Association of Vitamin D Status and Clinical Outcome in Dogs with a Chronic Enteropathy

Background

Dogs with a chronic enteropathy (CE) have a lower vitamin D status, than do healthy dogs. Vitamin D status has been associated with a negative clinical outcome in humans with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives

To examine the relationship between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations at diagnosis and clinical outcome in dogs with a CE.

Animals

Forty‐one dogs diagnosed with CE admitted to the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Hospital for Small Animals between 2007 and 2013.

Methods

Retrospective review. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were compared between dogs which were alive at follow up or had died because of non‐CE‐related reasons (survivors) and dogs which died or were euthanized due to their CE (non‐survivors). A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of death in dogs with CE.

Results

Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D at the time a CE was diagnosed were significantly lower in nonsurvivors (n = 15) (median nonsurvivors 4.36 ng/mL, interquartile range 1.6–17.0 ng/mL), median survivors (n = 26) (24.9 ng/mL interquartile range 15.63–39.45 ng/mL, P < .001). Serum 25(OH)D concentration was a significant predictor of death in dogs with CE (odds ratio 1.08 [95% CI 1.02–1.18)]).

Conclusions

Serum 25(OH)D concentrations at diagnosis are predictive of outcome in dogs with CE. The role of vitamin D in the initiation and outcome of chronic enteropathies in dogs is deserving of further study.     

Evaluating agroforestry interventions in extension projects

Because of the relative dearth of scientific information in agroforestry, monitoring and evaluation of agroforestry technologies in development projects plays an important role in the development and improvement of technical extension recommendations. To identify appropriate methodologies, ICRAF conducted in 1988–89 a review of agroforestry technology monitoring and evaluation in 166 projects worldwide, of which 108 responded. Almost 80% of these were involved in technology evaluation. Many extension projects were conducting research to test technologies on-farm or on research plots. Technology evaluation by projects focused on the biological of trees, often with inadequate consideration of the technology context. Few projects seemed to use farmer assessment in evaluation. Recommendations are made for an effective evaluation process and selection of appropriate methods and variables to be assessed by projects. Methods should be selected according to the availability of resources and should favour collaborative or collegial interaction between farmers and project staff.     

Variations in water use by a mature mangrove of Avicennia germinans, French Guiana

? In the tropical intertidal zones, little is known on water uptake by mangroves. Transpiration rates are generally measured at leaf level, but few studies exist on water use at tree or stand levels.

? The objective of this study was to measure sap flow in trees of different sizes to appreciate the range of variation in water use that may exist in a site dominated by 80% mature Avicennia germinans.

? The results showed that from the dry to the wet season the mean water use increased from 3.2 to 5.3 dm³ d^?1 in small trees (DBH ～ 13 cm), from 11.5 to 30.8 dm³ d^?1 in medium trees (～24 cm) and from 40.8 to 64.1 dm³ d^?1 in large ones (～45 cm).

? Sapwood remained active up to a depth of 8 cm with radial variations within the stem. Weak correlations were obtained with VPD and net radiation.

? This study confirmed that transpiration was larger under low levels of salinity. Water use at stand level (～1900 living stems ha^?1) was estimated to be in the range of 5.8 to 11.8 m³ ha?1 d^?1 according to the season.

     

The potential of mini-ridging for controlling intrarow weeds: estimating minimum lethal burial depth

Weed management using synthetic herbicides is undergoing a global decline, necessitating a re-evaluation of existing control measures and the development of novel weed management tools. ‘Mini-ridging’ is a non-discriminatory, physical weeding method that functions by burying weeds in the intrarow with a laterally shifted ridge of soil. In glasshouse trials using potted plants, we found that plant recovery after soil application was influenced by plant size, which in turn was influenced by plant species, developmental stage and/or age. The likelihood of plant recovery after soil application was negatively related to the depth of soil applied: very few plants survived total coverage by soil but, conversely, survival could be substantial if some parts of the plants were not covered. The results suggest that burial under a depth of 6 cm of soil would eliminate most plants regardless of species or growth stage. Larger plants would require the application of a greater total depth of soil to achieve this 6 cm of soil cover, and weed management would, therefore, tend to be more successful and more practical if weeds were targeted when still small. This research demonstrates the potential of plant burial as a simple and reliable means of non-chemical weed management, and re-emphasises that, for weed control to be effective, the applied soil layer must cover the whole plant.     

