Effect of prostagladin F2 alpha on the bovine fetal ruminal wall in vitro

Strips of rumen wall from bovine fetuses were incubated in an organ bath with prostaglandin F₂ alpha (0.13 to 33.76 g/ml). The highest reactivity with a submaximal dose (17.03 g/ml) was observed in the period between 3.0 and 7.9 months of fetal age. A smaller response, but higher than in 1.0 to 2.9 months old fetuses, was observed in the 8.0 to 8.9 months fetuses. The period of the highest reactivity to prostaglandin F₂ alpha coincides with the age of onset of papillary morphogenesis and the period of highest reactivity to autonomic and putative transmitter drugs.     

Questionnaire‐based Analysis of Owner‐reported Scratching and Pain Signs in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Screened for Chiari‐like Malformation and Syringomyelia

Background

Chiari‐like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) cause a pain syndrome in Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS). Clinical signs are not consistently apparent on neurologic examination, and owner reporting of signs provides vital clinical history. However, owner questionnaires for this disease are not well developed.

Objectives

To develop a tool to capture owner‐reported clinical signs for use in clinical trials and to compare owner‐reported signs with the presence of pain on neurologic examination and SM on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Animals

Fifty client‐owned CKCS.

Methods

Owners completed a questionnaire and pain/scratch map. Each dog underwent a neurologic examination and craniocervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Questionnaire responses were developed into scores, area of shading for pain/scratch maps was measured, and consistency of responses between these tools was assessed. Owner‐reported findings were compared with neurologic examination findings and presence and severity of SM on MRI.

Results

Thirty‐three dogs were symptomatic and 17 asymptomatic; 30 had SM. The most common sign of pain was crying out when lifted (n = 11). Extent of shaded areas on maps positively correlated with questionnaire scores for pain (r² = 0.213, P = 0.006) and scratch (r² = 0.104, P = 0.089). Owner‐reported findings were not significantly associated with presence or severity of SM or neurologic examination findings. Owner‐reported lateralization of signs was significantly associated with SM lateralization (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The questionnaire and maps may be useful for clinical trials. Lack of association of owner‐reported signs with SM highlights our lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of pain in this disease.     

Genomic characterization of the first oral avian papillomavirus in a colony of breeding canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

Papillomaviruses are non-enveloped, DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa of a wide variety of vertebrates, causing neoplasias or simply persisting asymptomatically. Avian papillomaviruses, with six fully sequenced genomes, are the second most studied group after mammalian papillomaviruses. In this study, we describe the first oral avian papillomavirus, detected in the tongue of a dead Yorkshire canary (Serinus canaria) and in oral swabs of the same bird and other two live canaries from an aviary in Madrid, Spain. Its genome is 8,071 bp and presents the canonical papillomavirus architecture with six early (E6, E7, E1, E9, E2, E4) and two late open reading frames (L1 and L2) and a long control region between L1 and E6. This new avian papillomavirus L1 gene shares a 64% pairwise identity with FcPV1 L1, so it has been classified as a new species (ScPV1) within the Ethapapillomavirus genus. Although the canary died after showing breathing problems, there is no evidence that the papillomavirus caused those symptoms so it could be part of the oral microbiota of the birds. Hence, future investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the virus.     

Effect of Stocking Density on Growth,Survival, and Condition of the Mexican Cichlid Cichlasoma beani

The Mexican cichlid Cichlasoma beani is currently exploited regionally as food and can be commercialized in the aquarium trade. Natural populations of C. beani may already be negatively affected by anthropogenic alteration of the areas in which it is distributed. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect on growth, survival, and condition of C. beani cultured in three stocking densities: three (D3), six (D6), and nine (D9) fish per each 40 L tank. At the end of a 6‐wk trial the fish cultured in D3 were longer, heavier, and grew faster than the rest of the treatments but their survival was the lowest compared to D6 and D9. The mortalities were caused by a strong aggressive behavior in D3.     

Comparative pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis by nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling of cefquinome in nonpregnant,pregnant, and lactating goats after intravenous and intramuscular administration

Cefquinome is a fourth‐generation cephalosporin that is used empirically in goats. Different physiologic factors like pregnancy or lactation could determine the pharmacokinetic behavior of drugs in the organism. The objectives of this study are to (a) compare the pharmacokinetics of cefquinome after intravenous and intramuscular administration in adult nonpregnant (n = 6), pregnant (n = 6), and lactating goats (n = 6), at a dose of 2 mg/kg, with rich sampling by nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling, (b) conduct a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis to evaluate the efficacy of the recommended posology in goats with different physiological states, and (c) determine the optimal posology that achieve a PTA value ≥ 90%, taking into account a T > MIC ≥ 60% of a MIC value ≤ 0.25 µg/ml, in the different subpopulations of goats for both routes. Gestation significantly increased Ka and V1, while reduced F0, Cl, and Q. On the other hand, lactation significantly increased V1 and reduced Tk0. Cefquinome concentrations achieved in placental cotyledon, amniotic fluid, and fetal serum indicate a minimal penetration across the placental barrier. Moreover, milk penetration of cefquinome was minimal. The total body clearance of cefquinome for goats was 0.29 L kg^?1 hr^?1, that is apparently higher than the reported for cows (0.13 L kg^?1 hr^?1) and pigs (0.16 L kg^?1 hr^?1). So, the optimal dose regimen for cefquinome after intravenous and intramuscular administration required higher dose and frequency of administration compared with recommendations for cows or pigs. Therefore, 2 mg kg^?1 8 hr^?1 and 5 mg kg^?1 12 hr^?1 could be used for IV and IM routes, respectively, for the treatment of respiratory infections caused by P. multocida and M. haemolytica, but only 5 mg kg^?1 12 hr^?1 by both routes should be recommended for Escherichia coli infections.     

Detection of Ecballium elaterium in hedgerow olive orchards using a low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicle and open-source algorithms

BACKGROUND

Ecballium elaterium (common name: squirting cucumber) is an emerging weed problem in hedgerow or superintensive olive groves under no tillage. It colonizes the inter-row area infesting the natural or sown cover crops, and is considered a hard-to-control weed. Research in other woody crops has shown E. elaterium has a patchy distribution, which makes this weed susceptible to design a site-specific control strategy only addressed to E. elaterium patches. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a methodology based on the analysis of imagery acquired with an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) to detect and map E. elaterium infestations in hedgerow olive orchards.

RESULTS

The study was conducted in two superintensive olive orchards, and the images were taken using a UAV equipped with an RGB sensor. Flights were conducted on two dates: in May, when there were various weeds infesting the orchard, and in September, when E. elaterium was the only infesting weed. UAV-orthomosaics in the first scenario were classified using random forest models, and the orthomosaics from September with E. elaterium as the only weed, were analyzed using an unsupervised algorithm. In both cases, the overall accuracies were over 0.85, and the producer's accuracies for E. elaterium ranged between 0.74 and 1.00.

CONCLUSION

These results allow the design of a site-specific and efficient herbicide control protocol which would represent a step forward in sustainable weed management. The development of these algorithms in free and open-source software fosters their application in small and medium farms. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.