Bishop Burton College

SummaryBackgroundImpinging dorsal spinous processes (IDSP) are a common cause of pain and loss of performance in sports horses, with a range of surgical and conservative treatments available.ObjectivesIdentify relationships between treatment choice and the likelihood of returning to previous level of performance for horses diagnosed with IDSP.Study designCross‐sectional survey of owners with horses diagnosed with IDSP.MethodsA 14‐question online survey was circulated via social media. Data were collected for 260 horses and analysed for associations between treatment choice and return to pre‐diagnosis level of performance.ResultsJust under 50% of horses in the sample returned to their previous level of performance post‐treatment. Horses that were treated surgically had twice the odds of returning to their previous level than those that were not, and horses that underwent an exercise rehabilitation programme had 10 times the odds of returning to level.Main limitationsAs this was an owner survey, self‐selection bias and recall bias could have influenced the findings.ConclusionsIf the aim is for the horse to return to a competitive career post‐treatment, the most appropriate surgical intervention appears to be the best approach, and an exercise rehabilitation plan may have benefit.

Abstract Habitat loss and fragmentation affect species occurrence and distribution in rapidly changing ecosystems. These issues are especially relevant on the Island of Madagascar where modern deforestation has been widespread and is ongoing. We investigated the occurrence of the critically endangered Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) in an anthropogenically modified landscape: the Mariarano region of north‐western Madagascar. We surveyed four large forest sites from 500 to 5,000 ha and 16 forest fragments ranging from 1.5 to 19.2 ha in size. We recorded various attributes of the visited sites such as area, distance to nearest large forest and anthropogenic disturbance. We encountered sifakas in 10 of 16 fragments and in all large forest sites, with the majority of encounters occurring in habitat edge zones. Furthermore, we encountered 19 sifakas in the matrix such as in villages and fields. We found that neither human disturbance, area nor distance to a large forest predicts the presence of sifakas in the Mariarano region. Our results suggest that Coquerel's sifakas are able to persist in highly degraded and small forests fragments, but further research is needed on their long‐term viability in anthropogenically modified landscapes.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are an effective means to orchestrate intricate biological processes required to sustain life. Approximately 650 000 PPIs underlie the human interactome; thus underscoring its complexity and the manifold signaling outputs altered in response to changes in specific PPIs. This minireview illustrates the growing arsenal of PPI assemblies and offers insights into how these varied PPI regulatory modalities are relevant to customized drug discovery, with a focus on cancer. First, known and emerging PPIs and PPI-targeted drugs of both natural and synthetic origin are categorized. Building on these discussions, the merits of PPI-guided therapeutics over traditional drug design are discussed. Finally, a compare-and-contrast section for different PPI blockers, with gain-of-function PPI interventions, such as PROTACS, is provided.

To Protect and Serve is Norm Stamper’s second book, following Breaking Rank: A Top Cop’s Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing (2005), and is a welcome contribution to the debate between those who advocate violence against the police and those who insist that no reform is necessary. Radley Balko’s The Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces (2013) inadvertently provided the context of the civil unrest in Ferguson ignited by the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, and the controversy surrounding the ‘Ferguson effect’ provides the context for Stamper’s treatise on the problems faced—and caused—by contemporary US law enforcement. Stamper is one of the few senior police officers singled out for praise by Balko, for the most part on the basis of his activism against police prejudice and militarization subsequent to his retirement as Seattle’s police chief in 2000. Stamper cuts straight to the chase, asking the most pressing question for any serving or retired police officer reading of the deaths of Jonathan Ferrell, Michael Brown, and Ezell Ford (amongst others): not why they were shot (that is pretty obvious), but what made the officers involved think they would get away with firing multiple rounds into unarmed men? Stamper’s value is thus not just the answers he offers, but the questions he asks, questions that take the focus off the specific details of each tragic event and place it on the general structural problems that facilitate the repetitive cycle. Stamper’s answer to structural question is two-fold: police culture and the justice system. The responsibility of the latter for the crisis in policing was perhaps most clearly shown in the trial of George Zimmerman, who was not a police officer but was found innocent of second-degree murder and manslaughter, and it was the verdict rather than the shooting that became the catalyst for the formation of Black Lives Matter. Although Stamper acknowledges the reciprocal relation between the two, his concern is with police culture rather than the justice system, his intention to identify what is wrong with that culture and what can be done about it. The seventeen chapters of the book progress from those that diagnose the various problems and offer tentative solutions (Chapters 1–11) to those that present solutions and provide concrete proposals with analyses of the costs and benefits of turning those proposals into policies (Chapters 12–17). The titles of the chapters can at times be misleading and a minor criticism is that the work lacks a sustained argument which moves from problems to proposals to solutions to policies.

