Fatty liver is a metabolic disorder of dairy cows in early lactation, and approximately half of multi-parous dairy cows experience a moderate to severe fatty liver at calving. Since the occurrence of fatty liver in buffalo is not known, the aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatic content of triacylglycerols (TAG) and total lipids (TL), and the serum content of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in native buffalo at different stages of productivity. The relationship between body condition score (BCS), age, serum NEFA content and hepatic TAG and TL content was also considered. A total of 119 blood and liver samples were randomly collected from indigenous buffalo immediately after slaughter. Buffalo were divided into six groups: male, heifer, non-pregnant lactating, 1-8 months pregnant lactating, late pregnant and immediately post parturient. Serum NEFA concentration in late pregnant and recently calved buffalo was significantly higher than that of males and heifers. Liver TAG content rose significantly in the first months after parturition, but liver TL content was not affected by the physiological status of the animals. Serum NEFA concentration was not associated with liver TAG or TL content. BCS had no significant correlation with either serum NEFA concentration or age of the animals. The results showed that an increase in liver TAG and serum NEFA was seen in late pregnancy and after parturition in buffalo, similar to results in cows. However, TAG and NEFA levels were much lower than in dairy cattle and it can therefore be concluded that there is no indication of fatty liver in buffalo.

Bacillus spp. are Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria used commercially as probiotics in the larviculture of fish. Bacillus spp. can act positively on cultured organisms by enhancing their survival and growth, stimulating their digestive and immune systems, and improving water quality. In this present study, grass carp larvae were fed on Artemia urmiana, Artemia fransiscana and Artemia parthenogenetica nauplii. In probiotic trials, the combination of Bacillus circulans and Bacillus licheniformis was also added to rearing tanks of grass carp at 1×106 CFU/L. Final body weight, specific growth rate, thermal growth coefficient, daily growth coefficient and relative gain rate were all affected by the addition of probiotic Bacillus spp. (P

In this study, the effect of chamomile extract on the ability of neonatal calves to absorb immunoglobulin G (IgG) was evaluated. An ethanolic extract of chamomile was obtained with the concentration of 111 mg/ml. Calves were randomly divided into four groups, each receiving one of four chamomile treatments; 1: low dose (LC; 5.5 mg/kg body weight; 2: moderate dose (MC; 11 mg/kg); 3: high dose (HC; 22 mg/kg); 4: a control (CO; normal saline). Chamomile extract was injected intravenously into the jugular vein 1 h after birth and before colostrum intake. There was no significant difference in concentration of serum IgG between LC and CO calves (P = 0.792). MC calves had a significantly higher serum IgG concentration at 48 h compared with LC and CO calves (P = 0.002, P = 0.003, respectively). There was no statistical difference between MC and HC calves at 48 h (P = 0.264). These results show that chamomile extract could promote colostral IgG absorption in neonatal calves if a suitable dose is given immediately after birth.

Ghrelin, a peptide hormone, has several functions, of which the best known is its growth hormone (GH)-releasing effect in the pituitary. It also increases appetite and feeding behavior. Recent studies have implicated ghrelin in the regulation of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and immune function, and suggest a role for ghrelin in bone physiology. In this study, the effect of chronically administered ghrelin on the histomorphometrical properties of stomach and different parts of intestinal mucosa were evaluated in a rat model. Significant differences between control and ghrelin-treated groups were observed in gastrointestinal mucosa, stomach gland length, and duodenal mucosal thickness, villus length and crypt depth (P

The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of citric and tartaric acids on experimental dermatophytosis in guinea pigs. In this study, the susceptibility of Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes to citric and tartaric acids was assessed using the macrodilution broth method. In the animal experiments, a cream consisting of the mixed acids was topically applied once per day for ten consecutive days, beginning five days following infection. Animals in a positive control group were treated with 1% clotrimazole cream. The results of this study showed that application of the mixed acid cream led to a significant improvement in guinea pigs suffering from dermatophytosis (P < 0.05). A similar improvement in local symptoms was achieved in the animals treated with 1% clotrimazole cream. These results indicate that organic acids such as citric and tartaric acids can potentially act as topical antifungal agents and may represent a valuable new approach in dermatophytosis.

