Observer reliability in counting erythrocyte ghost cells and impact of short-term storage of canine and feline blood samples.

The presence of erythrocyte ghost cells (EG) in blood smears indicates intravascular haemolysis or in-vitro haemolysis. However, observer reliability in detection of EG has not been documented. Immediate blood smear preparation is advised but may not always be practical.

Two +ssRNA mycoviruses cohabiting the fungal cultivar of leafcutter ants.

Leafcutter ants are dominant herbivores in the Neotropics and rely on a fungus (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus) to transform freshly gathered leaves into a source of nourishment rather than consuming the vegetation directly. Here we report two virus-like particles that were isolated from L. gongylophorus and observed using transmission electron microscopy.

Performance of an automated immunoturbidimetric assay for bovine serum amyloid A.

Background: Acute phase proteins are a group of vital constituents of the innate immune system, which may also serve as circulatory biomarkers of inflammation. The major acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) is a reliable and sensitive biomarker in cows, allowing for rapid detection of inflammatory disease. A multispecies automated immunoturbidimetric assay (VET-SAA, Eiken) has been validated for horses, dogs, and cats, and it has been used to measure SAA concentrations in bovine samples.

"I Feel Like I Have Lost Part Of My Identity" - A Qualitative Study Exploring The Impact Of Chronic Ankle Instability.

Introduction: Lateral ankle sprain is the most common ankle injury and up to 40% of those who sustain a lateral ankle sprain will develop chronic ankle instability (CAI). The aim of this study was to explore the thoughts and expectations of CAI-patients concerning their condition and expectations of care in an orthopedic setting. .

Comparative flooding tolerance of Typha latifolia and Phalaris arundinacea in wetland restoration: Insights from photosynthetic CO response curves, photobiology and biomass allocation.

Tall helophytes such as and often rapidly colonise after rewetting of former agricultural soil and are therefore often the first plants to contribute to the soil carbon pool. In this study we carried out a mesocosm experiment where these two species grew at three different water levels relative to the soil surface (-15 cm, 0 cm, +15 cm). After eight weeks' growth, measurements of photosynthetic CO-response curves, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem II were carried out to detect flooding stress.

Comparison of visual assessments of anisocytosis in canine blood smears and analyzer-calculated red blood cell distribution width.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and visual assessments of anisocytosis assess variability in erythrocyte size. Veterinary studies on the correlation between the two methods and on observer agreement are scarce. The objectives were to assess the correlation of the grading of anisocytosis by means of conventional microscopy of canine blood smears to RDW, and to assess intra- and inter-observer variation in assessing the degree of anisocytosis.

Dirofilaria repens in a dog imported to Denmark: A potential for emerging zoonotic disease.

Dirofilarosis is spreading among dogs and humans in Europe with infections being established in many countries. Here, we describe the first molecular biologically confirmed case of D. repens infection in an imported dog in Denmark and highlight the potential zoonotic aspects from this emerging zoonotic parasite in central and northern Europe as at least one to two generations of Dirofilaria spp.

What do we actually know about a common cause of plantar heel pain? A scoping review of heel fat pad syndrome.

Background: The heel fat pad is an important structure of the foot as it functions as a cushion to absorb shock and distribute plantar force during ambulation. Clinical practice guidelines or decision support platforms emphasize that heel fat pad syndrome (HFPS) is a distinct pathology contributing to plantar heel pain. We aimed to identify and synthesize the prevalence, etiology and diagnostic criteria, and conservative management of HFPS.

Distributed backscattering in production O-band Si nanophotonic waveguides.

Backscattering in integrated photonic waveguides can significantly impact the performance of optical systems. However, it has not been extensively studied in the literature and measurements on waveguides fabricated in production foundry processes are particularly lacking in view of their importance to technology. Here we experimentally measure and analyze distributed backscattering in various production O-band silicon photonic waveguides.

Recommendations for designing and conducting veterinary clinical pathology biologic variation studies.

The recent creation of a veterinary clinical pathology biologic variation website has highlighted the need to provide recommendations for future studies of biologic variation in animals in order to help standardize and improve the quality of published information and to facilitate review and selection of publications as standard references. The following recommendations are provided in the format and order commonly found in veterinary publications. A checklist is provided to aid in planning, implementing, and evaluating veterinary studies on biologic variation (Appendix S1).

Active and Passive Immunization Against Staphylococcus aureus Periprosthetic Osteomyelitis in Rats.

Background/aim: Staphylococcus aureus infection associated with orthopedic implants cannot always be controlled. We used a knee prosthesis model with implant-related osteomyelitis in rats to explore induction of an effective immune response with active and passive immunization.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into active (N=28) and passive immunization groups (N=24).

The effect of host age and inoculation dose on infection dynamics of Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

Background: Infections and clinical cases of Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs are found increasingly across Europe, thus rendering knowledge on its infection biology more important. We used red foxes as a carnivore model to examine the effect of host age and infection dose on the establishment of adult A. vasorum in single experimental infections.

Prevalence of feline haemoplasma in cats in Denmark.

