Long-Term and Immediate Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Chronic Lameness in the Horse: A Pilot Study

The effects of whole body vibration (WBV) in horses with chronic lameness were evaluated in an experimental, single subject, repeated measure design. To assess the long-term effect of WBV, eight horses not previously exposed to WBV were subject to WBV, 30 minutes twice daily, five days a week, for 60 days in addition to their regular exercise routine. Lameness was assessed subjectively and objectively 30 days before the start, at the start and 30 and 60 days after the start of the treatment (WBV). The immediate effect of WBV was assessed in four horses accustomed to WBV, by comparing lameness before and within 30 minutes of a single 30-minute WBV session at four different time intervals. Change in lameness was sought using paired t tests on the kinematic data. A P-value of <.05 was considered statistically significant. Intraindividual change was sought using a subjective and objective scoring system. No statistically significant change in lameness was seen after 30 or 60 days of WBV, respectively, in the chronically lame horses not previously exposed to WBV. However, a trend toward improvement was observed after the first 30 days of WBV, but this improvement appeared to be lost during the second 30 days of WBV. Although a statistically significant worsening of front limb lameness was seen immediately after a single 30-minute WBV session in the chronically lame horses accustomed to WBV, this result was largely attributed to a very significant worsening of the front limb lameness in one horse within that group.     

Dietary α‐Ketoglutarate supplementation alleviates harmful effects of high environmental ammonia on grass carp,Ctenopharyngodon idella

Current intensive fish farming usually causes high environmental ammonia (HEA) in ponds that is toxic to fish. α‐Ketoglutarate (α‐KG) can be rapidly transaminated to glutamic acid and further aminated to glutamine. Therefore, we hypothesized that dietary α‐KG supplementation would alleviate HEA toxicity to fish. To test the hypothesis, 270 healthy grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) juveniles were randomly assigned to control, HEA (18.37 mg/L ammonia) and HEA + α‐KG (0.75% of α‐KG) groups. Ammonia and free amino acid content in plasma and brain, liver glutamic pyruvic transaminase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity, and urea and glycogen content were measured on the first, seventh and 42nd days. Our results showed short‐term HEA exposure (1 day) led to a significant ammonia accumulation in the brain and plasma and significantly decreased glutamic and aspartic acid content in the brain and increased glutamine content in the brain and plasma. The long‐term HEA exposure (42 days) caused significant reductions in glycine and arginine content in the brain tissue. In most cases, dietary α‐KG supplementation alleviated the fluctuations in FAA content in the brain and plasma. Our results suggested dietary α‐KG alleviated HEA toxicity to grass carp.     

叶轮出口边对双蜗壳泵压力脉动的影响

泵的叶轮扫掠蜗壳隔舌时产生的压力脉动是引起船用泵振动噪声的原因之一.为尽可能弱化这一影响,分别设计了叶片出口边与前后盖板基本面垂直和倾斜的2种不同形式叶轮,将其配置在相同的双蜗壳中,通过数值计算与样机试验相结合的手段,对蜗壳内9个不同位置的压力脉动情况进行对比分析.结果表明:出口边倾斜的叶轮相比于出口边垂直的叶轮可明显改善蜗壳内次脉动的“驼峰”现象,且可以进一步降低隔舌处主波动的压力峰值;对蜗壳内2个隔舌稍前的位置,出口边倾斜的叶轮反而会使得该点的压力系数幅值明显增大,且该点主波动的周期数发生改变;2种叶轮出口边的不同形式对蜗壳出口位置的压力脉动的影响基本相同;采用出口边倾斜叶轮对改善因叶轮与隔舌间的液流压力脉动是可行的.     

不同饲养方式对西门塔尔牛日增重及血清部分激素和神经递质水平变化的影响

试验旨在研究散栏与栓系两种饲养方式对西门塔尔牛生长过程中不同时期血清部分激素和神经递质水平变化的影响。选用50头体重相近(330kg左右)、月龄相同(12月龄)、未去势、健康无病的西门塔尔公牛,随机分为散栏组和栓系组,每组25头,分别于2012年10、11、12月及2013年1、2月进行体重及血清部分激素和神经递质水平的测定。结果表明,散栏组日增重在2012年11月显著高于栓系组(P0.05),在2012年12月及2013年2月极显著高于栓系组(P0.01)。散栏组血清部分激素水平中生长激素(GH)含量在2013年2月显著高于栓系组(P0.05);甲状腺素(T4)、睾酮(T)含量在2012年12月和2013年2月分别显著和极显著高于栓系组(P0.05;P0.01);生长抑素(SS)含量在2013年2月极显著低于栓系组(P0.01);雌二醇(E2)、促黄体素(LH)含量在2012年12月和2013年2月显著高于栓系组(P0.05)。散栏组牛血清部分神经递质中组胺(His)和5-羟色胺(5-HT)含量在2012年12月分别显著和极显著高于栓系组(P0.05;P0.01)。综上所述,随着年龄的增加,散栏饲养组牛血清中部分激素水平变化与日增重变化具有一定的相关性。与栓系饲养方式相比,散栏饲养方式较适合于提高西门塔尔牛的日增重。     

