Habituation of common eland (Taurotragus oryx) to intensive routine handling, and the effect of immunocastration thereon

2021 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 105294
Author(s):  
Abubakar S. Musa ◽  
Tersia Needham ◽  
Radim Kotrba ◽  
Silvie Neradilova ◽  
Andre Ganswindt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
J. Hanker ◽  
B. Giammara ◽  
G. Strauss

Only a fraction of the UV radiation emitted by the sun reaches the earth; most of the UVB (290-320nm) is eliminated by stratospheric ozone. There is increasing concern, however, that man-made chemicals are damaging this ozone layer. Although the effects of UV on DNA or as a carcinogen are widely known, preleukemia and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have only rarely been reported in psoriasis patients treated with 8-methoxypsoralen and UV (PUVA). It was therefore of interest to study the effects of UV on the myeloperoxidase (MP) activity of human neutrophils. The peroxidase activity of enriched leukocyte preparations on coverslips was shown cytochemically with a diaminobenzidine medium and cupric nitrate intensification.Control samples (Figs. 1,4,5) of human bloods that were not specifically exposed to UV radiation or light except during routine handling were compared with samples which had been exposed in one of several different ways. One preparation (Fig. 2) was from a psoriasis patient who had received whole-body UVB phototherapy repeatedly.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Elizabeth McRee ◽  
Thomas N. Tully ◽  
Javier G. Nevarez ◽  
Hugues Beaufrere ◽  
Melanie Ammersbach ◽  
...  

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2737
Author(s):  
Maria Pinto ◽  
Francisco Javier Navas González ◽  
Camie Heleski ◽  
Amy McLean

Expectation-related bias may configure individuals’ perception of their surrounding environment and of the elements present in it. This study aimed to determine the repercussions of environmental (weather elements) or subject-inherent factors (sex, age, or personality features) on judgment bias. A cognitive bias test was performed in eight Miniature jennies and four jacks. Test comprised habituation, training and testing phases during which subjects were trained on how to complete the test and scored based on their latency to approach an ambiguous stimulus. A questionnaire evaluating eleven personality features was parallelly completed by three caretakers, five operators and two care assistants to determine the links between personality features and judgment bias. Adjusted latencies did not significantly differ between sexes (Mann–Whitney test, p > 0.05). Although Miniature donkeys can discriminate positive/negative stimuli, inter-individual variability evidences were found. Such discrimination is evidenced by significant latency differences to approach positive/negative stimuli (33.7 ± 43.1 vs. 145.5 ± 53.1 s) (Mann–Whitney test, p < 0.05). Latencies significantly increased with patience, indicative of an expression of pessimism. Better understanding judgement bias mechanisms and implications may help optimize routine handling practices in the framework of animal welfare.


Author(s):  
T.A. Abbott ◽  
E.J. Hunter ◽  
H.J. Guise ◽  
R.H.C. Penny

Many finishing pigs have little experience of handling, especially during the final management stage before slaughter. Earlier work (Weeding et al 1993) suggested that certain farms, producing pigs which were more difficult-to-handle than others, had a tendency towards dark, firm and dry meat (DFD). The effect of routine movement on behaviour during pre-slaughter handling and subsequent meat quality was evaluated using groups of finishing pigs.Forty pens of pigs (17-19 pigs per pen) from two similar, fully-slatted finishing houses were involved. When pigs reached 16 weeks of age, pens were randomly allocated to treatment or control. Pigs in control pens were not moved before transport to the abattoir.


1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 857 ◽  
Author(s):  
MF Beardsell

Maize (Zea mays L. cv. XL45) plants were grown from seed in controlled-environment rooms. Twice-daily weighings of the plants and containers for 7 days reduced height, and removing plants from the rooms for two 20-min periods daily for 7 days gave significant reductions in stem and leaf dry weights and total leaf area. Transpiration rates were not affected by either of these treatments. Short-term removal from the rooms (up to 10 min daily) produced no significant reductions in plant characteristics. Measuring leaf lengths daily for 10 days resulted in significant reductions in stem dry weight and plant height. It is suggested that control plants should always be subjected to the same degree of handling as treated plants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Peppler ◽  
P T Sonntag ◽  
L Schenk

