850 research outputs found
Urinalysis in Great Dane Puppies from Birth to 28 Days of Age
Urinalysis, a common test in infants, could represent a suitable non-invasive clinical tool in
puppies. In dog neonates, urine is easily collected by stimulating the somato-vesccal reflex.
Information on urine characteristics during the neonatal period is missing. Beside instrumental
laboratory analyses, the dipstick was proven useful for rapid urinalysis to evaluate specific gravity
(SG), pH, leukocytes, nitrites, glucose, proteins, ketones, urobilinogen, bilirubin, and blood. The
present study aimed to describe urinalysis features by the dipstick test and refractometer along the
neonatal period. Urine samples (n = 624) were collected by manual stimulation from 48 healthy Great
Danes, daily from birth to seven days, then twice a week until 28 days, to assess age-related changes
(ANOVA, p < 0.05) and the possible effects of gender and litter (T-test, p < 0.05). The SG and pH
significantly changed during the neonatal period. Other parameters did not vary significantly in
relation to age. No significant differences were observed either among litters or between genders. The
present study confirmed that canine kidneys are able to concentrate urine from the second week of age
when the urinary SG started to be similar to adults, while pH still increased towards the typical values
of adults at 28 days. Significant glucosuria and proteinuria were never detected. Dipstick urinalysis
represents a useful first-line complementary tool in newborns clinical examination, providing
information about systemic homeostasis
A biotic support during pregnancy to strengthen the gastrointestinal performance in puppies
Up to 60% of neonates can be affected by gastroenteritis due to specific pathogens or aspecific polymicrobial interactions. The present study evaluated if a dietary supplementation with MOS, FOS, E. faecium and L. acidophilus in pregnancy may reduce gastroenteritis in puppies. Fifteen Great Danes were divided in 3 groups. The control group (CG) ate a standard diet. In 2 study groups, the diet was supplemented with pre-and probiotics during the last (1WG) and the last 4 pregnancy weeks (4WG). Up to 9 weeks, puppies were checked daily to identify first-or second-presentation gastroenteritis. Data were processed by χ2 (P < 0.05). First-presentation gastroenteritis was more frequent in CG than in 1WG than in 4WG. Second-presentation gastroenteritis was more frequent in CG than in 1 and 4WG. Puppies from pre-and probiotics supplemented bitches were less prone to gastroenteritis. 1 or 4WG equally reduced second-presentation gastroenteritis in puppies, but 4WG was better than 1WG on first-presentation gastroenteritis. By entero-mammary link, supplemented bitches produced higher immune quality colostrum, thus puppies faced immunitary challenges better; moreover, maternal microbiota, positively altered by supplementation, was transferred to newborns, becoming more resistant to gastroenteritis. This information can be useful in clinical practice with the goal of preventing gastroenteritis in puppies and reducing its prevalence and severity
Contact-dependent Stimulation and Inhibition of Dendritic Cells by Natural Killer Cells
Natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) are two distinct cell types of innate immunity. It is known that the in vitro interaction of human NK cells with autologous DCs results in DC lysis. Here we show that contact-dependent interactions between activated human NK cells and immature DCs (iDCs) provides a “control switch” for the immune system. At low NK/DC ratios, this interaction dramatically amplifies DC responses, whereas at high ratios it completely turns off their responses. Specifically, culture of activated human NK cells with iDCs, at low NK/DC ratios (1:5), led to exponential increases in DC cytokine production, which were completely dependent on cell-to-cell contact. DC maturation was also driven by cognate interactions with NK cells and maturation was dependent on endogenously produced TNF-α in the culture. At slightly higher NK/DC ratios (5:1), inhibition of DC functions was the dominant feature due to potent killing by the autologous NK cells. Resting NK cells also stimulated autologous DC maturation in a TNF-α/contact-dependent manner, however, increasing the NK/DC ratio only led to an enhancement of this effect
Pre- and Probiotics to Increase the Immune Power of Colostrum in Dogs
Wide differences in Ig concentration in canine colostrum have been reported. Thus, some litters can be at risk of passive immune transfer failure. Present study evaluated if supplementation with MOS, FOS, E. faecium and L. acidophilus along pregnancy increases colostrum quality. Twenty Great Dane bitches were divided into 4 groups. Control group (CG) received standard diet, only. Diet was supplemented with pre- and probiotics in other 3 study groups during: the last (1WG), last 2 (2WG), and last 4 (4WG) weeks of pregnancy, until parturition. Serum samples were collected at estrous (T0), supplementation beginning (T1), and parturition (T2). Colostrum was collected at C-section end. The IgG, IgM, and IgA were assayed on both matrices. In serum, IgG were higher at T0 than at parturition in all study groups and they significantly lowered from T0 to T1 in all groups. In colostrum, IgG and IgM were significantly higher in 4WG, while IgA already increased in 2WG group. Four-week pre- and probiotic supplementation resulted in the best immune properties of colostrum, as by the higher IgG, IgM, and IgA colostrum levels found in 4WG. Further studies would verify the exact mechanisms involved: pre-partum IgG mammary accumulation and B-cells GALT proliferation and mammary transfer. Further trials would verify whether these beneficial effects of pre- and probiotics on colostrum also lead to improved clinical conditions and immunological functions of newborns and puppies
