Risk factors influencing death prior to discharge in 302 dogs undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy for treatment of primary adrenal gland tumours

Adrenalectomies for canine adrenal tumours are associated with peri-operative morbidity and mortality. Objectives of this study included assessing the prognostic value of tumour- or surgery-related variables in predicting peri-operative mortality and overall survival in dogs undergoing adrenalectomies for primary adrenal tumours as well as pre-treatment with phenoxybenzamine on survival to discharge with pheochromocytomas specifically. A multi-institutional retrospective cohort study was performed across nine institutions. Electronic medical record searches identified 302 dogs which met the inclusion criteria. Data collected included dog-related, tumour-related, treatment-related, surgery-related, and outcome variables. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression and cox proportional hazards models were used to identify variables associated with death prior to discharge and tumour-related survival. Overall, 87% of dogs survived to discharge with a tumour-related survival time of 3.96 years. Post-operative complications were reported in 25%. Increased surgical time (p = 0.002) and pre-surgical medical treatment other than phenoxybenzamine (p = 0.024) were significantly associated with increased peri-operative mortality while ureteronephrectomy (p = 0.021), post-operative pancreatitis (p = 0.025), and post-operative aspiration pneumonia (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased overall survival. Phenoxybenzamine pretreatment had no effect on peri-operative mortality. Thirty-seven of 45 (82%) dogs with pheochromocytomas not pretreated survived to discharge, and 50 of 59 (85%) dogs with pheochromocytomas pretreated with phenoxybenzamine survived to discharge (p = 0.730). This study provides information on risk factors for death prior to discharge and tumour-related survival that may help guide clinical management and owner expectations. In addition, the study findings challenge the previously reported benefit of phenoxybenzamine for pretreatment of dogs undergoing adrenalectomies for pheochromocytomas.     

Rice bran fermented with saccharomyces boulardii generates novel metabolite profiles with bioactivity

Emerging evidence supporting chronic disease fighting properties of rice bran has advanced the development of stabilized rice bran for human use as a functional food and dietary supplement. A global and targeted metabolomic investigation of stabilized rice bran fermented with Saccharomyces boulardii was performed in three rice varieties. Metabolites from S. boulardii-fermented rice bran were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and assessed for bioactivity compared to nonfermented rice bran in normal and malignant lymphocytes. Global metabolite profiling revealed significant differences in the metabolome that led to discovery of candidate compounds modulated by S. boulardii fermentation. Fermented rice bran extracts from three rice varieties reduced growth of human B lymphomas compared to each variety's nonfermented control and revealed that fermentation differentially altered bioactive compounds. These data support that integration of global and targeted metabolite analysis can be utilized for assessing health properties of rice bran phytochemicals that are enhanced by yeast fermentation and that differ across rice varieties.     

Why do farmers decide to produce meat goats? Evidence from the United States

This paper addresses the reasons why US meat goat producers selected to engage in meat goat production. A mail survey of US meat goat producers was conducted. Potential reasons for entering meat goat production included those associated with lifestyle, farm management, productivity, and economics. Reasons for entering meat goat production were assessed and analyzed using ordered probit models. The most important reasons for entering meat goat production included enjoyment working with goats, goat production fitting well into the farm management plan, goats could be raised on a relatively small acreage, goat grazing preferences were different from other species, and the family could be involved in the goat enterprise. The 12th and 13th most important reasons were goat production profitability and low cost associated with purchasing and raising goats. Larger-scale farmers were more likely to have selected meat goat production for profitability and productivity reasons while smaller-scale farmers were more likely to have selected it for lifestyle reasons. Farmer demographics, farm characteristics, and farm location also impacted reasons why the farmer selected the goat enterprise. Results have implications for development of the meat goat industry.     

Physiological effects of salinity on Delta Smelt, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hypomesus transpacificus</Emphasis>

Abiotic factors like salinity are relevant to survival of pelagic fishes of the San Francisco Bay Estuary. We tested the effects of 4 parts per thousand (ppt) salinity increases on Delta Smelt (DS) in a laboratory experiment simulating salinity increases that might occur around the low-salinity zone (LSZ) (<6 ppt). Adult DS, fed 2 % body mass per day, starting at 0.5 ppt [freshwater (FW)], were exposed to weekly step-increases of 4 ppt to a maximum of 10 ppt saltwater (SW) over 19 days, and compared to FW controls. DS (n = 12/treatment per sampling) were sampled at 24, 72, and 96 h (1, 3, and 4 days) post-salinity increase for analyses of hematocrit, plasma osmolality, muscle water content, gill chloride cell (CC) Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) and apoptosis after being weighed and measured (n = 3 tanks per treatment). No apparent increase in length or weight occurred nor did a difference in survival. Following step-increases in SW, hematocrit increased over time. Other fish responses generally showed a pattern; specifically plasma osmolality became elevated at 1 day and diminished over 4 days in SW. Percent muscle water content (%) did not show significant changes. CCs showed increased NKA, cell size and apoptosis over time in SW, indicating that CCs turnover in DS. The cell renewal process takes days, at least over 19 days. In summary, DS are affected by salinities of the LSZ and ≤10 ppt, though they employ physiological strategies to acclimate.     

Effects of iron injection timing on suckling and subsequent nursery and growing-finishing performance and hematological criteria

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Fe injection timing after birth on suckling and subsequent nursery and growing-finishing pig performance. The injectable Fe source used in both experiments was GleptoForte (Ceva Animal Health, LLC., Lenexa, KS). GleptoForte contains gleptoferron which is a Fe macromolecule complex. In Exp. 1, a total of 324 newborn pigs (DNA 241 × 600, initially 1.6 ± 0.04 kg body weight [BW]) within 27 litters were used. Two days after birth, all piglets were weighed, and six barrows and six gilts per litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments consisting of no Fe injection or 200 mg of injectable Fe provided in a single injection on d 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 of age. Pigs were weaned (~21 d of age) and allotted to nursery pens with all pigs in each pen having received the same Fe treatment. In Exp. 2, a total of 1,892 newborn pigs (PIC 359 × C40; initially 1.5 ± 0.02 kg BW) within 172 litters were used. One day after birth, piglets were weighed, and 11 pigs within each litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments consisting of no Fe injection or 200 mg of injectable Fe provided on d 1, 3, 5, or 7 of age, or 200 mg on d 1 plus 200 mg on d 12 of age. Pigs were weaned (19 d of age) and placed in a commercial wean-to-finish facility in a total of 15 pens with equal representation of treatments in each pen. In both experiments, not providing an Fe injection after birth decreased (P < 0.05) preweaning average daily gain (ADG), weaning weight, and hemoglobin and hematocrit values compared with all other treatments. In Exp. 1, increasing the age that piglets received an Fe injection until 4 or 6 d after birth provided marginal evidence for an improvement (quadratic; P = 0.070) in preweaning ADG. For the nursery period, increasing the age that piglets received an Fe injection improved (quadratic; P = 0.013) d 80 BW, but there was no evidence of a difference (P > 0.10) in d 173 BW at the end of the grow-finish period. In Exp. 2, increasing the age that piglets received a 200 mg Fe injection showed no evidence of difference (P > 0.10) for subsequent nursery and growing-finishing ADG. In both experiments, hemoglobin and hematocrit values were decreased (linear; P < 0.05) at weaning with increasing age when pigs received an Fe injection. These experiments suggest that providing a 200 mg Fe injection within 7 d after farrowing is sufficient for optimizing preweaning and subsequent growth performance.