In vivo characterization of inflammatory biomarkers in swine and the impact of flunixin meglumine administration

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are a family of chemicals that function to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and they are commonly used in people and animals for this purpose. Currently there are no NSAIDs approved for the management of inflammation in swine due to a lack of validated animal models and suitable biomarkers to assess efficacy. A previous in vitro study examining biomarkers of inflammation identified fourteen genes that were significantly altered in response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. In the present study, five of those fourteen genes were tested in vivo to determine if the same effects observed in vitro were also observed in vivo. Plasma levels of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), an essential mediator of fever and inflammation, were also determined. Two groups of swine were stimulated with LPS with the second group also treated with flunixin meglumine. Blood was collected at 0, 1, 3, 6, 8, 24, and 48h post LPS-stimulation. The RNA was extracted from the blood and quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was utilized to determine the expression patterns of CD1, CD4, serum amyloid A2 (SAA2), Caspase 1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). The LPS-stimulated animals demonstrated a statistically significant alteration in expression of SAA2 and CD1 at 3h post-stimulation. Flunixin meglumine treated animals' demonstrated reduced expression of CD1 in comparison to the LPS-stimulated swine at 24 and 48h post LPS-stimulation. Flunixin meglumine treated animals exhibited reduced expression of SAA2 at 48h post-stimulation compared to LPS-stimulated swine. Swine treated with LPS demonstrated statistically significant increases in plasma PGE(2) at 1h post-stimulation. Swine treated with flunixin meglumine had no increase in plasma PGE(2) levels at any time. These results demonstrate that PGE(2) production, along with two out of five genes (SAA2 and CD1) have the potential to serve as early biomarkers of inflammation as well as indicators of NSAID efficacy.     

Ultra‐long‐acting recombinant insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in dogs

BackgroundFor the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs, novel insulins with decreased injection frequency while maintaining safety and efficacy are desirable. Insulin fused with immunoglobulin‐fragment‐crystallizable (Fc) has an ultra‐long plasma half‐life because it recycles through cells, protected from proteolysis.HypothesisGlycemic control can be achieved in diabetic dogs with a recombinant fusion protein of a synthetic insulin and canine Fc (AKS‐218d) administered subcutaneously once‐weekly.AnimalsFive client‐owned dogs with naturally occurring DM.MethodsProspective clinical trial in dogs with DM that were recruited from the UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital and local veterinary clinics. Dogs previously controlled using intermediate‐acting insulin q12h were transitioned to once‐weekly injections of a preliminary construct identified as AKS‐218d. The dose of AKS‐218d was titrated weekly for 8 weeks based on clinical response and continuous interstitial glucose monitoring. Clinical signs, body weight, serum fructosamine concentrations, and mean interstitial glucose concentrations (IG) over the preceding week were compared between baseline (before AKS‐218d) and during the last week of treatment. Data were compared using nonparametric paired tests.ResultsOnce‐weekly AKS‐218d, compared to baseline twice‐daily insulin therapy, resulted in no significant changes in clinical signs, median (range) body weight (+0.4 kg [−0.5‐1.1]; P = .6), fructosamine concentration (−75 mmol/L [−215 to +126]; P = .4), or mean IG (+81 mg/dL [−282 to +144]; P = .8). No adverse reactions were reported.ConclusionControl of clinical signs, body weight, and maintenance of glycemia was achieved with this once‐weekly novel insulin construct in 4 of 5 dogs.     

Detection of papillomaviruses in cutaneous fibromas of white-tailed and mule deer

Naturally occurring cutaneous fibromas affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O hemionus), and cutaneous fibropapillomas of domestic cattle were tested for papillomavirus using indirect immunofluorescence (IF), peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP), and negative-stain electron microscopic techniques. Papillomavirus was consistently detected using rabbit antiserum against papillomavirus group-specific antigen in all mule deer fibromas and bovine fibropapillomas; only 16 of 28 white-tailed deer fibromas tested by IF and 9 of 15 tested by PAP were detected. Normal skin from white-tailed deer or cattle was consistently negative for virus. Similar results were obtained by negative-stain electron microscopic examination of partially purified tumor homogenates. Using deer fibroma virus or bovine papillomavirus type 1-specific antisera, viruses were typed by IF, PAP, and immunoelectron microscopy.     

Cooling of broiler hatching eggs during incubation

1. Broiler hatching eggs were cooled to 22°C for periods of 8 or 24 h on day 16 of incubation. Cooling had no significant effects on hatchability or chick quality compared with controls.

2. Cooling to 22°C for 24 h on days 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18 yielded similar results but cooling on day 13 increased late embryonic mortality.

