Feline Forensics: Revealing the Unique Decomposition of Cats.

Limited data about the differences between the decomposition of animals with fur exist within the forensic veterinary medicine discipline. Due to the sheer number of animals used as animal models and the number of animals that exist, determining stages of decomposition that are applicable for all species is difficult. Typically, assessing what stage of decomposition a decedent is in is subjective due to the visual assessment of decomposition changes.

Initial blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) colonization of cats (Felis catus) in Indiana.

Many disciplines are utilized within the field of veterinary forensic sciences, including forensic entomology. Understanding the initial colonization period by flies of forensic importance can contribute to estimating the minimum postmortem interval. There is limited data regarding the time of colonization of animals with fur, and the interpretation of this data is difficult due to the variation in animal models used.

Immunoassay testing for barbiturates using alternative matrices in postmortem tissues from cats and dogs.

The barbiturate drug pentobarbital is commonly used by veterinarians for the euthanasia of domestic animals. During the veterinary forensic autopsy, it is sometimes necessary to determine whether the animal was chemically euthanized with pentobarbital. The use of a human immunochromatographic test for barbiturate screening utilizing dog or cat urine has been previously validated; however, the use of alternative matrices for this purpose is yet to be explored when urine is not available.

Postmortem Analysis of Vitreous Urea Nitrogen, Creatinine, and Magnesium of Renal and Post-Renal Disease in Cats.

Analysis of vitreous urea nitrogen (VUN) and creatinine (CREA) has been shown to be a useful indicator of azotemia in human postmortem examinations. Previous studies in cats, dogs, horses, and cattle have shown a good correlation between serum and postmortem ocular fluid for urea and creatinine. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in VUN, CREA, and magnesium (MG) concentrations in vitreous humor collected postmortem from cats that presented with renal or post-renal disease and cats without renal or post-renal disease.

Climate, race, and the cost of capital in the municipal bond market.

Both climate risk and race are factors that may affect municipal bond yields, yet each has received relatively limited empirical research attention. We analyzed > 712,000 municipal bonds representing nearly 2 trillion USD in par outstanding, focusing on credit spread or the difference between a debt issuer's interest cost to borrow and a benchmark "risk-free" municipal rate. The relationship between credit spread and physical climate risk is significant and slightly positive, yet the coefficient indicates no meaningful spread penalty for increased physical climate risk.

A non-inferiority study comparing the ultrasound-guided parasacral with a novel greater ischiatic notch plane approach in canine cadavers.

Objective: To describe the gross and ultrasound anatomy of the parasacral region and an ultrasound-guided greater ischiatic notch (GIN) plane approach aimed at staining the lumbosacral trunk (LST) in canine cadavers. To evaluate if the ultrasound-guided GIN plane approach is non-inferior to the previously described ultrasound-guided parasacral approach at staining the LST.

Study Design: Prospective, randomized, non-inferiority experimental anatomic study.

Lumbosacral plexus block using a combination of ultrasound-guided lateral pre-iliac and parasacral approaches in cats.

Objective: To describe an ultrasound-guided lateral pre-iliac (LPI) and parasacral (PS) approach in feline cadavers (phase I) and compare the perioperative analgesic use and complications in cats administered LPI and PS blocks (group PNB) or epidural anesthesia (group EPI) for pelvic limb surgery (phase II).

Study Design: Experimental uncontrolled, anatomic and retrospective cohort study.

Animals: A group of eight feline cadavers and 52 medical records.

Erector spinae plane block at the thoracolumbar spine: a canine cadaveric study.

Objective: To investigate the injectate spread and nerve staining of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane (ESP) injections at the thoracolumbar spine in canine cadavers.

Study Design: Prospective, randomized, descriptive, anatomic study.

Animals: A total of 15 canine cadavers.

Corticomotor plasticity as a predictor of response to high frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for major depressive disorder.

Background: Many patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) respond to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. This study aimed to investigate whether modulation of corticomotor excitability by rTMS predicts response to rTMS treatment for TRD in 10 Hz and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocols.

