Origin and distribution of facial nerve anatomy in van cats

This study aims to reveal the morphological properties of facial nerve and the middle ear in Van cats. Study material was composed of 6 female Van cats. Dissections were performed under a Zoom Stereo Microscope. There was no plexus buccalis in Van cats. The chorda tympani was observed to pass through an opening in the tympanic cavity, emerge through a small opening just behind the retroarticular process, and join the lingual nerve. A rounded anatomical formation with a size of 2.75 ± 0.3 mm was found to be located within the mastoid process of the temporal bone between the facial nerve and the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. The stapes nerve was not present. The geniculate ganglion was very prominent and about 1.00 mm high. The deep petrosal nerve was observed to emerge from the plexus tympanicus. The bulla tympanica was 18.96 ± 0.10 mm long, 13.03 ± 0.20 mm wide and 13.16 ± 0.20 mm high. After leaving the mandibular nerve, the n.tensoris tympani coursed caudally around the a.maxillaris, formed an ansa, entered the tympanic cavity through the canalis musculotubarius and reached an end in the m. tensor tympani. Due to the scarcity of studies on the middle ears of Van cats, it is thought that this study will fill a gap in the field of veterinary anatomy.     

Use of dimethylformamide to cryopreserve alpaca semen previously incubated with collagenase

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of collagenase and two final dimethylformamide (DMF) concentrations (4% and 7%) on alpaca frozen-thawed sperm quality. A total of 25 ejaculates from 5 alpaca were obtained using electroejaculation. Each individual ejaculate was evaluated and then diluted 4:1 in a solution of 1 mg/ml collagenase in HEPES-TALP medium and incubated for 4 min at 37°C. Subsequently, samples were diluted in TRIS-fructose-citric acid-egg yolk and cooled to 5°C. Then, each sample was divided in two aliquots and DMF at final concentration of 4% or 7% was added, equilibrated for 1 hr at 5°C and frozen over liquid nitrogen vapours. A Kruskal–Wallis test was used to evaluate the sperm morphometry, and Completely Random Block designs were used to analyse sperm motility, viability, membrane function and acrosome status. After collagenase incubation, none of the samples showed thread formation, and sperm parameters were preserved. Non-progressive motile sperm were higher (p < .05) in equilibrated samples (4% DMF: 31.8 ± 8.3% and 7% DMF: 36.3 ± 11.8%) compared to raw (10.1 ± 4.3%) and frozen-thawed semen (4% DMF: 9.7 ± 1.8% and 7% DMF: 7.5 ± 3.2%). Sperm membrane function, membrane integrity and intact acrosomes were higher (p < .05) in raw semen (40.1 ± 12.2%, 94.6 ± 3.2% and 91.3 ± 8.1%) compared to frozen-thawed samples (4% DMF: 19.8 ± 4.7%, 53.2 ± 2.7%, 65.7 ± 8.7% and 7% DMF: 20.4 ± 4.5%, 54.1 ± 1.4%, 64.6 ± 9.1%). Length of the sperm head was lower in frozen-thawed samples, being statistically different with 4% DMF compared to pre-freezing samples. The ratio between acrosome and head areas was greater (p < .05) in frozen-thawed samples. Incubation of raw alpaca semen with collagenase decreased the thread formation without affecting sperm quality. Frozen of collagenase treated alpaca semen with 4% or 7% DMF did not preserve the sperm parameters in thawed samples.     

Equine conidiobolomycosis: A review and case study

Conidiobolus coronatus is one of the most commonly identified upper respiratory fungal pathogens in horses. This article includes a review of clinical signs, diagnostics, treatment and outcomes in previously reported cases of equine conidiobolomycosis, as well as six additional cases seen at our hospital. Each of the six horses presented with a complaint of serosanguinous or haemorrhagic nasal discharge and conidiobolomycosis was confirmed by histopathology and fungal culture. Five horses recovered after administration of antifungal drugs alone (n = 4) or in combination with extensive nasal septum resection (n = 1). Surgical treatment alone was ineffective. One horse was euthanised without treatment because of the extent of the disease.     

