Effect of naloxone, nalbuphine, progesterone and pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin on the sexual behaviour of ewes

Sheep were medicated with progestogen sponges, pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin, naloxone or nalbuphine during April, May, June or September 1986. It was observed that when suckling ewes were treated three or five weeks post partum with 45 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (incorporated on an intravaginal sponge) for 12 days followed by 500 iu of pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin and 0.4 mg naloxone administered intramuscularly after the withdrawal of the sponge, oestrus became evident 24 to 48 hours after the sponges were withdrawn. However, when the naloxone was replaced by 10 mg nalbuphine administered intramuscularly, oestrus was not shown. When the ewes were medicated with the same combination of drugs during anoestrus, the result was similar to that observed during lactation and oestrus was displayed only in the ewes that received naloxone. Thus the opioid antagonist naloxone facilitates the expression of oestrus in the ewe during anoestrus and lactation.     

A double-blind,randomized, placebo-controlled study of pimobendan in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted to examine the effect on heart failure class and survival of pimobendan, an oral calcium-sensitizing inodilator, in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Pimobendan (0.3-0.6 mg/kg body weight/d) or placebo was administered to English Cocker Spaniels (CSs; n = 10) and Doberman Pinschers (DPs: n = 10) that had DCM in addition to background therapy of furosemide, enalapril, and digoxin. Addition of pimobendan to standard triple therapy was associated with a significant improvement in heart failure class, regardless of breed (P < .02, Mann-Whitney rank sum test). Overall, 8 of 10 animals in the pimobendan-treated group, and 1 of 10 animals in the placebo group improved their heart failure status by at least I modified New York Heart Association functional class after initial stabilization (P = .005, Fisher's exact test). Pimobendan had no significant effect on survival in the CSs (P = 0.77, log-rank test), but DPs treated with pimobendan had significantly longer survival times compared with placebo (P < .02, log-rank test), with a median survival time of 329 days in the pimobendan group compared with 50 days in the placebo group, and a hazard ratio of 3.4 (95% confidence interval 1.4-39.8). Pimobendan resulted in significant improvement in heart failure class when added to standard therapy in this group of dogs with DCM, and may have contributed to improved survival in DPs.     

Milk carbon footprint of silvopastoral dairy systems in the Northern Peruvian Amazon

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The objective of the study was to assess the effects of water deprivation on the burden of gastrointestinal nematodes in Nguni does. A survey was piloted on...     

Effects of photoperiod and the duration of conditioning on gametogenesis and spawning of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck)

The mussel industry in Europe is facing two major problems: scarcity in wild seed supply in some regions and loss of commercial quality during the spawning season in other areas. The solution to these problems could be seed production in hatcheries. In addition, seed production in hatcheries would also allow the production of triploid individuals, with consequent benefits for the producer. This requires broodstock conditioning, to obtain mussel seed outside the natural season. In this study, the effects of photoperiod and the duration of the conditioning period were examined on the gametogenesis and spawning of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck) in a hatchery. The results obtained indicate that the conditioning of this mussel is possible in a hatchery by supplying a sufficient amount of food and increasing the water temperature. It was shown that gametogenesis of conditioned mussels was dependent on the duration of the conditioning period. Spawning, besides being dependent on the duration of the conditioning period, also appears to be dependent on photoperiod, although these results are not clear enough. This supports the hypothesis that gametogenesis and spawning are regulated by different physiological mechanisms.     

