Relationship between blood calcium level and ST peak interval of electrocardiographic variables in peripartum Holstein cows

The association between blood calcium levels and electrocardiographic variables was compared in 137 normal parturient and 36 peripartum recumbent Holstein cows to determine whether hypocalcemia in peripartum dairy cows can be rapidly diagnosed using electrocardiograph. Inverse of STc (ST peak interval/SS interval^0.5) and blood ionized calcium or serum calcium concentrations were strongly correlated, and both correlation coefficients were 0.81 (P<0.001). The 95% prediction interval indicated that cows with STc >0.385 ± 0.001 sec are very likely to be hypocalcemic (blood ionized or serum calcium concentrations of <0.9 mmol/l or <7.5 mg/dl, respectively). These findings indicate that hypocalcemia in parturient cows can be non-invasively estimated using the STc.     

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor in dogs with various proliferative diseases

Angiogenesis plays an important role in the proliferation and metastasis mechanisms of malignant tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a group of cytokines that contribute to angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the serum VEGF-A concentrations in dogs with various proliferative diseases. A total of 202 dogs that were histopathologically diagnosed with proliferative diseases were included in the study. Serum VEGF-A concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Median serum VEGF-A concentrations in dogs were as follows: healthy dogs, 4 pg/ml [0–21 pg/ml]; hepatocellular carcinoma, 30 pg/ml [0–158 pg/ml, P=<0.001]; hepatocellular adenoma, 32 pg/ml [0–49 pg/ml, P=0.003]; hepatic nodular hyperplasia, 18 pg/ml [0–51 pg/ml, P=0.595]; adrenal pheochromocytoma, 32 pg/ml [0–187 pg/ml, P=<0.001]; adrenocortical carcinoma, 32 pg/ml [3–161 pg/ml, P=0.002]; adrenocortical adenoma, 27 pg/ml [0–106 pg/ml, P=0.005]; colorectal adenocarcinoma, 36 pg/ml [0–75 pg/ml, P=0.002]; colorectal adenoma, 43 pg/ml [0–48 pg/ml, P=0.144]; inflammatory colorectal polyps, 37 pg/ml [0–111 pg/ml, P=<0.001]; pulmonary adenocarcinoma, 35 pg/ml [4–107 pg/ml, P=0.002]; pulmonary histiocytic sarcoma, 35 pg/ml [0–131 pg/ml, P=0.016]; and follicular thyroid carcinoma, 35 pg/ml [0–106 pg/ml, P=0.009]. The serum VEGF-A concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with neoplastic lesions compared to healthy dogs, except for colorectal adenoma. High serum VEGF-A concentrations were observed in dogs with proliferative diseases. The present study suggests that angiogenesis-inhibiting therapy, which targets VEGF-A, may be useful for canine neoplastic diseases.     

An attempt at estrus detection in cattle by continuous measurements of ventral tail base surface temperature with supervised machine learning

We aimed to determine the effectiveness of estrus detection based on continuous measurements of the ventral tail base surface temperature (ST) with supervised machine learning in cattle. ST data were obtained through 51 estrus cycles on 11 female cattle (six Holsteins and five Japanese Blacks) using the tail-attached sensor. Three estrus detection models were constructed with the training data (n = 17) using machine learning techniques (random forest, artificial neural network, and support vector machine) based on 13 features extracted from sensing data (indicative of estrus-associated ST changes). Estrus detection abilities of the three models on test data (n = 34) were not statistically different among models in terms of sensitivity and precision (range 50.0% to 58.8% and 60.6% to 73.1%, respectively). The relatively poor performance of the models might indicate the difficulty of separating estrus-associated ST changes from estrus-independent fluctuations in ST.     

Potential for the alleviation of arsenic toxicity in paddy rice using amorphous iron-(hydr)oxide amendments

A pot culture experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of amorphous iron-(hydr)oxide (Am-FeOH) amendments on arsenic (As) availability and its uptake by rice ( Oryza sativa L. cv. BR28) irrigated with As-contaminated water. A rhizobag system was established using 3.5 L plastic pots, each containing one central compartment for plant growth, a middle compartment and an outside compartment. Three levels of laboratory-synthesized Am-FeOH (0, 0.1 and 0.5% w/w) were used to amend samples of the As-free sandy loam paddy soil placed into each compartment of the rhizobag system. The soils were submerged with a solution containing 5 mg L⁻¹ As(V). Two-week-old rice seedlings were planted in the central compartments and cultured for 9 weeks under greenhouse conditions. The addition of 0.1% Am-FeOH to the soil irrigated with As-contaminated water improved plant growth, reduced the As concentration in the plants and enhanced Fe-plaque formation on the root surfaces. Analysis of soil solution samples collected during the experiment revealed higher pH levels and lower redox potentials in the soils amended with Am-FeOH at the onset of soil submergence, but later the soil solution collected from the 0.1% Am-FeOH treatment was slightly acidic and more oxidized than the solution from the 0% treatment. This indicated active functioning of the roots in the soil treated with 0.1% Am-FeOH. The concentrations of As(III) in the soil solution collected from the central compartment were significantly reduced by the Am-FeOH amendments, whereas in the soil treated with 0% Fe, As(III) accumulated in the rhizosphere, particularly during the late-cultivation period. The improvement in plant growth and reduction in As uptake by plants growing in the Am-FeOH treated soil could be attributed to the reduction of available As in the soil solution, mainly as a result of the binding of As to the Fe-plaque on the root surfaces.