Methods: Thirteen TRD patients underwent two evaluations of corticomotor plasticity-assessed as the post-rTMS (10 Hz, iTBS) percent change (%∆) in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude elicited by single-pulse TMS.

Evaluation of a human urine barbiturate test to screen for pentobarbital euthanasia of dogs and cats.

Pentobarbital is used commonly to euthanize animals. Occasionally during a death investigation, it is necessary to determine whether a cat or dog was euthanized via pentobarbital overdose. Screening for the detection of barbiturates including pentobarbital can be performed using commercial immunochromatographic tests.

Day-to-day variability in motor threshold during rTMS treatment for depression: Clinical implications.

Background: When repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used to treat medication refractory depression, the treatment pulse intensity is individualized according to motor threshold (MT). This measure is often acquired only on the first day of treatment, as per the protocol currently approved by Food and Drug Administration.

Objective: Here, we aimed to assess daily MT variability across an rTMS treatment course and simulate the effects of different schedules of MT assessment on treatment intensity.

Seizure risk with repetitive TMS: Survey results from over a half-million treatment sessions.

Background: Seizures are rare during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment, but estimating risk is difficult because of study heterogeneity and sampling limitations. Moreover, there are few studies comparing rates between device manufacturers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to calculate rTMS seizure rates across various FDA-cleared devices in naturalistic clinical settings.

Feasibility of using tissue autolysis to estimate the postmortem interval in horses.

Estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is a poorly studied field in veterinary pathology. The development of field-applicable methods is needed given that animal cruelty investigations are increasing continually. We evaluated various histologic criteria in equine brain, liver, and muscle tissue to aid the estimation of PMI in horses, which is central to forensic investigations of suspicious death.

Sylvatic Canine Morbillivirus in Captive Highlights Viral Promiscuity and the Need for Better Prevention Strategies.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a multi-host morbillivirus that infects virtually all and a few non-human primates. Here we describe a CDV outbreak in an exotic felid rescue center that led to the death of eight felids in the genus . Similar to domestic dogs and in contrast to previously described CDV cases in , severe pneumonia was the primary lesion and no viral antigens or CDV-like lesions were detected in the central nervous system.

Postmortem Vitreous Humor Analysis in Dogs, Cats and Horses.

Postmortem chemistry can be a useful ancillary technique that the forensic pathologist can use during a death investigation. In stark contrast, there is limited information available for use of postmortem vitreous humor analysis in animals. In order to use postmortem vitreous humor in veterinary forensic investigations, validation of a method to analyze vitreous humor is required.

Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Patients With Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Patients with cancer commonly report distress and fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) impacting quality of life and clinical outcomes. This study aims to test the association between emotional well-being and clinical characteristics of survivors with localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Materials And Methods: Survivors with localized RCC were invited to participate in this study through social media by the Kidney Cancer Research Alliance.

Microscopic examination of dog chews: correlation of histological findings to product labeling.

The purpose of this study was to use routine morphologic-based staining techniques to examine the histology of commercially labeled rawhide and rawhide-free dog chew products and compare the results to the product labeling. Ten dog chew products were examined by light microscopy using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stains. The products were labeled by the manufacturer as rawhide, beef hide, beef chew/rawhide free, and rawhide free.

MORTALITY INVESTIGATION OF MONITORED EASTERN BOX TURTLES () IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS, USA, FROM 2016-18.

Mortality events in eastern box turtles () threaten conservation efforts across the species range. These events are often under-diagnosed and, when observed, predictive health factors are unavailable prior to death. At Kickapoo State Park in central Illinois, USA, ranaviruses caused observed mortality events in amphibians and chelonians in 2014 and 2015.

Understanding the Efficiency of Splenic Hemangiosarcoma Diagnosis Using Monte Carlo Simulations.

Hemangiosarcoma is a common neoplasm of the spleen in older dogs. However, diagnosis is complicated by necrosis and hemorrhage, which can mimic a number of benign processes. Currently, there is no consensus about the number of sections pathologists should examine to rule out hemangiosarcoma.