Contraceptive effect and potential side-effects of deslorelin acetate implants in rats (Rattus norvegicus): Preliminary observations

During the last ten years, numerous species have been treated with deslorelin implants to induce contraception. The aims of the study were 1) to assess contraceptive efficacy of 4.7 mg subcutaneous deslorelin implants in rats, 2) to determine the latency of contraceptive effect, and 3) to determine potential side effects. Three experimental females were implanted and their estrous cycle was studied by vaginal smear. Two weeks after implantation, a male whose fertility was previously assessed with a control female, was introduced into their cage. No female conceived during the 4 mo following implantation. Additionally, 38 pet rats were recruited from clients in practice to test for potential side effects, including 6 males and 32 females with a mean age of 14 mo. Local reaction and transient weight gain during the first 2 wk, as well as behavioral changes were recorded. According to this pilot study, deslorelin implant could be used as a contraceptive method in female rats. The latency period is about 2 wk. Nevertheless, it might be possible to refine the treatment further using hormonal measurements. The duration of contraceptive effect is to be determined in an upcoming study.     

Dynamics of influenza A virus infections in permanently infected pig farms: evidence of recurrent infections,circulation of several swine influenza viruses and reassortment events

Concomitant infections by different influenza A virus subtypes within pig farms increase the risk of new reassortant virus emergence. The aims of this study were to characterize the epidemiology of recurrent swine influenza virus infections and identify their main determinants. A follow-up study was carried out in 3 selected farms known to be affected by repeated influenza infections. Three batches of pigs were followed within each farm from birth to slaughter through a representative sample of 40 piglets per batch. Piglets were monitored individually on a monthly basis for serology and clinical parameters. When a flu outbreak occurred, daily virological and clinical investigations were carried out for two weeks. Influenza outbreaks, confirmed by influenza A virus detection, were reported at least once in each batch. These outbreaks occurred at a constant age within farms and were correlated with an increased frequency of sneezing and coughing fits. H1N1 and H1N2 viruses from European enzootic subtypes and reassortants between viruses from these lineages were consecutively and sometimes simultaneously identified depending on the batch, suggesting virus co-circulations at the farm, batch and sometimes individual levels. The estimated reproduction ratio R of influenza outbreaks ranged between 2.5 [1.9-2.9] and 6.9 [4.1-10.5] according to the age at infection-time and serological status of infected piglets. Duration of shedding was influenced by the age at infection time, the serological status of the dam and mingling practices. An impaired humoral response was identified in piglets infected at a time when they still presented maternally-derived antibodies.     

Evaluation of biomarkers of kidney injury following 4% succinylated gelatin and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 administration in a canine hemorrhagic shock model

Objective : To investigate the association between synthetic colloids and biomarkers of acute kidney injury (AKI) in dogs with hemorrhagic shock. Design : Experimental interventional study. Setting : University. Animals : Twenty‐four healthy ex‐racing Greyhounds. Interventions : Anesthetized Greyhounds subjected to hemorrhage for 60 min were resuscitated with 20 mL/kg of fresh whole blood (FWB), 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4, 4% succinylated gelatin (GELO), or 80 mL/kg of isotonic crystalloid (CRYST) over 20 min (n = 6 per treatment). Concentrations of biomarkers of AKI were measured at baseline, end of hemorrhage, and at 40 (T60), 100 (T120), and 160 (T180) min after fluid bolus. Biomarkers included neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin in urine and serum (uNGAL; sNGAL), and urine cystatin C (uCYSC), kidney injury molecule‐1 (uKIM), clusterin (uCLUST), osteopontin, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (uMCP), interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, protein (uPROT), hyaluronan, and F₂‐isoprostanes. Renal histology was scored for tubular injury and microvesiculation. Biomarker fold‐change from baseline was compared between groups using mixed effects models (Bonferroni–Holm corrected P<0.05). Frequencies of histology scores were compared by Fisher's exact test. Measurements and main results : In dogs treated with GELO, uNGAL fold‐change was markedly greater compared with all other groups at T60, T120, and T180 (all P<0.001), and uCYSC was greater at T60 compared with CRYST (P<0.001), and at T120 and T180 compared with all other groups (all P<0.001). Smaller, albeit significant, between‐group differences in uKIM, uCLUST, uMCP, and urine protein concentration were observed across the FWB, GELO, and HES groups, compared with CRYST. The GELO group more frequently had marked tubular microvesiculation than the other groups (P = 0.015) although tubular injury scores were comparable. Conclusion : In dogs with hemorrhagic shock, GELO was associated with greater magnitude increases in urine biomarkers of AKI and more frequent marked tubular microvesiculation, compared with FWB, CRYST, and HES.     

Immunohistochemical characterization of a hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma in a cat.

