Implications of feed concentrate reduction in organic grassland-based dairy systems: a long-term on-farm study.

In response to increasing efforts for reducing concentrate inputs to organic dairy production in grassland-rich areas of Europe, a long-term study was conducted, which assessed the impacts of concentrate reductions on cows' performance, health, fertility and average herd age. In total, 42 Swiss commercial organic dairy cattle farms were monitored over 6 years ('Y0', 2008/09 until 'Y5', 2013/14). In comparison with overall data of Swiss herdbooks (including conventional and organic farms), the herds involved in the project had lower milk yields, similar milk solids, shorter calving intervals and higher average lactation numbers. During the first 3 project years farmers reduced the concentrate proportion (i.e. cereals, oilseeds and grain legumes) in the dairy cows' diets to varying degrees. In Y0, farms fed between 0% and 6% (dietary dry matter proportion per year) of concentrates. During the course of the study they changed the quantity of concentrates to voluntarily chosen degrees. Retrospectively, farms were clustered into five farm groups: Group '0-conc' (n=6 farms) already fed zero concentrates in Y0 and stayed at this level. Group 'Dec-to0' (n=11) reduced concentrates to 0 during the project period. Groups 'Dec-strong' (n=8) and 'Dec-slight' (n=12) decreased concentrate amounts by >50% and <50%, respectively. Group 'Const-conc' (n=5 farms) remained at the initial level of concentrates during the project. Milk recording data were summarised and analysed per farm and project year. Lactation number and calving intervals were obtained from the databases of the Swiss breeders' associations. Dietary concentrate amounts and records of veterinary treatments were obtained from the obligatory farm documentations. Data were analysed with GLMs. Daily milk yields differed significantly between farm groups already in Y0, being lowest in groups 0-conc (16.0 kg) and Dec-to0 (16.7 kg), and highest in groups Dec-slight (19.6 kg) and Const-conc (19.2 kg). Milk yield decreases across the years within groups were not significant, but urea contents in milk decreased significantly during the course of the project. Milk protein, somatic cell score, fat-protein ratio, average lactation number, calving interval and frequency of veterinary treatments did not differ by group and year. In conclusion, 5 years of concentrate reduction in low-input Swiss organic dairy farms, affected neither milk composition, nor fertility and veterinary treatments. Milk yields tended to decline, but at a low rate per saved kilogram of concentrate.

Suspected aspirin resistance in individual healthy adult warmblood horses.

The reasons for this prospective experimental study were to determine a dosing scheme with loading and maintenance dose of aspirin inducing inhibition of platelet function measured by whole blood impedance aggregometry. Ten horses received aspirin orally in the morning with one loading dose of 4.7-5 mg/kg and maintenance doses of 1-1.3 mg/kg daily the following 4 days. Aggregometries (COLtest, ASPItest, ADPtest) and serum salicylic acid were measured. ASPItest showed significant difference in inhibition at 24 and 48 hr (p < .05) and 96 hr (p < .01). Significant change for ADPtest and COLtest couldn't be detected. Serum salicylic acid concentrations were significantly (p < .01) increased at 6 and 12 hr. Despite this, three horses failed any inhibitory effect of platelet function, suspecting an aspirin resistance. Regarding the other seven horses platelet aggregation induced by ASPItest was reduced between 37% and 100% from baseline at 6 and 12 hr and between 0 and 98% during the next 4 days. Correlations of serum concentration of salicylic acid and aggregometries couldn't be detected. It can be presumed that equine platelets are less susceptible to aspirin what may compromise eventually the anticoagulatory effects and efficacy in preventing and treating diseases with increased platelet activation as endotoxaemia or laminitis.

Nickel in equine sports drug testing - pilot study results on urinary nickel concentrations.

RATIONALE: The issue of illicit performance enhancement spans human and animal sport in presumably equal measure, with prohibited substances and methods of doping conveying both ways. Due to the proven capability of unbound ionic cobalt (Co(2) (+) ) to stimulate erythropoiesis in humans, both human and equine anti-doping regulations have listed cobalt as a banned substance, and in particular in horse drug testing, thresholds for cobalt concentrations applying to plasma and urine have been suggested or established. Recent reports about the finding of substantial amounts of undeclared nickel in arguably licit performance- and recovery-supporting products raised the question whether the ionic species of this transition metal (Ni(2) (+) ), which exhibits similar prolyl hydroxylase inhibiting properties to Co(2) (+) , has been considered as a substitute for cobalt in doping regimens. METHODS: Therefore, a pilot study with 200 routine post-competition doping control horse urine samples collected from animals participating in equestrian, gallop, and trotting in Europe was conducted to provide a first dataset on equine urinary Ni(2) (+) concentrations. All specimens were analyzed by conventional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to yield quantitative data for soluble nickel. RESULTS: Concentrations ranging from below the assay's limit of quantification (LOQ, 0.5 ng/mL) up to 33.4 ng/mL with a mean value (± standard deviation) of 6.1 (±5.1) ng/mL were determined for the total nickel content. CONCLUSIONS: In horses, nickel is considered a micronutrient and feed supplements containing nickel are available; hence, follow-up studies are deemed warranted to consolidate potential future threshold levels concerning urine and blood nickel concentrations in horses using larger sets of samples for both matrices and to provide in-depth insights by conducting elimination studies with soluble Ni(2) (+) -salt species. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Detection and pharmacokinetics of tetrahydrogestrinone in horses.