Background: Infections with the three feline haemotropic mycoplasmas Mycoplasma haemofelis, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum and Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis cause feline infectious anemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of carriage of feline haemoplasma in Danish cats in different age groups. The presence was detected by a conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay on blood samples as well as by real-time PCR (RT-PCR).

Canine serum C-reactive protein as a quantitative marker of the inflammatory stimulus of aseptic elective soft tissue surgery.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an established serum marker for the presence of systemic inflammation in dogs. Results from previous experimental and clinical studies suggest that CRP concentrations also quantitatively reflect the degree and progress of an inflammatory process, suggesting its use for inflammation monitoring.

Objectives: The objective was to investigate whether the canine CRP response in serum correlates with the amount of trauma and the consequent inflammatory response after 3 standard aseptic soft-tissue surgical procedures in 3 groups of dogs.

A novel knee prosthesis model of implant-related osteomyelitis in rats.

Background And Purpose: There have been numerous reports of animal models of osteomyelitis. Very few of these have been prosthesis models that imitate human conditions. We have developed a new rat model of implant-related osteomyelitis that mimics human osteomyelitis, to investigate the pathology of infection after orthopedic implant surgery.

Anxiety in veterinary surgical students: a quantitative study.

The surgical educational environment is potentially stressful and this can negatively affect students' learning. The aim of this study was to investigate whether veterinary students' level of anxiety is higher in a surgical course than in a non-surgical course and if pre-surgical training in a Surgical Skills Lab (SSL) has an anxiety reducing effect. Investigations were carried out as a comparative study and a parallel group study.

Emotions in veterinary surgical students: a qualitative study.

A surgical educational environment is potentially stressful and can negatively affect students' learning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the emotions experienced by veterinary students in relation to their first encounter with live-animal surgery and to identify possible sources of positive and negative emotions, respectively. During a Basic Surgical Skills course, 155 veterinary fourth-year students completed a survey.

Blood plasma clinical-chemical parameters as biomarker endpoints for organohalogen contaminant exposure in Norwegian raptor nestlings.

Raptors are exposed to biomagnifying and toxic organohalogenated compounds (OHCs) such as organochlorines, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. To investigate how OHC exposure may affect biochemical pathways we collected blood plasma from Norwegian northern goshawk (n=56), golden eagle (n=12) and white-tailed eagle (n=36) nestlings during three consecutive breeding seasons. We found that blood plasma concentrations of calcium, sodium, creatinine, cholesterol, albumin, total protein, urea, inorganic phosphate, protein:creatinine, urea:creatinine and uric acid:creatinine ratios and liver enzymes ALKP and ALAT were positively correlated to PCBs, chlordanes, p,p'-DDE, HCB, PFCs and/or PBDEs.

Development of a flow cytometric assay for detection of coated platelets in dogs and evaluation of binding of coated platelets to recombinant human coagulation factor VIIa.

Objective: To develop an antibody-based flow cytometric assay to detect coated platelets in dogs and to characterize the interaction of recombinant human coagulation factor VIIa with activated platelets from dogs with hemophilia A.

Sample: Platelets from 4 dogs with hemophilia A, 4 dogs with hemophilia B, 4 dogs with von Willebrand disease, and 6 hemostatically normal dogs.

Procedures: Freshly isolated platelets were activated with thrombin, convulxin, or a thrombin-convulxin combination.

Canine specific ELISA for coagulation factor VII.

Canine coagulation factor VII (FVII) deficiency can be hereditary or acquired and may cause life threatening bleeding episodes if untreated. FVII procoagulant activity can be measured by FVII activity (FVII:C), but assays for measurement of canine specific FVII antigen (FVII:Ag) have not been available to date. In this study, a canine specific ELISA for measurement of FVII:Ag in plasma was developed and validated.

Prolonged activated prothromboplastin time and breed specific variation in haemostatic analytes in healthy adult Bernese Mountain dogs.

Coagulation tests are often performed in dogs suspected of haemostatic dysfunction and are interpreted according to validated laboratory reference intervals (RIs). Breed specific RIs for haematological and biochemical analytes have previously been identified in Bernese Mountain dogs, but it remains to be determined if breed specific RIs are necessary for haemostasis tests. Activated prothromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), selected coagulation factors, D-dimers, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and thromboelastography (TEG) were analyzed in healthy Bernese Mountain dogs using the CLSI model.

Alterations in thyroid hormone status in Greenland sledge dogs exposed to whale blubber contaminated with organohalogen compounds.

As a model of high trophic level carnivores, sledge dogs were fed from 2 to 18 months of age with minke whale blubber containing organohalogen compounds (OHC) corresponding to 128 μg PCB/day. Controls were fed uncontaminated porcine fat. Thyroid hormone levels were assessed in 7 exposed and 7 control sister bitches (sampled at age 6-18 months) and 4 exposed and 4 control pups, fed the same diet as their mothers (sampled age 3-12 months).

Mercury contamination in spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus: an assessment of liver, kidney, blood, and nervous system health.

Marine fishes in South Florida (Florida Keys-Florida Bay-Everglades region) accumulate higher concentrations of mercury (Hg) in their tissues than similar fishes from other areas of the southeastern U.S., though it is not known whether these elevated levels affect fish health.