Liver biopsy techniques for adult horses and neonatal foals to assess copper status

Objective To evaluate standing, percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, transthoracic liver biopsy in mares, and transabdominal, laparoscopically-guided, liver biopsy under general anaesthesia in foals, as techniques for obtaining tissue for assessment of copper status. The techniques were evaluated with respect to ease of use and effect on the animal.
Procedure Twenty of 24 Thoroughbred mares and 21 of their foals were biopsied. The animals were part of a larger study of the effect of copper supplementation on copper status and the prevalence of developmental orthopaedic disease. Livers were also collected from unrelated horses and sampled to investigate the variability in the distribution of copper in liver tissue.
Result The biopsy technique caused no lasting effect on the mares, but there was an increased risk of viscus penetration associated with taking multiple biopsy cores. The use of ultrasonography to scan the target area for the liver identified four cases that were not appropriate candidates for liver biopsy, because of large intestine being located in the biopsy area. In the foals there were no serious postoperative adverse effects, nor was there any evidence of problems caused by the procedure when the abdomen was examined post-mortem at 5 months of age. In livers collected to investigate the variability of copper concentration, copper appeared to be relatively evenly distributed through the liver.
Conclusion Standing, percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, transthoracic liver biopsy in mares, and transabdominal, laparoscopically-guided, liver biopsy under general anaesthesia in foals are convenient procedures for obtaining liver tissue for assessing copper status in horses. The use of ultrasound to identify liver tissue is recommended, especially in older mares.     

7500 years of prehistoric footwear from arnold research cave, missouri

Accelerator mass spectrometer dating of an assemblage of fibrous and leather footwear from Arnold Research Cave in central Missouri documents a long sequence of shoe construction by prehistoric Midwestern peoples, beginning perhaps as early as 8300 calendar years before the present (cal years B.P.). An earlier fibrous sandal form dates from 8325 to 7675 cal years B.P., and later fibrous or leather slip-ons span the period from 5575 to 1070 cal years B.P. The assemblage adds to a growing picture of the highly varied nature of prehistoric footwear production in the United States throughout the Holocene.     

Production of Transgenic Farm Animals by Viral Vector-Mediated Gene Transfer

Transgenic technology holds considerable promise to advance understanding in biomedical and agricultural systems with some believing that one day transgenic animals may directly contribute to farming and breeding practice. Nevertheless, applications in livestock have been restricted in part by the inefficiency of the technology. The recent development of lentivirus vectors for transgene delivery may overcome some of this limitation. This presentation describes these vectors, their advantages and limitations.     

Faecal contamination of watercourses from farm waste disposal for three sites in the UK with contrasting soil types

Abstract. Despite considerable investment, some UK bathing waters fail to comply with mandatory standards as defined by the EU Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC). Continued non-compliance has been associated with diffuse sources of faecal indicator organism (FIO) contamination, in particular those deriving from agricultural land. This paper examines concentrations of FIOs in surface, subsurface and instream water samples at field sites considered to pose a high potential risk of FIO contamination. Quality of samples was compared with FIO standards for bathing water compliance in the UK. FIO concentrations exceeding mandatory and guideline standards were recorded frequently at all sites. In freely draining soils, FIO mobilization by rainfall was predominantly via subsurface flow, with occasional surface water flow linked to intensive rainfall events. In slowly permeable soils, surface mobilization of FIOs predominated, with the occurrence of limited subsurface samples linked to seasonal desiccation cracking within the soil, and to intense rainfall events. Watercourse FIO concentrations were significantly increased as the stream passed-by fields with freely draining soils. The data imply a generally higher risk of FIO transfer from freely draining soils and occasional increased risk from less permeable soils due to temporal changes in soil structure and rainfall intensity.