Exploring parental thoughts and clinical experiences on blended food in a paediatric population, a qualitative study.

Background: There's a growing interest in blended food (BF) as an alternative to commercial food (CF) for tube-fed children. Thus, we investigated parental and medical experiences with BF as an option for tube feeding in children.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients were already using BF, chosen by parents.

Successful high-resolution three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation of a posteroseptal accessory pathway in a dog using CARTO 3.

A one-year-and-seven-month-old, 28 kg, male castrated crossbreed dog was presented for supraventricular tachycardia causing recurrent episodes of anorexia and lethargy. Sotalol (2.2 mg/kg q12 h) reduced the frequency of symptomatic episodes but did not provide full relief.

Evaluation of the use of a heparin dose-response test in dogs to determine the optimal heparin dose during intravascular procedures and assessment of the in vitro heparin response in healthy dogs.

Background: No guidelines for administering and monitoring anticoagulants intraprocedurally are currently available in dogs, despite the prevalence of procedures necessitating systemic anticoagulation with heparin.

Objectives: To evaluate an activated clotting time (ACT)-based heparin dose-response (HDR) test to predict the individual required heparin dose in dogs during intravascular procedures, and to investigate both the in vitro heparin - ACT and in vitro heparin - factor anti-Xa activity (anti-Xa) relationships in dogs.

Methods: Blood was collected from eight healthy beagles undergoing a cardiac procedure and utilised to establish baseline ACT and for in vitro evaluation.

Surgical correction of an infundibular pulmonic stenosis and ventricular septal defect in a Shetland Sheepdog.

A four-month-old male Shetland Sheepdog presented with exercise intolerance. Physical examination revealed an IV/VI left cranial systolic heart murmur. Echocardiography showed a severe infundibular pulmonic stenosis and a concomitant restrictive ventricular septal defect.

Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping for guidance of pulmonary vein isolation as treatment for persistent atrial fibrillation in a dog.

A two-year and four-month, male German Shepherd was referred for exercise intolerance and panting. Irregular heart auscultation (250 beats per minute (bpm)) and pulse deficits were noted on physical exam. Electrocardiogram (ECG) showed irregular, narrow-QRS tachycardia without P waves compatible with coarse atrial fibrillation (AF).

Feasibility and safety of three-dimensional electroanatomical cardiac mapping, mapping-guided biopsy and transseptal puncture in dogs.

Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping (3D EAM) has expanded radiofrequency catheter ablation applications in humans to almost all complex arrhythmias and has drastically reduced fluoroscopy use, yet its potential in dogs is poorly investigated. The objectives of the current study were to assess the feasibility and safety of 3D EAM of all four heart chambers, 3D EAM-guided biopsies and transseptal puncture in dogs. Eight healthy purpose-bred Beagle dogs.

Kinetic analysis of [F] altanserin bolus injection in the canine brain using PET imaging.

Background: Currently, [F] altanserin is the most frequently used PET-radioligand for serotonin (5-HT) receptor imaging in the human brain but has never been validated in dogs. In vivo imaging of this receptor in the canine brain could improve diagnosis and therapy of several behavioural disorders in dogs. Furthermore, since dogs are considered as a valuable animal model for human psychiatric disorders, the ability to image this receptor in dogs could help to increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases.

Diagnostic value of blood variables following attenuation of congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt in dogs.

Background: The aims of this study were to determine if extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EHPSS) postoperative closure could be predicted based on preoperative blood analyses and to determine the accuracy of blood variables to evaluate persistence of portosystemic shunting postoperatively (multiple acquired portosystemic shunts (MAPSS) or persistent EHPSS).

Methods: Retrospectively, 62 dogs treated surgically for congenital EHPSS that underwent postoperative trans-splenic portal scintigraphy or CT angiography three to six months postoperatively were included.

Results: None of the studied preoperative blood variables could unambiguously predict surgical outcome.

Alfaxalone total intravenous anaesthesia in dogs: pharmacokinetics, cardiovascular data and recovery characteristics.

Objective: To evaluate the cardiovascular effects, pharmacokinetic (PK) data and recovery characteristics of an alfaxalone constant rate infusion (CRI) of different duration in dogs at manufacturer's recommended dose rate.

Study Design: Experimental, prospective, randomized, crossover study.

Animals: Six intact female Beagles.

PET quantification of [18F]MPPF in the canine brain using blood input and reference tissue modelling.

Numerous studies have shown that the serotonin1A (5-HT1A) receptor is implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of several psychiatric and neurological disorders. Furthermore, functional imaging studies in a variety of species have demonstrated that 4-(2´-Methoxyphenyl)-1-[2´-(N-2´´-pyridinyl)-p- [18F]fluorobenzamidoethylpiperazine ([18F]MPPF) is a valid and useful PET tracer to visualize the 5HT1A receptor. However, to our knowledge, [18F]MPPF has never been demonstrated in the canine brain.

