Gossypol toxicity in preruminant calves

SUMMARY Twenty-four of 57 calves fed a diet containing 33% cotton seed meal (CSM) died between 7 and 15 weeks of age. Initial deaths were not accompanied by premonitory signs, but after CSM withdrawal most calves developed rough coats, anorexia, weakness, ascites and subcutaneous oedema. Those that died had large volumes of serous fluid in the body cavities, hard livers of ‘nutmeg’ appearance, and pulmonary congestion. Histopathologically the livers showed periacinar necrosis in acute cases and periacinar fibrosis in chronic cases. Lungs from several calves had oedema, haemosiderosis and fibrosis in some pulmonary vessels. Atrophy of myocardial fibres was present in most cases. The concentration of free gossypol in the diet was 100 to 220 mg/kg. Ante-mortem and post-mortem findings supported a diagnosis of gossypol poisoning. The deaths continued for 4 weeks after withdrawal of CSM from the diet.     

The use of ultrasonography in the reproductive evaluation of boars

The objective was to study the use of ultrasound as a complementary test in the breeding soundness evaluation in male pigs and study the pattern of echogenicity of the testicular parenchyma in boars of different racial groups. Twenty‐six adult boars from four different racial groups were used, 10 from the Piau breed (group 1), four from the commercial and finishing group (group 2), six Pietrain breed (group 3) and six from the Duroc breed (group 4). All animals were evaluated for breeding soundness evaluation and the ultrasound examination of the testicles. The groups of animals that were evaluated showed no difference in the main semen parameters that were evaluated, except for the sperm volume, concentration of the ejaculated sperm and the supravital staining; the lowest figures were for the animals from the Piau breed (group 1). In relation to the testicular biometrics, Duroc animals (group 4) had a greater scrotal width compared to the other groups. But when we assessed the intensity of pixels of the testicles, there was a difference between groups. The groups 2 (finishing animals), 3 (Pietrain) and 4 had no difference between themselves. Group 3 had greater pixel intensity in relation to group 1. Of the 26 animals studied, five showed an abnormality during ultrasound evaluation, like hydrocele, hyperechoic mass in the testicular parenchyma, cyst in the head of the epididymis and the presence of fluid in the head and tail of the epididymis. The various animal groups studied did not differ in the principal reproductive parameters evaluated, showing that despite the great variability of reproductive traits between breeds and within the same breed, the breeding soundness evaluation, the more complete it is, is essential for the selection of breeders and the ultrasonography of the reproductive system becomes an important addition in this examination.     

The nearest-plant method is robust and powerful enough for different survey teams to monitor change in mesic grassland species composition

A long-term rangeland monitoring programme needs to employ a field survey technique that is practicable, precise, powerful enough to distinguish change, not prone to worker bias, and able to distinguish real change from operator error arising from staff turnover. These criteria were used to evaluate a widely used grassland sampling technique in South Africa – the nearest-plant (with 200 points) method (NP) – against common alternatives, namely NP excluding forbs (NP-nf), the plant number scale (PNS; a cover-abundance method) and quadrat frequency (QF), using multivariate ordination and permutation tests. Four trained teams surveyed four grasslands using each method. PNS took more than twice as long as the other techniques, which were similarly rapid. Estimates of composition using NP methods were the most precise and PNS was least repeatable, with QF intermediate. Compositional differences between sites were most finely distinguished using NP-nf, followed by NP and QF. PNS was able to detect only marked differences and had the greatest potential for surveyor bias. The NP method, with or without including forbs, is therefore recommended for monitoring the species composition of mesic, dense grassland. Some suggestions for monitoring agencies on how best to use multivariate methods are presented.     

Veterinary e-CPD: a new model for providing online continuing professional development for the veterinary profession

Continuing professional development (CPD) is widely recognized as an important element in effective lifelong learning for veterinary surgeons. Traditional methods of CPD do not suit all learners, as issues such as location, time, cost, and structure sometimes prevent individuals from completing the required number of CPD study hours per year. The rapid development of the Internet, and with it the increasing scope and sophistication of e-learning, provides new opportunities to address some of these constraints on the provision of CPD. This article describes one way in which e-learning has been deployed effectively to support veterinary surgeons in practice. Since 2003, a series of six-week e-CPD courses has been offered by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in an online format, with no face-to-face teaching component. Participants enrolled in courses from May 2006 to January 2007 were found to come from 23 different countries. Analysis of feedback forms indicates a general satisfaction with this new way of studying, with a significant majority of participants stating that they would wish to use this approach again in future. The feedback indicates that e-learning can offer an effective alternative to traditional face-to-face courses and that its popularity is likely to grow in future as veterinarians become increasing familiar with and confident about working online.