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Efficiency to reach age of puberty and behaviour of buffalo heifers (Bubalus bubalis) kept on pasture or in confinement
- E. Sabia, F. Napolitano, G. De Rosa, G. M. Terzano, V. L. Barile, A. Braghieri, C. Pacelli
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In order to evaluate the influence of rearing system (free-ranging (FR) v. confinement (C)) on buffalo heifer efficiency to reach age of puberty and on behavioural and immune functions, two experiments were conducted from September 2010 to October 2011. In Experiment I, 32 subjects aged 8 to 9 months at the start of experiment were used. A total of 16 animals (group C) were group housed in an indoor slatted floor pen (4 m2/animal) with an outdoor paddock (4 m2/animal); 16 others grazed on a Mediterranean natural pasture of 40 ha (group FR). Behavioural data were collected and organic matter digestibility, blood metabolites and progesterone were determined. At the end of the experiment, a novel object test and a skin test were conducted, and the avoidance distance (AD) at the manger was measured. Free-ranging animals were able to express natural behaviours such as wallowing and grazing. C animals devoted more time to the novel object than FR animals, whereas AD at manger was lower in group FR than in group C (P<0.01). Cellular immune response was higher in FR heifers than in C animals (P<0.01). FR animals also showed a higher digestibility of organic matter (P<0.01). Heifers from group FR had higher plasma concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (P<0.001) and lower concentrations of glucose than heifers from group C (P<0.001). C animals showed higher daily weight gains (P<0.01) and weight at the puberty (P<0.05), but there were no differences in terms of age of puberty between the two groups. The intakes of dry matter (DM), CP and energy to reach the age of puberty were similar in both groups. In order to verify whether the results obtained in Experiment I could be replicated in different rearing conditions (reduced pasture availability, different location and altitude), a second experiment was conducted on 26 animals, where only onset of age of puberty and metabolic profile were monitored. In Experiment II, 13 heifers grazed on a natural pasture of 5 ha, other 13 received the same space as indicated for Experiment I. Results from Experiment II generally confirmed those of Experiment I. Only the intakes of DM and energy to reach the age of puberty were higher in group C than in FR (P<0.001). A lower competition with human nutrition, reproductive performances similar to those shown by confined animals and the indications given by immune and behavioural variables, suggest that a free-range-based system may be conveniently used for buffalo heifer farming purposes.
Effects of two different blends of naturally mycotoxin-contaminated maize meal on growth and metabolic profile in replacement heifers
- F. Abeni, L. Migliorati, G. M. Terzano, M. Capelletti, A. Gallo, F. Masoero, G. Pirlo
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The aim of this trial was to assess the effects of the administration of different combinations of mycotoxins in naturally contaminated maize grains on dairy heifer growth, blood measurements and puberty onset. A total of 35 Friesian female heifers were randomly allotted to three experimental groups from 18–21 to 42–45 weeks of age. During the 24-week experimental period (EP), heifers were fed the same diet, but with maize meal derived from three differently contaminated lots: very low contamination, as control (C); medium–low aflatoxin-contaminated (A); and mixed aflatoxin–fumonisin contaminated (A-F). At the end of the EP, they returned to a common diet without contaminated maize, and they were monitored for an additional period of 12 weeks (post-experimental period, PEP). BW, wither height, hip height, body length and heart girth were measured every 4 weeks from the beginning of EP to the end of PEP. At the same time, body condition score was evaluated and blood samples were taken from the jugular vein to be analysed for haematological, serum protein and metabolic profiles. Age at puberty was assessed by measuring weekly plasma progesterone levels from 40 to 52 weeks of age. Body growth measurements were processed both by ANOVA of average daily gain of EP and PEP separately, and by the analysis of growth curve parameters. Haematological, serum protein and metabolic profile were evaluated using a mixed model, taking into account the repeated measurements in time on each animal. Heifers’ growth was delayed both in A and A-F groups during EP, as evidenced by the different linear coefficients of the BW growth curve in the three groups. Differently contaminated diets did not affect the haematological profile, so that it can be concluded that these levels of mycotoxin contamination do not determine any specific effect on haematopoiesis and immunity in growing heifers. The main blood marker of mycotoxin chronic toxicity was the γ-glutamyl transferase activity level in plasma, which appeared to be altered even after the removal of mycotoxins. During EP, plasma glucose was lower in the groups fed contaminated diet compared with C. The joint actions of an altered nutritional status and a long-lasting liver damage were probably the causes of the delay in puberty attainment in A and, particularly, in the A-F group. The results from this trial evidenced that a chronic aflatoxin–fumonisin contamination in diets of dairy heifers can determine an important delay in the reproductive career of these animals.
