Background: Objectives were to examine the effects of selenium (Se) supply and maternal nutritional plane during gestation on mammary gland growth, cellular proliferation, and vascularity at parturition and d 20 of lactation. Rambouillet primiparous ewes (n = 84) were allocated to treatments in a 2 x 3 factorial. Factors were dietary Se (adequate Se [ASe, 11.5 μg/kg BW] or high Se [HSe, 77.0 μg/kg BVV]) and nutritional plane (60% IRES], 100% [CON], or 140% [EXC]). At parturition, lambs were removed and 42 ewes (7/treatment) were necropsied. Remaining ewes were fed a common diet meeting requirements for lactation and mechanically milked twice daily until necropsy on d 20. At both necropsy periods, mammary glands were dissected and tissues harvested. Samples were analyzed for RNA, DNA, and protein content, cell proliferation, and vascularity. Where interactions were present (P 〈 0.05), least squares means from the highest-order interaction are presented. Results: Final body weight of ewes was least (P 〈 0.002) in RES, intermediate for CON, and greatest for EXC, regardless of stage of the ewe at necropsy (parturition or d 20 of lactation). In ewes necropsied at parturition, mammary glands were heavier (P = 0.02) in EXC compared to RES, with CON intermediate. Concentration of RNA (rag/g) was decreased (P= 0.01) in EXC compared to CON at parturition. There was a tendency (P= 0.07) for a Se by nutrition interaction in percentage of cells proliferating where ASe-EXC ewes had greater (P_〈 0.02) number of proliferating cells then all other treatments. Mammary vascular area tended (P = 0.08) to be affected by a Se by nutrition interaction where ASe-CON had less (P= 0.007) vascular area than HSe-CON ewes. In ewes necropsied at d 20 of lactation, the number of alveoli per area was decreased (P 〈- 0.05) in RES compared to CON and EXC-fed ewes. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that proper maternal nutritional plane during gestation is important for mammary gland development, even out to d 20 of lactation. 相似文献
AIMS: To establish the incidence, frequency and type of deliberate animal abuse seen in veterinary practice in New Zealand, and ascertain veterinarians' knowledge of human abuse within the families where animal abuse was occurring. To explore attitudes of veterinarians to and knowledge about the correlation between animal abuse and human violence, and their perceived role in dealing with such issues. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent to practising veterinarians in New Zealand. It covered demographics, frequency and type of animal abuse cases seen, awareness of violence towards humans, within families where animal abuse was seen, the methods used for managing animal and human abuse, the incidence of psychological abuse of animals, and the attitudes of veterinarians towards and their beliefs about the link between animal abuse and human violence. RESULTS: A total of 383/1,412 (27% response rate) questionnaires with useable data were returned. Within the group of respondents, the sexes were evenly represented; 40% of respondents worked in small-animal practice, 50% in mixed practice and 10% in large-animal practice. Deliberate animal abuse had been seen by 63% of respondents in the last 5 years; 37% of these had seen such cases once a year or less, while 9% had seen abuse cases at least four times a year. Dogs were the species most commonly reported as abused, followed, in numerical order, by cats, cattle and horses. Among respondents who had seen deliberate animal abuse, 16% either knew of (4%) or suspected (12%) human abuse within the families of the abused animals. A clear majority of responding veterinarians agreed with the statement that people who abuse their animals are more likely to abuse their children (77%) or spouse (70%). CONCLUSIONS: The survey indicated that the majority of respondents had seen cases of animal abuse within the previous 5 years, and dogs were the species most often reported abused. Responding veterinarians felt a strong ethical duty to deal with cases of animal abuse, but they were less comfortable about issues of human abuse, even though the awareness of the link between abuse of animals and abuse of humans was relatively high. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The greater the awareness of animal abuse and its linkage with human abuse, the greater the possibility that veterinarians can contribute in a meaningful way to the reduction of violence in society. 相似文献
Zoonotic viruses, such as H5N1 Avian Influenza, pose major threats to both animals and humans, and with this in mind there is a need for the development of new anti-viral strategies. The cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) is known to play a pivotal regulatory role in the anti-viral response due to its role in the induction of the key anti-viral cytokine IFN-gamma. Therefore, strategies which provide a means for the production of therapeutic quantities of IL-12 may be of major benefit. Here we describe the development of biologically active Escherichia coli (E. coli) derived chicken IL-12 (ChIL-12). The single chain ChIL-12 gene was cloned into the pET32b expression vector, transformed into the BL-21 E. coli strain and expression induced with IPTG. Over expressed protein was solubilised with zwittergent detergent and isolated utilising Nickel ion affinity chromatography. Biological activity was determined as ChIL-12 stimulated proliferation of pre-treated T-cells in vitro. This study is the first example of a biologically active E. coli derived IL-12 from a non-mammalian vertebrate subsequently providing a means for testing the anti-viral therapeutic potential of ChIL-12 in an in vivo model. 相似文献
Aims: To assess the prevalence of obesity in adult dogs and cats presented to first-opinion veterinary clinics in the North Island of New Zealand for routine vaccination appointments, using electronic medical records.
Methods: Ten first-opinion veterinary clinics across the North Island of New Zealand provided electronic medical records for all routine vaccination appointments for adult (>1 year old) dogs and cats between 1 January 2011 and 30 June 2016. Animals with a body condition score (BCS) of 6 or 7 on a 9-point scale and 4 on a 5-point scale were classified as overweight; those with a BCS of 8 or 9 on a 9-point scale and 5 on a 5-point scale were classified as obese. A total of 106,144 records were available over the study period, of which 48,041 (45.2%) had both a recorded weight and BCS.
