Assessing the emotional states of dairy cows housed with or without their calves.

The practice of keeping dairy cows with their calves continues to gain interest. Cow-calf contact, or lack thereof, is expected to affect emotional states, but this requires empirical testing. Different types of cow-calf contact may also affect the emotional states of cows. The primary objective of this study was to assess the emotional state of dairy cows with full-time (23 h/d), part-time (10 h/d), or no-contact with their calves (separated 48 h after birth), using a visual judgment bias test (JBT) about one month after calving; JBT is the current gold-standard method to assess emotional state in animals by evaluating optimism or pessimism (illustrated by the proverbial half-full or half-empty water glass). The secondary objective was to compare outcomes of color- versus shape-based visual JBT. Fifty dairy cows were trained to approach a positive image on a screen (rewarded with food) and to avoid a negative image (else punished with waving bag). Once learned (>80% correct over 2 consecutive days), cows were presented with 3 ambiguous images (each presented once per day among 4 positive and 3 negative images, repeated over 4 d), and their approach responses recorded. For the color method (10 full-time, 9 part-time and 11 no-contact cows), positive and negative images were a solid red or white background; ambiguous images were shades of pink. For the shape method (8 full-time, 6 part-time and 6 no-contact cows), positive and negative images were a white circle or cross on a black background; ambiguous images were overlaid circle and cross in varying shades of gray. Cows learned to discriminate colors quicker than shapes (7.3 d, confidence limits [CL]: 6.6-8.2 d; vs. 9.3 d, CL: 8.1-10.6 d). Approaches to ambiguous colors followed a generalization curve (81.0, 33.1, and 5.0 ± 3.7% for near-positive, middle, and near-negative images, respectively), but not approaches to ambiguous shapes (31.9%, 25.7%, and 21.9% ± 4.8%, respectively), indicating colors over shapes should be used in visual JBT for cattle. Part-time cows approached fewer ambiguous color images than full-time cows (23.5%, CL: 13.4%-34.4%; vs. 44.8%, CL; 32.8%-57.1%) whereas no-contact cows were intermediate, but not different from full-time or part-time cows (37.8%, CL; 26.8%-49.5%). The color JBT results show a pessimistic bias (indicating a negative emotional state) in cows with part-time calf contact, possibly due to repeated daily separation from her young calf, relative to cows with full-time calf contact. Thus, cow-calf contact systems appear to influence the emotional state of cows depending on the practice. Cows without calf contact showed no difference in judgment bias between cows with full- or part-time calf contact, suggesting these cows probably do not experience a pervasive negative emotional state (relative to those with calf contact) approximately 30 d after calf separation. However, individual variability in judgment bias was evident for all treatments. The visual judgment bias test is a useful methodology for assessing emotional states of dairy cows; future research should prioritize understanding the emotional states of dairy cows in alternative management systems.

Behavioral responses of dairy cows and their calves to gradual or abrupt weaning and separation when managed in full- or part-time cow-calf contact systems.

