Internal fixation of a greater tubercle fracture in an adolescent horse: A case report

This report describes the diagnosis of a fracture of the greater tubercle of the humerus and successful repair with 2 cancellous bone screws in a 420 kg adolescent horse.     

Clostridium piliforme infection (Tyzzer disease) in horses: retrospective study of 25 cases and literature review

Tyzzer disease (TD) is caused by Clostridium piliforme, a gram-negative and obligate intracellular bacterium. The disease occurs in multiple species. A triad of lesions, namely colitis, hepatitis, and myocarditis, is described in cases of TD in some species, such as rats and mice. We carried out a retrospective analysis of 25 equine cases with a diagnosis of TD; 24 of 25 cases occurred in foals <45 d old; the remaining foal was 90 d old. There were 12 males and 12 females; no sex information was available for one foal. The affected breeds were Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Paint, and Hanoverian. Most of the cases (19 of 25) occurred in the spring. There were 9 cases of sudden death; the remaining animals had diarrhea, fever, distended abdomen, depression, weakness, non-responsiveness, and/or recumbency. Gross findings included icterus, hepatomegaly with acinar pattern, serosal hemorrhages, pulmonary edema, and/or fluid content in small and large intestine. Microscopically, all foals had severe, multifocal, necrotizing hepatitis. Necrotizing lymphohistiocytic colitis was observed in 10 of 25 foals, and multifocal necrotizing myocarditis was found in 8 of 25. Gram-negative, Steiner-positive, intracytoplasmic filamentous bacteria were observed in hepatocytes, enterocytes, and myocardiocytes, respectively. PCR detected C. piliforme DNA in the liver (24 of 24), colon (20 of 24), and heart (5 of 25). Our results indicate that necrotic hepatitis is the hallmark of TD in horses; the so-called triad of lesions is not a consistent characteristic of the disease in this species.     

钾肥对紫花苜蓿根颈丙二醛、可溶性蛋白含量与抗氧化系统的影响

为探究钾肥种类及用量对苜蓿(Medicago sativa)抗寒性的影响,本研究以'北极熊'为供试紫花苜蓿品种,采用二因素随机区组试验设计,研究了秋季施用不同钾肥(硫酸钾和氯化钾)及不同施用量(0,50,100,150,200 kg·hm-2 K2 O)对越冬期苜蓿根颈在不同温度(4℃,—20℃)处理下抗氧化酶[过氧化...     

Dispersal of woody plants in forest edges and hedgerows in a Southern Swedish agricultural area: the role of site and landscape structure

The distribution of woody vegetation was studied in forest edges and hedgerows in a 28 km² southern Swedish agricultural area, characterised by species-rich edge zones. The occurrence of 21 selected woody species (taxa) was related to differences in both edge structure and landscape structure. All the species studied were represented in both edge types, but a higher frequency of animal-dispersed species was found in hedgerows.Animal dispersed species were more affected by edge width and density than wind dispersed species. A higher number of wind-dispersed species were more frequent in forest edges, in hedgerows near to forest, or with a high proportion of forest within 500 m. A clear relationship was found between the number of physically connected elements in hedgerow networks and increasing frequency of occurrence for Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Euonymus europaeus, and Quercus robur; which indicate the ecological significance of connectedness for certain animal dispersed species. The study supports the general principle that woody species distribution and landscape structure are linked in a positive feedback loop. The results match findings from studies in other countries and are interpreted in the context of landscape processes and the ecological characteristics of woody plant species. We emphasise the importance of understanding dispersal mechanisms of woody species for the design and improvement of edge habitats in agricultural landscapes.     

Tanner crab Chionocetes bairdi Rathbun haemocyte classification and an evaluation of using differential counts to measure infection with a fungal disease

Abstract. The circulating haemocytes of the tanner crab, Chionocetes bairdi , were studied and classified as hyalinocytes, intermediate granulocytes and eosinophilic granulocytes. Differential haemocyte counts of normal crabs and crabs infected with an apparently pathogenic unnamed ascomycete fungus revealed a shift in the hyalinocyte-granulocyte ratio in infected crabs. There was a highly significant increase in the percentage of granulocytes and a corresponding decrease in hyalinocytes in infected crabs. This shift was thought to be caused by a marked increase in the relative number of eosinophilic gianulocytes. There was also a highly significant statistical relationship between the severity of the internal fungus infection, established by histopathological analysis of the major organ systems, and the increased number of circulating eosinophilic granulocytes. The results of the study indicate that differential haemocyte counts may be a valuable tool in monitoring the health of C. bairdi populations.     

