Spontaneous urethral catheter kinking or knotting in male dogs: four cases

Four dogs were diagnosed with urethral catheter malfunction. The catheter was kinked in three dogs and knotted in one dog. In two dogs, kinking of the catheter was associated with presence of urethroliths in the perineal urethra. Diagnosis was based on the difficulty encountered retrieving the catheter in all dogs and swelling in the scrotal or perineal area in two dogs. Diagnosis of catheter kinking or knotting was confirmed after catheter retrieval. Catheter removal was achieved in two dogs after traction under anesthesia, whereas scrotal or perineal urethrotomy were used in the other two dogs. No complications associated with urination were reported in any of the dogs after 7 to 12 mo.     

Association of bulk tank milk urea nitrogen concentration with elevated individual cow values and investigation of sampling frequency for accurate assessment

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Individual milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels ≥?19.63 mg/dL have been recently reported to significantly affect fertility. The objectives...     

Sonographic evaluation of the uterus in Holstein-Friesian cows without and with disturbances of the puerperium during the first 14 days postpartum

The aim of this study was to investigate if, compared with transrectal manual palpation, B-mode sonography provides additional information about the uterine structures and contents of Holstein-Friesian cows without and with disturbances during the early puerperal phase, that lead to a more precise diagnosis. The examinations were carried out once per cow either during the first four days p. p. (contraction phase, KPH) or on days 5 to 10 (desquamation phase, DPH) or on days 11 to 14 (regeneration phase, RPH) in 57 cows with undisturbed (UP) and 69 with disturbed puerperal phases (GP). The mean size of the uterus measured by transrectal palpation was 0.94 to 1.51 points (on a 6-point scale, p < 0.05) larger throughout the examination period and the fluctuation was 1.29 and 0.92 points (on a 4-point scale, p < 0.05) higher in GP cows compared with UP cows during the KPH and RPH, respectively. During the KPH, contractility of the uterus was 0.56 points (on a 3-point scale, p < 0.05) lower in GP cows compared with UP cows. Sonographically the cross sectional area of the most caudally located caruncle was 0.47 to 3.53 cm2 bigger (p < 0.05) in GP cows than in UP cows. The GP cows showed in the KPH a 0.21 cm thinner (p < 0.05) endometrium compared with the UP cows. In the DPH and RPH, the echogenicity was 1.63 and 1.04 points (on a 4-point scale, p < 0.05) higher and the intraluminal diameter of the uterine body was 0.49 to 0.67 cm greater (p < 0.05) in GP cows compared with UP cows, respectively. By means of dicriminant analysis 96.7% and 91.7% of the animals of the GP and UP group, respectively, where classified correctly during the DPH, whereas in the other two phases these proportions were between 70.0% and 87.5%. The results show that B-mode sonography is an additional valuable method for a more accurate differentiation of uterine involutionary processes between cows without and with disturbances of the puerperal phase.     

Temporal changes in the expression of avian β-defensins in the chicken vagina during sexual maturation and Salmonella infection

Avian β-defensins (AvβDs) constitute a family of antimicrobial peptides that are critical to innate immunity in chickens, providing protection against microbial pathogens including Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). As apart from the digestive tract another main route of SE colonization in birds is via infection of the oviduct and specifically of the vagina, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the complete family of AvβDs, in the chicken vagina in vivo, to determine whether sexual maturation affects their mRNA abundance and to investigate whether SE infection alters the vaginal AvβDs expression. Expression analysis revealed that 11 members of the AvβD family were expressed in the chicken vagina. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the mRNA abundance of five AvβDs was up regulated and of one AvβD was down regulated with respect to sexual maturation. In addition SE infection resulted in a significant induction of AvβD5, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 14 in the vagina of sexually mature birds, and in a significant induction of AvβD5 and 11 in the vagina of aged birds. These findings provide strong evidence to suggest that an AvβD-mediated immune response mechanism exists in the chicken vagina providing protection against bacterial pathogens including Salmonella species.     

