Successful surgical removal of an epileptogenic focus in a dog

A case of localized secondary fungal meningo-encephalitis with seizures is presented. The clinical features and the surgical treatment of the case are described. Pre-surgical and post-surgical electroencephalograms and cessation of clinical signs revealed the successful removal of the epileptogenic focus. Some of the diagnostic features of chronic pyelonephritis, as they affect this case, are reported.
Résumé. On décrit un cas de méningo-encéphalite fungoïde, secondaire et localisée, accompagnée d'attaques brusques. On passe en revue les traits cliniques et le traitement chirurgical du cas. Les électro-encéphalograrnmes avant et après l'opération et l'arrêt des signes cliniques ont révélé que le foyer épileptogène a pu être éloigné avec succès. On rapporte certains des éléments diagnostiques de la pyélo-néphrite chronique qui intéressent ce cas.
Zusammenfassung. Ein Fall von lokalisierter sekundärer fungaler Meningoencephalitis mit Anfallen wird beschrieben. Die klinischen Merkmale und die chirurgische Behandlung des Falles werden besprochen. Elektroencephalogramme vor und nach der chirurgische Behandlung. Und das Verschwinden der klinischen Merkmale zeigten die erfolgreiche Entfernung des epileptogenen Focus. Einige der diagnostischen Merkmale chronischer Pyelonephritis, welche von Bedeutung für diesen Fall waren, werden angegeben.     

Impact of Probing the Reproductive Tract During Early Pregnancy on Fertility of Beef Cows

This short communication reports the impact of endometrial biopsies, uterine flushings and follicular fluid aspiration procedures at day 6 post artificial insemination (AI) on pregnancy rates. In Experiment 1, cows were timed AI (TAI) and assigned to the following treatment groups: control (n = 37), uterine flushing (n = 35) and endometrial biopsy (n = 38). On day 30 post AI, pregnancy rates were 40.5%, 33% and 28.5%, respectively (p > 0.1). Pregnancy rate on day 60 was lower (p < 0.004) in flushed cows than in the controls. In Experiment 2, oestrus was detected and cows were assigned to flushing (n = 32) or biopsy (n = 33) treatments 6 days after AI, which resulted in pregnancy rates of 31% and 36%, respectively (p > 0.1). In Experiment 3, cows were, 6 days after TAI, randomly assigned to the following treatments: control (n = 84) or aspiration of the largest follicle (n = 73). Pregnancy rates on day 30 post AI were 63.5% for the control group and 53% for the aspirated group (p > 0.1). In conclusion, uterine flushing and endometrial biopsy negatively affect pregnancy rates, but neither procedure can be considered to be incompatible with pregnancy maintenance. Follicular aspiration during pregnancy does not interact with pregnancy success. The amount and quality of samples obtained are compatible with the use of cellular and molecular analysis of uterine variables from cows that failed or succeeded on maintaining pregnancy.     

Influence of food availability,plant productivity,and indigenous forest use on ranging behavior of the endangered samango monkey (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi), in the Soutpansberg Mountains,South Africa

Understanding the determinants of ranging patterns in species susceptible to habitat fragmentation is fundamental for assessing their long‐term adaptability to an increasingly human‐dominated landscape. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the influence of ground‐based food availability, remotely sensed plant productivity, and indigenous forest use on the ranging patterns of the endangered samango monkey (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi). We collected monthly ranging data on two habituated samango monkey groups, from February 2012 to December 2016, from our field site in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa. We used linear mixed models to explore how food availability, plant productivity, and indigenous forest use influenced monthly ranging patterns, while controlling for group size, number of sample days and day length. We found that as more areas of high plant productivity (derived from remotely sensed EVI) were incorporated into the ranging area, both total and core monthly ranging areas decreased. In addition, both total ranging area and mean monthly daily path length decreased as more indigenous forest was incorporated into the ranging area. However, we found no effect of either ground‐based food availability or remotely sensed plant productivity on ranging patterns. Our findings demonstrate the behavioral flexibility in samango monkey ranging, as samangos can utilize matrix habitat during periods of low productivity but are ultimately dependent on access to indigenous forest patches. In addition, we highlight the potential of using remotely sensed areas of high plant productivity to predict ranging patterns in a small ranging, forest‐dwelling guenon, over ground‐based estimates of food availability.     

Metapopulation dynamics, abundance, and distribution in a microecosystem

The experimental fragmentation of landscapes of a natural ecosystem resulted in declines in the abundance and distribution of most species in the multispecies animal community inhabiting the landscapes and the extinction of many species. These declines caused the deterioration of the positive interspecific relation between local population abundance and distributional extent in this community. However, when patches were connected by habitat corridors, an immigration "rescue effect" arrested declines in both abundance and distribution and maintained the observed positive relation between them. These results demonstrate the importance of metapopulation dynamics and landscape connectivity for the persistence of populations in fragmented landscapes.     

Retrospective Evaluation of Repeat Celiotomy in 53 Horses with Acute Gastrointestinal Disease

Fifty-three of 648 horses (8.2%) treated surgically for acute gastrointestinal obstruction were subjected to repeat celiotomy. Forty horses (75%) recovered from anesthesia after repeat celiotomy, and 26 horses (49%) were discharged from the clinic. Excluding two horses lost to follow-up, 10 of 51 horses (20%) survived long term. Horses subjected to repeat celiotomy had a significantly lower long-term survival rate than horses subjected to a single celiotomy. Twenty-eight horses had mechanical obstructions, and 22 had functional obstructions at the second surgery. Significantly more horses with mechanical obstructions recovered from anesthesia, but there was no difference in short-term or long-term survival. Seventy-seven percent of horses were subjected to two celiotomies without being discharged from the clinic between procedures. The intervals between primary and repeat celiotomies ranged from less than 24 hours to 4 years, with 89% of them being less than 2 months. Horses with functional obstructions at the second surgery had a significantly shorter interval between surgeries than horses with mechanical obstructions. Twenty-three horses had sequelae of the primary celiotomy, 19 had progression of their original disease, 8 had recurrence of the same condition, and 3 had unrelated problems. Intestinal ischemic necrosis was the most common diagnosis at repeat celiotomy, and small intestinal obstruction by adhesions was the second most frequent.     

