Rotavirus gastroenteritis: why to back up the development of new vaccines?

Rotaviruses (RVs) are the main aetiologic agent of severe acute diarrhoea in children under the age of 5, worldwide. Given that the currently available preventive measures to fight against the transmission of RV disease are not sufficiently effective, vaccination likely represents the only efficacious adapted response to the massive impact of this infection. Although the two current RV vaccines have shown good tolerance and significant efficacy to protect infant against severe RV disease, their development have raised key questions that are still unanswered regarding their cost, efficacy and safety. These two vaccines have in common the disadvantages related to the use of oral attenuated live viruses which limit their implementation in both developed and developing countries. In order to overcome these hurdles, it is important to support the development of new, non-replicating vaccines which will not suffer the potential disadvantages of the present vaccines. New approaches and other routes of administration are being tested in animal models and soon will be evaluated in humans. Among those are viral-like particle-based vaccines which have provided the most promising results. Finally, the epidemiology of the disease which differs in developed and developing countries can affect decisions about vaccine composition and delivery. The answer brought by the development of new RV vaccines could reside in developing several types of RV vaccines specifically designed to be used in different settings.     

Sensory evaluation of pheasants hung at 10 °g for up to 15 days

1. Pheasants hung at 10 °G were found to become increasingly “gamey” in flavour and more tender in texture with length of hanging.

2. After 13 d they were strongly gamey and very tender.     

Stallion spermatozoa selected by single layer centrifugation are capable of fertilization after storage for up to 96?h at 6°C prior to artificial insemination

Background

One of the challenges faced by equine breeders is ensuring delivery of good quality semen doses for artificial insemination when the mare is due to ovulate. Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) has been shown to select morphologically normal spermatozoa with intact chromatin and good progressive motility from the rest of the ejaculate, and to prolong the life of these selected spermatozoa in vitro. The objective of the present study was a proof of concept, to determine whether fertilizing ability was retained in SLC-selected spermatozoa during prolonged storage.

Findings

Sixteen mares were inseminated with SLC-selected sperm doses that had been cooled and stored at 6°C for 48 h, 72 h or 96 h. Embryos were identified in 11 mares by ultrasound examination 16–18 days after presumed ovulation.

Conclusion

SLC-selected stallion spermatozoa stored for up to 96 h are capable of fertilization.     

Effect of gradual acclimation to temperatures up to 44 °C on productive performance of the desert Bedouin fowl,the commercial White Leghorn and the two reciprocal crossbreds

1. The effect of daily exposures to increasing ambient temperatures (for 7 months) on egg production was evaluated in the desert Bedouin fowl of Sinai, a commercial White Leghorn and the two reciprocal cross breds.

2. High ambient temperatures did not adversely affect egg weight, laying rate or output per bird (g egg per day per g body weight) of the acclimated hens.

3. Best productivity was attained during periods of exposure to 38 to 40° C in all breeds.

4. Rates of decrease from maximal productivity to productivity at 42 and 44 °G differed with breed. Productivity of Leghorn and Leghorn x Sinai crossbred decreased curvilinearly above 40 °C, while productivity of Sinai and Sinai ( Leghorn crossbred decreased at 42 °C and then stabilised.

5. When changes in egg weight and laying rate were examined on an individual basis (comparison between successive months), the differences between Sinai and the Leghorn were more pronounced.

6. The results support previous findings that the Sinai breed and its crosses are able to withstand extreme environmental temperatures, reflecting genetic adaptation to desert conditions.     

Attempts to achieve low‐weight broiler breeder hens by severe growth depression during various periods up to 6 weeks of age and food allocation below the recommendations thereafter

1. Three experiments were carried out with White Rock (Anak) female chicks to evaluate the possibility of obtaining low‐weight breeder hens and to assess their reproduction potential. Such hens were obtained by early growth depression induced by either severe food restriction (SFR) from 1 or 2 to 3 or 4 weeks of age, or a low‐protein diet (LPD) fed from 0 to 6 weeks of age, or the use of diets containing 0·7 or 0·8% zinc as ZnO from 1 to 3 weeks of age, followed by food allocation below recommendation up to 22 or 67 weeks of age.

2. Body weights (BW) of the birds whose growth had been depressed were consistently and at time significantly lower than those of the control birds throughout the experiments. Age at first egg was delayed in hens previously fed the LPD and the diet containing the higher concentration of ZnO, and in those exposed to SFR from 2 to 4 weeks of age. BW at that time tended to be lower in birds whose growth had been depressed, although a significant effect was observed in only one experiment.

3. Egg production and egg size were not significantly affected by the various treatments, except for the lower production in hens fed the LPD at an early age.

4. Negative regressions (on an individual basis) were consistently observed between BW at 22 weeks of age and age at first egg, and between age at first egg and number of eggs laid. Positive regressions were observed between age at first egg and BW at that time. The regressions between BW at 22 weeks of age and number of eggs laid were positive but not always significant.

5. Severe growth depression at an early age (produced by food restriction or ZnO supplemented diet, but not LPD) followed by decreased allocation of food afterwards, could provide a means for reducing BW of broiler breeder hens without adversely affecting egg production. This procedure may save 2·5 to 6·6% of the food consumed during the life span of the birds.     

＂Soybean Alliance＂ was set up in Harbin

The investigation work on large pig farms in Jiangxi Province has been finished, and it indicated that there are 263 pig farms with the annual selling capacity over 10, 000 heads.     

从常用短语看介词up表达的状态范畴

本文以介词up的常用短语为例,探讨了其所表达的状态范畴,并从其所表达的状态构建与状态的呈现两方面,解释UP所表达的空间状态的概念如何进一步延伸用来描述诸如终结、公开、意识和成熟等抽象的状态概念。     

Cats,Dogs and Veterinarians ‐ Do the numbers stack up?

This note is intended to focus attention on some trends which, taken together, have the potential to cause major concern to a majority of Australian veterinarians.