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Journal of Dairy Science Jul 2014A better understanding of when and where group-housed calves are most likely to defecate or urinate might permit improved housing design or more efficient use of...
A better understanding of when and where group-housed calves are most likely to defecate or urinate might permit improved housing design or more efficient use of cleaning routines. However, this is the first study to address the urination and defecation habits of calves. The primary aims of this study were to report the daily frequency of calves' urination and defecation and determine when and where group-housed dairy calves defecate and urinate most frequently. We were also interested to see if incidence of urination and defecation changed with increasing age and the change in diet at weaning. We observed 36 female Holstein calves, housed in groups of 9, and fed milk, grain, and hay from automated feeders. For the purposes of another experiment, these calves were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental treatments relating to age at start of weaning and milk allowance: low milk allowance and early weaning (6 L/d, 42 d), high milk allowance and early weaning (12 L/d, 42 d), and high milk allowance and late weaning (12 L/d, 84 d) The occurrence of defecations and urinations was determined by continuous observation of video recordings taken over 72 h at 2 age periods (age, mean ± SD; period 1=32.0 ± 11.13 d and period 2=61 ± 11.29 d). Due to the treatments, weaned and unweaned calves were observed in each period (period 1: 34 unweaned and 2 weaned calves; period 2: 16 unweaned and 20 weaned calves). Large differences were found between calves in mean daily frequency of total urinations and defecations across a 3-d period (mean=17.56 ± 5.07/d, range=4.33 to 28.67). Differences between individual calves did not change significantly over time, provided calves remained unweaned. Two days of observation was sufficient to give a reliable estimate of daily urination and defecation frequency. Frequency of urination and defecations was higher in calves postweaning. Higher age and visits to the milk feeder were associated with a higher frequency of urinations and defecations preweaning. After weaning, frequency of eliminations increased with increasing visits to the water feeder. An effect of time of day was observed, with significantly more events during daylight hours (0600-1800 h) in comparison to night (1800-0600 h). Before weaning, calves urinated and defecated significantly more on slatted flooring and sawdust-bedded areas than within the feeder (daily mean ± SD=6.96 ± 3.15, 6.49 ± 3.90, and 4.10 ± 2.67 for slatted floor, bedded floor, and feeder areas, respectively). Frequency of eliminations in feeders and slatted, but not sawdust-bedded, areas was higher in calves postweaning. Calves urinate and defecate more frequently during daylight hours when they are more active. Slatted flooring around feeders is useful to reduce soiling of bedded areas, particularly as calves increase in age.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cattle; Defecation; Female; Housing, Animal; Milk; Urination; Weaning
PubMed: 24819136
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2013-7558 -
Techniques in Coloproctology Dec 2013
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Biological Evolution; Defecation; Food Chain; Hominidae; Humans
PubMed: 23740030
DOI: 10.1007/s10151-013-1037-4 -
Radiography (London, England : 1995) Aug 2022To provide an illustrative description of the technique and spectrum of findings in defecating proctography. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
To provide an illustrative description of the technique and spectrum of findings in defecating proctography.
KEY FINDINGS
Important findings on defecating proctography include rectocoele, enterocoele, sigmoidocoele, cystocoele, intussusception, rectal prolapse, descending perineum, incomplete emptying, anismus, and faecal incontinence. This review article illustrates these key findings with examples.
CONCLUSION
Defecating proctography is a well-established and cost-effective method of assessing disordered defecation. In conjunction with clinical information and other diagnostic tests, findings on defecating proctography can guide appropriate multidisciplinary management and may lead to improvement in embarrassing and debilitating symptoms in many patients.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
This review article provides a suggested technique and covers the spectrum of findings on defecating proctography.
Topics: Defecation; Defecography; Humans; Intussusception
PubMed: 35569315
DOI: 10.1016/j.radi.2022.04.012 -
American Journal of Primatology Feb 2022To define the chances of a dispersed seed to produce a new recruit, it is essential to consider all stages of the dispersal process. Howler monkeys are recognized to...
