Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract during treadmill exercise: a clinical study of 100 horses

SUMMARY: Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract was performed in 100 horses during high speed treadmill exercise. Reasons for endoscopy were a history of an abnormal noise during exercise in 75 horses, poor performance in 17 horses and to evaluate the results of upper respiratory tract surgery in 8 horses. Of the 75 horses with a history of an abnormal noise during exercise the cause was determined in 67 (89%). Endoscopic abnormalities were detected at rest in 40 of these 75 horses (53%). In these 40 horses, a similar diagnosis as to the cause of the abnormal noise was made at rest and during exercise on the treadmill in 19 cases, while in the remaining 21 the endoscopic findings during exercise varied from that seen at rest. This included 3 horses in which a diagnosis was made at rest but no abnormalities were detected during exercise. Some of the findings during treadmill endoscopy included laryngeal dysfunction, grades 3, 4 and 5 (22 cases), dorsal displacement of the soft palate (20), epiglottic entrapment (8), epiglottic flutter (4), aryepiglottic fold flutter (4), pharyngeal collapse (3), arytenoiditis (3), vocal cord flutter (3), false nostril noise (2), pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (2), soft palate haemorrhage (1) and positional arytenoid collapse (1). More than one abnormality was observed during exercise in 7 horses. A complete and correct diagnosis based on the resting endoscopy findings alone was made in 19 (25%) of these 75 cases. In the 17 horses examined because of poor performance, no abnormalities were detected during treadmill endoscopy that were not evident at rest. None of these 17 horses presented with a history of an abnormal respiratory noise, although one, diagnosed as having grade 4 laryngeal function at rest and exercise, did make a characteristic inspiratory noise during treadmill exercise. Eight horses were evaluated after surgery for correction of laryngeal hemiplegia, as the post-operative performance or the amount of respiratory noise present was considered unsatisfactory. Of these, 3 were found to have a satisfactory airway during exercise and other reasons for poor performance were detected; 3 had insufficient abduction; and 2 had intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate. Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract was found to be a useful technique for evaluating the cause of abnormal respiratory noise in most cases. We concluded that treadmill endoscopy in horses presented for poor performance, without a history of an abnormal respiratory noise, was of little value. The technique, in conjunction with arterial blood gas measurements, was useful in determining the efficacy of surgical treatment of laryngeal hemiplegia.     

Maize diversity in southern Brazil: indication of a microcenter of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis> L.

‘Microcenters of diversity’ are restricted geographical areas within which a significant diversity of genetic resources is accumulated. Maize genetic variability, one of the largest among cultivated species, particularly in far western Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, has shown a rich store of landraces, conserved on farm by small-scale farmers. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the diversity of Zea mays L. landraces in two municipalities of this micro-region in Santa Catarina, as well as its geographic distribution, developing the census of diversity as a methodological proposal. Diagnosis was made according to the farmers’ knowledge. The field survey was conducted in 70 rural communities involving 2049 farms. The methodology allowed identifying 136 populations of wild relatives, of which some belong to the species Zea luxurians (Durieu and Ascherson) Bird, and 1513 populations of maize landraces, comprising 1078 of popcorn, 337 of common maize, 61 of sweet maize and 37 of flour maize. The identification of 59 morphological groups, the high use, adaptive and agronomic values, and the Shannon index (H′), estimated according to the grain shape (0.79), endosperm type (0.73), size (0.87), color (1.40), and morphological group (3.16), showed at set a considerable diversity distribution conserved on farm in this micro-region. Landrace richness and the presence of wild relative species, associated with the local human activity and sociocultural aspects, allowed to characterize the far western Santa Catarina as a ‘microcenter of diversity’ of Zea mays L.     

Evaluation of colostral immunity in swine with commercial anti-leptospira polyvalent whole-bacteria vaccine

The intensity and duration of passive immunity against swine leptospirosis were investigated by the microscopic agglutination test and in vitro leptospira growth inhibition. Twenty-one females at first parturition were divided into three groups: Group A (n=08): received two doses with 30 days interval of the commercial anti-leptospira bacterin A. Group B (n=06) received two doses with 30 days interval of the commercial anti-leptospira bacterin B and Group C (n=07) was the control. In all groups the colostrums were collected. Blood collection of piglets was performed in four different ages. Agglutinin antibodies were equally detected in sera and colostrums for serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona (Group A) and Canicola, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona and Hardjo (Group B). Mean neutralizing antibodies titers were low. Passive immunity was low duration.     

