The effect of pre-farrowing treatment of the sow with ivermectin on the early establishment of Ascaris suum and Oesophagostomum spp in the progeny

Residual infective Ascaris suum eggs in farrowing pens provide the initial source of infection for piglets under Swedish management conditions. In such circumstances there is little evidence to support pre-farrowing treatment of the sow specifically against A. suum. The present study shows, however, that ivermectin-treatment of the sow prevents the early establishment of A. suum and Oesophagostomum spp in her litter.     

From Molecules to Products: Some Aspects of Structure–Function Relationships in Cereal Starches

In this review, starch behavior is described from molecules in solution to the use of starch in products. The determination of molecular characteristics with asymmetrical flow field‐flow fractionation is described, and the behavior of starch in binary solutions is discussed. The organization of starch in granules and the changes in organization during gelatinization and retrogradation are then described. The role of starch retrogradation in bread staling is described in some detail, and the influence of water mobility and distribution is discussed in relation to amylopectin retrogradation. Finally, the use of starch as emulsifier is described. Hydrophobically modified starch is one possibility for emulsion stabilization; also, the starch granule as such can be used to stabilize emulsions (so‐called Pickering emulsions).     

Fragmentation and flow regulation of river systems in the northern third of the world

Seventy-seven percent of the total water discharge of the 139 largest river systems in North America north of Mexico, in Europe, and in the republics of the former Soviet Union is strongly or moderately affected by fragmentation of the river channels by dams and by water regulation resulting from reservoir operation, interbasin diversion, and irrigation. The remaining free-flowing large river systems are relatively small and nearly all situated in the far north, as are the 59 medium-sized river systems of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. These conditions indicate that many types of river ecosystems have been lost and that the populations of many riverine species have become highly fragmented. To improve the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of biological resources, immediate action is called for to create an international preservation network of free-flowing river systems and to rehabilitate exploited rivers in areas that lack unaffected watercourses.     

Cardiovascular responses to acute handling stress in the Antarctic fish Trematomus bernacchii are not mediated by circulatory catecholamines

Cannulated specimens of the benthic Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii were subjected to a five min period of handling stress, following which blood pressures were measured and then blood samples taken for measurement of plasma catecholamine concentrations. There were two control groups of fish, one group of undisturbed fish at Scott Base, Antarctica and the other group of undisturbed fish measured in Christchurch.Plasma catecholamine concentrations were not changed following 5 min of acute handling stress. However, heart rate, ventral aortic blood pressure and haematocrit were elevated following handling, suggesting increased sumpathetic nerve activity. The low plasma catecholamine concentrations measured in all three groups of fish are similar to those found in other species of teleost at rest.The resting heart rates found in this series of experiments were approximately double those recorded in previous work on this species and this difference may be correlated with the length of time that the fish are held in captivity. The fish transported to Christchurch also had higher mean cell haemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) and lower plasma chloride concentrations.     

Delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol: structure of a major metabolite

triangle up(1)-Tetrahydrocannabinol, the major psychotomimetically active compound of Cannabis, was metabolized in vitro by the 10, OOOg supernatant from rabbit liver. By mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, the major metabolite was identified as 7-hydroxy-triangle up(1)-tetrahydrocannabinol. The latter compound of Cannabis, was metabolized in vitro by the 10,OOOg supernatant from     

Genome-wide association analysis identifies loci for type 2 diabetes and triglyceride levels

New strategies for prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) require improved insight into disease etiology. We analyzed 386,731 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1464 patients with T2D and 1467 matched controls, each characterized for measures of glucose metabolism, lipids, obesity, and blood pressure. With collaborators (FUSION and WTCCC/UKT2D), we identified and confirmed three loci associated with T2D-in a noncoding region near CDKN2A and CDKN2B, in an intron of IGF2BP2, and an intron of CDKAL1-and replicated associations near HHEX and in SLC30A8 found by a recent whole-genome association study. We identified and confirmed association of a SNP in an intron of glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) with serum triglycerides. The discovery of associated variants in unsuspected genes and outside coding regions illustrates the ability of genome-wide association studies to provide potentially important clues to the pathogenesis of common diseases.     

