Noise-induced hearing loss alters potassium-chloride cotransporter KCC2 and GABA inhibition in the auditory centers.

Homeostatic plasticity, the ability of neurons to maintain their averaged activity constant around a set point value, is thought to account for the central hyperactivity after hearing loss. Here, we investigated the putative role of GABAergic neurotransmission in this mechanism after a noise-induced hearing loss larger than 50 dB in high frequencies in guinea pigs. The effect of GABAergic inhibition is linked to the normal functioning of K + -Cl- co-transporter isoform 2 (KCC2) which maintains a low intracellular concentration of chloride.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Alters Potassium-Chloride CoTransporter KCC2 and GABA Inhibition in the auditory centers.

Homeostatic plasticity, the ability of neurons to maintain their averaged activity constant around a set point value, is thought to account for the central hyperactivity after hearing loss. Here, we investigated the putative role of GABAergic neurotransmission in this mechanism after a noise-induced hearing loss larger than 50 dB in high frequencies in guinea pigs. The effect of GABAergic inhibition is linked to the normal functioning of K+-Cl- co-transporter isoform 2 (KCC2) which maintains a low intracellular concentration of chloride.

Increasing conception rate by addition of a second prostaglandin injection in an Ovsynch and progesterone treatment programme for dairy cows not detected in oestrus before the start of the seasonal mating period.

Aims: To assess the effect on conception rate to first service, 3- and 6-week in-calf rates, final pregnancy rate and the hazard of pregnancy, of addition of a second prostaglandin (PG) injection 24 hours after the first, in a synchrony programme combining Ovsynch and progesterone in pasture-based dairy cows that had not been detected in oestrus before the start of the seasonal mating period.

Methods: This prospective, negative-controlled study was conducted using anoestrous cows (n = 1,411) from nine spring-calving dairy herds in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Ovaries of cows not detected in oestrus were examined by transrectal ultrasonography and the presence of a corpus luteum determined.

Carriage and population genetics of extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in cats and dogs in New Zealand.

The incidence of infections with extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E) is increasing both in humans and animals. There is a paucity of data about the rate of faecal carriage of ESBL-E in pets. In this study, faecal swabs collected from 586 pets (225 cats; 361 dogs) in Auckland, New Zealand, were analysed for the presence of ESBL-E by culture, and a questionnaire was delivered to the owners.

Perinatal effects of exposure to PCBs on social preferences in young adult and middle-aged offspring mice.

In social species, social interactions between conspecifics constitute a fundamental component to establish relations, provide best chances to reproduce, and even improve survival rates. In this study, a three-chambered social approach test was used to estimate the level of sociability and level of preference for social novelty in both male and female young adult (postnatal day (PND) 50) and middle-aged (PND 330) offspring mice (n=10 per group) that were perinatally exposed to a mixture of six polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180, at environmentally low doses (10 and 1000ng/kg b.w.

Genomic epidemiology of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus across colonisation and skin and soft tissue infection.

Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infection (Sa-SSTI) places a significant burden on healthcare systems. New Zealand has a high incidence of Sa-SSTI, and here most morbidity is caused by a polyclonal methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) bacterial population. However, MSSA also colonise asymptomatically the cornified epithelia of approximately 20% of the population, and their divide between commensalism and pathogenicity is poorly understood.

Characterisation of extended-spectrum β-lactamase and AmpC β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated from companion animals in New Zealand.

Aims: To assess the occurrence of, and characterise, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase (AmpC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated by veterinary diagnostic laboratories from infection sites in companion animals in New Zealand.

Methods: Selected Enterobacteriaceae isolates were submitted by seven New Zealand veterinary diagnostic laboratories. They were isolated from infection sites in companion animals between June 2012 and June 2013, and were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, fluoroquinolones, or any combination of two or more antimicrobials.

Characterisation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates from animals in New Zealand, 2012-2013, and subclinical colonisation in dogs and cats in Auckland.

Aims: To characterise methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from infection sites in animals in New Zealand and assess the prevalence of subclinical MRSA colonisation in dogs and cats attending veterinary clinics in Auckland.

Methods: MRSA isolates from clinical specimens obtained by the main New Zealand veterinary diagnostic laboratories between June 2012 and June 2013, were genotypically characterised by DNA microarray hybridisation analysis and spa typing. In addition, nasal or perineal skin swabs collected from a cross-sectional sample of dogs (n=361) and cats (n=225) attending 29 veterinary clinics in Auckland during the same period were analysed for MRSA by culture.