Metabolic profiles of the mycotoxin zearalenone and of the growth promoter zeranol in urine,liver, and muscle of heifers

A group of five heifers were fed for 84 days with 2 kg of zearalenone-contaminated oats (1370 microg/kg) resulting in an average daily intake of 2740 microg of zearalenone per animal. In a parallel experiment five heifers were implanted with two 25 mg zeranol pellets, one at the beginning of the study and one after 42 days, and fed with 2 kg of "blank" control oats (79 microg/kg, daily intake = 158 microg). A third group of five animals were also fed with 2 kg of "blank" oats and served as control. Urine samples of all animals were collected every 5-6 days during the whole period of the study. Animals of all three groups were killed 84 days after the beginning of the feeding study. Tissue samples (back, femoral region, liver, and residues of implanted pellets) were taken during post-mortem investigations. The content of zearalenone and zeranol and their metabolites in urine and tissue samples was established by an analytical method combining solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary excretion rates of zeralenone and zeranol were calculated from these results.     

Evaluation of three tidal volumes (10, 12 and 15 mL kg−1) in dogs for controlled mechanical ventilation assessed by volumetric capnography: a randomized clinical trial

Objective

To evaluate three routinely used tidal volumes (V_T; 10, 12 and 15 mL kg^?1) for controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) in lung-healthy anaesthetized dogs by assessing alveolar ventilation (VT_alv) and dead space (DS).

Ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from a straw flow system for fattening pigs: Housing and manure storage

Animal welfare and environmental protection are increasingly important. Housing systems must be found that offer animal welfare while minimizing the overall emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases. The straw flow system is an animal friendly housing system for fattening pigs, which can be operated economically on commercial farms. Emissions from conventional slurry based pig houses have been intensively studied, but more research is needed into straw based systems. In this study, we quantified emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases from a straw flow system with or without daily removal of slurry to an outside store. The effect of applying a solid cover during outside storage was also examined.

Emissions of NH₃, N₂O, CH₄, and volatile organic C (VOC) from a commercial straw flow system for fattening pigs in Upper Austria were measured between June 2003 and March 2004. Emissions of CH₄ during housing were 1.24 and 0.54 kg CH₄ per pig place per year without and with daily manure removal, respectively. The corresponding N₂O emissions amounted to 39.9 and 24.5 g N₂O per pig place per year, and NH₃ emissions to 2.10 and 1.90 kg NH₃ per pig place per year without and with daily manure removal. Emissions of CH₄, N₂O and NH₃, and of total greenhouse gases, from the straw flow system were lower than literature reference values for forced ventilated fully slatted floor systems. Daily removal of the manure to an outside store reduced emissions from the pig house.

Emissions during storage of pig slurry derived from a straw flow system were quantified between June 2004 and June 2005. Slurry was stored in pilot scale stores with or without a solid cover and emissions quantified by a large open dynamic chamber. The solid cover reduced NH₃ and greenhouse gas emissions by 30 and 50%, respectively. During cold climatic conditions stored pig manure emitted less NH₃ and greenhouse gases than when stored under warm climatic conditions. We recommend the use of separate emission factors for slurry storage in the colder and warmer periods in the national emission inventory, and the use of covers on pig slurry stores.

Overall, it is concluded that the straw flow system may combine recommendations of animal welfare and environmental protection.     

Antibodies to selected pathogens in free-ranging terrestrial carnivores and marine mammals in Canada

Antibody titres to selected pathogens (canine adenovirus [CAV-2], feline herpesvirus [FHV], phocine herpesvirus [PHV-1], canine distemper virus, dolphin morbillivirus [DMV], phocine distemper virus [PDV], parainfluenza virus type 3 [PI3], rabies virus, dolphin rhabdovirus [DRV], canine coronavirus, feline coronavirus, feline leukaemia virus, Borrelia burgdorferi and Toxoplasma gondii) were determined in whole blood or serum samples from selected free-ranging terrestrial carnivores and marine mammals, including cougars (Fellis concolor), lynxes (Fellis lynx), American badgers (Taxidea taxus), fishers (Martes pennanti), wolverines (Gulo gulo), wolves (Canis lupus), black bears (Ursus americanus), grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), polar bears (Ursus maritimus), walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) and belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), which had been collected at several locations in Canada between 1984 and 2001. Antibodies to a number of viruses were detected in species in which these infections have not been reported before, for example, antibodies to CAV-2 in walruses, to PDV in black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, lynxes and wolves, to DMV in grizzly bears, polar bears, walruses and wolves, to PI3 in black bears and fishers, and to DRV in belugas and walruses.     

In vitro effects of lipopolysaccharides on bovine uterine contractility

Metritis is an important disorder in dairy cows during the early postpartum period. Myometrial contractility is a prerequisite for uterine involution; however, very scanty literature is available about the effect of metritis on this process and endocrine responsiveness. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of inflammation on uterine contractility in vitro, and the inflammation was induced by incubating myometrial strips with lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Myometrial samples were collected from 17 healthy Holstein Friesian cows during caesarean section. Eight longitudinal strips from each cow were incubated in organ baths with LPS concentrations of 0 (LPS₀), 0.1 (LPS_0.1), 1 (LPS₁) and 10 µg/ml (LPS₁₀). Spontaneous contractility and contractility induced by increasing concentrations of oxytocin (10^–10 – 10^–7 mol/L) were recorded during nine 30-min intervals (T1 to T9). The minimum amplitude (minA), maximum amplitude (maxA), mean amplitude (meanA) and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for each time interval. LPS had an effect (p ≤ .05) on maxA, meanA and AUC. In T1, myometrial strips incubated with LPS_0.1 and LPS₁ had higher (p ≤ .05) maxA, meanA and AUC than the strips incubated with LPS₀. In T9 without oxytocin, LPS₀ led to higher (p ≤ .05) maxA, meanA and AUC than LPS_0.1 and LPS₁. In T8 and T9 with oxytocin, LPS₁ had lower (p ≤ .05) maxA, meanA and AUC than the other LPS concentrations. Interestingly, the results show that LPS has a transient positive effect on myometrial contractility in vitro and that this effect is dependent on LPS concentration and duration of incubation.     

Schätzung des Humusgehaltes nach der Munsell-Farbhelligkeit

Calculation of the humus content of soil samples by the Munsell-value The log values of humus contents (0.1–15%) and the Munsell-values of 156 dry or moist soil samples from Northern Germany were strongly correlated, especially in additional consideration of Munsell-chromas and soil texture.     

Der Einsatz von Kationenaustauscherharzen zur Charakterisierung verfügbarer Kationen aus natürlich gelagerten Bodenproben

Investigation of cation release of undisturbed soil columns via cation exchange resins Undisturbed soil columns were investigated with cation exchange resins. Similar to roots there is an exchange of H⁺ and cations. The ability for release of cations by molecular diffusion is decreasing with time, so that an asymptotic approximation to a final value occurs. A part of the protons is buffered, for example by aluminium-hydroxides. Samples rich in organic carbon show different graphs for iron and manganese which is probably due to microbial reduction processes.