Methods for Rapidly Measuring the Lodging Resistance of Wheat Cultivars

Lodging resistance ratings for winter wheat cultivars are frequently based upon observations of lodging. This is an unreliable method because of the frequent occurrence of years without significant lodging events. It also does not distinguish between stem and root lodging resistance. This paper describes the development and testing of instrumentation and procedures for two field‐based methods to rapidly assess stem and root lodging resistance. Both methods used a specifically designed instrument for measuring the resistance of shoots against rotational displacement. Stem lodging resistance was assessed when the soil was dry and strong, whereas resistance to root lodging was assessed after the soil had been weakened by irrigation. Tests were carried out on 14 winter wheat cultivars grown at two sites in the UK during 2002. Both methods were able to detect statistically significant differences between the cultivars for their resistance to stem and root lodging. A comparison of these results with observations of lodging in the field showed that the methods accounted for about 60 and 50 % of the stem and root lodging respectively.     

A Self-Learing Chinese Character Recognition System

A method using possibility theory and fuzzy logic is introduced. Possibility functions of each feature are determined during training. Methods of fuzzy logic are used to combine the possibility of different features. This Chinese character recognition system consists of a pre-classifier and a two-level fine classifier. In order to handle deviations of the characters,a fuzzification of features is introduced. This method is used to develop single-font classifiers. The whole system consists of a font-classifiers and four single-font-classifiers.     

Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody against the beta-adrenergic agonist ractopamine

A monoclonal antibody was generated toward the beta-adrenergic agonist ractopamine hydrochloride ?(1R,3R),(1R, 3S)-4-hydroxy-alpha-[[[3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-methylpropyl]amino]methy l]benzenemethanol hydrochloride?. Ractopamine-glutarate-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was used as the antigen for antibody generation in mice. Clone 5G10, secreted antibody with isotype IgG1kappa, was used for the development of an immunoassay. The selected antibody was specific for racemic ractopamine with an IC(50) of 2.69 +/- 0.36 ng/mL (n = 15). Antibody binding toward ractopamine was stereoselective with (1R,3R)-ractopamine having an IC(50) of 0.55 +/- 0.09 ng/mL (n = 3). IC(50) values for the (1S, 3R)-, (1S,3S)-, and (1R,3S)-ractopamine stereoisomers were 2.00 +/- 0.37, 140 +/- 23, and 291+/- 32 ng/mL (n = 3), respectively. Phenethanolamine beta-agonists showed low cross-reactivity. Studies using a series of ractopamine metabolites and ractopamine analogues demonstrated structural requirements for the antibody binding. A free phenolic group on the N-butylphenol moiety was required for high-affinity binding because methoxylated analogues and metabolites glucuronidated at this phenol generally had IC(50) values greater than 200 ng/mL. Ractopamine analogues methoxylated or glucuronidated at the ethanolamine phenol had IC(50) values of 0.7-2.6 ng/mL. Lack of a benzylic hydroxyl group was of less importance to antibody binding than was the correct stereochemical orientation (3R) of ractopamine's N-phenylalkyl group. In conclusion, a highly specific monoclonal antibody to ractopamine hydrochloride was developed that could be of potential utility in screening assays.     

蛋品营养及食疗保健作用

美国食品工业正处在一个转折点,即如何生产和销售健康食品。据加州大学戴维斯分校哲学博士布鲁斯教授介绍,“未来的食品不仅要求更加健康,同时要求更容易被人接受。食品安全、便利甚至外形将会日益个性化。”布鲁斯教授称,“应该考虑食用什么食品对自身健康有利。健康不只是脱离疾病,它还可以保证我们的生活质量,使我们获得运动、认知的能力,     

Intake, live animal scores/measurements and carcass composition and value of late-maturing beef and dairy breeds

