Biosecurity: safeguarding your veterinarian: client: patient relationship.

Biosecurity is the management practice that reduces the opportunities for infectious agents to gain access to, or spread within, a food animal production unit. As the public's concern for food safety continues to be directed toward the producer, a well-defined and well-documented biosecurity plan will be a significant factor in ensuring that animal products are safe, wholesome, and acceptable. Veterinarians are the initial control point for biosecurity and therefore are expected by their clientele and the general public to assist in establishing, defining, refining, and practicing biosecurity programs.     

难忘的编外烈士赛虎

2004年“五一”黄金周,我推辞一切应酬,约老战友李强一同踏上北去的列车,去看望我们的战友——长眠在那里的编外烈士赛虎。     

Canine immune-mediated polyarthritis: part 1: pathophysiology

Immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA) is a common disease process in the dog.(1) The immune-mediated polyarthropathies are divided into two major categories: erosive (or deforming) and nonerosive (or nondeforming). Understanding the pathophysiology of the immune attack on affected joints is paramount in choosing the most effective therapy for managing canine IMPA. This review article is the first of a two-part series and focuses on the pathophysiology of IMPA. The second article in this series, to be published in the March/April 2012 issue, concentrates on the diagnosis and treatment of immune-mediated polyarthritis.     

Interspecies allometric scaling: prediction of clearance in large animal species: part II: mathematical considerations

Interspecies scaling is a useful tool for the prediction of pharmacokinetic parameters from animals to humans, and it is often used for estimating a first-time in human dose. However, it is important to appreciate the mathematical underpinnings of this scaling procedure when using it to predict pharmacokinetic parameter values across animal species. When cautiously applied, allometry can be a tool for estimating clearance in veterinary species for the purpose of dosage selection. It is particularly valuable during the selection of dosages in large zoo animal species, such as elephants, large cats and camels, for which pharmacokinetic data are scant. In Part I, allometric predictions of clearance in large animal species were found to pose substantially greater risks of inaccuracies when compared with that observed for humans. In this report, we examine the factors influencing the accuracy of our clearance estimates from the perspective of the relationship between prediction error and such variables as the distribution of body weight values used in the regression analysis, the influence of a particular observation on the clearance estimate, and the 'goodness of fit' (R(2)) of the regression line. Ultimately, these considerations are used to generate recommendations regarding the data to be included in the allometric prediction of clearance in large animal species.     

Symposium: Neonatal Diseases of the Dog: III: Thermal Regulation in the New-born Dog*

Abstract— Defects in thermal regulatory mechanisms of the new-born dog are described with particular reference to the relative absence of true chemical regulation of body temperature during the first 2–3 days of life. This deficiency is partly compensated by the ability to absorb heat from external sources. Some of the clinical signs of health of the day-old puppy are given together with signs of progressive hypothermia which can develop under natural conditions.     

Cryopreservation of Boar Semen: I: A literature review

The present review summarizes information concerning the methods available to cryopreserve boar semen, covering the historical background, cryobiology and cryoprotecting considerations, technological developments and recent advances in cryopreservation methodologies. Successful methods for cryopreservation of boar semen have not been achieved despite numerous efforts world wide. Improvements in semen preservation technologies have been deterred by lack of in vitro methods that can accurately predict in vivo fertilizing capacity of frozen boar semen. The cell membrane is of crucial importance with regard to freeze-thaw survival of spermatozoa. It is important to optimize the survival of the plasma membrane as this is a non homogenous entity both in structure and function. The boar sperm membrane exhibits extreme sensitivity to freezing treatment. Freezing and thawing results in considerable changes in electrolyte dynamics and damages have mainly been associated with alterations in the head membranes especially at thawing. To date fruitless efforts have been carried out to find a cryoprotectant for the spermatozoa membranes and glycerol still continues to be used despite its harmful effects to the membranes.     

REVIEWS: Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Historical Context and Implications

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are implicated as anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-inflammatory agents in a variety of experimental model systems. However, evidence of dietary CLA protection against human mammary cancer risk is mixed and comes from European countries where the death rate from mammary cancer is relatively scarce. Unfortunately, epidemiological data are inconclusive, especially from retrospective studies. Prospective human study evidence will take more time. European values as great as 1.9% CLA in the fat of milk products from grass-fed ruminants has been reported; ordinary monogastric meat and egg products contain substantially less CLA in fat (0.3%). It is now recognized that the principle CLA in ruminant meat and milk is the natural diene, cis (c)-9, trans (t)-11 isomer (rumenic acid) of C18:2 (octadecadienoic acid). Another isomer, C18:2 t-10, c-12, also contributes to the unique biological activity of CLA, but does not readily accumulate in ruminant lipids and is found only in commercial preparations of mixed CLA isomers. Evidence in humans suggested that the role of the dietary mixed isomer CLA in the loss of body fat mass (BFM) was only modest compared with the results from animal model studies, and urine metabolites of prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α), indicative of lipid oxidation stress, have been elevated during supplementation. In addition, the fatty acid C18:1 t-11 (vaccenic) is now believed to be the principle precursor of endogenous c-9, t-11 CLA in both ruminants and monogastrics. This finding helps explain the discrepancy between measured c-9, t-11 CLA originating from the rumen and that secreted in cow’s milk. Manipulation of ruminant meat and milk by feeding marine or vegetable oils is clearly associated with increases in vaccenic acid as well. This relationship requires a re-examination of human foods for vaccenic acid content and quantitative measures of CLA endogenous synthesis in humans as well to formulate dietary strategies to capture CLA’s potential protective health benefits.     

Decreased sodium:potassium ratios in cats: 49 cases

BACKGROUND: Sodium:potassium (Na:K) ratios are often reported in feline biochemical panels, although the importance of this measurement has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to document the range of feline disease states associated with a decreased Na:K ratio, to determine the prevalence of this biochemical abnormality in a referral hospital population, and to identify any particular disease that was more likely to have a decreased Na:K ratio. METHODS: A group of 49 cats with decreased Na:K ratios was compared with a group of 50 cats with normal Na:K ratios that were randomly selected from the same hospital population. RESULTS: Twelve of the 49 cats (24.5%) had gastrointestinal disease, 10 (20.4%) had urinary disease, 8 (16.3%) had endocrine disease, 8 (16.3%) had cardiorespiratory disease, and 5 (10.0%) had diseases affecting other body systems. Six (12.2%) had artifactually decreased Na:K ratios. No cat was identified with hypoadrenocorticism. Statistical analysis revealed that, although none of these disease states was significantly over- or under-represented in the affected group, a significantly higher proportion of cats with decreased Na:K ratio had body cavity effusions (P = .025). Serum potassium concentrations were significantly higher in the affected group (P < .0001), but there was no significant difference in mean sodium concentration between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased Na:K ratios frequently occur in cats with diseases other than hypoadrenocorticism, including cats with effusions. These findings should be considered when evaluating cats with this biochemical abnormality.