A case-control study of Washington dairy herds experiencing drug residue violations in market calves

The purpose of this case-control study was to examine the association between management practices and the occurrence of violative drug residues in calves originating from Washington dairies. In 1992, 74 dairies were identified as first-time offenders sending to abattoirs calves less than 1 week of age that had violative residue levels. Of these, 56 answered a subset of previously validated management questions from the 1991–1992 US National Animal Health Monitoring System National Dairy Heifer Evaluation Program (NDHEP) study during a violation investigation and comprised the case group. The controls were the 51 randomly selected Washington dairies that participated in the NDHEP, completed the four NDHEP questionnaires, and had not been identified as having residue violations. Management factors investigated were those associated with maternity and pre-weaning hygiene, vaccination and preventive practices, type and management of liquid calf feed, and general management. Other factors included herd somatic cell count (SCC), the presence of clinical signs associated with diseases of body systems, and herd size. Significant associations were detected between violation occurrence and the management of calving cows, colostrum volume and management, and the person responsible for calf care. Significant associations but of the wrong direction were found between violation occurrence and type and management of liquid calf feed. No significant associations were detected between violation occurrence and the remaining management factors, herd size, animals entering the herd, or SCC.     

Changes in endocrine and immune responses of neonatal pigs exposed to a psychosocial stressor

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of a single social isolation (4 h) of piglets on immediate changes in stress hormones and immune responses at 7, 21 or 35 days of age. This social stressor caused an increase in plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations and a decrease in plasma TNF-α. The percentage of CD8⁺ cells increased and the CD4⁺ cell percentage decreased, resulting in decreasing CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio. The observed changes were consistent for all days studied. Further, the isolation treatment resulted in diminished LPS-stimulated IL-1β and IL-10 production in whole-blood cultures. In isolated piglets, positive correlations were estimated between changes in percentage of CD8⁺ cells and cortisol, and negative ones between changes in plasma TNF-α and culture supernatant IL-1β with ACTH and cortisol. The data suggest that psychosocial stress in neonatal pigs induced immune alterations to maintain adaptive stability, but reflecting also negative emotions experienced by this treatment.     

Why has oral rehydration for calves and children diverged: direct vs. indirect criteria of efficacy

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for acute diarrhoea has advanced in contrary directions in humans and animals; the unresolved question is whether this reflects species differences or a divergence in scientific outlook. This review suggests that the explanation lies in the fact that developments in veterinary ORT have the advantage of utilising more reliable criteria than those available from human patients. The dilemma for human ORT is that the validity of systematic reviews and meta-analyses are undermined when the underlying data only reflect crucial variables indirectly and unreliably. It is therefore possible that the approaches currently used to treat calves, which are radically different from those used by paediatricians, could potentially benefit children and the necessary additional research should be initiated. At a time when the value of animal models of human disease is frequently questioned, the benefits of being able to utilise disease models in the target species for clinical research deserve to be emphasised.     

Factors related to the risk of neonatal mortality,birth-weight and serum immunoglobulin concentration in lambs in the UK

Neonatal-lamb mortality represents an economic loss and welfare concern. Two factors often associated with the risk of mortality are birth-weight and serum immunoglobulin concentration. We used data from two studies to investigate risk factors for mortality between 2 and 14 days of age and factors affecting birth-weight and serum immunoglobulin concentration at 48 h of age. Dataset 1 included 1339 lambs born on eight farms during the 1995 spring lambing season; dataset 2 included 3172 lambs on seven farms during the 1991 spring lambing season. To account for some of the potential clustering within the data, multilevel models were used. Most (>75%) of the variation in the risk of mortality was at the lamb level. In dataset 1, factors significantly associated with increased odds of lamb mortality included low birth-weight and low serum immunoglobulin concentration. In dataset 2, significant risk factors for mortality included low birth-weight, ewe body-condition score, being born late in the season (relative to other lambs on the farm) and being born in multiple litters. There was a significant interaction between the effects of litter size and birth-weight. (Serum immunoglobulin concentration was not available for dataset 2.) More than half of the variation in birth-weight was at the ewe level, 27% at the lamb level, and 18% at the farm level (dataset 1). Single birth and being male were associated with increased birth-weight in both datasets. In dataset 2 only, increasing ewe condition score and birth early in the study period were also associated with increased birth-weight. Fifty-six percent of the variation in immunoglobulin concentration was at the lamb level, 36% at the ewe level and only 7% at the farm level. Factors associated with reduced serum immunoglobulin concentration included early or late birth in the lambing season, being born later than 14 days after the first lamb born on the farm, multiple-birth litters and maternal mastitis.     

