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Pharmacokinetics of Amoxicillin in the Cat
Get PDFThe pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of amoxicillin in cats has not been thoroughly investigated. In a single-group sequential designed experimental study, amoxicillin was administered to six healthy cats intravenously, orally, and subcutaneously. Repeated blood samples were drawn after each administration, and amoxicillin concentrations were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry. Plasma amoxicillin data were subjected to population pharmacokinetic analysis, and pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. The population clearance was 0.18 L/h center dot kg, the volume of the central compartment was 0.12 L/kg, the highly perfused compartment was 0.009 L/kg, and the poorly perfused compartment was 0.002 L/kg. The bioavailability was 33% and 69% after oral and subcutaneous administration, respectively. After subcutaneous administration of a slow-release formulation, there was absorption rate-limited pharmacokinetics. The plasma protein binding was 0%-24%. The results increase the understanding of the amoxicillin pharmacokinetics in cats. Further studies combining the results with pharmacodynamic data and in silico simulations are warranted
The effect of neighbouring cows within the milking parlour on a cow's daily milk yield
Get PDFSocial interactions in a dairy herd are essential to maintain the herd's structure. Disturbances in social relationships can be stressful and may impact both animal welfare and production. Pathological and physiological changes, biological variations, but also the social environment induced by surrounding cows can affect variation in the daily milk production. This study aims to investigate the social interplay between cows during milking by examining the milking order in a milking parlour and determining if the individuals a cow stands next to will affect its daily milk yield. Milking order data from 234 individuals was collected from a two-sided herringbone parlour twice a day for 35 days. The indirect effect of the neighbour cows in the milking parlour was studied by fitting a linear mixed model to the daily milk yield residuals. The estimated indirect effects on milk yield ranged from-1.07 kg to 0.85 kg. We described a weak negative correlation of-0.26 (SE: 0.09) between direct and indirect effect estimates. The average of the indirect effects of neighbouring cows differed between different lactation stages and regrouped cows changed to a more negative estimated indirect effect in their new group. Our results show individual variation in the average indirect effect on the milk yield of the neighbour, with some individuals having a positive effect on their group mates, while others have a more negative effect. Further investigation of these effects would be helpful in selecting the best individuals in a herd and optimising group composition and milking routines
First detection of a cervidpoxvirus in Europe-disease occurrence in semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway and Sweden
Get PDFGlobally, there are six millions of Rangifer spp., including both wild and semi-domesticated populations. Reindeer herding with Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) is central to the Fennoscandian S & aacute;mi people. Commencing in 2018, a novel disease presenting with periorbital lesions was reported in reindeer in multiple locations in Norway and Sweden, as individual cases and outbreaks. Lesions were also seen on the genitals, nostrils, and ears of affected reindeer, in combination with lethargy. Necropsy findings included lesions with crusts on the eyelids, vulva, and anus, along with moderately swollen lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. Histological examination of the eyelid lesions showed a disrupted epidermis with necrotic squamous epithelium and inflammation. Shotgun sequencing of samples from outbreaks yielded a partial draft genome of a virus related to Deerpox virus W-848-83 (currently known as Cervidpoxvirus muledeerpox) in genus Cervidpoxvirus. Cervidpoxviruses have previously only been detected in Capreolinae in North America. An in-house qPCR targeting the cervidpoxvirus virion core protein gene was designed and showed the presence of viral-specific DNA in multiple organs, with the highest load in skin lesions. RNAscope in situ hybridization detected viral transcripts in the epithelium of the eye lesions. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of intracytoplasmic poxvirus-like particles with characteristic morphology within the lesions. In vitro infection in Madin-Darby bovine kidney epithelial cells demonstrated cytopathic effect. It is unknown whether the emergence of this disease in semi-domesticated reindeer in Norway and Sweden is due to ecosystem changes facilitating altered disease dynamics, or if the virus has been recently introduced.IMPORTANCEThis study documents the first detection of a Cervidpoxvirus in Europe, causing disease in semi-domesticated reindeer in Norway and Sweden. It identifies the causative agent and describes the disease characteristics of this previously unknown condition in reindeer, advancing our understanding of how this virus impacts reindeer health and welfare. Given the cultural and ecological importance of reindeer herding in Fennoscandia, understanding this disease is crucial for safeguarding the livelihoods of S & aacute;mi communities. Additionally, the study raises important questions about the role of ecosystem changes, climate-driven insect dynamics, and potential reservoir hosts in facilitating disease outbreaks. These findings underscore the broader implications of environmental change on animal health and highlight the need for continued research to mitigate risks posed by emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)
Increasing global wood demand will risk forest sustainability
