Adverse reaction to procaine penicillin G in horses

Adverse reactions to intramuscular injections of procaine penicillin G are reported in 11 horses, five of which died. The clinical findings are presented and suggest central nervous involvement in most cases. Post mortem findings in one horse were consistent with anaphylaxis whereas in other cases the clinical findings, duration of treatment, speed of onset and subsequent completion of treatment supports diagnosis of an acute procaine toxicity syndrome.     

Evaluation of the efficiency of three different solvent systems to extract triterpene saponins from roots of Panax quinquefolius using high-performance liquid chromatography

Despite the wide availability of liquid herbal extracts using mixtures of alcohol, glycerin, and water, or glycerin and water as solvents, no data on the chemical composition of such extracts is readily available. In this study, the amount and the stability of the major saponins in Panax quinquefolius root extracts, made either with 50% (v/v) aqueous ethanol, a mixture (v/v/v) of 20% ethanol, 40% glycerin, and 40% water, or with 65% (v/v) aqueous glycerin, were evaluated by HPLC-UV analysis. The amount of total saponins was highest in the 50% aqueous ethanol extract (61.7 +/- 0.1 mg/g dry root), although similar to the ethanol-glycerin-water extract (59.4 +/- 0.5 mg/g dry root). Saponins were significantly lower in the 65% aqueous glycerin extract (51.5 +/- 0.2 mg/g dry root). Interestingly, the amounts of individual saponins were quite variable depending on the solvent. This is in part due to enzymatic cleavage of ginsenosides in the glycerin containing extracts during the maceration process. Storage of the extracts at 25 degrees C over the period of a year led to a 13-15% loss of saponins with all three types of extractions.     

Monitoring the environmental impacts and consent compliance of freshwater fish farms

Strategies for monitoring the chemical and biological impacts of freshwater land-based and cage fish farms in the West of Scotland are described and the results of monitoring are presented. The compliance of land-based farms with discharge consents is discussed. The impact of fish farming on receiving water chemistry was found to be limited, but effects on benthic invertebrate communities in both running waters and lochs were more readily detectable, although generally localized in the immediate vicinity of the farm. The benthic fauna of a stream receiving wastes from a land-based farm recovered within 19 months of the discharge ceasing. At a vacated cage site in a loch, severe impact on the sediments was still evident after more than 3 years. Problems in monitoring for consent compliance are discussed and the need for closer liaison between the industry and regulatory bodies is emphasized.     

Review of irrigation system performance with respect to initial objectives

This paper presents the results of assessment studies of the performance of gravity irrigation projects, in six countries in different climate and social environments, with respect to their original objectives in terms of water availability, water use efficiencies, equity of water distribution, cropping intensity and crop yields, and project economic rates of return.An important lesson is the need for more realistic assumptions in the adoption of design standards, especially irrigation efficiency which affect the cropping intensity, the overall productivity of the project and its economic viability. This comparative method of performance assessment applied to a variety of projects has also provided some useful insights into the relative value of the different approaches to design of gravity irrigation systems.The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and are not presented as official views of the World Bank.     

The epidemiology of fasciolosis in Papua New Guinea

Fasciola hepatica metacercariae were present on pasture throughout the year at the trial site. The highest infection rate in trial sheep occurred in the first year after the beginning of the wet season, in December/January, when contamination of the pasture was maintained by other sheep. Variation in rates of infection in consecutive years was linked to differences in grazing pressure and to a change from sheep to cattle as accompanying grazing stock. A minimum precipitation of 125 mm over 4 consecutive weeks appears to be necessary for infected snails to move from their normal habitats and to contaminate wet pasture with cercariae. Infection of sheep can occur during a dry season if pasture has permanent seepage sites or swampy areas where infected snails can remain active and continue to liberate cercariae.     

Antarctic krill under sea ice: elevated abundance in a narrow band just south of ice edge

We surveyed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) under sea ice using the autonomous underwater vehicle Autosub-2. Krill were concentrated within a band under ice between 1 and 13 kilometers south of the ice edge. Within this band, krill densities were fivefold greater than that of open water. The under-ice environment has long been considered an important habitat for krill, but sampling difficulties have previously prevented direct observations under ice over the scale necessary for robust krill density estimation. Autosub-2 enabled us to make continuous high-resolution measurements of krill density under ice reaching 27 kilometers beyond the ice edge.     

Positive Effects of Melatonin Treatment on the Reproductive Performance of Young Border Leicester Rams Mated to Merino Ewes in Spring: Preliminary Observations

Poor reproductive performance of Merino ewe flocks when mated to Border Leicester rams during spring may be due to seasonality of the Border Leicester breed. Two approaches were taken to test this assumption. Six young (12 months old) or six mixed‐age (12, 24 and ≥36 months old) Border Leicester rams were either treated or not treated with melatonin implants (2 × 2 design) 6 weeks before the four groups of rams were each put with approximately 300 Merino ewes for an 8‐week mating period. Implants were inserted in early September (experiment 1). The second approach was to yard or not yard ewes and mixed‐age rams on several occasions during the first 3 weeks of the mating period (experiment 2). Pregnancy rate and twinning percentage were assessed by ultrasonography. In experiment 1, melatonin treatment in young rams increased (p < 0.001) pregnancy rate from 5.0% to 92.6%, but mixed‐age rams did not respond (90.7% vs 89.5% for melatonin and non‐melatonin treatments, respectively). Twinning rate was similar (p > 0.05) for ewes mated to either melatonin or non‐melatonin‐treated young rams (36.8% vs 40.0%, respectively), whereas melatonin significantly improved (p < 0.05) twinning rate in those ewes mated to mixed‐age rams (49.1% vs 36.1%). After 6 weeks of melatonin treatment, scrotal circumference was greater (p < 0.05) in both young and mixed‐aged rams than in untreated counterparts. In experiment 2, yarding of ewes and rams overnight on several occasions early in the mating period reduced (p < 0.001) pregnancy rate compared with non‐yarded counterparts (89.5% vs 65.5%). Twinning rate was not affected (37.7% vs 36.1%, respectively). In summary, melatonin treatment of Border Leicester rams significantly improved flock reproductive performance in spring due to improved pregnancy rates with young rams and improved litter size with mixed‐age rams.     

Relationship among antioxidant activity, vasodilation capacity, and phenolic content of red wines

The relationship among antioxidant activity, based on the electron-spin resonance determination of the reduction of Fremy's radical, vasodilation activity, and phenolic content was investigated in 16 red wines. The wines were selected to provide a range of origins, grape varieties, and vinification methods. Sensitive and selective HPLC methods were used for the analysis of the major phenolics in red wine: free and conjugated myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin; (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, caftaric acid, trans-resveratrol, cis-resveratrol, and trans-resveratrol glucoside. Total anthocyanins were measured using a colorimetric assay. The total phenolic content of the wines was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay and also by the cumulative measurements obtained by HPLC. The 16 wines exhibited a wide range in the values of all parameters investigated. However, the total phenol contents, measured both by HPLC and colorimetrically, correlated very strongly with the antioxidant activity and vasodilation activity. In addition, the antioxidant activity was associated with gallic acid, total resveratrol, and total catechin. In contrast, only the total anthocyanins were correlated with vasodilation activity. The results demonstrate that the different phenolic profiles of wines can produce varying antioxidant and vasodilatant activities, which opens up the possibility that some red wines may provide enhanced health benefits for the consumer.