eChapters

Extraction of DNA from Tissue
(Using HiPurATM Multi-sample DNA Purification Kit)
Kit contents
Re-suspension buffer, Lysis solution, Prewash solution concentrate, Wash solution concentrate, Elution buffer, Proteinase K, HiElute Miniprep Spin Column (Capped), Collection tubes (uncapped), Collection tubes Dilute the prewash, wash solution and Proteinase K according to the kit.
Protocol
Prepare tissue
Weigh 25 mg of tissue, add approximately 3 ml of 0.8 per cent of normal saline. Homogenize the tissue with homogenizer or with mortar and pestle. Transfer the homogenized tissue with saline to a microcentrifuge tube. Centrifuge at 14000 rpm for 10 minutes. Discard the supernatant and use the pelleted tissue for further lysis.
Digest tissue
Add 180 μl of resuspension buffer and 20 μl of Proteinase K solution to the pelleted tissue in microcentrifuge tube. Mix by vortexing. Incubate the sample at 55oC until the tissue is completely digested (2-4 hours) in a shaking water bath. Vortex briefly after complete digestion.

Cardiomyopathies in acts can be classified broadly as Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and non-hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Usually, no alarming clinical signs are detected during routine examination in the preclinical stage except cardiac murmurs in some cats with HCM. This is because, that the cats are sedentary and excellent in hiding the signs of illness from the pet parents. Hence the onset is often acute with the sudden appearance of the clinical signs linked to congestive heart failure like severe dyspnoea, cardiogenic shock, aortic thromboembolism, arrhythmias and even syncope and death

Cats with CHF will be presented with severe dyspnoea, due to fulminant pulmonary oedema and or pleural effusion. The pleural effusion associated with CHF is usually a modified transudate, some cases it may be chylous .In echocardiography ,the size of the left atrium should be determined .If the LA size is normal ,then the dyspnoea may not be of cardiac origin .The presence of B-lines in the lung area in association with LA enlargement confirms cardiogenic pulmonary oedema. Stress, anaesthesia, I/V fluids and steroids leads to decompensation and fulminant pulmonary oedema. Thoracocentesis is will be helpful if there is dyspnoea due to significant pleural effusion. At least 300ml of effusion can be usually removed. The dyspnoeic cat is very fragile and should be handled carefully. Butorphanol may be given for anxiolytic effect. Oxygen administration is beneficial. Furosemide when given intravenously has an initial venodilator effect and should be repeated as required monitoring the sleeping respiratory rate (SRR). Addition of nitro-glycerine (vasodilator) reduces preload, decreases left atrial pressure and help in reducing pulmonary oedema. If the clinical signs are suggestive of cardiogenic shock or myocardial failure, Pimobendan I/V or Dobutamine CRI should be considered.

Introduction

One of the remarkable advancements in veterinary medicine recently is the application of interventional cardiology techniques to treat various congenital heart diseases. In dogs and cats, congenital heart diseases can be treated much more easily and with fewer complications using minimally invasive interventional approaches, rather than through traditional open-heart surgery. Among congenital heart diseases, treatment options are available for conditions such as PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus), AS (Aortic Stenosis), PS (Pulmonic Stenosis), VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect), ASD (Atrial Septal Defect), extrahepatic shunt, and stem cell applications. These diseases often cannot be significantly improved by medical treatment alone, making the use of the aforementioned interventional techniques essential for effective management.

Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus) is the national heritage animal of India. This particular species now exists in 13 Asian countries including India. As per 2017 census, India is home to an estimated figure of 29,964 elephants that is >60% wild population of the globe. Once distributed across the country, now they are squeezed to 14 states grouped in four regions ie., southern (14,612), north-eastern (10,139), east-central (3,128) and northern regions (2,085). There are 2675 captive elephants across different states under both private and government custody. This largest terrestrial mammal is protected under Seclude I species of Indian Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.

Both central and state Government are implementing short- and long-term programmes for health and well-being of captive as well as free-range elephants. The Central Government has established an ‘Elephant Cell’ at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun to provide technical inputs to the ministry for strengthening the efforts towards conservation of elephants. Add-on, the ‘Project Elephant’ was launched in 1991-92 in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to restore the elephant habitats and reduce their sufferings. Elephant habitats are notified as Elephant Reserves that are basic management units for elephant conservation and managements. A total of 33 Elephant Reserves has been notified in the country. A book titled, ‘Caring for elephants: Managing health and welfare in captivity’ is edited for field officers, veterinary professionals and elephant handlers.

Introduction

The main function of the respiratory system is to exchange O₂ and CO₂ between the atmosphere, blood, and cells, which are necessary for animal survival. The circulatory and respiratory systems work together to provide oxygen to cells while eliminating CO₂. O₂ consumption and CO₂ production are determined by cell metabolic activity.

