Evaluation of the Lambs’ State of Consciousness Signs during Halal and Traditional Slaughtering

The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence of two signs of consciousness (rhythmic breathing and corneal reflex) in lambs slaughtered according to the traditional method and Halal ritual rite. A total of 240 lambs were examined and divided into two equal groups (n = 120 each). Lambs of group A were subjected to the stunning phase by the action of an electric current on the brain, while lambs of group B were slaughtered according to the religious Halal method without prior stunning. Rhythmic breathing (RB) and corneal reflex (CR) were used as indicators of prolonged brain function, and their evaluation was carried out by the operators in three subsequent steps at 15 s, 30 s, and 90 s post-bleeding, respectively. The stunning of the lambs reduced the animal’s state of consciousness and, consequently, reduced suffering, pain, and distress. Indeed, the lambs of group B showed longer duration consciousness than the animals stunned by electrodes. The permanence of the reflexes in Halal slaughter could be reduced by introducing a reversible stunning method to make the animal temporarily unconscious. Moreover, given that our results revealed consciousness also after 90 s post-cut, the assessment of the animal’s state of consciousness in wider time intervals than those commonly used is recommended

Evaluation of the Occurrence of False Aneurysms During Halal Slaughtering and Consequences on the Animal’s State of Consciousness

This study evaluated the occurrence of false aneurysms and reflexes in bovines, associated with the point along the neck where the cut was performed. The survey was carried out on a total of 1200 male beef cattle, belonging mainly to the Charolais and Limousin breeds, aged between twelve and twenty-four months. In the slaughterhouse, three operators, identified by convention as Operator C4, Operator C2, and Operator C1, performed the Halal slaughtering. Each operator carried out the slaughter of 400 animals and, on the basis of his own professional training, performed the cutting of the vessels at different points along the neck: Operator C4 between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae; Operator C2 at the level of the second cervical vertebra; and Operator C1 at the first cervical vertebra. The occurrence of false aneurysms was assessed on the basis of the different cutting site used by the three operators. Then, the evaluation of consciousness indicators, that is, rhythmic breathing and eye response, closely related to a slow bleeding process and to a delayed loss of brain function, was carried out 90 s post-bleeding. The group of cattle slaughtered by Operator C4 had a prevalence of false aneurysms of 10.25%. Conversely, the other two groups of cattle slaughtered by Operators C2 and C1 showed false aneurysm formation in 7.25% of each case. Further, 37.5% of the animals (18 for Operator C4, 17 for Operator C2, and 16 for Operator C1) with signs of consciousness 90 s after sticking were consequent to the onset of false aneurysms and, more precisely, they were owing to a late second cut of the vessel carried out by the operator, when false aneurysms occurred. The results of the research showed that the cutting point chosen by the operator is a key element in determining the onset of false aneurysms

Microvascular Density, Endothelial Area, and Ki-67 Proliferative Index Correlate Each Other in Cat Post-Injection Fibrosarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas are a large group of different tumor types both in humans and in animals. Among them, fibrosarcoma is the most frequent malignant mesenchymal tumoral form in cats, representing up to 28% of all cat skin tumors, while human fibrosarcoma, fortunately, only represents 5% of all sarcomas and 0.025% of the world-wide burden of tumors. This low incidence in humans leads to consideration of this group of tumoral diseases as rare, so therapeutic options are few due to the difficulty of starting clinical trials. In this context, the identification of research models for fibrosarcomas could be of great interest to deepen knowledge in this field and recognize new or possible biological pathways involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Angiogenesis is considered a fundamental scattering cause of tumor aggressiveness and progression in all forms of cancer, but only a few research parameters were developed and reported to express them quantitatively and qualitatively. The role in angiogenesis of microenvironmental stromal cells, such as fibroblasts, lymphocytes, mast cells, and macrophages, was largely demonstrated since this topic was first approached, while quantification of new vessels and their blood capacity in tumoral area is a relatively recent approach that could be well developed thanks to expertise in immunohistochemistry and image analysis. In this paper, a crossing study evaluating microvascular density (MVD), endothelial area (EA), and Ki-67 proliferative index was reported for a series of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 99 cat patients, affected by cat post-injection fibrosarcoma, by using a till ×400 magnification light microscopy. We aim to demonstrate that cat pets may be considered a useful animal model for better studying the correspondent human diseases and we report, for the first time to our knowledge, experimental data in terms of correlation among MVD, EA, and Ki-67 strictly involved in aggressiveness and tumoral progression

« Un lavage, c’est un lavage » : des chauffeurs bovins face aux consignes sanitaires

