Effect of routine claw trimming on claw temperature in dairy cows measured by infrared thermography

Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess the effect of routine claw trimming on claw temperature. In total, 648 IRT observations each were collected from 81 cows housed in 6 tiestalls before and 3 wk after claw trimming. The feet were classified as either healthy (nonlesion group, n = 182) or affected with infectious foot disorders (group IFD, n = 142). The maximal surface temperatures of the coronary band and skin and the difference of the maximal temperatures (ΔT) between the lateral and medial claws of the respective foot were assessed. Linear mixed models, correcting for the hierarchical structure of the data, ambient temperature, and infectious status of the claws, were developed to evaluate the effect of time in relation to the trimming event (d 0 versus d 21) and claw (medial versus lateral). Front feet and hind feet were analyzed separately. Ambient temperature and infectious foot status were identified as external and internal factors, respectively, that significantly affected claw temperature. Before claw trimming, the lateral claws of the hind feet were significantly warmer compared with the medial claws, whereas such a difference was not evident for the claws of the front feet. At d 21, ΔT of the hind feet was reduced by ≥ 0.25 °C, whereas it was increased by ≤ 0.13 °C in the front feet compared with d 0. Therefore, trimming was associated with a remarkable decrease of ΔT of the hind claws. Equalizing the weight bearing of the hind feet by routine claw trimming is associated with a measurable reduction of ΔT between the paired hind claws.

Tracing reinforcement through asymmetrical partner preference in the European common vole Microtus arvalis

Background The mechanistic basis of speciation and in particular the contribution of behaviour to the completion of the speciation process is often contentious. Contact zones between related taxa provide a situation where selection against hybridization might reinforce separation by behavioural mechanisms, which could ultimately fully isolate the taxa. One of the most abundant European mammals, the common vole Microtus arvalis, forms multiple natural hybrid zones where rapidly diverging evolutionary lineages meet in secondary contact. Very narrow zones of hybridization spanning only a few kilometres and sex-specific gene flow patterns indicate reduced fitness of natural hybrids and incipient speciation between some of the evolutionary lineages. In this study, we examined the contribution of behavioural mechanisms to the speciation process in these rodents by fine-mapping allopatric and parapatric populations in the hybrid zone between the Western and Central lineages and experimental testing of the partner preferences of wild, pure-bred and hybrid female common voles. Results Genetic analysis based on microsatellite markers revealed the presence of multiple parapatric and largely non-admixed populations at distances of about 10 km at the edge of the area of natural hybridization between the Western and Central lineages. Wild females from Western parapatric populations and lab-born F1 hybrids preferred males from the Western lineage whereas wild females of Central parapatric origin showed no measurable preference. Furthermore, wild and lab-born females from allopatric populations of the Western or Central lineages showed no detectable preference for males from either lineage. Conclusions The detected partner preferences are consistent with asymmetrical reinforcement of pre-mating reproductive isolation mechanisms in the European common vole and with earlier results suggesting that hybridization is more detrimental to the Western lineage. As a consequence, these differences in behaviour might contribute to a further geographical stabilization of this moving hybrid zone. Such behavioural processes could also provide a mechanistic perspective for frequently-detected asymmetrical introgression patterns in the largely allopatrically diversifying Microtus genus and other rapidly speciating rodents.

MYB-FL controls gain and loss of floral UV absorbance, a key trait affecting pollinator preference and reproductive isolation

Adaptations to new pollinators involve multiple floral traits, each requiring coordinated changes in multiple genes. Despite this genetic complexity, shifts in pollination syndromes have happened frequently during angiosperm evolution. Here we study the genetic basis of floral UV absorbance, a key trait for attracting nocturnal pollinators. In Petunia, mutations in a single gene, MYB-FL, explain two transitions in UV absorbance. A gain of UV absorbance in the transition from bee to moth pollination was determined by a cis-regulatory mutation, whereas a frameshift mutation caused subsequent loss of UV absorbance during the transition from moth to hummingbird pollination. The functional differences in MYB-FL provide insight into the process of speciation and clarify phylogenetic relationships between nascent species.

Habitat Choice and Female Preference in a Polymorphic Stickleback Population

Background: A small pond, c. 90 years old, near Bern, Switzerland contains a population of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) with two distinct male phenotypes. Males of one type are large, and red, and nest in the shallow littoral zone. The males of the other are small and orange, and nest offshore at slightly greater depth. The females in this population are phenotypically highly variable but cannot easily be assigned to either male type. Question: Is the existence of two sympatric male morphs maintained by substrate-associated male nest site choice and facilitated by female mate preferences? Organisms: Male stickleback caught individually at their breeding sites. Females caught with minnow traps. Methods: In experimental tanks, we simulated the slope and substrate of the two nesting habitats. We then placed individual males in a tank and observed in which habitat the male would build his nest. In a simultaneous two-stimulus choice design, we gave females the choice between a large, red male and a small, orange one. We measured female morphology and used linear mixed effect models to determine whether female preference correlated with female morphology. Results: Both red and orange males preferred nesting in the habitat that simulated the slightly deeper offshore condition. This is the habitat occupied by the small, orange males in the pond itself. The proportion of females that chose a small orange male was similar to that which chose a large red male. Several aspects of female phenotype correlated with the male type that a female preferred.

