Are you ready for a challenge? Personality traits influence dairy calves' responses to disease, pain, and nutritional challenges.

Dairy calves routinely experience disease, pain, and nutritional stressors such as diarrhea, dehorning, and weaning early in life. These stressors lead to changes in behavioral expression that varies in magnitude between individuals, where a greater magnitude change would suggest lower resilience in individuals to a stressor. Thus, this study first aimed to quantify the individual variation in magnitude change in feeding behaviors and activity in response to a bout of diarrhea, dehorning, and weaning. The next objective was to then investigate if personality traits were related to this magnitude of behavioral response in dairy calves, and thus their resilience toward these stressors. Calves were followed with 2 precision livestock technologies (e.g.: an automatic feeding system (AFS), and leg accelerometer) to track behavioral changes in response during the time when the stressors were present. The AFS provided daily measures of milk intake, drinking speed, rewarded and unrewarded visits to the milk feeding station, and calf starter intake. The leg accelerometer provided daily measures of steps, activity index, lying time, and lying bouts. At 23 ± 3 d of age, Holstein dairy calves (n = 49) were subjected to a series of standardized personality tests that exposed calf to novelty and fear stimuli. Factors extracted from a principal component analysis on the behaviors from the personality test were utilized to represent personality traits: Factor 1 ('Fearful'), Factor 2 ('Active') and Factor 3 ('Explorative'). The magnitude change in behaviors from the precision livestock technologies were calculated relative to the behavior performed on the day the stressor occurred (i.e., day of diagnosis; day of dehorning; day weaned). Linear regression models were utilized to determine if calf scores on each factor were associated with magnitude change in behavior for each of the stressor periods with day relative to the stressor included as a repeated measure. Models were run independently for the period leading up to and following each stressor. We found that calves varied in their behavioral responses to diarrhea, dehorning, and weaning stressors, despite being reared in the same environment and experiencing consistent management procedures. Additionally, personality traits measured from standardized tests were associated to both the direction and magnitude of change in behaviors around each stressor. For instance, with diarrhea, calves that were highly 'Fearful' had a greater magnitude change in milk intake and drinking speed following diagnosis than the least 'Fearful' calves. With dehorning, calves that were highly 'Explorative' had a greater magnitude change in lying time when dehorned, but a smaller magnitude change in lying bouts and drinking speed following dehorning, than the least 'explorative' calves. With weaning, calves that were highly 'Active' had a smaller magnitude change in unrewarded visits leading up to and following weaning than calves that were the least 'Active'. Each of the personality traits had a significant association with change in behavior surrounding each of the stressors evaluated, although these associations depended on the type of stressor. These results have implications for how individual calves experience each stressor and therefore individual animal welfare.

Individuality of calves: Linking personality traits to feeding and activity daily patterns measured by precision livestock technology.

Animal personality has established connections with animal performance, resilience, and welfare which are related to stable behavioral patterns. Precision livestock technologies introduce the opportunity to measure these behavior patterns automatically and noninvasively. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to determine if personality traits in dairy calves measured via standardized personality assessments were associated with activity measured via a commercially available accelerometer. Secondary aims of this study were to investigate if personality traits were associated with feeding behaviors measured via an automatic feeding system (AFS) and with average daily gain (ADG). We characterized personality traits of Holstein calves (n = 49) utilizing standardized personality (novel environment, novel person, novel object, and startle) tests. Behaviors from these tests were summarized and 3 factors were extracted from a principal component analysis to represent calf personality traits: fearful, active, and explorative. Factor scores were regressed against behaviors from the accelerometer and AFS and with ADG. We found that calves that were more active were associated with taking more steps in the home environment, consuming more calf starter, and with reaching the benchmark of 1 kg of starter consumed in a day at a younger age. The trait active was also associated with greater ADG throughout the study. In addition, calves that were more explorative in the personality tests were associated with less starter consumed and lower ADG specifically during the weaning period. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature by further establishing the links between personality traits and the daily behavioral patterns and performance of young calves. This study suggests the potential for using precision technology to assess and characterize personality traits, thereby enhancing their practical applicability on farms. Future research should focus on evaluating how personality traits, as measured through standardized assessments and precision technologies, correlate with deviations in behavior observed in dairy calves during stressors.

The development and validation of a milk feeding behavior alert from automated feeder data to classify calves at risk for a diarrhea bout: A diagnostic accuracy study.