International audienceAlors que le transport d’animaux vivants fait l’objet d’un intérêt crois- sant en matière de lutte contre la circulation des maladies animales, experts et législateurs butent, dans le cas des bovins, sur le fait que les professionnels condui- sant les camions ne respectent pas ou peu les réglementations en vigueur en matière de nettoyage et désinfection des camions. Ces écarts à la règle sont, le plus souvent, attribués au manque de formation et de connaissance des chauf- feurs.Appuyé sur des matériaux empiriques de première main, cet article montre que les pratiques de nettoyage et désinfection sont connues des chauffeurs d’ani- maux vivants dont les savoir-faire propres au monde agricole auxquels ils appar- tiennent, concurrencent l’expertise sanitaire. L’analyse souligne également les injonctions (temporelles, notamment) multiples et souvent contradictoires vécues par ces professionnels à la frontière du monde de l’élevage et de l’industrie comme facteurs principaux de cet écart aux règles en matière de nettoyage et désinfection, contestant ainsi l’hypothèse dominante d’un manque d’information

« Un lavage, c’est un lavage » : des chauffeurs bovins face aux consignes sanitaires

International audienceAlors que le transport d’animaux vivants fait l’objet d’un intérêt crois- sant en matière de lutte contre la circulation des maladies animales, experts et législateurs butent, dans le cas des bovins, sur le fait que les professionnels condui- sant les camions ne respectent pas ou peu les réglementations en vigueur en matière de nettoyage et désinfection des camions. Ces écarts à la règle sont, le plus souvent, attribués au manque de formation et de connaissance des chauf- feurs.Appuyé sur des matériaux empiriques de première main, cet article montre que les pratiques de nettoyage et désinfection sont connues des chauffeurs d’ani- maux vivants dont les savoir-faire propres au monde agricole auxquels ils appar- tiennent, concurrencent l’expertise sanitaire. L’analyse souligne également les injonctions (temporelles, notamment) multiples et souvent contradictoires vécues par ces professionnels à la frontière du monde de l’élevage et de l’industrie comme facteurs principaux de cet écart aux règles en matière de nettoyage et désinfection, contestant ainsi l’hypothèse dominante d’un manque d’information

« Un lavage, c’est un lavage » : des chauffeurs bovins face aux consignes sanitaires

International audienceAlors que le transport d’animaux vivants fait l’objet d’un intérêt crois- sant en matière de lutte contre la circulation des maladies animales, experts et législateurs butent, dans le cas des bovins, sur le fait que les professionnels condui- sant les camions ne respectent pas ou peu les réglementations en vigueur en matière de nettoyage et désinfection des camions. Ces écarts à la règle sont, le plus souvent, attribués au manque de formation et de connaissance des chauf- feurs.Appuyé sur des matériaux empiriques de première main, cet article montre que les pratiques de nettoyage et désinfection sont connues des chauffeurs d’ani- maux vivants dont les savoir-faire propres au monde agricole auxquels ils appar- tiennent, concurrencent l’expertise sanitaire. L’analyse souligne également les injonctions (temporelles, notamment) multiples et souvent contradictoires vécues par ces professionnels à la frontière du monde de l’élevage et de l’industrie comme facteurs principaux de cet écart aux règles en matière de nettoyage et désinfection, contestant ainsi l’hypothèse dominante d’un manque d’information

« Un lavage, c’est un lavage » : des chauffeurs bovins face aux consignes sanitaires

International audienceAlors que le transport d’animaux vivants fait l’objet d’un intérêt crois- sant en matière de lutte contre la circulation des maladies animales, experts et législateurs butent, dans le cas des bovins, sur le fait que les professionnels condui- sant les camions ne respectent pas ou peu les réglementations en vigueur en matière de nettoyage et désinfection des camions. Ces écarts à la règle sont, le plus souvent, attribués au manque de formation et de connaissance des chauf- feurs.Appuyé sur des matériaux empiriques de première main, cet article montre que les pratiques de nettoyage et désinfection sont connues des chauffeurs d’ani- maux vivants dont les savoir-faire propres au monde agricole auxquels ils appar- tiennent, concurrencent l’expertise sanitaire. L’analyse souligne également les injonctions (temporelles, notamment) multiples et souvent contradictoires vécues par ces professionnels à la frontière du monde de l’élevage et de l’industrie comme facteurs principaux de cet écart aux règles en matière de nettoyage et désinfection, contestant ainsi l’hypothèse dominante d’un manque d’information

Management of Laying Hen Farms in France Infected by Salmonella spp.: Comparison of Three Strategies