Respiratory volumes or lung volumes refer to the volumes of gas in the lungs at any given point during the respiratory cycle. These volumes vary according to the animals’ physiological state, ambient factors, and health status. This is why; measurements of lung volumes are helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of the respiratory system.

Nose

The nose is the externally visible part of the respiratory system. It forms the part of the face of the animal extending from the transverse level of eyes to the rostral end of the head. Exteriorly it is formed by the bones, muscles, cartilages and the skin. Internally it encloses the nasal cavity which is lined by the mucous membrane. The dorsal part of the nose (roof of the nasal cavity) is termed as dorsum nasi. It is formed by the nasal and frontal bones of the skull. The lateral parts are formed by the incisive, maxillary, lacrimal and zygomatic bones. Covering these bones externally is a muscular layer formed by the facial muscles running over these bones and acting on the upper lip and nostrils. The muscular layer is externally covered by the skin. The skin on the nose bears fine hairs except at the tip of the nose that is formed by the nostrils. The rostral end of the nose is formed by nostrils which provide entrance to the nasal cavity. The nostrils are supported by cartilages which are the dorsal and ventral extensions of the cartilage of the nasal septum. The main aim of the nose is to support and protect the nasal cavity.

The skeleton of thorax (Fig. 3-1) consists of a bony cage formed by thirteen thoracic vertebrae constituting its dorsal boundary and roof, thirteen pairs of ribs forming its lateral walls, the costal cartilages which assist the ribs to form the lateral walls and the sternum forming its floor.

The general architecture of the vertebrae and the vertebral column is described in the chapter on skeletal system under PART ONE (Systemic anatomy) of this book. Only the deviations from the general characteristics of vertebrae as occur in the thoracic vertebrae are described here in the following account on the thoracic vertebrae.

Thoracic vertebrae

These are thirteen in number in ox (Fig. 3-1 A and B) The characteristic features of these vertebrae are the presence of capitular facets for articulation with the head of the rib and the greater development of dorsal spinous processes (neural spines).for attachment of muscles of the back and the supraspinous ligament that helps in the ligamentum nuchae to extend and suspend the head with the body trunk.

Introduction

In India, almost 85 % of our population resides in rural areas and the same proportion is dependent on agriculture for sustenance and animal husbandry for additional income. Distribution of livestock is more equitable compared to that of land and about 85 percent of livestock are owned by the landless, marginal and small landholding families. This sector provides employment for the farmers through livestock farming as well as in processing, value addition and marketing of livestock products.

Rapid population, economic growth, increased demand for livestock products such as meat and dairy products, in?uences the present livestock production systemtowards intensive production. There is increased con?ict over scarce resources such as land, water, food grains etc. Losing livestock assets for rural communities might lead to abject poverty with serious effect ontheir livelihoods. The climate change impact will worsen the vulnerability of livestock systems and those farmers depending on livestock, particularly the poor.

Surface anatomy of the organs of left side of abdominal cavity

Rumen

Topography of the rumen: The left side of the abdomen in cow is completely occupied by the rumen except for a small area occupied by the reticulum at its cranial end and the spleen on the craniodorsal aspect sandwiched between the dorsal border of rumen and the diaphragm. The rumen lies in contact with the left abdominal wall extending from seventh or eight intercostal space where it touches the diaphragm to the transverse plane of the tuber coxae where it almost touches the pelvic inlet.

Palpation of rumen: The rumen can be palpated in the left flank of the abdomen and is usually palpated in the dorsal third of the flank region. In ruminants, the contraction begins at reticulum and it continues in rumen in succession and hence is considered as ruminoreticular contraction cycle. It begins with double contraction of reticulum followed immediately by the contraction of rumen. The rumen contraction begins in the cranial sac and progresses to the dorsal sac and then to the ventral sac. During the contraction of the ventral sac, the dorsal sac is forced out which appears as a bulging at the paralumbar fossa. After this, there is a pause of 30 seconds and thereafter the second ruminal contraction begins which is usually associated with eructation. The ruminoreticular contraction cycle ends with the end of second ruminal contraction. Following this, the second cycle begins. Thus there are two palpable rumen contractions per minute. This rate of contraction increases to 2.8 contractions per minute during the act of feeding of the animal.

Absolute advantage : This is the simplest yardstick of economic performance. If one person, firm or country can produce more of something with the same amount of effort and resources, they have an absolute advantage over other producers. Being the best at something does not mean that doing that thing is the best way to use your scarce economic resources. The question of what to specialise in—and how to maximize the benefits from international trade—is best decided according to comparative advantage. Both absolute and comparative advantage may change significantly over time.