The objective of this diagnostic accuracy study was to develop and validate an alert to identify calves at risk for a diarrhea bout using milk feeding behavior data (behavior) from automated milk feeders (AMF). We enrolled Holstein calves (n = 259) as a convenience sample size from 2 facilities that were health scored daily preweaning and offered either 10 or 15 L/d of milk replacer. For alert development, 132 calves were enrolled and the ability of milk intake, drinking speed, and rewarded visits collected from AMF to identify calves at risk for diarrhea was tested. Alerts that had high diagnostic accuracy in the alert development phase were validated using a holdout validation strategy of 127 different calves from the same facilities (all offered 15 L/d) for -3 to 1 d relative to diarrhea diagnosis. We enrolled calves that were either healthy or had a first diarrheal bout (loose feces ≥2 d or watery feces ≥1 d). Relative change and rolling dividends for each milk feeding behavior were calculated for each calf from the previous 2 d. Logistic regression models and receiver operator curves (ROC) were used to assess the diagnostic ability for relative change and rolling dividends behavior relative to alert d) to classify calves at risk for a diarrhea bout from -2 to 0 d relative to diagnosis. To maximize sensitivity (Se), alert thresholds were based on ROC optimal classification cutoff. Diagnostic accuracy was met when the alert had a moderate area under the ROC curve (≥0.70), high accuracy (Acc; ≥0.80), high Se (≥0.80), and very high precision (Pre; ≥0.85). For alert development, deviations in rolling dividend milk intake with drinking speed had the best performance (10 L/d: ROC area under the curve [AUC] = 0.79, threshold ≤0.70; 15 L/d: ROC AUC = 0.82, threshold ≤0.60). Our diagnostic criteria were only met in calves offered 15 L/d (10 L/d: Se 75%, Acc 72%, Pre 92%, specificity [Sp] 55% vs. 15 L/d: Se 91%, Acc 91%, Pre 89%, Sp 73%). For holdout validation, rolling dividend milk intake with drinking speed met diagnostic criteria for one facility (threshold ≤0.60, Se 86%, Acc 82%, Pre 94%, Sp 50%). However, no milk feeding behavior alerts met diagnostic criteria for the second facility due to poor Se (relative change milk intake -0.36 threshold, Se 71%, Acc 70%, and Pre 97%). We suggest that changes in milk feeding behavior may indicate diarrhea bouts in dairy calves. Future research should validate this alert in commercial settings; furthermore, software updates, support, and new analytics might be required for on-farm application to implement these types of alerts.

Ten Years of HIV Diagnosis in a Dermatology and Venereology Department: A Retrospective Study on Demographic, Clinical, and Laboratory Characteristics. / [Artículo traducido] Diez años de diagnóstico de VIH en un Departamento de Dermatología y Venereología: un estudio retrospectivo sobre características demográficas, clínicas y de laboratorio.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission remains an important health issue, with a high burden that is felt across the world. This work aims to analyze the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of newly diagnosed patients with HIV in a Department of Dermatology and Venereology. A retrospective observational study was conducted from all health records of newly diagnosed patients with HIV from a Dermatology unit from January 2011 to December 2020. A total of 134 patients with new HIV diagnoses were included in the analysis. Concurrent dermatological or venereal diseases were diagnosed in 91.0% of the patients (n=122), being the most common conditions syphilis (22.4%, n=30) and urethritis (14.9%, n=20). Out of all the patients with diagnoses of concurrent sexually transmitted infection (STI) (41.0%, n=55), syphilis was reported in 81.8% of the patients (n=45), gonorrhea in 9.1% (n=5), and chlamydia in 5.5% (n=3). We present a large patient database on the clinical conditions associated with newly diagnosed HIV, concluding that infectious diseases were the most common conditions associated with newly diagnosed HIV.

Ten Years of HIV Diagnosis in a Dermatology and Venereology Department: A Retrospective Study on Demographic, Clinical, and Laboratory Characteristics.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission remains an important health issue, with a high burden that is felt across the world. This work aims to analyze the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of newly diagnosed patients with HIV in a Department of Dermatology and Venereology. A retrospective observational study was conducted from all health records of newly diagnosed patients with HIV from a Dermatology unit from January 2011 to December 2020. A total of 134 patients with new HIV diagnoses were included in the analysis. Concurrent dermatological or venereal diseases were diagnosed in 91.0% of the patients (n=122), being the most common conditions syphilis (22.4%, n=30) and urethritis (14.9%, n=20). Out of all the patients with diagnoses of concurrent sexually transmitted infection (STI) (41.0%, n=55), syphilis was reported in 81.8% of the patients (n=45), gonorrhea in 9.1% (n=5), and chlamydia in 5.5% (n=3). We present a large patient database on the clinical conditions associated with newly diagnosed HIV, concluding that infectious diseases were the most common conditions associated with newly diagnosed HIV.

Voluntary heat stress abatement system for dairy cows: Does it mitigate the effects of heat stress on physiology and behavior?