Analyses of genetic diversity in Cuban rice varieties using isozyme, RAPD and AFLP markers

A survey of the genetic diversity among the major cuban rice cultivars was conducted using isozyme, RAPD and AFLP markers. Polymorphisms were detected for esterases, peroxidases, alcohol dehydrogenases and polyphenoloxidases systems; 21 RAPD primers and four AFLP primer combinations. Heterozygosity arithmetic mean value (H_av(p)), the effective multiplex ratio (EMR) and the marker index (MI), were calculated for isozyme, RAPD and AFLP markers. The mean value of genetic similarity among the different varieties was 0.92 for isozyme, 0.73 for RAPD and 0.58 for AFLP analyses. Thus, AFLP were able to detect polymorphisms with higher efficiency than RAPD (+15%) and isozyme (+34%). Data from the isozyme, RAPD and AFLP analyses were used to compute matrices of genetic similarities. The efficiency of the UPGMA for the estimation of genetic relatedness among varieties was supported by cophenetic correlation coefficients. The resulting values indicated that the distortion level for the estimated similarities was minimal. The correlation coefficients obtained by the Mantel matrix correspondence test, which was used to compare the cophenetic matrices for the different markers, showed that estimated values of genetic relationship given for isozyme and RAPD markers (r = 0.89), as well as for AFLP and RAPD markers (r = 0.82) were properly related. However, AFLP and isozyme data showed only moderate correlation (r = 0.63). Although the genetic variability found among the different cultivars was low, both RAPD and AFLP markers proved to be efficient tools in assessing the genetic diversity of rice genotypes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ultrasonographic measurement of flow-mediated vasodilation in dogs with chronic valvular disease

ObjectivesTo measure flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in healthy dogs and in client-owned dogs with chronic valvular disease (CVD) and to investigate possible correlations between markers of CVD severity and FMD.AnimalsTwelve dogs with CVD and 11 healthy weight-matched dogs.MethodsBrachial artery FMD following 5 min inflation of a cuff around the antebrachium was measured in 12 dogs with CVD and 11 healthy weight-matched dogs. Measurements were also obtained in the healthy dogs 5 min after cuff placement but without inflation (‘sham cuff placement’). Dogs with CVD underwent echocardiography to confirm and characterize their disease.ResultsIn healthy dogs (median age 4 [2–6] years), median FMD was 7.7% versus 3.4% with sham cuff placement (P = 0.003). In dogs with CVD (median age 8 [4–16] years) median FMD was 5.5% versus 7.7% in healthy dogs (P = 0.131). FMD showed an inverse correlation with left ventricular end-diastolic diameter normalized for body weight (r = ?0.76, P = 0.0043).ConclusionsBrachial FMD in dogs with early CVD inversely correlates with severity of left ventricular remodelling.     

Tillage effects on soil aggregation and soil organic carbon profile distribution under Mediterranean semi‐arid conditions

In rainfed semi‐arid agroecosystems, soil organic carbon (SOC) may increase with the adoption of alternative tillage systems (e.g. no‐tillage, NT). This study evaluated the effect of two tillage systems (conventional tillage, CT vs. NT) on total SOC content, SOC concentration, water stable aggregate‐size distribution and aggregate carbon concentration from 0 to 40 cm soil depth. Three tillage experiments were chosen, all located in northeast Spain and using contrasting tillage types but with different lengths of time since their establishment (20, 17, and 1‐yr). In the two fields with mouldboard ploughing as CT, NT sequestered more SOC in the 0–5 cm layer compared with CT. However, despite there being no significant differences, SOC tended to accumulate under CT compared with NT in the 20–30 and 30–40 cm depths in the AG‐17 field with 25–50% higher SOC content in CT compared with NT. Greater amounts of large and small macroaggregates under NT compared with CT were measured at 0–5 cm depth in AG‐17 and at 5–10 cm in both AG‐1 and AG‐17. Differences in macroaggregate C concentration between tillage treatments were only found in the AG‐17 field at the soil surface with 19.5 and 11.6 g C/kg macroaggregates in NT and CT, respectively. After 17 yr of experiment, CT with mouldboard ploughing resulted in a greater total SOC concentration and macroaggregate C concentration below 20 cm depth, but similar macroaggregate content compared with NT. This study emphasizes the need for adopting whole‐soil profile approaches when studying the suitability of NT versus CT for SOC sequestration and CO₂ offsetting.