Effect of bandaging on second intention healing of wounds of the distal limb in horses

Objective   To evaluate the effect of a non-occlusive dressing incorporated in a 3-layer bandage on second intention healing of wounds of the distal portion of the limb.
Study Design   Untreated wounds in 33 adult horses used in four studies using the same wound-healing model conducted over 5 years.
Methods   Standardised, full-thickness wounds were made in the skin overlying the dorsomedial aspect of the mid-metacarpus; 17 horses were bandaged with a non-occlusive dressing covered by gauze-coated cotton wool that was compressed with adhesive tape; 16 horses were left unbandaged. Wounds were photographed weekly for 9 weeks and the images were analysed electronically.
Results   There were significant effects associated with bandage (P < 0.0001), week (P < 0.001), and bandage by week interaction (P < 0.0001). There was no difference in wound area at the first time-point after wound creation (P = 0.38). After week 1, there was a difference between bandaged and unbandaged wounds in wound area at each measurement until the end of the study. Bandaged wounds showed greater and more prolonged retraction. Unbandaged wounds retracted for 2 weeks before beginning to contract, whereas bandaged wounds continued to retract for 3 weeks. In bandaged wounds excess granulation tissue required regular trimming, but not in unbandaged wounds. There was no difference between groups in the total days to healing or the overall rate of healing.
Conclusions   These results should be treated with caution until validated with contemporaneous, controlled studies. Covering a wound with a non-occlusive dressing in a 3-layer bandage led to greater wound retraction, modulated the rate of wound contraction and promoted excessive granulation tissue. If excessive granulation tissue is excised regularly, bandaging has no effect on total time to healing.     

Systemic protozoal disease in hihi and saddlebacks

Extract

Juvenile hihi or stitchbirds (Notiomystis cincta) and saddlebacks (Philestumus carunculatus) are particularly prone to systemic protozoal infections when kept in high density populations. Granu-lomatous lesions in the intestine, liver and spleen are associated with proliferating intracellular schizonts. Affected birds become anorexic and lose weight or die suddenly without clinical signs. The protozoan in hihi appears most likely to be Atoxoplasma spp whereas that in saddlebacks is more like Plasmodium spp.     

An ethogram of post-anesthetic recovery behaviors in horses: comparison of pre- and post-anesthetic behaviors

Pain management is an important post-operative concern. Pain scales may rely on the observer's subjective assessment of the level of discomfort and may not correlate with physiologic or pharmacologic measures of pain. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective measure of behavior in healthy pain-free horses recovering from anesthesia that could be used for comparison with the behavior of horses recovering from a surgical procedure.
Focal sampling with videotape and observation was done on five healthy horses before anesthesia to establish baselines. Behavioral measures included head turns, tail swishes, eyelid aperture/size, ear position, angle of neck, weight shifts, and ambulation. Physiologic measures included heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. The horses were anesthetized for 2 hours with isoflurane, and in the recovery stall, data were collected continuously on videotape from the time of extubation to standing. Focal sampling of 15 minutes was repeated at 1, 2, 4, and 24 hours after the horses returned to their stalls. Video data were analyzed using the Noldus Observer Video Analysis System.
A wide variation in behavior was observed between horses in the recovery stall. Observations at 1, 2, and 4 hours revealed change from the up/forward ear position to the down ear position, and a decrease in weight bearing of the hind limb from a baseline of 11–12 minutes out of 15 minutes to 7–9 minutes with an increase in toe pointing. Time spent standing was similar to baseline of 93.8%, and the neck angle was not changed from baseline of 173.5°. Values had returned to baseline at 24 hours.
Changes in behavior were induced by anesthesia alone and must be taken into consideration when evaluating analgesic treatments.     

Effect of Overnight Staining on the Quality of Flow Cytometric Sorted Stallion Sperm: Comparison with Tradtitional Protocols

Flow cytometry is considered the only reliable method for the separation of X and Y chromosome bearing spermatozoa in equines. The MoFlo SX DP sorter is highly efficient, allowing the production of foals of the desired sex. However, to achieve acceptable pregnancy rates the currently used protocol requires working with fresh semen obtained close to, or at, the sorting facility. An alternative protocol was tested during two consecutive breeding seasons. Fresh stallion semen was cooled for 20 h, during which staining with Hoechst 33342 took place. On the following day, this sample was flow sorted and compared with spermatozoa from the same ejaculate that had been sexed on the previous day. All sperm parameters evaluated remained unchanged when fresh sorted and refrigerated sorted semen were compared. Pre‐sorting storage at 5°C did not alter sperm velocities nor kinetics, viability or membrane permeability, production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential or DNA fragmentation index of the sorted sample. The findings open for the possibility of using semen from stallions housed far from the sorting facilities. Processed and stained sperm could be shipped refrigerated on the previous day, sorted and inseminated on the next day.     

