Demography, preventative healthcare and reason for relinquishment of donkeys to an equine charity in the UK (2013-2015).

Background: In the UK, there are thousands of donkeys being cared for by charities; however, little is known about the reasons for relinquishment or their previous health status, with even less information available in published literature. Such information could help to identify factors contributing to poor equine welfare and guide the development of appropriate educational resources.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics of the relinquished donkeys and to better understand the current preventative healthcare status of donkeys relinquished into The Donkey Sanctuary.

Carotid artery stenting in a single center, single operator, single type of device and 15 years of follow-up.

Background: Revascularization with carotid stent (CAS) is considered the therapeutic alternative to endarterectomy (CEA). However, its role compared to CEA remains questioned, mainly due of the heterogeneity of long-term results. The objective of this study was to report the efficacy and durability of CAS in terms of stroke prevention in a "real world experience".

Multiple approaches to assess fourteen non-invasive serum indexes for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare fourteen non-invasive indexes/scores: AAR, APRI, Fibroindex, MODEL3, Forns index, FIB4, GUCI, FI, FCI, Pohl score, AP index, CDS, HGM-1 and HGM-2, in order to diagnose the hepatic fibrosis stage in a survey of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: 84 patients with chronic hepatitis C were studied. Liver fibrosis was staged according to the Scheuer scoring system.