Trisomy 26 in a Holstein calf with disorders of sex development.

Hypospadias occurs sporadically in male livestock and is characterized by a non-fused urethra during fetal development. In this study, perineal hypospadias, a bifid scrotum, penile hypoplasia, and bilateral abdominal cryptorchidism were diagnosed in a neonatal Holstein male calf. Septicemia was also suspected due to hypothermia, blurred conjunctivae, and loss of sucking and swallowing reflexes.

Minimal cellular automaton model with heterogeneous cell sizes predicts epithelial colony growth.

Regulation of cell proliferation is a crucial aspect of tissue development and homeostasis and plays a major role in morphogenesis, wound healing, and tumor invasion. A phenomenon of such regulation is contact inhibition, which describes the dramatic slowing of proliferation, cell migration and individual cell growth when multiple cells are in contact with each other. While many physiological, molecular and genetic factors are known, the mechanism of contact inhibition is still not fully understood.

Detection of Bartonella schoenbuchensis (sub)species DNA in different louse fly species in Saxony, Germany: The proof of multiple PCR analysis necessity in case of ruminant-associated bartonellae determination.

Background: Hippoboscid flies are bloodsucking arthropods that can transmit pathogenic microorganisms and are therefore potential vectors for pathogens such as Bartonella spp. These Gram-negative bacteria can cause mild-to-severe clinical signs in humans and animals; therefore, monitoring Bartonella spp. prevalence in louse fly populations appears to be a useful prerequisite for zoonotic risk assessment.

Multiple independent de novo mutations are associated with the development of schistosoma reflexum, a lethal syndrome in cattle.

Schistosoma reflexum (SR) is a lethal congenital syndrome characterized by U-shaped dorsal retroflexion of the spine and exposure of abdominal viscera. SR is usually associated with severe dystocia. The syndrome is thought to be inherited as a Mendelian trait.

Efficient Radial-Shell Model for 3D Tumor Spheroid Dynamics with Radiotherapy.

Understanding the complex dynamics of tumor growth to develop more efficient therapeutic strategies is one of the most challenging problems in biomedicine. Three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids, reflecting avascular microregions within a tumor, are an advanced in vitro model system to assess the curative effect of combinatorial radio(chemo)therapy. Tumor spheroids exhibit particular crucial pathophysiological characteristics such as a radial oxygen gradient that critically affect the sensitivity of the malignant cell population to treatment.

Flock-level risk factors of litter condition for the occurrence of plumage damage and skin lesions in commercial laying hen farms.

Plumage damage (PD) as a result of severe feather pecking (SFP) and skin lesions (SL) due to cannibalism (CA) is serious welfare, performance, and economic problems in commercial layer farms. Genetics, nutrition, and housing conditions are central complexes that contribute to the multifactorial causes of these behavioral disorders. Practical recommendations consider the quality of litter as an important criterion for the prevention of SFP, although systematic longitudinal studies providing evidence-based findings are lacking.

Effects of the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) load on the plumage condition in commercial laying hen farms.

Plumage damage (PD) resulting from severe feather pecking (SFP) is a significant problem for animal welfare, performance, and economics in commercial laying hen farms. Genetics, nutrition, and housing conditions are central complexes that contribute to the multifactorial cause of SFP. Practical experience suggests that infestation by the poultry red mite (PRM), which is the most severe ectoparasite of laying hens in cage-free housing systems, may be a risk factor for the occurrence of PD, although evidence-based findings are lacking.

Is cell segregation like oil and water: Asymptotic versus transitory regime.

Understanding the segregation of cells is crucial to answer questions about tissue formation in embryos or tumor progression. Steinberg proposed that separation of cells can be compared to the separation of two liquids. Such a separation is well described by the Cahn-Hilliard (CH) equations and the segregation indices exhibit an algebraic decay with exponent 1/3 with respect to time.

Modeling age-specific incidence of colon cancer via niche competition.

