Insights into the clinical presentation, diagnostics and outcome in dogs presenting with neurological signs secondary to infection with Neospora caninum: 41 cases (2014-2023).

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical signs and outcome of a large cohort of dogs presenting with neurological signs secondary to Neospora caninum infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of cases presenting to two UK referral centres with neurological signs secondary to N. caninum infection between 2014 and 2023. Presenting signs, diagnostic test results, treatment, short- and long-term outcome analysed. RESULTS: A total of 1690 cases were assessed for eligibility. Forty-four cases with a diagnosis of neosporosis were obtained. Three cases were then excluded due to non-neurological presentations (two hepatitis and one myocarditis). A total of 41 cases were included in the study. Cerebello-vestibular signs predominated; however, presenting clinical signs were varied and the neurolocalisation was often multifocal in nature (46.3%), making neosporosis an important differential diagnosis for meningoencephalitis of unknown origin. Complete clinical improvement was rare (5.6%), and relapses were common (27.8% cases with follow-up). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Neosporosis remains an important differential diagnosis for dogs at any age presenting with multifocal neurological signs. The outcome is considered poor and relapse rate is high.

The response of turkeys to dietary balanced protein during two periods of growth.

1. Two experiments were conducted to measure the response of growing turkeys to dietary protein content. In the first, 960 sexed British United Turkey (BUT 6) poults were used to measure the response to balanced protein from 3 to 6 weeks of age. In the second, 1440 sexed BUT and Hybrid Converter poults were raised from 14 to 17 weeks.2. In both experiments, six levels of dietary protein were fed, with feed intake, body and feather weight gain and changes in body composition measured. The levels of protein chosen ranged from 0.53 to 1.2 of the Aviagen requirements for growing turkeys.3. In the first experiment, six poults were sampled from each sex at the start of the experiment for carcass analysis, and four were sampled from each strain and sex in the second. At the end of each experiment, eight poults from each treatment were sampled. Body composition analyses were made on individual defeathered birds.4. Weight gain increased linearly with protein intake in the early period and exponentially in the later period. In both periods, feed intake decreased as protein content reduced.5. In the early period, body lipid content increased from 20.2 to 41.5 g/kg body weight, as dietary protein content decreased, but there was no change in the later period. Efficiency of utilisation of dietary protein declined linearly with an increase in dietary protein content, from 0.87 to 0.46 g/g in the first, and from 0.43 to 0.27 g/g in the later period.6. The inability of the growing turkey to increase feed intake on marginally limiting feeds may have been due to a genetic constraints to store excess energy consumed as body lipid, resulting in the observed decrease in feed intake as dietary protein content is reduced.

Cost-effectiveness of expanded latent TB infection testing and treatment: Lynn City, Massachusetts, USA.

BACKGROUND: Between October 2016 and March 2019, Lynn Community Health Center in Massachusetts implemented a targeted latent TB infection testing and treatment (TTT) program, increasing testing from a baseline of 1,200 patients tested to an average of 3,531 patients tested, or 9% of the population per year.METHODS: We compared pre-implementation TTT, represented by the first two quarters of implementation data, to TTT, represented by 12 quarters of data. Time, diagnostic, and laboratory resources were estimated using micro-costing. Other cost and testing data were obtained from the electronic health record, pharmaceutical claims, and published reimbursement rates. A Markov cohort model estimated future health outcomes and cost-effectiveness from a societal perspective in 2020 US dollars. Monte Carlo simulation generated 95% uncertainty intervals.RESULTS: The TTT program exhibited extended dominance over baseline pre-intervention testing and had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of US$52,603 (US$22,008â-"US$95,360). When compared to baseline pre-TTT testing, the TTT program averted an estimated additional 7.12 TB cases, 3.49 hospitalizations, and 0.16 deaths per lifetime cohort each year.CONCLUSIONS: TTT was more cost-effective than baseline pre-implementation testing. Lynn Community Health Centerâ-™s experience can help inform other clinics considering expanding latent TB infection testing.

