Uterine dynamics, blood profiles, and electronic fetal monitoring of primiparous and multiparous bitches classified according to their weight

Perinatal mortality occurs in all species. In dogs, mortality rates have been reported to range from 5 to 35%. Electronic fetal and uterine monitoring has recently been used in domestic animals to monitor the mother and newborn before and during parturition. In this way, the fetal heart rate and uterine dynamics can be monitored. This study evaluated the uterine dynamics of bitches with different weights and parity. Ninety-six bitches and their 476 puppies were divided into four experimental groups containing 24 individuals each (12 primiparous bitches and 12 multiparous bitches), according to body weight: G1 (4–8 kg), G2 (8.1–16 kg), G3 (16.1 to 32 kg), and G4 (32.1 to 39.6 kg). The fetal heart rate decelerations (dip 2 patterns), uterine dynamics, and bitches’ blood profiles were evaluated, including levels of glucose, lactate, pCO2, pO2, pH, HCO3−, and Ca++. The dam weight can affect the vitality of newborns and the uterine dynamics, with differences in the frequency, intensity, and duration of myometrial contractions. The expulsion interval between puppies was longest in primiparous bitches with low weight and shortest in multiparous bitches with high weight. The expulsion interval and the number of stillborn females were higher in primiparous bitches with high weight. Newborn male puppies were significantly heavier than newborn females

Vitality in Newborn Farm Animals: Adverse Factors, Physiological Responses, Pharmacological Therapies, and Physical Methods to Increase Neonate Vigor

Publication history: Accepted - 29 April 2023; Published - 4 may 2023.Vitality is the vigor newborn animals exhibit during the first hours of life. It can be assessed by a numerical score, in which variables, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, mucous membranes’ coloration, time the offspring took to stand up, and meconium staining, are monitored. Vitality can be affected by several factors, and therapies are used to increase it. This manuscript aims to review and analyze pharmacological and physical therapies used to increase vitality in newborn farm animals, as well as to understand the factors affecting this vitality, such as hypoxia, depletion of glycogen, birth weight, dystocia, neurodevelopment, hypothermia, and finally, the physiological mechanism to achieve thermostability. It has been concluded that assessing vitality immediately after birth is essential to determine the newborn’s health and identify those that need medical intervention to minimize the deleterious effect of intrapartum asphyxia. Vitality assessment should be conducted by trained personnel and adequate equipment. Evaluating vitality could reduce long-term neonatal morbidity and mortality in domestic animals, even if it is sometimes difficult with the current organization of some farms. This review highlights the importance of increasing the number of stock people during the expected days of parturitions to reduce long-term neonatal morbidity and mortality, and thus, improve the farm’s performance.This research received no external funding

Strategies for Hypothermia Compensation in Altricial and Precocial Newborn Mammals and Their Monitoring by Infrared Thermography

Publication history: Accepted - 18 May 2022; Published - 23 May 2022.Thermoregulation in newborn mammals is an essential species-specific mechanism of the nervous system that contributes to their survival during the first hours and days of their life. When exposed to cold weather, which is a risk factor associated with mortality in neonates, pathways such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) are activated to achieve temperature control, increasing the circulating levels of catecholamine and cortisol. Consequently, alterations in blood circulation and mechanisms to produce or to retain heat (e.g., vasoconstriction, piloerection, shivering, brown adipocyte tissue activation, and huddling) begin to prevent hypothermia. This study aimed to discuss the mechanisms of thermoregulation in newborn domestic mammals, highlighting the differences between altricial and precocial species. The processes that employ brown adipocyte tissue, shivering, thermoregulatory behaviors, and dermal vasomotor control will be analyzed to understand the physiology and the importance of implementing techniques to promote thermoregulation and survival in the critical post-birth period of mammals. Also, infrared thermography as a helpful method to perform thermal measurements without animal interactions does not affect these parameters.Non

Gut colonization and subsequent infection of neonates caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