Cancer development is a multistep process often starting with a single cell in which a number of epigenetic and genetic alterations have accumulated thus transforming it into a tumor cell. The progeny of such a single benign tumor cell expands in the tissue and can at some point progress to malignant tumor cells until a detectable tumor is formed. The dynamics from the early phase of a single cell to a detectable tumor with billions of tumor cells are complex and still not fully resolved, not even for the well-known prototype of multistage carcinogenesis, the adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence of colorectal cancer.

Research Note: Is infrared thermography an appropriate method for early detection and objective quantification of plumage damage in white and brown feathered laying hens?

For the standardized assessment of plumage damage in laying hens, imaging techniques can be used in addition to visual plumage scoring (PS). In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of infrared thermography (IRT) was analyzed in white-feathered (WL) and brown-feathered laying hens (BL) with PS as a reference. In 28 flocks, a 3-level PS and IRT were performed 8 times for the dorsal neck, back, and belly plumage.

Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is highly prevalent in fancy-chicken flocks in Saxony.

The current prevalence of avian leukosis virus (ALV) in fancy chickens in Germany is unknown. Therefore, 537 cloacal swabs from 50 purebred fancy-chicken flocks in Saxony were tested for the presence of the ALV p27 protein using a commercial antigen-capture ELISA. The detection rate was 28.

Effects of Selective Dry Cow Treatment on Intramammary Infection Risk after Calving, Cure Risk during the Dry Period, and Antibiotic Use at Drying-Off: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Current Literature (2000-2021).

The objectives of this paper were (i) to perform a systematic review of the literature over the last 21 yr and (ii) to evaluate the efficacy of selective dry cow treatment (SDCT) vs. blanket dry cow treatment (BDCT) in dairy cows regarding the risk of intramammary infection (IMI) after calving, new IMI risk after calving, cure risk during the dry period, and a reduction in antibiotic use at drying-off by meta-analysis. The systematic search was carried out using the databases PubMed, CAB Direct, and ScienceDirect.

Model-Based Prediction of an Effective Adhesion Parameter Guiding Multi-Type Cell Segregation.

The process of cell-sorting is essential for development and maintenance of tissues. Mathematical modeling can provide the means to analyze the consequences of different hypotheses about the underlying mechanisms. With the Differential Adhesion Hypothesis, Steinberg proposed that cell-sorting is determined by quantitative differences in cell-type-specific intercellular adhesion strengths.

Relation between Feed Particle Size Distribution and Plumage Condition in Laying Hens on Commercial Farms.

In this cross-sectional study, 103 complete feed samples from laying hen herds affected by plumage damage as an indirect measure for severe feather pecking (affected herds; AH, = 37) and control herds without plumage damage (control herd; CH, = 66) of commercial German farms were examined by dry sieve and nutrient analysis. AH showed higher percentages of particles >2.50 mm (mean ± SD, CH: 11.

Edible Environmental Enrichments in Littered Housing Systems: Do Their Effects on Integument Condition Differ Between Commercial Laying Hen Strains?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of additional enrichment materials (EMs; pecking stones and alfalfa bales) on the occurrence of plumage damage, skin injuries, and toe injuries, with an emphasis on the possible differences between commercial hybrid strains of laying hens. During rearing (weeks 1-18, 16 compartments, 4000 pullets) and laying periods (weeks 21-72, 24 compartments, 2808 hens) in a littered housing system, EMs were permanently provided to the study groups (EXP), while control groups (CON) did not receive additional EM. In a two-factorial study design (two groups with four strains) with 351 hens per variant, the brown egg-laying Lohmann Brown classic (LB) and Bovans Brown (BB) strains as well as the white egg-laying Lohmann Selected Leghorn classic (LSL) and Dekalb White (DW) strains were investigated.

Effects of edible environmental enrichments during the rearing and laying periods in a littered aviary-Part 2: physical development of pullets and performance, egg quality, and carcass composition in laying hens.

