In the past decade, many advances have been made in our understanding of the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis and its complications and several large clinical trials have been carried out which, it was hoped, would lead to specific treatments for this condition. During this period, there has been a steady rise in the incidence of acute pancreatitis and overall mortality has remained unchanged at around 8% [1].

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for and the impact of ultrasound‐diagnosed endometritis (UDE) on lactating dairy cows’ reproductive performance. Methods: Data were analysed from 1123 Holstein and Holstein‐Friesian cows from two Scottish dairy farms. A reproductive ultrasound examination was conducted on two occasions, at 43 ± 3 and 50 ± 3 days in milk (DIM), to screen for hyperechoic fluid in the uterus. Statistical analyses were performed using multivariable logistic regression modelling and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: The overall incidence of UDE was 8.8% (99/1123). Risk factors for UDE included calving during autumn/winter seasons, increased parity and the presence of two or more diseases in the first 50 ± 3 days postpartum. The presence of UDE was associated with a reduced odds of pregnancy after all artificial inseminations up to 150 DIM. Limitations: The retrospective design of this study led to some inherent limitations with the quality and quantity of data collected. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate which risk factors should be monitored in postpartum dairy cows to limit the impact of UDE on future reproductive performance.

This research paper describes a validation study evaluating the ability of IceTag accelerometers (Peacock Technology, UK) to detect play behaviour in weaned dairy calves. Play behaviour is commonly observed in young animals and is regarded as an indicator of positive welfare states. Eight Holstein Friesian calves aged three to five months old were monitored using leg-mounted accelerometers for 48 h. Data generated by accelerometers to quantify calf activity included step count, lying times and a proprietary measure of overall activity termed ‘motion index’ (MI). Calf behaviour was filmed continuously over the same 48-h period using closed circuit television cameras and analysed using one-zero sampling to identify the presence (1) or absence (0) of play within each 15-min time period. A positive correlation between MI and visually recorded play was found. Visual observations were compared with accelerometer-generated data and analysed using 2 × 2 contingency tables and classification and regression tree analysis. A MI value of ≥69 was established as the optimum threshold to detect play behaviour (sensitivity = 94.4%; specificity = 93.6%; balanced accuracy = 94.0%). The results of this study suggest that accelerometer-generated MI data have the potential to detect play behaviour in weaned dairy calves in a more time efficient manner than traditional visual observations.

Aim: Pancreatic surgery has evolved significantly in terms of indications and peri-operative management to improve long term outcomes for patients. The aim of this study is to assess the change in indication and long-term outcome for patients undergoing pancreatectomy for malignancy. Method: Patients who underwent pancreatectomy at the West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary between 2000 – 2020 for malignancy were included. Clinicopathological variables, survival and recurrence data were collected from patient notes and electronic patient records. Results: 594 patients were identified. The majority were for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) n = 325 (54.7%). There was a significant increase in overall survival for all indications (28.6 months vs 41.8 months, P = 0.001), completion of adjuvant therapy and the use of neoadjuvant therapy (P<0.001) over the first and second decades in the study period. After adopting a neoadjuvant strategy for PDAC in the unit from 2013, the overall median survival increased from 24.6 months to 34.5 months (P<0.001). The overall survival for PDACs was higher for those receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to upfront resection (41.9 months vs 38.9 months, P = 0.151). For patients with PDAC who received upfront surgery, median survival increased from 24.2 to 40.3 months (P = 0.004) once a neoadjuvant strategy was adopted. Conclusions: There has been significant changes to the indications and long-term outcomes for patients undergoing pancreatectomy. A neoadjuvant strategy improved survival even in those patients who received upfront surgery.