The immunological approach to pregnancy diagnosis: a review

The developing embryo/fetus bears antigens which are foreign to the mother and it could be expected that immune rejection of the conceptus would occur. One of the reasons why the fetus is not rejected is because a depression of the maternal immune response takes place during pregnancy. Serum from pregnant animals of several species has been shown to contain a factor, early pregnancy factor (EPF), which is immunosuppressive. EPF has been detected as early as six hours after mating and its detection could aid diagnosis of early pregnancy in all species.     

Wounds of the pastern and foot region managed with phalangeal casts: 50 cases in 49 horses (1995–2006)

Objective   Describe the use of a phalangeal cast as treatment for wounds in the pastern and foot region of horses. Secondly, to evaluate the healing and soundness of horses treated with phalangeal casts.
Design   Retrospective study of 49 horses.
Procedures   Medical records of 49 horses that were treated with a phalangeal cast for 50 cases of wounds in the pastern and foot region at equine referral hospitals from 1995 to 2006 were reviewed and follow-up information was obtained.
Results   Treatment consisted of wound debridement, lavage, wound closure (28 wounds), cast application and antibiotics (84%). At follow-up, the majority of horses were sound (42 of 47 wounds, 89.4%), three horses were still lame and one horse was euthanased because of persistent lameness. Three horses were lost to follow-up. There was no statistical difference between the outcomes of horses treated acutely (<24 h) or after a 24-h delay. Similarly, the involvement of synovial structures in the wound did not significantly influence outcome.
Conclusions   In this study, wounds involving the pastern and foot that were treated with a phalangeal cast carried a good prognosis for soundness (89.4%) and cosmetic healing (89.5%). The phalangeal casts were well-tolerated and effective.     

Effect of preslaughter feed withdrawal period on longissimus tenderness and the expression of calpains in the ovine

The objective was to study the role of calpains in meat tenderness. Lambs were fasted for various periods of time to generate differences in meat tenderness and to determine in tandem the expression of calpain 1, calpain 2, calpain 3, and calpastatin. The assumption has been that increased calpain expression associated with an increase in tenderness indicates a role for calpain in the tenderization process and vice versa. Fasting lambs for 1 day caused a significant improvement in longissimus (LD) tenderness compared to the control. Correlations between the tenderness of the LD and the expression of the calpains and calpastatin were significant for calpains 1 and 3 but not for calpain 2 or calpastatin. Consequently, this study supports a role for calpains 1 and 3, but not for calpain 2, in the tenderization of the LD from fasted lambs during post-mortem aging.     

Impacts of climate change for coastal fishers and implications for fisheries

Coastal Social–Ecological Systems (SESs) are subject to several stresses, including climate change, that challenge fisheries and natural resource management. Fishers are front‐line observers of changes occurring both on the coast and in the sea and are among the first people to be affected by these changes. In this study, we perform a meta‐analysis of observations and adaptations to climate change by subsistence‐oriented coastal fishers extracted from a global review of peer‐reviewed and grey literature. Fishers' observations compiled from across the globe indicate increased temperatures and changes in weather patterns, as well as coastal erosion, sea level rise and shifts in species range and behaviours. Coastal areas offer a wide array of resources for diversifying livelihoods, but climate change is reducing these options. Specifically, climate change could reduce the resilience of fishers' communities, limiting options for diversification or forcing fishers to abandon their houses or villages.     

Contents of Volume 57

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 57     

A test for early pregnancy in sheep.

The rosette inhibition test has been used to detect an early pregnancy factor (EPF) in the serum of ewes. EPF was shown to be to be present within 72 h of mating and was still detectable after one month of gestation and in some cases after four months' gestation. The detection of EPF could be of value in the diagnosis of pregnancy in the ewe during the first month of gestation.