Retrospective analysis of the relationship between time of thoracostomy drain removal and discharge time.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the volume of fluid being produced at the time of thoracostomy drain removal and the time to hospital discharge in dogs and cats.

Methods: Records of 101 dogs and 26 cats with thoracostomy drains were reviewed. Three subgroups were created according to the reason for thoracostomy drain placement: P (postsurgical), A (air) and F (fluid).

Efficacy of thermal cautery for intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate as compared to conservatively treated horses: results from 78 treadmill diagnosed horses.

Reasons For Performing Study: Previously, objective comparisons of surgical procedures to relieve dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) have been limited by the presumptive basis of the diagnostic measures applied.

Objectives: To assess and compare the efficacy of thermal cautery surgery to conservatively treated controls in racehorses definitively diagnosed with idiopathic intermittent DDSP.

Hypothesis: Both conservative and surgical treatments have a beneficial result on racing performance in racehorses affected with DDSP.

Role of regulatory T-cells in autoimmunity.

There has been considerable historical interest in the concept of a specialist T-cell subset which suppresses over-zealous or inappropriate T-cell responses. However, it was not until the discovery that CD4(+)CD25(+) T-cells had suppressive capabilities both in vitro and in vivo that this concept regained credibility and developed into one of the most active research areas in immunology today. The notion that in healthy individuals there is a subset of T(reg)-cells (regulatory T-cells) involved in 'policing' the immune system has led to the intensive exploration of the role of this subset in disease resulting in a number of studies concluding that a quantitative or qualitative decline in T(reg)-cells is an important part of the breakdown in self-tolerance leading to the development of autoimmune diseases.

Complications of equine oral surgery.

The vast majority of equine oral procedures are dental-related and, unless great care is taken, almost all such procedures have the potential to cause marked short- or long-term damage to other oral structures. This review of the more common complications of oral surgery begins at the rostral oral cavity with procedures of the incisors, and then moves caudally to deal with complications related to procedures of wolf teeth and cheek teeth, including salivary duct disruption and dental sinusitis. Finally, complications associated with maxillary and mandibular fractures are discussed.

Correlation of the Havemeyer endoscopic laryngeal grading system with histopathological changes in equine Cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscles.

The establishment of a single validated endoscopic laryngeal grading system for assessing recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is desirable to facilitate direct comparisons between the findings of different clinical and research groups worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the Havemeyer endoscopic laryngeal grading system and histopathological changes consistent with RLN in the left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) muscle of horses of different breeds with a full range of clinical severities of RLN, i.e.

The animal as surgical patient: a historical perspective in the 20th century.

Current veterinary history has not engaged significantly with patient histories. In many historical accounts of veterinary medicine, animal patients are backgrounded or completely invisible. Yet modern veterinary medicine, in its dominant form of companion animal practice, has become increasingly patient-centred.

Pathological studies of cheek teeth apical infections in the horse: 2. Quantitative measurements in normal equine dentine.

Measurements of primary, regular and irregular secondary dentine and pulp dimensions were made on transverse, sub-occlusal and mid-tooth sections, of 40 maxillary and 42 mandibular control equine cheek teeth (CT) of different ages. Maxillary and mandibular CT primary dentine in different age groups had a mean thickness of 922-1,065 microm and 1099-1,179 microm, respectively, on the lateral aspects, and 1,574-2,035 microm and 1155-1,330 microm, respectively, on the medial aspects of pulp horns. Surprisingly, some increase in thickness was found in some mandibular CT primary enamel in the first few years following eruption.

Treatment of oromaxillary fistulae in nine standing horses (2002-2006).

Reasons For Performing Study: There is minimal published information on equine oromaxillary fistulae that are unrelated to cheek teeth (CT) repulsion or on the conservative treatment of these atypical fistulae.

Objectives: To report equine oromaxillary fistulae unrelated to CT extraction and describe their management in standing horses.

Methods: Case details of oromaxillary fistulae of atypical aetiology occurring at 2 referral centres between 2002-2006, including their treatment and response to treatment were examined.

Pathological studies of cheek teeth apical infections in the horse: 5. Aetiopathological findings in 57 apically infected maxillary cheek teeth and histological and ultrastructural findings.

Examination of 57 apically infected maxillary cheek teeth (CT) showed one or more viable pulps and minimal apical calcified tissue changes present in recently infected CT. With chronic infections, pulps were necrotic or absent, pulp horns were filled with food if occlusal pulpar exposure was present, and gross caries of dentine was occasionally present. With chronic infections, the apical changes varied from gross destructive changes in some teeth, to extensive proliferative calcified apical changes in others.

Pathological studies of cheek teeth apical infections in the horse: 4. Aetiopathological findings in 41 apically infected mandibular cheek teeth.

Examination of 41 extracted, apically infected mandibular cheek teeth (CT) without obvious causes of infection included radiography, computerised axial tomography and decalcified and undecalcified histology. In CT with recent infections, some pulps remained viable, with proliferative soft and calcified tissue changes confined to the apex. With more advanced CT infections, occlusal pulpar exposure was sometimes present (in 34% of the 41 CT), some infected pulp chambers were filled with necrotic pulp or food, and extensive destructive or proliferative changes were present in the calcified apical tissues.