There is growing interest in managing cow and calf together for a prolonged period, but concerns remain about how best to wean and separate the cow and calf to minimize stress. One approach is to progressively reduce suckling opportunity over time, as in nature. There is also interest in part-time contact (suckling for part of the day) to improve milk yield for the farmer and potentially reduce stress at weaning and separation. The primary objective of this study was to compare the behavioral responses of dairy cows to gradual or abrupt weaning and separation, when managed either full or part time with their calves; a secondary focus was the vocal responses of calves under these management conditions. In a 3 × 2 factorial design (n = 14/ treatment), dairy cows and their calves (n = 84 in 7 blocks of 12 cow-calf pairs) were assigned to one of 3 dam-contact treatments at birth: (1) full-time contact between the dam and calf, apart from milking times (total 23 h/d) (2) part-time contact between the dam and calf, between morning and afternoon milking only (total 10 h/d); (3) no contact, where the dam and calf were separated after leaving the maternity pen and had no further contact. At wk 8, one of 2 weaning treatments was assigned: (1) gradual weaning by reduced contact time (50%, then 25% of original dam-contact time in wk 8 and 9, respectively), or gradually reduced milk allowance for no-contact calves (50%, then 25% of estimated 12-L milk intake in wk 8 and 9, respectively) until complete milk removal and dam-calf separation at wk 10; (2) abrupt weaning where milk removal occurred simultaneously with dam-calf separation at wk 10, or only milk removal for no-contact calves. Overall, part-time contact did not reduce weaning and separation distress for cows or calves for either weaning method. Part-time cows showed reduced behavioral responses to separation (greater lying time and less searching behavior), especially on the day of and 24 h after separation, but they showed a similarly strong vocal response to separation as full-time cows. Part-time calves made substantially more high-pitched vocalizations than full-time calves at 24 h after separation. Furthermore, gradual weaning by reducing contact time did not seem to better prepare cows or calves for complete milk removal and separation; most behavioral and vocal responses occurred on the day of separation for gradual-weaning cows and calves, but 24 h later, the reverse occurred for abrupt-weaning cows and there was no difference between gradual- and abrupt-weaning calves. Our results suggest that part-time contact and gradual-weaning conditions likely resulted in hunger and expectation for reunion, which together may have exaggerated behavioral responses at separation. Temporary daily separations may not have increased independence of cow and calf, and the gradual-weaning method here may not have reduced milk intake by calves. These elements are important criteria to facilitate the weaning process, so future work should explore ways to gradually reduce milk intake and promote social independence of cow and calf to minimize weaning distress.

Maternal behavior of dairy cows and suckling behavior of dairy calves in different cow-calf-contact conditions.

Cow-calf contact (CCC) has been suggested as an alternative to the common practice of early separation of dairy cow and calf. Increasing CCC poses challenges by reducing the machine milk yield and increasing separation stress. Part-time CCC may prove more feasible than full-time contact for farmers but may affect the maternal behavior of the cows. Gradually reducing the daily contact could gradually wean the calf off milk, preparing it for separation. This study aims to investigate 1) how cows' maternal behaviors toward their own calf are affected by part-time contact, and 2) whether calves' suckling behavior is reduced by reducing daily cow contact. Fifty-six dairy cows and their calves were assigned to either full-time (23 h/d) or part-time (10 h/d) cow-calf contact for 7 weeks (main rearing period). This was followed by 2 weeks of either reduced contact (50% in wk 8, then 25% of original contact time in wk 9) or unchanged contact. First, the maternal behavior of full and part-time cows was observed for 24 h in the third week of the main rearing period. Part-time cows spent less time nursing and grooming their own calf than full-time cows did. However, the amount of nursing in the inverse parallel position and the probability of a cow nursing a calf other than her own did not differ between the 2 treatments. Second, calf suckling behavior was observed for 24 h in both weeks of the reduced contact period. Averaged across both observations, total suckling time (i.e., time spent suckling any cow) was lower in part-time calves that experienced reduced contact compared with part-time calves with unchanged contact. In wk 9, time spent suckling only the dam was lower for full-time calves with reduced contact compared with part-time calves with unchanged contact. In conclusion, although we found a lower nursing and grooming time in part-time cows compared with full-time, we found no difference between treatments with regards to nursing in the inverse parallel position and nursing a calf other than the cow's own. The effect of gradually reducing cow-calf contact on calves' suckling time requires more research.

Dairy cows' motivation to nurse their calves.

When weaning offspring, female mammals limit nursing opportunities. This study aimed to investigate whether imposing a gradual reduction in daily contact time, by separating cows from their calves as an attempt to stimulate weaning, reduced dairy cows' motivation to nurse their calves. For seven weeks, 84 Holstein-Friesian cow-calf pairs were housed with either full-time (23 h contact/d), part-time (10 h contact/d), or no contact. In the following two weeks, half of full- and part-time pairs were subjected to reduced contact (50% of initial contact in week 8, 25% of initial contact in week 9), while the other half continued with unchanged contact. In weeks 8 and 9, cows' motivation to obtain full contact to and opportunity to nurse their calves was measured using weighted push gates using a novel maximum price paid method providing an alternative choice to the cows to reduce frustration. Cows with reduced calf contact were more motivated than cows with unchanged contact; however, cows used the alternative choice less than expected. The results show that cows' motivation for full calf contact and opportunity to nurse increases when daily calf contact is reduced, illustrating that dairy cows are motivated to continue nursing their 9- to 10-week-old calves.