Access to Health Care : 1) The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportation, and financial considerations, among others. 2) Entry to the health care system is dependent on the wants, resources, and needs that individuals bring to the care-seeking process. Ability to obtain wanted or needed services may be influenced by many factors, including travel distance, waiting time, available financial resources, and availability of a regular source of care.

Acquisition cost : The purchase cost of a drug to an agency, person or institution.

Adaptive expectations : A theory of how people form their views about the future that assumes they do so using past trends and the errors in their own earlier predictions. Contrast with rational expectations.

Backwardation : When a commodity is valued more highly in a spot market (that is, when it is for delivery today) than in a futures market (for delivery at some point in the future). Normally, interest costs mean that futures prices are higher than spot prices, unless the markets expect the price of the commodity to fall over time, perhaps because there is a temporary bottleneck in supply.

Balance of payments : The total of all the money coming into a country from abroad less all of the money going out of the country during the same period. This is usually broken down into the current account and the capital account. The current account includes : *visible trade (known as merchandise trade in the United States), which is the value of exports and imports of physical goods; *invisible trade, which is receipts and payments for services, such as banking or advertising, and other intangible goods, such as copyrights, as well as cross-border dividend and interest payments; *private transfers, such as money sent home by expatriate workers; official transfers, such as international aid. The capital account includes : *long-term capital flows, such as money invested in foreign firms, and profits made by selling those investments and bringing the money home; *short-term capital flows, such as money invested in foreign currencies by international speculators, and funds moved around the world for business purposes by multinational companies. These short-term flows can lead to sharp movements in exchange rates, which bear little relation to what currencies should be worth judging by fundamental measures of value such as purchasing power parity. As bills must be paid, ultimately a country’s accounts must balance (although because real life is never that neat a balancing item is usually inserted to cover up the inconsistencies).

Balanced budget : When total public-sector spending equals total government income during the same period from taxes and charges for public services. Politicians in some countries, such as the United States, have argued that government should be required to run a balanced budget in order to have sound public finances. However, there is no economic reason why public borrowing need necessarily be bad. For instance, if the debt is used to invest in things that will increase the growth rate of the economy—infrastructure, say, or education—it may be justified. It may also make more economic sense to try to balance the budget on average over an entire economic cycle, with public-sector deficits boosting the economy during recession and surpluses stopping it overheating during booms, than to balance it every year.

Introduction

During transition period and lactation, the high-producing dairy cows undergo a period of extensive tissue catabolism because of negative nutrient balance. Homeorrhetic mechanism at this stage ensures that nutrients are partitioned to favour the growth of fetus prepartum and meet the demand of nutrients in early lactation. Simultaneously the homeostasis secures survival of the animal body functions. However, a decline in feed intake in transition period leads to metabolic disturbances and low milk production in early lactation. The postpartum negative nutrient balance impairs immune and reproductive functions in dairy cows and buffaloes. The increased demand for nutrients and decreased dry matter intake results in low circulating glucose and insulin levels and elevated non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies postpartum. The energetic status of a cow or buffalo modulates the secretion of hormones that play key roles in growth of ovarian follicles, ovulation, corpus luteum (CL) formation, and oocyte competence. The NEBAL not only limits milk production potential but also has a detrimental effect on immune cells. Negative nutrient balance is associated with changes in the pattern of ovarian follicle growth and oocyte quality and alteration in endocrines. In addition, cows under negative nutrient balance have extended periods of anovulation. These changes could be minimized by supplementing energy rich supplements like prilled fat or any bypass fat preparations.

Hard currency : Money you can trust. A hard currency is expected to retain its value, or even benefit from appreciation, against softer currencies. This makes it a popular choice for people involved in international transactions. The dollar, d-mark, sterling and the Swiss franc each became a hard currency, if only some of the time, during the 20th century.

Hawala : An ancient system of moving money based on trust. It predates western bank practices. Although it is now more associated with the Middle East, a version of hawala existed in China in the second half of the Tang dynasty (618-907), known as fei qian, or flying money. In hawala, no money moves physically between locations; nowadays it is transferred by means of a telephone call or fax between dealers in different countries. No legal contracts are involved, and recipients are given only a code number or simple token, such as a low-value banknote torn in half, to prove that money is due. Over time, transactions in opposite directions cancel each other out, so physical movement is minimised. Trust is the only capital that the dealers have. With it, the users of hawala have a worldwide money-transmission service that is cheap, fast and free of bureaucracy. From a government’s point of view, however, informal money networks are threatening, since they lie outside official channels that are regulated and taxed. They fear they are used by criminals, including terrorists. Although this is probably true, by far the main users of hawala networks are overseas workers, who do not trust official money transfer methods or cannot afford them, remitting earnings to their families.