The gut microbiota harbors diverse bacteria considered reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance genes. The global emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) significantly contributes to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). We investigated the presence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-PEco) and ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-PKpn) in neonatal patients’ guts. Furthermore, we identified the factors contributing to the transition towards ESBL-PEco and ESBL-PKpn-associated healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The study was conducted from August 2019 to February 2020, in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Rectal samples were obtained upon admission, on a weekly basis for a month, and then biweekly until discharge from the neonatology ward. Clinical data, culture results, and infection information were gathered. We conducted antimicrobial tests, multiplex PCR assay, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile and genetic relationships. A comparison between the group’s controls and cases was performed using the Wilcoxon and Student t-tests. Of the 61 patients enrolled, 47 were included, and 203 rectal samples were collected, identifying 242 isolates. In 41/47 (87%) patients, colonization was due to ESBL-PEco or ESBL-PKpn. And nine of them developed HAIs (22%, 9/41). ESBL-PEco resistance to cephalosporins ranged from 25.4% to 100%, while ESBL-PKpn resistance varied from 3% to 99%, and both bacteria were susceptible to carbapenems, tigecillin, and colistin. The prevalent blaCTX-M-group-1 gene accounted for 77.2% in ESBL-PEco and 82.2% in ESBL-PKpn, followed by blaTEM 50% and blaOXA-1 43.8% in ESBL-PEco and blaTEM 80.2% and blaSHV 76.2% in ESBL-PKpn. Analysis of clonality revealed identical colonizing and infection isolates in only seven patients. Significant risk factors included hospital stay duration, duration of antibiotic treatment, and invasive device usage. Our findings suggest high ESBL-PEco and ESBL-PKpn rates of colonization often lead to infection in neonates. Attention should be paid to patients with ESBL-PE

Parturition in Mammals: Animal Models, Pain and Distress

Parturition is a complex physiological process and involves many hormonal, morphological, physiological, and behavioural changes. Labour is a crucial moment for numerous species and is usually the most painful experience in females. Contrary to the extensive research in humans, there are limited pain studies associated with the birth process in domestic animals. Nonetheless, awareness of parturition has increased among the public, owners, and the scientific community during recent years. Dystocia is a significant factor that increases the level of parturition pain. It is considered less common in polytocous species because newborns’ number and small size might lead to the belief that the parturition process is less painful than in monotocous animal species and humans. This review aims to provide elements of the current knowledge about human labour pain (monotocous species), the relevant contribution of the rat model to human labour pain, and the current clinical and experimental knowledge of parturition pain mechanisms in domestic animals that support the fact that domestic polytocous species also experience pain. Moreover, both for women and domestic animal species, parturition’s pain represents a potential welfare concern, and information on pain indicators and the appropriate analgesic therapy are discussed

Conocimiento de cuidados paliativos pediátricos del personal de salud de un hospital de tercer nivel

Introduction: To assess the knowledge among healthcare personnel on Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC). Material and methods: Observational and an analytical Cross sectional study was made. Structured and anonymous questionnaires were applied of knowledge and needs of PPC to health personnel interviews of a third level pediatrics hospital. The maximum score was 100 points. Results: Two hundred professionals were interviewed. The median CPP was 66 (25, 75 interquartilar range (IQR) 54.2, 83.3), attending physician had more knowledge than the rest of the staff. The nurses and social workers (SW) had the lowest. (P<0,001). The main need for the CPP was training. Conclusion: The knowledge of the CPP is moderate, being higher in attending physician and less in nurses and SW. The most outstanding feature was the need of implementation training programs in CPP in children with a diagnosis of noncurable disease.Introducción: Evaluar los conocimientos del personal de salud sobre Cuidados Paliativos Pediátricos (CPP). Material y métodos: Estudio transversal y analítico: Encuesta. Se aplicaron cuestionarios estructurados y anónimos sobre conocimientos y necesidades de CPP a personal de salud de un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel. La calificación máxima fue de 100 puntos. Resultados: Se entrevistó a 200 profesionales. La mediana de CPP fue de 66 (rango inter-quartilar 25, 75 (RIQ) 54.2, 83.3) Los médicos adscritos tuvieron mayores conocimientos que el resto del personal. Las enfermeras y trabajadoras sociales (TS) tuvieron las calificaciones más bajas (p<0.001). La principal necesidad para los CPP fue la capacitación. Conclusión: El conocimiento de los CPP es moderado siendo mayor en los mé- dicos y menor en las enfermeras y TS. Se destaca la necesidad de la implementación de programas de capacitación sobre CPP para niños con diagnóstico de enfermedad no curabl

Pathophysiology of Perinatal Asphyxia in Humans and Animal Models

Perinatal asphyxia is caused by lack of oxygen delivery (hypoxia) to end organs due to an hypoxemic or ischemic insult occurring in temporal proximity to labor (peripartum) or delivery (intrapartum). Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy is the clinical manifestation of hypoxic injury to the brain and is usually graded as mild, moderate, or severe. The search for useful biomarkers to precisely predict the severity of lesions in perinatal asphyxia and hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a field of increasing interest. As pathophysiology is not fully comprehended, the gold standard for treatment remains an active area of research. Hypothermia has proven to be an effective neuroprotective strategy and has been implemented in clinical routine. Current studies are exploring various add-on therapies, including erythropoietin, xenon, topiramate, melatonin, and stem cells. This review aims to perform an updated integration of the pathophysiological processes after perinatal asphyxia in humans and animal models to allow us to answer some questions and provide an interim update on progress in this field.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCPediatrics, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearcherOthe

Descriptive study of adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in México from 2014 to 2017.