Get PDFThe European Union aims to be climate neutral by 2050, driving ambitious mitigation efforts. Our study investigates how climate and bioeconomy policies impact biodiversity in Sweden. Using GLOBIOM Model, we project the wood demand under three policy scenarios: Current policy, Bioenergy and Bioeconomy. Focal biodiversity indicators are mean deadwood volume, area of old forest, area of old forest rich in broadleaves and mean age of standing trees. Forest dynamics are simulated using Heureka-Planwise. We identify management strategies balancing economic objectives with biodiversity, employing both intensive and extensive approaches. Mean deadwood volume increased substantially in set-asides in all policy scenarios, while in production landscape, nearly tripling under Current Policy scenario and doubled under Bioenergy and Bioeconomy scenarios. The area of old forest on production land declined drastically, reaching 0.1 million ha in Bioeconomy scenario by 2100. Optimization favored intensive management strategies, particularly Bioenergy extraction in Bioenergy and Bioeconomy scenarios. Under Current policy, both intensive and extensive management strategies were equally dominant. Management strategies like Continuous cover forestry and Unmanaged were the least implemented. Wood demand consistently increased across scenarios, stabilizing under the Current policy scenario after 2040. In the Bioeconomy scenario the demand continued to increase, surpassing supply potential by 2070
Kommunikation av lärarexcellens
Get PDFPedagogiska meriteringsmodeller finns vid cirka hälften av Sveriges lärosäten, men hur synliggörs pedagogisk meritering enligt dessa modeller? I en jämförande fallstudie med marknadsföringsinriktning har vi fokuserat på hur pedagogiska meriter synliggörs på webbplatserna för Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Umeå universitet och Uppsala universitet. Syftet med projektet var att jämföra synliggörandet av pedagogisk meritering från ett lärar- och universitetsperspektiv. Resultaten visar att det är lätt att hitta vem som utnämnts till excellent eller meriterad lärare, men att informationen om pedagogisk meritering ofta inte är samstämmig med vad som presenteras på lärarens personliga webbsida på lärosätets webbplats. Vid Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet och Uppsala universitet saknades informationen på nära hälften av de personliga webbsidorna. Den information som lärosätena kommunicerar externt på webbplatser om excellent lärare handlar om att de har en meriteringsmodell som leder till meriterad eller excellent lärare, hur man söker utnämning och vilka som utnämnts. Vår studie visar på att det finns stor potential att lyfta fram lärarexcellens både på individ- och på lärosätesnivå. Kommunikation om lärarexcellens borde vara en självklar unique selling point för lärosätena
Contextualizing recent increases in Canadian boreal wildfire activity: decadal burn rates still within historical variability of the two past centuries
Get PDFWith approximately 15 million ha burned, the 2023 wildfire season in Canada was exceptional. However, it remains unclear whether such recent increases in burned areas exceed the range of variability observed over past centuries. The objective of this study was to leverage available dendrochronological reconstructions of decadal burn rates to contextualize their recent increase within their historical variability over the past two centuries. We compared decadal burn rate reconstructions based on dendrochronological data (1800-2023) for five large eastern and western Canadian boreal forest zones to those of recent decades up to 2023. The area burned in 2023 ranged from 0.76% to 32.5% among the five zones, which is unprecedented compared to the proportion recorded since 1972 for four of the five zones analyzed. In contrast, the burn rates of the decade ending in 2023 (i.e., 2014-2023) generally remained within the natural range of variability of the last two centuries. However, burn rates in two zones were close to the highest decadal burn rates observed since the 1800s and exceeded historical variability in one zone in western Canada. We discuss the historical and current trends in burn rates, their drivers and implications
Resultat från Integrerad kustfiskövervakning
No full textI den här rapporten sammanfattas resultat och bedömningar från programmet för integrerad kustfiskövervakning i Holmöarna. Årliga undersökningar av miljögiftshalter i abborre (Perca fluviatilis) från området har utförts sedan 1989, årliga provfisken för att följa kustfisksamhällets utveckling sedan 1989, årliga fiskhälsoundersökningar hos abborre sedan 1990 och studier av tånglakens (Zoarces viviparus) reproduktion årligen sedan 1995. Syftet med den integrerade kustfiskövervakningen är att kartlägga fiskbeståndens status samt fiskens hälsotillstånd och miljögiftsbelastning för att upptäcka förändringar som indikerar storskalig påverkan av olika miljöhot som eutrofiering, miljögifter, klimatförändringar och andra miljöfaktorer.Resultaten från provfisket med data från 2002 visar att fångsten av gärs (Gymnocephalus cernuus) har minskat fram till 2024 och att fångsterna av strömming (Clupea harengus) under samma period varit oförändrade men låga under de två senaste åren. Samtidigt har provfiskefångsterna av sik (Coregonus maraena) och karpfisk, och då framförallt mört (Rutilus rutilus), ökat. Fångsterna av abborre visar ingen trend mellan 2002–2024, men under de senaste tre åren har fångsterna varit höga. Däremot ökar både storleken på de stora abborrarna i området och även tillväxten, mätt som längd vid ålder, för abborren ökar tydligt.Tånglakens tillväxt är stabil, men fiskens kondition och det leversomatiska indexet (leverns vikt i förhållande till kroppsvikten) har minskat sedan 2002. Positivt i sammanhanget är att andelen onormala yngel hos yngelbärande tånglakehonor under hela tidsperioden, 1995–2024, ligger under gränsvärdet för den naturliga bakgrundsnivån på 5 %, vilket anger om andelen onormala yngel kan anses vara påverkat av yttre störning, samt att det embryosomatiska indexet som beskriver kvoten mellan ynglens och honans vikt inte uppvisar någon trend över tid.Den tidigare negativa trenden för abborrens hälsa verkar ha planat ut, men det finns fortsatt tecken på att fiskens hälsotillstånd är påverkat. Aktiviteten hos avgiftningsenzymet EROD är till exempel fortsatt hög hos abborren och en ökning i aktiviteten av leverenzymen katalas och glutationreduktas tyder på en oxidativ stress hos fisken som kan vara orsakad av reaktiva kemiska ämnen i miljön.Halterna av de flesta analyserade metaller i abborre visar inga signifikanta trender under den analyserade tidsperioden, men koncentrationen av kvicksilver i abborre ligger dock fortsatt över gränsvärdet för god status i miljön. Koncentrationerna av krom, nickel och bly minskar över tid i abborren, liksom halterna av de klorerade organiska miljögifterna gör. Idag ligger koncentrationerna av de klorerade organiska miljögifterna nära den lägsta mätbara nivån. Något oroande i sammanganhet är att det finns en tendens till ökande halter av PFOS i abborre i en kortare tidsserie från 2016
