Comparison of radial immunodiffusion, turbidimetric immunoassay, and Brix refractometry for determining bovine colostrum quality.

Determining the concentration of IgG in colostrum is critical for assessment of colostrum quality. On-farm use of a Brix refractometer to estimate colostrum IgG concentration is widespread, whereas radial immunodiffusion (RID) is the laboratory reference method. Turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA) might offer an alternative method to quantify IgG in colostrum, but the agreement with RID, as well as critical thresholds to determine high-quality colostrum, remain uncertain.

Clustering analysis of lipoprotein profiles to identify subtypes of hypertriglyceridemia in Miniature Schnauzers.

Background: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is prevalent in Miniature Schnauzers, predisposing them to life-threatening diseases. Varied responses to management strategies suggest the possibility of multiple subtypes.

Hypothesis/objective: To identify and characterize HTG subtypes in Miniature Schnauzers through cluster analysis of lipoprotein profiles.

Evaluation of a point-of-care calcium device in bovine plasma and serum.

Hypocalcemia is a common metabolic disease in dairy cows, and it is defined as total calcium (tCa) blood concentration <2.0 mmol/L. The alternatives for the gold standard test to measure tCa in bovine blood are limited.

Bone marrow iron scoring in healthy and clinically ill dogs with and without evidence of iron-restricted erythropoiesis.

Background: There are few reports in dogs that have evaluated the utility of semi-quantitative scoring of bone marrow iron stores in conjunction with reticulocyte hemoglobin (CHr) to identify iron-restricted erythropoiesis due to absolute iron deficiency or iron sequestration.

Objectives: An established system for scoring iron stores in human bone marrow samples was applied to dogs. The objectives were to evaluate interobserver agreement (Κ ), determine marrow iron scores in dogs without detectable hematologic abnormalities, and assess combined interpretation of iron scores and CHr to evaluate for iron-restricted erythropoiesis.

Eucalcemia during lipopolysaccharide challenge in postpartum dairy cows: I. Clinical, inflammatory, and metabolic response.

Hypocalcemia induced by immune activation is a conserved response across mammalian species; however, administration of Ca is discouraged in other species as it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Early postpartum cows experience a decrease in circulating Ca concentration following acute inflammation. Corrective Ca therapy during the transition period, particularly in dairy cows experiencing acute disease, is common practice.

Agarose gel electrophoresis determination of bovine lipoproteins compared with a wet chemistry method.

Quantification of serum lipoproteins provides information relative to the overall metabolic health, degree of lipid mobilization, and hepatic function of dairy cattle. Automated assays performed on benchtop chemistry analyzers and commercially available kits use reagents developed for human lipoproteins. The substantial physical and chemical differences between bovine and human lipoproteins potentially confounds the use of these assays in evaluating bovine lipoproteins.

Particle Size Distribution of Plasma Lipoproteins in Donkeys from Death Valley Compared to a Sampling of Horses.

The clinical evaluation of lipid metabolism in equids is often limited to the measurement of total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. This provides a limited picture of metabolic state and general health, given the continuous exchange of lipid species between various lipoproteins. Major lipoprotein classes in equids include high-density lipoprotein (HDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and chylomicrons (CM).

Identifying Erythrocyte Injury in Toxicology Studies.

The hematological impacts of a drug can affect erythropoiesis at the level of the bone marrow, or decrease the life span of the RBC (red blood cell). The most common and recognizable clinical manifestation of either type of drug-induced erythropoietic injury is a decrease in RBC mass, or what is clinically referred to as an anemia. A decrease in RBC production can generally be separated from increased destruction (hemolysis) by evaluation of the hemogram for evidence of regeneration.

Acute phase protein response and changes in lipoprotein particle size in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Background: Improved methodology to measure acute phase proteins and determination of lipoprotein particle-size distribution (PSD) could be clinically useful in dogs with systemic inflammatory processes.

Objectives: Evaluate an immunoturbidometric assay for serum amyloid A (SAA) and lipoprotein PSD in dogs with sepsis, nonseptic systemic inflammation, and in healthy controls. Correlate dyslipidemic changes with SAA and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations.

Complete blood count and biochemistry reference intervals for healthy adult sheep in the northeastern United States.

Background: Reference intervals (RIs) for routine clinicopathologic data in sheep are sparse. The authors sought to establish hematologic and biochemical RIs from a varied ovine population to improve data interpretation for small ruminant veterinarians.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to establish ovine CBC and biochemistry reference intervals by sampling 120 healthy adult sheep, both male and female, from a variety of breeds, located in the Northeastern United States.

Lipoprotein profile of pleural and peritoneal transudates in dogs and cats.

Background: Current diagnostic evaluation of transudative effusions rarely aids in identifying an underlying etiology. Lipoproteins in the fluid might reflect the site or nature of vessel involvement.

Objectives: Improve the classification and diagnostic utility of pleural and peritoneal transudates in dogs and cats by investigating lipoprotein patterns in effusions.

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety evaluation of 5,5'-methylenebis(2-acetoxybenzoic acid) in dogs following intravenous administration.

Complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis occurs in canine immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Complement inhibitors might enhance treatment of this disease. Dimers of acetylsalicylic acid such as 5,5'-methylenebis(2-acetoxybenzoic acid) (DAS) have been reported to inhibit complement.

Hepatic effects of rumen-protected branched-chain amino acids with or without propylene glycol supplementation in dairy cows during early lactation.

Essential amino acids (EAA) are critical for multiple physiological processes. Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation provides energy substrates, promotes protein synthesis, and stimulates insulin secretion in rodents and humans. Most dairy cows face a protein and energy deficit during the first weeks postpartum and utilize body reserves to counteract this shortage.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta in Two Finnish Lapphund Puppies.

