13 research outputs found
Lectin binding patterns in normal canine endometrium and in bitches with pyometra and cystic endometrial hyperplasia
Cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) and
pyometra in the bitch are dioestral syndromes, supposed
to be caused by hormonal disturbances and changes in
endometrial steroid hormone receptor levels.
Histologically, the endometria show cystic dilated glands
and, if bacteria succeed in invading the uterus, pyometra
may develop in the following metoestrus. In this study,
lectin histochemistry was performed on paraffin sections
to compare carbohydrate expression of uterine glands
and surface epithelium in healthy dogs and in dogs with
CEH and pyometra. Lectin binding is a useful tool to
identify glycoconjugates, especially of the glycocalyx,
which has essential functions in the endometrium during
reproduction. Uterine tissue was obtained from 18
healthy bitches in metoestrus or anoestrus and 18 bitches
with a clinical diagnosis of CEH or pyometra. Normal
endometria showed cycle-dependent changes in SBA,
PNA, HPA and UEA binding during metoestrus and
anoestrus. LCA did not show cycle-dependent changes
and WGA bound to Golgi regions in the apical parts of
surface epithelial cells only in metoestrous. Endometria
with inflammatory alterations lost cycle-specific lectin
binding patterns and, with increasing severity of
pathological changes, showed a marked decrease in binding intensity to the glandular and surface epithelial
glycocalyx and secretions. In dogs with CEH, unaltered
glands with generally strong lectin binding to the
glycocoalyx and Golgi regions were found adjacent to
altered glands. The decrease of lectin binding in
pyometra cases is supposed to be a result of glandular
exhaustion after cystic hyperplasia. In addition, bacterial
adhesion to sugar residues on the uterine surface
epithelium might impede lectin binding
Changes in faecal bacteria and metabolic parameters in foals during the first six weeks of life
Many foals develop diarrhoea within the first two weeks of life which has been suggested to coincide with postpartum oestrus in their dams. To analyse the pathogenesis of this diarrhoea we have determined faecal bacteria in foals and their dams (n=30 each), and serum IGF-1 and gamma-globulins for 6 weeks after birth. In addition, effects of beta-carotene supplementation to mares (group 1: 1000 mg/day, n=15, group 2: control, n=15) on diarrhoea in foals were studied. Diarrhoea occurred in 92 and 79% of foals in groups 1 and 2, respectively, but was not correlated with oestrus in mares. Beta-carotene supplementation was without effect on foal diarrhoea. In mares, bacterial flora remained stable. The percentage of foals with cultures positive for E. coli was low at birth but increased within one day, the percentage positive for Enterococcus sp. was low for 10 days and for Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. was low for 2-4 weeks. By 4 weeks of age, bacterial flora in foals resembled an adult pattern. Concentration of serum IGF-1 was low at birth (group 1: 149 +/- 11, group 2: 166 +/- 17ng/ml), increased after day 1 (day 7 group 1: 384 +/- 30, group 2: 372 +/- 36) but at no time differed between groups. Serum gamma-globulin concentration in foals was low before colostrum intake and highest on day 1 (p<0.001 over time). In conclusion, neonatal diarrhoea in foals does not coincide with postpartum oestrus in their dams but with changes in intestinal bacteria and is not influenced by beta-carotene supplementation given to mares
Carbon footprints of crops from organic and conventional arable crop rotations – using a life cycle assessment approach
Many current organic arable agriculture systems are challenged by a dependency on imported livestock manure from conventional agriculture. At the same time organic agriculture aims at being climate friendly. A life cycle assessment is used in this paper to compare the carbon footprints of different organic arable crop rotations with different sources of N supply. Data from long-term field experiments at three different locations in Denmark were used to analyse three different organic cropping systems (‘Slurry’, ‘Biogas’ and ‘Mulching’), one conventional cropping system (‘Conventional’) and a “No input” system as reference systems. The ‘Slurry’ and ‘Conventional’ rotations received slurry and mineral fertilizer, respectively, whereas the ‘No input’ was unfertilized. The ‘Mulching’ and ‘Biogas’ rotations had one year of grass-clover instead of a faba bean crop. The grass-clover biomass was incorporated in the soil in the ‘Mulching’ rotation and removed and used for biogas production in the ‘Biogas’ rotation (and residues from biogas production were simulated to be returned to the field).
A method was suggested for allocating effects of fertility building crops in life cycle assessments. The results showed significantly lower carbon footprint of the crops from the ‘Biogas’ rotation (assuming that biogas replaces fossil gas) whereas the remaining crop rotations had comparable carbon footprints per kg cash crop. The study showed considerable contributions caused by the green manure crop (grass-clover) and highlights the importance of analysing the whole crop rotation and including soil carbon changes when estimating carbon footprints of organic crops especially where green manure crops are included