Many cooling strategies are used to keep cows in thermal homeostasis; however, most of them are applied to the group level, commonly at the feed bunk or milking parlor. The variance of heat stress effects on animals are well known, but with more individualized management in dairy farms, group cooling opportunities are becoming restricted. It is known that dairy cattle are variable in their responses to an increase in heat load. Thus, the first objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 2 mandatory soakings at the exit of the milking parlor and free access to a voluntary soaking system compared with cows with access to a voluntary soaking system only, with no mandatory soakings. The second objective of this study was to assess the heat abatement capability of voluntary soaking of cows by assessing cow physiology, behavior, and milk production. Last, this study aimed to determine the individual use of the voluntary heat abatement system and its relationship with temperature-humidity index (THI). Fifteen mid-lactation Holstein cows were enrolled in this study and had free access to a motion-activated soaker (Cool Sense, Edstrom) located adjacent to the research pen for an 8-wk data collection period. Cows were paired according to parity, milk production, and body weight, and assigned a treatment with or without mandatory soakings twice per day. In the mandatory soaking treatment (MS), cows were soaked using a motion-activated soaker at the exit of the milking parlor and had free access to the voluntary soaker in the pen. Cows in the treatment without mandatory soakings (NMS) were not soaked at the exit of the milking parlor and had free access to the voluntary soaker in the pen. The effects of soaker treatment were analyzed using mixed linear models. The model included treatment, soaker uses per day, pair, mean daily THI, days in milk, daily milk yield, and interaction of treatment with mean daily THI. Study day was specified as a repeated measure, and cow as the subject, using an autoregressive structure. Also, we assessed the relationship of mean soaker use and THI against all variables. There was great individual variation in voluntary soaker use, ranging from 0 to 227 soakings/d (mean ± standard deviation, 13 ± 30 voluntary soakings/d). Treatment did not affect voluntary soaker use (MS, 12.4 ± 1.4 soakings/d; NMS, 14.8 ± 1.4 soakings/d), respiration rate (MS, 57.3 ± 0.4 breaths/min; NMS, 56.4 ± 0.4 breaths/min), or milk yield (MS, 36.5 ± 0.6 kg/d; NMS, 36.2 ± 0.6 kg/d). However, MS cows spent more time ruminating (MS, 558.6 ± 5.2 min/d; NMS, 543.4 ± 5.4 min/d). Temperature-humidity index had a positive relationship with voluntary soaker use and mean respiration rate. In conclusion, voluntary soaker use related positively to the THI, but no major productive, physiological, or behavioral differences were observed between soaking treatments. Furthermore, we found that voluntary soaker use is highly variable among cows and it was related positively to milk yield, where higher producing cows used the soaker more frequently.

A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of transport duration and age at transport on surplus dairy calves: Part I. Impact on health and growth.

Calves arriving to veal and dairy-beef facilities in poor condition are at risk of future health challenges and reduced growth rates, and limited knowledge is available on how time in transit affects subsequent health and growth of these animals. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to understand the effects of transport duration on diarrhea, respiratory disease, and growth of surplus calves destined for veal production following 6, 12, or 16 h of continuous road transport. Surplus dairy calves (n = 175; 7 transport cohorts) from 5 commercial dairy farms in Ontario, Canada, were enrolled on the day of birth. These calves were clinically examined daily on the source farms until the day before transport and on a daily basis for the first 14 d at the veal farm. On the day of transport, they were randomly assigned to 6, 12, or 16 h of transport to a veal farm. A blood sample was collected between 24 and 48 h of birth to assess transfer of passive immunity status. Calves were weighed at birth, before and immediately after transport, as well as 24, 48, and 72 h after unloading. Calves were also weighed 14 and 50 d after transport. Health exams were conducted daily at the source farm, immediately before and after transport, and once daily for 14 d thereafter to evaluate clinical signs of diarrhea, respiratory disease, dehydration, and navel inflammation. Mixed effects Poisson regression models were used to evaluate variables associated with the number of days with abnormal respiratory and fecal scores, whereas mixed logistic regression models with repeated measures were built to assess the probability of a calf having abnormal respiratory scores, abnormal fecal scores, or dehydration by day after arrival to the facility. A mixed model with repeated measures was used to evaluate calf weight at each time point at which body weight was measured after transport, whereas a mixed linear regression model was used to evaluate factors associated with average daily gain (ADG) in the 50 d after transport. Calves transported for 16 h had greater incidence of abnormal fecal scores compared with 6 h in the 14 d after transport. In addition, an interaction between age and duration of transport on the number of days with abnormal respiratory scores was identified, where calves older than 7 d of age had reduced incidence of abnormal respiratory score compared with calves 2 to 6 d old, even when transported for 16 h. As for growth, age at transport was positively associated with ADG in the 50 d of observation; however, no differences were observed between transport duration groups. These findings highlight that transporting calves for a longer duration negatively affects subsequent health, and calves greater than 1 wk of age experience improved health and growth after transport compared with their younger counterparts.

A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of transport duration and age at transport on surplus dairy calves: Part II. Impact on hematological variables.

