Biochemical markers of bone metabolism in growing thoroughbreds: a longitudinal study

This study describes longitudinal changes in serum levels of biochemical markers of bone cell activity in a group of 24 thoroughbred foals from birth to 18 months of age. The markers of bone formation included the type I collagen carboxy-terminal propeptide (PICP), the bone-specific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and osteocalcin (OC). Levels of the cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), a marker of bone resorption, and the N-terminal propeptide of type III collagen (PNIIIP), a marker of soft tissue turnover, were also measured. Levels of all markers fell significantly between birth and 18 months of age (70-80 per cent); this decrease being most marked between 0 and 6 months. However, a transient increase in levels of the markers then occurred between 6 and 14 months of age. The timing of this increase was specific for each parameter. ICTP and OC concentrations increased between October and December. PICP concentrations increased between December and April whereas the increase in PIIINP was coincident with the peak in weight gain between April and June. Changes in BAP concentration were less distinct at this time. Season was shown to have significant effects on the biochemical markers independent from the effect of age. Concentrations of all markers decreased with increasing body weight and at any given age heavier horses had lower marker levels. These results show that biochemical markers of bone cell activity and soft tissue turnover follow characteristic patterns of change in growing thoroughbreds influenced by age, season and bodyweight. The demonstration that the reference ranges for the biochemical markers change from month to month means that single samples from individuals are of little value for monitoring bone cell activity in growing thoroughbreds.     

Distribution of Salmonella serovars and phage types on 80 Ontario swine farms in 2004

The objective of this study was to describe the distribution of Salmonella spp. on Ontario grower-finisher pig farms. Eighty swine farms were visited from January through July 2004. On each farm, fecal samples were collected from 5 pens, 2 rectal samples and 1 pooled sample from fresh manure on the floor per pen. Salmonella was isolated from 91 (11%) of the 800 rectal samples and 73 (18%) of the 397 pooled samples. Overall, Salmonella was recovered from 37 (46%) of the 80 farms. On each positive farm, Salmonella was cultured from 1 to 7 pigs or 1 to 5 pens. Of the 37 farms, 18, 13, 5, and 1 yielded 1, 2, 3, and 4 serovars, respectively. The most common serovars were S. Typhimurium var. Copenhagen, S. Infantis, S. Typhimurium, S. Derby, S. Agona, S. Havana, and S. enterica subsp. I:Rough-O. The 3 most frequent phage types were PT 104, PT 104a, and PT 104b. There was a statistically fair agreement between samples collected directly from pigs and pooled pen samples in determining the Salmonella status at the pen and farm level (kappa = 0.6, P < 0.0001). However, in 62 pens, Salmonella status, serovars, or phage types differed between the pig and pooled pen samples. The distribution of Salmonella on the swine farms in this study indicates that, in developing an intervention strategy, priority should be given to farms positive for S. Typhimurium var. Copenhagen. Also, the variation in Salmonella status between pig and pooled pen samples deserves consideration in a sampling strategy.     

Cover Image,Volume 15, Issue 3

The cover image, by M. E. Gray et al., is based on the Original Article Dual targeting of EGFR and ERBB2 pathways produces a synergistic effect on cancer cell proliferation and migration in vitro, DOI: 10.1111/vco.12230 .

     

The relationship between the pharmacokinetics of intravenous cismethrin and bioresmethrin and their mammalian toxicity

The distribution and excretion of [¹⁴C]alcohol-labeled cismethrin and bioresmethrin was determined after intravenous administration to rats. Initially the label distribution of both isomers was similar, but differences occurred at later times mainly due to the retention of 5-benzyl-3-furylcarboxylic acid, a metabolite of bioresmethrin, in high concentration in the blood. Retention of this metabolite accounted for the slower excretion of bioresmethrin label compared to cismethrin. After administration of either isomer, parent pyrethroid was rapidly cleared from the blood and liver, and both isomers rapidly entered the central nervous system reaching peak concentrations within 2–5 min. Brain cismethrin concentrations exceeding 3.5 nmol/g were associated only with animals showing tremors. These levels of cismethrin are maintained for up to 30 min but bioresmethrin was depleted more rapidly possibly due to brain metabolism. It is concluded that the low toxicity of bioresmethrin is possibly due to the inability of this isomer to interact with the site of action in the central nervous system and not, as previously suggested, primarily because of more rapid metabolism in the liver.     

