Assessment of foot health and animal welfare: clinical findings in 229 dairy Mediterranean Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) affected by foot disorders.

BACKGROUND Lameness represents the third most important health-related cause of economic loss in the dairy industry after fertility and mastitis. Although, dairy Mediterranean Buffaloes (MB) and dairy cows share similar breeding systems predisposing to similar herd problems, published studies exploring its relevance and role in these ruminants are still rare and incomplete. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical findings of foot disorders (FDs) in dairy MB and their influence on animal welfare, determined by assessment of locomotion score (LS), body condition score (BCS) and cleanliness score (CS). RESULTS Of 1297 multiparous MB submitted to routine trimming procedures, 229 buffaloes showed at least one FD. The prevalence of buffaloes affected by FDs was 17.7 %, while motility and lameness indexes were 84.1 % (1091/1297) and 15.9 % (206/1297), respectively. Overgrowth was present in 17.0 % (220/1297), corkscrew claw in 15.8 % (205/1297), interdigital phlegmon in 0.9 % (12/1297), white line abscess in 0.8 % (11/1297), digital dermatitis in 0.1 % (1/1297) and interdigital hyperplasia in 0.1 % (1/1297). Simultaneous presence of FDs was recorded in 17.0 % of MB (221/1297): overgrowth and corkscrew claw occurred together in 15.8 % of cases (205/1297), overgrowth and interdigital phlegmon in 0.3 % (4/1297), overgrowth and white line abscess in 0.8 % (11/1297), digital dermatitis and interdigital hyperplasia in 0.1 % (1/1297). The presence of FDs was always associated with lameness (LS > 2), except from 23 MB with simultaneous overgrowth and interdigital phlegmon occurrence. The majority of MB within the under-conditioned group (95.5 %, 43/45) and all those with CS > 2 (122/122) had a locomotion score above the threshold of normality (LS > 2). Furthermore, foot diseases such as interdigital hyperplasia, white line abscess and digital dermatitis or interdigital hyperplasia seemed to occur more frequently associated with decreased BCS and increased CS scores. CONCLUSIONS This study describes for the first time the involvement of white line disease, interdigital phlegmona, digital dermatitis and interdigital hyperplasia in foot disorders of dairy Mediterranean buffalo and shows their association with an impairment of animal welfare

Reabilitação das fraturas do rádio distal Rehabilitation of distal radius fractures

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a evidência do efeito e eleição da conduta terapêutica nas fraturas do rádio distal. A revisão sistemática utilizou as bases de dados PubMed, Lilacs, Pedro, Cochrane, Scielo, OTseeker, sem restrições de período de publicação, com as seguintes palavras chaves: fraturas do rádio, reabilitação, terapia ocupacional, fisioterapia, incluindo línguas inglesa, espanhola, francesa e portuguesa. Os estudos encontrados foram avaliados independentemente pelos dois autores utilizando critérios da escala PEDro. Estudos não experimentais foram incluídos em busca de esclarecimentos sobre a reabilitação. Foram encontrados 22 estudos, sendo 14 ensaios clínicos controlados randomizados (ECRs). Dentre eles, quatro compararam mobilização precoce com tratamento convencional apresentando evidência moderada a favor da primeira; sete confrontaram tratamento baseado em exercícios domiciliares com tratamento em consultório apontando evidência conflitiva (um deles também comprovou eficácia de mobilização acessória passiva); e três analisaram eficácia de procedimentos terapêuticos: campo eletromagnético pulsado, drenagem linfática, ultra-som, indicando evidências limitadas. Os nove estudos não experimentais encontrados não apresentaram informações suficientes sobre os questionamentos desta pesquisa. Observou-se uma tendência dos autores em utilizar os princípios gerais da reabilitação ao elaborar condutas terapêuticas, mas os procedimentos utilizados não estão bem atestados pela literatura.<br>The aim of this study was to assess the evidence regarding the adoption and effectiveness of therapeutic procedures employed for rehabilitation of distal radius fractures. This systematic review used the following databases: PubMed, Lilacs, PEDro, Cochrane, Scielo and OTseeker, without time restrictions. The following keywords were searched for: distal radius fracture, rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physiotherapy including reports in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Twenty-two studies were retrieved and analyzed by two independent investigators following the PEDro scale criteria. Other non-experimental studies were included for additional information regarding certain rehabilitation approaches. Of the 14 randomized controlled clinical trials, four compared early mobilization to conventional therapy, showing moderate evidence in favor of earlier mobilization. Seven compared home therapy based on orientations to individual conventional therapy and found conflicting evidences. Three studies also analyzed the efficacy of the following specific therapeutic procedures: Pulsating magnetic field, lymphatic drainage, and ultrasound, which showed limited empirical support. The nine non-experimental studies did not add sufficient information regarding these issues. There was a trend to employ general principles of rehabilitation when elaborating these therapeutic approaches, but these procedures were not adequately supported by literature