Perioperative medical care for equine abdominal surgery

Rational perioperative management improves the success rate of abdominal surgery. Important aspects of management are discussed, including principles of fluid therapy, nutrition, intravenous catheterization, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Current advances in the area of immunotherapy are mentioned.     

Resident Dendritic Cells in the Epidermis: Langerhans Cells, Merkel Cells and Melanocytes

Résumé— En plus des kératinocytes, l'épiderme contient des cellules résidentes de morphologie dendritique. Ce sont principalement la cellule de Langerhans, la cellule de Merkel et le mélanocyte. Ces cellules ont des fonctions diverses dans le tégument. Le mélanocyte assure la pigmentation cutanée et la protection contre les radiations U.V., et pourrait intervenir également dans la modulation de l'inflammation cutanée. La cellule de Langerhans intervient dans la surveillance immunologique des surfaces corporelles ecternes. La cellule de Merkel a des fonctions neuroendocrines. Cet article donne un aperçu de la structure et de la fonction de ces trois importantes populations cellulaires dans la peau. [Resident dentritic cells in the epidermis: Langerhans cells, Merkel cells and melanocytes (Cellules dentritiques résidentes de l'épiderme: cellules de Langerhans, cellules de Merkel et mélanocytes). Resumen— La epidermis contiene, además de los queratinocitos, células résidentes de morfologia dendria dendritica. Estas son principalmente las células de Langerhans, las células de Merkel y los melanocitos. Estas células tienen varias funciones en el integumento. Los melanocitos se encargan de la pigmentación y protección de la piel contra la radiación ultravioleta y tarrtbién participan en la regulación de la inflamación cutánea. Las células de Langerhans ayudan en la regulación inmunológica en la superficie externa. Las células de Merkel tienen funciones neuroendocrinas. Esta revisión da un repaso general a la estructura y función de tres importantes células de la piel. [Resident dendsuitic cells in the epidermis: Langerhans cells, Merkel cells and Melanocytes (Células résidentes en la epidermis: células de Langerhans, células de Merkel y melanocitos). Abstract— In addition to the keratinocytes, the epidermis contains resident cells of dendritic morphology. These are principally the Langerhans cell, Merkel cell and melanocyte. These cells have a number of different functions in the integument. The melanocyte is responsible for skin pigmentation and protection against UV radiation, and may also play a role in the modulation of cutaneous inflammation. The Langerhans cell aids in the immunological monitoring of the body's external surfaces. The Merkel cell has neuroendocrine functions. This review gives an overview of the structure and function of these three important cells of the skin.     

Serological responses of specific pathogen-free foals to equine herpesvirus-1: primary and secondary infection, and reactivation.

Serum antibody (virus neutralisation, complement fixation, IgM and IgG) responses to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection were measured in six foals which were initially free from EHV-1 and EHV-4 infection and maternally-derived antibodies. Following primary infection, high titres of virus neutralisation and complement fixation antibodies were detectable against EHV-1, however, corresponding antibody levels against EHV-4 were low or inapparent, although the two viruses share a number of cross-reactive epitopes. In addition, following the primary infection with EHV-1, IgM levels increased before those of IgG, virus neutralisation and complement fixation antibodies, peaked sooner and thereafter declined. Stimulation of IgM levels was observed on secondary infection with EHV-1 given 61 days later. In contrast, IgG, virus neutralisation and complement fixation antibodies following primary infection were more sustained and no increase in their levels was observed on secondary infection. No consistent changes in IgM or IgG levels were seen after administration of dexamethasone to reactivate latent virus.     

Managing the lactating sow for optimal weaning and rebreeding performance.

Management of the lactating sow influences milk production and subsequent reproduction through changes in nutrient intake. The management goal during lactation is to maximize feed intake. Decreasing the effective environmental temperature, increasing the nutrient density of the lactation diet, maintaining fresh adequate supplies of feed and water, and preventing excess weight gain during the prior gestation period will increase nutrient intake during lactation. Effective environmental temperature of the lactating sow can be maintained in the thermoneutral zone by using drip cooling, increased ventilation rates and flooring materials with superior conductive properties. Sow parity, genetics, litter size, and disease level will also influence feed intake. Management practices must account for these factors and, thus, should be tailored to individual farm situations to ensure adequate nutrient intake and prevent aberrations in subsequent reproductive performance.     

An Ecological Foodniche Concept as a Proxy for Fish-Pond Stocking Rates in Integrated Aquacultural Farming for Malaysia

The merits of integrated aquaculture farming (IAF) as a strategy for bolstering income for the rural poor have been recognized, but the economic efficiency and sustainability are yet to be determined. The effects of one species on another and the economic benefits, net of government support, have not been critically evaluated. The concept of a foodniche for alternative species in an aquatic environment has not been properly tested in an economic setting. Thus, this report reflects the results of applying the technique of mixed integer linear programming to determine the optimum combination of species within the context of a foodniche. The objective also included maximizing revenues, with minimal external input requirements, for a representative small Malaysian wet-rice farm. It was found that the foodniche concept permitted flexibility in stocking rates, and that farmers could actually stock species at the exact rate that was optimal for profit, instead of standard fixed rates. Also, government subsidies for pond construction were essential for IAF success. The net revenues from IAF were low without interest-free loans for pond construction.     

Analysis of a Long-term Experiment with Repeated-measurement Models

Long‐term experiments are a classical case of repeated measurements. Traits are measured on the same experimental unit over many years so that correlations arise between the observations made on the same plot in consecutive years. This paper describes the analysis of a three‐crop‐rotation long‐term experiment. We analysed the yields of the crops and the organic carbon content in the topsoil over 30 consecutive years. Several variance–covariance approaches are discussed and the trait‐specific best fit is interpreted. Mixed models are used to describe the structure of the experiment. Both yields and soil organic carbon show a more or less pronounced variance heterogeneity. Especially for yields, the heterogeneity of cycles and years is dominant. The consideration of correlations results in a better model fit in all cases.