Tag: pubmed

Top Companion Anim Med. 2021 Nov 22:100615. doi: 10.1016/j.tcam.2021.100615. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Tear production is an important factor in maintaining proper function of the cornea and conjunctiva. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of bolus followed by infusion of fentanyl, lidocaine and ketamine on tear production as measured by the Schirmer I Tear Test (STT-I) in dogs. A prospective, randomized, “double-blind” study was performed. A total of 55 healthy conscious client-owned dogs were included in the study. Dogs were randomly allocated to one of four groups and given intravenous fentanyl 0.005 mg kg^-1 followed by 0.005 mg kg^-1 hour^-1 (FEN-group), ketamine 0.6 mg kg^-1 followed by 0.6 mg kg^-1 hour^-1 (KET-group), lidocaine 1 mg kg^-1 followed by 1 mg kg^-1 hour^-1 (LID-group), or saline 0.3 mL kg^-1 followed by 2 mL kg^-1 hour^-1 (SAL-group). The STT-I was performed prior to (baseline) and again 30 minutes (T30) after initiation of drug administration. Data were expressed as the median (minimum – maximum) and analyzed by Wilcoxon and Steel-Dwass tests (p < 0.05). The STT-I values increased little but were statistically significant in the KET-group from 18 (14-23) to 19 (14-25) (P = 0.039) and in the LID-group from 21 (14-25) to 20 (17-29) (P = 0.027). At 30 minutes, STT-I values were significantly higher in LID-group 20 (17-29) than in FEN-group 18 (12-22) (P = 0.006). Fentanyl, ketamine and lidocaine administered at the studied doses as a bolus and then followed by an infusion within 30 minutes in healthy conscious dogs demonstrated a clinically insignificant effect on tear production as measured by STT-I.

PMID:34823068 | DOI:10.1016/j.tcam.2021.100615

Clin Psychol Psychother. 2021 Nov 25. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2697. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pathological grief has received increasing attention in recent years, as about 10% of the bereaved suffer from one kind of it. Pathological grief in the form of Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a relatively new diagnostic category which will be included into the up-coming ICD-11. To date, various risk and protective factors, as well as treatment options for pathological grief, have been proposed. Nevertheless, empirical evidence in that area is still scarce. Our aim was to identify the association of interpersonal closeness with the deceased and bereavement outcome. Interpersonal closeness with the deceased in 54 participants (27 patients suffering from PGD and 27 bereaved healthy controls) was assessed as the overlap of pictured identities via the Inclusion of the Other in the Self Scale (IOS-scale). In addition to that, data on PGD symptomatology, general mental distress, and depression were collected. Patients suffering from PGD reported higher inclusion of the deceased in the self. By contrast, they reported feeling less close towards another living close person. Results of the IOS-scale were associated with PGD-severity, general mental distress, and depression. Inclusion of the deceased in the self is a significant statistical predictor for PGD-caseness.

PMID:34822735 | DOI:10.1002/cpp.2697

Nurs Open. 2021 Nov 25. doi: 10.1002/nop2.1132. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the construct validity and internal consistency of the revised Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) in South Africa (SA) and Zambia.

DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2018 and December 2019.

METHODS: The study population comprised PHC workers (n = 454) in five districts in SA and Zambia. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to explore the construct validity, and Cronbach’s alpha was applied to measure the internal consistency of the MHLS.

RESULTS: Cronbach’s alpha values for three attributes were below the appropriate level, but the value was strong (0.804) for the whole scale. The study found nine components explaining ~59% of the total variance of variables. All MHLS items loaded to main attributes based on the theory of MHL. The results stated that the revised version of the MHLS is a construct valid instrument with strong internal consistency.

PMID:34822738 | DOI:10.1002/nop2.1132

Toxics. 2021 Nov 6;9(11):297. doi: 10.3390/toxics9110297.

ABSTRACT

Water quality is continuously affected by anthropogenic and environmental conditions. A significant issue of the Indian rivers is the massive water pollution, leading to the spreading of different diseases due to its daily use. Therefore, this study investigates three aspects. The first one is testing the hypothesis of the existence of a monotonic trend of the series of eight water parameters of the Brahmaputra River recorded for 17 years at ten hydrological stations. When this hypothesis was rejected, a loess trend was fitted. The second aspect is to assess the water quality using three indicators (WQI)-CCME WQI, British Colombia, and a weighted index. The third aspect is to group the years and the stations in clusters used to determine the regional (spatial) and temporal trend of the WQI series, utilizing a new algorithm. A statistical analysis does not reject the hypothesis of a monotonic trend presence for the spatially distributed data but not for the temporal ones. Hierarchical clustering based on the computed WQIs detected two clusters for the spatially distributed data and two for the temporal-distributed data. The procedure proposed for determining the WQI temporal and regional evolution provided good results in terms of mean absolute error, root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).

