Stimulated esophageal groove closure in adult goats

In healthy adult goats, closure of the esophageal groove was induced by thirst, IV administered vasopressin, and intracarotid administration of hypertonic NaCl solutions. The efficiency of stimulation was tested directly by visual inspection of the course taken by orally administered solutions through a ruminal or abomasal fistula, palpation of the lips of the esophageal groove through a ruminal fistula, and indirectly by following the glucose dynamics in the blood after oral administration of glucose solution. Esophageal groove closure was observed during drinking after a 48-hour period of water deprivation. Intracarotid administration of 1.5 ml of a saturated solution or 10.5 ml of a 1.5% solution of NaCl also stimulated groove closure; however, groove closure stimulated by administration of vasopressin is the most satisfactory procedure for passing compounds of therapeutic importance directly from the cardiac orifice to the abomasum.     

Effects of single or trickle Haemonchus contortus experimental infection on digestibility and host responses of naïve Creole kids reared indoor

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the type of Haemonchus contortus experimental infection (trickle infection, TI versus single infection, SI) on feed intake, nutrients digestibility, parasitological and haematological measures, and plasma leptin in Creole kids. The animals were infected over 2 periods (challenge 1 and challenge 2) of 6 weeks each, corresponding respectively to the primary and the secondary infection. Periods prior infection (1 week each) were considered as controls. The primary infection was realized with 35 Creole kids (18.40 ± 3.76 kg BW) housed in individual boxes and fed a hay-based diet. The secondary infection continued with 29 kids (21.90 ± 3.40 kg BW) from the initial 35. A total of 6 kids and 8 kids were slaughtered for measuring nematode burden at the end of the primary and the secondary infection, respectively. Measurements of nutrients digestibility were made at 0, 3 and 5 weeks post-infection for both challenges. Faecal egg count (FEC), blood eosinophilia and packed cell volume (PCV) were monitored weekly. Feed intake (dry matter intake, DMI) and nutrients digestibility were negatively affected by H. contortus infection only during the primary infection. Plasma leptin changed significantly over time (P = 0.0002) but was not affected by the infection type. Effect of infection type was observed only on crude protein digestibility during the primary infection, which was lower in the TI group (P < 0.01). The overall level of blood eosinophilia was significantly higher in the TI group (P < 0.0001) during both challenges. The overall FEC mean was significantly higher in the SI compared with the TI groups, during both challenges (P < 0.02). These results were related to the mean female length significantly higher in the SI group compared with the TI group during challenge 1 (P = 0.004), and the number of adult nematode significantly lower in the TI group compared with the SI group during the challenge 2 (P = 0.05). The results showed that the response of Creole kids to H. contortus experimental infection was in part dependent on the type of experimental infection. Our data suggest that plasma leptin would not be involved in the response of Creole kids against H. contortus infection, as no relationship between its plasma level and the transient reduction in voluntary feed intake observed in both groups during the primary infection was observed.     

Risk factors for Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica infection in senegalese broiler-chicken flocks

Our objective was to assess the association of managerial practices, general hygiene and Salmonella infection in Senegalese broiler flocks. Seventy broilers farms were studied from January 2000 to December 2001 around Dakar. A questionnaire was submitted to the farmers and samples of fresh broiler droppings were taken. A 28.6% of the flocks were infected by Salmonella (mainly Hadar and Brancaster serovars). Salmonella infection of the previous flock (OR=6.82) and of day-old chicks (OR=3.73), frequent poultry farmers’ visits (OR=5.38) and keeping sick birds inside the farm (OR=5.32) increased the risk of Salmonella infection. But, using antibiotics on day-old chicks (OR=0.17) and a detergent for cleaning (OR=0.16) decreased the risk.     

LDSO: a program to simulate pedigrees and molecular information under various evolutionary forces

Simulations are a major tool to evaluate new statistical methods and optimize experimental designs in the genomic era. However, this can only be achieved when the simulations are close enough to reality, as well as diverse enough to be realistic. For mapping studies, it is thus critical to re-create as much as possible the forces generating linkage (mutation, random drift, changes in population sizes, selection and pedigree structure) and the mechanisms producing trait genetic architecture (additivity, dominance, epistasis). We present here a computer program (ldso) simulating these phenomena. Optional outputs provide statistics on the linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure and the identity by descent between chromosomal segments, facilitating further data analyses. Furthermore, ldso enables the simulation of genomic data in known pedigrees, which sticks as precisely as possible to recent population history and structures of the long-range LD, allowing optimization of fine-mapping strategies.     

