Waiting time in the premilking holding pen and subsequent lying and walking behaviors of Holstein cows

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Automated sensors allow monitoring of behavioral and physiological variables from large numbers of dairy cows, opening new possibilities for research.

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Waiting time in the premilking holding area can vary greatly among dairies and individual cows and could affect the time budget of cows.

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We found a moderate effect of waiting time before milking on lying time and lying bouts after the night milking.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of waiting time (WT) in the premilking holding pen on the subsequent lying and walking behaviors of Holstein cows. A total of 108 cows (multiparous n = 95; primiparous n = 13), milked 3 times/d [AM (0700 h), PM (1500 h), and nighttime (2300 h)] were monitored for individual WT, which was defined as the time elapsed between the entrance of the first cow to the milking stall in a rotary milking system and the entrance of each subsequent cow housed in the same milking pen. Data for lying time (min), standing time (min), lying bouts (no.), and walking behavior (no. of steps) in 15-min intervals were collected using a commercial 3-dimensional accelerometer affixed on the hind left leg of each cow from early to mid lactation. Mean values (min/h, no./h) for each behavior calculated between consecutive milkings were compared among 3 WT categories: cows with WT ≤30 min (WT1), WT 30 to 60 min (WT2), and WT >60 min (WT3). The overall mean (SD) of WT during the study period was 31.2 (23.4) min, and the distribution of WT1, WT2, and WT3 in all cows through the monitoring period was 50.9, 43.3, and 5.7%, respectively. No significant effects were established for overall WT on any of the behaviors under analysis. However, subsequent analysis by milking shift indicated that, during the period following the night milking, cows in WT1 exhibited the shortest lying time, whereas cows in WT3 had the greatest number of lying bouts. No effect of WT category was observed on the number of steps after any of the milking shifts. Results of this study indicate a moderate effect of WT on lying behavior after the nighttime milking. Variables such as temperature-humidity index, parity, and time of day affected cow behavior and should be considered when evaluating the impact of routine management practices, such as milking, on commercial farms.

Tuberculosis and viral hepatitis infection in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America: impact of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors in clinical practice

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors are increasingly becoming the standard of care for treating a number of inflammatory diseases. However, treatment with TNF-α inhibitors carries an inherent risk of compromising the immune system, resulting in an increased susceptibility to infections and malignancies. This increased risk of infection is of particular concern in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America where tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis are endemic. In this brief review, we examine the literature and review the impact of TNF-α inhibitors on the incidence and the reactivation of latent disease with respect to TB, hepatitis C infection, and hepatitis B infection. Our findings show that TNF-α inhibitors are generally safe, if used with caution. Patients should be screened prior to the initiation of TNF-α inhibitor treatment and given prophylactic treatment if needed. In addition, patients should be monitored during treatment with TNF-α inhibitors and after treatment has stopped to ensure that infections, if detected, are treated promptly and effectively. Our analysis is consistent with other reports and guidelines.

Paradoxical psoriasiform reactions to anti-TNFα drugs are associated with genetic polymorphisms in patients with psoriasis

Paradoxical psoriasiform reactions to anti-tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) agents have been described. We aimed to study the association between these reactions and polymorphisms in genes previously associated with psoriasis or other autoimmune diseases. A total of 161 patients with plaque-type psoriasis treated with anti-TNFα drugs were genotyped for 173 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the Illumina Veracode genotyping platform. Among the 161 patients, 25 patients developed a paradoxical psoriasiform reaction consisting of a change in morphology, mostly to guttate psoriasis (88%). These lesions developed 9.20±13.52 months after initiating treatment, mainly with etanercept (72%). Psoriasis type and a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 response to treatment were not associated with lesions. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that five SNPs (rs11209026 in IL23R, rs10782001 in FBXL19, rs3087243 in CTLA4, rs651630 in SLC12A8 and rs1800453 in TAP1) were associated with paradoxical reactions. This is the first study to show an association between genetic polymorphisms and paradoxical reactions in patients with psoriasis treated with anti-TNFα drugs.The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance online publication, 21 July 2015; doi:10.1038/tpj.2015.53.

Development of an oligonucleotide-specific capture plate hybridization assay for detection of Haemophilus parasuis

An oligonucleotide-specific capture plate hybridization assay has been developed to rapidly, specifically, and sensitively detect Haemophilus parasuis from nasal swabs. Several in vitro studies have been performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the test, and in vivo studies have validated this technique in pigs. Results suggest that the assay detects <100 colony-forming units/ml in a pure culture and gives a positive result when H. parasuis is present in a ratio of 1:10(3)-10(4) in a mixed culture, and the probe does not hybridize with other related species found in the upper respiratory tract. This assay is more sensitive than culture for detection of the microorganism from nasal swabs and lesions.

[The disease of beta 2-amyloid deposition in the differential diagnosis of juxta-articular subchondral geode lesions]

Beta-2 amyloidosis deposition is a new type of amyloidosis recently observed in long-term hemodialysis patients. One of the major osteoarticular complications of this disease is the appearance of subchondral bone cysts. In this paper the radiologic features of such radiolucencies are described and the criteria are outlined of the differential diagnosis from the geodes found in other arthropathies or para-physiologic conditions. The importance of the status of the joint space is stressed: on the basis of its patterns, arthropathies may be grouped as follows: inhomogeneous space narrowing in degenerative arthritis; homogeneous space narrowing in inflammatory arthritis; normal or nearly normal joint space if there is no/not-prevalent involvement of articular cartilage.

Epidemiological pattern of Chagas' disease in an endemic area of Costa Rica

Triatoma dimidiata was found in association with 34.6% of the houses in a representative town within the dispersion area of the insect. The mean density over the entire study period was 21.5 insects per house, but it tended to be lower in the majority of the houses. Insects usually were associated with dirt floors, poor sanitary condition of dwellings, and piles of firewood. The infection rate of 3,276 insects for Trypanosoma cruzi was 30.9%. The infection was demonstrated in several synanthropic animals: 25 dogs (9.9%); 3 cats (2.9%); 121 Rattus rattus (30.6%); 1 R. norwegicus (3.8%); and 11 mice (10.7%). Among six species of wild reservoirs from the surrounding bush found infected with T. cruzi, the common opossum (together with the black rat) was considered the most important reservoir of the parasite. Besides the relative abundance and the high infection rate of the opossum (62.5% by direct methods), its natural association with T. dimidiata was likewise demonstrated. Among 1,420 persons examined serologically, 166 (11.7%) were positive; xeno-diagnosis was positive in 14 (2.2%) out of 636 persons, and electrocardiograms (EKG's) were compatible with Chagas' cardiopathy in 60 (6.0%) of 1,006 persons examined. The EKG alterations were significantly higher in serologically positive persons. Studies in a control town, free of vectors, showed complete absence of the infection in both humans and animals.