Surgical management of bilateral,upper and lower eyelid entropion in 27 Shar Pei dogs,using the Stades forced granulation procedure of the upper eyelid only

ABSTRACT

Aims: To evaluate the outcome of surgical management of entropion of the upper and lower eyelids in Shar Pei dogs which had previously undergone temporary palpebral tacking, using the Stades forced granulation procedure of the upper eyelid only.

Methods: Medical records were retrospectively searched to identify Shar Pei dogs referred for bilateral entropion of both the lower and upper eyelids, and that were treated with the forced granulation procedure of the upper eyelid only. Dogs were included if they had previously undergone unsuccessful temporary palpebral tacking and had at least three follow-up examinations in the 30 days following surgery.

Results: Twenty-seven Shar Pei dogs with a median age of 7.9 (min 4, max 24) months were included in the study. Before surgery, all dogs showed signs of severe ocular discomfort with bilateral keratitis and visual deficit due to blepharospasm, enophthalmos and protrusion of the third eyelid. In 13/54 eyes, keratitis was associated with a corneal ulcer. When re-examined 4 weeks after surgery, correction of the upper eyelid entropion and associated trichiasis resolved ocular signs in 50/54 eyes. Mild bilateral lower entropion remained in two dogs postoperatively, which underwent revision surgery with the Hotz-Celsus technique. There were no cases of long-term recurrence of entropion or ocular irritation in the 38 eyes (19 dogs) which were re-examined 1 year after surgery.

Conclusion and clinical relevance: The forced granulation procedure performed on the upper eyelid only was effective for correction of entropion in the Shar Pei dogs included in this study. In our experience, it is preferable to operate on the upper eyelid alone, rather than attempting to correct upper and lower entropion during the same surgical operation. The dog can then be reassessed a few weeks later to determine whether the lower entropion is anatomical or secondary to the severe blepharospasm resulting from the painful ocular irritation.     

The effects of exogenous xylanase supplementation on the in vivo generation of xylooligosaccharides and monosaccharides in broilers fed a wheat-based diet

ABSTRACT

1. This study quantified xylanase-induced changes in soluble monosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides (XOS) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) contents of the different sections of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and whether these were related to altered bird performance.

2. An in vitro digestion of the wheat-based diet was carried out with the xylanase (Econase XT at 16,000BXU/kg diet) to compare the in vitro and in vivo generation of these XOS and monosaccharides. For the in vivo study, 80 male Ross 508 b roiler chicks were split into two groups fed a wheat-based diet with or without Econase XT (16,000BXU/kg diet) for 21 days.

3. There were no effects of Econase XT inclusion on growth performance characteristics, likely a result of the high-quality wheat diet, the corresponding high performance of the control group (FCR average of 1.45 in controls) and the relatively young age of the birds (from four to 26 days of age).

4. Econase XT supplementation increased the xylotetraose (X₄) content in the colon (P = 0.046, enzyme x GIT section interaction) and the xylose contents in the colon and caeca (P < 0.001, enzyme x GIT section interaction).

5. The trend for increased acetate production in the caeca of Econase XT treated birds (P = 0.062) suggested that the XOS generated were subsequently fermented in the caeca, potentially impacting upon the types of microbiota present.

6. The present study suggested that wheat arabinoxylan degradation was enhanced by xylanase supplementation, which may have increased the production of beneficial volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the caeca, and thereby potentially modulated the caecal microbiome, but without affecting bird performance at this early age.     

Does sand content in spawning substrate result in early larval emergence? Evidence from a lithophilic cyprinid fish

The spawning success of lithophilic salmonids is strongly influenced by the fine sediment content (“fines”) of spawning substrates, yet knowledge on the impacts of fines on the spawning of non‐salmonid lithophiles remains limited, despite their ecological and socio‐economic importance in European rivers. Consequently, the aim here was to use an ex‐situ experiment to investigate the impact of sand content on egg survival and timing of larval emergence of the surface‐spawning cyprinid European barbel Barbus barbus. Thirty incubator boxes within a recirculating system were filled with one of five experimental sediment mixtures (0%–40% sand by mass) that each contained 300 fertilised eggs at a depth of 50 mm. Emerged, free‐swimming larvae were captured and counted daily to assess grain‐size effects on larval survival and emergence. Specifically, total proportion of emerged larvae, cumulative daily proportion of emerged larvae and time required to reach 50% emergence were measured during the study. Whilst the proportion of sand in the sediments did not have a significant impact on egg‐to‐emergence survival (mean survival per treatment 75%–79%), it significantly affected the timing of larval emergence to the water column; early emergence was detected in treatments with elevated sand content (on average, 50% emergence after 12–13 days versus 19 days in the control). Similar to findings from salmonid studies, these results suggest high sand content in spawning gravels can influence timing of larval emergence and potentially cyprinid lithophilic fish survival.     