Factors affecting the success of resynchronization protocols with or without progesterone supplementation in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to investigate factors that influence the success of resynchronization protocols for bovines with and without progesterone supplementation. Cow synchronized and not found pregnant were randomly assigned to two resynchronization protocols: ovsynch without progesterone (P4) supplementation (n = 66) or with exogenous P4 administered from Days 0 to 7 (n = 67). Progesterone levels were measured on Days 0 and 7 of these protocols as well as 4 and 5 days post-insemination. Progesterone supplementation raised the P4 levels on Day 7 (p < 0.05), but had no overall effect on resynchronization rates (RRs) or pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI). However, cows with Body Condition Score (BCS) > 3.5 had increased P/AI values while cows with BCS < 2.75 had decreased P/AI rates after P4 supplementation. Primiparous cows had higher P4 values on Day 7 than pluriparous animals (p = 0.04) and tended to have higher RRs (p = 0.06). Results of this study indicate that progesterone supplementation in resynchronization protocols has minimal effects on outcomes. Parity had an effect on the levels of circulating progesterone at initiation of the protocol, which in turn influenced the RR.     

Elimination of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plum pox virus</Emphasis> through in vitro thermotherapy and shoot tip culture compared to conventional heat treatment in apricot cultivar Bebecou

The effectiveness of in vitro thermotherapy (explants at 35–37°C for 20 days) in obtaining propagating material of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivar Bebecou that is free of Plum pox virus (PPV) was compared to a conventional heat treatment technique (potted plants at 30–35°C for 8 weeks). An improved protocol for in vitro thermotherapy was combined with shoot tip culture. The protocol is 5.8 times more effective than conventional thermotherapy while taking half the time and is likely to have a high commercial impact for nurseries.     

A survey of tobacco viruses in tobacco crops and native flora in Greece

The most important tobacco producing areas in Greece were surveyed for virus presence, from 1997 to 2000. Tobacco seedlings or plants showing virus-like symptoms were randomly collected from seedbeds or fields, respectively, and tested by ELISA, and/or mechanical inoculation onto indicator plants. Potato virus Y (PVY), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were detected in all sampling areas, with TMV mainly found in oriental varieties. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) consisted a serious endemic virus in Northern Greece (Thrace, Central and Eastern Macedonia), whereas Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) was mainly found in regions, where alfalfa was cultivated in the vicinity of tobacco crops. Eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV) was detected in several areas but always in very low incidence (<0.01%). Surveys were also conducted to assess the potential reservoir hosts of PVY, CMV and AMV among weeds collected from highly infected tobacco fields from 1998 to 2000. Among 3450 samples tested for PVY, plants from 17 species in 10 families were found infected. For CMV, 2891 weed samples were tested and 19 species in 12 families were positive. Assays for AMV infection were made on 961 samples and 12 species in 9 families were identified as hosts of this virus.     

Morphological and free amino acid profile variability,as a tool for stock identification among farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss of different origin

As a tool for stock identification the body morphology and the free amino acid (FAA) profile variability were determined among farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum 1792) from different geographical areas throughout Greece, using geometric morphometrics and Reversed Phase‐High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography. Significant intraspecific body shape variation was detected among the fish stocks of different origin. Canonical Variate Analysis distinguished populations into two groups being consistent to a great extent with a previous population genetics study. General linear models did not support an association of haplotypes and diet with shape. However, shape was significantly correlated with origin, water temperature, geological‐chemical‐climatic zones, histidine and arginine. Therefore, morphological variation was primarily driven by environmentally induced differences among these zones being the result of phenotypic plasticity. Environmental cues and rearing conditions played the pivotal role in comparison to broodstock origin. Specimens presented different FAA profiles depending on their geographical origin. Principal Component Analysis showed a division between eastern and western Greece which might be owed to the existence of climatic fluctuations affecting the abiotic factors. This combined approach offers an important tool for stock identification thus assisting environmental risk assessments in evaluation of potential ecological effects and fostering research excellence in sustainable aquaculture management.