To define the chances of a dispersed seed to produce a new recruit, it is essential to consider all stages of the dispersal process. Howler monkeys are recognized to have positive impacts on forest regeneration, acting as primary dispersers. Furthermore, dung beetles attracted to their feces protect the seeds against predators, and provide a better microenvironment for germination due to the removal of fecal matter, to seed burial, and/or by reducing the spatial aggregation of seeds in fecal clumps. Despite the recognized positive effects of primary seed dispersal through defecation by howler monkeys for plant recruitment, there are some important aspects of their behavior, such as the habit of defecating in latrines, that remain to be explored. Here, we investigated the fate of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds defecated by brown howlers, Alouatta guariba clamitans, and the secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles, considering how this process is affected by the monkey's defecation patterns. We found that brown howler monkeys dispersed seeds from several species away from fruit-feeding trees, partly because defecation under the canopy of such trees was not very frequent. Instead, most defecations were associated with latrines under overnight sleeping trees. Despite a very similar dung beetle community attracted to howler feces in latrines and fruit-feeding sites, seeds were more likely to be buried when deposited in latrines. In addition, C. xanthocarpa seeds showed higher germination and establishment success in latrines, but this positive effect was not due to the presence of fecal matter surrounding seeds. Our results highlight that A. guariba clamitans acts as a legitimate seed disperser of C. xanthocarpa seeds in a preserved context of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that defecations in latrines increase the dispersal effectiveness.
Topics: Alouatta; Animals; Defecation; Feeding Behavior; Seed Dispersal; Seeds; Trees
PubMed: 34878682
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23354 -
PloS One 2020People often form perceptions about how prevalent a behavior is in a social group. However, these perceptions can be inaccurate and biased. While persistent undesirable...
People often form perceptions about how prevalent a behavior is in a social group. However, these perceptions can be inaccurate and biased. While persistent undesirable practices in low-income countries have drawn global attention, evidence regarding people's perception of how prevalent these practices are is scarce. Among those harmful practices, open defecation in India remains a significant public health concern, where it perpetuates the vicious cycle of disease and poverty. In this study, we focus on measuring the perceived prevalence of open defecation among respondents in Bihar, India. We examined the bias in perceived prevalence, which is defined as a pattern of deviation from the actual prevalence of open defecation. Results showed that respondents who defecate in the open overestimate the prevalence of open defecation, whereas those who consistently use toilets underestimate it. This finding suggests a false consensus bias in the perceived prevalence of open defecation. Scholars, policymakers, and program implementers who seek to correct misperceptions about open defecation by broadcasting real prevalence should be aware of biases in the perceived prevalence and address them in behavior change interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Attention; Defecation; Female; Humans; India; Male; Middle Aged; Public Health; Sanitation; Social Behavior; Social Class; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 32915831
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238627 -
Medical and Veterinary Entomology Sep 2018Pyrethroid resistance has been detected in Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) specimens from different areas of Argentina and Bolivia. Genes conferring...
Pyrethroid resistance has been detected in Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) specimens from different areas of Argentina and Bolivia. Genes conferring resistance can have a pleiotropic effect with epidemiological and evolutionary consequences. This research studied excretion/defecation patterns in deltamethrin-resistant T. infestans in order to elucidate its biological performance, adaptive consequences and role in the transmission of Chagas' disease. One deltamethrin-susceptible strain and two deltamethrin-resistant strains were used. Fifth-instar nymphs were fed ad libitum and their defecations recorded during and after the first or second feeding in the stadium. Resistant insects began to defecate later, defecated less, showed a lower proportion of defecating individuals and lower defecation indices compared with susceptible insects during the first hour after feeding. The number of bloodmeals in the stadium did not affect the main variables determining the pattern of defecation. The present study suggests that alterations in the excretion/defecation pattern in resistant insects entail an adaptive cost and, considering only this pattern, determine a lower capacity for transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) compared with susceptible insects.
Topics: Animals; Defecation; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Nitriles; Nymph; Pyrethrins; Triatoma
PubMed: 29430671
DOI: 10.1111/mve.12298 -
Archives Internationales de... Sep 1991Defaecation is a complex function that requires interactions between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Moreover, social living standards lead to self-control of... (Review)
Review
Defaecation is a complex function that requires interactions between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Moreover, social living standards lead to self-control of continence involving supraspinal nervous structures. After a brief description of the anatomy of the hind gut, the various reflex mechanisms underlying faecal continence and defaecation are exposed; the specificities of the nervous control of the smooth and striated muscles brought into play in these events are detailed. Then the main useful investigations allowing to localize the nervous structures at the origin of the anorectal disorders are reviewed.
Topics: Anal Canal; Animals; Defecation; Fecal Incontinence; Humans; Rectum
PubMed: 1720692
DOI: 10.3109/13813459109145917 -
Ghana Medical Journal Dec 2021This study examined whether the open-defecation (OD) free target is achievable by 2030.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether the open-defecation (OD) free target is achievable by 2030.
DESIGN
Longitudinal study.
