Prolonged second stage labour and consequences of hypoxia in the neonate: A review

Hypoxia due to dystocia and its repercussions are serious issues concerning the health of neonates. In order to gain a better understanding of the cause and especially the effects and potential long-term disorders, a critical analysis of peer-reviewed literature was made. As shown by many authors, ini-tially the most devastating peripartal cause of ill health in neonates is associated with the serious ef-fects of prolonged and severe acidosis. Other life threatening complications are related to disorders such as meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, hypoxic is-chaemic encephalopathy and necrotising enterocolitis. Despite the astonishing ability of neonates to compensate mixed metabolic and respiratory acidosis with breathing onset directly postpartum, the longer second stage labour takes and the more extreme the acidosis is, the more detrimental its consequences. Lungs are especially vulnerable in this phase of life, aspired meconium can result in in-creased expression of pro-inflammatory chemotactic cytokines, phospholipase A2 and PGE2 levels , exacerbating inflammatory reactions of lung tissue and exerting a deleterious effect on alveolar cells. Neonates experiencing dystocia could greatly benefit from administration of buffering substances and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Visual analysis design to support research into movement and use of space in Tallinn: A case study

We designed and applied interactive visualisation to help an urban study group investigate how suburban residents in the Tallinn Metropolitan Area (Estonia) use space in the city. We used mobile phone positioning data collected from suburban residents together with their socio-economic characteristics. Land-use data provided geo-context that helped characterise visited locations by suburban residents. Our interactive visualisation design was informed by a set of research questions framed as identification, localisation and comparison tasks. The resulting prototype offers five linked and coordinated views of spatial, temporal, socio-economic characteristics and land-use aspects of data. Brushing, sorting and filtering provide visual means to identify similarities between individuals and facilitate the identification, localisation and comparison of patterns of use of urban space. The urban study group was able to use the prototype to explore their data and address their research questions in a more flexible way than previously possible. Initial feedback was positive. The prototype was found to support the research and facilitate the discovery of patterns and relations among groups of participants and their movements

Treponema Infection Associated With Genital Ulceration in Wild Baboons

The authors describe genital alterations and detailed histologic findings in baboons naturally infected with Treponema pallidum. The disease causes moderate to severe genital ulcerations in a population of olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) at Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. In a field survey in 2007, 63 individuals of all age classes, both sexes, and different grades of infection were chemically immobilized and sampled. Histology and molecular biological tests were used to detect and identify the organism responsible: a strain similar to T pallidum ssp pertenue, the cause of yaws in humans. Although treponemal infections are not a new phenomenon in nonhuman primates, the infection described here appears to be strictly associated with the anogenital region and results in tissue alterations matching those found in human syphilis infections (caused by T pallidum ssp pallidum), despite the causative pathogen’s greater genetic similarity to human yaws-causing strains

Investigation of Chlamydophila spp. in dairy cows with reproductive disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reports worldwide indicate high prevalence of <it>Chlamydophila </it>spp. infection in cattle. To assess the prevalence in Sweden, 525 cows in 70 dairy herds with reproductive disorders was investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To detect antibodies two commercially available kits were used. Moreover, 107 specimens, including vaginal swabs, organ tissues and milk were analysed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two (0.4%) cows were seropositive in the Pourquier <it>Cp. abortus </it>ELISA. The seroprevalence with the Chekit ELISA was 28% with no difference between cases and controls. Five specimens were positive in real-time PCR and further analysed by nested PCR. <it>Cp. pecorum </it>was confirmed by partial <it>omp1 </it>DNA sequencing of the nested PCR product of vaginal swabs from control cows.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that <it>Cp. abortus </it>infection is absent or rare in Swedish cows whereas <it>Cp. pecorum </it>is probably more spread. They also suggest that <it>Chlamydophila </it>spp. are not related to reproduction disorders in Swedish cattle.</p

Calf health from birth to weaning. I. General aspects of disease prevention

Calfhood diseases have a major impact on the economic viability of cattle operations. This is the first in a three part review series on calf health from birth to weaning, focusing on preventive measures. The review considers both pre- and periparturient management factors influencing calf health, colostrum management in beef and dairy calves and further nutrition and weaning in dairy calves

Kastration der Hündin – neue und alte Erkenntnisse zu Vor- und Nachteilen

Die Beratung von Hundehaltern bezüglich der Vorteile und Nachteile sowie des optimalen Zeitpunktes der Kastration einer Hündin ist komplex und sollte sich auf verlässliche Daten aus der Wissenschaft stützen sowie individuelle Belange berücksichtigen. Bei genauerer Betrachtung der aktuellen Publikationen zu diesem Thema fällt auf, dass einige lange für robust gehaltene Informationen etwas angepasst oder aktualisiert werden müssen. Ein offensichtlicher Vorteil der elektiven Kastration ist, dass Erkrankungen der Ovarien und sexualsteroidabhängige Erkrankungen wie Metropathien nicht auftreten. Weiterhin ist ein gewisser protektiver Effekt einer frühzeitigen Kastration auf die Entstehung von Mammatumoren anzunehmen, wenngleich dafür derzeit eine schwache wissenschaftliche Evidenz besteht und der Effekt vermutlich geringer ausfällt, als in einigen älteren Publikationen angegeben wurde. Die Kastration hat jedoch auch Nachteile. Als häufigste negative Folge wird seit Jahrzehnten die Harninkontinenz beschrieben. Aussagen zur Inzidenz sowie zu weiteren Einflussfaktoren, wie Kastrationszeitpunkt in Bezug zur Pubertät, sind jedoch uneinheitlich.Aktuell werden vor allem das gehäufte Auftreten verschiedener Tumorerkrankungen, die nicht direkt mit dem Reproduktionstrakt in Verbindung stehen, sowie ein höheres Risiko für Erkrankungen des Bewegungsapparats bei kastrierten Tieren diskutiert. Weitere Einflussfaktoren wie der Ernährungszustand des Hundes, Alter und/oder Haltung wurden jedoch häufig nicht erfasst. Die Datenlage zur Auswirkung der Kastration auf den Stoffwechsel und das Immunsystem der Hündin ist derzeit ungenügend. Wünscht der Tierbesitzer eine Kastration, bedarf es in jedem Fall einer eingehenden Beratung, die individuelle, rasse- und haltungsbezogene Aspekte einschließt. Derzeit ist eine Kastration am ehesten zwischen der ersten und zweiten Läufigkeit zu empfehlen, da ein gewisser protektiver Effekt auf die Entstehung von Mammatumoren anzunehmen ist und das Risiko unerwünschter Nebenwirkungen nach heutigem Wissensstand moderat ausfällt