A male-essential miRNA is key for avian sex chromosome dosage compensation
No full textBirds have a sex chromosome system in which females are heterogametic (ZW) and males are homogametic (ZZ)1. The differentiation of avian sex chromosomes from ancestral autosomes entails the loss of most genes from the W chromosome during evolution1,2. However, the extent to which mechanisms evolved that counterbalance this substantial reduction in female gene dosage remains unclear. Here we report functional in vivo and evolutionary analyses of a Z-linked microRNA (miR-2954) with strong male-biased expression, previously proposed to mediate avian sex chromosome dosage compensation3. We knocked out miR-2954 in chicken, which resulted in early embryonic lethality in homozygous knockout males, probably driven by specific upregulation of dosage-sensitive Z-linked target genes. Evolutionary gene expression analyses further revealed that these dosage-sensitive target genes underwent both transcriptional and translational upregulation on the single Z in female birds. Altogether, this work unveils a scenario in which evolutionary pressures following W gene loss drove transcriptional and translational upregulation of dosage-sensitive Z-linked genes in females but also their transcriptional upregulation in males. The resulting excess of transcripts in males, resulting from the combined activity of two upregulated dosage-sensitive Z gene copies, was in turn offset by the emergence of a highly targeted miR-2954-mediated transcript degradation mechanism during avian evolution. This study uncovered a unique sex chromosome dosage compensation system in birds, in which a microRNA has become essential for male survival
Uninsured Pastoralists - Adoption and Attitudes towards Index-Based Livestock Insurance in Four Kenyan Counties
No full textIndex-based livestock insurance (IBLI) is promoted as a proactive measure to protect against climaterelated risks. Despite initial efforts to introduce the insurance, its adoption has generally been low in most developing countries. This paper compares adopters and nonadopters of IBLI in four arid or semiarid counties in Kenya, focusing specifically on household demographics, climate effects, land tenure arrangements, and the interaction between other coping strategies and the decision to adopt livestock insurance. The household survey was conducted in 12 counties, whereby 491 respondents were interviewed, of which about 4.5% had insurance. The results showed that IBLI adoption was influenced by the socioeconomic, environmental, and existing adoption strategies. Lack of awareness was the most common reason (44.2% of respondents) for not adopting insurance, showing the need for simplifying information, because the respondents with more schooling were likely to purchase insurance. High precipitation reduced the need for livestock insurance due to low drought risk. Active fodder management positively influenced insurance uptake, likely due to the use of the indemnity for investment in other adaptive strategies. Otherwise, pastoralists were more likely to purchase insurance if they had to travel a long distance to the alternative grazing grounds. Likewise, insurance premiums limited insurance uptake due to the imperfect correlation between drought and indemnity payments (basis risk). Generally, insurance alone is not a panacea for pastoralists. Presently, they seem to be too expensive compared to the value they provide. Either the prediction accuracy of IBLIs must be increased, or premiums more heavily subsidized, for insurance to be a genuine alternative for pastoralists. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Range Management. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Round goby population differentiation across river barriers in Central Europe
No full textRiver barriers such as hydropower dams and weirs can negatively affect river ecosystems by disrupting connectivity and reducing biodiversity. However, such barriers could also limit the spread of invasive species. Here, we used a spatial population genetics approach to test whether river barriers act as a hindrance to gene flow in the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus Pallas, 1814). We sampled gobies from four different rivers across their invasive range in Central Europe (the Danube, Dyje, Morava, and Rhine rivers), with locations on either side of eight major river barriers. Using microsatellite genotyping, we found that round goby populations were differentiated with increasing number of river barriers and with increasing distance between sampling sites, depending on the river system in focus. We found significant population differentiation across three individual barriers, but no clear indication that this was related to barrier type as barriers were highly diverse. We also found reduced genetic diversity in populations that were more recently established. Our findings suggest that successive river barriers can sometimes slow the spread of round goby. Further research on the features of barriers that hinder round goby movement will help to design barrier passage solutions that will both limit spread of this invasive species and maintain connectivity for the native fauna