Descriptive epidemiology of culling in dairy cows from 34 herds in New York State

Data on parity, disease, farmers' stated primary reasons for culling and stage of lactation at diagnosis and at culling were used to describe patterns of culling in Holstein lactations from 34 New York herds. Of 7763 lactations, 18.7% ended in culling [death (95 cows), sales for dairy purposes (104 cows), or slaughter]. The culling rates for specific reasons were: dairy purposes 1.3%, low production 3.8%, reproduction 4.8%, udder problems 4.0%, feet and legs 1.2%, old age 0.3%, accidents 0.3% and miscellaneous reasons 2.9%. Culling increased with parity (at least through Lactation 6) and primarily was due to production, reproduction and udder problems. Culling for these 3 reasons peaked immediately after calving, again between 151 and 240 days post-partum (poor milk production) and at >240 days post-partum (poor reproductive performance). First-lactation cows sold for dairy use tended to be sold in early lactation. Death in older cows usually occurred early in lactation and was due to udder problems or to miscellaneous causes.

Compared to lactations without the disease, lactations with a diagnosis of downer cow, clinical mastitis or treat problems were 3.5, 2.0 and 2.7 times more likely to end in culling, respectively. Among cows diagnosed with a disease and culled, many were culled the same day or within 30 days of the diagnosis. Such “immediate” culling upon diagnosis was especially typical of cows with milk fever, downer cow syndrome, left displaced abomasum, teat problems, and foot and leg problems (and for some cases of clinical mastitis), implying that these disorders led to “forced” culling, which was particularly costly to the farmers.     

Supplementation of laying-hen feed with palm tocos and algae astaxanthin for egg yolk nutrient enrichment

Adding supplements to hen feed can increase egg nutritional value. Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and tocopherols are potent antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans. We hypothesized that the addition of these nutrients to hen feed would result in an increased nutrient content in egg yolk with minimum changes in functional properties. Laying hens (Hy-Line W-36 breed) were fed four diets with different supplementation levels of palm toco concentrate and algae biomass containing astaxanthin for 8 weeks. Egg yolks were analyzed for physical, chemical, and functional properties. The feed with the highest nutrient concentration was also studied for stability of these antioxidants using the Arrhenius approach. No significant differences were observed in functional properties except for emulsification capacity and sensory characteristics among eggs from different diet treatments. Changes in egg yolk color reached the maximum values at day 8. Incorporation of tocopherols and tocotrienols increased until day 8, astaxanthin incorporation increased until day 10, and all decreased thereafter. Feed nutrients resulted in a dose-response relationship of these compounds in the egg yolk. The transfer efficiency ranged from 0 to 9.9% for tocotrienols and tocopherols and from 7.6 to 14.9% for astaxanthin at their peak values. Results of the Arrhenius accelerated stability study showed significant differences in the shelf life of various nutrients, and these results can be used to properly formulate and store the feed materials.     

First molecular detection of canine herpesvirus 1 (CaHV-1) in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

BackgroundCanine herpesvirus type 1 (CaHV-1) infects dogs and is associated with neonatal deaths and reproductive, ocular, neurological, and respiratory problems. In Brazil, reports of CaHV-1 have been restricted to the southeast and south regions, particularly in municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.ObjectivesTo assess the presence and variability of CaHV-1 in canine populations in the state of Pará, North Brazil.MethodsBiological samples from 159 dogs from 4 municipalities in the State of Pará were evaluated using polymerase chain reaction and phylogenetic analyses, with the target being the viral enzyme, thymidine kinase.ResultsCaHV-1 was detected in 13 dogs (8.2%), with 2 animals being from the municipality of Santa Bárbara do Pará, 8 from Algodoal Island, 2 from Salinópolis, and one from Capanema. The study sequences revealed 100% identity among themselves and 64% to 100% identity with the other nucleotide sequences from Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, and United States, including 100% identity with the 2002 isolate from Australia. The 1996 isolate from France was grouped in a branch that was different from the sequence of this study.ConclusionsThis study presents the first molecular detection of CaHV-1 in dogs from the Amazon region in northern Brazil. The nucleotide identity between the strains and cytosine insertion in the sequences isolated in this study suggests at least 2 strains of CaHV-1 circulating in Brazil (Pará and BTU-1).     

Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an alternative pathway for GSK3beta inactivation

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) is involved in metabolism, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Inhibition of GSK3beta activity is the primary mechanism that regulates this widely expressed active kinase. Although the protein kinase Akt inhibits GSK3beta by phosphorylation at the N terminus, preventing Akt-mediated phosphorylation does not affect the cell-survival pathway activated through the GSK3beta substrate beta-catenin. Here, we show that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) also inactivates GSK3beta by direct phosphorylation at its C terminus, and this inactivation can lead to an accumulation of beta-catenin. p38 MAPK-mediated phosphorylation of GSK3beta occurs primarily in the brain and thymocytes. Activation of beta-catenin-mediated signaling through GSK3beta inhibition provides a potential mechanism for p38 MAPK-mediated survival in specific tissues.     

The mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome reveals a mechanism of mTORC1-mediated inhibition of growth factor signaling

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein kinase is a master growth promoter that nucleates two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Despite the diverse processes controlled by mTOR, few substrates are known. We defined the mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome by quantitative mass spectrometry and characterized the primary sequence motif specificity of mTOR using positional scanning peptide libraries. We found that the phosphorylation response to insulin is largely mTOR dependent and that mTOR exhibits a unique preference for proline, hydrophobic, and aromatic residues at the +1 position. The adaptor protein Grb10 was identified as an mTORC1 substrate that mediates the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase typical of cells lacking tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), a tumor suppressor and negative regulator of mTORC1. Our work clarifies how mTORC1 inhibits growth factor signaling and opens new areas of investigation in mTOR biology.     

Using an unmanned aerial vehicle to evaluate nitrogen variability and height effect with an active crop canopy sensor

Ground-based active sensors have been used in the past with success in detecting nitrogen (N) variability within maize production systems. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) presents an opportunity to evaluate N variability with unique advantages compared to ground-based systems. The objectives of this study were to: determine if a UAV was a suitable platform for use with an active crop canopy sensor to monitor in-season N status of maize, if UAV’s were a suitable platform, is the UAV and active sensor platform a suitable substitute for current handheld methods, and is there a height effect that may be confounding measurements of N status over crop canopies? In a 2013 study comparing aerial and ground-based sensor platforms, there was no difference in the ability of aerial and ground-based active sensors to detect N rate effects on a maize crop canopy. In a 2014 study, an active sensor mounted on a UAV was able to detect differences in crop canopy N status similarly to a handheld active sensor. The UAV/active sensor system (AerialActive) platform used in this study detected N rate differences in crop canopy N status within a range of 0.5–1.5 m above a relatively uniform turfgrass canopy. The height effect for an active sensor above a crop canopy is sensor- and crop-specific, which needs to be taken into account when implementing such a system. Unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with active crop canopy sensors provide potential for automated data collection to quantify crop stress in addition to passive sensors currently in use.     

The effect of breed,sex, and oral meloxicam administration on pain biomarkers following hot-iron branding in Hereford and Angus calves