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- By Jane E. Adcock, Yahya Aghakhani, A. Anand, Eva Andermann, Frederick Andermann, Alexis Arzimanoglou, Sandrine Aubert, Nadia Bahi-Buisson, Carman Barba, Agatino Battaglia, Geneviève Bernard, Nadir E. Bharucha, Laurence A. Bindoff, William Bingaman, Francesca Bisulli, Thomas P. Bleck, Stewart G. Boyd, Andreas Brunklaus, Harry Bulstrode, Jorge G. Burneo, Laura Canafoglia, Laura Cantonetti, Roberto H. Caraballo, Fernando Cendes, Kevin E. Chapman, Patrick Chauvel, Richard F. M. Chin, H. T. Chong, Fahmida A. Chowdhury, Catherine J. Chu-Shore, Rolando Cimaz, Andrew J. Cole, Bernard Dan, Geoffrey Dean, Alessio De Ciantis, Fernando De Paolis, Rolando F. Del Maestro, Irissa M. Devine, Carlo Di Bonaventura, Concezio Di Rocco, Henry B. Dinsdale, Maria Alice Donati, François Dubeau, Michael Duchowny, Olivier Dulac, Monika Eisermann, Brent Elliott, Bernt A. Engelsen, Kevin Farrell, Natalio Fejerman, Rosalie E. Ferner, Silvana Franceschetti, Robert Friedlander, Antonio Gambardella, Hector H. Garcia, Serena Gasperini, Lorenzo Genitori, Gioia Gioi, Flavio Giordano, Leif Gjerstad, Daniel G. Glaze, Howard P. Goodkin, Sidney M. Gospe, Andrea Grassi, William P. Gray, Renzo Guerrini, Marie-Christine Guiot, William Harkness, Andrew G. Herzog, Linda Huh, Margaret J. Jackson, Thomas S. Jacques, Anna C. Jansen, Sigmund Jenssen, Michael R. Johnson, Dorothy Jones-Davis, Reetta Kälviäinen, Peter W. Kaplan, John F. Kerrigan, Autumn Marie Klein, Matthias Koepp, Edwin H. Kolodny, Kandan Kulandaivel, Ruben I. Kuzniecky, Ahmed Lary, Yolanda Lau, Anna-Elina Lehesjoki, Maria K. Lehtinen, Holger Lerche, Michael P. T. Lunn, Snezana Maljevic, Mark R. Manford, Carla Marini, Bindu Menon, Giulia Milioli, Eli M. Mizrahi, Manish Modi, Márcia Elisabete Morita, Manuel Murie-Fernandez, Vivek Nambiar, Lina Nashef, Vincent Navarro, Aidan Neligan, Ruth E. Nemire, Charles R. J. C. Newton, John O'Donavan, Hirokazu Oguni, Teiichi Onuma, Andre Palmini, Eleni Panagiotakaki, Pasquale Parisi, Elena Parrini, Liborio Parrino, Ignacio Pascual-Castroviejo, M. Scott Perry, Perrine Plouin, Charles E. Polkey, Suresh S. Pujar, Karthik Rajasekaran, R. Eugene Ramsey, Rahul Rathakrishnan, Roberta H. Raven, Guy M. Rémillard, David Rosenblatt, M. Elizabeth Ross, Abdulrahman Sabbagh, P. Satishchandra, Swati Sathe, Ingrid E. Scheffer, Philip A. Schwartzkroin, Rod C. Scott, Frédéric Sedel, Michelle J. Shapiro, Elliott H. Sherr, Michael Shevell, Simon D. Shorvon, Adrian M. Siegel, Gagandeep Singh, S. Sinha, Barbara Spacca, Waney Squier, Carl E. Stafstrom, Bernhard J. Steinhoff, Andrea Taddio, Gianpiero Tamburrini, C. T. Tan, Raymond Y. L. Tan, Erik Taubøll, Robert W. Teasell, Mario Giovanni Terzano, Federica Teutonico, Suzanne A. Tharin, Elizabeth A. Thiele, Pierre Thomas, Paolo Tinuper, Dorothée Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité, Sumeet Vadera, Pierangelo Veggiotti, Jean-Pierre Vignal, J. M. Walshe, Elizabeth J. Waterhouse, David Watkins, Ruth E. Williams, Yue-Hua Zhang, Benjamin Zifkin, Sameer M. Zuberi
- Edited by Simon D. Shorvon, Frederick Andermann, Renzo Guerrini
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- Book:
- The Causes of Epilepsy
- Published online:
- 05 March 2012
- Print publication:
- 14 April 2011, pp ix-xvi
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Housing system and welfare of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) cows
- C. Tripaldi, G. De Rosa, F. Grasso, G. M. Terzano, F. Napolitano
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- Journal:
- Animal Science / Volume 78 / Issue 3 / June 2004
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 August 2016, pp. 477-483
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- June 2004
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Twenty-eight buffalo cows were used to evaluate the effect of housing system on a range of behavioural and physiological variables. Fourteen cows were group-housed in a loose open-sided barn with a concrete floor and 10 m2 per head as space allowance (group IS). Fourteen others were group-housed in a similar barn but they could also benefit from an outdoor yard with 500 m2 per head as space allowance, free access to potholes for wallowing and spontaneous vegetation (group TS). Animals were subjected to six sessions of instantaneous scan sampling at 10-day intervals. Behavioural variables were expressed as proportions of subjects observed in each category of posture and activity. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was used to perform a skin test based on non-specific delayed type hypersensitivity, whereas 20 mg of ovalbumin were injected subcutaneously to evaluate humoral immune response. Blood samples for evaluation of cortisol concentration were collected immediately prior to exogenous porcine ACTH injection and 1, 2 and 4 h after. The metabolic status of the animals and milk production were also monitored. The proportion of idling animals was higher in group IS than in group TS (P < 0.001). More IS buffalo cows were observed eating at the manger than TS animals (P < 0.001). A higher proportion of TS animals were observed in the sun (P < 0.001). Grazing and bathing activities were recorded only for TS animals. Our findings suggest that buffalo cows kept in intensive conditions and having no access to ample yards and potholes may extend their periods of idling with negative effects on the state of welfare. Immune responses, metabolite concentrations and milk production were not affected by treatment, whereas cortisol levels were higher in IS animals (P < 0.05). The provision of a housing system similar to natural conditions was able to improve the welfare of buffalo cows as indicated by the expression of some species-specific natural behaviours. Such conditions were also associated with lower adrenal cortex response to ACTH injection, possibly as a consequence of the higher degree of initiative allowed to TS cows.
