Epidemiology of lameness in dairy cows

Four visits were made to 50 dairy farms in England and Wales between February 2003 and February 2004 and a further three visits to 42 of these farms between February 2005 and February 2006. At each visit the locomotion of all cows was scored (15,597 cows, 34,643 measures). Multivariable regression analyses were preformed to identify risk factors associated with increased lameness (poor locomotion). Factors associated with mean herd poor locomotion were dry cows kept in straw yards compared with cubicle houses, pregnant heifers kept with milking cows compared with dry cows in winter, passage way widths 15cm, routine trimming of claws ofall cows by a claw trimmer or by- the farmer compared with no routine claw trimming, feeding maize silage to milking cows compared with other forage types, and the use of automatic scrapers compared with tractor scrapers in the cubicle house. Farmers recorded the lesions they observed while treating lame cows. Sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis were the three most frequently recorded lesions. The occurrence of sole ulcer, white line disease or digital dermatitis compared with having no lesion was used as the outcome variable in three multilevel binomial logistic regression models with month from calving nested within cow nested within farm. Risk factors associated with increased risk of sole ulcer were being housed on sparse bedding for four months or more, having grooved concrete floors on ~e farm, large herd sizes and parity numbers of four and above. Risk factors associated with increased white line disease were grooved concrete floors increasing parity number. Risk factors associated with increased digital dermatitis were grooved concrete floors and large herd sizes. A large clinical trial was used to assess the effect of intervening on known risk factors associated with lameness. Farmers in the treatment group received farm specific recommendations grouped under five targets areas which reflected the hypothesised aetiologies of sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis. There were small reductions in locomotion score and sole ulcer rate on treatment farms compared with control. These suggested that the hypotheses that reduced standing time and encouraged increased lying time through improved cow comfort may reduce sole ulcer were, at least in part, correct. There was no clear effect of treatment on the rate white line disease and digital dermatitis. It is likely that more than one of the following factors explain the lack of significant results from these initial investigations; poor recognition oflameness by farmers, insufficient uptake of recommendations, predisposition to lameness from previous lameness event and insufficiently specific lesion definitions

Activities of organic farmers succeeding in reducing lameness in dairy cows

Sixty-seven organic producers were among 189 dairy farmers completing the “Healthy Feet Project” in the UK. This aimed to reduce lameness in dairy herds by implementing existing knowledge. Participants received input at two levels: monitoring alone, or monitoring with extra support through a single veterinary advisory visit, annual visits from a trained non-veterinary facilitator and materials and contacts to encourage change. On average lameness on organic farms reduced by 12 percentage points over the three year period. On the farms achieving the greatest reduction,the most common changes were improvements to tracks and cubicle comfort, and more frequent footbathing or foot trimming. Practices to improve foot cleanliness, such as more frequent removal of slurry, were less often adopted. Further progress might be achieved by improvements of foot hygiene. Several farms with low lameness that reduced prevalence further improved their handling facilities and treated cows more promptly

Epidemiology of lameness in dairy cows

Four visits were made to 50 dairy farms in England and Wales between February 2003 and February 2004 and a further three visits to 42 of these farms between February 2005 and February 2006. At each visit the locomotion of all cows was scored (15,597 cows, 34,643 measures). Multivariable regression analyses were preformed to identify risk factors associated with increased lameness (poor locomotion). Factors associated with mean herd poor locomotion were dry cows kept in straw yards compared with cubicle houses, pregnant heifers kept with milking cows compared with dry cows in winter, passage way widths 15cm, routine trimming of claws ofall cows by a claw trimmer or by- the farmer compared with no routine claw trimming, feeding maize silage to milking cows compared with other forage types, and the use of automatic scrapers compared with tractor scrapers in the cubicle house. Farmers recorded the lesions they observed while treating lame cows. Sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis were the three most frequently recorded lesions. The occurrence of sole ulcer, white line disease or digital dermatitis compared with having no lesion was used as the outcome variable in three multilevel binomial logistic regression models with month from calving nested within cow nested within farm. Risk factors associated with increased risk of sole ulcer were being housed on sparse bedding for four months or more, having grooved concrete floors on ~e farm, large herd sizes and parity numbers of four and above. Risk factors associated with increased white line disease were grooved concrete floors increasing parity number. Risk factors associated with increased digital dermatitis were grooved concrete floors and large herd sizes. A large clinical trial was used to assess the effect of intervening on known risk factors associated with lameness. Farmers in the treatment group received farm specific recommendations grouped under five targets areas which reflected the hypothesised aetiologies of sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis. There were small reductions in locomotion score and sole ulcer rate on treatment farms compared with control. These suggested that the hypotheses that reduced standing time and encouraged increased lying time through improved cow comfort may reduce sole ulcer were, at least in part, correct. There was no clear effect of treatment on the rate white line disease and digital dermatitis. It is likely that more than one of the following factors explain the lack of significant results from these initial investigations; poor recognition oflameness by farmers, insufficient uptake of recommendations, predisposition to lameness from previous lameness event and insufficiently specific lesion definitions.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Changes in muscle cell cation regulation and meat quality traits are associated with genetic selection for high body weight and meat yield in broiler chickens