SETTING
Seven sub-Districts of Kintampo North Municipal, and five sub-Districts of Kintampo South District.
DATA SOURCE
Kintampo health and demographic surveillance system.
PARTICIPANTS
Data was collected from household heads or their representatives over a 12-year period from 2005 to 2016.
MAIN OUTCOME
Open-defecation and attainment of OD free by 2030.
RESULTS
In an exploratory analysis, the correlation between the total number of households, year, and total number of OD households was obtained. The average percentage yearly increase or decrease in OD was computed and used to project the percentage of OD for the years 2020, 2025 and 2030. In addition, geo-spatial technology was used to visualize variability in OD across the twelve sub-Districts. The results showed that the OD free target is not achievable in 2030 or even if the current trend continues. In 2016, 44.2 per cent of the 31,571 households defecated openly. In six out of the 12 sub-Districts, more than half of the households openly defecated. Four out of these six sub-Districts were in the Kintampo North Municipality.
CONCLUSION
The 2030 OD free target is not achievable in the Kintampo districts of Ghana if the current trend continues.
FUNDING
Kintampo Health Research Centre funded this work.
Topics: Defecation; Family Characteristics; Ghana; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Sustainable Development
PubMed: 35957929
DOI: 10.4314/gmj.v55i4.7 -
PloS One 2022Autonomic dysfunction is a factor in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, there are no reports of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during natural defecation...
BACKGROUND
Autonomic dysfunction is a factor in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, there are no reports of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during natural defecation in patients with IBS. We aimed to clarify the relationship between ANS activity and life events, such as defecation and abdominal symptoms, using real-time recording.
METHODS
Six patients with IBS and 14 healthy controls were enrolled in this prospective multicenter study. ANS activity was recorded for 24 h using a T-shirt wearable device, and life events were recorded simultaneously in real time using a smartphone application software. Low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) and HF calculated by power spectrum analysis were defined as activity indicators of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, respectively.
RESULTS
The means of LF/HF and HF in the period with positive symptoms were comparable between the groups; however, the sum of LF/HF, sum of ΔLF/HF, and the maximum variation in ΔLF/HF were significantly higher in the IBS group. In the IBS group, the sum of ΔLF/HF and LF/HF increased significantly from 2 min before defecation, and the sum of LF/HF remained significantly higher until 9 min after defecation. The sum of ΔLF/HF at 2 min before defecation was significantly positively correlated with the intensity of abdominal pain and diarrhea and constipation scores. In contrast, it was significantly negatively correlated with defecation satisfaction and health-related quality of life.
CONCLUSIONS
In patients with IBS, sympathetic nerve activity was activated 2 min before defecation, which was correlated with abdominal symptoms and lower QOL.
Topics: Humans; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Quality of Life; Prospective Studies; Constipation; Wearable Electronic Devices; Defecation
PubMed: 36490298
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278922 -
Parasitology Research Sep 2020Triatoma platensis is occasionally found coexisting with Triatoma infestans in chicken coops in Argentina. Some authors have reported the presence of hybrid specimens of...
Triatoma platensis is occasionally found coexisting with Triatoma infestans in chicken coops in Argentina. Some authors have reported the presence of hybrid specimens of both species in chicken coops and other peridomestic habitats. Given the coexistence of T. infestans with T. platensis and the possibility of generating fertile hybrids, it is important to evaluate the vectorial competence of these hybrids. The objective of this study was to record the dynamics of feeding-defecation behavior in fifth-stage nymphs and adults of hybrids between both species and to compare it with T. platensis and T. infestans. Three experimental groups were formed separated by stage and sex: Hybrid group, T. infestans group, and T. platensis group. During feeding, the following variables were recorded for each group: (i) blood meal size, (ii) feeding time, (iii) number of defecations during feeding, and (iv) number of defecations at 10 and 30 min after feeding. The results indicate that adults and fifth-instar nymphs of hybrids have a feeding and defecation behavior similar to T. infestans: they achieve feeding in a short time and first defecation occurs during or just after feeding. Nevertheless, hybrid's ingestion of blood occurs at higher velocity and they require higher blood intake to provoke early defecations. Considering the blood ingestion velocity, the amount of blood ingested, and the short time required for the production of the first defecation, the results of this study suggest that hybrid can be a competent Trypanosoma cruzi vector.
Topics: Animals; Argentina; Chagas Disease; Chickens; Defecation; Ecosystem; Feces; Feeding Behavior; Female; Insect Vectors; Male; Nymph; Triatoma; Trypanosoma cruzi
PubMed: 32737590
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06822-0