The objectives of this study were to compare the progeny of 1) late-maturing beef with dairy breeds and 2) Charolais (CH), Limousin (LM), Simmental (SM) and Belgian Blue (BB) sires bred to beef suckler dams, for feed intake, blood hormones and metabolites, live animal measurements, carcass traits and carcass value in bull and steer production systems. The bull system included 50 late-maturing beef breeds and 22 Holsteins (HO) slaughtered at approximately 15 months of age, whereas the steer system consisted of 56 late-maturing beef breeds and 23 British Friesians (FR) slaughtered at approximately 24 months of age. Beef breeds were suckled until approximately 8 months of age, while dairy breeds were artificially reared until weaning at approximately 3 months of age. All animals were finished on an ad libitum concentrate diet. Mean live weight, live weight gain, carcass gain and feed efficiency were greater (P < 0.05) in beef than dairy breeds in both systems during the finishing period when offered concentrates. Although there was no difference in feed intake between beef and dairy breeds, intake expressed relative to live weight was lower (P < 0.001) in beef breeds in both systems. At 10 months of age and pre-slaughter, beef breeds had higher (P < 0.001) muscularity scores and greater scanned muscle depth (P < 0.001) than their dairy contemporaries. Carcass weight, kill-out proportion, carcass conformation score, meat proportion and value were greater (P < 0.001) and carcass fat and bone proportions were lower (P < 0.05) in beef than dairy breeds in both systems. Insulin concentrations were lower (P < 0.001) in beef than dairy breeds, whereas there was no difference in blood metabolites or IGF-1 concentrations. Feed intake expressed relative to live weight or feed efficiency did not differ between CH, LM, SM or BB sired progeny. Muscularity scores were greater (P < 0.05) in BB than SM, whereas skeletal scores were lower (P < 0.05) in LM than SM. Limousin had lower (P < 0.05) carcass gain per day of age than CH and SM, whereas SM had a lower (P < 0.05) carcass conformation score than BB and CH and a higher (P < 0.05) carcass fat score than CH. Simmental had a lower (P < 0.05) carcass meat proportion and a higher (P < 0.05) carcass fat proportion than CH, LM and BB, which were similar (P > 0.05). The improvement obtained for beef over dairy breeds in live weight gain was 12%, while the improvements in carcass gain and meat produced was 24% and 33%, respectively. This demonstrates that the importance of carcass data contributing to breed comparison studies cannot be over-emphasised.     

Evaluation of estimated genetic merit for carcass weight in beef cattle: Blood metabolites, carcass measurements, carcass composition and selected non-carcass components

In Ireland, a new beef genetic index has been developed. Growth rate is expressed as expected progeny difference for carcass weight (EPD_CWT) and is estimated on an across-breed basis. Cross-breeding of dairy cows with both Aberdeen Angus and Belgian Blue beef sires is widely practised. The objective of this study was to compare blood metabolites, slaughter traits and carcass composition of progeny from Holstein–Friesian dairy cows and Aberdeen Angus (AA), Belgian Blue (BB), Friesian (FR) and Holstein (HO) sires. The AA and BB sires were selected, within breed, to be of either high (H) or low (L) estimated genetic merit for carcass weight. A total of 170 male progeny from spring-calving cows and 42 sires (10 AA, 13 BB, 7 FR and 12 HO) were artificially reared indoors and managed together until the end of their second grazing season when they were assigned to either a Light (560 kg) or Heavy (620 kg) slaughter weight. Blood metabolite concentrations were measured six times throughout life and feed intake was recorded during the first and second winter. Carcass measurements and selected non-carcass components were recorded after slaughter and the right side of each carcass was dissected into lean, fat and bone. Differences in blood metabolite concentrations amongst genetic groups were negligible although there were some effects of the prevailing level of nutrition. M. longissimus area scaled for carcass weight was 0.220, 0.221, 0.260, 0.255, 0.212 and 0.208 (SE 0.004) cm²/kg for AAH, AAL, BBH, BBL, FR and HO, respectively. Carcass measurements scaled for carcass weight were greater for L, AA, HO and the dairy strains than for H, BB, FR and the beef breeds, respectively. There was no effect of estimated genetic merit for carcass weight on carcass composition. Statistically significant interactions between genetic merit and beef breed existed for some traits with the genetic merit effect largely evident for AA only. BB and the beef breeds had more lean, less fat and more high value lean in the carcass than AA and the dairy strains, respectively. It is concluded that genetic group had little effect on blood metabolite concentrations but there were some feeding level effects. Estimated genetic merit for carcass weight affected carcass weight, m. longissimus area and carcass measurements scaled for carcass weight but the effects were confined to AA. There were large effects of beef breed and dairy strain on carcass composition.