Results of Screw/Wire/Polymethylmethacrylate Composite Fixation for Acetabular Fracture Repair in 14 Dogs

Objective- To assess the clinical results in dogs with acetabular fractures stabilized using a screw-wire-polymethylmethacrylate (SWP) composite fixation.
Study Design- A retrospective study of client-owned dogs with acetabular fractures.
Animals- Fourteen dogs ranging in age from 4 to 95 months (mean, 34 ±25 months; median, 25 months) and body weight from 8 to 39 kg (mean, 25 ±6 kg; median, 27 kg).
Methods- Medical records and radiographs were retrospectively evaluated to determine location of the fracture, presence of preexisting degenerative joint disease, accuracy of fracture reduction and complications associated with surgery. Long-term results were evaluated by subjective assessment of lameness, elicitation of pain and/or crepitus on manipulation of the coxofemoral joint, measurements of pelvic limb circumference, coxofemoral joint goniometric measurements, and radiographic evaluation.
Results- Fracture reduction was considered anatomic in 13 dogs. At the time of the last follow-up evaluation (mean, 347 ±261 days; median, 380 days) 10 dogs were sound on the affected limb, three dogs had a subtle weight-bearing lameness of the affected limb, and the remaining dog had a consistent non-weight-bearing lameness of the affected limb. Mild (n = 10) or moderate (n = 1) degenerative changes of the affected coxofemoral joint attributed to the acetabular fracture and its repair were noted on the follow-up radiographs in 11 dogs. Limb circumference of the affected limb ranged from -8.2% to +10.8% (mean, -0.8 ±4.2%; median, -0.7%) of the contralateral limb.
Conclusions- The SWP composite fixation consistently maintained anatomic reduction, was associated with few complications, and yielded satisfactory clinical results.
Clinical Relevance- The SWP composite fixation technique would seem to be an acceptable means of stabilizing acetabular fractures in dogs.     

不同干扰强度下农业生态系统土壤微生物生物量和活性的分异

Different management practices in six agroecosystems located near Goldsboro, NC, USA were conducted including a successional field (SU), a plantation woodlot (WO), an integrated cropping system with animals (IN), an organic farming system (OR), and two cash-grain cropping systems employing; either tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT) to examine if and how microbial biomass and activity differ in response to alterations in disturbance intensity from six land management strategies. Results showed that soil microbial biomass and activity differed, with microbial activity in intermediately disturbed ecosystems (NT, OR, IN) being significantly higher (P < 0.01) than systems with either high or low disturbance intensities. There was also a significant and a highly significant ecosystem effect from the treatments on microbial biomass C (MBC) (P < 0.05) and on microbial activity (respiration) (P < 0.01), respectively. Multiple comparisons of mean respiration rates distinctly separated the six ecosystem types into three groups: CT < NT, SU and WO < OR and IN. Thus, for detecting microbial response to disturbance changes these results indicated that the active component of the soil microbial community was a better indicator than total biomass.     

Effect of silage additives and wilting on silage fermentation, digestibility and intake, and on liveweight change of young cattle

Data from thirty-three experiments conducted at three ADAS Experimental Husbandry Farms were used to compare unwilted non-additive-treated silage with silage treated with formic acid, a formalin and formic-acid mixture, a calcium-formate and sodium-nitrite mixture, a formalin and sulphuric-acid mixture and wilted silage made without or with formic acid or a formalin and formic-acid mixture.
Formic acid significantly reduced pH and wilting significantly increased silage pH compared with other treatments. Formalin-acid mixtures significantly reduced pH compared with untreated silage. Formic acid in conjunction with formalin or wilting significantly increased water-soluble carbohydrate in silage compared with other treatments except wilting. Formic acid either alone or combined with either formalin or wilting significantly reduced silage butyric acid content compared with other treatments. Formic acid treatment either alone or combined with formalin significantly increased lactic acid as a proportion of total silage acids compared with other treatments except sulphuric acid-formalin.
All treatments significantly increased silage dry matter (DM) intake compared with untreated silage and intakes of wilted silage were significantly greater than of unwilted silage. Daily liveweight gains on all treatments were significantly higher than on untreated silage.
Herbage water-soluble carbohydrate necessary for successful preservation as silage without additive use was approximately 30 g (kg DM)⁻¹ and with additives containing formic acid it was approximately 25 g (kg DM)⁻¹.
It is suggested that formic acid application to unwilted silage either alone or in conjuction with formalin was the best treatment for improving subsequent preservation as silage, and that animal performance was enhanced by addition of acid-formalin additives to unwilted herbage or formic-acid application to unwilted or wilted herbage.     

Atmospheric residence time of CH3Br estimated from the junge spatial variability relation

The atmospheric residence time for methyl bromide (CH3Br) has been estimated as 0.8 +/- 0.1 years from its empirical spatial variability relative to C2H6, C2Cl4, CHCl3, and CH3Cl. This evaluation of the atmospheric residence time, based on Junge's 1963 general proposal, provides an estimate for CH3Br that is independent of source and sink estimates. Methyl bromide from combined natural and anthropogenic sources furnishes about half of the bromine that enters the stratosphere, where it plays an important role in ozone destruction. This residence time is consistent with the 0.7-year value recently calculated for CH3Br from the combined strength estimates for its known significant sinks.