Surplus dairy calves often arrive at veal and dairy-beef rearing facilities with health and blood metabolite level abnormalities, which can affect their welfare and performance, predisposing them to future health challenges. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effects of transport duration and age at the time of transport on blood parameters in surplus dairy calves following 6, 12, or 16 h of continuous road transportation. All surplus calves from 5 commercial dairy farms in Ontario were enrolled and examined daily before transport (n = 175). On the day of transportation, calves were weighed, blood sampled, and randomly assigned to 6, 12, or 16 h of transportation. Blood samples were then collected immediately after transportation, as well as 24, 48, and 72 h thereafter. Serum was analyzed at a provincial diagnostic laboratory for nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), ß-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), creatine kinase (CK), cholesterol, and haptoglobin. In addition, blood gas and electrolyte values were also assessed at the time of sample collection. Mixed models with repeated measures were used to assess the effects of transport duration, breed, sex, transfer of passive immunity status, weight before transportation, and age at transportation on blood parameters. Immediately following transportation, NEFA and BHBA were greater for calves transported for 12 h (Δ = 0.22 mmol/L NEFA, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.30; Δ = 0.04 mmol/L BHBA, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.06) and 16 h (Δ = 0.35 mmol/L NEFA, 95% CI = 0.27 to 0.42; Δ = 0.10 mmol/L BHBA, 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.11) compared with calves transported for 6 h. Glucose was lower immediately following transportation in calves transported for 16 h compared with 6 h (Δ = -15.54 mg/dL, 95% CI = -21.54 to -9.54). In addition, pH and HCO3- were lower in calves transported for 12 (Δ = -0.09 pH, 95% CI = -0.13 to -0.05; Δ = -1.59 mmol/L HCO3-, 95% CI = -2.61 to -0.56) and 16 h (Δ = -0.07 pH, 95% CI = -0.12 to -0.03; Δ = -1.95 mmol/L HCO3-, 95% CI = -2.95 to -0.95) compared with calves transported for 6 h. Calves transported between 15 and 19 d of age had a higher concentration of cholesterol and CK (Δ = 0.27 mmol/L cholesterol; 37.18 U/L CK) compared with 2- to 6-d-old calves, and calves 12 to 14 d old had greater reduction in HCO3- (Δ = -0.92 mmol/L) compared with 2- to 6-d-old calves. These findings show that transporting calves for long distances results in lower glucose concentration and suboptimal energy status, and that this effect varies based on the calf's age.

Whole-plant flint corn silage inclusion in total mixed rations for pre- and postweaning dairy calves.

Assuming that acetic acid plays a minor role in the development of ruminal epithelium of preweaning dairy calves, the fiber supply for growing calves has been neglected. More research has been done on including starch and nonfibrous carbohydrates in solid feed for preweaning calves. Accordingly, the fiber requirement of these calves is not well known, as diet recommendations vary greatly. Hence, elucidating the effects of including fiber from long particle sizes in the diet may be essential for helping calves overcome the transition challenge during weaning. Forty-five Holstein calves were used in a randomized block design, considering sex, birth date, and weight at 28 d of age, when the supply of the total mixed ration (TMR) with the inclusion of corn silage started. Three TMR with increasing whole-plant flint corn silage content (0, 10, or 20% on a dry matter basis) were compared: 0CS, 10CS, or 20CS, respectively. During the first 28 d of life, the calves were managed homogeneously and were fed 6 L/d of whole milk, a commercial calf starter pelleted, and water ad libitum. Next, the solid diet was changed to the respective solid feed treatment. Calves were gradually weaned from 52 to 56 d of age but were evaluated for an additional 14 d postweaning. Feed intake was measured daily, while body weight and metabolic indicators of intermediate metabolism were evaluated weekly. Ruminal fluid was collected at 6, 8, and 10 wk of age. Behavioral analysis was conducted on wk 7 (preweaning) and 10 (postweaning). There was a quadratic effect for dry matter intake from wk 7 to 10, with higher intake for the 10CS diet than the 0CS and 20CS diets. Consequently, the 10CS diet also promoted greater average daily gain at wk 8 and 9 compared with the 0CS and 20CS diets. However, the final body weight was not affected by the different solid diets. Silage inclusion in calves' diet positively affected time spent ruminating and chewing pre- and postweaning. Including 10% of whole-plant flint corn silage in the diets of young dairy calves is a strategy to increase total solid intake and decrease acidosis risk by increasing pH and ruminating activity around weaning.

Lumbosacral pain in a patient with psoriatic arthritis: when the rheumatic disease is innocent.

Lumbar pain is a very common symptom that derives from benign musculoskeletal conditions, rheumatic inflammatory diseases, neoplasms, and referred and/or nociplastic pain. A 70-year-old man with psoriatic arthritis presented with early-onset lumbosacral pain without evident red flags. Symptomatic treatment was unhelpful. Radiographic imaging showed subtle signs of a disease that could easily be missed. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a massive prostatic malignancy with bone (sacral and iliopubic) metastasis. Awareness must be given not to disregard every lumbar pain as part of the preexisting rheumatic inflammatory disease (spondyloarthropathy in this case) or a common muscle/ligament/articular disarrangement. Persistence of pain, albeit not inflam-matory nor sharp in nature, despite adequate treatment might be just as important as an acute red flag and requires proper follow-up.

Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella in women with periodontitis and preterm birth.

BACKGROUND: Studies try to explain the hypothesis that maternal periodontitis may be associated with preterm birth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a case-control study with 120, 40 cases (gestational age <37 weeks) and 80 controls (gestational age ≥37 weeks), that were submitted to the clinical periodontal examination and subgingival biofilm collection. Bacterial DNA of subgingival biofilm was performed and processed by qPCR. RESULTS: Periodontitis was statistically significant in the Case group (35%) when compared to the Control group (11.2%) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), sites with PS ≥ 4mm and sites with CAL ≥ 5mm were statistically higher in the Case group (p < 0.05). The proportions of Pi (p = 0.026) and Fn (p = 0.041) of subgingival biofilm were higher in the Case group. A greater number of sites with PS ≥ 4mm (r = -0.202; p = 0.026) and CAL ≥ 5mm (r = -0.322; p < 0.001) were correlated to lower gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis, preterm delivery, and/or low birth weight may have a possible relationship based on clinical parameters and the ratio of Pi and Fn at periodontal sites.

Factors Influencing Healthcare Utilization Among Patients at Three Free Clinics.

Despite improvements in healthcare for uninsured persons, health disparities remain. We surveyed patients at three free clinics in an urban Florida community to better understand the factors that influence where they seek healthcare. Survey questions were developed based on factors previously demonstrated to affect healthcare utilization. A focus group validated the instrument. Patients self-administered written surveys over a 6-week period at three free clinics, including a student-run free clinic (SRFC). Results were compiled and analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton Exact tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's rho, as appropriate. Odds ratios were calculated for significant findings (p < 0.05). Patients completed 323 surveys. Free clinic visit frequency was positively related to female gender, Hispanic ethnicity, higher income, and poorer health. Black race was related to less frequent visits. Visit frequency differed among the clinic sites. Patients attending a SRFC were more likely to utilize another clinic. Patient satisfaction was not related to visit frequency. Seeking care at other clinics was related to employment. Emergency room utilization was positively related to male gender. Patients listed proximity and ability to receive care not offered at the free clinic as the primary reasons for seeking care at another clinic. In this sample, free clinic utilization was related to demographic and community factors. Free clinics should consider these factors when designing their care delivery. SRFC's should further evaluate how they function in the safety net.

Daily behavioral measures recorded by precision technology devices may indicate bovine respiratory disease status in preweaned dairy calves.

Precision technology devices can measure and detect relative changes in an animal's behavior to possibly create alerts to intervene and to administer treatments. However, the association of relative changes in daily feeding and activity behaviors in calves with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) status is still largely unexplored. The objective of this case-control study was to determine if daily behavioral patterns of preweaning dairy calves (measured by precision technologies) change before BRD diagnosis. This case-control study enrolled 33 pairs of calves (33 BRD calves matched by age, sex, and birthdate to 33 controls) health scored daily for BRD for the preweaning period (until 50 d on the automated feeder). A pedometer (IceQube, Ice Robotics) was attached to the left rear leg to track activity (lying time, lying bouts, total steps, and acceleration activity index). At 3.0 ± 2.0 d of age, calves were trained to use the automated feeder, which recorded milk and calf starter intake, drinking speed, and feeder visits. Calves were allotted a maximum 10 L/d of milk replacer (Cow's Match, Land O'Lakes Animal Milk Products Co.; 140 g/L) and starter (Special Calf Starter and Grower, Baghdad Feeds), ad libitum. Calves were scored daily for signs of BRD using the Wisconsin scoring system, and their lungs were scored with ultrasonography twice weekly. Outward signs of BRD as defined by the Wisconsin scoring system and an area of consolidated lung ≥3.0 cm2 was identified as BRD (d 0). Relative changes in daily behaviors were calculated using d -5 before BRD diagnosis as the baseline for each calf for each behavior. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the association of BRD status with feeding behaviors, activity, and relative changes in calf behavior over a 5-d period before diagnosis, as well as the BRD status × day interaction. Calves with a BRD bout were diagnosed at an average age of 33.0 ± 9.0 d (mean ± standard deviation) and weighed 56.1 ± 9.7 kg. Over the period, BRD calves had reduced milk and starter intake, greater lying times, and fewer lying bouts, step counts, and activity indices when compared with healthy calves. Furthermore, there was a BRD status × day interaction for relative changes in unrewarded visits, and relative changes in calf starter intake. Specifically, BRD calves had a decline in relative changes in their unrewarded visits on d -4, -2, -1, and 0 compared with healthy calves. This study suggests that there is the potential to use feeding and activity behaviors to identify BRD development in preweaning calves. However, utilization of an animals' daily behavioral patterns in real time is fundamental for developing disease detection algorithms, thus we suggest relative changes in unrewarded visits may be useful for algorithm development when d -5 is used as a baseline. Future research should investigate the potential of feeding behavior and activity levels collectively to indicate BRD status in calves using machine learning techniques.