Carbon stocks and carbon fluxes from a 10‐year prescribed burning chronosequence on a UK blanket peat

Prescribed burning is a common land management technique in many areas of the UK uplands. However, concern has been expressed at the impact of this management practice on carbon stocks and fluxes found in the carbon‐rich peat soils that underlie many of these areas. This study measured both carbon stocks and carbon fluxes from a chronosequence of prescribed burn sites in northern England. A range of carbon parameters were measured including above ground biomass and carbon stocks; net ecosystem exchange (NEE), net ecosystem respiration (R_eco) and photosynthesis (P_g) from closed chamber methods; and particulate organic carbon (POC). Analysis of the CO₂ data showed that burning was a significant factor in measured CO₂ readings but that other factors such as month of sampling explained a greater proportion of the variation in the data. Carbon budget results showed that whereas all the plots were net sources of carbon, the most recent burn scars were smaller sources of carbon compared with the older burn scars, suggesting that burning of Calluna‐dominated landscapes leads to an ‘avoided loss’ of carbon. However, this management intervention did not lead to a transition to a carbon sink and that for carbon purposes, active peat‐forming conditions are desirable.     

Multilocus sequence typing analysis of Italian Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris strains suggests the evolution of local endemic populations of the pathogen and does not correlate with race distribution

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is the causal agent of black rot in Brassicaceae. It is widespread in Italy and severe outbreaks occur under conditions that favour disease development. In this study a multilocus sequence typing approach (MLST) based on the partial sequence of seven loci was applied to a selection of strains representative of the main areas of cultivation and hosts. The aim was to investigate whether the long tradition of brassica crops in Italy has influenced the evolution of different Xcc populations. All loci were polymorphic; 14 allelic profiles were identified of which 13 were unique to Italian strains. Based on the seven loci, the most common genotype within the Italian Xcc strains (AP1) was also the most representative genotype found in worldwide Xcc strains. This genotype was included in a new clonal complex in addition to three other clonal complexes already identified in Xcc populations. The phylogenetic reconstruction using a concatenated dataset of four conserved protein-coding genes, dnaK, fuyA, gyrB and rpoD, showed that the Italian strains belonged to two genetic groups. Physiological races were also investigated for the first time in Italy. The race structure of Xcc was determined by inoculating eight differential Brassica lines belonging to five species and showed that, in Italy, race 4 is the most widespread, followed by races 1 and 6. No correlation was found between allelic profiles, host of isolation, geographical origin and races, although a prevalent race was identified within the same clonal complex.     

Regional and temporal differentiation of virulence phenotypes of Puccinia triticina from common wheat in Russia during the period 2001–2018

Leaf rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina, is one of the most damaging rust diseases of wheat in Russia. Populations of P. triticina were monitored in seven regions of Russia from 2001 to 2018, with a total of 5,191 single urediniospore isolates from bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) being analysed. Populations have changed significantly in all regions since 2012, after 2 years of drought (2010–2011). Regional collections of P. triticina were also significantly different between the two periods 2001–2009 and 2012–2018, with changes along two geographic gradients from West Siberia to the north-west and south-west (North Caucasia) of the European part of Russia. All tested isolates were avirulent to resistance gene Lr9 in 2001–2009 but, since 2010, virulence to Lr9 has occurred and annually increased in the Asian part of Russia (Ural and West Siberia) due to deployment of cultivars with the Lr9 gene. Virulence to Lr2a and Lr15 was considerably lower in Dagestan (6%–33%) and all European regions (35%–67%) than in Asian regions (84%–96%). During 2001–2009, virulence on Lr1 was also lower in Dagestan (33%) and the European regions (50%–77%) than in Asia (91%–96%); however, by 2012–2018, nearly all isolates were virulent on Lr1. Remarkable changes were observed in frequencies of P. triticina races defined by their virulence/avirulence to Lr1 and Lr2a genes. We postulate the P. triticina population in Dagestan is specific to that area and pathogen populations in European and Asian parts of Russia are distinct.     

Forage legumes in grass pastures in tropical Brazil and likely impacts on greenhouse gas emissions: A review

Beef cattle producers seldom use fertilizers for their pastures in tropical regions of Brazil. Slowly, this is changing but because of the need for repeated applications, N fertilizer is rarely applied. The introduction of a forage legume is an appropriate solution for this problem, but until recently adoption has been very low as the legumes generally have not persisted in the sward. We report research on how grazing management can affect the persistence of stoloniferous legumes in pastures of Brachiaria spp. and the problems of establishing and maintaining crown-forming legumes such as Stylosanthes spp. With suitable management, milk or bovine carcass yields can be equal or greater from mixed than from grass-alone pastures fertilized with 120 or 150 kg Nha^-1 year⁻¹. In addition to savings in CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels for the production and distribution of N fertilizers, nitrous oxide emissions from cattle excreta and legume residues are lower than those from N-fertilized brachiaria grass monocultures. Other studies indicate that enteric methane emissions from cattle may be mitigated when forage legumes are included in their diet. The use of forage legumes in mixed pastures for tropical regions is emerging as a feasible strategy to keep meat and milk production at acceptable levels with reduced greenhouse gas emission rates.     

Exogenous Salicylic Acid Improves Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Table Grapes

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Grapes contain high contents of phenolics, which are known to possess health promoting properties. Exogenous application of phytoregulators, mainly methyl...