Ultrasound measurements of uterine height, horns diameter and presence of intraluminal fluid to investigate uterine involution in lactating sows housed in farrowing crates.

The uterine involution of sows housed in farrowing crates was investigated during lactation using B-mode trans-abdominal ultrasonography. The objectives were to describe uterine involution, detect any delay or uterine disorders and assess possible associations between involution and subsequent reproductive performance. Three parameters were measured: uterine height (H), horns diameter (D) and the percentage of sows with intraluminal fluid (F).

High-resolution genomic analysis of four local Vietnamese chicken breeds.

In Vietnam, local chicken breeds account for over 70% of the national poultry population. Although these breeds are abundant, their productivity is low and their use is threatened by the extensive importation of foreign productive breeds. In this context, conservation programmes targeting several emblematic breeds have been established.

Accuracy of a heart rate monitor for calculating heart rate variability parameters in exercising horses.

Heart rate is evaluated in exercising horses to monitor the level of fitness to exercise, and it is usually acquired using heart rate monitors (HRM) or telemetric electrocardiograms (ECG). While HRM are commonly available and easy-to-use for horse's owners, ECG is a more expensive equipment requiring user's experience. Interest for heart rate variability (HRV) in horses is increasing for both research and clinical purposes.

Urodynamic and morphometric characteristics of the lower urogenital tract of male Beagle littermates from four months to two years of age.

Objective: To describe functional and anatomic changes of the lower urogenital tract of healthy male dogs during the sexually immature period and up to 2 years of age by urodynamic and morphometric assessment.

Animals: 6 sexually intact male Beagle littermates.

Procedures: Dogs underwent electromyography-coupled urodynamic tests, CT-assisted retrograde urethrography, prostatic washes, and blood sampling monthly from 4 through 12 months of age and then at 3-month intervals.

Application of discrete choice experiment to analyze the demand for village chicken paid vaccination service against Newcastle disease in DR Congo.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect a large number of avian species and cause severe economic loss in many countries. This disease is a major constraint for rural chicken production in most developing countries. In this country, ND is known since the 1940s.

Assessment of the lung microbiota in dogs: influence of the type of breed, living conditions and canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Literature about the lung microbiota (LM) in dogs is sparse. Influence of breed and living conditions on the LM in healthy dogs is currently unknown, as well as the influence of chronic respiratory diseases such as canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) in West highland white terriers (WHWTs). Aims of this study were (1) to assess the characteristics of the healthy LM according to breed and living conditions, and (2) to study LM changes associated with CIPF in WHWTs.

Productive performance and egg and meat quality of two indigenous poultry breeds in Vietnam, Ho and Dong Tao, fed on commercial feed.

The objective of this work was the evaluation of the meat production and laying performances, and the meat and egg quality of two breeds of Vietnamese broiler chickens, Ho and Dong Tao, fed on a commercial diet. In a survey, we continuously recorded for 28 weeks, the data on the production performance and meat quality of 250 chicks from each breed. We investigated egg laying and egg quality using 36 Ho and 32 Dong Tao hens during 52 weeks of laying.

Effect of an antimicrobial drug on lung microbiota in healthy dogs.

Alterations of the lung microbiota (LM) are associated with clinical features in chronic lung diseases (CLDs) with growing evidence that an altered LM contributes to the pathogenesis of such disorders. The common use of antimicrobial drugs in the management of CLDs likely represents a confounding factor in the study of the LM. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of oral administration of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AC) on the LM in healthy dogs ( = 6) at short (immediately after stopping AC [D10]) and medium-term (16 days after stopping AC [D26]).

Interbreed variation of biomarkers of lipid and glucose metabolism in dogs.

Background: Markers of lipid and glucose metabolism are used in both clinical practice and research. Detection of abnormal laboratory results often relies on species-specific reference intervals, but interbreed variation can also affect data interpretation.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to compare concentrations of selected biochemical variables among different dog breeds.

Belief in memories may be relinquished as often for adulthood as for childhood events, but for different reasons.

The age distribution of nonbelieved memories (NBMs) reported by young and older adults typically reflects a large proportion of events dated to childhood. The present study aimed to further investigate the age of origin of NBMs by using instructions that include an NBM related to adulthood. Participants aged from 40 to 80 years were asked to describe an NBM, to explain why they had stopped believing their memory, and to rate its phenomenal characteristics.

Risk factors for tibial damage associated with the modified Maquet technique in 174 stifles.

Objective: To identify risk factors for tibial damage associated with the modified Maquet technique (MMT) in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Sample Population: One hundred and seventy-four stifles from 147 client-owned dogs.

Recognition of personally familiar faces and functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have reported that patients in the severe stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience difficulties recognizing their own faces in recent photographs. Two case reports of late-stage AD showed that this loss of self-face recognition was temporally graded: photographs from the remote past were recognized more easily than more recent photographs. Little is known about the neural correlates of own face recognition abilities in AD patients, while neuroimaging studies in healthy adults have related these abilities to a bilateral fronto-parieto-occipital network.

Impairment of age estimation from faces in Alzheimer's disease.

A prerequisite for any function in social cognition is the perception and processing of social cues. Age estimation is a skill that is used in everyday life and is fundamental in social interactions. This study evaluated whether facial age estimation is impaired in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Evidence for an own-age bias in age estimation from voices in older persons.

Previous studies have investigated the effect of ageing on age estimation from faces as well as the occurrence of an own-age bias in such age estimation from faces. To the best of our knowledge, the occurrence of an own age effect on age estimation from voices has never been examined earlier using an experimental design in which the age of participants (young vs. old) and the age of voice stimuli (young vs.