Comparing therapeutic efficacy between ivermectin, selamectin, and moxidectin in canaries during natural infection with Dermanyssus gallinae.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of three spot-on drugs on canaries during Dermanyssus gallinae natural infections and during the breeding season. Three groups of canary couples (seven couples each) were included: group A was treated with ivermectin, B with selamectin, and C with moxidectin. All the drugs were administered topically infrascapularly.

Use of a synthetic GnRH analog to induce reproductive activity in canaries (Serinus canaria).

In this study, we evaluated the effects of a transcutaneously administered gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (lecirelin) on the reproductive activity of the canary (Serinus canaria). Two groups of 20 pairs of canaries were treated with increasing concentrations of lecirelin delivered in a cream vehicle; one group was exposed to a natural photoperiod, and the other group received additional photostimulation. Two groups of 10 pairs of canaries served as controls; one group was exposed to an artificially lengthened photoperiod, and the other group was maintained under a natural photoperiod and treated with a nonmedicated cream vehicle.

The effect of GnRH on in vitro bovine myometrial activity.

The aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the effects of increasing concentrations of GnRH on spontaneous mechanical activity patterns of uterine smooth muscle preparations of cows during the follicular and the luteal phases of the oestrus cycle. Uterine smooth muscle strips from 14 cows in follicular and 9 in luteal phase were collected immediately after slaughter and processed within 60 min from collection. Two strips of the same uterus were mounted in an isolated organ bath with two chambers to evaluate the role of decapeptide GnRH on spontaneous myometrial contractility.

Faecal concentration of cortisol metabolites in prepartum ewes.

This study was performed to determine the endocrinological starting point of parturition in ewes and to study correlations between the viability of offspring and the concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolites in the dam using 11-oxoetiocholanolone EIA (measuring 11,17-dioxoandrostanes). The levels of faecal cortisol metabolites of 10 ewes positive for ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) were compared against 10 negative ewes during the last week of gestation and 12 h after delivery. The mean concentration in the OPA group was higher (500-600 ng/g) than that observed in the control group (150-200 ng/g).

In vitro evaluation of gut contractile response to histamine in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792).

The contractile response of intestinal strips in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792) to the administration of histamine was assessed by means of the organ bath technique. Intestinal strips were isolated from 16 clinically healthy fish and mounted in organ baths. Histamine was compared with the full agonist serotonin, to evaluate their contractile efficacy and potency.

Assessment of edible marine species in the Adriatic Sea for contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine insecticides.

It is estimated that 90% of human exposure to persistent organic pollutants is through food, and fish and shellfish represent an important source of contamination for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine insecticides. To evaluate the levels of seafood contamination coming from the central Adriatic Sea, Italy, a study involving several pools of shellfish, crustaceans, and fish was carried out. Several marine species were selected by their abundance, wide distribution, and common use in the Italian diet and sampled and analyzed during 2004.