Hot-iron branding uses thermal injury to permanently identify cattle causing painful tissue damage. The primary objective was to examine the physiological and behavioral effects of oral meloxicam (MEL), compared to a control, administered at the time of hot-iron branding in Angus and Hereford steers and heifers. The secondary objectives were to investigate breed and sex effects on pain biomarkers. A total of 70 yearlings, consisting of 35 heifers and 35 steers (Angus, Hereford, or Angus × Hereford), were enrolled in the study. Animals were blocked by sex, randomized across weight, and assigned to receive MEL (1 mg/kg) or a placebo (CON). Biomarkers were assessed for 48 h after branding and included infrared thermography (IRT), mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT), accelerometry and a visual analog scale (VAS), and serum cortisol and prostaglandin E₂ metabolites (PGEM). Wound healing was assessed for 12 wk. Hair samples to quantify cortisol levels were taken prior to and 30 d post-branding. Responses were analyzed using repeated measures with calf nested in treatment as a random effect, and treatment, time, treatment by time interaction, breed, and sex as fixed effects. There was a treatment by time interaction for PGEM (P < 0.01) with MEL having lower values than CON at 6, 24, and 48 h (MEL: 18.34 ± 3.52, 19.61 ± 3.48, and 22.24 ± 3.48 pg/mL, respectively; CON: 32.57 ± 3.58, 37.00 ± 3.52, and 33.07 ± 3.48 pg/mL; P < 0.01). MEL showed less of a difference in maximum IRT values between the branded (2.27 ± 0.29 °C) and control site (3.15 ± 0.29 °C; P < 0.01). MEL took fewer lying bouts at 0–12 h (4.91 bouts ± 0.56) compared with CON (6.87 bouts ± 0.55; P < 0.01). Compared with Hereford calves, Angus calves exhibited greater serum but lower hair cortisol, greater PGEM, more lying bouts, and less healed wound scores at 3, 4, and 5 wk. Compared with heifers, steers exhibited lower PGEM, lower branding site and ocular IRT, higher MNT, and lower plasma meloxicam levels. Steers spent more time lying, took more lying bouts and had greater VAS pain, and more healed wound scores at 5 wk than heifers. Meloxicam administration at branding reduced branding and control site temperature differences and reduced lying bouts for the first 12 h. Breed and sex effects were observed across many biomarkers. Changes from baseline values for IRT, MNT, lying time, step count, VAS pain, and wound scoring all support that branding cattle is painful.     

Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis with zafirlukast, a leukotriene-receptor antagonist: a single-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Zafirlukast and placebo were administered orally as individual agents to 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis. The pruritus was effectively reduced by at least 50% in 2/18 (11%) dogs that completed the trial with zafirlukast. Two dogs vomited after administration of the active drug.     

COMPARISON OF UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL RADIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS TO HISTOPATHOLOGIC OBSERVATIONS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 41 DOGS AND CATS WITH SUSPECTED SMALL BOWEL INFILTRATIVE DISEASE (1985 to 1990)

It was the intent of this study to define which, if any, radiographic observations corresponded with specific causes of diffuse infiltrative small bowel disease and if radiographic findings could differentiate inflammatory disease from neoplastic disease and either of them from normal. Bowel spasticity, luminal narrowing, and thumbprinting tend to indicate the presence of tumor more often than inflammatory disease. Increased bowel gas in cats and barium adhesion in dogs and cats suggest that a component of enteritis is present. Decreased bowel gas in dogs is more often associated with obstructive disease, but is not helpful in differentiating diffuse inflammatory disease from diffuse neoplastic disease. While several observations that can foster differentiation of neoplastic from inflammatory disease were found, this study also indicated that the UGI lacks a high degree of predictive value other than to indicate the presence of infiltrative small bowel disease.     

COMPARISON OF THORACIC ULTRASONOGRAPHY AND RADIOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION OF INDUCED SMALL VOLUME PNEUMOTHORAX IN THE HORSE

Small volume pneumothorax can be challenging to diagnose in horses. The current standard method for diagnosis is standing thoracic radiography. We hypothesized that thoracic ultrasonography would be more sensitive. Objectives of this prospective, experimental study were to describe a thoracic ultrasound method for detection of small volume pneumothorax in horses and to compare results of radiography and ultrasound in a sample of horses with induced small volume pneumothorax. Six mature healthy horses were recruited for this study. For each horse, five 50 ml air boluses were sequentially introduced via a teat cannula into the pleural space. Lateral thoracic radiographs and standardized ultrasound (2D and M‐mode) examinations of both hemithoraces were performed following administration of each 50 ml air bolus. Radiographs and ultrasound images/videos were analyzed for detection of pneumothorax by four independent investigators who were unaware of treatment status. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and agreement among investigators (Kappa test, κ) were calculated for radiography, 2D and M‐mode ultrasound. Comparisons were made using a chi‐squared exact test with significance set at P < 0.05. Two‐dimensional (84%) and M‐mode (80%) ultrasound were more sensitive than radiography (48%) for pneumothorax detection (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively). Specificity and positive predictive values were similar for all three imaging modalities (P = 1). Agreement between investigators for pneumothorax detection was excellent for 2D ultrasound (κ = 1), very good for M‐mode ultrasound (κ = 0.87), and good for radiography (κ = 0.79). Findings from this experimental study supported the use of thoracic ultrasonography as a diagnostic method for detecting pneumothorax in horses.