Sheep

An extensive programme of experiments was conducted in the former USSR on transfer of radionuclides to a wide range of different agricultural animals. Only a few of these studies were made available in the English language literature or taken into account in international reviews of gastrointestinal uptake. The paper gives extended information on Russian research on radionuclide absorption in the gut of farm animals performed in controlled field and laboratory experiments from the 1960s to the current time. The data presented in the paper, together with English language values, will be used to provide recommended values of absorption specifically for farm animals within the revision of the IAEA Handbook of Parameter Values IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency, 1994. Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer in Temperate Environments, IAEA technical reports series No. 364. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna].

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) has been identified as a significant problem in goat production, especially in the arid and semiarid lowland areas of Ethiopia. Even though CCPP was reported in most of the goat rearing areas of the country, there is no adequate information on the disease in the Amhara Region. Cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017 in the districts of Western Amhara to estimate the seroprevalence and identify the associated risk factors for occurrence of the CCPP. The risk factors considered included age, sex, agroclimate, and districts. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was carried out on a total of 400 goat sera samples, out of which 34 samples were found seropositive for specific antibodies against CCPP, with the overall seroprevalence of 8.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) =5.8, 11.2). Among the epidemiological factors considered, age and sex of the goats were not significantly associated with CCPP sero...

The purpose of this study was to analyze, in an animal model, the histologic and biomechanical phenomena at the bone-implant interface of implants inserted with high torque (HT) as compared to low torque (LT) during the first 6 weeks of healing. Forty tapered-screw-form implants were placed in five hybrid sheep. The implant sites were placed in the mandible, using an extraoral approach; four were placed with HT (test: mean 110 Ncm) on one side and four were placed with LT (control: mean 10 Ncm) on the contralateral side. After 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks of healing, removal torque testing and resonance frequency analysis were performed and the animals were sacrificed for histologic examination. Implants from the HT group showed significantly higher bone apposition than implants from the LT group at all examined healing times. Similarly, removal torque was consistently higher for the HT as compared to the LT group. A significant loss of primary stability in the HT group was evident 7 day...

Basal chordae surgical section has been shown to be effective in reducing ischaemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). Achieving this section by non-invasive mean can considerably decrease the morbidity of this intervention on already infarcted myocardium. We investigated in vitro and in vivo the feasibility and safety of pulsed cavitational focused ultrasound (histotripsy) for non-invasive chordal cutting guided by real-time 3D echocardiography. Experiments were performed on 12 sheep hearts, 5 in vitro on explanted sheep hearts and 7 in vivo on beating sheep hearts. In vitro, the mitral valve (MV) apparatus including basal and marginal chordae was removed and fixed on a holder in a water tank. High-intensity ultrasound pulses were emitted from the therapeutic device (1-MHz focused transducer, pulses of 8 µs duration, peak negative pressure of 17 MPa, repetition frequency of 100 Hz), placed at a distance of 64 mm under 3D echocardiography guidance. In vivo, after sternotomy, the same thera...

Objective To examine the effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on extravascular lung water (EVLW), lung tissue, and lung volume. Design and setting Experimental animal study at a university research facility. Subjects Fifteen adult sheep. Interventions All animals were studied before and after saline washout-induced lung injury while ventilated with sequentially increasing PEEP (0, 7, 14, or 21 cmH2O). Measurements and results Lung volume was determined by computed tomography and EVLW by the thermal dye dilution technique. Saline washout significantly increased lung tissue volume (21±3 to 37±5 ml/kg) and EVLW (9±2 to 36±9 ml/kg). While increasing levels of PEEP reduced EVLW (30±7, 24±8, and 18±4 ml/kg), lung tissue volume remained constant. Total lung volume significantly increased (50±8 ml/kg at PEEP 0 to 77±12 ml/kg at PEEP 21). Nonaerated lung volume significantly decreased and was closely correlated with the changes in EVLW (r=0.67). In addition, a highly significant correlation was found between PEEP-induced decrease in nonaerated lung volume and decrease in transpulmonary shunt (r=0.83). Conclusions The main findings are as follows: (a) PEEP effectively decreases EVLW. (b) The decrease in EVLW is closely correlated with the PEEP-induced decrease in nonaerated lung volume, making EVLW a valuable bedside parameter indicating alveolar recruitment, similar to measurements of transpulmonary shunt. (c) As excess tissue volume remained constant, however, EVLW may not be suitable to reflect overall severity of lung disease