A Reproducible Venous Thrombosis Model in Horses Induced by the Combination of an Endothelial Lesion and Blood Flow Stasis

Because of the high incidence of thromboembolic diseases in humans, experimental models of thrombosis have been widely developed in different animal species. The pathogenesis of thrombosis is associated with three components, first outlined by Virchow in 1856: vessel injury, stasis, and hypercoagulability. Based on this concept, the purpose of the present investigation was to create an innovative model of jugular thrombophlebitis in horses that included components of Virchow's triad and excluded surgical procedures. Eighteen horses were subjected to blood vessel injury through the coadministration of sclerosing agents (glucose and ethanolamine oleate) and transitory occlusion of the jugular flow by manual compression. Thrombus formation was followed by ultrasonography imaging, and all horses developed jugular thrombophlebitis, showing that the proposed model was effective. Once occlusive thrombophlebitis was induced, jugular venous pressure cranial to the lesion was evaluated and yielded increased values, suggesting cephalic hypertension. Biochemical tests were performed to verify hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity after the ethanolamine injection, but no abnormalities were observed. Five horses were then euthanized to evaluate the vascular, hepatic, and renal tissues. The jugular vein wall had increased thickness, inflammatory cell influx, endothelial destruction, and thrombus firmly adhered to the vessel intima. Histological evaluation of the hepatic and renal tissues was normal. The present thrombophlebitis model in the jugular vein of the horse is simple and reproducible, providing a useful tool for investigating acute and chronic venous thrombosis because the model allows evaluation of different aspects of the prevention, pathogenesis, and treatment of this disease.     

Epidemiological Description of Cystic Ovarian Disease in Argentine Dairy Herds: Risk Factors and Effects on the Reproductive Performance of Lactating Cows

To describe the epidemiology of cystic ovarian disease (COD), to find possible risk factors associated with the incidence of cysts and to analyse the impact of COD on the reproductive performance of dairy cows, databases from 22 dairy herds from the main dairy region in Argentina were retrospectively evaluated throughout a 3‐year period (2009–2011). A total of 248 COD cases over 9156 parturitions were recorded, resulting in a cumulative incidence rate of 2.7%. Cystic ovarian disease incidence density was lower during the first 100 days post‐partum (DPP) than during later stages of lactation. Seasonality had a significant influence on the disease presentation with higher incidence rates during winter and spring. Cows with a previous diagnosis of clinical mastitis showed 2.72 times more chances of developing ovarian cysts. Cystic cows had longer calving to first service and calving to conception intervals and lower conception rate than controls.     

Residual effects and foliar persistence of pesticides used in irrigated rice on the parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae)

Journal of Pest Science - We evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of azoxystrobin, cyhalofop-butyl, and thiamethoxam on Telenomus podisi after spraying rice plants in a greenhouse, as well as...     

Amphibians in a human-dominated landscape: the community structure is related to habitat features and isolation

We studied amphibian populations in a human-dominated landscape, in Northern Italy, to evaluate the effects of patch quality and isolation on each species distribution and community structure. We used logistic and linear multiple regression to relate amphibian presence during the breeding season in 84 wetlands to wetland features and isolation. Jackknife procedure was used to evaluate predictive capability of the models. Again, we tested the response of each species to habitat features related to the richest communities. Amphibian presence depends strongly on habitat quality and isolation: the richest communities live in fish-free, sunny wetlands near to occupied wetlands. The negative effects of isolation do not seem to be biased by spatial autocorrelation of habitat features. The system shows strong nestedness: amphibian persistence depends on the contemporary effects of species adaptability and mobility. The commonest species, the pool frog (Rana synklepton esculenta) and the Italian tree frog (Hyla intermedia), are able to move through the matrix using canals and hedgerows, and can maintain metapopulations across the landscape; the rarest species (newts and toads) are more sensitive to habitat alteration, and they are strongly affected by isolation effects. If human exploitation of the landscape continues, only few species, mobile and opportunistic, will persist in this landscape.