Effects of Alfaxalone or Propofol on Giant-Breed Dog Neonates Viability During Elective Caesarean Sections
Nowadays, thanks to the increased awareness of owners and breeders and to the most recent techniques available to veterinarians, the management of parturition, especially of C-sections, has become a topic of greater importance. Anesthesia is crucial and must be targeted to both the mother and neonates. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the induction agent alfaxalone on the vitality of puppies born from elective C-section, in comparison to propofol. After inducing general anesthesia for elective C-section, puppies from the mothers induced with alfaxalone had higher 5-min Apgar scores than those induced with propofol. The concentration of cortisol in fetal fluids collected at birth is neither influenced by the anesthetic protocol used, nor does it differ between amniotic and allantoic fluids. Nevertheless, the cortisol concentration in fetal fluids affects the relationship between anesthesia and the Apgar score: the present study highlights a significant relationship between the anesthetic protocol used and Apgar score in puppies, and fetal fluids cortisol concentration acts as a covariate of this relationship. Alfaxalone is a safe and effective drug for the induction of anesthesia in dogs, and it can be successfully employed for elective C-section, with neonatal wellbeing improvements
Ejaculation effect on canine prostatic specific esterase serum concentration
Canine prostatic diseases are usually asymptomatic in their onset and often identified in advanced stages. Canine prostatic specific esterase (CPSE) represents an early serum marker for prostatic diseases, also in asymptomatic dogs. The present study aimed to identify the effects of ejaculation on serum CPSE. Twenty adult intact male dogs were enrolled. Blood samples were collected to measure CPSE concentrations before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 24 h post (T2) ejaculation. Data were compared within and between groups by ANOVA (p < 0.05). Dogs were divided in two equal groups: A (healthy: CPSE ≤ 52.3 ng/mL at T0) and B (suspected for prostatic disorders: CPSE > 52.3 ng/mL or diagnosed with symptoms of prostatic diseases: CPSE > 90 ng/mL). CPSE was shown to be statistically higher in group B than A at any time point. In both groups, CPSE showed a significant increase at T1, and no significant differences between T0 and T2. This study demonstrates a definite effect of ejaculation on CPSE concentration. Twenty-four hours post-ejaculation, CPSE returns to basal values. Such physiological effects of ejaculation should be considered when planning analyses of CPSE concentrations, i.e., by respecting a proper sexual rest
There is a short gamma-ray burst prompt phase at the beginning of each long one
We compare the prompt intrinsic spectral properties of a sample of short
Gamma--ray Burst (GRB) with the first 0.3 seconds (rest frame) of long GRBs
observed by Fermi/GBM. We find that short GRBs and the first part of long GRBs
lie on the same E_p--E_iso correlation, that is parallel to the relation for
the time averaged spectra of long GRBs. Moreover, they are indistinguishable in
the E_p--L_iso plane. This suggests that the emission mechanism is the same for
short and for the beginning of long events, and both short and long GRBs are
very similar phenomena, occurring on different timescales. If the central
engine of a long GRB would stop after ~0.3 * (1+z) seconds the resulting event
would be spectrally indistinguishable from a short GRB.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, MNRAS accepte
Effective absorbing column density in the gamma-ray burst afterglow X-ray spectra
We investigate the scaling relation between the observed amount of absorption
in the X-ray spectra of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows and the absorber
redshift. Through dedicated numerical simulations of an ideal instrument, we
establish that this dependence has a power law shape with index 2.4. However,
for real instruments, this value depends on their low energy cut-off, spectral
resolution and on the detector spectral response in general. We thus provide
appropriate scaling laws for specific instruments. Finally, we discuss the
possibility to measure the absorber redshift from X-ray data alone. We find
that 10^5-10^6 counts in the 0.3-10 keV band are needed to constrain the
redshift with 10% accuracy. As a test case we discuss the XMM-Newton
observation of GRB 090618 at z=0.54. We are able to recover the correct
redshift of this burst with the expected accuracy.Comment: MNRAS accepted. 6 figures. 3 table
Multi-wavelength analysis of the field of the dark burst GRB 031220
We have collected and analyzed data taken in different spectral bands (from
X-ray to optical and infrared) of the field of GRB031220 and we present results
of such multiband observations. Comparison between images taken at different
epochs in the same filters did not reveal any strong variable source in the
field of this burst. X-ray analysis shows that only two of the seven Chandra
sources have a significant flux decrease and seem to be the most likely
afterglow candidates. Both sources do not show the typical values of the R-K
colour but they appear to be redder. However, only one source has an X-ray
decay index (1.3 +/- 0.1) that is typical for observed afterglows. We assume
that this source is the best afterglow candidate and we estimate a redshift of
1.90 +/- 0.30. Photometric analysis and redshift estimation for this object
suggest that this GRB can be classified as a Dark Burst and that the
obscuration is the result of dust extinction in the circum burst medium or
inside the host galaxy.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication on A&
- …