Abstract Background The German healthcare system is facing intercultural diversity, since numerous migrant patients, nurses, and doctors are involved. This raises the question as to what extent everyday processes, working cultures and institutional framework conditions change because of this and how intercultural healthcare can be improved. Methods The participant observation took place on 22 days during summer 2018 in two outpatient care services and two hospitals, which show different degrees of intercultural opening (e.g. more or less migrant employees and patients). The aim was to reconstruct the daily work routine of health staff as well as the patients’ daily routine. The anonymized records include meetings, care tours, handovers and visits. The observation protocols were analyzed by documentary method and compared on two levels: degree of intercultural opening and sector affiliation. Results The results show that intercultural opening has a sector-specific impact on organization and daily work processes. The health staff of the hospital with high intercultural opening showed routine handling and relaxed reactions to communication difficulties due to the regular care of migrant patients, whereas that of the hospital with low intercultural opening showed stress-related defensive stance due to rare cases. The situation in the outpatient sector is different: The care of migrant patients was perceived to be more costly in the institution with high intercultural opening, because the migrant employees repeatedly perform additional socio-educational work that is not covered by insurance. Conclusions The migration-specific knowledge of employees has a positive effect on patient care in both inpatient and outpatient sector. However, this may be financially disadvantageous for nursing services under the conditions of outpatient care. Key messages Synergy effects arise from the involvement of migrant health workers and the care of migrant patients. Framework conditions must support these synergy effects in order to improve cultural sensitive healthcare.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Konstantelos ◽  
Heidrun Gurth ◽  
Renate Bergert ◽  
Sascha Ifflaender ◽  
Mario Rüdiger

Author(s):  
Fernanda De Barros Silveira ◽  
Nayanna Dias Bierhals ◽  
Silvio Augusto Ortolan ◽  
Betina BRIXNER ◽  
Jane Dagmar Pollo Renner

A unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI) é um ambiente hospitalar propício para disseminação de patógenos multirresistentes. As superfícies inanimadas e instrumentos próximos aos pacientes, principalmente aqueles que entram em contato com a pele e a mucosa, devem ser consideradas fontes de contaminação. Nesse contexto, o estudo teve como objetivo identificar a presença de Staphylococcus spp. em uma UTI adulto de um hospital localizado no interior do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Realizou-se um estudo transversal em abril de 2017, onde foram coletadas 22 amostras de 13 superfícies/equipamentos de manipulação rotineira (telefone, pia e bancada de preparo de medicações, monitores, teclados de computadores, torneiras dos funcionários e familiares, suporte do clorexidine, painel e pinça do aparelho de hemodiálise, mesas, estetoscópios e bombas de infusão, bem como no espaço entre as mesmas) na UTI adulto. Foram realizadas a coloração de Gram e as provas de catalase, coagulase e Dnase para identificação de gênero e espécie. O antibiograma foi realizado pelo teste de difusão em disco e a resistência à meticilina em ágar cromogênico MRSA. Foram isolados microrganismos em 19 superfícies inanimadas e equipamentos. O Staphylococcus coagulase negativa (SCN) (36,84%) foi o patógeno mais identificado nestas superfícies, seguido de Staphylococcus aureus (31,57%). Os SCN foram 71,4% resistentes à penicilina, 85,7% à eritromicina e 57,1% à clindamicina. Dos S. aureus isolados, 83,3% foram resistentes à penicilina, 50,0% à meticilina, 66,7% à eritromicina e 50,0% à clindamicina. Conclui-se que as superfícies inanimadas podem ser consideradas fontes de contaminação. Os resultados demonstram uma alta prevalência de contaminação ambiental por SCN e S. aureus, com cepas multirresistentes.   Palavras-chave: Infecção Hospitalar. Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Contaminação. Contaminação de Equipamentos. Resistência Microbiana a Antibióticos.   Abstract The intensive care unit (ICU) is a favorable hospital environment for the dissemination of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Inanimate surfaces and instruments close to patients, especially those that come into contact with the skin and mucosa, should be considered sources of contamination. In this context, the study aimed to identify the presence of Staphylococcus spp. in an adult ICU of a hospital located in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). A cross-sectional study was carried out in April 2017, where 22 samples were collected from 13 surfaces / routine handling equipment (telephone, sink and medication preparation bench, monitors, computer keyboards, taps for employees and family members, chlorhexidine support, panel and forceps of the hemodialysis device, tables, stethoscopes and infusion pumps, as well as in the space between them) in the adult ICU. Gram stain and catalase, coagulase and DNase tests were performed to identify genus and species. The antibiogram was performed using the disk diffusion test and methicillin resistance on MRSA chromogenic agar. Microorganisms were isolated on 19 inanimate surfaces and equipment. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS) (36.84%) was the pathogen most identified on these surfaces, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (31.57%). The CNS were 71.4% resistant to penicillin, 85.7% to erythromycin and 57.1% to clindamycin. Of the isolated S. aureus, 83.3% were resistant to penicillin, 50.0% to methicillin, 66.7% to erythromycin and 50.0% to clindamycin. It is concluded that inanimate surfaces can be considered sources of contamination. The results demonstrate a high prevalence of environmental contamination by CNS and S. aureus, with multi-resistant strains.   Keywords: Cross Infection. Intensive Care Units. Contamination. Equipment Contamination. Drug Resistance.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Bevan