Starch digestion rates in multiple samples of commonly used feed grains in diets for broiler chickens

In this study the starch digestion rates in broiler chickens from 18 samples of 5 commonly used feed grains (sorghum, wheat, maize, barley, triticale) were determined. The methodology to determine starch digestion rates in poultry is detailed herein. Starch digestion rates were not significantly different (P = 0.128) across the 18 feed grains, which reflects the wide variations that were observed within a given feedstuff. Nevertheless, starch digestion rates in broiler chickens offered wheat-based diets were significantly more rapid by 56.0% (0.117 versus 0.075 min⁻¹; P = 0.012) than their sorghum-based counterparts on the basis of a pair-wise comparison. In descending order, the following starch digestion rates were observed: wheat (0.117 min⁻¹), barley (0.104 min⁻¹), triticale (0.093 min⁻¹), maize (0.086 min⁻¹), sorghum (0.075 min⁻¹). The implications of these findings are discussed as they almost certainly have implications for poultry nutrition and the development of reduced crude protein diets for broiler chickens.     

Effect of Fermentation and Oil Incorporation on the Retention of E Vitamers During Breadmaking

All forms of baking and processing cause a loss of nutrients, including vitamin E, but little is known about these occurrences or if they could be avoided. The objective of this research was to study the incorporation of palm oil and the stability of vitamin E in palm oil during breadmaking. Wheat meal and rye breads were baked with and without the addition of 0, 2, 5, or 8% palm oil. The eight E group vitamers (tocopherols and tocotrienols) were extracted by using accelerated solvent extraction, freeze dried, and then analyzed with normal‐phase HPLC. Compared with the controls, the inclusion of palm oil was found to increase the quantity of all forms of vitamin E in the final baked products. It is concluded that palm oil is effective in increasing the vitamin E content of whole grain bread.     

Describing Human–Wildlife Interaction from a European Perspective

European researchers from both the natural and social sciences show growing interest in studying interactions between society and wildlife. A wealth of theoretical frameworks, concepts, and methods are used, but an integration of perspectives is lacking. This research note summarizes results from two workshops that included 63 delegates from 25 European countries, as well as a follow-up survey of 41 respondents. Two main theoretical approaches to the study of human–wildlife interactions were identified. One approach focuses on the collective societal level relying on theories of governance, social representation, deliberative procedures, and commons theory. The other approach targets individuals or groups, and is based on theories such as the cognitive hierarchy, theory of reasoned action, and theory of planned behavior. Interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to identify the best options for wildlife conservation and management in a more politically integrated Europe.     

INVITED REVIEW—IMAGE REGISTRATION IN VETERINARY RADIATION ONCOLOGY: INDICATIONS,IMPLICATIONS, AND FUTURE ADVANCES

The field of veterinary radiation therapy (RT) has gained substantial momentum in recent decades with significant advances in conformal treatment planning, image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and intensity‐modulated (IMRT) techniques. At the root of these advancements lie improvements in tumor imaging, image alignment (registration), target volume delineation, and identification of critical structures. Image registration has been widely used to combine information from multimodality images such as computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) to improve the accuracy of radiation delivery and reliably identify tumor‐bearing areas. Many different techniques have been applied in image registration. This review provides an overview of medical image registration in RT and its applications in veterinary oncology. A summary of the most commonly used approaches in human and veterinary medicine is presented along with their current use in IGRT and adaptive radiation therapy (ART). It is important to realize that registration does not guarantee that target volumes, such as the gross tumor volume (GTV), are correctly identified on the image being registered, as limitations unique to registration algorithms exist. Research involving novel registration frameworks for automatic segmentation of tumor volumes is ongoing and comparative oncology programs offer a unique opportunity to test the efficacy of proposed algorithms.     

The Economic Significance of Hunting Tourism in East Lapland,Finland

Uses of game resources are under constant debate. One such debate focuses on hunting tourism and its contributions to rural economics. To prioritize future investment and inform policy decisions, it is necessary to identify the full economic consequences of the operation of hunting tourism companies in rural areas. However, the true economic significance of these typically small-scale companies is not apparent when examined on an industrial scale. These companies may nevertheless serve as a sustainable solution to local-scale rural challenges. In this article, the regional economic significance of hunting tourism is estimated for the East Lapland sub-region of northern Finland through the use of Computable General Equilibrium simulation models. Although these models are known to effectively evaluate short- and long-term regional economic effects of industries such as tourism, they have not previously been applied to evaluate hunting tourism.