ULTRASONOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF ADRENAL GLAND SIZE COMPARED TO BODY WEIGHT IN NORMAL DOGS

The accepted cut‐off value for adrenal gland maximum diameter of 0.74 cm to distinguish adrenal gland enlargement in dogs regardless of body weight may not be appropriate for small to medium breed dogs. The purpose of the current retrospective study was to examine adrenal gland dimensions as a function of body weight in healthy dogs in three weight categories (< 10 kg, 10–30 kg, and > 30 kg) representing small, medium, and large breeds, respectively, to establish greater confidence in determining if adrenal gland size is abnormal. The measurements of length (sagittal plane), cranial and caudal pole thickness (sagittal and transverse planes), and caudal pole width (transverse plane) of both adrenal glands were obtained ultrasonographically in clinically healthy dogs (n = 45) with 15 dogs in each weight group. Findings support our hypothesis that adrenal gland size correlates with body weight in normal dogs, and more precise reference intervals should be created for adrenal gland size by categorizing dogs as small, medium, or large breed. The caudal pole thickness of either adrenal gland in a sagittal plane was the best dimension for evaluating adrenal gland size based on low variability, ease, and reliability in measurement.     

Characterization of an intravenous lipopolysaccharide inflammation model in calves with respect to the acute-phase response

Our objective was to develop a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inflammation model in calves to evaluate the acute-phase response with respect to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins, fever development and sickness behaviour. Fourteen 4-week-old male Holstein Friesian calves were included and randomly assigned to a negative control group (n = 3) and an LPS-challenged group (n = 11). The latter received an intravenous bolus injection of 0.5 μg of LPS/kg body weight. Blood collection and clinical scoring were performed at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 18, 24, 28, 32, 48, 54 and 72 h post LPS administration (p.a.). In the LPS group, the following clinical signs were observed successively: tachypnoea (on average 18 min p.a.), decubitus (29 min p.a.), general depression (1.75 h p.a.), fever (5 h p.a.) and tachycardia (5 h p.a.). Subsequent to the recovery from respiratory distress, general depression was prominent, which deteriorated when fever increased. One animal did not survive LPS administration, whereas the other animals recovered on average within 6.1 h p.a. Moreover, the challenge significantly increased plasma concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6, serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, with peaking levels at 1, 3.5, 24 and 18 h p.a., respectively. The present LPS model was practical and reproducible, caused obvious clinical signs related to endotoxemia and a marked change in the studied inflammatory mediators, making it a suitable model to study the immunomodulatory properties of drugs in future research.     

Surveillance of Human Rabies by National Authorities – A Global Survey

Effective prevention of deaths due to human rabies is currently hampered by a lack of understanding of the scale of the problem, and the distribution of both animal and human cases across countries, regions and continents. Unfortunately, despite the severity of the disease, accurate data on which to assess these questions and to prioritize and direct public health interventions are not available for many parts of the world. This survey sought to understand the current global situation regarding the surveillance of human rabies. Data were collected from 91 countries across all continents and all categories of human rabies risk, generating the most complete and representative global data set currently available. Respondents were asked key questions about whether human rabies was a notifiable disease, how the surveillance system for human rabies operated and whether the respondent considered that the surveillance system was working effectively. Across the 91 countries from which data were collated, human rabies was a notifiable disease in all but eight. Despite international guidance, surveillance systems were very varied. Even where rabies is a notifiable disease, many countries had surveillance system judged to be ineffective, almost all of these being high and moderate rabies risk countries in Africa and Asia. Overall, 41% of the population covered by this survey (around 2.5 billion people) live in countries where there is no or ineffective rabies surveillance. The lack of robust surveillance is hindering rabies control efforts. However, whilst worldwide rabies surveillance would be improved if rabies were notifiable in all countries, many other challenges to the implementation of effective global human rabies surveillance systems remain.     

基于改进YOLO v7的生猪群体体温热红外自动检测方法

针对当前生猪规模化养殖过程中基于热红外技术的生猪体温测量效率低的问题,提出了一种基于改进YOLO v7的生猪群体体温检测方法。改进YOLO v7算法在Head层引入VoV-GSCSP结构,降低网络结构复杂度;使用内容感知特征重组(Content-aware reassembly of features,CARAFE)替换模型原始上采样算子,提高特征图放大后的品质,强化生猪头部区域有效特征;引入感受野增强模块（Receptive field enhancement module,RFE）,增强特征金字塔对生猪头部特征的提取能力。本文改进YOLO v7算法对于生猪头部的检测精确率为87.9%,召回率为92.5%,平均精度均值（Mean average precision,mAP）为94.7%。与原始YOLO v7相比,精确率提高3.6个百分点,召回率提高7.0个百分点,mAP提高3.6个百分点。该方法首先自动检测生猪头部区域,再利用头部最大温度与耳根温度的高相关性,最终自动获取生猪体温。温度提取平均绝对误差仅为0.16℃,检测速度为222f/s,实现了生猪群体体温的实时精准检测。综合上述试验结果表明,该方法能够自动定位生猪群体的头部区域,满足生猪群体体温测定的高效和高精度要求,为群养生猪体温自动检测提供了有效的技术支撑。     