Incidence of lameness and abrasions in piglets in identical farrowing pens with four different types of floor

Background

Lameness in piglets is a major animal welfare issue. Floor abrasiveness is a common cause of superficial injury in piglets in farrowing pens. The abrasion achieved may act as a gate for infections, which in turn may induce development of infectious arthritis. In this study, the influence of improvements of the floor quality and of increased ratios of straw in identical farrowing pens was measured.

Methods

The study was carried out at a herd with four identical farrowing units with solid concrete floor bedded with 1 kg chopped straw per sow and 1 hg per piglet and day. Nothing was changed in the management of the four identical farrowing units, but four experimental groups were created: Group I – control, Group II – the amount of bedding was doubled. The surface of the floor was repaired in two units, Group III – Piglet Floor^®, Flowcrete Sweden AB, Perstorp, Sweden and Group IV – Thorocrete SL^®, Växa Halland, Sweden. Three farrowing batches were studies in each unit. In total, 93 litters (1,073 piglets) were examined for foot and skin lesions until the age of 3 weeks. The occurrence of lameness was registered until weaning at an average age of 4.5 weeks. Twenty seven lame piglets were culled instead of medicinally treated and subjected to necropsy including histopathological and microbiological examinations. Isolates of streptococci, staphylococci and E. coli were tested with respect to antimicrobial resistance.

Results

Piglet born on the repaired floors had the lowest prevalences of abrasions at carpus. Also the doubled straw ration decreased the abrasions. Skin lesions at carpus decreased significantly in magnitude in all four systems from day 10. At day 3, the sole bruising scores of the control unit were greater than the other three units (p < 0.001). At day 10 and 17, sole bruising was less common in the units with repaired floors than in the control group and the group with doubled straw ration. In total 41 piglets were diagnosed as lame, corresponding to 3.8% of all live-born piglets (n = 1,073). Around 85% of these diagnoses took place during the first 3 weeks of life and the risk incidence of lameness decreased from 1.5% during the first week of life to 0.5% during the fourth week. The incidence of lameness was highest in the control unit and lowest in the units with repaired floors. Twenty lame piglets were confirmed to have bacterial growth in the joint. The causative agents were Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (60%), Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus (35%) and Escherichia coli (5%). These isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics included in the antimicrobial panels.

Conclusion

The results suggest that proper maintenance of the floor can prevent the degree of roughness and abrasiveness of the floors, which in turn can contribute significantly to prevention of abrasions, sole bruising and lameness in piglets. Maintaining the surface of concrete floors with two different commercially available solutions both decreased the incidence of abrasions and sole bruisings and thereby also of arthritis significantly. Also doubling the amount of chopped straw turned out to prevent development of skin lesions and sole bruisings to some extent, and subsequently also the incidence of arthritis.     

Assessment of Fertility after Using Different Procedures to Thaw Ram Spermatozoa Frozen in Mini Straws

Contents
In this study, fertility rates were compared after using different procedures (50°C and 70°C) to thaw ram spermatozoa frozen in mini straws. Semen from three, 1.5–2.5-year-old rams of the same breed, selected for use in an AI programme, was collected using an artificial vagina. The semen was diluted with a skim milk extender containing 7% glycerol (v/v), packed in 0.25-ml mini straws and frozen in a programmable freezer. Post-thaw sperm motility was assessed subjectively using a phase contrast microscope. Sperm membrane integrity was assessed with fluorescent dyes (Calcein AM/EthD-1). Statistically significant variation in the incidence of membrane integrity was found, both between rams and between freezing operations. Significant differences between the different thawing procedures used in this study were seen for membrane integrity (p < 0.01), as assessed with the fluorescent dyes (Calcein AM/EthD-1), but not for the post-thaw motility. The average fertility in this study was 39.7%, with a wide variation between freezing operations (not significant), rams (p < 0.001; 30.4, 33.3 and 64.6%) and flocks (p < 0.001, range: 14.8–61.6%). No statistically significant differences were found for the different thawing procedures, in terms of the fertility (39.0 and 40.4%, respectively) and the litter size (1.32 and 1.41, respectively). Thawing at 50°C for 9 s, instead of 70°C for 5 s, does not seem to further affect either fertility or litter size. The use of this lower temperature would facilitate the practical use of frozen–thawed ram semen under farm conditions in Sweden.