A multicentric retrospective study of serum/plasma urea and creatinine concentrations in dogs using univariate and multivariate decision rules to evaluate diagnostic efficiency

BACKGROUND: Urea and creatinine are the most frequently used indirect markers in plasma and serum of glomerular filtration rate in dogs. Both have been shown to lack sensitivity but their diagnostic efficiency for the diagnosis of kidney disease has been minimally investigated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the influence of possible factors of variation on both analytes and to determine whether specific decision rules should be drawn up for subpopulations of dogs. METHODS: The results of urea and creatinine measurements, breed, sex, age, and health status (healthy, renal disease, or nonrenal disease) of 3822 dogs were collected from the archives of 5 veterinary clinics. Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate decision rules with and without adjustment. RESULTS: There were significant effects and interactions of almost all of the sources of variation. Slight improvements in diagnostic efficiency were obtained by adjusting the decision rules to these sources of variations. Univariate decision rules gave approximately the same diagnostic efficiency for urea and creatinine concentrations, with sensitivity and specificity in the range of 70% and 90%, respectively, using the upper limit of the reference interval as the threshold value. Multivariate decision rules provided only minor improvements in diagnostic efficiency. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous measurement of both urea and creatinine is of limited diagnostic value over the analysis of a single variable. Creatinine is the preferred analyte as it is affected by fewer extrarenal factors of variation.     

The canine veterinary medicine in the Middle Ages according to the Livre de chasse by Gaston Phoebus

Gaston Phoebus (1331-1391) of Foix-Béarn was a mighty vassal of the king of France as well as of the king of England. His book, the Livre de Chasse was the first technical treaty of this scope. It was fundamental for the regulation of hunting in Europe, as it was copied and plagiarized later on by a number of authors. Chapter 16 is about diseases of the dog and their treatment. In this article Phoebus views about pathology, etiology and therapy are discussed. The absence of superstition, magic and preconceived notions is remarkable. His writings are based on personal observations which are detailed. His therapy is generally rational and probably often effective, never harmful. His love of hounds is evident. It is regrettable that this highly rational approach didn't have a longer lasting effect on the development of canine medicine.     

Suspected toxoplasma-associated myocarditis in a cat

Clinical toxoplasmosis is commonly reported in the cat, with the most consistent findings being ocular, pulmonic, hepatic, neurological, gastrointestinal and muscular abnormalities. Myocarditis, whilst frequently identified at post-mortem examination, has not been identified ante-mortem. In immunocompromised humans, myocarditis associated with toxoplasmosis is not an uncommon complication. In such cases, lymphocytic myocardial infiltration can lead to depressed myocardial function, which can be associated with congestive heart failure, rhythm disturbances and pericardial effusions. In addition, myocardial failure has been reported in immunocompetent humans associated with active toxoplasmosis [Chandenier J, Jarry G, Nassif D, Douadi Y, Paris L, Thulliez P, Bourges-Petit E, Raccurt C (2000) Congestive heart failure and myocarditis after seroconversion for toxoplasmosis in two immunocompetent patients. European Journal of Clinical Microbiological Infectious Disease 19, 375-379]. Here we describe a cat with echocardiographic changes consistent with infiltrative or inflammatory disease, and elevated IgG and IgM titres to Toxoplasma gondii. There was resolution of these myocardial changes once the toxoplasmosis was treated.     

Development of a composite orthopaedic pain scale in horses

This study addresses development and validation of a composite multifactorial pain scale (CPS) in an experimental equine model of acute orthopaedic pain. Eighteen horses were allocated to control (sedation with/without epidural analgesia - mixture of morphine, ropivacaine, detomidine and ketamine) and experimental groups: amphotericin-B injection in the tarsocrural joint induced pain and analgesia was either i.v. phenylbutazone administered post-induction of synovitis, or pre-emptive epidural mixture, or a pre-emptive combination of the 2. Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was good (0.8相似文献