Diagnostic utility of the total nucleated cell count for differentiation of septic and sterile peritoneal effusions in dogs.

Background: Rapid and accurate diagnosis of septic peritonitis is critical for initiating appropriate medical and surgical management.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic utility of the total nucleated cell count (TNCC), absolute neutrophil count, neutrophil percentage, and total protein (TP) to distinguish septic versus non-septic peritoneal effusions in dogs.

Methods: Electronic medical records were retrospectively searched for peritoneal fluid samples from 2008 to 2018 and classified as septic or non-septic based on bacterial culture and/or cytology results.

Performance of a manually operated salad spinner centrifuge for serum separation in the healthy domestic horse (Equus caballus) and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).

Background: Field veterinarians and researchers studying wild species, such as the southern white rhinoceros, often work in remote areas with limited access to standard laboratory equipment, hindering the ability to measure serum analytes.

Objectives: The first objective was to produce an inexpensive, manually operated centrifuge that could accept standard laboratory tubes by modifying a consumer-grade salad spinner with low-cost materials. The second objective was to compare biochemistry analysis results obtained from equine and southern white rhinoceros serum separated by traditional laboratory and manual salad spinner centrifugation.

Evaluation and establishment of reference intervals using the i-STAT1 blood chemistry analyzer in turkeys.

In veterinary medicine, point-of-care testing techniques have become popular, since they provide immediate results and only small amounts of blood are needed. The handheld i-STAT1 blood analyzer is used by poultry researchers and veterinarians; however, no studies have evaluated the accuracy of this analyzer determined reference intervals in turkey blood. The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the effect of storage time on turkey blood analytes, 2) compare the results obtained by the i-STAT1 analyzer to those obtained by the GEM Premier 3000, a conventional laboratory analyzer, and 3) establish reference intervals for blood gases and chemistry analytes in growing turkeys using the i-Stat.

Total protein concentration as a predictor of neoplastic peritoneal and pleural effusions of dogs.

Background: The diagnosis of neoplastic cavitary effusions requires the identification of neoplastic cells in effusions, yet the cytologic appearance of neoplastic effusions can be highly variable due to the varied mechanisms of formation. Additional parameters might aid in the interpretation of equivocal cytologic results.

Objectives: Our goal was to evaluate whether total protein concentrations can be used to support the diagnosis of neoplasia in the peritoneal and pleural effusions of dogs with lower cellularities (≤5000 nucleated cells/μL).

LACTIC ACIDOSIS INDUCED BY MANUAL RESTRAINT FOR HEALTH EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF TWO POINT-OF-CARE ANALYZERS IN HEALTHY LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLES ().

Sea turtles are often restrained manually for brief periods during veterinary evaluation and care in rescue, rehabilitation, research, and aquarium settings. Blood gas values and lactate are routinely evaluated during triage of sea turtles, and lactate clearance is of prognostic significance in cold-stunned individuals. Although increases in blood lactate have been associated with muscle exertion, experimental forced submergence, trawl and pound net capture, and general anesthesia, changes in blood lactate associated with short periods of manual restraint have not been evaluated.

Macrophage uptake of oxidized and acetylated low-density lipoproteins and generation of reactive oxygen species are regulated by linear stiffness of the growth surface.

Macrophages are key players in the development of atherosclerosis: they scavenge lipid, transform into foam cells, and produce proinflammatory mediators. At the same time, the arterial wall undergoes profound changes in its mechanical properties. We recently showed that macrophage morphology and proinflammatory potential are regulated by the linear stiffness of the growth surface.

Comparison of portable and conventional laboratory analyzers for biochemical tests in chickens.

Antemortem blood biochemical and blood gas analyses are routinely used in health screening and diagnosis of disease in domestic veterinary species. These testing modalities are not routinely performed in poultry, in part, due to the distance from the diagnostic laboratory. Portable blood analyzers such as the i-STAT and VetScan (VS2) can be used to obtain results on the farm without delay, potentially offering a more practical option for poultry practitioners.

Molecular regulation of TLR signaling in health and disease: mechano-regulation of macrophages and TLR signaling.

Immune cells encounter tissues with vastly different biochemical and physical characteristics. Much of the research emphasis has focused on the role of cytokines and chemokines in regulating immune cell function, but the role of the physical microenvironment has received considerably less attention. The tissue mechanics, or stiffness, of healthy tissues varies dramatically from soft adipose tissue and brain to stiff cartilage and bone.

Toll-like receptor signaling in macrophages is regulated by extracellular substrate stiffness and Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK1/2).

Macrophages participate in immunity, tissue repair and tissue homeostasis. Activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) by conserved exogenous or endogenous structures initiates signaling cascades that result in the release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Extracellular substrate stiffness is known to regulate functions of non-immune cells through a process called mechanotransduction, yet less is known about how physical cues affect macrophage function or TLR signaling.

Evaluation of procoagulant tissue factor expression in canine hemangiosarcoma cell lines.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate expression of procoagulant tissue factor (TF) by canine hemangiosarcoma cells in vitro. SAMPLES 4 canine hemangiosarcoma cell lines (SB-HSA [mouse-passaged cutaneous tumor], Emma [primary metastatic brain tumor], and Frog and Dal-1 [primary splenic tumors]) and 1 nonneoplastic canine endothelial cell line (CnAoEC). PROCEDURES TF mRNA and TF antigen expression were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR assay and flow cytometry, respectively.

Role of tissue factor expression in thrombin generation by canine tumor cells.

Objective: To measure thrombin generation by high and low tissue factor (TF)-expressing canine cancer cell lines.

Sample: Canine cell lines CMT25 (high TF-expressing mammary gland tumor cell line) and HMPOS (low TF-expressing osteosarcoma cell line).

Procedures: Thrombin generation by cancer cells was measured in pooled normal canine plasma by use of calibrated automated thrombography without added trigger reagents.

TLR9 stability and signaling are regulated by phosphorylation and cell stress.

Innate sensing of pathogens elicits protective immune responses through pattern recognition receptors, including Toll-like receptors. Although signaling by Toll-like receptors is regulated at multiple steps, including localization, trafficking, proteolytic cleavage, and phosphorylation, the significance of post-translational modifications and cellular stress response on Toll-like receptor stability and signaling is still largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the role of cytoplasmic tyrosine motifs in Toll-like receptor-9 stability, proteolytic cleavage, and signaling.

Short upstream region drives dynamic expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha during Xenopus development.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) plays a central role in regulating oxygen-dependent gene expression and is involved in a range of pathways implicated in cellular survival, proliferation, and development. While the posttranslational regulation of HIF-1alpha is well characterized, the relative importance of its control at the transcriptional level during development remains less clear. Although the mouse and human promoter regions have been analyzed in vitro, to date, there has been no in vivo analysis of any vertebrate HIF-1alpha promoter.