Multi-attribute evaluation of landscape-level fuel management to reduce wildfire risk

This paper provides an example of the practical application of multi-attribute trade-off analysis (MATA) to wildfire management. The MATA approach supports more informed decision-making because it exposes important trade-offs among competing management objectives (requiring value-based choices), helps guide and structure necessary technical judgements, explicitly represents uncertainty (i.e., not just expected outcomes but risk profiles around outcomes) and addresses temporal trade-offs. MATA promotes critical thinking about what analysis is required for decision-making. A MATA approach can be applied for all types of forest and fire management decisions. In this paper, we provide a sample application of MATA to an evaluation of landscape-level fuel treatments for managing wildfire risk. The study area is located in southeastern British Columbia, Canada where historical fire suppression policies and expanding development in wildland urban interface areas have resulted in an increase in both the probability and the consequences of stand replacement fires. We specify management objectives and develop measurable attributes for fire management costs, timber supply, property damage, landscape-level biodiversity, local air quality and climate change. We then simulate the effects on these attributes of four alternative fuel management strategies that include combinations of mechanical treatments and prescribed burning over a 100-year period. The evaluation illustrates the key features of MATA while highlighting the benefits and challenges of implementing the approach.     

A comparison of desprouted and late sprouted seed potatoes in relation to apical dominance and tuber production

Summary Desprouting and delay in sprouting both result in a partial loss of apical dominance. A comparison of these treatments, with the late sprouted tubers allowed to sprout at the same time as the second growth of sprouts on the desprouted tubers, was made in 3 years in order to test whether the loss of apical dominance from desprouting would have occurred in any case during cool storage or whether additional effects result which can be exploited to increase tuber number. No differences occurred in the number of sprouts or mainstems produced, but there were more lateral branches on the sprouts after desprouting. InArran Pilot (1 experiment) more branch stems resulted from desprouting than late sprouting. The results for tuber production were not conclusive, but do not suggest that desprouting is a worthwhile practice for increasing tuber number.

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Zusammenfassung Sowohl Abkeimen als auch versp?tetes Auskeimen haben einen teilweisen Verlust der apikalen Dominanz zur Folge. Ein Vergleich dieser Verfahren, bei denen die sp?te Keimung zu gleicher Zeit erfolgte wie der Neuaustrieb der Keime nach dem Abkeimen, wurde, in 3 Versuchen durchgeführt, um zu prüfen, ob der Verlust der apikalen Dominanz infolge des Abkeimes auch durch die Kühllagerung ohnehin vorgekommen w?re oder ob dadurch zus?tzliche Einflüsse entstehen, die zur Erh?hung der Knollenzahl ausgenützt werden k?nnen. Diese Verfahren sind in Tabelle 1 dargestellt. Zur Pflanzzeit war die Anzahl der Keime pro Knolle in beiden Verfahren ?hnlich und daher auch die Anzahl der Haupttriebe (Tabelle 2). Die Keime der früher abgekeimten Knollen wiesen mehr Seitentriebe auf, aber der Beweis für deren Einfluss auf die Verzweigung der Haupttriebe war begrenzt. 1966 jedoch wiesArran Pilot bedeutend mehr Seitentriebe auf nach dem Abkeimen als bei sp?tem Keimen. In keinem Fall war der Gesamtertrag in beiden Verfahren unterschielich, ausgenommen beim Vergleich Gv. G₁, der ein unerwartetes Ergebnis brachte (Tabelle 3). Nur in einem Vergleich (A v. A₁) war das Abkeimen in bezug auf Knollenzahl signifikant (P 0.05) h?her als das Sp?tkeimen; die Erh?hung betrug 10 Prozent. Bei zwei Vergleichen war der Saatgutertrag um 30% besser nach dem Abkeim-Verfahren (A v. A₁ und F v. F₁). Der Grund für diese grosse Wirkung nach einer relativ kleinen Erh?hung der Knollenzahl wird besprochen, und es wird angenommen, dass diese Wirkung auf die grosse Durchschnittsgr?sse der geernteten Knollen zurückzuführen ist, die sich aus dem weiten Pflanzabstand und dem Fehlen einer Krautvernichtung ergeben hat. Diese Ergebnisse sind nicht schlüssig, bber sie weisen nicht darauf hin, dass das Abkeimen ein lohnendes Verfahren ist, um die Knollenzahl zu erh?hen.

