Gonadotropin‐Releasing Hormone Administration to Dairy Cows without a Corpus Luteum 4 Weeks after Calving Increases Reproductive Performance

This field study investigated whether the administration of a single dose of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) to dairy cows without a corpus luteum (CL) 4 weeks after calving can improve reproductive performance. Holstein dairy cows underwent ultrasonography to assess the presence of ovarian structures at 29.2 ± 5.2 days post‐partum, and cows were divided into two main groups based on the presence (CL group, n = 230) or absence (non‐CL group, n = 460) of a CL. The non‐CL group was further randomly divided into two subgroups based on the administration of GnRH (non‐CL GnRH group, n = 230) or no GnRH (non‐CL control group, n = 230). Subsets of cows from non‐CL control (n = 166) and non‐CL GnRH (n = 175) groups received a second ultrasonography at 44.5 ± 5.4 days post‐partum to assess CL formation. The percentage of cows with CL at the second ultrasonography was greater in the non‐CL GnRH group (70.9%) than in the non‐CL control group (53.0%, p = 0.0006). The hazard of the first post‐partum insemination by 150 days in milk (DIM) was higher in the CL group than in the non‐CL control group (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.36, p = 0.001). The probability of a pregnancy to the first insemination was higher in non‐CL GnRH (odds ratio [OR]: 1.50, p = 0.04) and CL groups (OR: 1.55, p = 0.03) compared to the non‐CL control group. Furthermore, the hazard of pregnancy by 210 DIM was higher in non‐CL GnRH (HR: 1.30, p = 0.01) and CL (HR: 1.51, p = 0.0001) groups than in the non‐CL control group. In conclusion, administration of GnRH to dairy cows without a CL 4 weeks after calving was associated with an increase in ovulation and improved reproductive performance.     

Pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of pirfenidone administered intravenously in horses

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the plasma pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of pirfenidone administered IV in healthy horses. ANIMALS: 6 adult horses. PROCEDURES: A 15 mg/kg dose of pirfenidone was administered IV over 5 minutes. Physical variables were recorded and blood samples collected prior to infusion; 2.5 minutes after beginning infusion; at the end of infusion; and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, and 90 minutes and 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours after completion of infusion. Plasma concentrations of pirfenidone and its metabolites were determined. RESULTS: Mild clinical effects, including tachycardia and muscle fasciculations, were observed during drug administration but stopped at the end of the infusion. Pirfenidone and 2 metabolites, hydroxypirfenidone and carboxypirfenidone, were detected by the end of the 5-minute infusion. Mean peak plasma concentration of pirfenidone was 182.5 micromol/L, detected at the end of the infusion. Mean peak plasma concentrations of hydroxypirfenidone and carboxypirfenidone were 1.07 and 3.4 micromol/L, respectively, at 40 minutes after infusion. No parent drug or metabolites were detected at 24 hours. Distribution of pirfenidone best fit a 2-compartment model, and the drug had mean +/- SEM elimination half-life of 86.0 +/- 4.7 minutes, mean body clearance of 6.54 +/- 0.45 mL/kg/min, and apparent volume of distribution at steady state of 0.791 +/- 0.056 L/kg. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Intravenous administration of pirfenidone was tolerated with transient adverse affects during infusion, and drug clearance was rapid.     

Assessing obesity in adult dogs and cats presenting for routine vaccination appointments in the North Island of New Zealand using electronic medical records data

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.

Abbreviations: BCS: Body condition score     

Selecting and ranking areas for conservation of Aegla (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in southern South America integrating biogeography,phylogeny and assessments of extinction risk

相似文献   

Environmental mastitis in intensive high‐producing dairy herds in New South Wales

Objective To determine the prevalence of mastitis pathogens in high‐producing intensive dairy herds in New South Wales. Design Field survey. Procedure Milk samples from the mastitis‐affected quarter were collected from cows on five high‐producing dairy farms in NSW. The 820 samples were cultured using standard microbiological culture techniques. Results Bacteria or fungi were isolated from 83.3% of samples (683/820). More than two colony types were isolated from 16.7% of samples (137/820), two types from 6.6% (54/820), and one type from 52.3% (429/820). No bacteria were isolated from 24.4% (200/820) of the primary cultures, but enrichment cultures of these samples yielded single colony type bacterial isolates from 36.5% (73/200) of samples. Environmental pathogens, including coliforms, environmental Streptococcus and Staphylococcus spp., made up 91% (555/610) of isolates and accounted for 33.6% (205/610), 41.6% (254/610) and 15.7% (96/610), respectively, of isolates. Escherichia coli accounted for 76.1% (156/205) of the coliform isolates, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae accounted for 32.3% (82/254) and 28.0% (71/254), respectively, of the environmental streptococcal isolates. Contagious pathogens were uncommon, comprising only 2.5% (15/610) of the total isolates. Conclusion The incidence and causes of mastitis are largely influenced by farm management. The relatively high prevalence of coliform mastitis in the intensive high‐producing herds in this survey contrasts with the low incidence reported in surveys of pasture‐based herds in Victoria. If the Australian dairy industry continues its current trend of intensification, coliform intra‐mammary infections may emerge as an increasingly important cause of mastitis.     

