What horses and humans see: a comparative review

Adaptations of the mammalian eye have tailored each to its own particular ecological niche. On the one hand, it would appear that the horse is best served by a system that can keep "half an eye" on everything, while the human benefits from focussing on more specific aspects of the visual array. By adapting a range of techniques, originally used to assess human visual ability, it has been possible to compare the human visual experience with that of the horse. In general, the results of the majority of these comparative studies indicate that the visual capabilities of the horse are broadly inferior to the human equivalents in acuity, accommodation, and colour vision. However, both the horse and human abilities to judge distance and depth perception may be quite comparable while equine vision is certainly superior to that of human's under scotopic conditions. Individual variation in visual ability, which is routinely taken for granted in humans, is also likely to occur in the horse. Such variation would undoubtedly affect equine performance, particularly in terms of expectation of athletic competitive outcomes in modern equitation

Internal teat sealants alone or in combination with antibiotics at dry-off – the effect on udder health in dairy cows in five commercial herds

peer-reviewedIn the dairy industry, the dry period has been identified as an area for potential reduction in antibiotic use, as part of a one health approach to preserve antibiotic medicines for human health. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of dry cow treatment on somatic cell count (SCC), intramammary infection (IMI) and milk yield on five commercial Irish dairy herds. A total of 842 cows across five spring calving dairy herds with a monthly bulk tank SCC of < 200 000 cells/mL were recruited for this study. At dry-off, cows which had not exceeded 200 000 cells/mL in the previous lactation were assigned one of two dry-off treatments: internal teat seal (ITS) alone (Lo_TS) or antibiotic plus ITS (Lo_AB + TS). Cows which exceeded 200 000 cells/mL in the previous lactation were treated with antibiotic plus ITS and included in the analysis as a separate group (Hi_AB + TS). Test-day SCC and lactation milk yield records were provided by the herd owners. Quarter milk samples were collected at dry-off, after calving and at mid-lactation for bacteriological culture and quarter SCC analysis. Cow level SCC was available for 789 cows and was log-transformed for the purpose of analysis. Overall, the log SCC of the cows in the Lo_TS group was significantly higher than the cows in Lo_AB + TS group and not statistically different to the cows in the Hi_AB + TS group in the subsequent lactation. However, the response to treatment differed according to the herd studied; the log SCC of the cows in the Lo_TS group in Herds 3, 4 and 5 was not statistically different to the cows in Lo_AB + TS group, whereas in the other two herds, the log SCC was significantly higher in the Lo_TS when compared to the Lo_AB + TS group. There was a significant interaction between dry-off group and herds on SCC and odds of infection in the subsequent lactation. The results of this study suggest that the herd prevalence of IMI may be useful in decision-making regarding the treatment of cows with ITS alone at dry-off to mitigate its impact on udder health

911 Calls for Emergency Medical Services in Heart Failure: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Background Heart failure (HF) is a common condition leading to activation of emergency medical services (EMS). Objective The aim of this study was to describe reasons given by persons with HF, family members, or other caregivers for requesting EMS activation during 911 calls. Methods In this descriptive qualitative study, a content analysis was performed on transcribed audio files of 383 EMS requests involving 383 persons with HF in the community. Results One hundred forty-seven calls (38.4%) were placed by the family members, 75 (19.6%) were placed by the patients, 56 (14.6%) were placed by healthcare workers or personnel from living facilities, and the remaining calls (n = 105, 27.4%) were placed by others (eg, friends, neighbors, officers). Three broad categories of symptoms, signs, and events were identified as the reasons for an EMS request. Frequently reported symptoms were breathing problems (55.4%), chest pain (18.3%), and other pain (eg, head, extremities) (16.7%). Signs included decreased consciousness (15.4%), swelling (5.7%), and bleeding (5.0%). The reported events involved falls (8.1%), heart attack (6.3%), hypoxic episodes (6.0%), stroke (5.2%), and post–hospital-discharge complications (4.7%). In most calls (74.9%), multiple reasons were reported and a combination of symptoms, signs, and events were identified. Heart failure diagnosis was mentioned in fewer than 10% of the calls. Conclusions Overall, symptoms and signs of HF exacerbation were common reasons to activate 911 calls. Falls were frequently reported. Under the duress of the emergent situations surrounding the 911 call, callers rarely mentioned the existence of HF. Interventions are needed to guide patients with HF and their family members to promote the management of HF to reduce EMS activation as well as to activate EMS quickly for acute changes in HF conditions

A new, large-bodied omnivorous bat (Noctilionoidea: Mystacinidae) reveals lost morphological and ecological diversity since the Miocene in New Zealand