Effect of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine Supplementation in Semen Extenders on Semen Quality and Reactive Oxygen Species of Chilled Canine Spermatozoa

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of chilled dog semen processed with extenders containing various concentrations of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC). Ejaculates from five dogs were collected, pooled and evaluated for concentration, motility, rapid steady forward movement (RSF‐movement), viability, acrosomal integrity and by the hypo‐osmotic swelling test (HOST). In addition, superoxide anion (O₂^‐?) production, hydroxyl radicals (OH^?) and total reactive oxygen species (tROS) were determined. The pool was divided into five aliquots, which were diluted to a final concentration of 66.66 × 10⁶ spermatozoa/ml with Tris‐glucose‐egg yolk extender containing one of the following concentrations of NAC (0, 0.5, 1, 2.5 or 5 mm ). The semen aliquots were chilled and preserved at 4°C. Semen quality was evaluated after rewarming at 72 h. Sperm motility was significantly higher with the 0.5 mm concentration compared with the control group (p = 0.001). Rapid steady forward movement was higher with the 0.5 and 1 mm concentrations compared with the control and 5 mm group (p < 0.001). Viability and HOST percentages were not significantly altered. Compared with the control, the 5 mm concentration showed significantly reduced percentages of spermatozoa with normal acrosomes (p = 0.049). None of the ROS values at 72 h were significantly affected by the presence of NAC in semen extenders, although all NAC concentrations showed lower O₂^‐? and OH^? values compared with the control. Only the concentrations of 1 and 5 mm inhibited the significant increase of tROS values after 72 h, compared with the fresh semen value. In conclusion, NAC supplementation of semen extenders is beneficial to semen motility of canine spermatozoa during chilling with the 0.5 mm concentration being the most effective, although no significant ROS inhibition was observed at 72 h.     

In vitro Effect of Zearalenone and α-Zearalenol on Boar Sperm Characteristics and Acrosome Reaction

This study was conducted to determine the in vitro effects of three different concentrations (125, 187.5 and 250 microM in diluted semen) of zearalenone (zen) and alpha-zearalenol (alpha-zen) on boar sperm. Semen parameters such as motility, viability and spontaneous acrosome reaction were evaluated. From the results it was shown that both zen and alpha-zen affected the sperm characteristics significantly (p < 0.05), except for alpha-zen at the low concentration which did not decrease the percentage of live reacted spermatozoa significantly. In conclusion, zen and alpha-zen are directly toxic when they affect boar semen in vitro and consequently decrease the fertilization ability of the sperm. The higher the concentration of mycotoxin tested, the greater the decline of sperm parameters noticed. The influence of mycotoxins was found to be time- and dose-dependent.     

Field study of the interaction between Orobanche crenata Forsk. and some new lines of Vicia faba L. in Egypt

In Egypt, some newly derived lines of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) as well as Giza 402, all of which had shown a certain resistance against the parasitic weed Orobanche crenata Forsk., were tested in the field. For reasons of comparison, the susceptible cultivars Giza 3 and Reina Blanca were included in this test. Faba bean plants and Orobanche attachments were regularly harvested and examined. The susceptible cultivars completely collapsed before the end of the growing season, whereas others, particularly line 402/294, remained alive until pod formation was completed. It appeared that fewer Orobanche spikes emerged on the new lines and Giza 402. Evidence is given that this was not due to avoidance mechanisms, such as smaller root mass, a deeper root system or lack of germination stimulants. Numbers of Orobanche attachments per unit of lateral root length were found to be low. Hence, it could be concluded that these lines are partially resistant; this resistance must be due to some defence mechanism in their roots. The few Orobanche plants attached grew very fast so that final Orobanche dry weight was similar in resistant and susceptible host plants. Further experiments, including broomrape-free controls, are required to study whether some tolerance mechanism might be involved.