Conventional open thyroidectomy is often associated with post-operative complications including nerve damage, voice disturbances, paraesthesias, adhesions and prominent scarring. Several endoscopic surgical techniques have been reported as alternatives to conventional thyroidectomy. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery is a promising approach which leaves no scar, produces few complications and affords faster discharge from care. Several studies have explored its utility in total thyroidectomy in patients with benign or malignant thyroid disease. Herein, we present a case series on the successful application of transoral endoscopic total thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) in benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid. We performed TOETVA in 11 patients presenting with benign or malignant thyroid nodules in our hospital, between 1st January 2015 and 30th June 2016. The surgery was completed successfully in all patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of multinodular goitre. The surgery was performed under general anaesthesia and the mean operative time was 130 min. The mean blood loss was 2–3 cc. No incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, damage to mental nerve, parathyroid damage or peri-incisional adhesion occurred in the study participants. No visible scarring occurred in the patients following surgery. The patients had an uneventful recovery after the surgery and were discharged after 4 days. TOETVA is safe and effective in the surgical management of multinodular goitre and offers a scar-free alternative to conventional surgery.

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Aim: To assess the reproductive performance and managemental advantages of Artificial Insemination of swine. Materials and Methods:Large White Yorkshire sows were grouped into two batches (10 each) for AI and natural mating. AI 9 group was given two inseminations with semen extended with Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS,3 x 10 spermatozoa per dose), at standing heat. Similarly, for natural mating group, triple mating was followed. The reproductive performance was studied after maintaining the sows under optimal managemental conditions. Results:The results indicated that AI and natural mating practices showed 100% conception rate. The litter size of AI group was 8.36±0.28 and that of the natural mating group was 10.6±0.64, that varied with high significance. The still birth rate was 0.7±0.26, which was significantly higher in natural mating group. The pre-weaning mortality was 4.34% and 7.5% for AI group and natural mating group respectively. The time consumed during mating per sow also varied highly significantly which was 11.46±0.47 minutes and 51.2±2.08 minutes for the AI group and natural mating group respectively. Conclusion:It was found that AI was found to be time and labor saving. The reduced litter size in AI group could be improved by ensuring that inseminations occur at an optimum time resulting in a high farrowing rate and litter size. AI can be successfully introduced in field conditions with some fine tuning.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown have created unprecedented emergency and sudden distress on all sectors in India including the livestock sector. Among livestock sectors, dairy farming is more sensitive due to the handling of an essential and perishable commodity of milk.Methods: Under this pandemic situation, the aim of the study to know the constraints confronted and management practices followed by dairy farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The study was conducted in July 2020 in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. Thirty dairy farmers were selected randomly and data were collected by a personal interview method through a well-structured interview schedule. Socio-economic data were analyzed by statistical methods viz. percentage, mean and standard deviation. Constraints of dairy farming were analyzed and ranked by Mean Weighed Score method and percentage analysis was used for analyzing and ranking management practices.Result: Socio-economic characterstics revealed that more than 86.66 per cent of dairy farmers were belonged low to medium groups and utilized different mass media tools for retrieving information. The constraints analysis revealed that high cost of concentrate feed foremost constraint with Mean Weighed Score of 50.00 were ranked first. Dairy farmers expressed difficultly in the procurement of concentrate, shortage of wheat bran supply and elevated wheat bran cost (MWS 44.44) second important constraints. Dairy farmer’s made alterations in the concentrate feed composition, consulted veterinary doctors over the phone and direct selling of milk as management practices to manage the pandemic situation.