Introduction

Water resource is imperative for the survival of all life-forms on planet earth and defines the limits of sustainable development, without any substitute. Only 2.5% of all water on the earth is freshwater, and of that, around 0.5% is accessible through ground or surface water supplies. The increasing world population, industrialization and climate change is putting additional pressure on water resources. This is also true for livestock sector. As per prediction equations, the requirement of water for livestock will rise from 2.3 billion m³ in 2000 to 2.8 billion m³in 2025 and 3.2 billion m³ in 2050 (Hedge, 2012).

The balance between humanity's demands and the quantity available is already precarious (Karin et al, 2002). Additionally, climate change poses a serious threat to water resources as the climate system and the hydrological cycles are intimately linked, and any variability in climate affects the hydrological cycle. The World Bank report on the water and climate change inter-linkages also reiterated that climate change could profoundly alter future patterns of both water availability and use, thereby increasing levels of water stress and insecurity, both at the global scale and in sectors that depend on water (Alavian et al., 2009).

Labour economics : The aspects of economics concerned with the supply and demand for labor. This includes factors affecting the participation rate, wage bargaining and organized labor, training, hours and conditions of work, practices concerning hiring, redundancy, labor turnover, migration and the age of retirement.

Labour intensive : A production process that involves comparatively large amounts of labour; the opposite of capital intensive.

Labour market flexibility : A flexible labour market is one in which it is easy and inexpensive for firms to vary the amount of labour they use, including by changing the hours worked by each employee and by changing the number of employees. This often means minimal regulation of the terms of employment (no minimum wage, say) and weak (or no) trade unions. Such flexibility is characterised by its opponents as giving firms all the power, allowing them to fire employees at a moment’s notice and leaving workers feeling insecure.

Labour theory of value : The notion that the value of any good or service depends on how much labour it uses up. First suggested by adam smith, it took a central place in the philosophy of karl marx. Some neo-classical economists disagreed with this theory, arguing that the price of something was independent of how much labour went into producing it and was instead determined solely by supply and demand.

NAIRU : The non-accelerating-inflation rate of unemployment (see natural rate rate of natureal rate of unemployment).

Nash equilibrium : An important concept in game theory, a Nash equilibrium occurs when each player is pursuing their best possible strategy in the full knowledge of the strategies of all other players. Once a Nash equilibrium is reached, nobody has any incentive to change their strategy. It is named after John Nash, a mathematician and Nobel prize-winning economist.

Nation building : Creating a country that works out of one that does not - because the old order has collapsed (as in the former Soviet Union), or been destroyed by war (Iraq), or never really functioned in the first place (Afghanistan). To transform a failed country can involve establishing order through the rule of law and creating legitimate government and other effective social institutions, as well as a credible currency and a functioning market economy. Nation building is rarely easy, and often fiendishly difficult, especially where there are deep ethnic, religious or political divisions in the population or the country has no history of ever functioning effectively. Outside expertise, such as from the world bank, and money (as in, most famouly, the marshall plan) can help, but they are no guarantee of success.

Animal body contains several fluids other than blood and lymph which have specialized functions for specific organs. Two of these fluids are cerebrospinal fluid and synovial fluid. The cerebrospinal fluids protects and supports brain and spinal cord function. Synovial fluid protects the functioning of the movement of the body by bone-muscular joints.

There are other groups that contribute to the reactivity of enzymes beside amino acid residues.

These groups are called cofactors - chemicals required by apoenzymes (inactive) to become holoenzymes (active).

There are two types of cofactors:

1. Essential ions - metal ions -inorganic
2. Coenzymes - organic molecules that act as group-transfer reagents (accept or donate groups)- can also be H⁺ and/or e^-

Both provide reactive groups not found on amino acids side chains.

Coenzymes can be either cosubstrates (loosely bound to enzyme; is altered, then regenerated) or prosthetic groups (tightly bound to enzyme).

Coenzymes can be classified by their source:

NEW CELLS ARE PRODUCED BY DIVISION OF PREVIOUSLY EXISTING CELLS

All cells come from previously existing cells

To make a new cell identical to itself a cell must perform 4 tasks:

It must grow and make additional copies of all its organelles, enzymes, etc..

It must duplicate its DNA

It must accurately separate the DNA into 2 units, so that each cell gets a full set

It must divide into 2 cells (cytokinesis)

SEX IS VERY COSTLY

Large amounts of energy required to find a mate and do the mating: specialized structures and behavior required

Intimate contact provides route for infection by parasites (AIDS, syphillis, etc.)

Genetic costs: in sex you pass on only half your genes to your children

Males are an expensive luxury- in most species they contribute little to rearing offspring

But There are Some Advantages

More genetic diversity: more potential for survival of species when environmental conditions change

Shuffling of genes in meiosis (random separation of homologous chromosomes)

Crossing-over in meiosis (see below)

Fertilization (genes from 2 individuals brought together)