A survey of injuries at five greyhound racing tracks

The number of orthopaedic injuries sustained by racing greyhounds from five greyhound tracks in the state of Wisconsin, USA, was obtained over a two-year period. Calculated injury rates were analysed to predict the probability that a given competitor would have an injury based on track design, temperature, bodyweight, grade of race, race distance, race number, injury location on track and type of trauma. One track had a significantly higher injury rate than the others, and this track was constructed with a decreased initial straightaway, a decreased turning radius in the second turn and an increased turn bank. Increased injury rates were also seen with successively higher grades of race, suggesting a possible correlation with speed. Race distance had a significant effect on racing greyhound injury rates as well. Races measuring 3/16 mile and 7/16 mile resulted in a higher incidence of injury as compared with races with lengths of 5/16 mile and 3/8 mile. Injuries were most likely to occur at the first turn of a race. Temperature, bodyweight, race number and type of trauma had no significant effect on injury rate. Speed, race distance and track design were significant factors that were found to influence the injury rate of the racing greyhound and should be areas to focus on for the prevention of injury.     

Contingency and determinism in replicated adaptive radiations of island lizards

The vagaries of history lead to the prediction that repeated instances of evolutionary diversification will lead to disparate outcomes even if starting conditions are similar. We tested this proposition by examining the evolutionary radiation of Anolis lizards on the four islands of the Greater Antilles. Morphometric analyses indicate that the same set of habitat specialists, termed ecomorphs, occurs on all four islands. Although these similar assemblages could result from a single evolutionary origin of each ecomorph, followed by dispersal or vicariance, phylogenetic analysis indicates that the ecomorphs originated independently on each island. Thus, adaptive radiation in similar environments can overcome historical contingencies to produce strikingly similar evolutionary outcomes.     

Simulated increase of hurricane intensities in a CO2-warmed climate

Hurricanes can inflict catastrophic property damage and loss of human life. Thus, it is important to determine how the character of these powerful storms could change in response to greenhouse gas-induced global warming. The impact of climate warming on hurricane intensities was investigated with a regional, high-resolution, hurricane prediction model. In a case study, 51 western Pacific storm cases under present-day climate conditions were compared with 51 storm cases under high-CO2 conditions. More idealized experiments were also performed. The large-scale initial conditions were derived from a global climate model. For a sea surface temperature warming of about 2.2 degrees C, the simulations yielded hurricanes that were more intense by 3 to 7 meters per second (5 to 12 percent) for wind speed and 7 to 20 millibars for central surface pressure.     

Are bacterial load and synovitis related in dogs with inflammatory stifle arthritis?

It has been proposed that small quantities of microbial material within synovial joints may act as a trigger for development of synovitis. We have previously identified an association between intra-articular bacteria and development of inflammatory stifle arthritis and cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) in dogs, and now wished to quantify bacterial load and markers of synovitis in dogs with and without stifle arthritis and CCLR. Joint tissues were collected from dogs with CCLR (n=51) and healthy dogs with normal stifles (n=9). Arthritis was assessed radiographically in CCLR dogs. Bacterial load was assessed using qPCR and broad-ranging 16S rRNA primers. qRT-PCR was used to estimate expression of the T lymphocyte antigen receptor (TCR Vβ), CD3?, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), IL-4, IL-17, and TNF-α genes. Severity of synovitis was assessed histologically. Bacterial load was increased in arthritic stifles, when compared with healthy stifles. Histologic synovitis in arthritic stifles was mononuclear and was significantly correlated with bacterial load (1 of 2 primer sets) (S(R)=0.49, p<0.001). In arthritic stifles, expression of TRAP in synovium was increased relative to healthy stifles. Expression of pro-inflammatory genes was not correlated with bacterial load, histologic inflammation, or radiographic arthritis. Translocation of bacterial material to the canine stifle is related to the presence of joint inflammation. The lack of a strong positive correlation suggests that bacterial load is unlikely to be a primary pro-inflammatory factor. However, dysregulation of immune responses within synovial tissues may be dependent upon an environmental microbial trigger.     

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of suspected neuropathic pain in three dogs

Three dogs were referred to The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital at University of Cambridge for chronic behavioural or locomotor disorders associated with pain. All three had been unsuccessfully treated with conventional analgesics, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids and opiate agonists, prior to referral, with minimal or no response. They were investigated by neurological examination plus conventional ancillary diagnostic tests and therapeutic drug trials. Ruling out other causes of pain and applying previously well-described criteria, each case was diagnosed as consistent with neuropathic pain, a poorly recognised condition in domestic dogs. Treatment with the tricyclic antidepressant drug, amitriptyline, or the antiepileptic drug, gabapentin, resulted in either a dramatic improvement or full resolution of clinical signs in all cases.     

Lymphocyte Populations in Joint Tissues from Dogs with Inflammatory Stifle Arthritis and Associated Degenerative Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture

Objective: To evaluate lymphocyte populations in stifle synovium and synovial fluid of dogs with degenerative cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR). Study Design: Prospective clinical study. Animals: Dogs (n=25) with stifle arthritis and CCLR, 7 dogs with arthritis associated with cartilage degeneration (osteoarthritis [OA]), and 12 healthy Beagle dogs with intact CCL. Methods: Arthritis was graded radiographically in CCLR dogs. After collection of joint tissues, mononuclear cells were isolated and subsequently analyzed using flow cytometry for expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD21. Results: The proportions of CD4⁺ T helper lymphocytes, CD8⁺ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and CD3⁺CD4^?CD8^? T lymphocytes were increased in synovium from dogs with CCLR compared with synovium from healthy Beagle dogs (P<.05). The proportion of CD3⁺CD4^?CD8^? T lymphocytes in synovial fluid was increased in dogs with CCLR compared with dogs with OA (P<.05). In dogs with CCLR, the proportion of CD3⁺CD4^?CD8^? T lymphocytes in synovial fluid was inversely correlated with radiographic arthritis (S_R=?0.68, P<.005). Conclusion: Lymphocytic inflammation of stifle synovium and synovial fluid is an important feature of the CCLR arthropathy. Lymphocyte populations include T lymphocytes expressing CD4 and CD8, and CD3⁺CD4^?CD8^? T lymphocytes. Presence of CD3⁺CD4^?CD8^? T lymphocytes was associated with development of stifle synovitis. Further work is needed to fully identify the phenotype of these cells.     

