Differences in prevalence of welfare indicators in male and female turkey flocks (Meleagris gallopavo)

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown that the transect walks (TW) method provide a practical and effective approach to welfare assessment in broiler and turkey farms. This method for turkey welfare assessment is reasonable in terms of time demands within minimal costs. Furthermore, TW approach resembles the routine checks used by farmers. The overall aim of this study was to verify the feasibility of the TW method as potential practical tool for on-farm welfare assessment in turkeys during the fattening period. A total of 14 commercial turkey farms (8 male and 6 female flocks) of the same genetic strain (British United Turkeys [B.U.T.] - Big 6) with similar management standard procedures were evaluated. Bird ages at evaluation ranged from 122 to 138 D and 90 to 103 D old, for males and females, respectively. Two independent assessors walked slowly on randomized longitudinal paths (transects) within each house, while recording the prevalence of birds showing any of the 12 welfare and health indicators considered: immobility, lameness, wounds, small size, featherless, dirtiness, sick, terminally ill, dead, and behavioral indicators, such as, aggression towards mate, interaction with humans and mating. The effect of assessor, gender, and interaction assessor by gender was evaluated by using ANOVA. Reliability of the method was noted by the effect of gender (

A case of small cell gastric carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component operated curatively.

We present a case of a primary advanced gastric tumor that was composed of 2 different pathological components: small cell carcinoma and moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient was still alive four years after the surgery was performed, without recurrence. A large part of the tumor consisted of a diffuse sheet of small cell carcinoma, which transitioned into another small portion consisting of moderately-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma components. Therefore, this case raised the possibility that small cell gastric carcinoma may originate from totipotential stem cells of the stomach. Although small cell carcinoma progresses aggressively, and patients with it have an extremely poor prognosis, this patient recovered uneventfully after the surgical resection, and has remained in good health, without any recurrences.</p

カイヨウセイ コンチュウ ウミアメンボHalobates japonicus Esaki Hemiptera Gerridae ノ ムレ ト ハンショク キカン ニカンスル ヨビテキ ケンキュウ

The sea skater Halobates japonicus Esaki was collected at two study sites, NA-1 and MA, in Kabira Bay on Ishigaki Island. Aggregations consisting of both nymphs and adults were found on the sea surface close to the shore often under overhanging coastal vegetation. At NA-1, 67% out of 309 insects caught were adults and the percentage of males was 69%, At MA, 52% of 230 specimens were adults and the percentage of males was 79%. The adults were dissected to count the number of eggs and to measure the length of the long and short axes of a mature egg or a testis. At site NA-1, 53% of the females were gravid with 2-10 mature eggs and 73% of the females had 1-7 semimature eggs. At site MA, 60% of females were gravid with 3-8 mature eggs and 54% of females had 1-4 semi-mature eggs. The mean number of immature eggs per ovaliole was 1.20 at site NA-1 and 1.77 at site MA. The mean size of both the long and short axes of a mature egg was big compared to the body length of the females (about 6mm), measuring 1.51mm and 0.434mm at site NA-1 and 1.54mm and 0.447mm at site MA. The mean length of the long and short axes of the testis was 2.78mm and 0.356mm at site NA, and 2.71mm and 0.341mm at site MA. In testis size, there appeared to be no distinctive differences, which may suggest a difference in sexual maturation among adult males

Porcine circovirus type 3 : immunohistochemical detection in lesions of naturally affected piglets

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) viral load and histopathological findings in perinatal piglet tissues and to develop an immunohistochemical method for detecting the virus in lesions. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycle threshold (Ct) when amplifying PCV3 DNA and the area of perivascular inflammatory infiltrates in different organs [central nervous system (CNS), lung, heart, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes] were compared. To develop an immunohistochemistry technique, rabbit sera were produced against PCV3-capsid protein peptides selected using bioinformatic analyses. The assay was initially implemented using a tissue sample previously tested using qPCR and in situ hybridization to optimize the procedure and reagent dilutions. To evaluate immunohistochemistry performance, tissue samples from another 17 cases were analyzed using standardized parameters. The most common microscopic lesion was multisystemic periarteritis, with associated vasculitis, as the mesenteric vascular plexus is one of the most affected organs. Other tissues, such as the heart, lung, CNS, and skeletal muscle, were also affected. Comparison of the Ct values for different tissues showed no significant difference, except in lymphoid organs (spleen and lymph nodes), which had significantly higher viral loads than the CNS tissues. There was no correlation between Ct values and perivascular inflammatory infiltrates. PCV3 immunohistochemistry revealed granular immunolabeling, mainly in the cytoplasm of cells in the vascular mesenteric plexus, heart, lung, kidney, and spleen

カイヨウセイ コンチュウ ウミアメンボHalobates japonicus Esaki Hemiptera Gerridae ノ ムレ ノ ホカク シケン

We conducted five consecutive daily samplings of the aggregation of the sea skater H. japonicus off the coast of Ishigaki Island. Each day, we eliminated almost all the sea skaters from the fixed sampling station. We caught 208 H. japonicus consisting of 188 adults and 27 nymphs on the first day, 67 adults and 44 nymphs on the second day, and 39 adults and only one nymph on the third day. On the fourth and fifth day we caught only adults, i.e., 30 and 27 individuals respectively. This result suggests that there were not many immigrants to the sampling station. The sea skaters may tend to remain at the same site in spite of the strong tidal currents, periodically acting to carry them away