Taiwan Veterinary Journal

Importance: This case report describes a rare presentation of scrotal herniation and strangulation of the small intestine in a 3-year-old intact male mixed-breed dog. This condition is noteworthy due to its potential for severe complications and the scarcity of documented cases in the veterinary literature, contributing to the limited body of knowledge on scrotal hernias in dogs, especially those involving intestinal strangulation. Case Presentation: The dog presented with unilateral scrotal swelling, persistent vomiting and inappetence for 10 days. Physical examination revealed inflamed and tender scrotal regions, with the left side more prominently affected. Radiographic findings indicated dilated small intestines and increased radiopacity in the scrotal area. Surgical intervention revealed a swollen left testicle and a hemorrhagic loop of small intestines within the scrotum. A midline celiotomy was performed to resect and anastomose the devitalized intestinal segment, followed by herniorrhaphy. Conclusions and Relevance: The patient recovered uneventfully and resumed normal activities within a week post-surgery. This case highlights the clinical importance of timely diagnosis and surgical management of scrotal hernias in dogs to prevent life-threatening complications, underscoring the need for awareness of such presentations among veterinarians. The successful outcome in this case supports the efficacy of surgical intervention in similar scenarios, potentially guiding future clinical practices.

Si-Shen decoction is a mild medicinal dietary material composed of lotus seeds, gorgon, poria and yam. In vitro studies have proved the biological activity of four individual medicinal materials, but the effects of the combination prescription have yet to be evaluated in vivo in the past. This study prepared the Si-Shen extracts (SSE) by heating reflux with 50% alcohol. The prepared extracts contained functional components, including $8.30\pm 0.01$ mg of QE/g of flavonoids and $2.32\pm 0.58$ mg of GAE/g of polyphenols. The antioxidant activity of SSE was verified by the DPPH and FRAP assays. Moreover, the prepared SSE is not cytotoxic below the concentration of 2mg/mL according to the ISO10993-5 test method. Feeding the SSE for 28 days is sufficient to prevent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced spatial memory impairment and anxiety symptoms, and SSE improves physical fitness. Further experiments demonstrated that SSE elevated the level of acetylcholine in the brain and serum superoxide dismutase activity. This research demonstrated the apparent efficacy and safety of the SSE, which will be further developed into innovative health products related to disease prevention.

This study aimed to evaluate the combinatorial effects (24 treatments) of different cryoprotectants (3% glycerol alone [G], 3% glycerol with 1% dimethylacetamide (DMA) [GD]), straw volume (0.5 and 5mL), freezing methods (dry ice or liquid nitrogen) and thawing methods on boar semen cryosurvival. Six semen samples were manually collected from two or three Duroc boars and pooled. A total of 24 treatments were applied to each batch of pooled semen. Post-thaw semen quality analysis was done to evaluate the combinatorial effects of the various factors. After thawing, the highest semen quality indicators were observed with treatment 9G (3% glycerol, dry ice, 0.5mL, 60^∘C/8s), followed by treatment with 8G (3% glycerol, dry ice, 0.5mL, 50^∘C/12s), 9GD (1% DMA with 3% glycerol, dry ice, 0.5mL, 60^∘C/8s) and 12G (3% glycerol, dry ice, 0.5mL, 60^∘C/8s). There were no significant differences ($p>0.05$) among the four treatments in post-thawed sperm motility ($52\pm 8\%$, $51\pm 8\%$, $52\pm 7\%$ and $47\pm 7\%$, respectively) and sperm viability ($58\pm 10\%$, $59\pm 8\%$, $57\pm 8\%$ and $53\pm 11\%$, respectively). In conclusion, the combination of glycerol, low straw volume, low freezing rate and high thawing rate is suitable for cryopreservation of boar semen. In addition, a higher thawing rate could improve the drawbacks of freezing rate, cryoprotectant and straw volume on sperm cryosurvival.

An outbreak of a disease with multiple erosive papules and ulcers on the lips, noses, and tongues of calves was reported in Taiwan in August 2023. Five of 11 2–4-month-old dairy calves were affected. Oral swabs, nasal swabs, and esophageal–pharyngeal fluid were collected and tested positive for bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay (qPCR) for all of the affected calves. All of the positive calves remained positive for BPSV after 1 month of the outbreak, and the viral loads of the affected calves did not decrease within this period. To determine the genetic characteristics of this outbreak strain, phylogenetic analysis was performed with the partial B2L sequence of BPSV. The results revealed that the virus strain was closely related to isolates from Japan, the United States, and France. This is the first report on an outbreak in this particular region since 1988 and the first molecular characterization of BPSV in Taiwan.