<p>Protecting groups form an indispensable part of modern organic synthetic chemistry. Besides the benefits of selectively passivating certain reactive functionalities, they often provide handling benefits – such as a decrease in the polarity of the compound that facilitates purification, an increase in the structural order of a compound that allows for easier crystallisation, and chromophores that enable easy visualisation on fluorescent TLC plates under UV light.  Coloured protecting groups offer additional advantages in synthetic chemistry. They expedite purification by allowing the material to be tracked visually. Phase separation and column chromatography are easier to perform, and reduce the need for the collection of large numbers of fractions, while small-scale loss of material (left behind on taps or in flasks during routine handling) and spillages are much more readily apparent. Despite these advantages, only a few coloured protecting groups have been reported in the literature.  The azulenes are a class of compounds with several attractive qualities that can be exploited for use as protecting groups. They are coloured, but not overwhelmingly so. The colour is tunable through placement of electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups at positions on the ring system, which further allows for protection/deprotection reactions to be designed that incorporate a colour change. Azulene itself is both non-polar and structurally compact, unlike many other organic chromophores such as triarylmethane dyes and carotenoids. Furthermore, azulene’s ability to stabilise both positive and negative charges through resonance with tropylium and cyclopentadienide motifs allows for unusual chemistry, and therefore potentially orthogonal modes of deprotection.  Four protecting group candidates incorporating azulene were devised. The 1-azulenylmethylene amine 79 and the 1-azulenesulfonamide 82 protecting group candidates for amines had fatal flaws that were discovered early, such as a tendency to rapidly degrade in open air. The 1-azulenecarboxylate protecting group candidate 74 for alcohols showed some promise, with a high-yielding protection reaction, but none of the deprotection conditions that were developed were sufficiently mild to be usable in a late-stage deprotection strategy on a complex target molecule.  The final protecting group candidate, 6-(2-[oxycarbonyl]ethyl)azulene 89, can be used for the protection of carboxylic acids, amines and alcohols as esters, carbamates and carbonates, respectively. The substitution at the 6-position of azulene allows for deprotection through an E1cB mechanism with mild base, involving a cyclopentadienide-stabilised carbanion intermediate, in a similar fashion to the FMOC protecting group. Mild conditions for the protection of all three were found: for carboxylic acids Steglich esterification is employed, and for alcohols and amines coupling with CDI is used. A selection of mild protocols for deprotection were developed, using bases such as DBU or TBAF, or involving two-step activation-deprotection procedures.  Finally, the compatibility of the protecting group 89 (dubbed Azul) with common and representative procedures in synthetic chemistry was investigated, such as with bases and with reaction conditions such as oxidations, reductions, cross-couplings, etc. Orthogonality with other common protecting groups (such as TBS, MOM, FMOC) was also explored. Some incompatibilities were found with strongly acidic conditions, high-temperature Suzuki cross-coupling reactions and Swern oxidations, but otherwise the Azul protecting group shows promise as a protecting group that expedites total synthesis through its colourful properties.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Zentrich ◽  
Steven R. Talbot ◽  
André Bleich ◽  
Christine Häger

For ethical and legal reasons it is necessary to assess the severity of procedures in animal experimentation. To estimate the degree of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, objective methods that provide gradebale parameters need to be tested and validated for various models. In this context, automated home-cage monitoring becomes more important as a contactless, objective, continuous and non-invasive method. The aim of this study was to examine a recently developed large scale automated home-cage monitoring system (Digital Ventilated Cage, DVC®) with regard to the applicability and added value for severity assessment in a frequently used acute colitis mouse model. Acute colitis was induced in female C57BL/6J mice by varying doses of DSS (1.5 and 2.5%), matched controls received water only (0%). Besides DVC® activity monitoring and nest scoring, model specific parameters like body weight, clinical colitis score, and intestinal histo-pathology were used. In a second approach, we questioned whether DVC® can be used to detect an influence of different handling methods on the behavior of mice. Therefore, we compared activity patterns of mice that underwent tunnel vs. tail handling for routine animal care procedures. In DSS treated mice, disease specific parameters confirmed induction of a graded colitis. In line with this, DVC® revealed reduced activity in these animals. Furthermore, the system displayed stress-related activity changes due to the restraining procedures necessary in DSS-treatment groups. However, no significant differences between tunnel vs. tail handling procedures were detected. For further analysis of the data, a binary classifier was applied to categorize two severity levels (burdened vs. not burdened) based on activity and body weight. In all DSS-treatment groups data points were allocated to the burdened level, in contrast to a handling group. The fraction of “burdened” animals reflected well the course of colitis development. In conclusion, automated home-cage monitoring by DVC® enabled severity assessment in a DSS-induced colitis model equally well as gold standard clinical parameters. In addition, it revealed changes in activity patterns due to routine handling procedures applied in experimental model work. This indicates that large scale home-cage monitoring can be integrated into routine severity assessment in biomedical research.


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