A field evaluation of anthelmintics for control of cyathostomes of horses in Brazil

The anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin (IVM), piperazine citrate (PPZ) and fenbendazole (FBZ) alone, and combinations of FBZ with varying dosages of PPZ, was evaluated for the control of strongyles of Mangalarga equids. In all cases of positive strongly egg counts per gram of faeces (EPG) before and after treatment, pure populations of cyathostome larvae with eight gut cells were consistently observed in faecal cultures. The faecal egg count reductions (FECR) were evaluated between Day 7 and Day 56 post-treatment. Significant differences (P less than or equal to 0.05) were found between Day 7 and Day 49 when comparing the mean EPG values of IVM with those of the other anthelmintics. PPZ alone and the combination of FBZ (7.5 mg kg-1) and PPZ (55 mg base kg-1) did not show significant differences during the trial; both groups exhibiting an FECR of greater than 90% between Day 7 and Day 30. Horses treated with the combinations of FBZ (7.5 mg kg-1) and PPZ at either 40 or 25 mg base kg-1, and with FBZ alone at either 7.5 or 15 mg kg-1, showed an FECR of less than 90% 2 weeks after treatment. The emergence of a degree of resistance of strongyles to FBZ and PPZ in a segment of the cyathostomes in this population is suggested.     

Extensive resection and anastomosis of the descending (small) colon in a mare following strangulation by a mesenteric lipoma

A 17-year-old Quarter Horse, Arabian crossbred mare presented with a history of having had abdominal pain for 2 d. At surgery there was 2.6 m of descending colon strangulated within the pedicle of a mesenteric lipoma. The lipoma was resected and the descending colon appeared viable so was replaced, and the mare recovered from anaesthesia. Post-operatively, the mare failed to stabilise so was taken back to surgery. There was 2 m of infarcted descending colon which was resected and anastomosed. A drain and stainless steel stay sutures were incorporated into the ventral suture line. Post-operatively the ventral wound became infected but was resolved with therapy. The diagnosis, surgical and post-operative management and outcome are discussed.     

Eye diseases in Siberian husky dogs

A full ophthalmic examination was performed on 40 Siberian husky dogs using direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, gonloscopy and nasolacrimal cannulation. Eight (20%) of the dogs were found to have distichia, 10 (25%) had excessive medial caruncular hairs, 8 (20%) had absence, displacement, or narrowing of the nasolacrimal puncta, 2 (5%) had bilateral corneal crystalline opacities, and 2 (5%) had unilateral areas of lateral corneal lipidosis. Fifty percent of the dogs had some abnormality of the iridocorneal (drainage) angle. However, in only one of these was the deformity severe enough to require glaucoma prophylaxis. An association between blue iris colour and malformation of the iridocorneal angle was noted.     

Dicoumarol toxicity in cattle associated with ingestion of silage containing sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)

A diagnosis of dicoumarol toxicity in a herd of Friesian cattle was made following investigation of the deaths of three mature cows and eleven yearling heifers. Affected stock had been fed wrapped, bailed silage containing approximately 90% sweet vernal grass ( Anthoxanthum odoratum ). Sweet vernal grass contains coumarin, which can be converted to dicoumarol, a vitamin K antagonist, through the action of moulds. Most deaths were preceded by lethargy, severe anaemia and subcutaneous and internal haemorrhage. Dicoumarol toxicosis was suspected based on clinical signs, necropsy findings and prolonged prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times. Dicoumarol analysis of blood from affected animals and silage confirmed the diagnosis.     

Adjuvant effect of green propolis on humoral immune response of bovines immunized with bovine herpesvirus type 5

Despite recent technological advances in vaccine production, most vaccines depend on the association with adjuvant substances. In this study, propolis, which has been attracting the attention of researchers due to its bioactive properties, was evaluated as an immunological adjuvant. The association of 40mg/dose of an ethanolic extract of green propolis with an inactivated oil vaccine against bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5), resulted in a significant increase (P<0.01) in the neutralizing antibody levels, comparing to the bovines that received the same vaccine without propolis. Besides, propolis increased the percentage of animals with high antibody titers (above 32). Phenolic compounds such as artepillin C (3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) and the derivatives of cinnamic acid besides other flavonoid substances were abundant in the propolis extract used, and they could be the main substances with adjuvant action. The effect of the green propolis extract on the humoral immune response can be exploited in the development of new vaccines.     

Production of Pearl Millet Irrigated with Different Levels of Brackish Water and Organic Matter

ABSTRACT

The objective is to determine the growth, yield and chemical characteristics of pearl millet irrigated with different levels of brackish water and organic matter in two cultivation cycles. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement, composed of 4 levels of brackish irrigation (25, 50, 75 and 100% evapotranspiration), 4 levels of organic matter (0, 15, 30 and 45 t ha^?1) with 3 repetitions. Along two cultivation cycles, pearl millet crop was analyzed for: plant growth variables, fresh and dry mass production, water-use efficiency, and chemical composition. There was significant interaction between applied water levels and organic matter for lignin in the 2nd cut (P < .05). The number of leaves, number of dead leaves and fresh mass production were influenced by the isolated effect of brackish water levels in cut 1 (P < .05). In turn, fresh mass production, dry mass production, plant height, leaves length, panicle length, fresh mass production, crude protein and ether extract were influenced by the isolated effect of saline water levels in the 2nd cut (P < .05). Growth, biomass production and chemical composition variables in second cut are positively influenced by different brackish irrigation levels under low rainfall conditions.     

Paleo-Eskimo mtDNA genome reveals matrilineal discontinuity in Greenland

The Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq and Independence I cultures, documented from archaeological remains in Northern Canada and Greenland, represent the earliest human expansion into the New World's northern extremes. However, their origin and genetic relationship to later cultures are unknown. We sequenced a mitochondrial genome from a Paleo-Eskimo human by using 3400-to 4500-year-old frozen hair excavated from an early Greenlandic Saqqaq settlement. The sample is distinct from modern Native Americans and Neo-Eskimos, falling within haplogroup D2a1, a group previously observed among modern Aleuts and Siberian Sireniki Yuit. This result suggests that the earliest migrants into the New World's northern extremes derived from populations in the Bering Sea area and were not directly related to Native Americans or the later Neo-Eskimos that replaced them.     

Spatial Variability of Turbulent Mixing in the Abyssal Ocean

Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise. The diapycnal diffusivity there was estimated to be less than or approximately equal to 0.1 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. In contrast, mixing rates are large throughout the water column above the rough Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the diffusivity deduced for the bottom-most 150 meters exceeds 5 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. Such patterns in vertical mixing imply that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.