Serum total amylase activity and its isoenzyme fractions in newborn pigs with relation to growth and iron dextran-treatment.

Serum amylase activity was analyzed chromogenically (blue starch method) and its isoenzyme was separated by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis in newborn pigs comparing with those in adult pigs. Serum amylase activity in newborn pigs was about one half of adults' and increased with age. Serum amylase isoenzymes were separated into 4 fractions from the cathode. The isoenzymes were also classified in 5 types on the basis of the combination of these 4 fractions. Incidences of the fractions and the types were not significantly different between adults and newborns. After the iron dextran treatment, serum amylase activity as well as levels of erythrocytes, hemoglobin and packed cell volume increased. The rates of increase in hemoglobin and packed cell volume were more significant in the double treatment group than in the single treatment group, while serum amylase activity increased similarly in these 2 groups. The increase in serum amylase activity seemed to indicate that the development of amylase-producing organs was reinforced by the iron compound treatment. It is thought that serum amylase activity may be an indicator of healthy growth in newborn pigs.     

Effect of time at pasture and herbage intake on profile of volatile organic compounds of dairy cow milk

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in milk were investigated as quantitative markers of herbage intake (HI) at pasture. Eight Holstein cows were fed indoors with concentrate and conserved forages (grass silage, corn silage and hay) (NG), then were divided into three treatments according to the duration of access to pasture: 4 h (G4), 8 h (G8), and 20 h (G20) per day. The HIs were 4.3, 8.6, and 13.0 kg dry matter/day for the G4, G8 and G20 treatments, respectively. Milk from cows was sampled and analyzed VOCs by the steam distillation‐extraction method and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). From the intensity of the GC peak area, the levels of 1‐phytene (3,7,11,15‐tetramethyl‐1‐hexadecene) and 2‐phytene (3,7,11,15‐tetramethyl‐2‐hexadecene) were lowest in NG treatment and markedly increased with grazing time at pasture. With simple regression analysis on the HI to each diterpenoid, a strong correlation was found between the intensity of 1‐phytene in the milk and the HI (r = 0.807, P < 0.001). 1‐phytene content in milk could be useful as a quantitative marker of the HI of grazing cows.     

Imaging diagnosis--polioencephalomalacia in a calf.

A 2-month-old mix-breed calf developed acute blindness and ataxia. Serum thiamine concentration was deficient. In antemortem magnetic resonance imaging there were laminar T2-hyperintense regions extending along the cerebral cortex that primarily affected the gray matter. The lesions were relatively symmetric between the left and right hemispheres but no abnormalities were present at the frontal lobes. At necropsy, laminar autofluorescence of the cerebral cortex was observed under ultraviolet exposure at 365 nm, consistent with a diagnosis of polioencephalomalacia. Polioencephalomalacia in the bovine species is compared with that in other species, namely humans, dogs, and cats.     

Bacteriological evaluation of composted manure solids prepared from anaerobic digested slurry for hygienic recycled bedding materials for dairy cows

Changes in mastitis‐causing pathogens, pH and water content in composted manure solids (CMS) prepared from digested slurry were evaluated during turning at 2‐day intervals for 8 days (C1–C4). The numbers of streptococci, coagulase‐negative staphylococci and coliforms were 2.6 × 10¹, 1.7 × 10² and 1.0 × 10¹ colony‐forming units (cfu)/g in CMS (C4) (summer), and these counts were markedly lower (P < 0.05) than those in CMS (C0 and C1). The bacterial counts ranged from 10¹ to 1.7 × 10² cfu/g in CMS (C4) (summer) and were within approved levels, <1 × 10⁶ cfu/g, indicating a minimal mastitis risk. The temperatures in CMS (C1–C4) increased to 63°C–74°C in summer and 67°C–70°C in winter. The mean pH values in CMS (C0–C4) were 9.2 in summer and 8.7 in winter, and water contents ranged from 61.7% to 69.6% in summer and 73.2% to 66.2% in winter. The significant decrease of pathogenic bacteria in CMS appears to be closely related to temperature >63°C for 8 days, pH 8.7–9.2, and water content 62% to 73%. This study demonstrates that prepared CMS has value as a recycled material with the potential to alleviate udder health issues in dairy cows.     

Development of room-temperature curing aqueous emulsion-type acrylic adhesive I: effect of monomer composition on the initial adhesive strength

For the purpose of developing a new aqueous emulsion-type adhesive for wood or paper use that does not release formaldehyde or volatile organic solvents, a honeymoon-type acrylic adhesive was examined. An adhesive system consisting of acrylic monomers copolymerized with functional monomers and a cross-linking agent was selected for the purposes of increasing initial adhesive strength and ensuring room-temperature curing. The initial adhesive strength increased by the use of cross-linkers such as dihydrazides and also polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI). Thus an adhesive with reasonable to good initial adhesive strength and room-temperature curing was obtained. The effect of pMDI on the initial adhesive strength was not significant and decreased when the amount of acrylamide in a copolymer was high.     

Bowel welding technique in dogs and cats using a diode laser: an experimental study

A laser bowel welding technique for dogs and cats was developed. The bowel was pinched using a special clamp having an opening on the body developed for this experiment (LW clamp). Using the 2 different types of contact probe (blunt tip: Laser Bipolar Dissector (LBD); sharp tip: Super Scalpel Dissector (SSD)), the laser passed through the hole in the LW clamp to cut the bowels, while at the same time, sealing the cut portion. The results obtained in this study showed that the optimum laser output using LBD was 6-10 W in dog and cat ileum, and 8-10 W in dog and cat colon. Optimum laser output using SSD was 6-8 W in dog ileum, 8-10 W in dog colon, 10 W in cat ileum and 6-8 W in cat colon. No marked differences were observed between ileum and colon when using either LBD or SSD. At the same power, burst pressure tended to be slightly higher with LBD than with SSD, although there were not significant differences between them. Histologically, complete sealing of the welded site was seen. Welding and cutting of bowel in dogs and cats was thus confirmed to be possible using the LW clamp in combination with LBD or SSD probes under a diode laser output of approximately 8 W for 50-80 s (400-640 J/cm). Thus, we can expect that this method is applicable to clinical veterinary medicine.     

Association of the amino acid motifs of BoLA-DRB3 alleles with mastitis pathogens in Japanese Holstein cows

The association of the polymorphism of bovine leukocyte antigen ( BoLA-DRB3 ) genes, identified by the polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) method, with resistance and susceptibility to mastitis caused by Streptococci , coagulase-negative Staphylococci, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated. Blood samples for DNA extraction were collected from 170 Holstein cows (129 mastitis and 41 healthy cows) from 5 districts in Chiba prefecture, Japan. Susceptibility or resistance to the mastitis-causing pathogens was thought to vary by the presence of amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions. DRB3*0101 and DRB3*1501 had amino acid motifs of Glu⁹, Ser¹¹, Ser¹³, and Tyr³⁰, and they were considered to have susceptibility to all 4 mastitis pathogens. In contrast, DRB3*1101 and DRB3*1401 had amino acid motifs of Gln⁹, His¹¹, Gly¹³, and His³⁰ in these positions, and they also had Val⁸⁶, so these alleles were considered to have resistance to Streptococcal and coagulase-negative Staphylococcal mastitis. However, in the case of Escherichia coli mastitis, amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions had little effect, but rather substitutions at the 47, 67 positions of pocket 7, and at the 71, 74 positions of pocket 4, Tyr⁴⁷, Ile⁶⁷, Ala⁷¹, and Ala⁷⁴, were associated with resistance. This motif was present in DRB3*1201 .