发育大豆子叶细胞中酸性磷酸酶的亚细胞学定位

本实验采用电镜细胞化学技术，观察了酸性磷酸酶在发育中大豆子叶细胞内的亚细胞学分布。酸性磷酸酶除分布在细胞核内的部分染色质上，内质网膜上，质体胞质小泡和胞质中，主要积累于蛋白体内。     

甜菜夜蛾幼虫龄数和龄期的测定

甜菜夜蛾[Spodoptera exigua(Hübner)]属鳞翅目(Lepidoptera)夜蛾科(Noctuidae),是芦笋、番茄、棉花、萝卜、玉米等植物上的重要害虫。明确该虫幼虫的龄数和龄期,可为其预测预报和科学防治提供依据。对甜菜夜蛾幼虫各龄期的头壳宽度、体长和体重进行测量,并根据频次分布图、戴氏定律、Crosby生长法则和回归分析推断和验证甜菜夜蛾幼虫的虫龄数。结果显示,甜菜夜蛾1~5龄幼虫的头壳宽度范围分别为0.21~0.30、0.40~0.49、0.65~0.75、1.05~1.15、1.65~1.80 mm,频次分布呈现出5个明显的集中区域;1~5龄幼虫的体长范围分别为1.0~3.1、2.5~6.5、4.0~10.0、5.0~15.0、11.0~27.0 mm,各龄期体长出现重叠,频次分布集中区域不明显;1~5龄幼虫的体重范围分别为0.025~0.567、0.200~6.000、1.100~15.200、6.200~65.600、32.900~275.200 mg。结果表明,试验条件下甜菜夜蛾幼虫共5龄,幼虫头壳宽度可作为分龄指标,而幼虫体长和体重在各龄期出现较大程度的重叠,不宜作为分龄指标。     

Functional characteristics of porcine peripheral T cells stimulated with IL-2 or IL-2 and PMA

In human or mouse, mature T cells express either CD4 or CD8, resulting in different functions in the periphery. Interestingly, porcine CD4 and CD8 double positive (DP) T cells are present in the blood, and their proportions change from youth to adulthood. However, the features of these cells in swine are poorly understood. We investigated the fate of porcine peripheral T cells based on their functional characteristics, including proliferation and the expression of CD4 and CD8 co-receptors. The results showed that all the populations changed their CD8 expression in a time-dependent manner and porcine T cells had different proliferative pattern from human T cells. The results further revealed that Th2 cytokines were increased later in porcine T cells compared to human T cells upon stimulation with IL-2 + PMA. Collectively, we found that the fate of porcine peripheral T cells is different from that of human T cells, and the changes occur in a time- and stimulation-dependent manner.     

Rhabdomyosarcoma associated with the lead wire of a pacemaker generator implant

An 11‐year‐old female spayed Labrador Retriever was presented for a draining, painful subcutaneous mass palpated over a previously implanted pacemaker generator. Infection was suspected and the mass was removed surgically. On cut surface, the mass was friable and mottled tan to brown with firm pale tan nodules, surrounding the pacemaker lead wire adjacent to the pacemaker generator. Cytologic interpretation of impression smears was consistent with a sarcoma, and suggestive of a rhabdomyosarcoma due to the presence of strap‐like cells. On histopathologic examination, a highly invasive nodular mass surrounded the pacemaker lead, composed of pleomorphic round, spindle and strap cells, and multinucleated giant cells. The population exhibited microscopic invasion into the deep portion of the fibrous capsule surrounding the pacemaker generator. There were tumor emboli within small to medium subcutaneous veins adjacent to the mass. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells stained positive for α‐sarcomeric actin and vimentin, and negative for α‐smooth muscle actin, consistent with a rhabdomyosarcoma arising at the site of the pacemaker generator. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a rhabdomyosarcoma associated with the lead wire of a pacemaker generator in a dog.     

Low protein provision during the first year of life,but not during foetal life,affects metabolic traits,organ mass development and growth in male mink (Neovison vison)

Low protein provision in utero and post‐partum may induce metabolic disorders in adulthood. Studies in mink have mainly focused on short‐term consequences of low protein provision in utero whereas the long‐term responses to low protein (LP) provision in metabolically programmed mink are unknown. We investigated whether low protein provision in utero affects the long‐term response to adequate (AP) or LP provision after weaning in male mink. Eighty‐six male mink were exposed to low (19% of ME from CP; crude protein) or adequate (31% of ME from CP) protein provision in utero, and to LP (~20% of ME from CP) or AP (30–42% of ME from CP) provision post‐weaning. Being metabolically programmed by low protein provision in utero did not affect the response to post‐weaning diets. Dietary protein content in the LP feed after weaning was below requirements; evidenced by lower nitrogen retention (p < 0.001) preventing LP mink from attaining their growth potential (p < 0.02). LP mink had a lower liver, pancreas and kidney weight (p < 0.05) as well as lower plasma IGF‐1 concentrations at 8 and 25 (p < 0.05) weeks, and a higher incidence of hepatic lipidosis at 25 weeks (p < 0.05). Furthermore, LP mink had a higher body fat (p < 0.05) and lower body CP content (p < 0.05) at 50 weeks of age. It is concluded that some effects of low protein provision in utero can be alleviated by an adequate nutrient supply post‐partum. However, long‐term exposure to low protein provision in mink reduces their growth potential and induces transient hepatic lipidosis and modified body composition.