Feather pecking and cannibalism are 2 major problems in laying hens' husbandry. Although additional environmental enrichment material (EM) supply is thought to lessen these problems, consistent evidences are lacking. This study examined the effects of EM supply (pecking stones and alfalfa bales) on biological performance, carcass composition, and animal losses in a littered housing system.

Effects of edible environmental enrichments during the rearing and laying periods in a littered aviary-Part 1: integument condition in pullets and laying hens.

Severe feather pecking is a damaging allopecking behavior in pullets and laying hens which was found to be associated with multiple factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the occurrence of feather pecking could be reduced by additional environmental enrichment materials (EM; pecking stones and hard-pressed alfalfa bales) in a littered housing system. In total 4,000 pullets (2000 Lohmann Brown classic [LB] and 2000 Lohmann Selected Leghorn classic [LSL]) were reared in an aviary system until week 18, and 1,320 remaining laying hens were kept thereafter, from week 19 to 48.

Prevalence of pigeon rotavirus infections: animal exhibitions as a risk factor for pigeon flocks.

A total of 289 cloacal swabs from pigeons from 29 different breeders in Germany were collected. In addition, samples from pigeons exhibited at shows were collected. The detailed health status of the pigeon flocks was recorded.

Clinical Chemistry Investigations in Recumbent and Healthy German Holstein Cows After the Fifth Day in Milk.

Introduction: Recumbency is a frequent symptom occurring throughout lactation. Its cause can be related to the energy or mineral metabolism, or to trauma or infectious diseases. We compared various clinical chemistry parameters between healthy and recumbent cows and between cows with different causes of recumbency and determined if hypocalcaemia manifests in later lactation.

Effects of litter and additional enrichment elements on the occurrence of feather pecking in pullets and laying hens - A focused review.

Severe feather pecking (SFP) is a serious problem in the egg production industry with regard to animal welfare and performance. The multifactorial causes of SFP are discussed in the areas of genetics, feeding, husbandry, stable climate and management. Several studies on the influence of manipulable material on the incidence of SFP in different environments and housing systems have been performed.

Sequential organ failure assessment score is an excellent operationalization of disease severity of adult patients with hospitalized community acquired pneumonia - results from the prospective observational PROGRESS study.

Background: CAP (Community acquired pneumonia) is frequent, with a high mortality rate and a high burden on health care systems. Development of predictive biomarkers, new therapeutic concepts, and epidemiologic research require a valid, reproducible, and quantitative measure describing CAP severity.

Methods: Using time series data of 1532 patients enrolled in the PROGRESS study, we compared putative measures of CAP severity for their utility as an operationalization.

Patterns of Tumor Progression Predict Small and Tissue-Specific Tumor-Originating Niches.

The development of cancer is a multistep process in which cells increase in malignancy through progressive alterations. Such altered cells compete with wild-type cells and have to establish within a tissue in order to induce tumor formation. The range of this competition and the tumor-originating cell type which acquires the first alteration is unknown for most human tissues, mainly because the involved processes are hardly observable, aggravating an understanding of early tumor development.

Decline of antibody response in indirect ELISA tests during the periparturient period caused diagnostic gaps in Coxiella burnetii and BVDV serology in pluriparous cows within a Holstein dairy herd.

In cattle, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests are commonly used in serological routine diagnostics. In a longitudinal study design, changes in relative optical density (OD) from drying-off until week 11 after calving were analyzed in blood and milk samples from pluriparous dairy cows (n=21) using a commercial indirect anti-C. burnetii ELISA test.

A summary of eight traits of Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Araneae, occurring in grasslands in Germany.

Analyses of species traits have increased our understanding of how environmental drivers such as disturbances affect the composition of arthropod communities and related processes. There are, however, few studies on which traits in the arthropod community are affected by environmental changes and which traits affect ecosystem functioning. The assembly of arthropod traits of several taxa is difficult because of the large number of species, limited availability of trait databases and differences in available traits.