Carcinoma of the small intestine of sheep in Iceland. A pathological and epizootiological study

This paper deals with an unusually high incidence, i.e. 0.97 % of carcinoma of the small intestine found in Icelandic sheep. The tumours were situated in the jejunum and upper ileum. The macroscopic and microscopic pathology is described and compared with carcinoma of the small intestine of domestic animals and humans.Aetiological factors are discussed and the possibility of exposure to carcinogenic substances, especially nitrosamines in food concentrates, is suggested.Finally these findings are discussed in relation to current ideas on carcinogenesis in the intestines.     

Genetic correlations between gestation length, piglet survival and early growth

This study is based on 12708 first-parity and 7062 second-parity Yorkshire litters from Swedish nucleus herds; and on 1037 first-parity Yorkshire litters from an experimental herd. Gestation length was analysed together with litter size, piglet mortality and average piglet growth rate. A sire–dam model was used to estimate direct (litter) and maternal (sow) genetic effects. Direct heritability for gestation length was 0.3. Maternal heritability was estimated at 0.2 in nucleus data and 0.3 in experimental data. The maternal genetic correlation between gestation length and litter size was negative. The genetic correlations between gestation length and number stillborn were not consistent between the two data sets. Genetic correlations between gestation length and number dead after birth were negative. Genetic correlations between gestation length and average birth weight and piglet growth rate were positive. We conclude that gestation length is influenced by the genotype of the piglets and the genotype of the sow. Selection for prolonged gestation would probably improve piglet survival after birth and piglet growth; it might, however, result in more stillbirths.     

Morbidity of insured Swedish cats during 1999-2006 by age, breed, sex, and diagnosis

The aim of the study was to describe patterns of morbidity, as reflected by reimbursed claims for veterinary care among cats covered by a Swedish insurance company during 1999-2006. The annual incidence rates of having at least one veterinary care event were calculated overall and stratified by sex, age, breed, diagnosis and urban/other location. The total rate was 875 (95% CI 858-892) cats with claims per 10,000 cat-years at risk. The Siamese, Burmese, and the Abyssinians had high rates of claims, compared to the Norwegian Forest cat, the Maine Coon, the European Shorthair and domestic cats. The most common causes for insurance claims were trauma, gastrointestinal and lower urinary tract problems and there was substantial breed, sex and age variation for certain problems. For example, among cats under 9 years of age, the rate for lower urinary tract problems was 2-3 times higher in males than females.     

Treatment of fresh poultry carcases with emulsions of glycerol monocaprate (monocaprin) to reduce contamination with Campylobacter and psychrotrophic bacteria

1. A previous study has shown that emulsions of monocaprin in citrate lactate buffer at pH 4·1-4·3 are highly active in killing Campylobacter in water, where they reduce viable bacterial counts by more than 6 log(10) colony forming units (cfu) in 1 min at a concentration of 1·25 mM (0·03%). 2. The present study was carried out to evaluate whether monocaprin emulsions could be used to kill Campylobacter on raw poultry. 3. It was shown that immersion of naturally contaminated chicken legs in 20 mM (0·5%) monocaprin emulsion at pH 4·1 for 1 min at 20°C reduced the number of Campylobacter by 2·0 to 2·7 log(10) cfu. Pre-chill dipping of whole carcases into 20 mM monocaprin emulsion in the slaughterhouse also caused a significant reduction in Campylobacter contamination. 4. Immersion in monocaprin emulsions at pH 4·1 was also assessed as a means to reduce the number of psychrotrophic spoilage bacteria. There were lower psychrotrophic bacteria counts on treated chicken parts than on untreated controls after storage at 3°C for up to 14 d. 5. Immersion in emulsions of monocaprin, which is a natural lipid classified as GRAS, may be a feasible method to reduce the number of Campylobacter and spoilage bacteria on raw poultry. This method could reduce the risk of human exposure to Campylobacter, and at the same time increase the shelf-life of poultry products.     