Patterns of oestrus, time of LH release and ovulation and effects of time of artificial insemination in Mediterranean buffalo cows
- B. M. Moioli, F. Napolitano, S. Puppo, V. L. Barile, G. M. Terzano, A. Borghese, A. Malfatti, A. Catalano, A. M. Pilla
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- Journal:
- Animal Science / Volume 66 / Issue 1 / February 1998
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 September 2010, pp. 87-91
- Print publication:
- February 1998
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Thirty-two post-partum Mediterranean river buffalo cows were continuously observed for signs of oestrus from September to December with the aid of two vasectomized bulls. Symptoms of oestrus among female Mediterranean buffaloes are weak, therefore oestrus was assessed based on bull behaviour (following and licking a cow and trying to mount her). Oestrus was divided into three phases based on the bull behaviour assessment. Status of the uterus and ovarian follicles were checked rectally every day for each cow which was detected by a teaser bull to be in oestrus. All cows in oestrus were bred twice by artificial insemination (AI), the first at ovulation and the second (using a different bull) 22 h later.
The average duration of interest shown by the bull towards a cow (from the very first to the last sign of interest) was 68 h and the average length of the three phases was: phase 1 = 21 (s.d. 29) h, phase II = 32 (s.d. 24) h and phase III = 15 (s.d. 15) h. Fifteen buffaloes were bled during oestrus, and LH profiles were determined. No differences were evident among oestruses followed by pregnancy (no. = 18) and the others (no. = 26) for the variables describing behavioural events. Neither intensity of the bull courtship, presence or clarity of mucous discharge, or housing system affected the success of AI. The only differences between pregnant and non-pregnant cows were in the timing between the LH peak and the end of phase II (2·4 v. 14·7 h, P < 0·001), end of phase III (22 v. 40 h, P > 0·05) and ovulation (25 v. 46 h, P < 0·05). Successful pregnancies occurred 34 (s.d. 14) h after the end of phase II. The endocrinology and behavioural patterns of buffalo reproduction need further research to clarify the reasons for non-optimal pregnancy rates after AI.
Eficacia de zolpidem en el insomnio
- R. G. Priest, M. G. Terzano, L. Parrino, P. Boyer
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- Journal:
- European Psychiatry (Ed.Española) / Volume 3 / Issue 2 / April 1996
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 May 2020, pp. 85-96
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- April 1996
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Se revisó la eficacia de zolpidem, un agente hipnótico no benzodiacepínico con una semivida de eliminación corta, analizando más de 50 ensayos clínicos internacionales publicados desde 1986. Se ha evaluado la actividad hipnótica de zolpidem en diferentes poblaciones de pacientes, incluidos voluntarios sanos, pacientes ambulatorios de medicina general y pacientes psiquiátricos ambulatorios u hospitalizados con diversos trastornos del sueño, tanto transitorios como crónicos. Los métodos de evaluación utilizados han incluido mediciones objetivas y subjetivas de la eficacia hipnótica para tratamiento de duraciones diferentes, con resultados que confirman que 10 mg es superior a placebo. Zolpidem se mostró superior, en la mayor parte de ensayos, en los parámetros de sueño, como el tiempo total de sueño, la latencia de comienzo del sueño y los despertares nocturnos, pero normalmente, el sueño REM total y la latencia de REM no experimentaron modificaciones. Zolpidem conservó la fisiología del sueño normal, como lo demuestra la preservación de las fases de ondas lentas y la ausencia de efectos o los efectos mínimos sobre la arquitectura del sueño después de una interrupción brusca. En consecuencia, 10 mg es la dosis recomendada para el tratamiento a corto plazo del insomnio en personas no ancianas; en pacientes ancianos 5 mg induce de manera efectiva el sueño, con un perfil de seguridad óptimo.