Do cows see the forest or the trees? A preliminary investigation of attentional scope as a potential indicator of emotional state in dairy cows housed with their calves.

A positive mood in humans tends to broaden attentional scope while negative mood narrows it. A similar effect may be present in non-human animals; therefore, attentional scope may be a novel method to assess emotional states in livestock. In this proof-of-concept exploratory study, we examined the attentional scope of dairy cows housed with their calves either full-time, part-time (during daytime only), or with no calf contact (enrolled n = 10 each). Housing conditions were previously verified to induce differences in positive and negative emotional state, where part-time was considered more negative. Cows were trained to approach or avoid hierarchical images on a screen that were consistent in local and global elements (i.e., 13 small circles or crosses arranged in an overall circle or cross). After discrimination learning (>80% correct, over two consecutive days), 14 cows proceeded to test (n = 6 each full-and part-time; n = 2 no-contact, not analyzed). Test images showed inconsistent combinations of global and local elements (i.e., the overall global shape differs from the smaller local elements, such as a global circle composed of smaller local crosses and vice versa). Over two test days, approach responses to global and local images (each presented four times) were recorded. All cows were more likely to approach the local than the global image, especially part-time cows who never approached the global image; this may reflect a narrowed attentional scope in these cows. Full-time cows approached images more often than part-time cows, but overall response rates to global and local images were low, making specific conclusions regarding attentional scope difficult. Different housing conditions have potential to affect attentional scope, and possibly emotional state, of dairy cows, but statistical comparison to no-contact treatment was not possible. Cortisol concentration did not affect responses to images; thus arousal due to treatment or test conditions could not explain test performance. Further work with refined methodology and a larger sample size is required to validate the reliability of attentional scope as an assessment method of emotional state in cattle. Beyond this, the attentional scope test revealed how cattle may process, learn and respond to different visual hierarchical images, which further our understanding of cognitive and visual processes in cattle.

Oral ketamine reduces the experience of stress in people with chronic suicidality.

BACKGROUND: Stress is prevalent in people experiencing suicidality and is a major contributor to the development of mental disorders. Evidence suggests ketamine shows capacity to reverse stress-induced brain changes. Though stress and ketamine have been explored individually for suicidality, this study is the first to examine ketamine treatment for self-reported stress in adults with chronic suicidality, building on pre-clinical evidence of ketamine's capacity to normalize stress-induced responses and contributing to our understanding of oral ketamine in clinical populations. METHODS: Thirty two adult participants (22-72 years; 17 female) with chronic suicidality completed 6 weeks of active treatment, receiving low (0.5 mg/kg - 3.0 mg/kg) doses of oral ketamine once per week, with a 4-week follow-up phase, to assess the effect of ketamine on their perceived stress. Stress was measured via self-report utilizing the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21(DASS-21), and analysed at pre-treatment (week 0), post-treatment (week 6) and at follow-up (week 10). RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant reduction in stress (p<.001) post-treatment and Reliable Change Index calculations confirmed this to be clinically significant. Furthermore, those classified as 'prolonged responders' demonstrated a sustained reduction in stress at follow-up (i.e. after 4 weeks of nil ketamine). LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, open label design, expectancy, secondary analysis CONCLUSIONS: Ketamine showed the capacity to produce a robust and sustained improvement in stress symptoms, in people with chronic suicidality. Future larger, controlled studies examining treatment suitability in a range of stress related disorders are warranted.

Six-week oral ketamine treatment for chronic suicidality is associated with increased grey matter volume.

Chronic suicidality has been associated with neuronal atrophy in cortico-striato-limbic regions and is thought to be mediated via a glutamatergic imbalance. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has been posited to exert anti-suicidal effects by promoting neurogenesis via modulation of glutamatergic transmission. This voxel-based morphometry study examined the effect of ketamine on whole brain grey matter in adults with chronic suicidality. Grey matter in the periaqueductal grey, nucleus accumbens, putamen, caudate, and thalamus was significantly increased following 6 weeks of low dose oral ketamine treatment. These results support the notion that ketamine rapidly enhances synaptic plasticity within striato-limbic regions.

Low dose oral ketamine treatment in chronic suicidality: An open-label pilot study.