Between-breed genetic variation for muscle and meat quality traits was determined at eight weeks of age in 34 lines of purebred commercial broiler and layer lines and traditional breeds (categories) of chickens. Between-breed genetic variation for plasma ion concentrations and element concentration in muscle dry matter and ash were determined. Plasma from broilers had higher concentrations of Na+, K+, Mg++, total and free Ca++ and lower free:total Ca++ than plasma from layer and traditional lines. Muscle from broilers contained more Na and higher concentrations of K, Mg and Ca per mg of ash but not of dry matter compared with layer and traditional lines. In comparison with layer and traditional lines, broiler genotypes were over three times heavier, their plasma creatine kinase activity (CK), a marker of muscle tissue damage, was higher, their breast muscle colour was lighter (L*) and less red (a*) and yellow (b*) in appearance, the initial and final pH of their muscles were lower, the pH change was higher and their breast muscle was more tender. Thus, genetic selection for broiler traits has markedly altered cation regulation in muscle cells and may be associated with changes in muscle cell function and the development of pathology and meat quality problems

An investigation into space weather impacts on UK power station transformers

It is well documented that space weather can impact electricity infrastructure, and several incidents have been observed in recent decades and directly linked to large geomagnetic storms (e.g. the Hydro Quebec incident in 1989). However, less is understood about the impact of lower-level Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) on the health of transformers in the long term. Direct measurements of GIC at power stations are still quite rare, but all transformers sense and record levels of dissolved gases within the insulation, as a way of monitoring transformer health. In this study, the long term impact of geomagnetic activity on 13 power station transformers in the UK was investigated. Dissolved gas measurements between 2010-2015 were used to look for evidence of a link between degradation of the transformer insulation and heightened levels of global SYM-H and the rate of change of the horizontal magnetic field (dB/dt) as measured at the Eskdalemuir magnetometer station. First, case studies of the most significant storms in this time period were examined using dissolved gas analysis (DGA) methods, specifically the Low Energy Degradation Triangle (LEDT). These case studies were then augmented with a statistical survey, including Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA) of multiple storm events. No evidence of a strong space weather impact can be found during this time period, likely owing to the relatively quiet nature of the Sun during this epoch and the modernity of the transformers studied

Preferential associations in an unstable social network: applying social network analysis to a dynamic sow herd