Results: Of the 24,247 records for dogs with both BCS and weight, 6,324 (26.1%) were classified as overweight, and 551 (2.3%) as obese. The prevalence of dogs classified as overweight or obese was highest in dogs aged between 5–13 years. The odds of desexed dogs being classified as overweight or obese was greater than the odds for intact dogs (OR=1.42 (95% CI=1.29–1.57), p<0.001) adjusting for the effects of age. Of the 23,794 records for cats with a recorded weight and BCS, 5,222 (21.9%) were classified as overweight, and 622 (2.6%) as obese. The prevalence of cats classified as overweight or obese was highest in cats aged between 5–11 years. The odds of desexed cats being classified as overweight or obese tended to be greater than the odds for intact cats (OR=1.14 (95% CI=0.98–1.31); p=0.075), adjusting for the effects of age.
Conclusions: Although there are limitations with using electronic medical records to estimate the prevalence of obesity in companion animal populations, the results highlight that a significant number of animals presenting for routine vaccination appointments were classified as overweight or obese.
Clinical Relevance: It is important for veterinarians to record both patient body condition and weight during routine preventative care appointments to allow accurate ongoing monitoring of trends in obesity at both the patient and population levels.
Current methods for the quantification of plaque accumulation in cats and dogs are well-accepted adaptations of traditional human models, but have required substantial modifications in order to compensate for the inherent differences in compliance, cooperation, and temperament between animals and humans. While these modifications have sought to maintain or improve upon the accuracy and reproducibility of the original methods, they also have increased the complexity of the technique and have required additional scorer time and animal cooperation, which leads to increased cost of trials. Therefore, research was directed toward the development and validation of a new substrate scoring system that reduces resources while maintaining or increasing the reproducibility attributed to the more traditional methods. This new gingival contour plaque index was shown to be accurate and reproducible, but used fewer animals, required less time, and eliminated the need for many of the specialized procedures required by traditional methods. 相似文献
This report describes two mares presented for evaluation of anorexia, fever of unknown origin, and weight loss. Clinical examination, laboratory findings, and transrectal ultrasonographic images suggested ovarian abscessation. One mare was successfully treated medically. Because of financial considerations, the second mare was euthanatized and a postmortem examination was performed. At necropsy, there was an enlarged right ovary with an adhesion to the large colon. Microscopic findings were characteristic of an ovarian abscess. 相似文献
Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) occurs as a complication to a number of commonly encountered clinical diseases. Antemortem recognition of this life-threatening disorder is hampered by nonspecificity of clinical signs. This retrospective study was performed to analyze clinical features, laboratory findings, imaging abnormalities, and concurrent postmortem diagnoses in 29 dogs with confirmed pulmonary embolism. A variety of clinicopathologic and radiographic abnormalities were noted but there were no pathognomonic findings for PTE. Arterial blood gas analyses were performed in 15 (52%) of 29 dogs; 12 (80%) of 15 exhibited hypoxemia and 15 (100%) of 15 had increased alveolar-arterial oxygen gradients. Response to supplemental O2 was variable and did not correlate with the presence or absence of additional pulmonary pathology on postmortem. At postmortem, 25 (86%) of 29 dogs had grossly visible emboli, 17 (59%) of 29 dogs had multiple disease processes, and 16 (55%) of 29 dogs had additional pulmonary pathology. PTE was suspected antemortem in 11 (38%) of 29 dogs. In dogs with respiratory signs consistent with PTE, the condition was a differential diagnosis in 11 of 17 animals; all had diseases previously reported to be associated with PTE. Neoplasia, systemic bacterial disease, and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia were diagnosed most frequently. 相似文献
Summary Cultivated almonds (Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb) in Morocco are still propagated from seeds by farmers to overcome transplant failure of grafted trees. Almond collections in southern Morocco conducted since 1975 have resulted in the selection of clones planted at 3 experimental stations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compare kernel, nut, leaf, and growth habit characteristics among 67 selected Moroccan clones and 14 introduced cultivars. Clustering of clones from similar countries and collection areas would suggest the existence of different almond populations. The Moroccan clones did not cluster separately from the foreign cultivars. Three Moroccan clones had exceptionally large nuts and kernels while 7 selections had high yield potential due to high spur density. Moroccan selections tended to be characterized by small leaves in comparison to foreign cultivars. No evidence was found to suggest the existence of separate populations within the Moroccan almond germplasm. 相似文献
Forage kochia (Bassia prostrata) is used for rangeland reclamation and livestock and wildlife forage, but limited research has been conducted on its seed production. Therefore, this research evaluated the effect of harvest date on seed weight, germination, and seed yield of forage kochia subspecies virescens and grisea. Seed was harvested from individual plants for 3 years during October, November, and December. October harvest had the lightest 100-seed weights, with the November harvest slightly heavier than December, for most accessions. Cultivar Snowstorm and breeding line Sahsel, both subsp. grisea, had the greatest 100-seed weights in November, 155 and 143 mg, respectively, whereas, cv. Immigrant (subsp. virescens), the standard for forage kochia, ranked among the least for 100-seed weight. For most accessions, germination was lowest from the October harvest (11%–43%), with greater germination with November and December harvested seeds (43%–64%). Viable seed yields were greatest in November with the exception of two accessions, which peaked in October, indicating earlier maturity. Results indicate that forage kochia usually reaches optimum seed maturity by early November, after plants are exposed to freezing temperatures; however, earlier maturing accessions exist in both subspecies virescens and grisea. 相似文献