Recently, low-dose ketamine has been proposed as a rapid-acting treatment option for suicidality. The majority of studies to date have utilised intravenous (IV) ketamine, however, this route of administration has limitations. On the other hand, oral ketamine can be administered in a range of settings, which is important in treating suicidality, although studies as to safety and feasibility are lacking. n = 32 adults (aged 22-72 years; 53% female) with chronic suicidal thoughts participated in the Oral Ketamine Trial on Suicidality (OKTOS), an open-label trial of sub-anaesthetic doses of oral ketamine over 6 weeks. Participants commenced with 0.5 mg/kg of ketamine, which was titrated to a maximum 3.0 mg/kg. Follow-up assessments occurred at 4 weeks after the final dose. The primary outcome measure was the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) and secondary measures included scales for suicidality and depressive symptoms, and measures of functioning and well-being. Mean BSS scores significantly reduced from a high level of suicidal ideation at the pre-ketamine (week 0) timepoint to below the clinical threshold at the post-ketamine (week 6) timepoint. The proportion of participants that achieved clinical improvement within the first 6 weeks was 69%, whereas 50% achieved a significant improvement by the follow-up (week 10) timepoint. Six weeks of oral ketamine treatment in participants with chronic suicidality led to significant reduction in suicidal ideation. The response observed in this study is consistent with IV ketamine trials, suggesting that oral administration is a feasible and tolerable alternative treatment for chronic suicidality.

Relationships between reduction in symptoms and restoration of function and wellbeing: Outcomes of the Oral Ketamine Trial on Suicidality (OKTOS).

Recovery of functioning is integral to successful treatment outcomes in depressive illness. Optimal antidepressant treatment results in both symptomatic remission and functional recovery. Oral ketamine rapidly reduces suicidality and depression; however, reports of functional and wellbeing outcomes are lacking. This study examines participants' social and occupational functioning and wellbeing outcomes in the Oral Ketamine Trial on Suicidality (OKTOS). Thirty adults with chronic suicidality participated in the trial over 10 weeks. Functional recovery and wellbeing were assessed using the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale (SOFAS) and World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Suicidality and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Scale for Suicidal ideation (BSS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Relationships between the four treatment outcomes were analysed. Forty-three percent of participants achieved healthy function (SOFAS ≥ 80) and 27% reported healthy wellbeing (WHO-5 > 60%) at the four-week post-treatment follow-up. Wellbeing was revealed as the data-derived treatment endpoint for the sample. Effect sizes for functioning and wellbeing outcomes were smaller than for suicidality and depression outcomes. Results suggest that reduction in depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation may be necessary but not sufficient for full restoration of function and wellbeing in antisuicidal and antidepressant therapy, including clinical trials.

Implementation of integrated operating rooms: how much time is saved and how do medical staff experience the upgrading? A mixed methods study in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate staff experiences of the implementation and use of integrated operating rooms (IORs) in comparison to conventional operating rooms (CORs) in Denmark. DESIGN: This study used a mixed methods approach by combining quantitative (registry-based analysis of surgical time) and qualitative (interviews with experienced surgical staff) perspectives. SETTING: Hospitals in Denmark. METHODS: The quantitative component compared the time consumption of patients between the integrated and CORs in two hospital departments at Aarhus University Hospital. Data were extracted from the administrative system in the hospital. Independent t-tests were used to estimate the statistical differences in the mean time spent on patients between the two operating rooms (ORs), and linear regression was applied to adjust for the potential influence of the surgeon. The explorative qualitative research component involved interviews with 20 informants from 10 hospital departments across seven Danish hospitals, all of whom participated between February and April 2019. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The quantitative analyses showed that preparation time for lobectomy was significantly lower and completion time for cholecystectomy significantly higher in the integrated compared with CORs. No other statistically significant differences were found. The qualitative analysis showed that some nurses experienced better cooperation with the surgeon and that non-sterile nurses experienced an improved working environment in the integrated compared with CORs. Surgical staff experienced that the IORs led to improved workflow during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified no disadvantages regarding the use of IORs compared with CORs. The quantitative component of the research did not identify convincing statistically significant differences in the time consumption per patient between the ORs and according to the qualitative analyses IORs were not experienced by study participants to lead to major improvements among staff.