Background: In dogs, simplified Light's criteria can discriminate transudates from exudates. Other tests used in human medicine are pleural effusion cholesterol (CHOL) and butyrylcholinesterase [BChE], the pleural effusion/serum ratio of these analytes (CHOL and BChE), and the serum albumin minus pleural effusion albumin gradient (SEAG).
Objectives: We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracies of different biomarkers in dogs with pleural effusion in differentiating exudates from transudates.
The activity of the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II (11β-HSD type II), which can be estimated by the combined measurement of cortisol and cortisone, is gaining importance as a marker for the assessment of stress in pigs. The aim of this study was to investigate the activity of this enzyme and the salivary concentrations of cortisol and cortisone in pigs during pregnancy, farrowing and lactation and to compare it with other stress-related biomarkers such as Chromogranin A (CgA), S100A12 and alpha-amylase. Salivary cortisone concentrations and 11β-HSD type II activity decreased after farrowing, while cortisol concentrations increased.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the possible use of spectrophotometric assays for the measurement of trace elements, including Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) in the saliva of horses and study their possible changes in equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). EGUS is a highly prevalent disease, with a current high incidence due to the increase in intensive management conditions. There are two EGUS diseases: equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), which can appear individually or together.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe widespread use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) poses a worldwide threat to farmland wildlife. These compounds accumulate in tissues of both target and non-target species, potentially endangering both direct consumers and their predators. However, investigations on ARs in blood of free-ranging predatory birds are rare.
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