MEASUREMENT OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS, AND TOXIC METALS IN THE BLOOD OF HUMBOLDT PENGUINS (SPHENISCUS HUMBOLDTI) AT PUNTA SAN JUAN, PERU USING DRIED BLOOD SPOTS.

The Humboldt penguin () population at the Punta San Juan Marine Protected Area in Peru is considered critical to the long-term sustainability of this endangered species in Peru. Exposure of the rookery to environmental toxicants is a mounting concern because of regional growth of industries and human populations. Whole blood samples were collected from 30 free-ranging penguins in 2011 as part of a broader population health monitoring program.

Entangled excitons via spontaneous down-conversion.

A class of C molecules support excitons with a well-defined quasi-angular momentum. Cofacial arrangements of these molecules can be engineered so that quantum cutting produces a pair of excitons with angular momenta that are maximally entangled. The Bell state constituents can subsequently travel in opposite directions down molecular chains as ballistic wave packets.

Acute maduramicin toxicosis in pregnant gilts.

Ionophores are used as feed additives for the control of coccidiosis and growth promotion in farm animals. Reports of maduramicin toxicosis in farm animals are scarce. The present work describes an acute maduramicin toxicosis affecting 22 pregnant gilts, 2 pregnant sows and 2 boars, resulting in a total mortality of 65% within 2days.

New validated multiresidue analysis of six 4-hydroxy-coumarin anticoagulant rodenticides in hen eggs.

Anticoagulant rodenticides are frequently a cause of poisoning of domestic animals, wildlife, and human beings. A toxicosis in 6,000 laying hens caused by the malicious addition of unknown amounts of coumatetralyl bait as well as the insecticides aldicarb, methomyl, and imidacloprid in the drinking water, was investigated in the current study. In order to determine a possible carryover of coumatetralyl into eggs, a rapid and reliable analytical method was developed and fully validated for the simultaneous detection of 6 anticoagulant rodenticides (warfarin, coumatetralyl, coumachlor, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and brodifacoum) in yolk and albumen using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection.

Diagnostic analysis of veterinary dried blood spots for toxic heavy metals exposure.

Dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper have been used in human medicine since the 1960s, predominantly for screening in-borne metabolic disorders and more recently, for toxicology. Despite its 50-year existence, this technology has not been adopted by veterinarians for routine diagnoses and research. We have validated a novel DBS analytical procedure for the routine measurement of toxic heavy metals using 50 µL of whole blood on a single DBS by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Mycotoxins in corn and wheat silage in Israel.

Silage is an important feed source for intensive dairy herds worldwide. Fungal growth and mycotoxin production before and during silage storage is a well-known phenomenon, resulting in reduced nutritional value and a possible risk factor for animal health. With this in mind, a survey was conducted to determine for the first time the occurrence of mycotoxins in corn and wheat silage in Israel.

Carry-over of aflatoxin B1 to aflatoxin M1 in high yielding Israeli cows in mid- and late-lactation.

The potent hepatotoxin and carcinogen aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a common mycotoxin contaminant of grains used in animal feeds. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is the major metabolite of AFB1 in mammals, being partially excreted into milk, and is a possible human carcinogen. The maximum permitted concentration of AFM1 in cows' milk is 0.

Examination of Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus fulvus) in Israel for exposure to environmental toxicants using dried blood spots.

The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is one of seven species of Old World Gyps vultures found over a wide range from the Iberian peninsula in the west through the Balkans, Turkey, and the Middle East to India in the east. The population of the griffon vultures in Israel has suffered a dramatic decrease, and in recent years productivity has been severely reduced. In this study, whole-blood samples taken from 25 apparently healthy griffon vultures at various stages of maturity were examined to investigate whether the vultures are being excessively exposed to environmental contaminants that might deleteriously affect their reproduction.

A database of avian blood spot examinations for exposure of wild birds to environmental toxicants: the DABSE biomonitoring project.

DABSE, a database for avian blood spot examination for exposure to toxicants, is a new biomonitoring project in wild birds that has the goal of providing reference values of harmful agents, as measured in whole blood stored as dried blood spots. Once these "normal" values have been established, the diagnosis of environmental contaminant-mediated ill-health (such as manifestations of sickness, increased mortality, a reduction in population, poor breeding success, abnormal behavior) in an individual bird or in a population could be facilitated by comparing exposure values in the investigation to reference values of the same species in the database. One might then identify the cause and pave the way for a mitigating response.

Physiological parameters in broiler lines divergently selected for the incidence of ascites.

Ascites syndrome (AS) is manifested in flocks of contemporary broilers that are allowed to fully manifest their genetic potential for rapid growth. After successful selection, a pair of divergent lines was established, AS-susceptible (AS-S) and AS-resistant (AS-R). These lines facilitate comparisons between genetically resistant and susceptible healthy young broilers when reared under standard brooding conditions (SBC).

Evaluations of capacity to waive Miranda rights: a survey of practitioners' use of the Grisso instruments.

Minimal information is available regarding the frequency with which practitioners conduct evaluations of capacity to waive Miranda rights or what approaches they use in doing so. Grisso's Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights are the only published instruments designed specifically to assist practitioners in these evaluations. The instruments have been criticized for limited normative data in the test manual and the minimal guidance offered for interpreting results.

Evaluation of growth rate, body weight, heart rate, and blood parameters as potential indicators for selection against susceptibility to the ascites syndrome in young broilers.

