Contentious issues in calf rearing include milk feeding practices and single versus group housing. The current study was performed on a high producing 170 Holstein cow dairy farm, to investigate the ...impact of nutrition and housing on growth and reproduction. Heifer calves (n = 100) were allocated in birth order to one of two commonly used management strategies. All calves received 3-4 litres of dam specific colostrum within 6 hours of birth. Group A calves were group housed from birth and fed milk replacer (MR) ad libitum via a computerised machine utilising a single teat, with weaning commencing at 63 days of age. Group R calves were initially housed in individual pens and received 2.5 litres of MR twice daily via a bucket until 21 days of age when they were group housed and fed 3 litres of MR twice daily via a group trough with weaning commencing at 56 days. From 12 weeks of age onwards, calves in both dietary groups were subject to common nutritional and husbandry protocols. All breeding of heifers was via artificial insemination with no hormonal intervention. Calves were weighed, body condition scored and morphometric measures recorded weekly up till 12 weeks of age then monthly until conception. Pre-weaning growth rates (kg/day) were significantly higher in Group A calves compared to Group R (0.89, 95% CI 0.86-0.93 vs 0.57, 95% CI 0.54-0.6 kg/day P < 0.001) with the most marked differences observed during the first three weeks of life (0.72, 95% CI 0.61-0.82 vs 0.17, 95% CI 0.08-0.26 P < 0.001). Whilst Group A calves gained body condition score (BCS) throughout the pre-weaning phase, Group R calves lost BCS during the first 4 weeks of life. Data suggested that Group R calves supported skeletal growth during this period by catabolising body tissue. Group A calves had a greater risk of disease than group R calves during the pre-weaning phase (diarrhoea: odds ratio 3.86, 95% CI 1.67-8.9; pneumonia: odds ratio 5.80, 95% CI 2.33-14.44) although no calves died during this period. Whilst pneumonia had a significant impact on growth during the study duration (P = 0.008), this was not the case for diarrhoea. Whilst univariate analysis failed to show any statistically significant group differences (P > 0.050) in any of the mean values of measured reproductive parameters, multivariable Cox regression suggested that there was a weak trend (P = 0.072) for Group A animals to achieve first service earlier than their Group R counterparts (62.6 weeks versus 65.3 weeks). Irrespective of dietary group, the hazard for achievement of all measured reproductive parameters, apart from time to puberty, was 20-40% less for heifers borne from multiparous dams compared to heifers from primiparous dams.
Abstract Along with its ability to directly regulate gene expression, estradiol influences cell signaling and brain functions via rapid, membrane-initiated events. In the female rat striatum, ...estradiol activates membrane-localized estrogen receptors to influence synaptic neurotransmission, calcium channel activity, and behaviors related to motor control. Yet, the mechanism by which estradiol acts to rapidly affect striatal physiology has remained elusive. Here we find that membrane estrogen receptors (ERs) couple to the metabotropic glutamate receptors mGluR5 and mGluR3, providing the framework to understand how membrane estrogen receptors affect striatal function. Using CREB phosphorylation as a downstream measure of ER/mGluR activation, membrane-localized estrogen receptor α (ERα) activates mGluR5 signaling to mediate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent CREB phosphorylation. Further, ERα and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) activate mGluR3 to attenuate L-type calcium channel-dependent CREB signaling. Interestingly, while this fundamental mechanism of ER/mGluR signaling was initially characterized in hippocampal neurons, estrogen receptors in striatal neurons are paired with a different set of mGluRs, resulting in the potential to functionally isolate membrane-initiated estrogen signaling across brain regions via use of specific mGluR modulators. These results provide both a mechanism for the rapid actions of estrogens within the female striatum, as well as demonstrate that estrogen receptors can interact with a more diverse set of surface membrane receptors than previously recognized.
A UK dairy goat herd was assessed after reports of a severe lameness problem of unknown aetiology. A lameness prevalence estimate was produced and individual clinical examination of 15 randomly ...selected lame goats was performed. Fifteen animals had foot lesions closely resembling contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) in sheep. Eight of the goats examined presented with typical CODD lesions and seven showed what appeared to be a more severe CODD with under-running of the sole. Ten biopsy samples were obtained from the foot lesions and tested by PCR for the three previously isolated digital dermatitis (DD) Treponema phylogroups and culture of treponemes was attempted. Ninety per cent of the biopsy samples were positive for Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like spirochaetes and Treponema phagedenis-like DD spirochaetes and 80per cent were positive for Treponema pedis. Spirochaetes were successfully isolated from 50 per cent of lesion samples. Three isolates were identified as belonging to the T. phagedenis-like spirochaetes and two were identified as T. pedis. The frequent isolation of similar treponemes to those isolated from bovine digital dermatitis and CODD lesions and the identification of these DD-associated phylotypes in the vast majority of lesions support the hypothesis that this novel foot condition is associated with infection by DD treponemes, and given the similarities to CODD, it suggests a causal role.