Dietary energy:protein ratio influences the efficiency of utilisation of dietary protein by growing turkeys.

1. The following experiment was designed to confirm that the efficiency of dietary protein utilisation (ep) can be reduced when the AMEn to digestible crude protein (DCP) ratio of the feed falls below a critical level. In addition, whether the efficiency would be improved at high DCP contents through the addition of oil or starch was determined.2. A 14d trial (starting at 21 d of age), using BUT 6 turkeys, was designed to measure the effects on ep of four feeds (12.1 MJ AMEn/kg) with AMEn:DCP ratios ranging from 45 to 72 MJ AMEn/kg, and two additional feeds with the same DCP as the highest protein feed, one with an AMEn:DCP ratio of 59, through the addition of canola oil, and the other with a ratio of 51 MJ/kg supplemented with both starch and oil. Twenty birds constituted each experimental unit, with two replications of each sex being used per dietary treatment.3. Ten birds per sex were sampled at the start of the trial and a further five per pen at the end for carcass analysis. Each carcass including feathers was ground and subsampled for water, protein and lipid determination.4. A split-line regression described ep on the four feeds unsupplemented with additional energy (R2 = 0.81) with breakpoint at 60.6 MJ AME/kg DCP, maximum ep at 0.736 g/g, and a slope of 0.017. No improvement in ep resulted from supplementing the high protein feed with oil or a mixture of oil and starch, but feed intake and protein and lipid retention increased significantly (P < 0.05).5. The argument that insufficient energy is available to enable high protein feeds to be utilised efficiently was not corroborated by the evidence from this trial.

Preparedness to Respond to Family Violence: A Cross-Sectional Study Across Clinical Areas.

Introduction: Family violence (FV) is one of the most urgent health issues of our generation. While nurses play a vital role in identifying and supporting victim/survivors of violence, little is known about nursing readiness to respond across clinical areas. Objective: This study aimed to compare and contrast the knowledge, confidence, clinical skills, and perceived barriers of nurses across three clinical areas of a tertiary trauma hospital in Melbourne, Australia, in responding to FV. Method: A prospective, mixed methods design was used. The nursing staff at a large trauma hospital were approached to participate. Participants completed a brief online survey to quantify clinician-reported knowledge, clinical skills, and barriers to managing FV. Results: Two hundred and forty-two nursing staff electronically completed a brief survey to capture self-reported confidence, knowledge, clinical skills, and barriers to working effectively in the area. The descriptive analysis reflected service-wide deficits in knowledge, confidence, and self-reported clinical skills, irrespective of the work area. Deficits were identified on a background of limited structured training for FV among this cohort. Significantly higher rates of FV confidence and knowledge were identified among emergency department nurses relative to acute and subacute clinical counterparts. Conclusion: Nurse respondents overall reported low rates of confidence, knowledge, and clinical skills in responding to disclosures of FV. Findings reinforce the need for imbedded training programs to support frontline responses.

Approach to screening for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) in a cohort of 226 patients with Desmoid-type Fibromatosis (DF): experience of a specialist center in the UK.

