Marking to weaning production aspects of lambs provided with NSAID analgesia compared with lambs receiving no analgesia at the time of elastrator ring marking

The provision of analgesia at the time of marking has been adopted by the Australian sheep industry, but data on production benefits are lacking. In the current study, alternate lambs were provided with either meloxicam (non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug [NSAID], n = 781) or no analgesia (NONE, n = 822) at the time of ring castration and tail docking. Six distinct management groups of lambs were studied. Lambs were weighed immediately before marking and then again at weaning. There was no significant effect of treatment on average daily gain between marking and weaning in cross‐bred lambs. In Merino lambs, average daily gain was 5 g/day lower (P < 0.005) in lambs receiving NSAID, but this may not be biologically significant. Lamb losses were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the NSAID group (1.1%) than in the NONE group (2.7%). This observation is worth validating in larger studies, particularly considering that lamb mortality is a significant cost to production and welfare concern.     

Antagonism of detomidine with tolazoline in isoflurane-anaesthetised ponies

The effects of tolazoline (4.0 mg/kg iv) antagonism of detomidine (0.02 mg/kg iv) were evaluated in isoflurane-anaesthetised, ventilated ponies. Each of 6 ponies received both tolazoline and saline treatment during separate anaesthetic episodes only (no surgery was performed). Detomidine administration produced an increase in blood pressure, decrease in heart rate and decrease in P_aO₂ Tolazoline treatment transiently increased heart rate while blood pressure returned to baseline after both treatments. Arterial oxygenation decreased further after tolazoline treatment while oxgenation recovered towards baseline with saline treatment. No other cardiopulmonary effects were detected. Recovery from anaesthesia tended to be more rapid when detomidine was antagonized. The potential benefit of antagonizing detomidine-induced bradycardia with tolazoline, during isoflurane anaesthesia should be weighed against the potential to produce a decrease in arterial oxygenation. The mechanism for this effect is not clear.     

Visceral mast cell tumour with eosinophilia and eosinophilic peritoneal and pleural effusions in a cat

Summary A cat with weight loss, pyrexia and recurrent lethargy and depression was found to have pleural and peritoneal eosinophilic effusions, peripheral eosinophilia, eosinophilic lymphadenitis and a massively enlarged mesenteric lymph node. Visceral mast cell neoplasia was diagnosed after histopathological examination of a biopsy of the mass. Palliative chemotherapy was attempted unsuccessfully and the cat was euthanased.     

Retrospective study on the effect of wither fracture on racing performance in Thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong (2003 to 2013)

The training programme for Thoroughbred flat racehorses is intense, with pressure to limit nontraining days. Fracture of the dorsal spinous processes is a traumatic event that affects a horse's ability to train and race, with little information available regarding short‐term treatment and long‐term outcomes for elite racing horses. Using a retrospective cohort study of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's veterinary clinical records, cases of wither fracture were identified radiographically, with clinical features, treatment and subsequent return to training and racing described. The prevalence of wither fracture was 0.152% and in 6 out of 8 cases, the fracture occurred following identified trauma. Clinical signs varied from mild swelling and pain of the affected region to acute, severe forelimb lameness with spinal deformation. Prognosis for recovery was excellent, with all horses returning to a level of racing performance equal to or better than before the injury. The time from injury to return to ridden work was <2.5 months and return to racing was 9 months, with horses that returned to training sooner after injury having more favourable outcomes. The period of rest identified in this study was shorter than previously reported, with the median interval between injury and first gallop <2.5 months and most horses back racing within 6 months.     

Biomimetic Pathways for Assembling Inorganic Thin Films

Living organisms construct various forms of laminated nanocomposites through directed nucleation and growth of inorganics at self-assembled organic templates at temperatures below 100°C and in aqueous solutions. Recent research has focused on the use of functionalized organic surfaces to form continuous thin films of single-phase ceramics. Continuous thin films of mesostructured silicates have also been formed on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces through a two-step mechanism. First, under acidic conditions, surfactant micellar structures are self-assembled at the solid/liquid interface, and second, inorganic precursors condense to form an inorganic-organic nanocomposite. Epitaxial coordination of adsorbed surfactant tubules is observed on mica and graphite substrates, whereas a random arrangement is observed on amorphous silica. The ability to process ceramic-organic nanocomposite films by these methods provides new technological opportunities.     

The Seismic Structure of the Sun

Global Oscillation Network Group data reveal that the internal structure of the sun can be well represented by a calibrated standard model. However, immediately beneath the convection zone and at the edge of the energy-generating core, the sound-speed variation is somewhat smoother in the sun than it is in the model. This could be a consequence of chemical inhomogeneity that is too severe in the model, perhaps owing to inaccurate modeling of gravitational settling or to neglected macroscopic motion that may be present in the sun. Accurate knowledge of the sun's structure enables inferences to be made about the physics that controls the sun; for example, through the opacity, the equation of state, or wave motion. Those inferences can then be used elsewhere in astrophysics.