Analgesic management of an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel after amputation of a thoracic limb

Analgesic agents were administered perioperatively to an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel undergoing amputation of its right thoracic limb. The amputation was carried out due to a painful, infiltrative and poorly differentiated sarcoma involving the nerves of the brachial plexus. A combination of pre-emptive and multimodal perioperative analgesic strategies was used; including intravenous (IV) infusions of fentanyl, morphine, lidocaine and ketamine.     

Productivity of mixed versus pure stands of oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and Quercus robur L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) along an ecological gradient

The mixture of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and oak (sessile oak, Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and pedunculate oak, Q. robur L.) is of considerable importance in Europe and will probably become even more important under climate change. Therefore, the performance of oak and beech in mixture was compared with the species’ growth in pure stands. Data from 37 long-term mixing experiments in Poland, Germany and Switzerland were pooled for analysis of mixing effects on stand productivity and possible interrelationships with mixing portions or site conditions. We found that on average, mixed stands of oak and beech exceeded biomass productivity in pure stands by 30 % or 1.7 t ha^?1 year^?1, as the growth of both species was benefitted by the mixture. However, that the interaction actually ranged from facilitation and overyielding on poor sites to underyielding on fertile sites triggered by competition. An empirically derived interaction model showed volume and dry mass growth changing in mixed stands from gains of 50 % to losses of 10 % depending on site conditions. It is concluded that the analysed mixture grows in accordance with the stress-gradient hypothesis and that our results suggest a site-specific relationship between species mixture and biomass productivity. As a consequence, an adequate species mix should result in increased productivity under steady state as well as climate change.     

Serum antibody response to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after experimental and natural infection of pigs

Studies were conducted under experimental and field conditions to determine the effect of infection with M. hyopneumoniae on the immune response in serum as measured by ELISA. Following intratracheal challenge or contact exposure, serologically negative pigs derived from mycoplasma-free piggeries developed an immune response within 10 days. This response continued to rise for a further 50 days. In a field study in a commercial piggery, no animals (0/44) were observed to have M. hyopneumoniae antibodies at day 86 of life. However between day 86 and day 144, 97.7% (42/43) animals sero-converted. These results are discussed in terms of infection spread, particularly in the grower/finisher shed.     

Seasonal Variation of Plasminogen Activator Activity in Spermatozoa and Seminal Plasma of Boar,Buck, Bull and Stallion

Plasminogen activators (PA) are proteolytic enzymes present in the spermatozoa and seminal plasma of various species. They play a role in the binding of the spermatozoon and its penetration through the layers surrounding the oocyte. Plasminogen activator activity (PAA) is modulated by hormones that have a seasonal variation, such as testosterone and melatonin. The present study investigates the seasonal variation of PA activity in sperm extracts and seminal plasma of four farm animal species: boar, buck, bull and stallion. Semen samples were collected every second week during a 12‐month period and PAA was determined. With respect to sperm enzyme activity, the boar showed a peak from late January until the beginning of April, whereas the activity in the bull was at the highest levels from April until October and gradually declined during autumn and winter period. Plasminogen activator activity of stallion spermatozoa peaked during March and April, and remained low throughout the rest of the year, whereas in the buck sperm, PAA increased from late October until the end of January. No biologically significant variation was detected regarding the seminal PAA activity in any of the species studied. While seasonality of reproduction is typically studied from the female perspective, the present data provide compelling information about a factor that may affect the reproductive ability of the male.     

Activity of Hydroxamic Acids from Secale cereale Against the Plant-Parasitic Nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and Xiphinema americanum

ABSTRACT Cyclic hydroxamic acids are secondary metabolites found in the family Poaceae and have been implicated in the allelopathy of rye (Secale cereale). The toxicity of these compounds against plant-parasitic nematodes is unknown. DIBOA (2,4-dihydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one), DIMBOA (2,4-hydroxy-7-methoxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one), and their degradation products BOA (benzoxazolin-2(3H)-one) and MBOA (6-methoxy-benzoxazolin-2(3H)-one) were screened in vitro against Meloidogyne incognita second-stage juveniles (J2) and eggs and mixed-stages of Xiphinema americanum. Xiphinema americanum was more sensitive to DIBOA and DIMBOA than M. incognita J2, with a maximum apparent mortality of 96 and 92% compared to 73 and 72% at 90 mug/ml. Eggs of M. incognita were less sensitive to the hydroxamic acids than J2; only DIBOA resulted in a 50% reduction in egg hatch, with a lethal concentration (LC(50)) of 74 mug/ml compared to 21 mug/ml for J2. When M. incognita J2 were exposed to DIBOA for 48 h and the compound was removed and replaced with water, the LC(50) value increased from 21.0 to 40.7 mug/ml. MBOA was not toxic to X. americanum or M. incognita eggs, but was toxic to M. incognita J2, with LC(50) values of 44 and 20 mug/ml before and after the compound was removed and replaced with water. BOA was the least toxic hydroxamic acid tested; it did not reduce M. incognita egg hatch after 1 week of exposure or increase X. americanum mortality after 24 h of exposure. While in vitro studies provide a valuable starting point in determining the toxicity of the chemical component of rye, the relevance of the data to soil remains to be determined.     

Effects of a controlled-release albendazole capsule on parasitism and production from grazing Merino ewes and lambs

SUMMARY: Effects of a controlled-release albendazole capsule (CRC) on nematode parasitism and production of Merino ewes and lambs were Investigated in a replicated grazing experiment between August 1986 and July 1989. The experiment was conducted on a site where the naturally occurring parasites were benzimidazole-resistant, with double the recommended dose of oxfendazole reducing faecal egg counts of Trichostrongylus colubriformis by less than 50%. Two CRC treatments were compared with a minimal treatment control and the widely-used strategic control program, Wormkill.
Egg counts and worm burdens of major parasite species of ewes and of lambs before and after weaning were significantly reduced by use of the CRC in ewes before lambing or in lambs at weaning. These parasitological effects were reflected in increased productivity of CRC ewes and lambs. Ewes given CRCs lost less weight and grew more wool during lactation than ewes given Wormkill or control treatments, while their lambs gained more weight and had heavier fleeces than lambs from Wormkill or control treatments. Where lambs were weaned by removing ewes from the lambing paddock, administration of the CRC at weaning to lambs whose dams had also been treated with the CRC did not result in improved production when compared with lambs from ewes dosed with CRCs and treated after weaning according to the Wormkill program. Some possible uses for the CRC in ewes and lambs were identified.