INTRODUCTION: Desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF) are locally infiltrative, non-metastasizing tumours associated with significant morbidity and mortality if located intra-abdominally, retroperitoneally or in head and neck localisation. They are mostly sporadic, due to somatic CTNNB1 mutations. Alternatively, they can be associated with germline pathogenic variants in APC causing Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). Germline APC variants and somatic CTNNB1 mutations are mutually exclusive. AIMS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients with DF seen at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Sarcoma Unit in London. We aimed to describe the methods of screening for FAP in patients with DF from a specialist unit. Patients diagnosed between 1992 and 2020 were selected from the prospectively maintained Sarcoma Unit database. RESULTS: 226 patients were identified and 67% (n = 152) were female. Median age at diagnosis was 37.5 (range 2-81) years. Tumour localisation was limbs/pelvis in 30.9% (N = 70), intra-abdominal 16.8% (N = 38), abdominal wall 23.5% (N = 53), thorax 18.6% (N = 42), head and neck 3.1% (N = 7) and vertebral/paravertebral 7.1% (N = 16). Colonoscopy was requested in 65 patients (28.8% of all cases) and was completed in forty-six (20.4%). Molecular testing of CTNNB1 testing was requested in 35 cases (15.5%). APC germline test was requested in 12 cases. Four patients in our cohort had an FAP-associated DF. CONCLUSIONS: CTNNB1 ± APC testing and colonoscopy are useful tools for the screening of patients with DF. CTNNB1 molecular testing should be performed in all cases of newly diagnosed DF. Negative CTNNB1 results, alongside clinical assessment, should prompt APC testing and/or colonoscopy.

Accuracy of hospital-based surveillance systems for surgical site infection after adult spine surgery: a Bayesian latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) of the spine are morbid and costly complications. An accurate surveillance system is required to properly describe the disease burden and the impact of interventions that mitigate SSI risk. Unfortunately, uniform approaches to conducting SSI surveillance are lacking because of varying SSI case definitions, the lack of a perfect reference case definition and heterogeneous data sources. AIM: To assess the accuracy of four independent data sources that capture SSIs after spine surgery, with estimation of a measurement-error-adjusted SSI incidence. METHODS: A Bayesian latent class model assessed the sensitivity/specificity of each data source to identify SSI and to estimate a measurement-error-adjusted incidence. The four data sources used were: the discharge abstract database (DAD), the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, the Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC) database, and the Spine Adverse Events Severity database. FINDINGS: A total of 904 patients underwent spine surgery in 2017. The most sensitive data source was DAD (0.799; 95% credible interval (CrI): 0.597-0.943); the least sensitive was NSQIP (0.497; 95% CrI: 0.308-0.694). The most specific data source was IPAC (0.997; 95% CrI: 0.993-1.000) and the least specific was DAD (0.969; 95% CrI: 0.956-0.981). The measurement-error-adjusted SSI incidence was 0.030 (95% CrI: 0.019-0.045). The crude incidence using the DAD overestimated the incidence, and the three other data sources underestimated it. CONCLUSION: SSI surveillance in the spine surgery population is feasible using several data sources, provided that measurement error is considered.

Mental health improvements after elective spine surgery: a Canadian Spine Outcome Research Network (CSORN) study.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Spine patients have a higher rate of depression then the general population which may be caused in part by levels of pain and disability from their spinal disease. PURPOSE: Determination whether improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) resulting from successful spine surgery leads to improvements in mental health. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: The Canadian Spine Outcome Research Network prospective surgical outcome registry. OUTCOME MEASURES: Change between preoperative and postoperative SF12 Mental Component Score (MCS). Secondary outcomes include European Quality of Life (EuroQoL) Healthstate, SF-12 Physical Component Score (PCS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ9), and pain scales. METHODS: The Canadian Spine Outcome Research Network registry was queried for all patients receiving surgery for degenerative thoracolumbar spine disease. Exclusion criteria were trauma, tumor, infection, and previous spine surgery. SF12 Mental Component Scores (MCS) were compared between those with and without significant improvement in postoperative disability (ODI) and secondary measures. Multivariate analysis examined factors predictive of MCS improvement. RESULTS: Eighteen hospitals contributed 3222 eligible patients. Worse ODI, EuroQoL, PCS, back pain and leg pain correlated with worse MCS at all time points. Overall, patients had an improvement in MCS that occurred within 3 months of surgery and was still present 24 months after surgery. Patients exceeding Minimally Clinically Important Differences in ODI had the greatest improvements in MCS. Major depression prevalence decreased up to 48% following surgery, depending on spine diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Large scale, real world, registry data suggests that successful surgery for degenerative lumbar disease is associated with reduction in the prevalence of major depression regardless of the specific underlaying diagnosis. Worse baseline MCS was associated with worse baseline HRQOL and improved postoperatively with coincident improvement in disability, emphasizing that mental wellness is not a static state but may improve with well-planned spine surgery.