A comparative study was conducted to examine the capacity of rumen-protected methionine and calcium-salts to enhance milking performance of Awassi ewes when fed barley straw to be comparable with those ewes fed Alfalfa hay. Aqueous ammonia and yeast culture were also tested for their further ability to promote animals performance when fed straw. Forty-four Awassi ewes were randomly assigned into four dietary treatment groups in a completely randomized design. Ewes were fed with 1 kg/head/day concentrate ration supplemented with alfalfa hay (CON) or either ammonia treated (ASTRW) or untreated barley straw (STRW) supplemented with calcium-salts and rumen protected methionine at a level of 50 g and 5 g/head/day respectively. In the fourth diet, 30 g/head/day of yeast culture was added to ammonia treated supplemented straw (AYSTRW). The experiment started after weaning and lasted for 70 days thereafter. Milk yield, milk composition, body weights, feed intake, milk fatty acids and some blood parameters were studied as production variables. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) between ewes in milk and energy corrected milk production, feed consumption, weight increase, feed efficiency, milk fat, milk fatty acid composition, milk and blood urea and blood Serum triglycerides. The current results indicated that supplementing barley straw with rumen-protected methionine and calcium salts was sufficient for Awassi ewes produced modest milk production to maintain milk yield and quality without any detrimental effects on animal performance comparable with ewes fed alfalfa hay as a source of forage.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of three tests for the early pregnancy diagnosis in ewes and does. Methods: A total of 50 ewes and 50 does urine samples were collected in which 25 ewes and 25 does were pregnant, and 25 ewes and 25 does were non-pregnant from different farmers in Babugonj upazila of Barishal district and Sadar upazila of Bhola district. The pregnant and nonpregnant ewes and does were primarily selected from farmer's record of management history. The pregnancy of ewes and does were confirmed through scanning by B-mode ultrasound machine. Three pregnancy diagnostic tests like barium chloride, copper sulfate and ballottement were evaluated considering B-mode ultrasound technique as gold standard. Results: The sensitivity of manual ballottement technique (MBT) was highest among the three tests: 96% in ewes and 92% in does. On the other hand, the specificity (96%) of the MBT was higher in ewes and that of the copper sulfate test (CST) (91.7%) was higher in does. The highest positive predictive value (PPV) of MBT (95.8%) was in ewes but the PPV of CST was highest (91.7%) in does. The negative predictive value of the MBT was highest both in ewes (92.3%) and does (95.7%). Conclusions: MBT can be considered as a screening test for the early diagnosis of pregnancy in ewes and does. MBT positive cases can be confirmed by ultrasonograpy whenever needed.

Effect of various voltage of electrical stimulation (ES) on meat quality of lamb and goat was investigated by using a total of 36 animals at 3-5 years old. Constant 50 Hz frequency and 50, 100, and 250 V, 90 sec of ES were administered to 1/2 carcasses and were examined according their textural, physicochemical, and sensorial characteristics. ES decreased the pH values of lamb and goat meat, and accelerated the rigor mortis (P < 0.05). Additionally, ES enhanced the water activity, water-holding capacity, and drip loss of both animals. Shear force varied between lamb and goat meat, and tenderness was improved depending on voltage range used (P < 0.001). ES caused difference in instrumental colour (CIE L*a*b*) values of lamb and goat meat compared with the control groups (P < 0.05) during aging period at 4°C. Sensorial characteristics were also improved with various levels of ES treatments. In conclusion, ES had positive effects on meat quality of lamb and goat, in contrast t...

