Applicability of the Calgary-Cambridge Guide to Dog and Cat Owners for Teaching Veterinary Clinical Communications.

Effective communication in health care benefits patients. Medical and veterinary schools not only have a responsibility to teach communication skills, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) requires that communication be taught in all accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. However, the best strategy for designing a communications curriculum is unclear.

Best practices for veterinary toxicologic clinical pathology, with emphasis on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

The purpose of this paper by the Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC) of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) is to review the current regulatory guidances (eg, guidelines) and published recommendations for best practices in veterinary toxicologic clinical pathology, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and to utilize the combined experience of ASVCP RAC to provide updated recommendations. Discussion points include (1) instrumentation, validation, and sample collection, (2) routine laboratory variables, (3) cytologic laboratory variables, (4) data interpretation and reporting (including peer review, reference intervals and statistics), and (5) roles and responsibilities of clinical pathologists and laboratory personnel. Revision and improvement of current practices should be in alignment with evolving regulatory guidance documents, new technology, and expanding understanding and utility of clinical pathology.

The physiologic basis and clinical applications of cryotherapy and thermotherapy for the pain practitioner.

Cryotherapy and thermotherapy are useful adjuncts for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. Clinicians treating these conditions should be aware of current research findings regarding these modalities, because their choice of modality may affect the ultimate outcome of the patient being treated. Through a better understanding of these modalities, clinicians can optimize their present treatment strategies.

Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy is effective for treating wrist pain.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the treatment of various sources of wrist pain including strain and sprain (SS), tendinosis (T), osteoarthritis (OA), and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Design: Prospective, randomized, parallel, single-blind (investigator), placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.

Setting: Two community-based research facilities.

MRI evaluation of topical heat and static stretching as therapeutic modalities for the treatment of eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage.

The aim of this study was to monitor the effects of topical heat and/or static stretch treatments on the recovery of muscle damage by eccentric exercise. For this purpose, 32 untrained male subjects performed intense eccentric knee extension exercise, followed by 2 weeks of treatment (heat, stretch, heat plus stretch) or no treatment (control, n=8/group). Isometric strength testing, pain ratings, and multi-echo magnetic resonance imaging of the thigh were performed before and at 2, 3, 4, 8, and 15 days following the exercise.

Overnight use of continuous low-level heatwrap therapy for relief of low back pain.

Objective: To evaluate of the efficacy and safety of 8 hours of continuous, low-level heatwrap therapy administered during sleep.

Design: Prospective, randomized, parallel, single-blind (investigator), placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.

Setting: Two community-based research facilities.

Continuous low-level heatwrap therapy for treating acute nonspecific low back pain.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of 8 hours of continuous low-level heatwrap therapy for the treatment of acute nonspecific low back pain (LBP).

Design: Prospective, randomized, parallel, single-blind (investigator), placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.

Setting: Five community-based research facilities.

Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy provides more efficacy than Ibuprofen and acetaminophen for acute low back pain.

Study Design: A prospective, randomized, single (investigator) blind, comparative efficacy trial was conducted.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of continuous low-level heat wrap therapy (40 C, 8 hours/day) with that of ibuprofen (1200 mg/day) and acetaminophen (4000 mg/day) in subjects with acute nonspecific low back pain.

Summary Of Background Data: The efficacy of topical heat methods, as compared with oral analgesic treatment of low back pain, has not been established.

Effect of topical heat on electromyographic power density spectrum in subjects with myofascial pain and normal controls: a pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the influence of superficial heat on the fatigue cascade of the upper trapezius muscle in subjects with myofascial pain and matched normal controls.

Design: In a prospective randomized block crossover pilot study, eight female subjects, ages 20-35 yr, with upper trapezius muscle trigger points and eight matched female control subjects without pain were studied. Subjects performed six 100-sec shoulder shrug contractions to fatigue, with subjects randomly chosen to receive heat during the first three or last three trials.

Continuous low-level topical heat in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of topically applied heat for menstrual pain with oral ibuprofen and placebo treatment.

Methods: We conducted a randomized placebo and active controlled (double dummy), parallel study using an abdominal patch (heated or unheated) for approximately 12 consecutive hours per day and oral medication (placebo or ibuprofen 400 mg) three times daily, approximately 6 hours apart for 2 consecutive days. Pain relief and pain intensity were recorded at 17 time points.

