Influence of riders' skill on plasma cortisol levels of horses walking on forest and field trekking courses.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of rider's skill on the plasma cortisol levels of trekking horses on two courses, walking on field and forest courses (about 4.5 to 5.1 km each).

MicroRNA expression profiling in canine prostate cancer.

Canine prostate cancer (cPCa) is an untreatable malignant neoplasm resulting in local tissue invasion and distant metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. The purpose of this study was to characterize the expression of miRs that are altered in cPCa tissue.

Plasma cortisol and prolactin secretion rhythms in cattle under varying external environments and management techniques.

The secretion rhythms of plasma cortisol (CORT) and prolactin (PRL), hormones related to stress responsiveness and biological rhythm and controlled by light and temperature, were investigated under varying external environments and different management techniques. Serial blood samples were collected from female cattle reared in free-stall and freely fed (FF) conditions (n = 4) or in tie-stall and restricted feeding (RF) conditions (hay and concentrate twice daily, n = 4). Plasma CORT and PRL concentrations, eating behavior, and environmental parameters were analyzed.

Plasma melatonin secretion rhythms in cattle under varying seasonal conditions.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the secretion cycles of melatonin (MEL) in cattle over the course of four seasons. Four female Japanese Shorthorn cattle under free-stall and ad libitum feeding conditions were used, and plasma MEL concentrations were measured over a 48 h period at 1 h intervals. The time-series data were analyzed by spectral analysis, and the cycle hour was determined.

Method for estimating maximum permissible load weight for Japanese native horses using accelerometer-based gait analysis.

The aim of this study was to establish a method for estimating loading capacity for Japanese native horses by gait analysis using an accelerometer. Six mares of Japanese native horses were used. The acceleration of each horse was recorded during walking and trotting along a straight course at a sampling frequency of 200 Hz.

Effects of outdoor housing of piglets on behavior, stress reaction and meat characteristics.

Well-designed housing systems are important from the viewpoint of animal welfare and improvement of meat production. In this study, we investigated the effects of outdoor housing of pigs on their behavior, cortisol levels, and meat characteristics. Two groups that were born and raised in a spacious outdoor pen (4×10 m for every two sows) or a minimum-sized standard pen in a piggery (1.

Heart rate variability after horse trekking in leading and following horses.

Horse trekking (HT) is having a stroll on a horse along a walking trail in a forest, field, and/or sandy beach. Generally in HT, horses exercise in tandem line outside the riding facilities. Because the leading horse will be confronted with stressors in the forefront, we hypothesized that the leading horse shows higher stress responses than the following one.

Cerebral metabolism in dogs assessed by (18)F-FDG PET: a pilot study to understand physiological changes in behavioral disorders in dogs.

The positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technique, which is utilized in human behavior and psychiatric disorder research, was performed on the brains of clinically normal mixed breed dogs, 3 hound-type (long floppy ears) mixed breed dogs and 3 non-hound retriever-type mixed breed dogs. Glucose metabolism was obtained with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), and quantitative analysis was performed by standardized uptake value (SUV) measurement. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were obtained in each dog, and these images were superimposed on PET images to identify anatomical locations.

Randomized, controlled clinical trial of the efficacy of fluoxetine for treatment of compulsive disorders in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy of fluoxetine hydrochloride for treatment of compulsive disorders in dogs.

Design: Randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Animals: 63 dogs with compulsive disorders.