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Résumé Le dégermage et le retard dans la germination causent tous deux une réduction partielle de la dominance apicale. La comparaison de ces traitements, la germination tardive apparaissant au même moment que la recroissance des germes après dégermage, a été faite dans trois essais afin de voir si la perte de la dominance apicale après dégermage serait apparue de quelque manière pendant la conservation froide ou si des effets additionnels apparaissent qui peuvent être exploités pour accro?tre le nombre de tubercules. Ces traitements sont précisés dans le Tableau 1. Au moment de la plantation, le nombre de germes par tubercule était semblable dans les deux traitements et subséquemment le nombre de tiges également (Tableau 2). Les germes des tubercules précédemment dégermés avaient davantage de branches latérales, mais la conséquence de cet effet sur la ramification des tiges principales était limitée. Cependant, en 1966,Arran Pilot avait significativement plus de tiges ramifiées après dégermage qu’avec la germination tardive. En aucun cas, la production totale ne différait avec ces deux traitements, sauf lors de la comparaison Gv Gl qui donnait un résultat inattendu (Tableau 3). Dans un cas seulement (Av Al) le dégermage, était significativement (P 0.05) supérieur à la germination tardive quant au nombre de tubercules; il y avait accroissement de 10%. Dans deux comparaisons, la production de plants était de 30% meilleure après le traitement de dégermage (Av Al et Fv Fl). Les auteurs discutent de la raison de cet effet important qui accompagne une augmentation relativement faible du nombre de tubercules; ils suggèrent que ce phénomène résulte d’une grosseur moyenne accrue des tubercules récoltés, consécutif à un large espacement à la plantation et à l’absence de destruction du feuillage. Les résultats ne sont pas concluants mais ne prouvent pas que le dégermage est une pratique utile pour accro?tre le nombre de tubercules.

     

Potential of a national monitoring program for forests to assess change in high-latitude ecosystems

Broad-scale monitoring in Alaska has become of increasing interest due to uncertainty about the potential impacts of changing climate on high-latitude ecosystems. The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is a national monitoring program for all public and private forestlands in the US, but the program is not currently implemented in the boreal region of Alaska. We provide an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the FIA system for monitoring the potential impact of climate change on Alaska’s species, communities, and ecosystems. The primary strength of the system is a scientifically rigorous design-based statistical estimation method that produces estimates of forest attributes with known sampling error and quantifiable measurement error. The weaknesses of the system include low power for small area estimates, lack of spatial context and contiguity, and difficulty in inferring causality of factors when changes in monitored attributes are detected.Climate change is expected to impact many components of boreal ecosystems, but for most indicators the direction and magnitude of change are difficult to predict because of complex interactions among system components. Status and trend information provided by FIA monitoring that could be helpful to conservation decisions includes abundance and rarity of vascular plants, invasive species, biomass and carbon content of vegetation, shifting vegetation species distribution, disturbance frequency, type, and impact, and wildlife habitat characteristics. Because of unique factors such as the low level of infrastructure, modifications to the FIA monitoring system used in the conterminous US have been proposed for Alaska. Remote sensing data would play a greater role in meeting monitoring objectives, and sampling intensity of field plots would be reduced. Coordination with other national, regional, and local monitoring efforts provides potential for increased understanding of change in boreal ecosystems at multiple scales.