Toxicity and efficacy of Furanace on channel catfish Ictalurus punctatm (Rafinesque) infected experimentally with Aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract. The 96-h medium tolerance limit of Furanace (nifurpirinol: P-7138) for channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus at 21°C was 0-94 mg/1. The most effective treatment level for channel catfish, experimentally infected with Aeromonas hydrophila , was 2mg/1 for 6.5 h. Furanace at 0.5 and 1.0 mg/1 in brain heart infusion agar reduced in vitro growth of A. hydrophila and at 2.0 mg/1 growth was completely     

DC polarography of cephradine and its application to capsules.

A polarographic method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of cephradine and its dosage forms. Direct determinations on capsules are carried out; excipients and coloring matter do not interfere in the determination. The electroactive product is formed by acidic hydrolysis with 5.0N HCl and heating at 80 degrees C for 60 min. Two polarographic waves are obtained: I = -0.46 V and II = -0.78 v vs. SCE. Both reduction waves are diffusion controlled. Wave I is preferred for analytical purposes. The precise chemical identity of the electroactive product has not been determined, but UV spectral data and the TLC Rf value are reported. A linear relation is established for levels of cephradine between 10(-2) and 10(-5)M in 5.0N HCl.     

Cycling of nitrogen by surface-casting earthworms in a pasture ecosystem

Production of surface casts and the removal of plant litter from the soil surface by earth-worms had similar seasonal variations, with maximum values in May and minimum values occurring in July and August. Seasonal variations in the total nitrogen (TN) and oxidizable carbon contents of casts were closely related to variations in litter production. The C:N ratio of casts (10.7) was consistently smaller than that of underlying soil material (15.0 and 14.2 for the 0–5 and 18–22 cm depths, respectively), which is probably due to the mineralization of plant-derived organic material during passage through earthworms and utilization of low C:N ratio litter. Seasonal changes in the amounts of inorganic N forms in casts showed a build-up of NH₄⁺N in the cooler winter months (July and August), attaining a maximum of 112 μg.g^?1. with a decrease in autumn (April and May) and early spring (September and October), reaching a minimum of 54 μg.g^?1. The opposite trend existed for seasonal variations in the NO₃^?-N content of the casts. Because only minor fluctuations in the amounts of N forms were obtained for underlying soil material during the casting period, the more dramatic changes observed in the casts could not be explained by soil variations. Seasonal variations in urease enzyme activity, associated with fluctuations in organic matter content, were more important than the effect of temperature on enzyme activity in accounting for seasonal variations in the NH₄⁺-N content of casts. It was calculated that 73% of the TN content of litter removed from the surface by earthworms was accumulated in casts, indicating both the importance of earthworms in incorporating litter N with soil material and the inefficiency of N digestion by earthworms.     

Effects of grazing by lambs in autumn on a red clover-perennial ryegrass sward

In 1976, 1977 and 1978 a red clover-perennial ryegrass sward was cut twice for silage, and in the autumn of 1976 and 1977 it was either grazed at low and high stocking rates, i.e. seventeen and thirty-four lambs per ha respectively, or was cut with a forage harvester. The effects of grazing on yield in the following year were examined. Herbage growth in the grazing period was slow and did not differ significantly between the treatments. The yield of silage dry matter taken in May and July was highest in ungrazed plots (9·8 and 8·1 t ha^-1 in 1977 and 1978 respectively) and lowest in plots stocked at the high rate (5·9 and 5·7 t ha^-1 in 1977 and 1978 respectively). The aftermath yield for grazing in 1977 was slightly but significantly greater on treatments grazed in the previous year compared with ungrazed treatments. Red clover content decreased markedly during grazing, the high stocking rate treatment containing 2·4% clover and the ungrazed treatment 57·3% clover. The high stocking rate treatment also had the lowest red clover content in the first silage cut. Red clover content in grazed plots increased to a level similar to that in ungrazed plots by the start of the grazing period in the subsequent harvest year. Animal performance was higher at the low than at the high stocking rate but herbage consumption per head did not differ significantly between the two grazing treatments. Possible reasons for the adverse effect of grazing on the red clover are defoliation and treading. It is concluded that such experiments can form the basis of an economic assessment of red clover and help the farmer decide whether or not he should integrate the crop into his system.