Survey of equine castration techniques,preferences and outcomes among Australian veterinarians

Objectives

(1) To collect the perceptions of veterinarians performing equine castrations in Australia on techniques, preferences and outcomes, (2) to investigate veterinarian use and experience with the Henderson castrating instrument and (3) to investigate potential associations between demographics, castration methods and techniques, and complications.

Design

Online survey of members of the Australian Veterinary Association’s Special Interest Group, Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA).

Methods

A link to the survey was included in the EVA e‐newsletter and practices on the EVA website were contacted by telephone and follow‐up email. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine associations between ligation and complications. A generalised linear model with a negative binomial family was used to determine associations between count response variables and categorical independent variables.

Results

Responses were obtained from 138 veterinarians (response rate, 13.1%) who performed 5330 castrations over 12 months. Castrations were most commonly performed in the field, on anaesthetised horses, using emasculators, via an open approach and without ligation of the spermatic cord. Estimated complications after use of emasculators were swelling (25%), haemorrhage (5%) and infection (5%). The Henderson instrument was used by approximately 10% of respondents and its use for castration was associated with fewer reports of postoperative swelling compared with emasculators (P = 0.002). Rates of evisceration with the Henderson and emasculator methods were comparable (0.43% and 0.9%, respectively).

Conclusion

Castration preferences varied widely among survey participants. Reported complication types and rates were comparable to those reported previously in other countries. Perceptions that the Henderson instrument was associated with less swelling should be investigated further via a prospective controlled investigation.     

A new kaurane diterpene dimer from Parinari campestris

A new kaurane diterpene dimer, 15-oxozoapatlin-13alpha-yl-10'alpha,16'alpha-dihydroxy-9'alpha-methyl-20'-nor-kauran-19'-oic acid gamma-lactone-17'-oate (1), together with the known 13-hydroxy-15-oxozoapatlin (2), 10alpha,13alpha,16alpha,17-tetrahydroxy-9alpha-methyl-15-oxo-20-nor-kauran-19-oic acid gamma-lactone (3), 2alpha,10alpha,13alpha,16alpha,17-pentahydroxy-9alpha-methyl-15-oxo-20-nor-kauran-19-oic acid (19,10)-lactone (4), 3alpha,10alpha,13alpha,16alpha,17-pentahydroxy-9alpha-methyl-15-oxo-20-nor-kauran-19-oic acid gamma-lactone (5), and 1beta,16alpha,17-trihydroxy-ent-kaurane (6) were isolated from the leaves of Parinari campestris and identified on the basis of detailed spectral analysis, including 2D NMR spectrometry and ESI-MS.     

Myricetin glycosides from Licania densiflora

Dried leaves of Licania densiflora yielded five myricetin glycosides: myricetin 3'-methylether-3-O-glucoside (1), myricetin 3'-methylether-3-O-galactoside (2), myricetin 4'-methylether-3-O-rhamnoside (3), myricetin 3',5'-dimethylether-3-O-glucoside (4), and myricetin 3',5'-dimethylether-3-O-rhamnoside (5). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including mono- and bi-dimensional NMR techniques.     

Effects of preconditioning on pre- and post-shipment performance of feeder calves

A preconditioning (PC) program that involved preweaning vaccination and preshipment weaning was evaluated utilizing 600 calves produced on four South Dakota ranches. Nonpreconditioned (NPC) controls were herd mates that were maintained with their dams during the preconditioning process. All calves were shipped from the ranch to the feedlot on the same date. In Exp. I, PC caused lower (P less than .001) preshipment gains. However, management x ranch and management x year effects indicated that response to PC was variable. Preconditioning reduced (P less than .001) transit shrink in Exp. I but caused greater (P less than .05) shrink in Exp. II. Ranch and management x ranch effects accounted for more of the variation in shrink than PC did. In the feedlot, PC calves consumed more feed initially (d 1 to 28; P less than .001) and during the entire (P less than .10) feeding period when fed to slaughter condition. During the 28-d postshipment period, calves fed higher-grain diets consumed more feed (P less than .001) and were less efficient (P less than .001) than calves fed corn silage. When fed for longer periods (greater than 28 d), higher-energy diets improved feedlot gains and feed efficiency independent of preconditioning. Health and performance responses to this preconditioning procedure were variable. Our preconditioning procedure did not improve beef production efficiency.     

Characteristics of landfill leachates and alternatives for their treatment: A review

Sanitary landfilling is the most common way to eliminate solid urban wastes. An important problem associated to landfills is the production of leachates. The factors determining the characteristics of leachates from solid urban waste landfills are reviewed together with the reported compositions of leachates from various countries and origins. New data obtained from two landfills of different age in the same area are reported. The advantages and disadvantages of the various existing alternatives for solving the leachates problem are discussed under the items: (1) Leachate Channeling (Combined Treatment with domestic sewage, Recycling and Lagooning with recycling). (2) Biological Processing (Aerobic and Anaerobic). (3) Chemical/Physical Treatment (Chemical Precipitation, Chemical Oxidation, Adsorption onto activated carbon, Reverse osmosis, and Stripping of NH₃). The performance at several operational conditions of the most important methods is reviewed and summarized in several tables. From all this information a table designed to aid the choice of solutions for each particular case is presented.     

Sarcosporidian infection in pigs in Uruguay.

Examination of enzymatic digests of samples of the crux diaphragm obtained at abbatoirs in Montevideo, Uruguay, indicated that 57.2% of 269 pigs weighing 90-140 kg were infected with Sarcocystis sp. The morphology of sarcocystis in H & E stained sections indicated that they were Sarcocystis miescheriana.     

Low-voltage organic transistors on plastic comprising high-dielectric constant gate insulators

The gate bias dependence of the field-effect mobility in pentacene-based insulated gate field-effect transistors (IGFETs) was interpreted on the basis of the interaction of charge carriers with localized trap levels in the band gap. This understanding was used to design and fabricate IGFETs with mobility of more than 0.3 square centimeter per volt per second and current modulation of 10(5), with the use of amorphous metal oxide gate insulators. These values were obtained at operating voltage ranges as low as 5 volts, which are much smaller than previously reported results. An all-room-temperature fabrication process sequence was used, which enabled the demonstration of high-performance organic IGFETs on transparent plastic substrates, at low operating voltages for organic devices.