Preferential associations are fitness-enhancing ties between individuals, documented in a range of taxa. Despite this, research into preferential associations remains underrepresented in commercial species, particularly pigs. This study investigates the development of preferential associations in a dynamic sow herd. Preferential associations were defined as approaching a resting sow and then sitting or lying with physical contact with the selected sow, separated by 60 s. For individual identification, each sow was marked with colored dots, stripes, or both, corresponding to their ear-tag number. Preferential associations were measured over one production cycle of 21 days. Behavioral observations took place on 7 days of the study, with 3 h of behavior per day recorded during peak activity times (08:00-09:00, 15:00-16:00, 20:00-21:00 h). Behaviors were recorded using five cameras, each positioned within the barn to provide coverage of the functional areas. The network metrics applied included in-degree centrality (received ties), out-degree centrality (initiated ties), centralization (the extent to which an individual is central within the network), clustering coefficient (a measure of tie strength), and the E-I Index (a measure of assortment by trait: parity, familiarity, and sociality). Individuals were added and removed during the study, so the centrality metrics of missing sows were weighted. To describe the structure of the network, brokerage typologies were applied. Brokerage typologies include five positions, including coordinators, gatekeepers, representatives, consultants, and liaisons. The results revealed social discrimination in assortment by connectedness even when ties were not reciprocal, and the most connected sows were significantly more likely to be approached than less connected individuals. The most connected sows had significantly higher in-degree and out-degree centrality. With the application of brokerage typologies, the results showed a relationship between connectedness and brokering type, with the most connected sows predominantly engaging in coordinating behavior. The results suggest that the motivation for discrimination in the unstable preferential association network was not founded upon bidirectional interactions. These findings highlight the complexities involved when forming social preferences and present a platform for further exploring the motivations for preferential associations among intensively farmed pigs

Acid and inflammatory sensitisation of naked mole-rat colonic afferent nerves.

Acid sensing in the gastrointestinal tract is required for gut homeostasis and the detection of tissue acidosis caused by ischaemia, inflammation and infection. In the colorectum, activation of colonic afferents by low pH contributes to visceral hypersensitivity and abdominal pain in human disease including during inflammatory bowel disease. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) shows no pain-related behaviour to subcutaneous acid injection and cutaneous afferents are insensitive to acid, an adaptation thought to be a consequence of the subterranean, likely hypercapnic, environment in which it lives. As such we sought to investigate naked mole-rat interoception within the gastrointestinal tract and how this differed from the mouse (Mus Musculus). Here, we show the presence of calcitonin gene-related peptide expressing extrinsic nerve fibres innervating both mesenteric blood vessels and the myenteric plexi of the smooth muscle layers of the naked mole-rat colorectum. Using ex vivo colonic-nerve electrophysiological recordings, we show differential sensitivity of naked mole-rat, compared to mouse, colonic afferents to acid and the prototypic inflammatory mediator bradykinin, but not direct mechanical stimuli. In naked mole-rat, but not mouse, we observed mechanical hypersensitivity to acid, whilst both species sensitised to bradykinin. Collectively, these findings suggest that naked mole-rat colonic afferents are capable of detecting acidic stimuli; however, their intracellular coupling to downstream molecular effectors of neuronal excitability and mechanotransduction likely differs between species.The authors declare no competing financial interests. This work was supported by Rosetrees Postdoctoral Grant (A1296; JRFH and EStJS), BBSRC grant (BB/R006210/1; JRFH and EStJS), Versus Arthritis Pain Challenge Grant (RG21973; GC and EStJS), AstraZeneca PhD studentshipt (KHB), EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF1565-2015; ZH) and University of Cambridge Vice Chancellor’s Award (TST)

An evaluation of a virtual COVID-19 ward to accelerate the supported discharge of patients from an acute hospital setting

open access articleBackground/Aims In response to high numbers of hospital admissions as a result of COVID-19, a virtual ward was implemented to achieve accelerated discharge from hospital without compromising patient safety. This study assessed the impact of this virtual ward for patients admitted to the acute hospital setting with COVID-19. Methods A community-based intervention using digital technology and a multi‑disciplinary team of specialist clinicians to monitor patients at home was established. An analysis was carried out within the service investigating the safety, health outcomes and resource use of the first 65 patients discharged from hospital into the virtual respiratory ward. Results Red days, where an urgent response was required, decreased from 33.8% of patients in their first 3 days at the virtual ward to 10.8% in their final 3 days (P=0.002). Four patients were readmitted to hospital, all for clotting disorders. There was one death, which was deemed unrelated to COVID-19. Length of stay was also reduced by 40.3% (P<0.001) and estimated overall savings were £68 052 (£1047 per patient). Conclusions The virtual ward appeared to assist with earlier discharges, had a low rate of clinically necessary re-admissions, and seemed to reduce costs without compromising patient safety. The authors believe that this intervention could be applied across other NHS trusts facing similar capacity issues as a result of COVID-19