The presence of Salmonella spp. on laying hen farms turns out to be a major problem for public health reasons, mainly related to foodborne illnesses that may arise due to ingestion of contaminated eggs. When Salmonella spp. infection on farms is confirmed by laboratory analysis, animal health measures are applied on the establishment, including total elimination of animals. The aim of this study is to describe three different methods of managing Salmonella enteritidis-infected laying hen farms, all of which were used within the Moselle department (France). The methods chosen, culling, use of a mobile CO2 container, or lethal injection with T-61, depend on specific starting conditions, including the number of birds and proximity to an authorized slaughterhouse. This study, therefore, helps to identify the main problems with each method and provides recommendations for improving the management of Salmonella spp.-infected laying hen farms, where antibiotics cannot be used

Mast cells positive to c-kit receptor and to tryptase in normal to cancer pancreatic tissue and the correlation with angiogenesis.

Background: In the last years published studies demonstrated that mast cells (MCs) contain pro-angiogenic factors associated with tumoral angiogenesis. Tryptase is the most abundant and potent pro-angiogenic substance contained in MCs secretory granules and it can be released in tumour microenvironment. Up to now few data have been published on the role of MCs in angiogenesis in both pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer tissue (PDACT) and adjacent normal tissue (ANT). Methods: In this study MCs density positive to C-Kit receptor (MCDP-C-KitR), MCs density positive to tryptase (MCDPT), MCs area positive to tryptase (MCAPT), angiogenesis in terms of microvascular density (MVD) and endothelial area (EA) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and image analysis in both PDACT and ANT. All tissue samples were obtained from 45 patients with stage T2-3N0-1M0 (by AJCC for Pancreas Cancer Staging 7th Edition) who had undergone surgery. For each analyzed tissue parameter mean ± standard deviation was evaluated in both PDACT and ANT and differences were evaluated by Student t-test. Each analysed tissue parameter was then correlated each other by Pearson t-test analysis. Results: The mean value ± standard deviation (SD) regarding MCDP-C-KitR, MCDPT, MCAPT, MVD and EA in TT was 14.69±4.57, 13.31± 4,23, 171.41±62,39 µ2, 29.11±7.93, 201.82±70.05 µ2 respectively and the mean value ± SD in ANT was 5.61 ± 2.39, 5.13 ± 2.03, 54.43 ± 16.73 µ2, 11.45 ± 4.96, 67.60 ± 21.96 µ2, respectively. Differences in terms of mean value ± SD between PDACT and ANT were significant for each analyzed tissue biomarker (p ranged from 0,001 to 0,004 by t-test analysis; Table). Data demonstrated that MCDP-C-KitR MCDPT, MCAPT, MVD and EA significantly increased from ANT to PCT. In PCT it was showed a correlation between MCDP-C-KitR and MCDPT (r = 0.87, p = 0.01), MCDP-C-KitR and MVD (r = 0.74, p = 0.02), MCDP-C-KitR and MCAPT (r = 0.81, p = 0.01), MCDPT and MVD (r = 0.72, p = 0.02), MCD-C-KitR and EA (r = 0.73, p = 0.02), MCDPT and MCAPT (r = 0.85, p = 0.01), MCAPT and MVD (r = 0.76, p = 0.02), MCAPT and EA (r = 0.66, p = 0.03), MCDPT and EA (r = 0.69, p = 0.03), MVD and EA (r = 0.82, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our data suggest that assessed tissue parameters increased from ANT to PDACT and that MCs are associated with angiogenesis in PDACT. On this basis inhibition of MCs by tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as masitinib or inhibition of tryptase by gabexate mesylate may be a novel antiangiogenetic approach in pancreatic cancer therapy

Mast Cells, Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Human Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is diagnosed in nearly one million new patients each year and it remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although gastric cancer represents a heterogeneous group of diseases, chronic inflammation has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis. Cancer development is a multistep process characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations during tumour initiation and progression. The stromal microenvironment is important in maintaining normal tissue homeostasis or promoting tumour development. A plethora of immune cells (i.e., lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells, monocytes, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, Treg cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells) are components of gastric cancer microenvironment. Mast cell density is increased in gastric cancer and there is a correlation with angiogenesis, the number of metastatic lymph nodes and the survival of these patients. Mast cells exert a protumorigenic role in gastric cancer through the release of angiogenic (VEGF-A, CXCL8, MMP-9) and lymphangiogenic factors (VEGF-C and VEGF-F). Gastric mast cells express the programmed death ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2) which are relevant as immune checkpoints in cancer. Several clinical undergoing trials targeting immune checkpoints could be an innovative therapeutic strategy in gastric cancer. Elucidation of the role of subsets of mast cells in different human gastric cancers will demand studies of increasing complexity beyond those assessing merely mast cell density and microlocalization