Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders

Abstract Background Labrador retrievers are reportedly predisposed to many disorders but accurate prevalence information relating to the general population are lacking. This study aimed to describe demography, mortality and commonly recorded diseases in Labrador retrievers under UK veterinary care. Methods The VetCompass™ programme collects electronic patient record data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices. Demographic analysis covered all33,320 Labrador retrievers in the VetCompass™ database under veterinary care during 2013 while disorder and mortality data were extracted from a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) of these dogs. Results Of the Labrador retrievers with information available, 15,427 (46.4%) were female and 15,252 (53.6%) were male. Females were more likely to be neutered than males (59.7% versus 54.8%, P <  0.001). The overall mean adult bodyweight was 33.0 kg (SD 6.1). Adult males were heavier (35.2 kg, SD 5.9 kg) than adult females (30.4 kg, SD 5.2 kg) (P <  0.001). The median longevity of Labrador retrievers overall was 12.0 years (IQR 9.9–13.8, range 0.0–16.0). The most common recorded colours were black (44.6%), yellow (27.8%) and liver/chocolate (reported from hereon as chocolate) (23.8%). The median longevity of non-chocolate coloured dogs (n = 139, 12.1 years, IQR 10.2–13.9, range 0.0–16.0) was longer than for chocolate coloured animals (n = 34, 10.7 years, IQR 9.0–12.4, range 3.8–15.5) (P = 0.028). Of a random sample of 2074 (6.2%) Labrador retrievers under care in 2013 that had full disorder data extracted, 1277 (61.6%) had at least one disorder recorded. The total number of dogs who died at any date during the study was 176. The most prevalent disorders recorded were otitis externa (n = 215, prevalence 10.4%, 95% CI: 9.1–11.8), overweight/obesity (183, 8.8%, 95% CI: 7.6–10.1) and degenerative joint disease (115, 5.5%, 95% CI: 4.6–6.6). Overweight/obesity was not statistically significantly associated with neutering in females (8.3% of entire versus 12.5% of neutered, P = 0.065) but was associated with neutering in males (4.1% of entire versus 11.4% of neutered, P < 0.001). The prevalence of otitis externa in black dogs was 12.8%, in yellow dogs it was 17.0% but, in chocolate dogs, it rose to 23.4% (P < 0.001). Similarly, the prevalence of pyo-traumatic dermatitis in black dogs was 1.1%, in yellow dogs it was 1.6% but in chocolate dogs it rose to 4.0% (P = 0.011). Conclusions The current study assists prioritisation of health issues within Labrador retrievers. The most common disorders were overweight/obesity, otitis externa and degenerative joint disease. Males were significantly heavier females. These results can alert prospective owners to potential health issues and inform breed-specific wellness checks

Dermatitis associated with exposure to a marine cyanobacterium during recreational water exposure

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anecdotal evidence reported an outbreak of symptoms on Fraser Island during the late 1990s similar to those expected from exposure to dermotoxins found in the cyanobacterium <it>L. majuscula</it>. This coincided with the presence of a bloom of <it>L. majuscula</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Records from the Fraser Island National Parks First aid station were examined. Information on cyanobacterial blooms at Fraser Island were obtained from Queensland National Parks rangers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Examination of first aid records from Fraser Island revealed an outbreak of symptoms predominantly in January and February 1998.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>During a bloom of <it>L. majuscula </it>there were numerous reports of symptoms that could be attributed to dermotoxins found in <it>L. majuscula</it>. The other four years examined had no <it>L. majuscula </it>blooms and the number of <it>L. majuscula </it>symptoms was much reduced. These cases comprised a high percentage of the cases treated at the first aid station.</p

Minimal stress shielding with a Mallory-Head titanium femoral stem with proximal porous coating in total hip arthroplasty

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As longevity of cementless femoral components enters the third decade, concerns arise with long-term effects of fixation mode on femoral bone morphology. We examined the long-term consequences on femoral remodeling following total hip arthroplasty with a porous plasma-sprayed tapered titanium stem.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Clinical data and radiographs were reviewed from a single center for 97 randomly selected cases implanted with the Mallory-Head Porous femoral component during primary total hip arthroplasty. Measurements were taken from preoperative and long-term follow-up radiographs averaging 14 years postoperative. Average changes in the proximal, middle and diaphyseal zones were determined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On anteroposterior radiographs, the proximal cortical thickness was unchanged medially and the lateral zone increased 1.3%. Middle cortical thickness increased 4.3% medially and 1.2% laterally. Distal cortical thickness increased 9.6% medially and 1.9% laterally. Using the anteroposterior radiographs, canal fill at 100 mm did not correlate with bony changes at any level (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of -0.18, 0.05, and 0.00; p value = 0.09, 0.67, 0.97). On lateral radiographs, the proximal cortical thickness increased 1.5% medially and 0.98% laterally. Middle cortical thickness increased 2.4% medially and 1.3% laterally. Distal cortical thickness increased 3.5% medially and 2.1% laterally. From lateral radiographs, canal fill at 100 mm correlated with bony hypertrophy at the proximal, mid-level, and distal femur (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.85, 0.33, and 0.28, respectively; p value = 0.001, 0.016, and 0.01, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Stress shielding is minimized with the Mallory-Head titanium tapered femoral stem with circumferential proximal plasma-sprayed coating in well-fixed and well-functioning total hip arthroplasty. Additionally, the majority of femora demonstrated increased cortical thickness in all zones around the stem prosthesis. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III.</p