Association of a green tea extract with serum immunoglobulin G status and neonatal vitality in newborn dairy calves.

Poor vigor at birth has been associated with reduced IgG absorption from colostrum and a reduced vitality in neonatal dairy calves. Some natural compounds, such as green tea extract, may improve vitality in compromised calves. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the potential of supplementing a green tea extract (15 mL) to calves to improve vigor and activity behavior for the first 72 h postnatal. Also, this study aimed to investigate the influence of green tea extract supplementation on calf serum IgG concentration and the apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) of colostral IgG. Holstein calves (n = 24) weighing 42.49 ± 1.07 kg postnatal received a complete random assignment at 3 h of one 15-mL dose of green tea extract (Calf Perk, TechMix) or distilled water orally before tube feeding colostrum replacer (Premolac Plus IgG, Zinpro) at 4 h postnatal. Two observers assessed for calving time and dystocia by live video stream to retrieve all calves within 2 h postnatal. One veterinarian performed a baseline vigor assessment based on heart rate and response to stimuli on all calves at 2.5 h, before colostrum feeding at 3.75 h, as well as at 24, 48, and 72 h postnatal. Calf blood samples were taken to assess total IgG by radial immunodiffusion assay at 2.5, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. Calf vitality was also observed continuously by video for all calves to determine whether treatment was associated with attempts to stand, lying time, and exploration of their pen environment for the first 24 h. We used an ordinal logistic model to evaluate the odds of green tea extract improving a calf's vigor category from 2.5 h postnatal to 72 h of age. Vigor score was categorized as abnormal (≤4), average (5), or alert (≥6), with hour as a fixed effect. We also ran mixed linear models to evaluate the effect of extract on total IgG and AEA, with time and dystocia as fixed effects. Five dystocia calves were enrolled (2 control, 3 extract), but assistance was minor (e.g., manual assistance and all were assisted within 1 h). Baseline vigor scores and baseline total IgG were not different between groups. Vigor score category was not associated with green tea extract supplementation (odds ratio 1.17; 95% CI: 0.43-3.15) but increased with time compared with controls. We observed no association of treatment with total IgG or AEA in the calves, suggesting green tea extract does not compromise IgG absorption. Calf vitality, lying behavior, and exploratory behavior were not associated with green tea extract treatment. Our findings suggest that green tea extract supplementation does not affect AEA and serum IgG concentration in calves. Future research should evaluate whether green tea extract improves vitality in calves experiencing severe dystocia.

Evaluating the effectiveness of colostrum as a therapy for diarrhea in preweaned calves.

Diarrhea is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in dairy calves. Many cases of diarrhea in calves are treated with antimicrobials, increasing the risk of antimicrobial resistance, therefore, creating a need for alternative therapies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding spray-dried maternal derived bovine colostrum replacer at the onset of diarrhea on calf growth and duration and severity of the disease in preweaning dairy calves. At a calf-raising facility in southern Ontario, calves were scored for fecal consistency twice daily on a scale of 0 to 3 and enrolled into the trial when they had 2 consecutive fecal scores of 2 (runny or spreads readily) or one fecal score of 3 (liquid consistency, splatters). Calves were then randomly allocated to receive one of the following 3 treatments: (1) control (CON; n = 35): 8 feedings over 4 d of 2.5 L of milk replacer at a concentration of 130 g/L (26% crude protein and 17% fat); (2) short-term colostrum supplementation (STC; n = 35): 4 feedings over the first 2 d of 2.5 L of a mixture of milk replacer at 65 g/L and bovine colostrum replacer at 65 g/L (26% IgG and 14.5% fat) followed by 4 feedings over 2 d of 2.5 L of milk replacer at a concentration of 130 g/L; or (3) long-term colostrum supplementation (LTC; n = 38): 8 feedings over 4 d of 2.5 L of a mixture of milk replacer at 65 g/L and bovine colostrum replacer at 65 g/L. Serum IgG was determined at arrival to the facility and body weight, days to enrollment since facility arrival, and severity of diarrhea were recorded at enrollment. Daily health exams evaluating fecal consistency were performed for 28 consecutive days after enrollment and body weight was measured at d 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56 after enrollment. The median days to resolution of a case of diarrhea was 3.5 d (range: 0.5-11.5 d), 2.75 d (range: 0.5-11.0 d), and 2.75 d (range: 0.5-7.0 d) in CON, STC, and LTC, respectively. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, it was found that calves in LTC group had faster resolution of diarrhea compared with calves in the CON group. In addition, there was an association between both days to enrollment since facility arrival and body weight and resolution of diarrhea, where calves who were at the facility longer before enrollment and heavier at the onset of diarrhea, resolved diarrhea quicker. In addition, calves with a fecal score of 3 at enrollment took longer to resolve their case of diarrhea. With respect to body weight, a linear regression model was built and found that over the 56 d following enrollment calves in the LTC treatment grew 98 g/d more than calves in the CON group. These results suggest that bovine colostrum may be an effective therapy for diarrhea in preweaning calves.