Short Communication: Stocking Density-Dependant Growth and Survival of Asian Sun Catfish,Horabagrus brachysoma (Gunther 1864) Fry During Hatchery Rearing

The present study was conducted to determine the optimum stocking density of Horabagrus brachysoma fry during fingerling production in the hatchery. For this purpose, four density levels (400, 800, 1200 and 1600 fry/0.6 m³) were considered. The experiment of fry rearing continued for a period of six weeks. The total length and wet weight of fry were significantly highest (P < 0.05) at 400 fry/0.6 m³ density compared to the other three density treatments during the entire rearing period. At harvesting, the length and weight of fry stocked at 1200 and 1600 numbers/0.6 m³ were similar to each other, and both were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of fish stocked at 800/0.6 m³. The decreased SGR, percent weight gain, and survival were also observed at the two highest density treatments. But the total biomass was observed to be highest (P < 0.05) at 1600/0.6 m³ density compared to those of the other three densities. If individual size and number of individuals for stocking are not constraints, the maximum number of surviving fry from a minimum rearing space was achieved at a stocking density of 1600 fry/0.6 m³ tank.     

Soil quality assessment under shifting cultivation and forests in Northeastern Himalaya of India

The study aimed to evaluate the impact of shifting cultivation on soil quality, in Wokha district of Nagaland, using weighted soil quality index (SQIw). Four forest sites and three sites under shifting cultivation were selected and physical (texture and bulk density) and chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, available N, P, K, exchangeable cations) parameters were analyzed. The SQIw was calculated on a minimum data set selected by principal component analysis, followed by varimax rotation algorithm and through subsequent normalization of the parameters using the linear scoring function. Significant (P < 0.05) variations in SQIw were found across the depth of the soil and land use according to severity of factors associated with land use. Three different classes of soil quality were also identified: high quality (SQIw > 0.70) for two forest soils (FS1 and FS2) and land under shifting cultivation (JH1), low quality (SQIw < 0.50), only to FS3, and intermediate quality (0.50 < SQI < 0.70) in all other soils. The approach used in this study proved to be sensitive to evaluate the soil quality, however further research is required to better understand the sustainability of shifting cultivation by including more physical, biological and chemical indicators.     

Developing a complementary framework for urban ecology

Cities are characterized by dynamic interactions between socio-economic and biophysical forces. Currently more than half of the global population reside in cities which influence the global biogeochemical cycles and climate change, substantially exacerbating pressures on urban pollution, water quality and food security, as well as operating costs for infrastructure development. Goods and services such as aesthetic values, water purification, nutrient recycling, and biological diversity, that urban ecosystems generate for the society, are critical to sustain. Urban planners are increasingly facing the considerable challenges of management issues for urban ecosystems. Poor understanding of the complementary roles of urban ecology in urban infrastructure, and the functioning of ecosystems and ecological resilience of a complex human-dominated landscape has impeded effective urban planning over time, resulting in social disharmony. Here a complementary framework for urban ecology is proposed, in which ecosystems interact with land use, architecture and urban design – “E-LAUD” – affecting ecosystem and human health, and building on the concept that land uses in urban green areas, road-strips, wetlands, ‘habitat islands’ and urban architecture could synergistically benefit when clustered together in different combinations of urban landscapes. It is proposed that incorporation of the E-LAUD framework in urban planning forms the context of a new interdisciplinary research programme on ecological resilience for urban ecosystems and helps promote ecosystem services.     

Growth, feed utilization and carcass composition of catfish Clarias batrachus (Linn.) fingerlings fed on dried fish and chicken viscera incorporated diets

A 30‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate dried fish and chicken viscera, and a combination of oil cakes as complete substitutes for fish meal in the diet of catfsh Clarias batrachus (Linn.) fingerlings. Triplicate groups of fingerlings with a mean initial body weight of 2.0 g were each fed four isonitrogenous diets at 4% of wet body weight. Performance of the diets was judged on the basis of feed acceptability, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio. A significant increase (P < 0.05) in body weight gain, protein efficiency ratio and a decreased feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) was observed in fish fed on fish meal, followed by fish viscera, chicken viscera and only plant protein incorporated diets. Although inferior to fish meal and dried fish viscera, growth and feed utilization responses of fingerlings fed on dried chicken viscera and plant protein diets were similar. The fish accumulated a significantly greater (P < 0.05) amount of fat (18.3%) in the body carcass when fish viscera was incorporated in the diet. The study revealed that satisfactory growth and feed utilization responses could be achieved through replacement of fish meal by dried fish and chicken viscera in the diet of catfish fingerlings.     

Arachidonic acid immunoregulation in lambs persistently infected with border disease virus

To evaluate arachidonic acid-related immunoregulatory mechanisms during long-term persistent pestivirus infection, we measured plasma contents of leukotriene C4 (LTC4), prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and their plasma fatty acid (FA) precursor, arachidonic acid (AA), in six lambs with congenital border disease (BD). Significantly elevated average plasma LTC4 during the first half year of life was associated with increased PDG2 when compared to uninfected control lambs. Significantly elevated total plasma esterified AA stores suggest an effective BDV-mediated prostenoid immunostimulation. However, at 1 yr old, prostenoid secretion had fallen to normal (LTC4) or below normal (PGD2) levels. In contrast, there remained significantly elevated plasma esterified AA, present as available substrate for formation of these anti-viral immunoregulatory agents. These results suggested that preventing mobilization of AA from lipid stores for effective immune responses may be a viral strategy of BD virus that is associated with long term border disease effects.