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Despite 5000 years of domestication, the species-specific behaviours and needs of the various horse breeds broadly remained the same. Species-appropriate housing systems allow horses to engage in its natural innate behaviour and thus contributes to its overall well-being. Due to not animal-friendly housing systems, a public debate about animal welfare in horse keeping has developed in recent years. This debate was intensified due to doping scandals, dubious training methods and health problems from horses in highperformance sport. However, so far no scientific studies are available, which investigate the evaluation and implementability of animal welfare measures through horse business managers. To close this research gap, this paper examines animal welfare measures in horse keeping, based on a quantitative online survey among 261 horse business managers. Animal welfare measures, that are particularly important to increase the well-beeing of horses, are realizable in practice. Implementation of animal welfare measures is decisive influenced by the personality of the manager und the business itself. The potential is considerable to improve animal welfare in horse keeping, because many managers are set positive against more animal welfare through implementation of animal welfare measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental principle of commercial companies is to make profit. The basis of this profit is successful entrepreneurial mindset and behavior. Although equine businesses in Germany act in an attractive market environment, many of them generate losses and are seriously threatened by existential risks. Management plays an important role for the companies' success. Based on an online-survey with 333 horse farm managers, this paper analyses the management behavior in equine businesses. In this context it is analyzed, how horse business managers define management and which tasks are classified as important management responsibilities. Furthermore, it is determined, which goals are pursued, which management tools are applied and which of these management tools influence the economic success of horse farms. The study provides interesting insights into the entrepreneurial behavior of horse farmers and allows the farm managers to critically review their current management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the issue of animal welfare in intensive livestock production systems has been subjected to increasing criticism from the broad public. Some groups in society ask for higher animal welfare standards and there is an increas- ing number of consumers who prefer meat from more animal friendly husbandry systems. An intense social debate on animal welfare has flared up in the recent past. Veterinarians are considered as experts for the assessment of animal welfare. Nevertheless they are rarely consulted in the current debate. Therefore, only little is known about their attitude towards animal welfare in livestock farming. Even for Germany, there is so far no comprehensive analysis about their atti- tudes towards animal welfare and animal welfare programs. In the present study, 433 veterinarians were questioned via an online survey. The results show that veterinarians have a very differentiated perception of the issue animal welfare. Four groups (clusters) which have different attitudes towards livestock farming, voluntary animal welfare programs, farm size and the effects of national animal welfare standards were identified.

Penicillin is currently the drug of choice for therapy of syphilis. Clemizole and procaine penicillin are no longer available. For this reason only benzathine penicillin and infusion therapy with benzyl penicillin are possible. Treatment with doxycyline or ceftriaxone is also conceivable. Suitable serological methods are necessary to control the safety of the therapy.

Wax moulages are valuable witnesses of the beginning of dermatology as an independent speciality. In addition, they document changes in the allocation of clinical pictures to certain conditions. This has been due to the knowledge about new etiologies of dermatologic disorders, which have been steadily increasing since the beginning of the 20th Century. Furthermore changes in the frequency of certain diseases can be recognized to some extent. The still existing moulages of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of Rostock offer some interesting examples.

The decline of STD in the region of Rostock, Germany, since 1945 is explained by a decreasing incidence of gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. On the other hand chlamydial and candidal infections have increased. The rate of chlamydia infections was about 45% in our venerological patients, as common as gonorrhea used to be. Genital candidal infections were to be found in 23%. Mycoplasmas were identified in 15%, usually combined with other pathogens except in some cases of vaginitis.

Occurrence of hypoglycaemia is directly connected to fuel balance. Compared to free fatty acids, glucose is rapidly exhausted. Therefore, besides disturbances in available glucose (i.e. defects in gluconeogenesis or glycogenolysis) as well as their hormonal control, defects of beta-oxidation might be possible causes. According to recent investigations they occurred with similar frequency. A blood glucose level of 2.6 mmol/l (= 47 mg%) already represents a critical concentration of brain function. Based on pathophysiological concepts concentrations of glucose, free fatty acids, ketone bodies and insulin must be determined from a single plasma sample. Together with case history and clinical symptom findings, these parameters are useful to get a reliable tentative diagnosis. Therefore, descriptions like "ketotic" or "idiopathic" hypoglycaemia can be avoided and suitable treatment can be started. Suspected diagnosis must be confirmed by means of chromatographic, enzymatic, and if necessary histological investigations. Successful treatment depends mainly on early diagnosis. This is of importance in case of surgery in organic hyperinsulinism, but likewise for advisory help to families with infants suffering from beta-oxidation defects, to avoid prolonged fasting.

Endogenous digoxin-like immunoreactive substances (DLIS) show crossreactions with different immunoassays used for digoxin drug monitoring. In 61 blood samples of 47 eutrophic healthy newborns with jaundice, digoxin serum concentrations were measured during examination of serum bilirubin using a digoxin polarisation immunoassay. Although there was no digoxin therapy in any case, we found positive serum digoxin immunoreactivity (> or = 0.2 ng/ml) in 86% of serum samples. The mean DLIS-concentration was 0.43 +/- 0.19 ng/ml with a maximum of 0.9 ng/ml. We found a significant indirect correlation (rs = -0.34; p = 0.05) between age and serum DLIS concentration. A case report demonstrates the possibility of DLIS interference on digoxin drug monitoring.

In eight andrological centres more than 2,000 childless married men were examined catamnestically. Fertility was compared with the findings of the routine spermatograms. Conception rate is reduced significantly if sperm density is below 10 million, in motility of spermatozoa under 50% and in ejaculates with less than 60% normal-shaped spermatozoa. However, lower values of spermatozoa must not be compared with absolute infertility.

Irritant dermatosis is a non-specific reactive change on the skin. In most cases it represents the summated effects induced by various agents. Not only the shortened recovery phases of the skin but also a dispositional factor are important. Such changes, which are relatively common in some vocations but are usually only slight, cannot, as a rule, be regarded as signs of illness. Nevertheless, attention should be drawn to the necessity of intensive skin care and observation of the recovery phases because the frequency of irritant dermatosis can increase with increasing length of employment.

Treponemal antibodies in CSF are often to be found by FTA-ABS and TPHA, also in cases without syphilis cerebrospinalis. The checking of the CSF barrier allows--together with the TPHA-index--the diagnostic of the syphilis cerebrospinalis. Antibodies against treponema pallidum have been proved in 15 patients at different stages of syphilis until 30 years after treatment, but the titres were low. Only in one case we have found an active syphilis cerebrospinalis by the help of the TPHA- and IgG-index.

A catalogue concerning adequate concentrations of pesticides for use in patch testing is presented. These recommendations are based on author's experiences also utilizing case reports both of the GDR and of the international literature. In particular case reports are mentioned on contact dermatitis due to Metham-sodium, Dazomet, Zineb and Maneb, Benomyl, Captan, Propachlor, Phenmedipham, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, Dichlorvos, Parathionmethyl, Trichlorfon. The recommended patch test concentrations should be made a subject for discussion and further investigations.