Two 8-week-old Finnish Lapphund dogs presented with pain on manipulation, abnormal long bone conformation, retrognathism, and stunted growth compared to their litter mates. Multiple long bone fractures were evident on radiographs. Clinical pathology showed an atypically normal serum alkaline phosphatase activity for dogs this age.

Review of Histological Grading Systems in Veterinary Medicine.

Tumor grading is a method to quantify the putative clinical aggressiveness of a neoplasm based on specific histological features. A good grading system should be simple, easy to use, reproducible, and accurately segregate tumors into those with low versus high risk. The aim of this review is to summarize the histological and, when available, cytological grading systems applied in veterinary pathology, providing information regarding their prognostic impact, reproducibility, usefulness, and shortcomings.

C inhibitor in canine intravascular hemolysis (CINCH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) is a common disease that affects all breeds of dogs and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Intravascular hemolysis of erythrocytes in IMHA is caused by complement activation and is often fatal. No current treatments target complement activation in canine IMHA.

The effect of ex vivo lipopolysaccharide stimulation and nutrient availability on transition cow innate immune cell AKT/mTOR pathway responsiveness.

Postpartum dairy cows experience a heightened inflammatory state coinciding with the time of greatest nutrient deficit. Nutrient availability is sensed on the cellular level by nutrient sensing kinases, such as the PI3K/AKT/mTOR (mTOR) pathway, a key orchestrator of immune cell activation and inflammatory balance. Our objective was to determine the responsiveness of this pathway to inflammatory stimulation with and without nutrient supplementation ex vivo.

Clinical Pathology of Donkeys and Mules.

Given the stoic nature of donkeys and their hybrids, it is important to consider the significance of diagnostic testing modalities that can provide objective health status information beyond the basic physical examination findings. However, clinical pathology assays are also fraught with significant limitations because the results for donkeys, mules, and hinnies can be difficult to interpret, and transference of data from the horse is not always applicable. This article presents considerations for sample collection, storage, analysis, and interpretation strategies for clinical pathology testing of donkeys and their hybrids based on the limited information available in the literature.

Sex-specific hepatic lipid and bile acid metabolism alterations in deficient mice following dietary challenge.

Defects in the Fanconi anemia (FA) DNA damage-response pathway result in genomic instability, developmental defects, hematopoietic failure, cancer predisposition, and metabolic disorders. The endogenous sources of damage contributing to FA phenotypes and the links between FA and metabolic disease remain poorly understood. Here, using mice lacking the gene, encoding a central FA pathway component, we investigated whether the FA pathway protects against metabolic challenges.

SR-B1 drives endothelial cell LDL transcytosis via DOCK4 to promote atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, which underlies life-threatening cardiovascular disorders such as myocardial infarction and stroke, is initiated by passage of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol into the artery wall and its engulfment by macrophages, which leads to foam cell formation and lesion development. It is unclear how circulating LDL enters the artery wall to instigate atherosclerosis. Here we show in mice that scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1) in endothelial cells mediates the delivery of LDL into arteries and its accumulation by artery wall macrophages, thereby promoting atherosclerosis.

Immunohistochemical Labeling of Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor and Scavenger Receptor Class B Type 1 Are Increased in Canine Lymphoma.

Altered lipid metabolism is a well-documented hallmark of neoplastic transformation and impacts disease progression. Two major lipoprotein receptors, the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) and scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-BI) are overexpressed in a number of cancer types in people. These receptors serve to deliver cholesterol to the tumor cells and have been used to target drug therapies.

Pharmacokinetics of human recombinant C1-esterase inhibitor and development of anti-drug antibodies in healthy dogs.

Complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis occurs in canine immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Complement inhibitors such as recombinant C1 esterase inhibitor (rC1-INH) might prevent this process and alter the disease course. This study aimed to characterize the pharmacokinetics of a single 500 IU IV dose of rC1-INH in 8 healthy beagle dogs, evaluate the dogs for any adverse effects of drug administration, and determine whether rC1-INH administration induces anti-drug antibody formation.

Influence of multiple reuse and resterilization cycles on the performance of a bipolar vessel sealing device (LigaSure) intended for single use.

Objective: To determine the number of use/cleaning/resterilization cycles that can be safely applied to a vessel sealing device intended for single use (LigaSure).

Study Design: Ex vivo study.

Sample Population: LigaSure Small Jaw handsets (n = 6) and LigaSure Impact handsets (n = 6).

A commercial soy-based phospholipid emulsion accelerates clot formation in normal canine whole blood and induces hemolysis in whole blood from normal and dogs with inflammatory leukograms.

Objective: To compare lipid emulsion-induced hemolysis in blood from dogs with inflammatory leukograms to blood from healthy dogs, and determine the impact of a prototypical soy-based phospholipid emulsion on coagulation in whole blood from healthy dogs.

Design: Ex vivo study using EDTA and citrated whole blood from healthy dogs and EDTA anticoagulated whole blood from dogs with inflammatory leukograms.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Diagnostic performance of cytology for assessment of hepatic lipid content in dairy cattle.

The objective of our study was to characterize the diagnostic performance of cytology for assessing hepatic lipid content (HLC) in dairy cows by comparing microscopic evaluation of lipid vacuolation in touch imprint slide preparations of liver biopsies with quantitative measurement of triglyceride concentration ([TG]; mg/mg of wet weight) in paired biopsy samples. Our study also sought to compare the diagnostic performance of liver cytology, plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentration ([NEFA]), and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration ([BHB]) derived from a measurement performed on whole blood, for assessing HLC. Chemical extraction of TG from liver tissue remains the gold standard for quantifying HLC, largely because available blood tests, although useful for detecting some types of pathology, such as increased lipid mobilization, ketosis, or hepatocellular injury, are nonspecific as to etiology.