ethyl and by investigating receptor-binding properties, we identified new promising pyrazole-based lead structures showing strong activity in vitro and in vivo against economically important weeds of the Amaranthus genus: A. retroflexus, and resistant A. palmeri and A. tuberculatus. CONCLUSION: The present work covers a series of novel PPO-inhibiting compounds that contain a pyrazole ring and a substituted thioacetic acid sidechain attached to the core phenyl group. These compounds show good receptor fit in line with excellent herbicidal activity against weeds that plague corn and rice crops with low application rates. This, in combination with promising selectivity in corn, have the potential to mitigate and affect weeds that have become resistant to some of the current market standards. Remarkably, some of the novel PPO-inhibitors outlined herein show efficacies against economically important weeds that were superior to recently commercialized and structurally related tiafenacil. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Feline leprosy in a 5-month-old male cat in Germany]. / Feline Lepra bei einem 5 Monate alten Kater in Deutschland.

A 5-month-old, male, 4 kg European shorthair cat presented with ulcera ted cutaneous nodules in many areas over its entire body. The serological results for feline immunodeficiency virus and the feline leukaemia virus were negative. Following detection of acid-proof bacilli in histological examination of three skin biopsies, the diagnosis of mycobacteriosis of the skin was made. Polymerase chain reaction revealed the presence of Mycobacteriumlepraemurium. After surgical excision of all cutaneous nodules and a 14.5-week antibiotic therapy with Rifampicin and Clarithromycin, the cat was classified as being cured. During the observation period of 1 year after the end of the therapy, no relapse occurred.