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Facial expressions are essential in animal communication, and facial expression-based pain scales have been developed for different species. Automated pain recognition offers a valid alternative to manual annotation with growing evidence across species. This study applied machine learning (ML) methods, using a pre-trained VGG-16 base and a Support Vector Machine classifier to automate pain recognition in caprine patients in hospital settings, evaluating different frame extraction rates and validation techniques. The study included goats of different breed, age, sex, and varying medical conditions presented to the University of Florida's Large Animal Hospital. Painful status was determined using the UNESP-Botucatu Goat Acute Pain Scale. The final dataset comprised images from 40 goats (20 painful, 20 non-painful), with 2,253 'non-painful' and 3,154 'painful' images at 1 frame per second (FPS) extraction rate and 7,630 'non-painful' and 9,071 'painful' images at 3 FPS. Images were used to train deep learning-based models with different approaches. The model input was raw images, and pain presence was the target attribute (model output). For the single train-test split and 5-fold cross-validation, the models achieved approximately 80% accuracy, while the subject-wise 10-fold cross-validation showed mean accuracies above 60%. These findings suggest ML's potential in goat pain assessment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Goat ovarian follicles produce estrone and estradiol from androgens. The synthesis of C18 estrogens from C19 androgens requires cytochrome P450 aromatase, but little information about this key enzyme is available in the goat. We report here for the first time the cDNA sequence of the goat ovarian aromatase, the activity of the enzyme in a cell system, and its expression in the term goat placenta. A cDNA library from goat ovarian poly(A)+ RNA was constructed. Human aromatase cDNA was selected as probe to screen the library; several clones were isolated, but none was complete. The longest clone was 3.1 kb long, but it lacked the sequence coding for a few amino acids in the NH(2)-terminal. To obtain the missing sequence, we performed reverse amplification of the cDNA end (RACE). Sequence analysis indicated that goat aromatase possessed a very long 3'-untranslated region ( approximately 1790 bp), and a polyadenylation signal (AATAAA) located at position 3320 downstream from the ATG start codon. The coding region of goat cDNA was inserted in an expression vector and transfected into HEK-293 cells that were cultured in presence of [14C]-androstenedione, steroids extracted and further separated by TLC. The transfected cells efficiently transformed [14C]-androstenedione into estrone. This activity was inhibited by 4-hydroxyandrostenedione. We also investigated the presence of mRNA for P450 aromatase in the goat placenta, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and primers derived from the cDNA ovarian sequence and confirmed the expression of the mRNA in term placenta.

To define the morbidity and mortality rates in goats undergoing general anesthesia at a large animal teaching hospital. Retrospective, single-cohort, observational study. Records of 193 client-owned goats. Data were collected from 218 medical records on 193 goats undergoing general anesthesia between January 2017 and December 2021. Demographic data, anesthetic management, recovery period and perianesthetic complications were recorded. Perianesthetic death was defined as anesthesia-related or anesthesia-contributory death occurring within 72 hours after recovery. Records of goats that were euthanized were reviewed to ascertain the cause of euthanasia. Each explanatory variable was individually investigated by univariable penalized maximum likelihood logistic regression, followed by multivariable analysis. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Perianesthetic mortality was 7.3%, but was 3.4% when considering only goats undergoing elective procedures. Multivariable analysis showed that gastrointestinal surgeries [odds ratio (OR) 19.17, standard error (SE) 12.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.08–72.33; p < 0.01] and requirement for perianesthetic norepinephrine infusion (OR 10.85, SE 8.82, 95% CI 2.21–53.33; p < 0.01) were associated with increased mortality. Maintaining other variables equal, the use of perianesthetic ketamine infusion was associated with decreased mortality (OR 0.09, SE 0.09, 95% CI 0.01–0.73; p = 0.02). Anesthesia-related or anesthesia-contributory complications included hypothermia (52.4%), bradycardia (38.1%), hypotension (35.3%), hypoxemia (14.8%), regurgitation/aspiration (7.3%), azotemia/acute renal failure (4.6%), myopathies/neuropathies (4.1%) and fever of unknown origin (2.7%). In this population, gastrointestinal surgeries and the requirement for perianesthetic norepinephrine infusion were associated with increased mortality in goats undergoing general anesthesia, while ketamine infusion may have a protective effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]