INTRODUCTION:In Pediatrics, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) affect morbidity and mortality. In Mexico, the characteristics of ADRs and suspect drugs have not been described in hospitalized children. OBJECTIVE:To estimate the frequency of ADRs and describe them, as well as suspect drugs, in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico. METHODS:A total of 1,649 Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gómez ADR reports were analyzed. Completeness of the information was assessed, and ADRs severity and seriousness were assigned based on NOM-220-SSA1-2012, with causality being established according to the Naranjo algorithm. ADRs were classified with WHO Adverse Drug Reaction Terminology (WHO-ART). The drugs involved in ADRs were categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. Descriptive analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 statistical package. RESULTS:Of all the reports, 5.8% lacked sufficient information for the analysis (grade 0). ADRs frequency ranged from 2.12% to 8.07%. ADRs occurred most commonly in children (56.9%), in the female gender (52%), in subjects with normal BMI Z-score (46.6%) and malnutrition (35.3%), diagnosed with neoplasms (72.2%) and in the Emergency Department (70.0%). ADRs were severe in 14.4% of cases, in 81.0% they were serious and 2.1% were classified as definite. Most common serious ADR was febrile neutropenia (44.5%). The 0.7% of patients recovering with sequelae; 1.1% died (with the medication being associated) and 70.3% were admitted to the hospital as a result of an ADR. Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were more commonly associated with serious ADRs. CONCLUSION:ADRs affected morbidity and mortality, which is why strengthening pharmacovigilance programs in Mexican pediatric hospitals is necessary

Leucemias neonatales: experiencia en el Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIMFG)

INTRODUCCIÓN: la leucemia neonatal (o congénita) es aquella diagnosticada en los primeros 30 días tras el nacimiento. Su incidencia se reporta en 1 a 5 por cada millón de recién nacidos vivos (corresponde a menos del 1% de las leucemias en pediatría). OBJETIVO: describir los casos diagnosticados en el Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIMFG). PRESENTACIÓN DE LA SERIE DE CASOS: se incluyó pacientes menores de 30 días a los cuales se les realizó el diagnóstico morfológico de leucemias entre el 1º de enero de 1990 y el 1º de junio del 2012 en el HIMFG. RESULTADOS: en los 12 años del estudio se identificaron 3,061 casos de leucemias, de los cuales sólo cinco expedientes correspondieron a leucemias neonatales. Se describen tres pacientes femeninos y dos masculinos, con edad media al diagnóstico de 21 días (17-26 días), tratándose con mayor frecuencia de leucemia mieloide (LMA) en tres casos (60%) y leucemia linfoide en dos pacientes. Un caso de LMA asociado a síndrome de Down. En ningún caso se encontraron translocaciones de riesgo. Cuatro pacientes (80%) recibieron manejo para síndrome de lisis tumoral. Cuatro pacientes fallecieron con una mediana de edad de 84 días (57-176 días). El paciente que sobrevivió recibió tratamiento con doxorrubicina y metotrexate al 50% y en su último seguimiento a los tres años de edad continuaba en remisión. CONCLUSIONES: la presentación de los casos corresponde a la reportada en literatura con respecto a frecuencias de leucemias linfoides y mieloides. La supervivencia global a largo plazo fue del 20% (33% para las mieloides) con un solo paciente en remisión. Este padecimiento tiene un pronóstico fatal que puede mejorar con el diagnóstico oportuno (incluso prenatal) y manejo con quimioterapia intensiva. Ésta es la serie más grande de leucemias neonatales reportada en México

Consumption of Maternal Placenta in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Beneficial and Adverse Effects

Placentophagia is a common mammalian behavior, and the first scientific study of the potential effects of human maternal placentophagia on lactation was in 1917. More recently, in the 1970s, human placentophagia was reported in North America with a trend toward increased consumption. There are different hypotheses about the women and nonhuman mammals&rsquo; motivation towards placentophagia, but few have been subject to hypotheses testing. In women, the controversy continues; on the one hand, researchers attribute benefits like increased breast milk, weight gain in newborns, decreased postpartum depression and fatigue, and improved mothers&rsquo; mood. In contrast, bacterial or viral infections, hormonal, or trace elements that could become toxic for both the mother and baby are reported as possible health risks. Other reports argue a lack of scientific rigor to support the self-reported benefits of placentophagia. Also, the way the placenta is prepared (raw, cooked, dehydrated, processed, or encapsulated) alters its components, and thus the desired effects. This review provides relevant information and the different hypotheses and points of view around placentophagia. However, there are still questions to be resolved, and more studies are needed to confirm or reject the data generated so far about placentophagia in humans and nonhuman mammals