Exokrin pancreasinsufficiens hos schäfer

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a hereditary disease that in Sweden is especially common in German shepherds. The Swedish German shepherd club has currently no plan of action for decreasing disease prevalence in the breed. The purpose of this study was to review existing literature about the disease and also to perform an inventory of the disease in the Swedish dog population. Special focus was laid on the German shepherd breed. The inventory was later compared to an unpublished inventory of the disease with data from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences from 1997. During the period 2002-06-01 to 2007-09-26 (ca 64 months) 2961 blood samples were analyzed for cTLI. 274 samples were positive (cTLI <2.5μmol/l). 32 breeds including dogs of mixed breed were represented among the positive dogs. German shepherd, border collie, borzoi, cairn terrier, eurasian dogs, rough-coated collie and mixed breeds were statistically over represented (p <0.05) in the sampled population. The average age among the positive German shepherds at the time of blood sampling was 52.8 months ±30.6 months; the median age was 48 months (4-140 months). Bitches were statistically over represented (p <0.05). A comparison of the previous inventory with the current revealed that the number of blood samples tested for cTLI has increased greatly. The number of German shepherds tested compared to the whole population has decreased, as has the number of positive German shepherds compared to the whole positive population. The ratio of positive German shepherds and tested German shepherd has remained about the same. An identification of the genetic basis of the disease and a genetic test to identify disease carriers would be valuable for the German shepherd breed in Sweden, as the current breeding does not seem to decrease the prevalence in the dog population.Exokrin pancreasinsufficiens är en ärftlig sjukdom som i Sverige drabbar framför allt schäfer och till vilken det i nuläget inte finns något kopplat avelsprogram. Syftet med denna studie var att göra en genomgång av publicerad litteratur om sjukdomen och att göra en inventering av sjukdomsläget i Sverige idag, framför allt med inriktning på schäferhundar. Inventeringen jämfördes sedan med en opublicerad sammanställning som gjordes vid Klinisk kemiska laboratoriet, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet 1997. Under perioden 2002-06-01 till 2007-09-26 (avrundat till 64 månader) testades 2961 blodprover för TLI. 274 blodprover var positiva, det vill säga TLI <2,5 μmol/l. Hundar från 31 raser samt blandrashundar och hundar av okänd ras har testats positiva. Av dessa var schäfer, borzoi, border collie, cairnterrier, eurasier, långhårig collie samt blandraser överrepresenterade inom urvalsgruppen (p<0,05). De schäfrar som testats positiva studerades närmare. Genomsnittlig ålder vid provtagning var 52,8 mån ±30,6 månader, medianen var 48 mån (4-140 månader). Hundar av honkön (tikar samt honkastrater) var statistiskt överrepresenterade (p<0,05). Vid jämförelse med den sammanställda perioden 1996-1997 kunde det ses att antalet testade hundar har ökat kraftigt. Andelen testade schäfrar och andelen schäfrar av positivt testade hundar har sjunkit, men av testade schäfrar är andelen positiva konstant eller något ökad. En identifiering av den genetiska orsaken till sjukdomen och ett gentest för att identifiera anlagsbärande hundar vore värdefullt för den svenska schäferaveln eftersom den aktuella aveln inte verkar ha fått antalet drabbade hundar att minska

Mastitis in dairy cows

Mastitis, inflammation of the udder, is a common disease among dairy cows worldwide. This thesis investigated the genotype variation and spread of three major udder pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and Streptococcus uberis. Isolates collected in a previous study of veterinary-treated clinical mastitis (VTCM) were used to study between-herd genotype variation in epidemiologically independent isolates and differences in outcome. Intramammary infections (IMI) were scrutinized for their occurrence on the day of calving and four days later by quarter milk sampling in selected herds with mastitis problems. The importance for long-term udder health and production of these IMI was also investigated. The two most common Staph. aureus genotypes among the VTCM isolates were detected in 64% of the herds. In contrast, none of almost 100 Strep. uberis isolates from different herds was of the same genotype. The Strep. dysgalactiae isolates varied moderately compared to the ones of Staph. aureus and Strep. uberis. The common genotypes of Staph. aureus were associated with a lower somatic cell count (SCC) during the follow-up period, compared to the less common genotypes. No differences were detected between genotypes of streptococci, but cows with Strep. dysgalactiae VTCM had a lower SCC during the follow-up period compared to those with Strep. uberis. In herds with mastitis problems, Staph. aureus was the most common pathogen found at and just after calving, followed by Strep. dysgalactiae, and Strep. uberis. Isolates of Staph. aureus showed the lowest within-herd genotype diversity, followed by an intermediate diversity of Strep. dysgalactiae and a high diversity of Strep. uberis. There was a marked variation in occurrence of IMI at or close to calving in herds with mastitis problems, indicating that the predisposing factors for udder infections at calving differed between herds. Most early lactation IMI were associated with an increase in lactation SCC, whereas associations with other outcome variables were more variable. Altogether, this thesis contributes knowledge about Staph. aureus, Strep. dysgalactiae, and Strep. uberis that can be used in preventive work against these IMI

Участие условно-патогенной флоры небных миндалин в этиологии хронического тонзиллита