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) is a Pestivirus of the Flaviviviridaefamily that infects cattle, and its widespread distribution can cause substantial economic losses worldwide. The aims of this study were: (1) to estimate the prevalence of animals persistently infected (PI) with BVDV in industrial dairy cattle herds in suburb of Mashhad- Iran; and (2) to compare the occurrence of persistently infected (PI) animals in industrial dairy cattle herds where BVDV animals had been either removed from or retained in the herds. In total, 157 blood samples were taken from individual cows from 18 Holstein dairy cattle herds each containing 250-3000 cows in suburb of Mashhad. The blood samples were analyzed for the presence of BVDV using Pestivirus antigen-capture ELISA. Positive animals were retested after three weeks and animals those tested positive again weredefined as PI. We found that only 3/18 herds (16.7%) containedantigen-positive cows, and that only 5/157 animals tested (3.2%) wereantigen positive. All of the positive animals were confirmed as PI, andall of PI cows were less than 17 months old. The true prevalence ofantigen-positive cows was calculated to be 3.31%. A significantproportion (p

An adult female budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) presented with abdominal enlargement. The condition of the bird deteriorated after needle aspiration for cytological examination. The budgerigar was euthanatized and a complete necropsy was performed. Microscopic sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Gram staining, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and acid-fast staining. Escherichia coli was isolated in pure culture. Necropsy revealed the pres­ence of granulo­matous lesions of varying sizes at different locations and hepatomegaly, oviduct impaction and oophoritis. Histopathologically, typical granuloma with a central area of coagulation necrosis and bacterial colonies surrounded by lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells were found. These granulomas were present in the liver, oviduct and intestinal tract. A sheet of neoplastic cells and disruption of the normal hepatic architecture was seen. The diagnosis was lymphoid leucosis and coligranuloma.

Various forms of intensive sport place stress on the musculoskeletal system of the horse, during both racing and training. The musculoskeletal system of the horse has an inherent ability to adapt to the demands of high speed exercise, but exceeding the threshold of adaptive capacity may result in some form of damage. Continuing racing or training may delay the repair process and put the horse at risk of more serious musculoskeletal injury. This study investigated injury in different breeds of horses involved in various types of activity in riding clubs in Tehran. Of the 400 horses that took part in various events during the race season from March 2008 to September 2009, 26 were injured. The most common injury was to the musculoskeletal system of the fore limbs (64%). The hind limbs suffered 16% of the injuries and the head and neck 4%. From a gender aspect, incident rates were higher in mares (54%) than in stallions (46%). From a breed point of view, Thoroughbred and Arab horses had higher incident rates (100% and 85% respectively) than a hybrid horse (50%). Findings of this study also showed the relationship between gender, breed and age of the horses to the injury site, type and outcome, and type of the events.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bacterial inoculation on the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn silage and on the dry matter degradability and milk composition when fed to sheep or cows. Four male sheep were selected to measure dry matter degradability of uninoculated (UCS) and inoculated (ICS) corn silage. Milk composition was measured for 22 Holstein cows, separated into two treatment groups and fed with either UCS or ICS diets. Similar lactic acid concentrations but higher propionic and lower acetic acid concentrations were recorded for ICS diets compared to UCS diets (p < 0.05). Aerobic stability was 12 h and 32 h for UCS and ICS, respectively. Values of in sacco dry matter loss were higher for ICS than for UCS (p < 0.05). Lactose and solid non-fat content was higher in the milk of cows fed with ICS than UCS (p < 0.05). We conclude that the Lalsil bacterial inoculant containing propioni bacterium acidipropionici and Lactobacillus plantarum can be used as an additive due to its positive effect on fermentation, aerobic stability and dry matter degradability of corn silage. The slight positive effect of inoculcation on the nutritional value of silage appears to be limited to milk production improvement in dairy cows.

This study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure in perfused rat livers by evaluating damage marker enzymes, antioxidant defense systems (glutathione, GSH) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA). Sixteen rats were divided randomly into four experimental groups: control, PTX, AFB1 and AFB1 + PTX. Rats in the control group were infused with Krebs–Henseleit bicarbonate buffer. Rats in the AFB1-treated group received approximately 1 ppm and the PTX- treated group received 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally 24 h before surgery. Alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels were increased by AFB1 and decreased by PTX. PTX also ameliorated the increased concentration of MDA caused by AFB1. PTX did not compensate for the decrease in GSH caused by AFB1. These results imply that PTX has an antioxidant effect by inhibiting free radicals, and prior treatment with PTX ameliorates the effects of AFB1-induced lipid peroxidation but does not compensate GSH depots.