Characterizing the literature surrounding transportation of young dairy calves: A scoping review.

Transportation is a stressful event for cattle, as it may involve various handling practices, commingling, deprivation of food and water, and fluctuating temperatures. Calves are particularly susceptible to these stressors because their physiological and immune systems are still developing. There has been no formal synthesis of the scientific literature evaluating the effect of transportation on young dairy calf health and performance; the aim of this scoping review is to describe and characterize this body of work. We targeted both descriptive and analytic studies examining transport of calves, including listing how the effect of transport has been evaluated. Eight databases were searched for relevant articles with eligible studies being primary research articles investigating transportation of calves of either sex who were younger than 60 d of age or weighed less than 100 kg. Two reviewers independently screened the title and abstracts of 6,859 articles with 361 potentially relevant articles screened at full text. Of these, 46 were relevant and had data extracted. Articles reporting study location were conducted in the United States (n = 5), Australia (n = 3), Japan (n = 3), and New Zealand (n = 3). Common transport-related variables evaluated included time in transit (n = 13), distance of transportation (n = 8), vehicle-related factors (n = 8), and age at time of transportation (n = 4). Outcome measures varied greatly, including blood parameters (n = 28), health assessments (n = 20), weight (n = 17), behavioral metrics (n = 14), mortality (n = 7), feed intake following transportation (n = 4), salivary cortisol concentrations (n = 3), morbidity (n = 3), and isolation of Salmonella Dublin in fecal samples (n = 2). Outcome parameters were measured during transport or ranged from immediately after to one year following transportation. As the transport-related risk factors and outcomes measured assessed varied widely between studies, future quantitative synthesis (e.g., meta-analysis) in this area may be limited. Several knowledge gaps were identified, including methods to prepare calves for transportation, such as improving nutrition, administering medication, or transporting calves at an older age or weight. Further research could also focus on consistent and clear reporting of key items related to study conduct and analysis, as well as the development of a core outcome set for calf transport studies.

Effects of milk replacer allowances and levels of starch in pelleted starter on nutrient digestibility, whole gastrointestinal tract fermentation, and pH around weaning.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of pelleted starter diets differing in starch and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content when fed differing levels of milk replacer (MR) on nutrient digestibility, whole gastrointestinal tract fermentation, pH, and inflammatory markers in dairy calves around weaning. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (n = 12 per treatment) in a 2 × 2 factorial design based on daily MR allowance and amount of starch in pelleted starter (SPS): 0.691 kg of MR per day [dry matter (DM) basis] with starter containing low or high starch (12.0% and 35.6% starch on DM basis, respectively), and 1.382 kg of MR per day (DM) with starter containing low or high starch. All calves were housed in individual pens with straw bedding until wk 5 when bedding was covered. Calves were fed MR twice daily (0700 and 1700 h) containing 24.5% crude protein (DM) and 19.8% fat (DM), and had access to pelleted starter (increased by 50 g/d if there were no refusals before weaning and then 200 g/d during and after weaning) and water starting on d 1. Calves arrived between 1 and 3 d of age and were enrolled into an 8-wk study, with calves undergoing step-down weaning during wk 7. Starting on d 35, an indwelling pH logger was inserted orally to monitor rumen pH until calves were dissected at the end of the study in wk 8. Higher SPS calves showed an increase in rumen pH magnitude (1.46 ± 0.07) compared with low SPS calves (1.16 ± 0.07), a decrease in rumen pH in wk 8 (high SPS: 5.37 ± 0.12; low SPS: 5.57 ± 0.12), and a decrease in haptoglobin in wk 8 (high SPS: 0.24 ± 0.06 g/L; low SPS: 0.49 ± 0.06 g/L). The majority of differences came from increased starter intake in general, which suggests that with completely pelleted starters the differences in starch and NDF do not elicit drastic changes in fermentation, subsequent end products, and any resulting inflammation in calves around weaning.

Performance and visceral tissue growth and development of Holstein calves fed differing milk replacer allowances and starch concentrations in pelleted starter.