Evaluation of the long-term oral consequences of equine exodontia in 50 horses.

The aims of this study were to objectively evaluate and quantify the process of post-extraction cheek teeth (CT) dental drift in horses, and to report on associated disorders of CT wear and long-term periodontal health. Fifty horses that had CT oral extraction because of apical infection were prospectively re-examined and a full oral examination, including measurements of some dental parameters, was performed. Narrowing of the extraction space was noted in all cases with complete closure occurring in 18% of horses.

Pathological studies of cheek teeth apical infections in the horse: 1. Normal endodontic anatomy and dentinal structure of equine cheek teeth.

Morphological examinations were performed on 100 normal equine cheek teeth (CT) of 1-12 years dental age (i.e. time since eruption), using gross examination, dissection microscopy, computerised axial tomography, and decalcified and undecalcified histology.

Pathological studies of cheek teeth apical infections in the horse: 3. Quantitative measurements of dentine in apically infected cheek teeth.

Histological measurements of dimensions of primary, regular secondary and irregular secondary dentine, pulp diameter and assessment of the levels of predentine, resting lines and enlarged areas of intertubular dentine were performed in apically infected mandibular and maxillary cheek teeth (CT). These examinations showed significantly reduced regular and irregular secondary dentine thickness in diseased as compared to control CT, with 21/26 infected maxillary CT and 15/18 infected mandibular CT having reduced regular secondary dentine (varying between 27.4% and 89.

Rabies control in rural Africa: evaluating strategies for effective domestic dog vaccination.

Effective vaccination campaigns need to reach a sufficient percentage of the population to eliminate disease and prevent future outbreaks, which for rabies is predicted to be 70%, at a cost that is economically and logistically sustainable. Domestic dog rabies has been increasing across most of sub-Saharan Africa indicating that dog vaccination programmes to date have been inadequate. We compare the effectiveness of a variety of dog vaccination strategies in terms of their cost and coverage in different community settings in rural Tanzania.

Lymphoproliferative disease with features of lymphoma in the central nervous system of a horse.

Lymphoma (malignant lymphoma, lymphosarcoma) is uncommon in horses in the United Kingdom. This report describes an unusual form of lymphoproliferative disease with features of lymphoma restricted to the central nervous system (CNS) and with no evidence of a primary lesion elsewhere. Immunohistochemical examination defined an overwhelming predominance of T lymphocytes with admixed B lymphocytes and activated macrophages.

Platelet distribution width and mean platelet volume in the interpretation of thrombocytopenia in dogs.

Objective: To investigate the use of platelet volume indices in the interpretation of thrombocytopenia in dogs with systemic disease.

Methods: Case records of 80 control dogs and 159 thrombocytopenic dogs with systemic disease were reviewed retrospectively. The relationships between mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and platelet count in systemically well dogs were established.

Melatonin treatment prior to the normal breeding season increases fetal number in United Kingdom sheep flocks.

Litter size determined ultrasonographically at 45-90 days after mating in eight groups of commercial sheep (n=2609) treated with slow release melatonin implants immediately prior to the natural breeding season showed a 19% treatment effect averaged over the eight groups, from 148% to 167% (P<0.01) compared with controls (n=2499). Control groups had a litter size ranging from 124% to 194% thereby representing most commercial production systems in the UK sheep industry.

Study of the short- and long-term outcomes of 65 horses with peritonitis.

The records of 65 horses with peritonitis examined at two UK referral centres over a period of 12 years were reviewed. Peritonitis was defined in terms of the horse's peritoneal fluid containing more than 5 x 10(9) nucleated cells/l. Horses that had developed peritonitis after abdominal surgery or a rupture of the gastrointestinal tract were excluded.

Bovine intelectins: cDNA sequencing and expression in the bovine intestine.

Intelectins (Itlns) are lectins with potential roles in innate immunity, capable of binding bacteria via galactofuranose residues. Itlns also function as intestinal receptors for the antimicrobial glycoprotein lactoferrin (Lf). Since Lf binds strongly to enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC), we aimed to determine the expression of Lf receptor in terminal rectum, the site of predilection of EHEC in cattle.

Exploring reservoir dynamics: a case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem.

Knowledge of infection reservoir dynamics is critical for effective disease control, but identifying reservoirs of multi-host pathogens is challenging. Here, we synthesize several lines of evidence to investigate rabies reservoirs in complex carnivore communities of the Serengeti ecological region in northwest Tanzania, where the disease has been confirmed in 12 carnivore species.Long-term monitoring data suggest that rabies persists in high-density domestic dog Canis familiaris populations (> 11 dogs km(-2)) and occurs less frequently in lower-density (< 5 dogs km(-2)) populations and only sporadically in wild carnivores.

Occlusal angles of cheek teeth in normal horses and horses with dental disease.

The angle between the occlusal surface of the tooth and the horizontal plane of 687 cheek teeth from the skulls of 22 horses without gross dental disorders and 11 horses with dental disorders were measured by using stiff malleable wire as an imprint. Each measurement was repeated five times and the mean angle was recorded. In the normal skulls, the mean occlusal angles of the mandibular cheek teeth ranged from 19.