Evaluation of ponatinib in vitro effect in three canine mast cell tumor cell lines expressing FGFR-1, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR-2.

Ponatinib is a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets numerous receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including but not limited to fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-1, platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-α, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2. This study evaluated the expression of FGFR-1, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR-2 in three canine mast cell tumor (MCT) cell lines (CM-MC1, VI-MC1, CoMS) and the effects of ponatinib on these MCT cell lines. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the expression of FGFR-1, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR-2 in the three MCT cell lines. Ponatinib exhibited dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity in MCT cell lines via MTT assay. The IC50 for 24, 48, and 72 h across the three cell lines ranged from 38.47 nM to 103.3 nM, which is clinically comparable to dose ranges established for humans. Significantly increased apoptosis in each cell line was seen between 12 and 18 h after treatment with IC50 of ponatinib via Annexin-V and Caspase-3/7 assays. These data suggest that ponatinib could be a possible therapeutic agent for canine MCTs. Further studies are needed to investigate the prognostic value of FGFR-1, PDGFR-α, and VEGFR-2 in canine MCTs.

The paradox-breaking panRAF plus SRC family kinase inhibitor, CCT3833, is effective in mutant KRAS-driven cancers.

BACKGROUND: KRAS is mutated in ∼90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, ∼35% of colorectal cancers and ∼20% of non-small-cell lung cancers. There has been recent progress in targeting G12CKRAS specifically, but therapeutic options for other mutant forms of KRAS are limited, largely because the complexity of downstream signaling and feedback mechanisms mean that targeting individual pathway components is ineffective. DESIGN: The protein kinases RAF and SRC are validated therapeutic targets in KRAS-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, colorectal cancers and non-small-cell lung cancers and we show that both must be inhibited to block growth of these cancers. We describe CCT3833, a new drug that inhibits both RAF and SRC, which may be effective in KRAS-mutant cancers. RESULTS: We show that CCT3833 inhibits RAF and SRC in KRAS-mutant tumors in vitro and in vivo, and that it inhibits tumor growth at well-tolerated doses in mice. CCT3833 has been evaluated in a phase I clinical trial (NCT02437227) and we report here that it significantly prolongs progression-free survival of a patient with a G12VKRAS spindle cell sarcoma who did not respond to a multikinase inhibitor and therefore had limited treatment options. CONCLUSIONS: New drug CCT3833 elicits significant preclinical therapeutic efficacy in KRAS-mutant colorectal, lung and pancreatic tumor xenografts, demonstrating a treatment option for several areas of unmet clinical need. Based on these preclinical data and the phase I clinical unconfirmed response in a patient with KRAS-mutant spindle cell sarcoma, CCT3833 requires further evaluation in patients with other KRAS-mutant cancers.

Pre-treatment expectations of patients with spinal metastases: what do we know and what can we learn from other disciplines? A systematic review of qualitative studies.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about treatment expectations of patients with spinal metastases undergoing radiotherapy and/or surgery. Assuming that patients with spinal metastases share characteristics with patients who had spinal surgery for non-cancer related conditions and with advanced cancer patients, we performed a systematic review to summarize the literature on patient expectations regarding treatment outcomes of spinal surgery and advanced cancer care. METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO for studies between 2000 and sep-2019. Studies including adult patients (> 18 years), undergoing spinal surgery or receiving advanced cancer care, investigating patients' pre-treatment expectations regarding treatment outcomes were included. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full-texts, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. RESULTS: The search identified 7343 articles, of which 92 were selected for full-text review. For this review, 31 articles were included. Patients undergoing spinal surgery had overly optimistic expectations regarding pain and symptom relief, they underestimated the probability of functional disability, and overestimated the probability of (complete) recovery and return to work. Studies highlighted that patients feel not adequately prepared for surgery in terms of post-treatment expectations. Similarly, advanced cancer patients receiving palliative treatment often had overly optimistic expectations regarding their survival probability and cure rates. CONCLUSIONS: Patients tend to have overly optimistic expectations regarding pain and symptom relief, recovery and prognosis following spinal surgery or advanced cancer care. Pretreatment consultation about the expected pain and symptom relief, recovery and prognosis may improve understanding of prognosis, and promote and manage expectations, which, in turn, may lead to better perceived outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020145151 .

