Animal Welfare Assessment: Can We Develop a Practical, Time-Limited Assessment Protocol for Pasture-Based Dairy Cows in New Zealand?

Published source must be acknowledged with citationPublishe

The relationship between locomotion score and reproductive performance on an up-country large-scale commercial dairy farm in Sri Lanka

(c) The Author/sfals

Subfertility in Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Outcome of Fertility Assessments

_Objective:_ Subfertility is frequently encountered among female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and has been associated with disease activity and antirheumatic drugs. However, little is known about the results of the fertility assessments in these women. Our aim was to study the outcome of fertility assessments in subfer

XCI in preimplantation mouse and human embryos: first there is remodelling…

Female eutherians silence one of their X chromosomes to accomplish an equal dose of X-linked gene expression compared with males. The mouse is the most widely used animal model in XCI research and has proven to be of great significance for understanding the complex mechanism of X-linked dosage compensation. Although the basic principles of XCI are similar in mouse and humans, differences exist in the timing of XCI initiation, the genetic elements involved in XCI regulation and the form of XCI in specific tissues. Therefore, the mouse has its limitations as a model to understand early human XCI and analysis of human tissues is required. In this review, we describe these differences with respect to initiation of XCI in human and mouse preimplantation embryos, the extra-embryonic tissues and the in vitro model of the epiblast: the embryonic stem cells

Role of the rumen in copper and thiomolybdate absorption

The rumen is the site of significant interactions between Cu, S and Mo. It also shows reactions between Cu, S and Fe. The interaction between Mo and S results in the formation of thiomolybdates, which in the absence of adequate quantities of rumen Cu are absorbed into the animal and bind to Cu in biological compounds. This is the cause of thiomolybdate toxicity, often misleadingly called Cu deficiency. The effects of thiomolybdates being absorbed into the animal are considered, especially how thiomolybdates bind to Cu-containing compounds such as enzymes, decreasing their activity without removing the active Cu component. The sources of Cu, Mo, Fe and S are examined, including the impacts of water and soil on the animal's intake. Within the present review we have been able to provide evidence that: all classes of thiomolybdates are formed in the rumen; in the absence of available Cu all thiomolybdates can be absorbed into the animal rapidly though the rumen wall or via the small intestine; thiomolybdates bind to Cu in biological compounds and are able to cause problems; effects of thiomolybdate are reversible in vivo and in vitro on cessation of thiomolybdate challenge; the tetra-thiomolybdate form is the most potent Cu binder with decreased potency with decreasing S in the compound. Fe will exacerbate a thiomolybdate problem but will not directly cause it

Disease surveillance and risk factors affecting mortality of captive cirl buntings (Emberiza cirlus) in a translocation for conservation purposes

Cirl buntings in the UK were translocated over a 5-year period by collecting chicks from the residual population, hand-rearing and releasing them at a site in Cornwall with the aim of establishing a second breeding population. Because mortality and morbidity during captivity restrict the number and fitness of individuals available for release, selected parasites were monitored in the captive chicks, and all deaths were investigated by autopsy, histopathology and bacteriology. Risk factors associated with captive deaths were analysed. Annual mortality during captivity ranged from 4% (3 of 75 chicks in 2006) to 42% (26 of 73 in 2007) of chicks collected. Infectious disease associated with immunosuppression was an important factor in many deaths, and chicks collected with lower body weight were at greater risk of mortality. These findings emphasise the need for rigorous monitoring of all aspects of captive care during passerine translocations and provide evidence-based recommendations for future projects