Long-term cholesterol-lowering effects of psyllium as an adjunct to diet therapy in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and nutrition management is the initial therapeutic approach.

Objective: This multicenter study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of psyllium husk fiber as an adjunct to diet in the treatment of persons with primary hypercholesterolemia.

Design: Men and women with hypercholesterolemia were recruited.

Association between interleukin-8 concentration in nasal secretions and severity of symptoms of experimental rhinovirus colds.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between experimental rhinovirus infection and the elaboration of interleukin-8 (IL-8) into nasal secretions of volunteers and to determine the effect of pentoxifylline on IL-8 elaboration and rhinovirus-associated common cold symptoms. Fifty-four subjects with experimental rhinovirus infections and 20 sham-inoculated subjects were studied. Pentoxifylline had no effect on rhinovirus-induced symptoms or nasal-secretion IL-8 concentrations.

Harmonization of animal clinical pathology testing in toxicity and safety studies. The Joint Scientific Committee for International Harmonization of Clinical Pathology Testing.

Ten scientific organizations formed a joint international committee to provide expert recommendations for clinical pathology testing of laboratory animal species used in regulated toxicity and safety studies. For repeated-dose studies in rodent species, clinical pathology testing is necessary at study termination. Interim study testing may not be necessary in long-duration studies provided that it has been done in short-duration studies using dose levels not substantially lower than those used in the long-duration studies.

Effect of bleeding site on clinical laboratory testing of rats: orbital venous plexus versus posterior vena cava.

We sought to determine if there were any differences in the results of clinical laboratory tests between blood samples collected from the orbital venous plexus and the posterior vena cava of adult male rats. Thirty healthy adult male Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized by ether inhalation, and blood samples were collected successively from the orbital venous plexus (OVP) and the posterior vena cava (PVC) for hematologic (n = 10), serum chemistry (n = 10), and coagulation (n = 10) analyses. The prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times of samples from the OVP were prolonged (17% and 288%, respectively) when compared with samples from the PVC.

Hematology analyzer comparison: Ortho ELT-8/ds vs. Baker 9000 for healthy dogs, mice,and rats.

A Baker 9000 hematology analyzer (electronic impedance) was purchased to replace an Ortho ELT-8/ds analyzer (laser optics) due to discontinued technical support. An analytical comparison of hemograms from healthy dogs, rats, and mice was made from paired disodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate anticoagulated blood samples. Both instruments were calibrated with human blood products, and the ELT-8/ds hematocrit (HCT) was calibrated to a spun packed cell volume (PCV) for each species.

Clinical pathology testing recommendations for nonclinical toxicity and safety studies. AACC-DACC/ASVCP Joint Task Force.

Clinical pathology testing in nonclinical toxicity and safety studies is an important part of safety assessment. In recent years, clinical laboratory testing has rapidly expanded and improved. Some government regulatory agencies provide guidelines for clinical pathology testing in nonclinical toxicity and safety studies.

Effects of dietary cholesterol and fasting on hamster plasma lipoprotein lipids.

Hamsters are commonly utilized for comparative study of cholesterol metabolism. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of fasting on the plasma lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations of hamsters. Over a period of 3 weeks, adult male Golden Syrian hamsters (n = 32) were fed chow with or without the addition of 2 g/kg cholesterol.

A model of postprandial hyperinsulinemia in miniature swine.

This report describes a new animal model of postprandial hyperinsulinemia (PPH) in adult miniature swine that consume a diet simulating that of affluent Western societies. Two progressive levels of PPH were induced experimentally by injecting subcutaneously low and high doses of purified porcine insulin without causing acute detrimental clinical effects or significant biological effects on total serum cholesterol, sodium and potassium concentrations, mean arterial blood pressure, or heart rate. Physiologic postprandial increments in total serum triglyceride concentrations were inhibited by experimentally-induced PPH.

Atherosclerosis research in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

This is a review of the utilization of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) in atherosclerosis research. Naturally occurring and experimentally induced atherosclerosis progression and regression studies are described. This species has been utilized as an animal model to study the effects of immunologic injury, aging, exercise, and drug intervention on atherosclerotic lesions.

A minipig model of body adipose tissue distribution.

A relatively increased central (truncal) distribution of body adipose tissue has been associated with increased risk for the development of coronary heart disease in human beings. Animal models available to study this phenomenon have been limited. Validity and reliability studies of B-mode ultrasound for the measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness in miniature swine were conducted.