Effect of premedication on dose requirement, cardiovascular effects and recovery quality of alfaxalone total intravenous anaesthesia in dogs.

Objective: To investigate alfaxalone total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) following premedication with methadone combined with acepromazine (ACP) or dexmedetomidine in bitches undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

Study Design: Prospective, blinded, randomized, experimental study.

Animals: A group of 12 female Beagles.

Comparison of Three Methods to Quantify Laxity in the Canine Hip Joint.

Objectives:  Comparison of PennHIP and a novel method to diagnose hip laxity, called the Vezzoni modified Badertscher distension device technique.

Methods:  In a total of 10 dogs, it was first assessed whether the distraction index (DI) from the PennHIP evaluation center could be reproduced by two individual observers. In the next two steps, the DI measurements made by the individual observers and the PennHIP evaluation center were compared with the laxity index (LI) measured on the Vezzoni modified Badertscher distension device view.

Biodistribution and tolerance of intravenous iodine-131-labelled hypericin in healthy dogs.

Hypericin (Hyp) is a necrosis-avid compound that can be efficiently labelled with radioiodine for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Before I-Hyp can be considered as a clinically useful drug in a combination therapy for canine cancer patients, evaluation of its toxicity is necessary. The aim of this study was to investigate the biodistribution and tolerance of a single dose administration of I-Hyp.

Cardiovascular effects, induction and recovery characteristics and alfaxalone dose assessment in alfaxalone versus alfaxalone-fentanyl total intravenous anaesthesia in dogs.

Objective: To compare cardiovascular effects and anaesthetic quality of alfaxalone alone or in combination with a fentanyl constant rate infusion (CRI) when used for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) in dogs.

Study Design: Prospective, blinded, randomized, experimental study.

Animals: A group of 12 intact female dogs.

Regional cerebral blood flow assessed by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt and hepatic encephalopathy.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in eight dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt (PSS) and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) was compared with rCBF in eight healthy control dogs using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with a technetium-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (Tc-HMPAO) tracer. SPECT scans were abnormal in all PSS dogs. Compared to the control group, rCBF in PSS dogs was significantly decreased in the temporal lobes and increased in the subcortical (thalamic and striatal) area.

Negative pressure wound therapy using polyvinyl alcohol foam to bolster full-thickness mesh skin grafts in dogs.

Objective: To report the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foam to bolster full-thickness mesh skin grafts in dogs.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Client-owned dogs (n = 8).

Evaluation of Feline Renal Perfusion with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography and Scintigraphy.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an emerging technique to evaluate tissue perfusion. Promising results have been obtained in the evaluation of renal perfusion in health and disease, both in human and veterinary medicine. Renal scintigraphy using 99mTc-Mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) is another non-invasive technique that can be used to evaluate renal perfusion.

In vivo quantification of the [(11)C]DASB binding in the normal canine brain using positron emission tomography.

Background: [(11)C]-3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)-benzonitrile ([(11)C]DASB) is currently the mostly used radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET) quantitative studies of the serotonin transporter (SERT) in the human brain but has never been validated in dogs. The first objective was therefore to evaluate normal [(11)C]DASB distribution in different brain regions of healthy dogs using PET. The second objective was to provide less invasive and more convenient alternative methods to the arterial sampling-based kinetic analysis.

An heuristic filtering tool to identify phenotype-associated genetic variants applied to human intellectual disability and canine coat colors.

Background: Identification of one or several disease causing variant(s) from the large collection of variants present in an individual is often achieved by the sequential use of heuristic filters. The recent development of whole exome sequencing enrichment designs for several non-model species created the need for a species-independent, fast and versatile analysis tool, capable of tackling a wide variety of standard and more complex inheritance models. With this aim, we developed "Mendelian", an R-package that can be used for heuristic variant filtering.

Clinical efficacy and cardiorespiratory effects of intramuscular administration of alfaxalone alone or in combination with dexmedetomidine in cats.

Objective: To investigate the sedative, anaesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects of intramuscular (IM) administration of alfaxalone alone or in combination with dexmedetomidine in cats.

Study Design: Blinded, randomized crossover study with a washout period of 15 days.

Animals: Seven adult cats, weighing 3.

Improved canine exome designs, featuring ncRNAs and increased coverage of protein coding genes.

By limiting sequencing to those sequences transcribed as mRNA, whole exome sequencing is a cost-efficient technique often used in disease-association studies. We developed two target enrichment designs based on the recently released annotation of the canine genome: the exome-plus design and the exome-CDS design. The exome-plus design combines the exons of the CanFam 3.

TTA Rapid: Description of the Technique and Short Term Clinical Trial Results of the First 50 Cases.

Objective: To (1) describe a modified technique for tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture and (2) report short term outcome and complications.

Study Design: Prospective clinical study.

Animals: Dogs with unilateral CCL rupture (n = 50).