A description of the growth and moulting of feathers in commercial broilers.

1. Changes in feather length and weight and daily losses of down, contour feathers, remiges and retrices were studied in two commercial broiler strains to determine feather growth and moult in broilers up to 112 d of age. 2. Ten pens of 20 chicks for each sex x strain were fed adequate amounts of dietary protein in a four-phase feeding programme. Ten birds were sampled per genotype at 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 and 112 d. Feather loss was determined for individual birds caged within a nylon net. 3. All feathers were dry-plucked from each of seven tracts, with representative feathers from the capital-cervical, dorsopelvic and interscapular, pectoral and femoral tracts being randomly selected. Three rectrices of the dorsocaudal tract and three primaries and secondaries of the humeral-alar tract of the right wing were evaluated. 4. The length of the selected feathers was measured, and the feathers from each tract and from the whole bird were weighed. 5. A wide range of rates of maturing (0.0250-0.0907/d) and mature weights (9.62-52.9 g) were evident between sampled tracts. 6. Feather weight failed to predict some moults which were detected by the measurement of feather losses. From the weight data, moulting was evident only in the humeral-alar and dorsocaudal tracts, whereas, when daily losses were measured, contour feathers accounted for over 0.7 proportion of feather losses. Logistic equations adequately described the cumulative losses of down, contour feathers and remiges. 7. Feather loss needs to be considered when feather growth is determined from feather weight at different ages. 8. The rate of maturing (B) of feathers was numerically higher in Ross males and females than in the Cobb strain. In females, B was higher than in males (0.0483 vs. 0335/d) but the mature weight was lower (162 vs. 230 g).

Investigation of the relationship between ionised and total calcium in dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between total and ionised calcium concentrations in dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia and to evaluate how albumin influences this relationship. METHODS: Initially, a reference interval for ionised and total calcium was established using a large population of healthy adult dogs. Our teaching hospital clinical database was searched to identify adult dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia between 2012 and 2017, a time frame when the same sample handling and analysis protocols were in place as for the healthy reference interval population. The relationship between ionised and total calcium concentrations was then examined in the ionised hypercalcaemia population. RESULTS: Based on biochemical analysis of 351 healthy adult dogs, a reference interval of 1.18 to 1.53 mmol/L for ionised calcium and 2.24 to 2.85 mmol/L for total calcium was established. Using these reference intervals, 63 dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia were identified, of which 23 did not have total hypercalcaemia. Only seven of the 23 dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia and total calcium below the upper limit of the reference interval had hypoalbuminemia. The majority of dogs with ionised hypercalcemia and normal total calcium had a modest increase in ionised calcium. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: If relying on total calcium alone, more than one third of dogs with ionised hypercalcaemia will be classified as normocalcaemic and the majority of these dogs had normal serum albumin.

A description of the potential growth and body composition of two commercial broiler strains.

