Short communication: Progressive motility of frozen–thawed canine semen is highest five minutes after thawing

Progressive motility is usually estimated by visual inspection using a light contrast microscope at X 100 immediately after semen collection or immediately after thawing frozen semen. Standard operating procedures have never been established for this test. The objective of this experiment was to examine time‐dependent changes of motility after thawing cryopreserved canine semen. Semen of 35 dogs was collected, and volume, concentration, progressive motility, morphology, membrane integrity and HOS test were evaluated. For cryopreservation, CaniPRO^® Freeze A&B was used. Semen was thawed and diluted using CaniPRO^® culture medium. After thawing, semen was evaluated as before. In addition, every sample was evaluated for progressively motile sperm cells 0, 5, 20 and 60 min after thawing. Progressive semen motility was significantly highest five minutes after thawing.     

Capillary barriers improve reclamation in drastically disturbed semiarid shrubland

Soils in arid climates affected by drastic disturbance do not recover without reclamation efforts, and saline-sodic conditions caused by development activities are especially problematic. To improve reclamation success, we created seeded depressions that held three types of sand capillary barriers in October 2013. Sand was placed above (mulch), below (capillary barrier), and encompassing (dual barrier) seeded native soil at ridge and depression sites near Wamsutter, WY, representative of natural gas extraction areas. We compared grass growth, salinity, and moisture among the treatments and under depressions without sand amendments (pit) and plots seeded by standard procedures (control). At the ridge site, the mulch treatment supported 249 stems?m^?2 in the seeded patches surviving to August 2014, compared with 110 and 89 stems?m^?2 in the pit and lower barrier treatments, respectively, less than 50 stems?m^?2 in the dual barrier treatments, and none in the control. The dual barrier and mulch treatments performed best at the depression site, with 40–50 stems?m^?2 in August compared with none in the other three treatments. Changes in soil moisture and salinity were variable, but indicate positive effects of capillary barriers. Capillary barriers led to reductions or smaller increases in salinity than in treatments without a capillary barrier. While mulch treatments effectively increased grass growth at both sites, the dual barriers only showed positive impact at the depression site, possibly due to adequate moisture. Sand is readily available in many regions, and scaling up from test plots may be achieved with existing equipment.     

RESEARCH PAPER: Comparison between two methods for cardiac output measurement in propofol‐anesthetized dogs: thermodilution and Doppler

ObjectiveTo compare cardiac output (CO) measured by Doppler echocardiography and thermodilution techniques in spontaneously breathing dogs during continuous infusion of propofol. To do so, CO was obtained using the thermodilution method (CO_TD) and Doppler evaluation of pulmonary flow (CO_DP) and aortic flow (CO_DA).Study designProspective cohort study.AnimalsEight adult dogs weighing 8.3 ± 2.0 kg.MethodsPropofol was used for induction (7.5 ± 1.9 mg kg^?1 IV) followed by a continuous rate infusion at 0.7 mg kg^?1 minute^?1. The animals were positioned in left lateral recumbency on an echocardiography table that allowed for positioning of the transducer at the 3rd and 5th intercostal spaces of the left hemithorax for Doppler evaluation of pulmonary and aortic valves, respectively. CO_DP and CO_DA were calculated from pulmonary and aortic velocity spectra, respectively. A pulmonary artery catheter was inserted via the jugular vein and positioned inside the lumen of the pulmonary artery in order to evaluate CO_TD. The first measurement of CO_TD, CO_DP and CO_DA was performed 30 minutes after beginning continuous infusion (T0) and then at 15‐minute intervals (T15, T30, T45 and T60). Numeric data were submitted to two‐way anova for repeated measurements, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Bland &; Altman analysis. Data are presented as mean ± SD.ResultsAt T0, CO_TD was lower than CO_DA. CO_DA was higher than CO_TD and CO_DP at T30, T45 and T60. The difference between the CO_TD and CO_DP, when all data were included, was ?0.04 ± 0.22 L minute^?1 and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was 0.86. The difference between the CO_TD and CO_DA was ?0.87 ± 0.54 L minute^?1 and r = 0.69. For CO_TD and CO_DP, the difference was ?0.82 ± 0.59 L minute^?1 and r = 0.61.ConclusionDoppler evaluation of pulmonary flow was a clinically acceptable method for assessing the CO in propofol‐anesthetized dogs.     