The continuous selection for rapid growth has been accompanied by an increasing occurrence of ascites syndrome (AS), which develops in broilers failing to supply the increasing demand for O(2) in their bodies. Moderate heritability has been reported for AS in broiler populations, suggesting that selection against AS is feasible. However, direct selection based on AS mortality requires exposure of candidate birds to AS-inducing conditions (AIC), which hinder selection for performance traits.

Alpha-chloralose poisoning in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 33 canine and 13 feline confirmed cases.

Alpha-chloralose (AC) is an anaesthetic compound also used as a rodenticide, and has dose-dependent central nervous system mixed effects of excitation and depression. The objectives of this study were to detail the clinical and clinicopathological characteristics, as well as the treatment and prognosis, of AC toxicosis in dogs and cats. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for AC poisoning between the years 1989 and 2004, and 33 dogs and 13 cats were included in the study.

Long-term follow-up (32 Years) of PTSD in Israeli Yom Kippur War veterans.

The Yom Kippur War came as a major shock to the confidence and stability of the national psyche in Israel, and it may be suggested that the incidence of associated psychological trauma at least in war veterans may be more profound and long-standing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of PTSD in a naturalistic cohort of Yom Kippur veterans 32 years after the war managed for PTSD in a specialized unit during the war. Results indicated that of the 277 (20.

Natural Clostridium botulinum type C toxicosis in a group of cats.

Clinical signs of botulism were observed in a group of eight cats, four of which died, after being fed pelican carrion. Clostridium botulinum type C was isolated from one cat. The microorganism and its toxin were found in the pelican.

Accidental poisoning of 17 dogs with lasalocid.

Over a period of 10 days, 17 dogs became weak and developed neurological deficits of different degrees of severity. About 12 hours before these clinical signs appeared they had all eaten a particular brand of commercial dog food from a recently opened bag. They were all quadriparetic and hyporeflexic, and some of them also showed additional systemic or neurological signs, including dyspnoea, a high body temperature, tongue laxity, hyperaesthesia and anisochoria.

Poisonous plants in the eastern Mediterranean basin.

Plants found in the eastern Mediterranean are discussed by their toxic principles and poisonous effects. Nitrate- and oxalate-containing plants, those with alkaloids and glycosides, plants inducing photosensitization and carrying tannins, and selected miscellaneous species of toxic plants are reviewed and their poisonous properties described.

Genotype-by-environment interaction with broiler genotypes differing in growth rate. 4. Association between responses to heat stress and to cold-induced ascites.

Males and females, selected from a commercial line to represent its phenotypic variation for BW, were mated with similarly ranked mates to produce sire families representing a wide genetic variation in potential growth rate (GR). Following 5 wk of rearing at normal ambient temperatures, birds representing all sire families were exposed to cold (Days 37 to 47, Trial 1) or hot (Days 43 to 48, Trial 2) environments. Birds exhibiting ascites syndrome (AS) in the cold environment (Trial 1) were counted, and the incidence of AS (%AS) per family was calculated.

An unusual outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in a beef herd in Israel.

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF. corrizza contagiosa) is an invariably fatal communicable disease in cattle, whose causative agent is the ovine herpes virus-2, or the alcelaphine herpes virus-1. In one feed-lot family farm, 34 calves out of 100 became ill at the rate of one to four calves per week, and all of them subsequently died over a period of 4 months.

Interaction of fluoroquinolones and certain ionophores in broilers: effect on blood levels and hepatic cytochrome p450 monooxygenase activity.

The concomitant administration to broilers of ionophore coccidiostats and certain chemotherapeutic agents may cause deleterious interactions, with toxicosis and death as possible sequelae. In this study, co-administration of the ionophore monensin was not shown to alter blood levels of enrofloxacin or norfloxacin. In addition, exposure to lasalocid was not shown to change blood levels of enrofloxacin.

Interaction of monensin and sulfadimethoxine in broilers, as mediated by hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases.

The influence of monensin + sulfadimethoxine on cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase activity in broilers, and the possible consequences of modification of this system, including changes in blood levels of sulfadimethoxine, influence on the duration of xylazine-ketamine anesthesia, total antioxidant status and superoxide dismutase activity were studied. The results indicate that the combination of monensin + sulfadimethoxine gave a short-term inhibition of microsomal cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase activity but apparently did not influence the metabolism of other (exogenic) substances (ketamine, xylazine), and did not change the state of antioxidant systems or the relative liver weight. There was a rise in blood sulfadimethoxine levels.

Isolation of Corynebacterium pilosum and Actinomyces pyogenes from cystitis and vulvovaginitis infection in a 2-month-old female calf.

Cystitis and vulvovaginitits, due to Corynebacterium pilosum and Actinomyces pyogenes infection in a 2-month-old female calf, is described. The prominent clinical signs were urinary incontinence, adherence of triple phosphate crystals to the vulvar hair and ulceration on the vulva, the ventral side of the tail skin and the perineum. Only a mild inflammation of the bladder mucosa and submucosa was seen on histological examination.

Probable toxicosis in cattle in Israel caused by the oak Quercus calliprinos.

A probable outbreak of oak (Quercus calliprinos) toxicosis in a herd of beef cattle--heifers and first-calving cows--grazing in the Judean foothills of Israel is described. Toxicosis probably occurred because of the consumption of oak leaves and buds during a period of pasture scarcity without any feed supplementation. A progressive syndrome of wasting, dullness, anorexia, polyuria, nephrosis, constipation and recumbency, culminating in death, was seen.