1. The potential growth of feathers and feather-free body and their chemical components was measured in two commercial broiler strains. 2. A total of 200 chicks of each sex x strain were fed adequate amounts of dietary protein using a four-phase feeding programme. Ten birds per genotype were sampled at 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 and 112 d of age. They were weighed before and after being dry-plucked to determine the weight of feathers, and the feather-free body was then minced and analysed for water, protein and lipid. 3. Body weights and chemical composition of males of the two strains were similar throughout the trial. Females of the two strains differed only in their body lipid contents, with mature Cobb females being higher than Ross (1371 vs. 1210 g). 4. Mature body weights of males and females from both strains averaged 8420 g and 6650 g; mature body protein weights averaged 1555 g and 1030 g; and mature body lipid contents averaged 908 and 1290 g, respectively. 5. Rates of maturing per day of body weights of males and females of both strains averaged 0.0385 and 0.0368; feather-free body protein was 0.0316 and 0.0348 and body lipid was 0.0503 and 0.0375, respectively. The rates for body lipid differed between Cobb and Ross females (0.0352 vs. 0.0397/d). Separate equations were required for males and females to describe the allometric relationship between lipid and protein in the feather-free body. 6. The rate of maturing of feathers in females was higher than in males (0.0526 vs. 0398/d) and the mature weight was lower (205 vs. 266 g), respectively. Mature body weights of broilers in this trial were considerably higher than those measured using the same protocol 24 years ago, whereas rates of maturing remained the same.

Embryonal and Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma in Adults: Real-Life Data From a Tertiary Sarcoma Centre.

AIMS: Embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS, ARMS) are subtypes of RMS that mainly occur in children, with relatively good outcomes. The incidence in adults is extremely low and survival is significantly worse compared with children. Data are scarce and literature generally combines all RMS subtypes, including pleomorphic RMS, which primarily occurs in adults and behaves more like undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient and tumour characteristics, outcome and prognostic factors in adult patients with ERMS and ARMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All adult (18 years or older) ERMS and ARMS patients (presenting 1990-2016) were identified from a prospectively maintained database and were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 66 patients were included (42 men, 24 women). The median age at presentation was 28 years (range 18-71). The median overall survival for all ARMS (n = 42) and ERMS (n = 24) patients was 18 months, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 27%. Patients presenting with localised disease (n = 38, 58%) and metastatic disease (n = 25, 42%), had a 5-year overall survival rate of 36% and 11%, respectively. In univariate analysis we found alveolar subtype, fusion gene positivity, infiltrative tumour and metastatic presentation to be negative prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Survival in adult ERMS and ARMS patients is poor and the current data may be useful in the design of trials with novel agents. Ideally, paediatric and adult oncologists should set up trials together to get a better understanding of biological, genetic and clinically relevant factors in this disease.

The adequacy of tissue microarrays in the assessment of inter- and intra-tumoural heterogeneity of infiltrating lymphocyte burden in leiomyosarcoma.

The characterisation and clinical relevance of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in leiomyosarcoma (LMS), a subtype of soft tissue sarcoma that exhibits histological heterogeneity, is not established. The use of tissue microarrays (TMA) in studies that profile TIL burden is attractive but given the potential for intra-tumoural heterogeneity to introduce sampling errors, the adequacy of this approach is undetermined. In this study, we assessed the histological inter- and intra-tumoural heterogeneity in TIL burden within a retrospective cohort of primary LMS specimens. Using a virtual TMA approach, we also analysed the optimal number of TMA cores required to provide an accurate representation of TIL burden in a full tissue section. We establish that LMS have generally low and spatially homogenous TIL burdens, although a small proportion exhibit higher levels and more heterogeneous distribution of TILs. We show that a conventional and practical number (e.g. ≤3) of TMA cores is adequate for correct ordinal categorisation of tumours with high or low TIL burden, but that many more cores (≥11) are required to accurately estimate absolute TIL numbers. Our findings provide a benchmark for the design of future studies aiming to define the clinical relevance of the immune microenvironments of LMS and other sarcoma subtypes.

Bee community preference for an invasive thistle associated with higher pollen protein content.