PMID:34822688 | DOI:10.3390/toxics9110297

Lett Appl Microbiol. 2021 Nov 25. doi: 10.1111/lam.13606. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Vibrio harveyi is a common aquaculture pathogen causing diseases in a variety of aquatic animals. toxR, a conserved virulence-associated gene in vibrios, is identified in V. harveyi 345, a pathogenic strain isolated from diseased fish. In this study, to gain insight into function of ToxR in V. harveyi, an in-frame deletion of the toxR gene was constructed to reveal the role of ToxR in the physiology and virulence of V. harveyi. The statistical analysis showed no significant differences in the growth ability, motility, extracellular protease secretion, antibiotic susceptibility, virulence by intraperitoneal injection, and the ability of V. harveyi to colonize the spleen and liver tissues of the pearl gentian grouper between the wild-type (WT) and the toxR mutant. However, the deletion of toxR increased the biofilm formation. The structure of the V. harveyi biofilm was further analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and the results showed that deletion of toxR increased the number and density of V. harveyi biofilm. Since biofilm production is flagella, exopolysaccharide (EPS), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dependent, 16 of V. harveyi biofilm-related genes were selected for further analysis. Based on quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), the expression levels of these genes, including genes flrB, motY, and mshA, flaE, flrA, and gmhD, were significantly up-regulated in the ΔtoxR⁺ strain as compared with the WT⁺ and C-ΔtoxR strains during the early and mid-exponential, while epsG, flaA, flaE, flgD, flgE, flrB, flrC, lpxB, motY, mshA, and scrG genes were inhibited because of deletion of the toxR gene in the stationary growth phase. Our results indicate that ToxR plays an important role in controlling the biofilm in V. harveyi.

PMID:34822732 | DOI:10.1111/lam.13606

Vet Sci. 2021 Nov 2;8(11):259. doi: 10.3390/vetsci8110259.

ABSTRACT

The detection capacity of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV) in tongues from dead animals in breeding herds (stillborns and piglets dying during the lactating period) and nursery farms (naturally dead animals) for PRRSV surveillance was evaluated. The samples were selected if pairs of serum and tongues were available from 2018 to 2020. Serum (pools of five) and exudate from tongues (one bag) were analyzed by PRRSV RT-PCR. The agreement between the serum sample procedure versus tongues exudate was assessed using a concordance test (Kappa statistic) at batch level. A total of 32 submissions, corresponding to 14 farms, had PRRSV diagnostic information for serum and tongues exudate. The overall agreement of batch classification as positive or negative, based on RT-PCR PRRSV results, between serum and tongue exudate of the 32 pairs was 76.9%. Cohen’s Kappa was 0.55. The main discrepancy came from the presence of positive samples in tongues exudate and not in serum, suggesting that tongue exudate to monitor PRRSV seems to be more sensitive than serum. These results suggest that this sample procedure could be also used for PRRSV surveillance and monitoring.

PMID:34822632 | DOI:10.3390/vetsci8110259

Vet Sci. 2021 Nov 15;8(11):276. doi: 10.3390/vetsci8110276.

ABSTRACT

Mild-moderate (MEA), severe (SEA) equine asthma and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) are common respiratory disorders in horses. The present retrospective study aims to evaluate the role of ultrasonography and endoscopy in the diagnosis of these conditions. Three hundred and three horses were included and divided into SEA, MEA and MEA + EIPH groups, on the basis of history, clinical examination and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf) cytology; scores were assigned to lung ultrasonography, pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH), tracheal mucus (TM) and tracheal bifurcation edema (TB). These scores were compared between groups, and their associations with age, BALf cytology, tracheal wash microbiology and between endoscopic and ultrasonographic scores were statistically analyzed. Ultrasonographic scores were higher in the SEA and MEA + EIPH groups and associated with increased BALf neutrophils and hemosiderophages. The PLH score was higher in younger horses affected by MEA and EIPH and associated with increased eosinophils and hemosiderophages. TM and TB scores were greater in older horses affected by SEA, associated with increased neutrophils and inversely correlated with hemosiderophages. Moreover, TM grade was negatively correlated with mast cells. Thoracic ultrasonography and airway endoscopy can provide useful information about the inflammatory status of upper and lower airways in the horse.

