Training failure among yearling horses

OBJECTIVE: To compare financial returns between pinhooked yearling horses (ie, bought and trained for approximately 5 months with the goal of selling the horse at "2-year-olds in training" sales) that had mild or severe training failure and horses that had planned versus nonplanned training failure. ANIMALS: 40 Thoroughbred pinhooked yearling horses. PROCEDURE: During the period from September 1998 through and April 1999, 20 horses had mild training failure (1 to 11 days lost), and 20 horses had severe training failure (13 to 108 days lost). Horses were assigned to these 2 groups on the basis of frequency distribution (median) of days lost during training. Horses were also categorized on the basis of type of training failure (planned vs nonplanned training failure). The outcome of primary interest was financial return. Median financial returns were compared among groups by use of the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Median financial returns for horses that had severe training failure ($1,000) were significantly different, compared with horses that had mild training failure ($24,000). Analysis of results also indicated that median returns were significantly different among horses that had planned training failure (-$2,000; eg, horses with radiographic abnormalities detected during routine prepurchase examinations that required surgical treatment, resulting in days lost during training), compared with horses that did not ($10,000). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Training failure has an economic impact on revenues in pinhooked yearling horses. Lameness, planned training failure, respiratory disease, and ringworm were common and important causes of training failure.     

Redeveloped docks as artificial lagoons: The development of brackish-water communities and potential for conservation of lagoonal species

• 1 The use of redeveloped docks for the conservation of lagoonal communities is considered with particular reference to the South Docks in Liverpool.
• 2 Redevelopment of the previously derelict South Docks since 1981 has created a semi-enclosed, brackish body of water by dredging of dock basins that were filled with silt. The development of biological communities on the walls and in the sediments of these docks has been studied.
• 3 A reasonably diverse flora and fauna was established on the walls within approximately six years, but a persistent sediment-dwelling community has not yet developed.
• 4 Over 90 species of macroflora and macrofauna have been recorded from the South Docks to date. Three of these species are considered to be lagoonal specialists.
• 5 Considerations for the management of docks as a resource in the conservation of lagoonal communities are discussed.

     

Use of a carbon dioxide laser for surgical management of cutaneous masses in horses: 32 cases (1993-2000)

OBJECTIVE: To determine outcome of horses in which cutaneous masses were removed with a carbon dioxide laser. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 32 horses. PROCEDURE: Medical records of horses with 1 or more cutaneous masses treated with a carbon dioxide laser were examined. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone interviews with owners and referring veterinarians. RESULTS: Cutaneous masses were classified as sarcoids (15 horses), neoplastic masses other than sarcoids (squamous cell carcinoma [91; fibroma [1]; and melanoma [1]), and nonneoplastic masses (6). Minimum follow-up time was 6 months. Five sarcoids and 2 squamous cell carcinomas recurred. Seven (21%) horses had complications associated with dehiscence of wounds that had been closed primarily or failure of wound healing because of recurrence of the mass. Twenty-six (81%) owners were satisfied with the cosmetic appearance following surgery. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that a carbon dioxide laser may be effective for treatment of cutaneous masses in horses.     

‘Defence lignin’ and hydroxycinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase activities in wounded Eucalyptus gunnii

To learn more about lignin formation in response to wounding in trees, we adopted two complementary approaches: (1) microscopic and histochemical studies of the wound response in 3.5‐month‐old Eucalyptus gunnii plantlets and (2) biochemical investigations of hydroxycinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase activities in wounded 6‐year‐old, field‐grown E. gunnii trees. The first approach revealed that a barrier zone was formed in response to wounding in both ground tissues (cortex barrier and pith reaction zone) and vascular tissues. The barrier zone was barely detectable after 24 h but well‐developed 7 days after wounding. Microscopic analyses indicated that the barrier zone was formed by the reinforcement of cell walls with ‘lignin‐like material’ in both ground tissues and vascular tissue, and that, in addition, the lumen of certain xylem cells (vessels and fibres) were blocked by the deposition of polymeric phenolic material. Histochemical characterization revealed that the lignin‐like material (‘defence lignin’) deposited in ground tissue cell walls and xylem cell blockages was poor in syringyl (S‐type) lignin units and therefore differed from the usual mixed guaiacyl–syringyl (G–S) lignin unit composition of E. gunnii developmental lignin. In contrast, S‐type lignin appeared to be deposited in the cell walls of immature developing secondary xylem cells at a stage when the cell walls of comparable cells from unwounded control stems contained lignin poor in syringyl units. The second approach indicated that two different types of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity are induced, and apparently regulated differentially, in response to wounding in E. gunnii trees. Coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity was induced immediately and continued to increase throughout the first 15 days of the 17‐day experimental period, while sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity was first detected at 8 days after wounding and continued to increase throughout the experimental period. The biological roles of the two alcohol dehydrogenase activities are discussed in relation to the formation of defence lignin versus developmental lignin in trees.