Contentious issues in calf rearing include milk feeding level and single versus group housing. The current study was performed on a high‐producing 170 Holstein cow dairy farm to investigate the ...impact of nutrition and housing on disease incidence. Calves (n=100) were allocated in birth order to one of two commonly used feeding strategies. Group A calves were group housed from birth and fed ad libitum milk replacer (MR) via a computerised machine using a single teat, with weaning commencing at 63 days. Group R calves were initially housed in individual pens receiving 2.5 litres of MR twice daily via a bucket until three weeks of age when they were group housed and fed 3 litres of MR twice daily via a group trough with weaning commencing at 56 days. In total, 80 (80 per cent) calves suffered from at least one incident of disease during the period from birth to 12 weeks. Group A calves had a greater risk of disease than group R calves (diarrhoea: OR 3.86 (95 per cent CI 1.67 to 8.9); pneumonia: OR 5.80 (95 per cent CI 2.33 to 14.44)). There was a 5.1 per cent incidence of failure of passive transfer of Ig assessed via measurement of plasma total protein concentrations at 48 hours of age. It is hypothesised that the increased diarrhoea risk in group A calves was most likely associated with group housing, while the increased pneumonia risk was associated with the use of a single teat allowing increased transmission of pathogens from calf to calf.
Breast cancer can reoccur, often as bone metastasis, many years if not decades after the primary tumor has been treated. The factors that stimulate dormant metastases to grow are not known, but bone ...metastases are often associated with skeletal trauma. We used a dormancy model of MDA-MB-231BRMS1, a metastasis-suppressed human breast cancer cell line, co-cultured with MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts in a long term, three dimensional culture system to test the hypothesis that bone remodeling cytokines could stimulate dormant cells to grow. The cancer cells attached to the matrix produced by MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts but grew slowly or not at all until the addition of bone remodeling cytokines, TNFα and IL-β. Stimulation of cell proliferation by these cytokines was suppressed with indomethacin, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase and of prostaglandin production, or a prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor antagonist. Addition of PGE2 directly to the cultures also stimulated cell proliferation. MCF-7, non-metastatic breast cancer cells, remained dormant when co-cultured with normal human osteoblast and fibroblast growth factor. Similar to the MDA-MB-231BRMS1 cells, MCF-7 proliferation increased in response to TNFα and IL-β. These findings suggest that changes in the bone microenvironment due to inflammatory cytokines associated with bone repair or excess turnover may trigger the occurrence of latent bone metastasis.
Summary
Background
Breath testing is becoming an important diagnostic method to evaluate many disease states. In the light of rising healthcare costs, is important to develop a simple non‐invasive ...tool to potentially identify paediatric patients who need endoscopy for suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Aim
To analyse exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and investigate the presence of a unique breath patterns to differentiate paediatric patients with (IBD) from healthy controls.
Methods
A cross‐sectional, single‐centre study included paediatric IBD patients and healthy controls (age range, 5–21 years). The diagnosis of IBD was confirmed by endoscopic, histological and radiographic data. Exhaled breath was collected and analysed using a selective ion flow tube mass spectroscopy (SIFT‐MS) to identify new markers or patterns of IBD.
Results
One hundred and seventeen patients (62 with IBD and 55 healthy controls) were included in the study. Linear discriminant analysis and principle component analysis of mass scanning ion peak data demonstrated 21 pre‐selected VOCs correctly classify patients with IBD or as healthy controls; P < 0.0001. Multivariable logistic regression analysis further showed three specific VOCs (1‐octene, 1‐decene, (E)‐2‐nonene) had excellent accuracy for predicting the presence of IBD with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.99). No significant difference in VOCs was found between patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and no significant correlation was seen with disease activity.
Conclusion
These pilot data support the hypothesis that a unique breathprint potentially exists for paediatric IBD in the exhaled metabolome.
Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) is an infectious foot disease of sheep causing severe lameness. Diagnosis is currently made using broad anecdotal descriptions. The aim of this study was to ...systematically and formally describe the clinical presentation of the disease in terms of (1) a lesion grading system; (2) associated radiographic changes and (3) severity of associated lameness. A five-point lesion grading system was developed and applied to 908 sheep affected by CODD from six farms. Sheep with lesions typical of each grade were euthanased and their feet radiographed. Radiographic abnormalities including soft tissue and bony changes were evident in feet with lesions graded 2-5. In order to quantify the welfare impact of CODD, all the 908 sheep were locomotion scored. Five hundred and eighty-five (64.5% (95% CI 61.4% to 67.6%)) were lame. The locomotion score for affected sheep increased with worsening pathological changes. Once healing had begun the locomotion score decreased. In conclusion the five-point grading system may be used to clinically describe stages of CODD lesions. The radiographic changes revealed examples of deeper pathological changes and there was a strong association between the lesion grading system and locomotion score in affected sheep.
A four-point locomotion scoring tool for sheep was developed and tested on 10 general practice veterinary surgeons (VS) and 10 sheep farmers. Thirty-four video clips of sheep displaying different ...locomotion scores were recorded and randomly assorted. Following a set period of training using four other video clips typical of the four locomotion scores, participants then scored the 34 test clips. The participants repeated the training and the exercise one month later. There were high levels of intraobserver repeatability: weighted κ (κW) 0.81 for VS and 0.83 for farmers. There was no difference in intraobserver repeatability between vets and farmers (Wilcoxon signed rank P=0.8). When considering the overall distribution of scores within the video package, there were high levels of interobserver repeatability: mean κW 0.73 for VS and 0.72 for farmers. However, the repeatability for the individual locomotion scores was only fair to moderate. It is therefore recommended that when observations are repeated on different occasions they are made by the same observer.
The object of the study was to quantify the prevalence of failure of passive transfer in UK dairy farms and to identify variables that had a significant impact on the rate of immunological transfer. ...In a six-month study of 444 calvings from seven UK dairy farms, 26 per cent of calves failed to receive adequate immunoglobulin transfer as judged by a plasma total protein (pTP) concentration less than 5.6 g/dl. Colostrum immunoglobulin concentration, indirectly measured using Brix refractometry, showed wide variations with samples ranging from 10.3 to 34.7 Brix units. Thirty-seven per cent of samples were below the suggested cut-off Brix score for colostrum quality of 22 per cent. Potential associations between covariates and plasma protein concentration were investigated using multiple linear regression models. The covariate with the greatest impact on the pTP concentration was the farm on which the calf was born (P<0.05). A significant but small association was demonstrated between colostrum immunoglobulin concentration and calf pTP concentration (P<0.01). Multiple linear regression models suggested that the time of colostrum collection after calving, parity of the dam, and the individual farm were associated with the Brix measurements (P<0.05). This study suggested that veterinary review of colostrum protocols on farm with emphasis on prompt collection and dosing after calving remains a simple and effective measure to improve passive transfer and thus calf health on UK dairy farms.
Sixty-seven Holstein-Friesian cows, from 20 days postpartum, were recruited into the study and fitted with both a pedometer (SAE Afikim) and a Heatime neck collar (SCR Engineers) and allocated a heat ...mount detector (either scratchcard Dairymac or KaMaR KaMaR) or left with none, relying only on farm staff observation. Common production stressors and other factors were assessed to determine their impact on the ability of each method to accurately detect oestrus and to investigate effects on the frequency of false-positive detections. Only 74 per cent of all potential oestrus periods (episodes of low progesterone) were identified by combining information from all methods. There was no difference between the methods in terms of sensitivity for detecting 'true oestrus events' (approximately 60 per cent), with the exception of scratchcards, which were less efficient (36 per cent). Pedometers and KaMaRs had higher numbers of false-positive identifications. No production stressors had any consequence on false-positives. The positive predictive values for neck collars or observation by farm staff were higher than those of other methods, and combining these two methods yielded the best results. Neck collars did not detect any of the nine oestrus events occurring in three cows with a body condition score (BCS) of less than 2, and the efficiency of correctly identifying oestrus was also reduced by high milk yield (odds ratio OR=0.34). Pedometer efficiency was reduced by lameness, low BCS or high milk yield (OR=0.42, 0.15 or 0.30, respectively).
PDF