Non-native plant species reliant on insect pollination must attract novel pollinators in their introduced habitat to reproduce. Indeed, pollination services provided by resident floral visitors may contribute to the spread of non-native species, which may then affect the pollination services received by native plants. To determine the mechanisms by which an invasive thistle attracts pollinators in its introduced range, and whether its presence changes the pollinator visitation to native plant species, we compared bee visitation to native plants in the presence or absence of the invader. We experimentally tested the effect of a thistle invasion into a native plant community. We found that the non-native thistle was the most attractive of the plant species to visiting bee species. However, there was no effect of experimental treatment (presence of thistle) on bee abundance or visitation rate (bees per unit floral area per sample) to native plant species. Across 68 bee and 6 plant species, we found a significant correlation between pollen protein content and bee abundance and visitation rate. Thistle pollen also had a similar protein:lipid ratio to legumes, which correlated with bumble bee visitation. The high protein content of the thistle pollen, as compared to four native asters, may allow it to attract pollinators in novel ecosystems, and potentially contribute to its success as an invader. At the same time, this high protein pollen may act as a novel resource to pollinators in the thistle's invaded range.

The growth of turkeys 2. Body components and allometric relationships.

1. The relationships between the main components of the body and body protein among males and females of BUT 6 (BUT) and Hybrid Converter (HYB) turkey strains were examined. 2. The weights of breast meat, breast skin, drumstick meat, drumstick skin, thigh meat, thigh skin and wing-plus-skin as well as the head, neck, feet, blood, heart, liver and gizzard were measured at different stages of growth after which all components of each bird were minced together in order to determine the feather-free body protein weight of each bird sampled. Using the weights of the components and the protein content of each bird the allometric relationships between the components and body protein were determined and then compared for each strain x sex combination. 3. By excluding the breast weights at day-old and at 7 d, the remaining points produced an acceptable allometric relationship (R2 = 0.992). Thigh weight could be predicted for all strain x sex combinations using one allometric equation, as could drumstick skin weight. Breast and thigh skin weights differed between males and females. Females of the HYB strain exhibited heavier drumstick and wing-plus-skin weights at a given body protein weight than the other three strain x sex combinations. These differences in both the constant term and regression coefficient in the allometric equations between genotypes are probably due to differences in the amount of lipid that is deposited in these tissues. 4. Sexes differed in the allometric relationships for head, feet, heart and liver, while breeds differed in gizzard weight. A common relationship between the four genotypes could be used to predict the weight of blood in the carcass. 5. The allometric equations fitted to the data in this trial enable the accurate prediction of the weights of the different physical components given the weight of body protein.

The growth of turkeys 1. Growth of the body and feathers and the chemical composition of growth.

1. The potential growth of modern turkey genotypes was measured using male and female BUT 6 (BUT) and Hybrid Converter (HYB) strains. At one-day-old, 720 male and 960 female poults were randomly allocated to 48 littered pens in two houses with 30 males or 40 females of each strain per pen. Five feeds of decreasing protein content were fed to both sexes during the growing period. 2. Birds were weighed at 1, 7, 14, 21, 35, 56, 77, 119 d (males only), 126 d (females only) and 140 d (males only) and, on each occasion, six birds were selected and removed for carcass analysis. 3. Growth was similar in both strains, but the growth rate of females appeared to decline relative to the earlier trajectory after 70 d, and this tendency being greater in HYB females. 4. HYB birds of both sexes had more feathers than BUT to 77 d, but thereafter these differences were non-significant. A single allometry between feather and body protein weight was observed over all genotypes with no differences apparent between sexes within strains. The Gompertz curve adequately described the growth of body protein, water and ash. 5. Body lipid (g/100g bodyweight) declined in the early stages of growth. This might reflect an energy deficiency in the diet or might indicate that the present description of lipid growth does not apply in turkeys as it does in other species. 6. Whereas the description of body growth, feather growth and the chemical components of growth given in this paper may not fully reflect the true potential of the genotypes used, nevertheless they provide useful information regarding the latest genotypes available in the turkey industry. Some of the observations suggested that current performance might be improved if further research is conducted regarding dietary energy transactions.