The objectives of this study were to investigate how milk replacer (MR) allowance and differing concentrations of starch and neutral detergent fiber in starter alters visceral tissue and overall growth of the calf. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (n = 12 per treatment) arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial based on daily MR allowance (MRA) and amount of starch in pelleted starter (SPS) as follows: 0.691 kg of MR/d [dry matter (DM) basis] with starter containing low or high starch (12.0% and 35.6% starch, respectively) and 1.382 kg of MR/day (DM) with starter containing low or high starch. All calves were housed in individual pens with straw bedding until wk 5 when bedding was covered to minimize intake. Calves were fed MR twice daily (0700 and 1700 h) containing 24.5% crude protein (DM) and 19.8% fat (DM), and had access to pelleted starter (increased by 50 g/d if there were no refusals before weaning, and then 200 g/d during and after weaning) and water starting on d 1. Calves arrived between 1 and 3 d of age and were enrolled into an 8-wk study, with calves undergoing step-down weaning during wk 7. Intakes were measured daily, and body weight (BW) and blood samples were recorded and collected weekly. Calves were dissected in wk 8 for visceral tissue measurements. Overall, there was increased MR DM intake for the high- (0.90 ± 0.01 kg/d; ± SE) compared with the low-MRA (0.54 ± 0.01 kg/d) calves, whereas starter DM intake increased in low- (0.47 ± 0.05 kg/d) compared with high-MRA (0.20 ± 0.05 kg/d) calves, which was driven by increases in wk 6, 7, and 8. High-MRA calves had increased BW during wk 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The difference in BW disappeared by wk 8, with overall average daily gain having a tendency to be increased in high (0.57 ± 0.04 kg/d) compared with low-MRA (0.50 ± 0.04 kg/d) calves, whereas average daily gain was increased in high-MRA calves during wk 2 and 3 and increased in low-MRA calves during wk 7 and 8. There were several differences throughout visceral tissue measurements, but most notably, an increase in rumen mass (i.e., full, empty, and digesta weights) in low- compared with high-MRA calves, as well as in low- compared with high-SPS calves was observed. The length, width, and 2-dimensional area of rumen papillae were also increased in low- (area: 0.88 ± 0.03 mm2) compared with high-MRA (0.46 ± 0.03 mm2) calves. The majority of differences were attributed to increased MR allowance, which contributed to reduced pelleted starter intake by more than 50% and reduced rumen development, whereas differences in starch intake from the completely pelleted starter had minimal effects on overall growth and tissue measurements.

Assessing the link between farming systems and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: Insights from Galicia (Spain).

Agriculture is a major driver of change with manifold impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. As social-ecological systems, agricultural landscapes result from the intertwined interaction between farmers and nature, and contribute to several ecosystem services key to human well-being. The social-ecological outcomes of farmlands ultimately reflect the management practices of the dominant farming systems (FS) at the landscape level. However, data-driven research linking agricultural management and biodiversity is still scarce, a knowledge gap limiting our understanding on the impacts of different farming systems on biodiversity at the landscape level. This research contributes to fill this knowledge gap, by being among the few explicitly exploring the relationship between FS and patterns of biodiversity at the landscape level, using as illustrative case the region of Galicia, northwest Spain. Using data from agricultural policies paying agencies, and protected species and habitats data, the following research questions were pursued: (1) Can farm-level data be used to map and characterize different FS at the landscape-level? and, (2) Is the occurrence of specific FS linked with higher levels of biodiversity? Results allowed the identification and characterization of seven different FS distributed across Galicia, which dominance allowed to identify seven landscape types. Moreover, besides depicting the dominance of cattle-based farming systems in Galicia, results showed a gradient of management from the most intensive located in coastal lowlands (west) towards less intensive mountain areas (east). Such gradient of decreasing management intensity matched a gradient of increasing nature value of farmlands, reflected as higher habitat diversity and richness for some of the targeted taxonomic groups. To our knowledge, this research is among the few explicitly addressing the relationship between FS and biodiversity at the landscape level. By highlighting potential links (positive or negative) between specific landscape types and habitats and/or species richness across targeted taxonomic groups, these results constitute a preliminary assessment of the agricultural practices promoting species and habitat richness. Further scrutinizing this assessment can support the identification of farm-level indicators that can be then translated into the design of policies (biodiversity or agriculture-related) fostering biodiversity at several scales of decision making.

[High risk localized and locally advanced prostate cancer: Long-term oncological outcomes after prostatectomy]. / Cancer de la prostate localisé de haut risque et localement avancé : résultats oncologiques à long terme de la prostatectomie.

INTRODUCTION: High risk localized and locally advanced forms are responsible for the vast majority of specific deaths from prostate cancer among non-metastatic diseases at diagnosis. No randomized study has yet been published to establish the best local treatment in terms of survival. AIM: Conduct a large-volume cohort study with long-term follow-up to analyze specific and overall survival outcomes after surgery. METHOD: A single-center retrospective study of all patients operated on for localized high-risk and locally advanced prostate cancer was performed. Actuarial survival analyses and multivariate analyses were performed to discern predictive risk factors. RESULTS: Five hundred patients were included. MRI stage was≥iT3a in 40.7% of cases and 50.2% of patients had a Gleason score≥8 on biopsy. The mean follow-up was 63.1 months. The overall, specific and biological recurrence-free survival were respectively 77.6%, 93.9% and 26.8% at 10 years. A PSA level≥20, a Gleason score on biopsy≥9 and a MRI stage≥iT3a were significantly associated with the 10-years biological recurrence risk. CONCLUSION: This study shows very good long-term oncological results. In the absence of a randomized controlled trial, these results suggest the primary role of surgery in this indication and support the evolution of current practices. We pointed out very pejorative features that might help selection of the best candidates for surgical treatment.