Orbital penetration associated with tooth extraction

Three cats and 2 dogs were evaluated for ophthalmologic complications associated with tooth extraction procedures. Orbital penetration leading to ocular and, in one case, brain trauma was secondary to iatrogenic injury from a dental elevator. Outcomes included enucleation of the affected eye in 3 cases, and death from brain abscessation in 1 case. Early treatment or, preferably, referral to a veterinary ophthalmology specialist may prevent such outcomes. Awareness of the anatomical proximity of caudal maxillary tooth roots and the orbit, appropriate interpretation of diagnostic intraoral dental radiographs, and technical proficiency in tooth extraction techniques will minimize these complications in veterinary dental practice.     

Serum and Tissue Steroid Hormone Levels in Canine Mammary Tumours: Clinical and Prognostic Implications

Hormonal dependency of canine mammary tumours (CMT) has been studied over the last few decades. However, studies assessing the prognostic and predictive potential of serum and/or tissue steroid hormone levels are still scarce in CMT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report relating serum and tissue levels of steroid hormones and prognosis in dogs. Serum and tumour tissue from 45 female dogs with spontaneous CMT were included in the study. Moreover, serum and normal mammary tissue from 13 healthy female dogs were also included as controls. Steroid hormones were determined by competitive enzyme immunoassay. Overall, levels of steroid hormones in serum and tissue homogenates were significantly different between malignant and benign mammary tumours (p < 0.01), except for progesterone (P4) serum levels that revealed no statistical differences between groups. In malignant tumours, oestrone sulphate (SO4E1), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione (A4), testosterone (T) and P4 elevated tissue concentrations were significantly associated with tumour relapse and/or distant metastasis during follow‐up. A significant association was found between elevated tissue SO4E1 (p = 0.003), 17β‐oestradiol (E2) (p = 0.036), DHEA (p = 0.022), A4 (p = 0.001) and P4 (p = 0.013) concentrations and shorter disease‐free survival and overall survival in female dogs with malignant mammary tumours. The high levels of tissue steroids found in cases of poor prognosis open the possibility of additional new therapeutic approaches. Future clinical trials will be needed to clarify the usefulness of targeting steroid hormones in the treatment of this neoplastic disease.     

Comparison of mathematical models to describe disappearance curves obtained using the polyester bag technique for incubating feeds in the rumen.

Different nonlinear models were evaluated as candidates to describe ruminal degradation kinetics of forages from data obtained by the incubation of the feeds in the rumen using polyester bags. Nine models were used: segmented model with three straight lines (Mod0); simple Mitscherlich or exponential (Mod1); inverse polynomial (Mod2); compartmental model with two exponential terms (Mod3); generalized Mitscherlich (Mod4); generalized Michaelis-Menten (Mod5); logistic (Mod6); Gompertz (Mod7); and generalized Von Bertalanffy (Mod8). All these models can be represented in the general form D = W + S0 x phi(t), where D is in situ disappearance at incubation time t, W and S0 are positive scalars, and phi is a positive monotonically increasing function unique to each of the models studied. Based on first principles, a general formula for calculating the extent of degradation of feeds in the rumen has been derived that is applicable to all the models. The disappearance curves of different feed components (DM, N, and NDF) of 87 Mediterranean forages (i.e., a total of 261 curves) were fitted to all the models. A comparative study was carried out based on the mathematical, statistical, and biological characteristics of the models. Flexible models that can accommodate both diminishing returns and sigmoidal behavior were more appropriate in describing the curves. A discrete-lag parameter was introduced into Mod0, Mod1, and Mod2 to describe the initial stage of the disappearance curve, and this parameter considerably improved the fit of experimental data. Based on statistical criteria, models Mod1, Mod4, Mod5, and Mod8 were better than the others for most statistical tests and disappearance curves, but differences among these four models were not consistent. The estimates of degradation parameters to quantify the rate (half-life, fractional degradation rate), and extent (undegradable fraction, effective degradability) of ruminal degradation of feeds were also used as a means to discriminate between models, although in most cases all of the models gave similar values of the degradation parameters. In particular, when the extent of degradation was calculated for each forage and feed component, differences between the estimates obtained with the different models were of little nutritional significance for the animal.     

Solid‐Surface Vitrification and In‐Straw Dilution After Warming of In Vitro‐Produced Bovine Embryos

Three experiments were designed to test a solid‐surface vitrification system for bovine in vitro‐produced embryos and to develop a simple method of in‐straw dilution after warming, which can be potentially used for direct transfer in the field. Experiment 1 evaluated embryo survival rates (i.e. re‐expansion and hatching) after vitrification and warming in three different solutions: VS1 (20% ethylene glycol (EG) + 20% propanediol (PROH) + 0.25 m trehalose (Tr)), VS2 (20% EG + 1M Tr) or VS3 (30% EG + 0.75 m Tr). Re‐expansion and hatching rates were higher (p < 0.05) for embryos vitrified in VS3 (72.2 ± 1.9 and 58.2 ± 0.8) than VS1 (64.4 ± 0.9 and 37.2 ± 2.5) or VS2 (68.5 ± 1.5 and 49.6 ± 1.0; p < 0.05). Experiment 2 was designed to compare two methods of vitrification: glass micropipettes or solid surface, using the VS1 or VS3 solutions. No significant differences were detected between the two methods; but re‐expansion and hatching rates were higher (p < 0.05) with VS3 (73.5 ± 3.1 and 47.1 ± 2.1) than VS1 (63.3 ± 3.3 and 39.7 ± 2.8). In experiment 3, embryos were vitrified by solid surface in VS1 or VS3 solutions and cryoprotectants were diluted in‐straw after warming in a TCM 199, 0.25 m sucrose solution or holding media. Survival rates of embryos vitrified in VS3 did not differ between those exposed to 0.25 m sucrose (74.7 ± 1.3 and 57.2 ± 2.2) or holding (77.3 ± 1.4 and 58.0 ± 2.5) medium after warming; however, survival rates of embryos vitrified in VS1 were higher (p < 0.05) in those exposed to 0.25 m sucrose (67.7 ± 2.3 and 47.0 ± 1.7) than holding medium (54.5 ± 1.0 and 27.7 ± 3.1). In conclusion, solid‐surface vitrification using simplified EG‐based solutions and in‐straw dilution with holding media may be a practical alternative for cryopreservation and direct transfer of in vitro‐produced bovine embryos.     

汽车发动机盖内外板包边模结构浅析

介绍了一种对汽车发动机盖内外板进行包边的包边模结构,针对模具工作时的运动过程及其预弯机构的特点做了简要阐述,并给出了包边凸模在设计过程中的注意事项。     

Self-Regulation of Supplemental Feed Intake by Grazing Dairy Cows and its Effect on Animal Performance

Abstract

Grazing Norwegian Red dairy cows were offered one of two roughage supplements ‘baled silage (S) or ryegrass (R)’ on an ad libitum basis for a limited period daily. A third group received concentrate (C). Milk and FCM yields were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by treatment (23.65 and 22.81, 23.20 and 22.05 and 22.58 and 22.73 kg d^?1, for S, C and R, respectively). Milk composition was unaltered. The cattle offered ryegrass consumed significantly (P<0.05) more supplementary feed and less pasture, and spent less time grazing and more time ruminating than the other two groups. Cattle with high initial yields, despite higher intakes of both pasture and supplement, had reduced liveweight gains and a faster decline in milk production in comparison with low yielders.