The anti-doping rules of national and international sport federations ban any use of tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in human as well as in horse sports. Initiated by the THG doping scandals in human sports a method for the detection of 3-keto-4,9,11-triene steroids in horse blood and urine was developed. The method comprises the isolation of the analytes by a combination of solid phase and liquid-liquid extraction after hydrolysis and solvolysis of the steroid conjugates. The concentrations of THG in blood and urine samples were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A THG excretion study on horses was conducted to verify the method capability for the analysis of postadministration urine samples. In addition, blood samples were collected to allow for determination of the pharmacokinetics of THG in horses. Following the administration of a single oral dose of 25 microg THG per kg bodyweight to 10 horses, samples were collected at appropriate intervals. The plasma levels of THG reached maximal concentrations of 1.5-4.8 ng/mL. Twenty-four hours after the administration plasma levels returned to baseline. In urine, THG was detectable for 36 h. Urinary peak concentrations of total THG ranged from 16 to 206 ng/mL. For the 10 horses tested, the mean plasma clearance of THG was 2250 mL/h/kg and the plasma elimination half-life was 1.9 h.

[Initial results using extracorporeal low energy shockwave therapy ESWT in muscle reflex-induced lock jaw]. / Erste Erfolge unter Anwendung der extrakorporalen niederenergetischen Stosswellentherapie ESWT bei muskelreflektorischer Kieferklemme.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic reflex-mediated temporomandibular joint (TMJ) locking is one of the complications frequently observed after sophisticated and long dentoalveolar operations. Its severity can be up to 90%. Usually, therapy consists of mouth-opening exercises using tongue depressors. In difficult cases, the treatment regularly extends for weeks, often with only moderate improvement of this painful limitation. USE OF ESWT: In three cases, it was shown that supportive treatment utilizing low-energy shock waves (ESWT) is significantly effective in the therapy of limited opening of the mouth. The patients reported relief of their complaints, especially over the mandibular angle region, through the daily application of ESWT and felt their condition improved after the fifth therapy course. DISCUSSION: This in particular improved the patient's ability to eat, speak, and maintain good oral hygiene. Great physiotherapeutic benefit is imparted by the use of ESWT in the clinical management of these and other cases of dentomaxillofacial practice.

The structure of sensory nerve endings in the knee joint capsule of the dog.

The ultrastructure and distribution patterns of sensory nerve endings in the dorsal knee joint capsules of the beagle dog (Canis familiaris) have been investigated using light and electron microscopy. Each dorsal knee joint capsule was divided into four quadrants, cut into small pieces and then processed for electron microscopy. Free nerve endings and corpuscular nerve endings (Ruffini and lamellated corpuscles) were found. They were most frequently observed in the medial-proximal quadrant of the dorsal joint capsule. All nerve endings were found to be situated within or adjacent to the fibrous layer of the capsule. No nerve endings were found within the synovial layer. Free nerve endings were usually situated at the border between the fibrous layer and the synovial layer near blood vessels. Their associated afferent axon was myelinated (1.5-2.5 microns in diameter) or non-myelinated (0.3-1.5 microns in diameter). Ruffini corpuscles were found in the fibrous layer and within the dorsal ligamentous apparatus. Each Ruffini corpuscle was surrounded by a multilayered perineural capsule which was usually incompletely developed. The perineural capsule is the continuation of the perineurium of the afferent axon and gives a cylindrical form to the corpuscles. Ruffini corpuscles were present as single, cylindrical structures (small corpuscles) or as aggregates of these cylinders (large corpuscles). Both varieties consist of terminal nerve endings surrounded by collagen fibres which pass through the opened ends of the cylinders. The diameter and length of the small Ruffini corpuscles were 80 microns and 400 microns, as compared to 200 microns and 800 microns for the large aggregated forms. The supplying afferent axons of both types were 4-5 microns in diameter. Two types of small lamellated corpuscles could be observed in the fibrous layer: very small corpuscles, 55 microns long, 25 microns wide and medium corpuscles, 100 microns long, 40 microns wide. Each consists of an inner core of terminal Schwann cells, a nerve terminal and a perineural capsule. Some lamellated corpuscles had two inner cores and two nerve terminals. The diameter of the afferent axon was approximately 6 microns. Vater-Pacini corpuscles were not found in the dorsal knee joint capsule of the dog.

[Has the incubation temperature an effect upon the endotoxin contents of Y. enterocolitica? (author's transl)]. / Beeinflusst die Bebrütungstemperatur den Endotoxingehalt von yersinia enterocolitica?

1. The results of light microscopical studies using Y. enterocolitica-strains grown at room temperature or at 37 degrees C, respectively indicated, that at the higher temperature cell mechanisms which are involved in the division process were hampered. This observation provided a basis for the fact that cultures of Y. enterocolitica incubated at 37 degrees C yield less cells than those grown at room temperature for which an example is given (Fig. 1). Additionally it was seen that the cells grown at room temperature had a smaller volume than those incubated at 37 degrees C (Table 3). 2. It is a well-known fact that Y. enterocolitica expresses some factors which are supposed to increase or to establish the pathogenicity for the natural host merely or only when cultivated at room temperature. It will be shown that this statement is not true when the pathogenicity is studied in white mice and those strains are tested, which owe their letality after i.p. inoculation to the content of endotoxin. The LD50 of the strains cultivated at different temperatures was very similar, i.e. about 1 X 10 9 cells (Table 4). Only when the comparison was made on a dryweight basis the toxicity as well as the room temperature were used (Table 1 and 2). The latter results can be attributed to the greater amount of cell wall material present in equal masses of cells due to the smaller seize of the cells grown at room temperature.