Conjugated linoleic acids alter the fatty acid composition and physical properties of egg yolk and albumen

Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the fatty acid composition of different egg compartments after storage were studied. Four dietary treatments [supplemented with safflower oil (SAFF, control group), DHA, CLAs plus DHA (CAD), and CLAs alone] were administered to Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) laying hens. Eggs from the different treatment groups were collected and stored for 10 weeks at 4 degrees C before analysis. Fatty acids from the yolk (yolk granules and plasma), egg albumen, and vitelline membrane were analyzed by gas chromatography. The yolk of eggs from hens given CLAs had significantly higher amounts of saturated fatty acids, typically 16:0 and 18:0, but lower amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) compared to eggs from the control group (SAFF). CLA content was highest in the yolk and present in both neutral and polar lipids, with the greatest concentrations in neutral lipids. DHA was incorporated mainly into yolk polar lipids. Lipids in yolk plasma and granules contained similar amounts of CLAs. The fatty acid compositions of vitelline membrane and egg albumen mirrored that of the egg yolk. CLA supplementation resulted in hard and rubbery yolks when compared to hard-cooked eggs from the control group. This study showed that feeding CLAs to hens led to accumulation of the isomers in polar and neutral lipids of the egg yolk and that these isomers migrated into egg albumen. Because the sensory properties of hard-cooked eggs were negatively affected by the enrichment of a mixture of CLA isomers in this study, further research should be conducted to evaluate how the different isomers alter the properties of egg yolk and albumen so that the quality of designed eggs containing CLAs and DHA can be improved.     

Adverse effects of EMLA (lidocaine/prilocaine) cream and efficacy for the placement of jugular catheters in hospitalized cats

EMLA is a lidocaine/prilocaine cream used for topical analgesia in human pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to establish the safety of EMLA in clinically ill cats, to measure systemic absorption and to determine whether EMLA reduced the need for sedation for the placement of jugular catheters. Thirty-one cats were randomized to either a placebo or EMLA cream group. Cream was applied to a 10 cm(2) area over the jugular vein, with 1h of occlusive dressing. Neither anesthetic was systemically absorbed in any cat, and no adverse clinical signs were observed. Struggling during catheter placement was less in the EMLA-treated cats compared to placebo, but did not reach significance (P = 0.06). Jugular catheters were successfully placed in 60% of EMLA-treated cats and 38% of placebo cats; this difference was not statistically significant and may not justify the added steps of EMLA cream administration for this purpose. However, EMLA does appear to be safe in clinically ill cats, and may be useful for other applications such as for skin mass removal or repeated venepuncture.     

Small-Scale Composting of Horse Manure Mixed with Wood Shavings

There is an increased interest in composting manure on small horse farms (1-5 horses). It is known that simple backyard, food waste composters do not efficiently reduce pathogens due to their small scale. However, it was not clear if small-scale manure composting on horse farms could ensure pathogen reduction during all seasons. Furthermore, because of potential human health concerns, the release of Aspergillus fumigatus on small horse farms was of interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate pathogen reduction in a simple shed composter and the release of Aspergillus fumigatus emissions from fall to spring under typical farm operational conditions. Horse manure mixed with wood shavings (bedding) was composted for 4-8 weeks in the fall, winter, early spring and late spring. Fecal streptococci and eggs of strongyles, which are a major recognized health concern for horses, were used as pathogen indicator organisms. Temperatures increased in all composting piles during all seasons, but tended to be higher in warmer weather. After 4 weeks, the fecal streptococci reduction was about 10- to 100-fold and, after 8 weeks, about 100- to 1000-fold. There was some effect of season on fecal streptococci levels, with the higher composting temperatures appearing to provide greater reductions. Strongyle eggs in this study were very low and were reduced over time. Levels of viable A. fumigatus spores during turning ranged from 12-2084 CFU m^?3, while background levels ranged between 6 - 300 CFU m^?3. Overall, this study indicates that composting horse manure mixed with wood shavings reduces pathogens. A. fumigatus levels are elevated during turning, but the levels are lower than those found at sewage sludge/municipal solid waste composting facilities or inside barns.