This study aimed to characterize changes in deoxyhemoglobin ([HHb]) response dynamics in boys and girls during ramp incremental exercise to investigate whether the reduced peak oxygen uptake (peak V˙O2) in girls is associated with poorer matching of muscle O2 delivery to muscle O2 utilization, as evidenced by a more rapid increase in [HHb]. Fifty-two children (31 boys, 9.9 ± 0.6 yr, 1.38 ± 0.07 m, 31.70 ± 5.78 kg) completed ramp incremental exercise on a cycle ergometer during which pulmonary gas exchange and muscle oxygenation parameters were measured. When muscle [HHb] was expressed against absolute work rate and V˙O2, girls had an earlier change in [HHb], as evidenced by the lower c/d parameter (girls, 54 ± 20 W, vs boys, 67 ± 19 W, P = 0.023; girls, 0.82 ± 0.28 L·min(-1), vs boys, 0.95 ± 0.19 L·min(-1), P = 0.055) and plateau (girls, 85 ± 12 W, vs boys, 99 ± 18 W, P = 0.031; girls, 1.02 ± 0.25 L·min(-1), vs boys, 1.22 ± 0.28 L·min(-1), P = 0.014). However, when expressed against relative work rate or V˙O2, there were no sex differences in ([HHb]) response dynamics (all P > 0.20). Significant correlations were observed between absolute and fat-free mass normalized peak V˙O2 and the HHb c/d and plateau parameters when expressed against absolute work rate or V˙O2. Furthermore, when entered into a multiple regression model, the [HHb] plateau against absolute V˙O2 contributed 12% of the variance in peak V˙O2 after adjusting for fat-free mass, gas exchange threshold, and body fatness (model R2 = 0.81, P < 0.001). The sex difference in peak V˙O2 in 9- to 10-yr-old children is, in part, related to sex-specific changes in muscle O2 extraction dynamics during incremental exercise.

Adventitious presence of genetically modified crops (AGMP) in their non-GM counterparts is an important problem in the EU, where a policy of coexistence between the two is being sought. The economic impacts of AGMP could be severe and could prevent the practical application of GM coexistence measures. To date, research has concentrated on the contribution of pollen gene flow as the major source of AGMP, while other sources have not been investigated. We have examined the potential for AGMP from the use of shared farm equipment and transport, which has previously been assumed to have a low contribution. Oilseed rape (OSR) was examined in a typical UK production regime including tillage, sowing, spraying, harvesting and grain drying. At each stage in the process, OSR in the machinery was measured and its potential for AGMP calculated. In sowing and grain drying, mustard grain was used as a proxy for GM grain and was measured during the processes by real-time PCR quantification to give estimates of GM dilution rates during the processes. The effects of cleaning and other mitigation methods were examined. Total potential AGMP was estimated at 1.47% when no mitigation was performed, and 0.08% when machinery was cleaned. The best measures for avoiding this type of AGMP are presented in the context of the specific UK agriculture examined in this study.

Veterinary RecordVolume 168, Issue 21 p. 560-561 Research Managing metabolic disease and reproductive performance in dairy cattle Jonathan Statham MA, VetMB, CertCHP, MRCVS, Corresponding Author Jonathan Statham MA, VetMB, CertCHP, MRCVS mail@jstatham.demon.co.uk Bishopton Veterinary Group, Mill Farm, Studley Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2QRe-mail: mail@jstatham.demon.co.ukSearch for more papers by this author Jonathan Statham MA, VetMB, CertCHP, MRCVS, Corresponding Author Jonathan Statham MA, VetMB, CertCHP, MRCVS mail@jstatham.demon.co.uk Bishopton Veterinary Group, Mill Farm, Studley Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2QRe-mail: mail@jstatham.demon.co.ukSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 May 2011 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.d3300Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume168, Issue21May 2011Pages 560-561 RelatedInformation

It is well established that the weaning process is one of the most stressful periods for a piglet, which can alter its immune function and performance. Pigs have no specified dietary requirement for vitamin C with it being provided via colostrum and endogenous production. However, during stressful periods, physiological requirements increase, and supplementation may be required. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C supplementation in high and low stress weaning systems on performance and immune function of weaner pigs.