Publications by authors named "Sl Freeman"

Background: Effects of neutering on bitch health have been reported, and are suggested to relate to bitch age at the time of neutering for some diseases. However, variation between published studies in terms of study populations and methodologies makes comparison and consolidation of the evidence difficult.

Objective: A scoping review was designed to systematically search the available literature to identify and chart the evidence on the effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on five health outcomes: atopy, developmental orthopaedic disease (DOD), neoplasia, obesity and urogenital disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Weaning represents one of the most stressful events in the life of a horse, and may have long-term impacts on behaviour. There are a range of approaches used to wean foals from mares, including abrupt and progressive separation methods. There is currently a lack of consensus on how stress and impact are measured.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Castration is the most common surgical procedure in domesticated equids; surgical techniques used and perioperative management vary considerably.

Objectives: To identify and chart the current evidence on perioperative complications associated with different methods of surgical castration in domesticated equids.

Study Design: Joanna Briggs Institute systematic scoping review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The survival of horses diagnosed with critical colic (requiring referral or euthanasia) relies on rapid and effective decision-making by the owner and veterinary practitioner.

Objectives: To explore UK horse owners' and veterinary practitioners' experiences of decision-making for critical cases of equine colic.

Study Design: Qualitative study using a phenomenological approach.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is limited evidence on factors affecting critical decision making for horses with colic. This study's aim was to describe the assessment and decision making involved in horses referred for management of colic.

Methods: An in-depth case analysis was used to document case presentation, decision making and outcomes for horses referred for colic to two UK equine veterinary practices over a 12-month period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The target for humoral immunity, SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, has become the focus of vaccine research and development. Previous work demonstrated that the N-terminal domain (NTD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike binds biliverdin-a product of heme catabolism-causing a strong allosteric effect on the activity of a subset of neutralizing antibodies. Herein, we show that the spike glycoprotein is also able to bind heme (K = 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Our current understanding of the factors that influence where birds nest is incomplete, yet such information is important for accurate demographic assessments. To address questions related to spatial distributions of shorebird nests and to evaluate factors that may affect nest distribution in these species, during 2017 and 2019, we studied a small population of semipalmated sandpiper breeding in the Central Canadian Arctic, near the Karrak Lake Research Station, in Nunavut. The spatial distribution of semipalmated sandpiper nests at this site suggested loose aggregation, with median nearest neighbor distances of 73.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Behavioural models are widely used within human medicine to understand beliefs and intention associated with major health interventions.

Objectives: To investigate horse-owner beliefs and practices associated with emergency colic planning.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

No previous large prospective cohort studies have been identified that have investigated the impact of the surgical neutering of bitches before or after known puberty on their growth and physical development. This study was designed to examine the data on physical development, vulval size, and conformation for bitches neutered by ovariohysterectomy before puberty (PPN, = 155) or after puberty (control, = 151) using a prospective cohort study design. Data were gathered at six- and 17-months of age using bespoke physical assessment forms and digital images of the vulva.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There are contradictory findings in the literature relating to the effects of timing of neutering on bitch behaviour that make decision making regarding neutering timing difficult.

Methods: A scoping review was designed to identify and chart the evidence on the effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on the behaviour of female domesticated dogs. A protocol was registered, and literature searches were conducted in CAB Abstracts, Medline and Web of Science.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate perioperative and postoperative outcomes for bitches that were neutered at different times in relation to puberty (rather than age). Three hundred and six Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches were neutered before (prepubertal neuter [PPN], n = 155) or after puberty (Control, n = 151) by experienced veterinarians at one of four veterinary practices (VP1-4). Data were gathered from veterinarians at the time of neutering and from bitch caregivers for the 14-day period after neutering using purpose-designed questionnaires.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as Chagas disease. To survive in the host, the T. cruzi parasite needs antioxidant defense systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Synovial sepsis is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. Despite advances in diagnostics and treatments, persistent infection or chronic lameness can occur.

Objectives: To perform a scoping review to identify and evaluate the current evidence on the factors implicated in the success of treatment for synovial sepsis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oxygen activation in all heme enzymes requires the formation of high oxidation states of iron, usually referred to as ferryl heme. There are two known intermediates: Compound I and Compound II. The nature of the ferryl heme-and whether it is an Fe=O or Fe-OH species-is important for controlling reactivity across groups of heme enzymes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oxygen activation in all heme enzymes requires the formation of high oxidation states of iron, usually referred to as ferryl heme. There are two known intermediates: Compound I and Compound II. The nature of the ferryl heme-and whether it is an Fe =O or Fe -OH species-is important for controlling reactivity across groups of heme enzymes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The gut microbiome plays an important role in early life, protecting newborns from enteric pathogens, promoting immune system development and providing key functions to the infant host. Currently, there are limited data to broadly assess the status of the US healthy infant gut microbiome. To address this gap, we performed a multi-state metagenomic survey and found high levels of bacteria associated with enteric inflammation (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In mammalian species there are significant physiological responses of the female reproductive tract to the deposition of sperm. These are particularly notable in species where sperm are deposited directly into the uterus, and function both to facilitate sperm transport to the sperm reservoir, and to eliminate introduced contaminants. In the bitch, sperm are deposited into the vagina and are rapidly transported through the open cervix.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Telemedicine has been proposed to improve access to care in rheumatology, but few studies of telerheumatology have been published. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes and quality of care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients seen by video telemedicine follow-up compared to in-person only.

Methods: Individuals in the Alaska Tribal Health System with a diagnosis of RA were recruited when seeing a rheumatologist either in-person or by video telemedicine, both of which were offered as part of usual follow-up care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Telephone triage is an integral part of modern patient care systems in human medicine, and a key component of veterinary practice care systems. There is currently no published research on telephone triage within the veterinary profession.

Objective: To investigate current approaches to telephone triage of horses with abdominal pain (colic) in veterinary practice and develop new resources to support decision-making.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The EAG () family of voltage-gated K channels are important regulators of neuronal and cardiac action potential firing (excitability) and have major roles in human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, cancer, and sudden cardiac death. A defining feature of EAG (Kv10-12) channels is a highly conserved domain on the N terminus, known as the eag domain, consisting of a Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domain capped by a short sequence containing an amphipathic helix (Cap domain). The PAS and Cap domains are both vital for the normal function of EAG channels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The study aim was to describe conditions seen 'out-of-hours' in equine practice.

Methods: This was a retrospective case series of first opinion 'out-of-hours' cases seen at two equine practices between 2011 and 2013. Data were retrieved on case presentation, diagnostic testing, treatment administered and outcome, and diseases categorised using a systems-based coding system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF