Clinical features, outcomes, and long-term survival times of cats and dogs with central nervous system cryptococcosis in Australia: 50 cases (2000-2020).

Objective: To describe the clinical findings and outcomes of Australian cats and dogs with CNS cryptococcosis.

Animals: 19 cats and 31 dogs with CNS cryptococcosis diagnosed between 2000 and 2020.

Procedures: A case series and cohort study were performed using the same 50 animals.

digestion of designed emulsions based on milk protein and guar gum systems.

There is a growing interest in designing novel food microstructures that can control nutrient digestion and provide satiety for tackling obesity. In this study, phase separated microstructures of skimmed milk powder (SMP) and guar gum (GG) were the main focus, and these can be considered as water-in-water (W/W) emulsions. Through the incorporation of oil into these systems, it was possible to form model systems of SMP-GG-OIL, showing the lipid phase within the protein phase within the polysaccharide phase.

Renal Crest Proliferative Lesions in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.

In a histopathological study of the renal crest (RC) of kidneys of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), 58/90 (64%) had epithelial proliferation. Of these, 33 cats had hyperplasia of the collecting duct (CD) epithelium (CDH) alone, eight had hyperplasia of the urothelium covering the RC (RCUH), of which one had concurrent abaxial renal pelvic urothelial hyperplasia (UH), and eight had both CDH and RCUH. CDH or RCUH were present in five cats with marked dysplasia of the CD epithelium (CDD) and four cats with invasive carcinomas, which also had epithelial dysplasia.

An individually randomised controlled multi-centre pragmatic trial with embedded economic and process evaluations of early vocational rehabilitation compared with usual care for stroke survivors: study protocol for the RETurn to work After stroKE (RETAKE) trial.

Background: Return to work (RTW) is achieved by less than 50% of stroke survivors. The rising incidence of stroke among younger people, the UK economic forecast, and clinical drivers highlight the need for stroke survivors to receive support with RTW. However, evidence for this type of support is lacking.

Comparing immunochromatography with latex antigen agglutination testing for the diagnosis of cryptococcosis in cats, dogs and koalas.

Although the point-of-care cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay (LFA) has revolutionized the diagnosis of cryptococcosis in human patients, to date there has been no large-scale examination of this test in animals. We therefore assessed the LFA in cats, dogs and koalas suspected of having cryptococcosis. In sum, 528 serum specimens (129 from cats, 108 from dogs, 291 from koalas) were tested using the LFA and one of two commercially available latex cryptococcal antigen agglutination test (LCAT) kits.

Population characteristics of a large whale shark aggregation inferred from seawater environmental DNA.

Population genetics is essential for understanding and managing marine ecosystems, but sampling remains challenging. We demonstrate that high-throughput sequencing of seawater environmental DNA can provide useful estimates of genetic diversity in a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) aggregation. We recover similar mitochondrial haplotype frequencies in seawater compared to tissue samples, reliably placing the studied aggregation in a global genetic context and expanding the applications of environmental DNA to encompass population genetics of aquatic organisms.

Clinical management of Brucella suis infection in dogs and implications for public health.

Background: Brucellosis caused by Brucella suis is a notifiable disease that has recently emerged in dogs in New South Wales (NSW). Given the potential for zoonotic transmission, euthanasia of affected dogs is recommended, but this action is not mandatory. We report the clinical management of three dogs that underwent treatment at their owners' request.

Bilateral pre-auricular papillary squamous cell carcinomas associated with papillomavirus infection in a domestic cat.

Background: Cutaneous papillary squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are extremely rare in humans and have not been reported in any nonhuman species. In humans, oral papillary SCCs are often caused by papillomavirus infection and have a more favourable prognosis than other SCC subtypes.

Case: A 10-year-old ginger and white domestic short hair cat had a 12 month history of symmetrical, roughly circular, exophytic 2 cm diameter masses in both pre-auricular regions.

Mifamurtide for high-grade, resectable, nonmetastatic osteosarcoma following surgical resection: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objectives: Mifamurtide is an immune macrophage stimulant that when added to standard chemotherapy has demonstrated survival benefit for newly diagnosed osteosarcoma. The objectives of this study were to investigate the cost-effectiveness of adding mifamurtide to standard three- or four-agent chemotherapy for high-grade, resectable, nonmetastatic osteosarcoma following surgical resection and the issues of obtaining robust cost-effectiveness estimates for ultra-orphan drugs, given the shortage of data.

Methods: An economic evaluation was conducted from the perspective of the UK's National Health Service as part of the manufacturer's submission to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Incorporating process utility into quality adjusted life years: a systematic review of empirical studies.

Objective: This review aimed to identify published studies that provide an empirical measure of process utility, which can be incorporated into estimates of QALY calculations.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed to identify published studies of process utility. Articles were included if they were written in the English language and reported empirical measures of process utility that could be incorporated into the QALY calculation; those studies reporting utilities that were not anchored on a scale of 0 representing dead and 1 representing full health were excluded from the review.

Ulcerated and nonulcerated nontuberculous cutaneous mycobacterial granulomas in cats and dogs.

Background: Mycobacterial granulomas of the skin and subcutis can be caused by one of a number of pathogens. This review concentrates on noncultivable species that cause diseases characterized by focal granuloma(s), namely leproid granuloma (in dogs) and feline leprosy (in cats). Clinically indistinguishable lesions can be caused by tuberculous organisms (Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium microti) and members of the Mycobacterium avium complex.

Cost-effectiveness of treatment with etanercept for psoriasis in Sweden.

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness, from a Swedish societal perspective, of intermittent use of etanercept (Enbrel) with interruptions of use after 24 weeks compared to continuous use of adalimumab (Humira) as well as non-systemic standard of care in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.

Methods: A Markov decision-tree model was constructed from clinical trials results. Patients starting etanercept, adalimumab, or non-systemic therapy moved through the model's 10-years horizon.

Nocardia infections in cats: a retrospective multi-institutional study of 17 cases.

Objective: To record 17 cases of nocardiosis in cats from eastern Australia and to compare this series with cases previously reported.

Design: Retrospective/prospective study.

Results: Nocardia spp infections were diagnosed in 17 cats over 14 years from the three eastern states of Australia.

'Wound cat'.

'Wound man' refers to a stylised diagram used in early medical textbooks to illustrate the various injuries that the human body can sustain in battle. We have adapted this concept to create 'Wound cat', as a way to emphasise the type and location of injuries cats may inflict on one another during combat. We have further extended this concept to include wounds that may result from interactions with rodents and snakes.

The prevalence of feline A/B blood types in the Sydney region.

Objective: To determine the distribution of A/B blood types in pedigree and crossbred cats in the Sydney region, and to estimate the associated risk of administering incompatible blood in an unmatched random transfusion.

Design: A prospective/retrospective study of blood specimens collected from both sick and healthy cats.

Materials And Methods: Blood was collected from 355 cats from the Sydney region over a 12-year period from 1992 to 2003.

Infections and some other conditions affecting the skin and subcutis of the naso-ocular region of cats--clinical experience 1987-2003.

Infections of the skin or subcutis of the naso-ocular region develop through two mechanisms. Cases with lesions but without concomitant signs of nasal disease probably result from cat scratch injuries. Under certain circumstances, such lacerations result in the introduction of saprophytic microorganisms in such large numbers that host defence mechanisms are overwhelmed.

Role of peripheral vision in terms of critical perception--its relevance to the visually impaired.

It is recognised that discrimination of fine detail is dependent on an intact macula with the peripheral retina being responsible for motion detection. There is evidence, however, to suggest that the peripheral retina does play a critical part in such discrimination. Studies of the performance of visually impaired school children have revealed levels of visual perception far exceeding anything that would be expected for individuals so severely handicapped.