Expression of proinflammatory cytokine mRNA in the lymphatic organs of adult and neonatal pigs

Inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in the lymphatic organs of neonatal, 1-month-old and adult pigs was compared. The mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-18 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- in the spleen, thymus, tonsil and popliteal and mesenteric lymph nodes was investigated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Stronger IL-1β mRNA expression was observed in the 1-day-old and 1-month-old piglets than in the adult pigs. In thymus, tonsil and mesenteric lymph node, IL-1β mRNA expression in 1-day-old piglets was stronger than in 1-month-old pigs. The expression of IL-6 mRNA in the 1-day-old and 1-month-old tonsil tended to be stronger than in the adult pigs. IL-18 and TNF- mRNA expression was constant in all the samples examined. The expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA may reflect an inflammatory reaction against the exo- and endogenous foreign bodies occurring in the lymphatic organs, especially in the tonsil, of neonatal piglets.     

1,6二磷酸果糖治疗中、重度新生儿缺氧缺血性脑病的临床观察

目的:探讨1,6二磷酸果糖(FDP)治疗中、重度新生儿缺氧缺血性脑病(HIE)的价值。方法:将71例中、重度新生儿HIE随机分为2组,FDP与胞二磷胆碱(CDPC)联合应用41例作为观察组,单独应用CDPC 30例为对照组,通过对临床异常神经症状、体征消失时间及20项新生儿神经行为评分作为疗效及预后评价指标。结果:在治疗有效率、显效率及生后d7、d14的20项NBNA评分上,观察组与对照组比较差异有显著性(P<0.05,P<0.01)。结论:早期加用FDP治疗HIE较传统单一用药临床疗效更满意。     

Prevalence of canid herpesvirus-1 infection in stillborn and dead neonatal puppies in Denmark

Background

Canid herpesvirus-1 (CaHV-1) infection in puppies less than three weeks of age is often reported to be associated with a lethal generalized necrotizing inflammation and since the discovery of the virus in 1965 several reports of neonatal infections have been published. However, the significance of CaHV-1 for peri- and neonatal mortality in puppies remains unclear. Therefore, we examined stillborn and dead neonatal puppies in Denmark to determine the prevalence of infection and further to correlate infection levels with necropsy findings to assess the possible significance of the infection.

Results

From a cross-sectional study of 57 dead puppies, 22.8% (n = 13) were confirmed positive for CaHV-1 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of tissue pools of lung/liver and/or spleen/kidney. Specimens from PCR positive cases were further investigated by histology and in situ hybridization (ISH). High levels of CaHV-1 DNA were present in only one case in which lesions and ISH staining consistent with CaHV-1 infection were found as well. CaHV-1 concentrations in the other cases were low and a range of lesions not consistent with CaHV-1 were found. Similar, ISH staining was mostly negative in these except for one case with a few positive cells.

Conclusion

CaHV-1 infection in stillborn and dead neonatal puppies in Denmark seems to be common, but the direct significance for puppy mortality remains unclear as only one of 13 PCR positive puppies (7.7%) had pathognomonic lesions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-014-0092-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

α2-adrenoceptor agonist B-HT933 suppresses LPS-induced TNF-α production in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

AIM: To observe the effect of B-HT933, a selective α₂-adrenoceptor agonist, on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced TNF-α production in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and to explore the underlying mechanisms.METHODS: The neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured. The localization of α_2A-adrenoceptor in the cardiomyocytes was examined by immunofluorescence staining. The cardiomyocytes were exposed to LPS or/and B-HT933 for different time. The level of TNF-α in the supernatants and the mRNA expression of TNF-α were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively. In addition, LPS-associated signal molecules in the cardiomyocytes were also examined by Western blotting.RESULTS: Immunofluorescence staining showed that α_2A-adrenoceptors were localized in the cardiomyocytes. LPS stimulated TNF-α production in the cardiomyocytes in a dose and time-dependent manner. B-HT933 pretreatment significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-α at mRNA and protein levels in LPS-treated cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, LPS exposure induced IκBα and p38 phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes and only IκBα phosphorylation was prevented by B-HT933 treatment.CONCLUSION: α_2A-adrenoceptors are present in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and its agonist B-HT933 inhibits LPS-induced TNF-α production in cardiomyocytes via suppressing IκBα phosphorylation.