A GIS-supported method for detecting the hydrological mosaic and the role of man as a hydrological factor

A Geographical Information System (GIS)-supported method was developed for predicting the spatial distribution of soil wetness as an indicator to determine the probability of an area to act as a groundwater recharge or discharge area. The method was based on overlays of maps with the distribution of hydrological response-determining factors. An application was made for the Svartå river basin (south-central Sweden). Changes in the soil-wetness mosaic due to human activities were also analyzed. Since the 1870s drainage and forestry had, according to the analysis, decreased by 5% the parts of the basin that act as discharge areas during wet spells. In the agriculturally dominated sub-basins, the alterations were larger. Forty percent of the open land had been artificially drained. The main shift of soil wetness index classes was caused by an alteration of areas that earlier fluctuated between groundwater discharge and recharge into typical recharge areas. For the plains, the shift from discharge areas to recharge areas was also significant. A conceptual water partitioning model was used to assess the spatial distribution of water flows (evaporation and recharge), as a response to climatic inputs, for areas with different physiographic and vegetative characteristics. The present water flow pattern was compared with the response mosaic of the 1870s. The increased maximum daily recharge peaks during autumn constitute the only significant change in the hydrological response for the studied area as a whole. The consequences that the desiccation of the landscape have on chemical and biological processes were discussed.     

Plasminogen activation in the bovine udder

Plasmin is a serin protease with a broad substrate specificity which might cause disintegration of basal membranes, epithelium and surrounding matrix. Plasmin might also elicit degradation of tissue (Mullins & Rohrlich 1983).     

Empathic design for wood product innovation based on genuine customer needs – A test application on Swedish builders

This study aimed at identifying the problems and needs connected with builders’ use of wood products in building and renovation projects and developing a method to channel these needs into product innovation activities. It is built on the understanding that users of a wood product experience needs that may reveal themselves only when a product is used. Therefore, the empathic design was used to detect these needs. Two building contractors and two apprentices were studied for five working days at two renovation projects. In total, 11 product and service needs concerning wood products were identified. Most of the identified needs were related to the potential for time savings. The needs were later presented and discussed in a workshop with a team of persons from different parts of the wood product supply chain and innovation concepts were outlined. The workshop participants found the approach both informative (about hidden needs) and productive (by generating new product ideas). Although the results must be generalized with caution, the study indicates that an empathic design method, integrated with an idea-generating stage, is a suitable approach for product development in the wood sector.     

Association between radiographic assessment of hip status and subsequent incidence of veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia in insured Swedish dogs

Our objective was to evaluate the association between grading of hip status as assessed by radiographic examination (hip screening) and subsequent incidence of veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia (HD) in five breeds of insured dogs in Sweden. Screening results for hip status from the Swedish Kennel Club and data on veterinary care and mortality from the insurance company Agria were merged based on the registration number of the dog. Dogs of five breeds (Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers) screened during 1995–2004 and covered by an insurance plan for veterinary care or life at the time of screening were included. The study populations included between 1667 and 10,663 dogs per breed. Breed-specific multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of radiographic hip status on time from hip screening to first HD-related veterinary and life claim, respectively. The effects of gender, birth season, and a time-varying covariate of year were also studied. Additional analyses, on the five breeds combined, were performed to investigate the effects of hip status, breed, and the interaction between hip status and breed. The effect of hip status was highly significant (P < 0.001) for both life and veterinary claims related to HD in all five breeds with increased hazard ratio (HR) for deteriorating hip status. Dogs with moderate or severe hip status at screening had a markedly increased hazard of HD-related veterinary care and mortality compared with dogs assessed as free or mild. The time-varying covariate of year showed a significantly higher HR in the last time period for German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers in the analyses of veterinary claims. In the analyses on all five breeds, German Shepherds had the highest HR for both veterinary care and mortality related to HD, followed by Bernese Mountain Dogs. Golden and Labrador Retrievers had the lowest HR. The effect of hip status on the hazard was the same irrespective of breed. However, as a consequence of differences between breeds in overall risk, the predictive ability of screening results for subsequent incidence of HD-related problems for individual dogs was breed-dependent. Based on the strong association between radiographic hip status and incidence of HD-related veterinary care and mortality, and the previously reported moderate heritability of hip status, we conclude that selection based on screening results for hip status can be expected to reduce the risk of HD-related clinical problems.