PMID:34822649 | DOI:10.3390/vetsci8110276

Toxins (Basel). 2021 Nov 18;13(11):814. doi: 10.3390/toxins13110814.

ABSTRACT

Differences in snake venom composition occur across all taxonomic levels and it has been argued that this variation represents an adaptation that has evolved to facilitate the capture and digestion of prey and evasion of predators. Bothrops atrox is a terrestrial pitviper that is distributed across the Amazon region, where it occupies different habitats. Using statistical analyses and functional assays that incorporate individual variation, we analyzed the individual venom variability in B. atrox snakes from four different habitats (forest, pasture, degraded area, and floodplain) in and around the Amazon River in Brazil. We observed venom differentiation between spatially distinct B. atrox individuals from the different habitats, with venom variation due to both common (high abundance) and rare (low abundance) proteins. Moreover, differences in the composition of the venoms resulted in individual variability in functionality and heterogeneity in the lethality to mammals and birds, particularly among the floodplain snakes. Taken together, the data obtained from individual venoms of B. atrox snakes, captured in different habitats from the Brazilian Amazon, support the hypothesis that the differential distribution of protein isoforms results in functional distinctiveness and the ability of snakes with different venoms to have variable toxic effects on different prey.

PMID:34822598 | DOI:10.3390/toxins13110814

Vet Sci. 2021 Oct 26;8(11):250. doi: 10.3390/vetsci8110250.

ABSTRACT

While prior research has explored various physiological consequences associated with assistive device use for ambulation, limited research has specifically explored the impact of mobility dog partnership on human kinematics. This descriptive study examined the impact of mobility dog partnership on kinematics of individuals in the normal young adult population. Sixteen participants were video recorded while walking in a straight line for 3.7 m (12 feet) under three different conditions (ambulating with no device, ambulating with a standard cane on the left side, and ambulating with a mobility dog on the left side). Differences between joint angles under each of the conditions were analyzed. Statistically significant differences were found in left elbow flexion when comparing ambulating with a cane versus ambulating with no device; left shoulder abduction when comparing ambulating with a cane versus ambulating with a mobility dog, ambulating with a mobility dog versus no device, and ambulating with a cane versus no device; and left hip extension when comparing ambulating with a mobility dog versus no device, and when ambulating with a mobility dog versus a cane. These findings suggest that providers should evaluate and monitor potential negative impacts of assistive devices such as mobility dogs on human kinematics.

PMID:34822623 | DOI:10.3390/vetsci8110250

Toxins (Basel). 2021 Nov 15;13(11):806. doi: 10.3390/toxins13110806.

ABSTRACT

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a common toxic mycotoxin and is detectable in pregnant women. Animal studies have revealed that AFB1 caused the lysis of erythrocytes and a decrease in hemoglobin. We conducted a prospective cohort study in Guangxi, China, in order to evaluate the association between AFB1 exposure and anemia in pregnant women during the entire pregnancy. A total of 616 pregnant women from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort were included in the study. Serum AFB1-albumin (AFB1-ALB) adduct levels were measured. The effect of AFB1-ALB adducts on hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were analyzed by using multivariable linear regression. The risks of anemia from AFB1-ALB adduct exposure were assessed by multivariable logistic regression. We found that the AFB1-ALB adduct was significantly associated with a decrease in Hb (β = -4.99, 95% CI: -8.42, -1.30), MCV (β = -4.58, 95% CI: -7.23, -1.94), MCH (β = -1.86, 95% CI: -2.87, -0.85), and MCHC (β = -5.23, 95% CI: -8.28, -2.17) in the first trimester with the third tertile of AFB1-ALB adducts when compared with the first tertile. Furthermore, the third tertile of the AFB1-ALB adduct significantly increased the risk of anemia by 2.90 times than compared to the first tertile in the first trimester (OR = 3.90, 95% CI: 1.67, 9.14). A significant positive does-response relationship existed between AFB1-ALB adduct levels and anemia risk (P_trend = 0.001). When dividing anemia types, we only found that the third tertile of AFB1-ALB adduct increased the risk of microcytic hypochromic anemia (MHA) in the first trimester (OR = 14.37, 95% CI: 3.08, 67.02) and second trimester (OR = 4.75, 95% CI: 1.96, 11.51). These findings demonstrate the correlation between maternal AFB1 exposure during early pregnancy and risk of anemia, especially MHA, and during different trimesters in Southern China. More efforts should be made to diminish AFB1 exposure for pregnant women.

PMID:34822590 | DOI:10.3390/toxins13110806