Clinical effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for depression in routine care: A propensity score based comparison between randomized controlled trials and clinical practice

Background: The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depressive disorders has been demonstrated in many randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study investigated whether for CBT similar effects can be expected under routine care conditions when the patients are comparable to those examined in RCTs. Method: N=574 CBT patients from an outpatient clinic were stepwise matched to the patients undergoing CBT in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCRP). First, the exclusion criteria of the RCT were applied to the naturalistic sample of the outpatient clinic. Second, propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust the remaining naturalistic sample on the basis of baseline covariate distributions. Matched samples were then compared regarding treatment effects using effect sizes, average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) and recovery rates. Results: CBT in the adjusted naturalistic subsample was as effective as in the RCT. However, treatments lasted significantly longer under routine care conditions. Limitations: The samples included only a limited amount of common predictor variables and stemmed from different countries. There might be additional covariates, which could potentially further improve the matching between the samples. Conclusions: CBT for depression in clinical practice might be equally effective as manual-based treatments in RCTs when they are applied to comparable patients. The fact that similar effects under routine conditions were reached with more sessions, however, points to the potential to optimize treatments in clinical practice with respect to their efficiency.

Comparison of Routine Brain Imaging at 3 T and 7 T.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare quantitative and semiquantitative parameters (signal-to-noise ratio [SNR], contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR], image quality, diagnostic confidence) from a standard brain magnetic resonance imaging examination encompassing common neurological disorders such as demyelinating disease, gliomas, cerebrovascular disease, and epilepsy, with comparable sequence protocols and acquisition times at 3 T and at 7 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten healthy volunteers and 4 subgroups of 40 patients in total underwent comparable magnetic resonance protocols with standard diffusion-weighted imaging, 2D and 3D turbo spin echo, 2D and 3D gradient echo and susceptibility-weighted imaging of the brain (10 sequences) at 3 T and 7 T. The subgroups comprised patients with either lesional (n = 5) or nonlesional (n = 4) epilepsy, intracerebral tumors (n = 11), demyelinating disease (n = 11) (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis [MS, n = 9], secondary progressive MS [n = 1], demyelinating disease not further specified [n = 1]), or chronic cerebrovascular disorders [n = 9]). For quantitative analysis, SNR and CNR were determined. For a semiquantitative assessment of the diagnostic confidence, a 10-point scale diagnostic confidence score (DCS) was applied. Two experienced radiologists with additional qualification in neuroradiology independently assessed, blinded to the field strength, 3 pathology-specific imaging criteria in each of the 4 disease groups and rated their diagnostic confidence. The overall image quality was semiquantitatively assessed using a 4-point scale taking into account whether diagnostic decision making was hampered by artifacts or not. RESULTS Without correction for spatial resolution, SNR was higher at 3 T except in the T2 SPACE 3D, DWI single shot, and DIR SPACE 3D sequences. The SNR corrected by the ratio of 3 T/7 T voxel sizes was higher at 7 T than at 3 T in 10 of 11 sequences (all except for T1 MP2RAGE 3D).In CNR, there was a wide variation between sequences and patient cohorts, but average CNR values were broadly similar at 3 T and 7 T.DCS values for all 4 pathologic entities were higher at 7 T than at 3 T. The DCS was significantly higher at 7 T for diagnosis and exclusion of cortical lesions in vascular disease. A tendency to higher DCS at 7 T for cortical lesions in MS was observed, and for the depiction of a central vein and iron deposits within MS lesions. Despite motion artifacts, DCS values were higher at 7 T for the diagnosis and exclusion of hippocampal sclerosis in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (improved detection of the hippocampal subunits). Interrater agreement was 69.7% at 3 T and 93.3% at 7 T. There was no significant difference in the overall image quality score between 3 T and 7 T taking into account whether diagnostic decision making was hampered by artifacts or not. CONCLUSIONS Ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T compared with 3 T yielded an improved diagnostic confidence in the most frequently encountered neurologic disorders. Higher spatial resolution and contrast were identified as the main contributory factors.

No Routine Postoperative Head CT following Elective Craniotomy - A Paradigm Shift?

INTRODUCTION Patient management following elective cranial surgery often includes routine postoperative computed tomography (CT). We analyzed whether a regime of early extubation and close neurological monitoring without routine CT is safe, and compared the rate of postoperative emergency neurosurgical intervention with published data. METHODS Four hundred ninety-two patients were prospectively analyzed; 360 had supra- and 132 had infratentorial lesions. Extubation within one hour after skin closure was aimed for in all cases. CT was performed within 48 hours only in cases of unexpected neurological findings. RESULTS Four-hundred sixty-nine of the 492 patients (95.3%) were extubated within one hour, 20 (4.1%) within 3 hours, and three (0.6%) within 3 to 10 hours. Emergency CT within 48 hours was performed for 43/492 (8.7%) cases. Rate of recraniotomy within 48 hours for patients with postoperative hemorrhage was 0.8% (n = 4), and 0.8% (n = 4) required placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD). Of 469 patients extubated within one hour, 3 required recraniotomy and 2 required EVD placements. Of 23 patients with delayed extubation, 1 recraniotomy and 2 EVDs were required. Failure to extubate within one hour was associated with a significantly higher risk of surgical intervention within 48 hours (rate 13.0%, p = 0.004, odds ratio 13.9, 95% confidence interval [3.11-62.37]). DISCUSSION Early extubation combined with close neurological monitoring is safe and omits the need for routine postoperative CT. Patients not extubated within one hour do need early CT, since they had a significantly increased risk of requiring emergency neurosurgical intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01987648.