Efficacy and pharmacokinetics of febantel and ivermectin in red deer (Cervus elaphus)

A trial was conducted to determine the efficacy and pharmacokinetics of fehantel and ivermectin in six month-old red deer calves (C. eluphus). Five calves received febantel by mouth at 7.5 mg/kg, five received a subcutaneous injection of ivermectin at 200 microg/kg and five were controls. All calves were killed seven days later and total lung and gastrointestinal worm counts carried out. Febantel was 85 and 99.8% efficient in removing immature and mature Dictyocaulus viviparus, respectively, and ivermectin was 100% efficient in both cases. There was no gastro-intestinal nematodes in any of the treated calves, compared to an average of 619 in the control calves. The metabolism of febantel resulted in plasma levels of fenbendazole, oxfendazole and sulphone for which the common curves fitted by compartmental model peaked at values (standard errors)-of 0.46 (0.03), 0.41 (0.02) and 1.73 (0.07) mg/l after approximately five, nine, and thirteen hours and were undetectable at 30,72 and 120 hours respectively. There was considerable variation among animals in response to ivermectin. The fitted common curve had a peak plasma level of 15.8 (0.08) microg/l at 20 hours after injection, which had dropped to 7.9 (1.1) microg/l seven days after injection. It was estimated that after 15 days plasma levels of ivermectin would not be detectable. It is concluded that the injectable form of ivermectin tested is a highly efficient anthelmintic in deer, and that plasma levels persist for over a week after subcutaneous injection. Fehantel is very efficient against mature D. viviparus in deer, but its reduced efficiency against immature D. viviparus may relate to the deer;s ability to metabolise and excrete benzimidazoles more quickly than sheep and cattle.     

Effect of heat on aspalathin, iso-orientin, and orientin contents and color of fermented rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) iced tea

The phenolic quality of commercial South African fermented rooibos iced teas in terms of aspalathin, iso-orientin, and orientin contents in comparison to a "cup of tea" was shown to be inferior. The role of the different manufacturing stages of powdered extract used in iced tea formulation and, more specifically, the impact of pasteurization and sterilization on the color and phenolic content of the beverage, were assessed as potential causes of its inferior phenolic quality. Aspalathin and its corresponding flavones, iso-orientin and orientin, were found to be present at all stages of the powdered extract production process. Spray-drying did not significantly (P ≥ 0.05) alter the aspalathin, iso-orientin, or orientin content of concentrates. Simulated normal-temperature sterilization (NTS at 121 °C/15 min) and high-temperature sterilization (HTS at 135 °C/4 min), but not necessarily pasteurization (93 °C/30 min), significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the aspalathin, iso-orientin, and orientin contents of different iced tea formulations. Heat-induced losses of iso-orientin and orientin were lower than those for aspalathin. Conversion of aspalathin to the flavones is implicated. The addition of ascorbic acid and/or citric acid to the base iced tea formulation containing only rooibos extract and sugar proved to be beneficial, especially for the retention of aspalathin. Browning, that is, absorbance at 420 nm, was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the base formulation. In the case of the formulations also containing ascorbic acid and/or citric acid, absorbance remained unchanged or decreased when subjected to NTS and HTS treatments. This was attributed to removal of brown polymers from solution as the pH values of these formulations were lower than that of the base formulation.     

Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Pre-antral Follicle Population and Ultrastructural Characterization of Antral Follicle Oocyte

The main objectives of the present study were to determine the ultrastructural modifications occurring in the oocyte during late folliculogenesis and to estimate pre-antral follicle population in buffalo. Half the collected ovaries were fixed and prepared for optic microscopy; the antral follicles from the other ovaries were measured and individually punctured. The cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were processed for transmission electron microscopy. The number of pre-antral follicles in buffalo ovaries was estimated at 19 819 structures. Cumulus–oocyte complexes derived from 1-mm antral follicle had an eccentrical nucleus and compact corona radiata , ooplasm vilosities were fully embedded in zona pellucida (ZP) and a well-defined junction could be observed. Mitochondria were predominantly round and well distributed in ooplasm, as were small lipid vacuoles. In COCs derived from 2-mm antral follicles, the initial formation of perivitelline space was observed. The nucleus was peripherally located and the number of pleomorphic mitochondria increased. Cortical granules were clustered at oocyte periphery and lipid vacuoles increased in number and size. In COCs derived from 6-mm antral follicles, the organelles were located mainly in the perinuclear region. Golgi complexes and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) were more developed. Mitochondria migrated to the cortical region and lipid vacuoles migrated to the medullar region. In COCs derived from 10-mm antral follicles, the lipid vacuoles coalesced and occupied the medullar region of the oocyte, together with a well-developed SER. Mitochondria were pleomorphic and located at the oocyte periphery. In conclusion, the morphological differences described in this paper could be responsible for some functional differences observed in in vitro embryo production and follicular dynamics for buffalo, when compared with cattle.