A new genus and species of fossil bat is described from New Zealand's only pre-Pleistocene Cenozoic terrestrial fauna, the early Miocene St Bathans Fauna of Central Otago, South Island. Bayesian total evidence phylogenetic analysis places this new Southern Hemisphere taxon among the burrowing bats (mystacinids) of New Zealand and Australia, although its lower dentition also resembles Africa's endemic sucker-footed bats (myzopodids). As the first new bat genus to be added to New Zealand's fauna in more than 150 years, it provides new insight into the original diversity of chiropterans in Australasia. It also underscores the significant decline in morphological diversity that has taken place in the highly distinctive, semi-terrestrial bat family Mystacinidae since the Miocene. This bat was relatively large, with an estimated body mass of ~40 g, and its dentition suggests it had an omnivorous diet. Its striking dental autapomorphies, including development of a large hypocone, signal a shift of diet compared with other mystacinids, and may provide evidence of an adaptive radiation in feeding strategy in this group of noctilionoid bats

IL-4 and insulin-like growth factor-I inhibit the decline in Bcl-2 and promote the survival of IL-3 deprived myeloid progenitors

International audienc

Internal teat sealants alone or in combination with antibiotics at dry-off – the effect on udder health in dairy cows in five commercial herd

In the dairy industry, the dry period has been identified as an area for potential reduction in antibiotic use, as part of a one health approach to preserve antibiotic medicines for human health. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of dry cow treatment on somatic cell count (SCC), intramammary infection (IMI) and milk yield on five commercial Irish dairy herds. A total of 842 cows across five spring calving dairy herds with a monthly bulk tank SCC of < 200 000 cells/mL were recruited for this study. At dry-off, cows which had not exceeded 200 000 cells/mL in the previous lactation were assigned one of two dry-off treatments: internal teat seal (ITS) alone (Lo_TS) or antibiotic plus ITS (Lo_AB + TS). Cows which exceeded 200 000 cells/mL in the previous lactation were treated with antibiotic plus ITS and included in the analysis as a separate group (Hi_AB + TS). Test-day SCC and lactation milk yield records were provided by the herd owners. Quarter milk samples were collected at dry-off, after calving and at mid-lactation for bacteriological culture and quarter SCC analysis. Cow level SCC was available for 789 cows and was log-transformed for the purpose of analysis. Overall, the log SCC of the cows in the Lo_TS group was significantly higher than the cows in Lo_AB + TS group and not statistically different to the cows in the Hi_AB + TS group in the subsequent lactation. However, the response to treatment dif fered according to the herd studied; the log SCC of the cows in the Lo_TS group in Herds 3, 4 and 5 was not statistically different to the cows in Lo_AB + TS group, whereas in the other two herds, the log SCC was significantly higher in the Lo_TS when compared to the Lo_AB + TS group. There was a significant interaction between dry-off group and herds on SCC and odds of infection in the subsequent lactation. The results of this study suggest that the herd prevalence of IMI may be useful in decision-making regarding the treatment of cows with ITS alone at dry-off to mitigate its impact on udder health

Growth hormone augments superoxide anion secretion of human neutrophils by binding to the prolactin receptor.

Recombinant human growth hormone (HuGH) and human prolactin (HuPRL), but not GH of bovine or porcine origin, prime human neutrophils for enhanced superoxide anion (O2-) secretion. Since HuGH, but not GH of other species, effectively binds to the HuPRL receptor (HuPRL-R), we used a group of HuGH variants created by site-directed mutagenesis to identify the receptor on human neutrophils responsible for HuGH priming. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against the HuPRL-R completely abrogated O2- secretion by neutrophils incubated with either HuGH or HuPRL, whereas a MAb to the HuGH-R had no effect. The HuGH variant K172A/F176A, which has reduced affinity for both the HuGH-binding protein (BP) and the HuPRL-BP, was unable to prime human neutrophils. This indicates that priming is initiated by a ligand-receptor interaction, the affinity of which is near that defined for receptors for PRL and GH. Another HuGH variant, K168A/E174A, which has relatively low affinity for the HuPRL-BP but slightly increased affinity for the HuGH-BP, had much reduced ability to prime neutrophils. In contrast, HuGH variant E56D/R64M, which has a similar affinity as wild-type HuGH for the HuPRL-BP but a lower affinity for the HuGH-BP, primed neutrophils as effectively as the wild-type HuGH. Finally, binding of HuGH to the HuPRL-BP but not to the HuGH-BP has been shown to be zinc dependent, and priming of neutrophils by HuGH was also responsive to zinc. Collectively, these data directly couple the binding of HuGH to the HuPRL-R with one aspect of functional activation of human target cells