Cardiorespiratory effects of a 7° reverse Trendelenburg position in anaesthetized horses: a randomized clinical trial

Objective

To evaluate the cardiorespiratory effects of a 7° reverse Trendelenburg position (RTP) in anaesthetized horses.

Cardiovascular effects following epidural injection of romifidine in isoflurane‐anaesthetized dogs

ObjectiveTo investigate the cardiovascular effects of epidural romifidine in isoflurane-anaesthetized dogs.Study designProspective, randomized, blinded experiment.AnimalsA total of six healthy adult female Beagles aged 1.25 ± 0.08 years and weighing 12.46 ± 1.48 (10.25–14.50) kg.MethodsAnaesthesia was induced with propofol (6–9 mg kg^?1) and maintained with 1.8–1.9% end-tidal isoflurane in oxygen. End-tidal CO₂ was kept between 35 and 45 mmHg (4.7–6.0 kPa) using intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure and cardiac output (CO) were monitored. Cardiac output was determined using a LiDCO monitor and the derived parameters were calculated. After baseline measurements, either 10 μg kg^?1 romifidine or saline (total volume 1 mL 4.5 kg^?1) was injected into the lumbosacral epidural space. Data were recorded for 1 hour after epidural injection. A minimum of 1 week elapsed between treatments.ResultsAfter epidural injection, the overall means (± standard deviation, SD) of HR (95 ± 20 bpm), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) (81 ± 19 mmHg), CO (1.63 ± 0.66 L minute^?1), cardiac index (CI) (2.97 ± 1.1 L minute^?1 m^?2) and stroke volume index (SI) (1.38 ± 0.21 mL beat^?1 kg^?1) were significantly lower in the romifidine treatment compared with the overall means in the saline treatment [HR (129 ± 24 bpm), MAP (89 ± 17 mmHg), CO (3.35 ± 0.86 L minute^?1), CI (6.17 ± 1.4 L minute^?1 m^?2) and SI (2.21 ± 0.21 mL beat^?1 kg^?1)]. The overall mean of systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) (7202 ± 2656 dynes seconds cm^?5 m^?2) after epidural romifidine injection was significantly higher than the overall mean of SVRI (3315 ± 1167 dynes seconds cm^?5 m^?2) after epidural saline injection.ConclusionEpidural romifidine in isoflurane-anaesthetized dogs caused significant cardiovascular effects similar to those reportedly produced by systemic romifidine administration.Clinical relevanceSimilar cardiovascular monitoring is required after epidural and systemically administered romifidine. Further studies are required to evaluate the analgesic effects of epidural romifidine.     

Schizochytrium as a replacement for fish oil in a fishmeal free diet for jade perch,Scortum barcoo (McCulloch & Waite)

A 10‐week trial was conducted to determine the response of juvenile jade perch Scortum barcoo on the replacement of dietary fish oil (FO) in a fishmeal free diet. Three iso‐nitrogenous, isocaloric and isolipidic diets were formulated, each containing a different primary fat source: FO, linseed oil (LO), and a mixture of Schizochytrium and LO. The substitution of FO with the mixture of Schizochytrium and LO did not cause a difference in growth. However, there was an 8% reduction in weight gain in fish fed dietary LO, indicating that juvenile jade perch do require a minimal concentration of dietary n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). Fish fed the Schizochytrium diet stored more efficient n‐3 HUFA and in particular DHA in their flesh, and retained a higher fillet recovery compared to fish fed FO. In addition, we demonstrated that jade perch are able to produce both n‐3 HUFA and n‐6 HUFA when dietary PUFA are present. Fish fed the LO diet for 10 weeks contained the lowest amount of n‐3 HUFA in fillets among dietary treatment groups. However, feeding these fish the Schizochytrium diet for an additional 4 weeks increased the n‐3 HUFA content towards the same concentration of n‐3 HUFA found in the flesh of fish fed FO, without affecting the sensory properties of the fillets. In contrary, feeding the Schizochytrium diet for a continuous period of 14 weeks lowered overall sensory property scores.     

Estimating the impacts of water pricing on smallholder irrigators in North West Province, South Africa

Worldwide growing water scarcity has increased the call for economic instruments to stimulate rational water use in agriculture. Furthermore, cost-recovery is now widely accepted as a cornerstone of sustainable water management. In many developing countries, where agricultural water use is often still subsidised, water pricing policies are developed for allocating water efficiently and achieving sustainability of water systems. However, the impacts of water pricing policies on irrigation water use and on farm production systems is mostly unknown. We introduce an innovative two-stage methodology that allows estimating these effects at farm level. Applying the method to small-scale irrigators in South Africa, we show that water demand is quite responsive even to small changes in water price. In addition, the introduction of a water price significantly decreases farm profit. This appears to be a problem primarily for the poorer farmers.     

Chemical immobilization of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a combination of detomidine and ketamine

Objective To determine if a combination of detomidine and ketamine can be used for effective chemical immobilization of chimpanzees. Study design Observational study. Animals Twenty‐one adult captive chimpanzees (12 males, nine females), age 8–46 years, weighing 40.4–68.4 kg. Methods The chimpanzees were immobilized with intramuscular (IM) detomidine and ketamine by a darting system. Based on estimated weights, doses administered were 50 μg kg^?1 detomidine and 4 mg kg^?1 ketamine in groups 1 and 2, and 60 μg kg^?1 and 5 mg kg^?1 respectively in group 3. Eight minutes in group 1 and 15 minutes in groups 2 and 3 were allowed from the time of apparent immobilization before removing the animals from their enclosures. Body temperature, arterial haemoglobin saturation and pulse rate were measured. The time from injection to induction (recumbency and absence of voluntary movement), total anaesthetic and recovery times (with or without atipamezole) were recorded. Results Immobilization occurred within 5 minutes after darting in most animals. Early handling of the chimpanzees often resulted in arousal and required further doses of ketamine IM. Most animals were hypoxaemic and hypothermic. Occasionally, bradycardia was observed. Atipamezole resulted in an acceptable quality of recovery 10 minutes after IM injection. The duration of immobilization varied widely when no antagonist was administered. Conclusions and clinical relevance The combination detomidine (60 μg kg^?1) and ketamine (5–6 mg kg^?1) can be used for the immobilization of chimpanzees for non‐ to minimally invasive procedures. A period of 15 minutes should be allowed before handling to avoid unwanted arousal. Oxygen administration is recommended to reduce hypoxaemia. Administration of atipamezole is justified to hasten recovery.