The survival and fecundity of buffalo flies after treatment of cattle with three anthelmintics

Two anthelmintics with known insecticidal action (ivermectin and closantel) and one with no recorded effect on insects (levamisole) were tested to evaluate their effects on buffalo fly (Haematobia irritans exigua). Blood from animals given closantel or levamisole had no significant effect on mortality of buffalo flies in an in-vitro assay. In contrast, blood from animals given ivermectin showed a dose-dependent effect on the mortality of buffalo flies. At 24 h after one injection of the recommended dose of ivermectin, 98% of the flies applied to cattle in an in-vivo assay are killed. Blood from cattle injected with ivermectin killed 95% of flies 8 d after injection and still killed 15% of flies at 18 days after injection. Surviving flies laid almost no eggs and this effect on flies was significant up to 33 d after injection. The results indicate that ivermectin may be useful to control buffalo fly populations in the field.     

Cl- channels in CF: lack of activation by protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Secretory chloride channels can be activated by adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase in normal airway epithelial cells but not in cells from individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). In excised, inside-out patches of apical membrane of normal human airway cells and airway cells from three patients with CF, the chloride channels exhibited a characteristic outwardly rectifying current-voltage relation and depolarization-induced activation. Channels from normal tissues were activated by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C. However, chloride channels from CF patients could not be activated by either kinase. Thus, gating of normal epithelial chloride channels is regulated by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C, and regulation by both kinases is defective in CF.     

Oestrous Synchronization,Ovarian Superovulation and Intraspecific Transfers From a Closed Breeding Colony of Inbred SLA Miniature Pigs

The inbred SLA miniature pig is a unique animal model developed for organ transplantation studies and pre‐clinical experimental purposes. Reported oestrous synchronization and superovulation treatments were examined in two SLA haplotypes (AA and DD) to allow collection of embryos for both practical embryo transfer and experimental technologies from a closed breeding colony. Pre‐puberal miniature pigs were poor responders to oestrous synchronization treatments, while post‐puberal sows were equivalent to commercial sows. Following superovulation, the ovulation number (corpora .hemorrhagica) was higher (p < 0.05) in the cycling sows when compared with non‐cycling sows. Ovulations were equivalent to commercial pre‐puberal gilts and non‐cycling sows (p > 0.05). No difference in ovulation number between haplotypes was observed, which differs from the previous report (DD>AA). Collection of zygotes for pronuclear injection was the highest in the non‐cycling post‐puberal miniature pig group (p < 0.05), although significantly lower when compared with the commercial pig treatment groups (p < 0.05). The incidence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia in our colony was equivalent to rates observed in commercial pigs. Pronuclear visualization following centrifugation was the highest in the non‐cycling miniature sow group and approximates to about 25% of ovulations and about half the rate observed in the commercial pigs (50%). Miniature pig embryos transferred between SLA haplotypes and transfer of DD embryos to commercial pigs resulted in live births at a higher efficiency than previously reported. This study demonstrates the feasibility of undertaking assisted reproductive technologies in a closed breeding colony of inbred SLA miniature pigs without compromise to the breeding programmes.     

Early central andean metalworking from mina perdida, peru

Copper and gold artifacts in contexts dated to approximately 3120 to 3020 carbon-14 years before the present ( approximately 1410 to 1090 calendar years B.C.) recovered in excavations at Mina Perdida, Lurin Valley, Peru, show that artisans hammered native metals into thin foils, in some cases with intermediate anneals. They gilded copper artifacts by attaching gold foil. The artifacts show that fundamental elements of the Andean metallurgical tradition were developed before the Chavin horizon, and that on the Peruvian coast the working of native copper preceded the production of smelted copper objects.     

Decision support systems for monitoring and maintaining health in food animal populations

To mitigate the effects of risks to food safety and infectious disease outbreaks in farmed animals, animal health authorities need to have systems in place to identify and trace the source of identified problems in a timely manner. In the event of emergencies, these systems will allow infected or contaminated premises (and/or animals) to be identified and contained, and will allow the extent of problems to be communicated to consumers and trading partners in a clear and unambiguous manner. The key to achieving these goals is the presence of an effective animal health decision support system that will provide the facilities to record and store detailed information about cases and the population at risk, allowing information to be reported back to decision makers when it is required. Described here are the components of an animal health decision support system, and the ways these components can be used to enhance food safety, responses to infectious disease incursions, and animal health and productivity. Examples are provided to illustrate the benefit these systems can return, using data derived from countries that have such systems (or parts of systems) in place. Emphasis is placed on the features that make particular system components effective, and strategies to ensure that these are kept up to date.