Evaluation of the arterial blood pressure of dogs by two noninvasive methods.

The determination of the arterial blood pressure was done on 12 healthy mixed breed dogs in both the anesthetized and the conscious state, to evaluate two instruments (Doppler flow detector and infrasonde D4000), in their ability to indirectly determine arterial blood pressure. The coefficients of variation were higher with indirect methods when compared with the results obtained by cannulation. These coefficients were lower with the Doppler flow detector. The correlation study showed that both apparatuses were reliable in most situations. The infrasonde D4000 was more accurate than the Doppler in the conscious animals. However the results showed a lack of precision in hypertensive conscious dogs. The diastolic arterial blood pressure was particularly precise in the case of the anesthetized hypotensive dogs. Its sensitivity allowed it to register muscle movement artifacts. The Doppler flow detector showed less variation and was particularly accurate in both anesthetized and conscious hypertensive dogs. Its sensitivity allowed artifact movement sounds to be detected. The Doppler should be used in quiet surroundings or earphones should be worn by the evaluator. Some form of restraint is needed with the use of both instruments. Even if the correlations with the direct arterial blood pressure values were better with the infrasonde D4000, greater variations were found in the individual readings. The Doppler instrument represents in the hands of the investigators a better instrument for routine monitoring of blood pressure in the dog.     

Variation in seed protein digestion of different pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes by cecectomized broiler chickens: 1. Endogenous amino acid losses, true digestibility and in vitro hydrolysis of proteins

The aim of this study was to investigate the cause of variation in the digestibility of pea protein in poultry and to find a tool to select genotypes with high digestibility potential by using an in vitro hydrolysis assay. Eight pea genotypes were selected for their difference in seed protein content and composition. To reduce the variation due to tannins and particle size, seeds from these 8 genotypes were dehulled and micro-ground. They were incorporated as the only protein source in 8 different experimental isoproteinaceous diets with similar metabolisable energy content. The amino acid digestibility was studied in cecectomized chickens. A balance method was used to obtain apparent digestibility, and the isotope dilution technique was used to determine endogenous losses and true digestibility, after feeding a double labelled test meal containing chromic oxide and ¹⁵N-labelled peas. The 8 diets showed differences in apparent amino acid digestibility. The average apparent digestibility for all amino acids varied between 79.5 and 86.3%, with the highest values for arginine (85.2 to 90.8%) and glutamic acid (85.2 to 90.5%), and the lowest values for cystine (63.3 to 69.7%) and tryptophan (69.1 to 80.3%). This variability of apparent amino acid digestibility was due to variations in endogenous losses and true digestibility among the 8 pea genotypes. The average endogenous losses as determined for 9 amino acids ranged from 3.6 to 5.4% of ingested amino acids, with the highest value for threonine (8.0 to 11.0%). The average true digestibility varied between 84.4 and 90.2%, with the highest values for lysine (89.0 to 95.0%), and the lowest for isoleucine (81.0 to 88.7%) and valine (82.4 to 88.7%). In vitro hydrolysis of protein from micro-ground seeds was performed for the 8 pea genotypes using three proteases (pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin). The quantity of small peptides (< 3 kDa) that appeared after the combined hydrolysis with pepsin (3 h) followed by trypsin and chymotrypsin (15 min) was significantly correlated with the average true digestibility of the 8 genotypes (R = 0.74; P < 0.05).     

Nasopharyngeal disease in cats: 2. Specific conditions and their management

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Nasopharyngeal disease is a common presenting problem in feline medicine. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: The management of feline nasopharyngeal disease can be challenging at a number of levels. In many cases, a specific diagnosis may remain elusive. Some conditions may not be curable so owners need to understand the requirement for long-term management. In addition, treatment may be compromised by poor patient compliance. AUDIENCE: This review, which is directed at any clinicians involved in the management of cats with nasopharyngeal disease, discusses acute rhinitis (cat 'flu) and a variety of conditions causing chronic rhinosinusitis/chronic nasopharyngeal disease. The intention is to assist treatment decision making by reviewing the most appropriate therapies from the options available for these patients. EVIDENCE BASE: The information presented in this article is based on peer-reviewed publications and the clinical experience of the authors.     

Sapling biomass allometry and carbon content in five afforestation species on marginal farmland in semi-arid Benin

Allometric equations are routinely used in the estimation of biomass stocks for carbon accounting within forest ecosystems. However, generic equations may not reflect the growth trajectories of afforestation species that are introduced to degraded farmland characterized by water and nutrient limitations. Using sequential measurements of the height, basal diameter, and above- and belowground biomass of juvenile trees, we developed allometric equations for five woody species (Moringa oleifera Lam., Leucaena leucocephala Lam., Jatropha curcas L., Anacardium occidentale L. and Parkia biglobosa Jacq.) subjected to a gradient of water and nutrient availability in an afforestation trial on degraded cropland in the semi-arid zone of Benin, West Africa. For three of the species studied, the allometric relationships between basal diameter and biomass components (i.e. leaves, stems and roots) were described best by a simple power-law model (R² > 0.93). The incorporation of species-specific height–diameter relationships and total height as additional predictors in the power-law function also produced reasonable estimates of biomass. Fifteen months after planting, roots accounted for 10–58% of the total biomass while the root-to-shoot ratio ranged between 0.16 and 0.73. The total biomass of the saplings ranged between 1.4 and 10.3 Mg ha^?1, yielding 0.6–4.3 Mg C ha^?1, far exceeding the biomass in the traditional fallow system. The rate of stem carbon sequestration measured ca. 0.62 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1. Overall, the allometric equations developed in this study are generally useful for assessing the standing shoot and root biomass of the five afforestation species during the juvenile growth stage and can help in reporting and verifying carbon stocks in young forests.     

A spatiotemporal study of bacterial community profiles associated with Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae,Thunnus thynnus L., in three Mediterranean hatcheries

During the first 2 years of larval rearing trials with Atlantic bluefin tuna, survival was a challenging issue. As bacterial colonization of the gut has been shown to play a key role for other species, we studied the profiles of the microbiota associated with individual larvae at different stages in three distant hatcheries. The Bacterial Community Profile (BCP) was quantified based on PCR‐DGGE analyses of partial amplicons from 16S rDNA. Considerable individual variability in BCP was observed before onset of feeding, and the BCP did not show regular fluctuation during ontogenesis. Microalgae were added to the rearing tanks in two of the three hatcheries, but it was not possible to distinguish the effect of location from the effect of algal addition on BCP. In one hatchery, the larvae were reared either with algal addition or in mesocosm, but due to high individual variability, no significant difference in BCP was detected between the two groups. It was hypothesized that this variability was caused by differences in health, physiological status and developmental stage of the larvae. A practical conclusion from the study is the need to analyse a considerable number of individuals to reflect statistically significant differences between the microbial communities associated with rearing groups.     

Towards the development of a standardized method to monitor lakeshore hydromorphological restoration measures

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