In this study, animals having body weights comparable to human adults were used to compare the percentage success in defibrillation using two defibrillators; one was a conventional 320 Ws delivered energy unit, and the other was a high-energy defibrillator capable of delivering 800 and 1000 Ws into a 50 Ω resistive load. Standard human-size praecordial electrodes were used. It was found that, in every case, the percentage success in defibrillation increased substantially when the high-energy defibrillator was used. Dans cette étude, on a utilisé des animaux ayant des poids comparables aux poids de personnes adultes pour comparer le pourcentage de succès de la défibrillation accomplie à l'aide de deux défibrilateurs. L'un d'eux était un appareil conventionnel délivrant 300 Ws unités d'énergie et l'autre était un défibrillateur à haute énergie capable de délivrer 800 et 1000 Ws dans une charge résistive de 50 Ω. Des électrodes précordiales normales pour tailles humaines furent utilisées. On trouva dans chaque cas que le pourcentage de succès de la défibrillation était nettement plus élevé lorsque des défibrillateurs à haute énergie étaient utilisés. In dieser Untersuchung wurden Tiere, deren Körpergewicht dem eines erwachsenen Menschen entspricht, zum Vergleich des prozentualen Erfolges in der Entflimmerung mit zwei Entflimmerungsgeräten eingesetzt. Bei dem einen Gerät handelte es sich um ein konventionelles Gerät mit einer Leistungsenergie von 300 Ws, bei dem anderen um ein energiereiches Entflimmerungsgerät mit einer Leistung von 800 bzw. 1000 Ws zu einer Widerstandslast von 50 Ω. Es wurden standardmäßige präkordiale Elekroden, wie bei Menschen, verwendet. Man stellte fest, daß in jedem Fall der prozentuale Erfolg in der Entflimmerung wesentlich wuchs, wenn das energiereiche Entflimmerungsgerät benutzt wurde.

A method is described which produces a high, permanent antibody response following a single injection of venom. Animals (mice, rabbits, sheep) were given intravenous, subcutaneous or orally administered Nigerian Echis carinatus (carpet viper) venom which had been incorporated into sphingomyelin-cholesterol liposomes whose membranes had been stabilized by cross-linking adjacent molecules of sphingomyelin using osmium tetroxide. Before use the preparations were thoroughly dialysed to remove any unbound osmium tetroxide. Antibody levels were estimated using enzyme immunoassay. Venom treated in this way and administered i.v. or s.c. produced a powerful, sustained and protective antibody response lasting for the lifetime of a mouse. We also report the development of significant antibody responses after oral administration of liposome-entrapped but not free venom.

The mild inflammatory response against stented bioprosthetic heart valves in the sheep model is often opposed by a more distinct response in failing human implants. With the emergence of stentless root prostheses with their significantly larger proportion of tissue interacting with the immune system of the host, a more relevant animal model than the sheep may be needed. Valved, porcine aortic roots of 5 cm length were fixed in 0.2% glutaraldehyde and implanted in the upper descending aorta of Merino sheep (n = 5; 43+/-3 kg) and Chacma baboons (n = 5; 17+/-3 kg). After 6 weeks of tissue calcification, pannus outgrowth and inflammation were assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, histologic damage scoring (0 to 3), image analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The main difference between the two animal models was in aortic wall calcification (64.8+/-39.8 microg/mg in the sheep model versus 4.1+/-5.9 microg/mg in the primate model; p > 0.005). In both models, leaflet calcification was negligible (2.6+/-2.4 microg/mg in the sheep versus 2.5+/-1.9 microg/mg in the primate), and the overall extent of inflammation was comparable (1.2+/-0.8 versus 0.98+/-0.7; p = 0.18 in the sheep and the primate, respectively). Qualitatively, the sheep demonstrated a macrophage-dominated reaction whereas the inflammatory demarcation often resembled a granulocyte-dominated xenograft response in the primate. Pannus outgrowth was comparable in length (8.4+/-2.3 mm versus 9.1+/-4.3 mm proximally and 7.1+/-3.4 mm versus 7.4+/-5.1 mm distally, in the sheep and baboon, respectively; p > 0.05). Our results confirm the sheep as a significantly stronger calcification model for stentless aortic heart valves than the primate. Remaining antigenicity of porcine tissue as a result of incomplete cross-linking, however, elicits a distinctly stronger xenograft-type reaction in the primate model.