ТОНЗИЛЛИТ /ЭТИОЛРЕСПИРАТОРНЫЕ ИНФЕКЦИИМИНДАЛИНАБИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ФАКТОР

Binding of von Willebrand factor by coagulase-negative staphylococci

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the most common infectious micro-organisms isolated from prosthetic devices. To determine whether von Willebrand factor (vWF) acts as an adhesin in bacterial recognition, bacterial binding of recombinant vWF (rvWF) was studied. Eleven CNS strains, belonging to S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus and S. hominis species, bound soluble rvWF, but to a lesser extent than S. aureus. S. epidermidis strain H2-W bound 125I-labelled rvWF in a dose-dependent manner. The binding could be inhibited by unlabelled rvWF and thrombospondin, but not by fibrinogen, vitronectin or the carbohydrates N-acetylgalactoseamine, d-galactose, d-glucose, and d-fucose. Pre-incubation of rvWF with type I collagen and Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptides did not inhibit binding, whereas pre-incubation of rvWF with heparin decreased binding significantly. The interaction between CNS and rvWF was sensitive to proteinase treatment of bacterial cells. CNS strains bound to immobilised rvWF an extent greater or equal to the positive control strain S. aureus Cowan I. rvWF binding structures from bacterial cell wall were detected by immunoblot. Cowan I strain had 140-, 90- and 38-kDa binding molecules. S. haemolyticus strain SM131 and S. epidermidis strain H2-W had two (120 and 60 kDa) and five (120, 90, 60, 52 and 38 kDa) binding molecules, respectively. Similar binding structures were formed when cell wall extracts from these strains were incubated with thrombospondin. These results indicate that specific ligand–receptor interaction between CNS and rvWF may contribute to bacterial adhesion and colonisation on biomaterial surfaces. Heparin-binding domains of rvWF might be the crucial regions for bacterial attachment. rvWF and thrombospondin may recognise similar molecules in staphylococcal cell wall extracts

Electroconvulsive Therapy in Depression: Improvement in Quality of Life Depending on Age and Sex

Objectives It is uncertain if there are variations in the improvement of quality in life between sexes and age groups after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The aim of this study was to investigate how health-related quality of life changed after treatment and to examine differences in the results between sex and age groups. Methods This register-based study used data from the Swedish national quality register for ECT. The study population was patients diagnosed with depression who had received ECT. Health-related quality of life was quantified using the 3-level version the EuroQol 5-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D 3 L). Analysis of variance was used to compare change in EQ-5D score from pretreatment to posttreatment between sex and age groups. Results There was a statistically significant improvement in EQ-5D index score and EQ visual analog scale (VAS) score in all patient groups after ECT. The mean improvement in EQ-5D index score and EQ-VAS score ranged from 0.31 to 0.46 and 28.29 to 39.79, respectively. Elderly patients had greater improvement in EQ-5D index score and EQ-VAS score than younger patients. There was no significant difference in improvement between the sexes. The mean improvement in EQ-5D index score was 0.40 for male patients and 0.41 for female patients. Conclusions Electroconvulsive therapy had a considerable effect on health-related quality of life in patients with depression of both sexes and all age groups. The improvement was greatest in elderly patients, who more often had psychotic features. More studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of ECT and to further explain the varying treatment results between elderly and younger patients.publishedVersio

The Feasibility and Potential of Training Correctional Officers in Flexible Styles of Communication to Reduce Burnout: A Multiple Baseline Trial in Real-Life Settings

Background: Burnout is typically high among correctional officers. By a training intervention in the flexible communication style ‘everyday conversations’ as a way to increase job-related resources, this study aimed to reduce burnout in Swedish correctional officers. Methods: In a stepped wedged waiting list design, 13 prison wards with 266 employees were randomized to the everyday conversations intervention at different time points during the study period. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey scales over 16 time points. Results: A significant reduction in cynicism was found. In addition, moderation effects relating to personal motivators and characteristics were found. Conclusion: There is feasibility and potential to implement communication skills to reduce burnout among employees in real-life prison settings

Validity of diagnoses, treatment dates, and rating scales in the Swedish national quality register for electroconvulsive therapy

Background The Swedish national quality register for electroconvulsive therapy (Q-ECT) contains data on patients receiving treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Sweden. Aim This study determined the validity of diagnoses, treatment dates, and rating scales in the Q-ECT by investigating the degree of accordance between data from the Q-ECT and patient records. Materials and methods From January 2016 to December 2017, 200 treatment series were randomly selected from the Q-ECT. The corresponding patient records were requested from the treating hospitals. Data on the indicative diagnosis, dates for the first and the last ECT session, and rating scales were compared between the Q-ECT and patient records using (i) a strict and (ii) a liberal method of assessment. Using the liberal method, each variable was assessed as accordant if it belonged to the same diagnosis group, or if the dates differed by less than 1 week, or ratings differed by only 1 point on the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI- S), or no more than 3 points on the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale between the Q-ECT and the patient record. Results A total of 179 patient records were received. The strict method of assessment showed an accordance of 89% or higher for all studied variables. The liberal method showed an accordance of 95% or higher. Conclusions We conclude that data on the studied variables in the Q-ECT have high validity. However, limited use of some rating scales makes the results uncertain. Measures can be taken to further improve the data quality.publishedVersio