3. When eggs were cooled to 22°C on day 16 of incubation there were no major differences in hatchability up to 48 h of cooling but chick quality deteriorated rapidly after 30 h and the limit for embryonic survival at this temperature was about 72 h.

4. There were no significant differences when eggs were cooled on day 16 and held for 24 h at 21.1, 23.9 or 26.7°C but hatchability and late deaths were significantly affected by cooling to 18.3°C.     

Genetic consequences of forest fragmentation by agricultural land in an arboreal marsupial

Context

Increasing demands on land for agriculture have resulted in large-scale clearance and fragmentation of forests globally. In fragmented landscapes, species that tolerate or exploit the matrix will persist, while those that do not, frequently decline. Knowledge of matrix use is therefore critical to predicting extinction proneness of species in modified landscapes and defining the value of land for conservation management.

Objectives

In a fragmented landscape consisting of seven remnant patches surrounded by agricultural land and a large Eucalyptus forest, we explored (i) population connectivity of common ringtail possums, Pseudocheirus peregrinus, to determine the permeability of the agricultural matrix, and (ii) genetic consequences of forest fragmentation.

Methods

238 common ringtail possums were screened at 14 microsatellite markers and analysed using a range of genetic techniques.

Results

We observed significant genetic differentiation among all patches and limited dispersal through the agricultural matrix, even between neighbouring patches. Consequences of this were a six- to ten-fold increase in genetic dissimilarity over an equivalent geographic distance across patches compared with sites in the continuous forest and a significant reduction in genetic diversity, particularly in patches that were geographically more isolated from their neighbours.

Conclusions

We conclude that the agricultural matrix has a number of characteristics that make it unsuitable for facilitating movement of possums through this landscape, and recommend several management strategies to mitigate the impacts of fragmentation on this and other arboreal species for their conservation.

     

Identification of ‘Sib’ plants in hybrid cauliflowers using microsatellite markers

Hybrid cauliflowers have been developed to exploit heterosis and to improve uniformity of production. Two breeding systems are commonly employed, self-incompatibility (SI) and cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Sibs, assumed to be self-inbred, often contaminate hybrid seed lots in the SI system and whilst self-inbreeding is not possible in the CMS system, plants that look like sibs occur. The objective of this study was to develop microsatellite markers for male and female cauliflower parent lines of both SI and CMS systems and to use them to screen sibs and aberrant plants in F₁ hybrids. Fifty six pairs of microsatellite primers were screened and 8 primer pairs produced co-dominant markers in parent plants and two pairs of markers were chosen for purity testing of F₁ hybrid seeds. Controlled pollinations were conducted in the glasshouse to produce hybrid and selfed-seeds. These seeds were grown in a field trial to identify morphologically normal and sib plants and to assess the reliability of microsatellite markers in detecting sib plants. Microsatellite analysis of morphological sib plants from the SI system revealed that these were not always self-inbred, in contrast, most self-inbred plants showed normal growth. Similarly, all morphological sibs from the CMS system showed hybrid bands. This suggests that morphological sibs were not always due to selfing but possibly to an interaction between genetic and environmental factors and this requires further investigation.     

Prevalence and distribution of Trypanosoma evansi in camels in Somaliland

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The prevalence and distribution of Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi) infection on camels in Somaliland were studied using the card agglutination test (CATT/T....     

薰衣草精油替代饲用抗生素对肉仔鸡生产性能和胴体品质的影响

[目的]研究日粮中添加薰衣草精油替代饲用抗生素对肉仔鸡生产性能及胴体品质的影响.[方法]将300只1日龄AA肉仔鸡随机分成4个处理组(每组设3个重复,每个重复25只),对照组饲喂基础日粮加抗生素,试验Ⅰ组、Ⅱ组、Ⅲ组日粮为基础日粮,分别添加薰衣草精油0.4、0.8、1.2(0～2周)和0.2、0.4和0.6 mL/kg(3 ～6周).[结果]日粮中添加薰衣草精油与添加抗生素比较,对肉仔鸡的平均日增重、料重比、死淘率和胴体品质等生产性能指标的影响不显著(P＞0.05);除了试验组Ⅲ的腿肌率与抗生素组相比有显著降低外(P＜0.05),其它胴体品质指标与抗生素组相比无显著性差异(P＞0.05).试验组的平均死淘率(0.86;)低于抗生素组的死淘率(3.1;);试验组Ⅰ比抗生素组日增重提高了1.87; (P ＞0.05),料重比降低了0.53; (P ＞0.05).[结论]从肉仔鸡41 d末重、料重比、死淘率等指标综合评定来看,用薰衣草精油替代肉仔鸡饲用抗生素是可行的,0～2周和3～6周日粮中分别添加薰衣草精油0.4和0.2 mL/kg的效果较好.