The aim of the study was to investigate whether the presence of digital dermatitis (DD) and sole ulcer (SU) in dairy cows was associated with changes in behaviour and milk production. Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein cows (mostly in the first to second lactation) were housed in a cubicle system with automatically scraped passageways. After maintenance claw trimming of all the cows in the herd, 10 cows with DD and 10 cows with SU were selected. For each DD-or SU-affected cow, a healthy control cow, matched according to breed, age, parity and lactation stage, was selected. The behaviour of each of the 20 focal cows was observed for 1 h during 2 to 3 weeks after claw trimming (WACT; period 1) and for 1 h during 5 to 6 WACT (period 2). Milk production parameters: energy-corrected milk (ECM), fat and protein percentages and somatic cell counts (SCCs) were recorded once monthly. Lameness was scored once at the start of the study and cows with SU and DD showed more score 2 lameness (42% v. 31%) than the healthy cows (12%). Most differences in behaviour were found during 2 to 3 WACT when DD-and SU-affected cows were lying less ( P 5 0.001 and P 5 0.012, respectively) than healthy cows. Ruminating while standing was performed more in DD-affected cows ( P , 0.001) and tended to be performed more in SU-affected cows ( P 5 0.079) than their controls. Vigilance was performed more in DD-and SU-affected cows than in healthy cows ( P , 0.001 and P 5 0.047). Cows with DD produced approximately 5.5 kg less ECM per day both at 2 to 3 WACT ( P 5 0.022) and at 5 to 6 WACT ( P 5 0.017) than healthy cows, whereas SU-affected cows tended to produce less ECM at 5 to 6 WACT ( P 5 0.059). No differences in milk fat and protein or SCC were found. It may be concluded that DD-affected cows showed a stronger behavioural response to the claw disease than the SU-affected cows. This shows the importance of regular claw checking and claw trimming of the cows in order to avoid the negative effects on behaviour and milk production.

Behavior and performance changes when tied dairy cows were moved to a loose housing system in a cubicle system were investigated. Behavioral observations were made for 3 consecutive days in 3 periods after transition. The cows (n = 105) were observed on 18 sampling occasions for 1 month. Recordings were made of body positions and general and social behaviors. Monthly milk records were collected 1 year before and 1 year after transition. Cows walked more during the 1st observation period than during the other periods (p < .05). Walking activity also differed between days when nested to period (p < .05). During the 1st period, cows ruminated while standing more than during the 3rd period (p < .05). Cows ate and groomed less and vocalized more during the 1st period (p < .05). It was concluded that after transition from a tied to a cubicle system, several behaviors were affected during the 1st days, and milk production of multiparous cows was negatively affected, although this effect was not long-term.

Background Transition of dairy cows from a tied to a loose housing system may affect their behaviour, health and production. Such housing system changes have become more frequent in Estonia but knowledge is lacking on how cows adapt to a new system. The aim of this study was to evaluate how cows’ behaviour, milk production and composition, and different aspects of their health changed after transition from tied to loose housing. Results A herd of 400 dairy cows was moved to a new system on the same farm, so that effects of transport were not confounding factors. Behavioural observations were made for approximately 4 months following transition. Milk production data were recorded from 12 months before to 12 months after transition. Examination for skin alterations and cleanliness, as well as body condition scoring were carried out before transition, and thereafter monthly throughout the study. Significant effects on behaviour were observed just after the transition, with increases in the behaviour indicative of poor welfare, such as vocalisation and aggression, and decreases in those indicative of a good state of welfare, such as ruminating, resting and grooming. These effects were of short duration, with most returning to a steady state after the first week. Milk production declined already before the transition but fell significantly after transition, and this fall lasted longer in older cows. Likewise, somatic cell counts were higher in all cows following transition, but older cows were affected significantly more than cows in the first lactation. The frequency of lameness and skin alterations increased on average after transition. Body condition scores fell after transition but recovered by the second month. Therefore, there were adverse effects on the behaviour, health and production of the dairy cows transferred, although, apart from older cows, of short duration. Conclusion The transition from tied to loose housing first had negative impacts on the welfare of the cows, although by the tenth day the behavioural indicators had returned to normal values. Impacts were more severe in higher parity cows, indicating that the change was more of a challenge for older cows. The findings of this study suggest that animals’ behaviour and health should be more carefully observed within about 2 weeks after transition. It is quite likely that more and more farmers in Estonia and elsewhere will recognize the benefits of keeping their dairy cattle in loose housing, aimed at improving animal welfare and the value of the production chain.

Грибковые инфекции кожи и ногтей стали одними из наиболее массовых заболеваний человека и вышли на лидирующие позиции в структуре дерматологической патологии и амбулаторного приема [1,2].По данным разных авторов [3][4][5], частота встречаемости грибковых инфекций ногтей у взрослых колеблется от 7 до 30%.Заболеваемость определяется различными факторами: экологическими, социальными, а также индивидуальными свойствами организма: полом, возрастом и наличием сопутствующих заболеваний [6]. Известно, что заболеваемость онихомикозами зависит от возраста: они редко встречаются у детей и подростков, значительно чаще -у лиц зрелого возраста, достигая почти 50% в возрасте 70 лет и старше. Это связано с медленным ростом ногтевых пластин, часто встречающимся нарушением периферического кровообращения у пожилых людей [7,8].Среди общей группы микозов отдельное положение занимают пациенты, страдающие онихомикозами, так как грибковыми поражениями ногтей страдают около 2-13% населения [9]. При онихомикозах отсутствуют субъективные ощущения, чем 1 ФГБУН «Центр теоретических проблем физико-химической фармакологии РАН», Москва, Россия, 119991; 2 ГБУЗ г. Москвы «Московский научно-практический центр дерматовенерологии и косметологии Департамента здравоохранения Москвы», Москва, Россия, 119071; 3 Клиника «Веларт», Москва, Россия, 111673 В работе приведен обзор литературы по вопросу онихомикозов и их терапии, в частности, о встречаемости микозов у больных псориазом и связанными с этим сложностями лечения. Представлены результаты собственных наблюдений. Отмечен положительный эффект местных комбинированных антимикотиков при сочетании псориаза и онихомикоза.Ключевые слова: онихомикоз, псориаз, топический антимикотик.The paper provides an overview of the literature dealing with of onychomycosis and its treatment, in particular, the incidence of mycosis in patients with psoriasis and related complications of treatment. Here we report the results of our own observations. Positive effect of local antifungals was observed in patients with concomitant psoriasis and onychomycosis.

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