乳化剂在肉鸡饲料中的效果研究

乳化剂是一种亲油又亲水的物质,能显著降低脂肪的粘度,弥补动物胆盐分泌不足,从而提高脂肪消化率,防止脂肪肝发生和畜禽因脂肪消化不良引起的下痢,且利于脂溶性营养物质（VA、VD、VE、色素等）的吸收。因此,可通过乳化剂调低配方的代谢能水平,降低成本,提高经济效益。本试验研究了乳化剂对白羽肉鸡生产性能的影响。结果显示：减少油脂后添加乳化剂对肉鸡平均日采食量和平均日增重的影响均不显著,从试验全期看,日粮减少油脂5 kg/t 或降低代谢能30 kcal/kg （1 kcal=4.187 kJ,下同）后添加乳化剂,可以使肉鸡平均日增重和料重比保持正常的水平。     

Recurrent Temporary Paralysis Reported After Human Rabies Post‐Exposure Prophylaxis

Adverse events can occur after rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and linkage to causality is often difficult to determine. We report a case of recurrent temporary paralysis that began immediately after the initiation of rabies PEP in a man exposed to a bat. The recurrent temporary paralysis first occurred in the patient after his initial dose and then again after day 3 of his rabies PEP. The PEP was terminated prior to a serologic response. The patient continued to experience numerous discrete episodes of temporary paralysis for over two years.     

Hepatitis E virus in Cuba: A cross-sectional serological and virological study in pigs and people occupationally exposed to pigs

Surveillance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in risk groups is an important strategy to monitor its circulation pattern and to timely detect changes thereof. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the prevalence of HEV infections in pigs and humans from different regions of the country, to identify risk factors for increasing anti-HEV IgG prevalence and to characterize HEV strains. The presence of anti-HEV antibodies was assessed by commercial ELISA in serum samples from the general population, farm and slaughterhouse employees, as well as pigs sampled in the three regions of Cuba from February to September 2016. Overall, individuals with occupational exposure to swine or swine products (70/248, 28.2%) were 4 times more likely to be seropositive compared to the general population (25/285, 8.7%; OR: 4.18; p < .001). Within the risk group, risk factors included age, number of years working in a professional activity with direct exposure to swine, geographic region and distance between residence and closest professional swine setting, while wearing gloves had a protective effect. Prevalence of total anti-HEV antibodies in swine was 88.2% (165/187) and HEV RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 9.2% (16/173) swine stools. All HEV strains sequenced clustered within genotype 3. Some strains clearly belonged to subtype 3a, while another group of strains was related with subtypes 3b and 3 k but partial HEV sequences did not allow unequivocal subtype assignment. These findings suggest that the high HEV exposure in Cuban individuals with swine-related occupations could be due to enzootic HEV in certain regions, direct contact with infectious animals or their products as well as environmental contamination.     

Do forest and health professionals presume that forests offer health benefits,and is cross-sectional cooperation conceivable?

In high-income countries depression and cardiovascular diseases were predicted to be the two leading causes of DALYs in the year 2030. Private-life stress fosters both kinds of diseases. Scientific findings already show that forest exposure has stress-reducing effects. Particularly in Japan, people have practiced forest bathing to improve their health. The German population also has a strong connection to its forests, and forest law allows forest access, regardless of ownership structure. Hence, the question arises of whether forest exposure could be used in Germany as a kind of stress-coping strategy. To a certain degree, the success of such a strategy in Germany would require the participation of the stakeholders that are active in both the health and the forestry sectors. Therefore, it seems necessary to gain insight into German forest and health professionals' understanding and attitude concerning forest-related health benefits. For this reason, in this pilot study, guideline interviews with professionals of both sectors and with professionals standing in between these professions were conducted, recorded and transcribed. On the one hand, each professional’s presumptions regarding the health-fostering effects of forests were investigated, derived from their subjective certainty that forest exposure has health-fostering effects. In addition, a thought experiment was used to estimate the level of willingness to cooperate with each other in order to motivate people to be physically active in forests. For analysis, Mayring’s qualitative content analysis and a frequency analysis (MaxQDA) were applied. Findings show that most of the interviewed professionals presume forests to have health-fostering effects. Furthermore, something derived from the statements within the context of the thought experiment was that most professionals seem to be willing to cooperate with the other sector. Hence, it might be conceivable that forest exposure may be part of a German stress-coping strategy.     

谷甾醇对斑马鱼生长发育和生殖的影响

为了研究谷甾醇(sitosterol)暴露对斑马鱼(Barchydanio rerio var)内分泌的干扰效应,通过不同浓度的谷甾醇(50、100、150、200μg/L)对雌性斑马鱼进行为期60 d的水浴暴露,同时设乙醇对照,分别于60 d后测定各组分雌性斑马鱼的生长指标,对部分组织进行切片观察,从组织病理学和毒理学方面评估谷甾醇暴露的毒性效应。结果表明:在200μg/L谷甾醇暴露下,斑马鱼全部死亡,其他各浓度处理与对照组相比,除臀鳍数随谷甾醇浓度的增加呈现倒"U"型趋势,以及肝重随谷甾醇浓度的增加而上升外,其他各生长指标均不同程度受到抑制,抑制作用与暴露浓度呈明显的剂量效应。此外,性腺指数(GSI)呈下降趋势,肝体指数(HSI)呈上升趋势,各组织切片也表现出明显的毒性反应。因此,可初步判断谷甾醇对斑马鱼的生长发育和繁殖系统会产生较大影响。