The advantages of the use of vitamin E and selenium for the prevention and therapy of porcine stress syndrome

In a feeding trial lasting for months Halothane-positive fattening pigs were put on a diet containing different concentrations of vitamin E and selenium. After a Myostress application vitamin E and selenium were additionally injected in order to examine stress resistance (CK-test) and regenerative capacity (histological examination of Musculus longissimus dorsi) of skeletal muscle. The study revealed that neither high dietary levels of vitamin E/selenium nor a vitamin E/selenium treatment applied after stress are capable of preventing stress related myopathy nor can they influence its healing up favourably.     

Eradication of lice in cattle.

The purpose of this field study was to develop and evaluate eradication as a strategy to control lice in cattle. Thirty-three herds of cattle were selected and observed during a period of two and a half years. Before eradication, biting lice (Damalinia bovis) were present in 94% of the herds and 27% of the animals. Sucking lice (Linognathus vituli) were present in 42% of the herds and 5% of the animals. These levels were very similar to those reported from other countries in Northern Europe. The eradication strategy was successful in 28 of 33 herds, but lice were still present in 5 herds 3 to 6 months after treatment. Biting lice were present in all these 5 herds, sucking lice were present in 3 herds. During the next 12 months, nine of the 28 herds were reinfected with lice. Six herds were reinfected with just biting lice, 2 herds with just sucking lice and one herd was reinfected with both. There was no significant difference between the 2 louse species regarding the risk of unsuccessful eradication or reinfection. The only significant risk factor for reinfection was either purchase of livestock or use of common pasture, combined with failure in pre-treatment of newly introduced animals.     

Homeopathy: an effective and risk-free alternative to conventional pharmacotherapy? Part 1: Hahnemann and his teaching]

The article considers the attractions and dangers of homeopathic therapy from the view of a pharmacologist. Homeopathic drugs may exert pharmacodynamic (but also toxic) effects at low dilutions (D0-D6), but there is no scientific proof for specific effects of higher dilutions except for substances with a high toxic potential. Most homeopathic drugs have no reasonable basis for clinical use but, in case of toxic compounds, especially those with carcinogenic or allergic potential, homeopathy may bear risks for the animal and, because of residues in food animals, also for humans. Thus, homeopathic treatment should not be used when effective conventional treatments are available, and the use of homeopathic drugs with toxic potential should be avoided.     

Laboratory and field observations on anti-tick properties of the plant Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Brig.

A shrubby plant, abundant in east Kenya, Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Brig., was shown to exhibit repellent and acaricidal properties to larvae, nymphs and adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Amblyomma variegatum ticks. All stages of ticks avoided the leaves of the plant and a high percentage of the ticks which were continuously exposed to its leaves died; surviving ticks were weak and inactive but regained activity when exposed to fresh air. The effectiveness of the plant's leaves as a repellent and acaricide was most pronounced on nymphs and least pronounced on adults. Field investigations indicated that ticks were not found up to 2-5 m from the plant in areas where the plant was predominant. The potential of using the plant for tick control within an integrated tick management system in the resource-poor farming context in Africa was highlighted.     

Toxic peripheral neuropathy with demyelination in Sprague-Dawley rats given CGS 21595--a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor.

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given CGS 21595, a pro-drug that is almost immediately metabolized to CGS 19213, a naphthoquinone that acts as a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. The compound was administered by gavage to five groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (group Nos. 1, 5, n = 30; group Nos. 2-4, n = 20) at daily doses of 0, 50, 150, 500, or 1,000 mg/kg for 13 weeks. Rats in the higher dose groups had a reduced weight gain, but significant neurologic signs were not observed. A peripheral neuropathy consisting predominantly of myelin destruction in the spinal nerve roots and sciatic nerves in male rats treated with greater than or equal to 150 mg/kg CGS 21595 and in female rats treated with greater than or equal to 50 mg/kg CGS 21595 for 13 weeks. This lesion was not fully reversible after a recovery period of 4 weeks. Lesions consisted of ballooning of myelin sheaths, infiltration by macrophages, demyelination, and occasional areas of remyelination. Axons were generally preserved, and the brain and spinal cord were not affected. Male and female rats in all treatment groups had cytoplasmic hyaline droplets in the proximal renal tubules. This change was reversible after 4 weeks and was not associated with any other adverse effects on the kidney.     

Effect of heterogeneous digesta chemical composition on the accuracy of measurements of fiber flow in dairy cows.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of unrepresentative sampling of digesta particulate matter entering the omasal canal on the accuracy of fiber flow measurements. The experimental design comprised one period, one diet, and three cows as experimental units. Within each cow, the physical and chemical composition of digesta particulate matter was assessed at seven sites within the digestive tract. Three Finnish Ayshire dairy cows, equipped with ruminal and simple-T duodenal cannulas, in extended lactation were offered grass silage twice daily on an ad libitum basis. Digesta samples were collected from the rumen (dorsal and ventral sac), reticulum, omasal canal, omasum, duodenum, and rectum to determine particle size distribution in digesta, chemical composition of various particle size fractions, and distribution of two flow markers (Cr-labeled straw and indigestible NDF [INDF]) among particle size fractions. Digesta samples were wet-sieved using sieves of 2.50, 1.25, 0.630, 0.315, 0.160, and 0.080 mm. Particulate matter was analyzed for OM, NDF, and Cr concentrations, and INDF concentration was determined based on 12-d ruminal incubation. The particle size of digesta entering the omasal canal was larger compared with the omasum or the duodenum, suggesting that omasal canal samples were not representative of particle size distribution truly escaping the rumen. The concentration of potentially digestible NDF (PDNDF) decreased with decreasing particle size. The PDNDF concentration of particulate matter retained on all sieves was greatest in the rumen and gradually decreased along the digestive tract. From the reticulorumen to the omasum, the decrease was associated with decreased particle size, reflecting selective passage of particulate matter. In contrast, from the omasum to the duodenum and rectum, the PDNDF concentration decreased within each particle size fraction without effect on particle size, indicating a nonselective passage of particulate matter between these sites. Variation between particle size fractions was slightly greater for Cr concentration than for INDF concentration, indicating that unrepresentative sampling of particulate matter had a greater effect on Cr concentration compared with that of INDF. Owing to unrepresentative sampling, NDF entering the omasal canal was overestimated by 5% using INDF and underestimated by 7% using Cr as a particle phase marker. Of total NDF digestibility, proportionally 0.90, 0.07, and 0.03 occurred in the reticulorumen, omasum, and intestines, respectively. The current results indicate that, despite unrepresentative sampling of digesta particulate matter entering the omasal canal, the errors in determined NDF flow were small. The omasum may have a greater role in postruminal NDF digestion than the intestines.