A hepatic mass was identified in a 5-year-old, female mixed-breed cat that died spontaneously after a clinical history of progressive emaciation, ptyalism, and persistent coryza. At necropsy, a 7-cm-diameter, yellow-brown, firm, multilobulated tumor was identified in the liver. Microscopically, the mass consisted of neoplastic cells arranged in small, closely packed nests within a thin fibrovascular stroma. These cells were of medium sized and polygonal, with fine argyrophilic cytoplasmic granules. Nuclei were predominantly round with finely stippled chromatin and indistinct nucleoli. Mitotic figures were numerous. Immunohistochemically, most of the neoplastic cells were immunoreactive for chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and weakly labeled for synaptophysin. The tumor was negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, and cytokeratins 5, 6, 8, and 17. Vascular emboli and intrahepatic micrometastasis were also identified with chromogranin A. All these features were consistent with a hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma and emphasized the importance of using a panel of antibodies to diagnose such rare tumors.     

Contrasting Effects of Long-Term Fire on Sagebrush Steppe Shrubs Mediated by Topography and Plant Community

The role of fire in restoration of sagebrush plant communities remains controversial mainly because of paucity of information from long-term studies. Here, we examine 15-year post-fire responses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp wyomingensis) and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), the two most abundant native shrubs at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a protected area in north-central Oregon, USA. Fire effects were studied along gradients of topography and community type through time post-burn. Community types were distinguished as brush, plots dominated by big sagebrush and woodland, plots with a significant presence of Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees. Fire reduced big sagebrush cover in brush plots up to 100% and in woodland plots up to 86%. Broom snakeweed cover declined by 92% and 73% in brush plots and woodland plots, respectively. Big sagebrush did not show signs of recovery 15 years after burning regardless of topography and community type while broom snakeweed populations were clearly rebounding and prospering beyond pre-burn levels. Our results showed that an area initially dominated by big sagebrush (cover of big sagebrush 10-20%, cover of broom snakeweed 2-4%) dramatically shifted to an area dominated by broom snakeweed (cover of big sagebrush < 1%, cover of broom snakeweed 5%) in brush-dominated plots. Our results indicated that brush-dominated plots at lower elevation and southern exposures are the least post-fire resilient. We also observed a declining population of big sagebrush on unburned areas, suggesting the lack of post-fire recovery on burned areas was perhaps a result of low seeding potential by extant populations. Although more years of observation are required, these data indicate that recovery time, the encroachment of opportunistic competing shrubs, and the initial condition of vegetation are essential considerations by land managers when prescribing fire in big sagebrush communities.     

Retrospective analysis of selected predictors of mortality within a veterinary intensive care unit

The records of 204 cats entering the intensive care unit (ICU) at the University of Edinburgh Small Animal Hospital between December 2002 and October 2006 were retrospectively analysed. Of these, 37 cats over 12 months of age had a systolic blood pressure recorded on entry into the ICU, and this group comprised our study population. Of these 37 cats, 36 had both heart rate and respiratory rate recorded on entry into the ICU, whilst 24 of these cats also had body temperature recorded. The relationship between (i) survival to discharge and (ii) survival until 21 days after admission to the ICU was analysed using univariate generalised linear models with binomial errors. The robustness of any significant relationship was assessed using multivariate analysis methods. In addition, receiver operator curves (ROC) were generated for any of the significant predictors of mortality and from these curves the threshold values, optimal sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Using these values survival curves were generated for any significant prognostic indexes. A decreased blood pressure at the time of admission to the ICU was found to be a significant negative predictor of survival until discharge from the hospital. Overall, a systolic blood pressure of 124 mmHg or higher at the time of admission to the ICU has a sensitivity of 47.8% and a specificity of 85.7% for predicting that a cat will survive until discharge from the hospital.     

Ecoviability for ecosystem‐based fisheries management

Reconciling food security, economic development and biodiversity conservation is a key challenge, especially in the face of the demographic transition characterizing many countries in the world. Fisheries and marine ecosystems constitute a difficult application of this bio‐economic challenge. Many experts and scientists advocate an ecosystem approach to manage marine socio‐ecosystems for their sustainability and resilience. However, the ways by which to operationalize ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM) remain poorly specified. We propose a specific methodological framework—viability modelling—to do so. We show how viability modelling can be applied using four contrasted case‐studies: two small‐scale fisheries in South America and Pacific and two larger‐scale fisheries in Europe and Australia. The four fisheries are analysed using the same modelling framework, structured around a set of common methods, indicators and scenarios. The calibrated models are dynamic, multispecies and multifleet and account for various sources of uncertainty. A multicriteria evaluation is used to assess the scenarios’ outcomes over a long time horizon with different constraints based on ecological, social and economic reference points. Results show to what extent the bio‐economic and ecosystem risks associated with the adoption of status quo strategies are relatively high and challenge the implementation of EBFM. In contrast, strategies called ecoviability or co‐viability strategies, that aim at satisfying the viability constraints, reduce significantly these ecological and economic risks and promote EBFM. The gains associated with those ecoviability strategies, however, decrease with the intensity of regulations imposed on these fisheries.