Beta-HPV E6 Contributes To Skin Cancer by Hindering DNA Repair

<div><p>Recent work has explored a putative role for the E6 protein from some β-human papillomavirus genus (β-HPVs) in the development of non-melanoma skin cancers, specifically β-HPV 5 and 8 E6. Because these viruses are not required for tumor maintenance, they are hypothesized to act as co-factors that enhance the mutagenic capacity of UV-exposure by disrupting the repair of the resulting DNA damage. Supporting this proposal, we have previously demonstrated that UV damage signaling is hindered by β-HPV 5 and 8 E6 resulting in an increase in both thymine dimers and UV-induced double strand breaks (DSBs). Here we show that β-HPV 5 and 8 E6 further disrupt the repair of these DSBs and provide a mechanism for this attenuation. By binding and destabilizing a histone acetyltransferase, p300, β-HPV 5 and 8 E6 reduce the enrichment of the transcription factor at the promoter of two genes critical to the homology dependent repair of DSBs (BRCA1 and BRCA2). The resulting diminished BRCA1/2 transcription not only leads to lower protein levels but also curtails the ability of these proteins to form repair foci at DSBs. Using a GFP-based reporter, we confirm that this reduced foci formation leads to significantly diminished homology dependent repair of DSBs. By deleting the p300 binding domain of β-HPV 8 E6, we demonstrate that the loss of robust repair is dependent on viral-mediated degradation of p300 and confirm this observation using a combination of p300 mutants that are β-HPV 8 E6 destabilization resistant and p300 knock-out cells. In conclusion, this work establishes an expanded ability of β-HPV 5 and 8 E6 to attenuate UV damage repair, thus adding further support to the hypothesis that β-HPV infections play a role in skin cancer development by increasing the oncogenic potential of UV exposure.</p></div

Assessing the ecological risks from the persistence and spread of feral populations of insect-resistant transgenic maize

One source of potential harm from the cultivation of transgenic crops is their dispersal, persistence and spread in non-agricultural land. Ecological damage may result from such spread if the abundance of valued species is reduced. The ability of a plant to spread in non-agricultural habitats is called its invasiveness potential. The risks posed by the invasiveness potential of transgenic crops are assessed by comparing in agronomic field trials the phenotypes of the crops with the phenotypes of genetically similar non-transgenic crops known to have low invasiveness potential. If the transgenic and non-transgenic crops are similar in traits believed to control invasiveness potential, it may be concluded that the transgenic crop has low invasiveness potential and poses negligible ecological risk via persistence and spread in non-agricultural habitats. If the phenotype of the transgenic crop is outside the range of the non-transgenic comparators for the traits controlling invasiveness potential, or if the comparative approach is regarded as inadequate for reasons of risk perception or risk communication, experiments that simulate the dispersal of the crop into non-agricultural habitats may be necessary. We describe such an experiment for several commercial insect-resistant transgenic maize events in conditions similar to those found in maize-growing regions of Mexico. As expected from comparative risk assessments, the transgenic maize was found to behave similarly to non-transgenic maize and to be non-invasive. The value of this experiment in assessing and communicating the negligible ecological risk posed by the low invasiveness potential of insect-resistant transgenic maize in Mexico is discussed

How Abnormal Is the Behaviour of Captive, Zoo-Living Chimpanzees?

Background. Many captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) show a variety of serious behavioural abnormalities, some of which have been considered as possible signs of compromised mental health. The provision of environmental enrichments aimed at reducing the performance of abnormal behaviours is increasing the norm, with the housing of individuals in (semi-)natural social groups thought to be the most successful of these. Only a few quantitative studies of abnormal behaviour have been conducted, however, particularly for the captive population held in zoological collections. Consequently, a clear picture of the level of abnormal behaviour in zoo-living chimpanzees is lacking. Methods. We present preliminary findings from a detailed observational study of the behaviour of 40 socially-housed zoo-living chimpanzees from six collections in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. We determined the prevalence, diversity, frequency, and duration of abnormal behaviour from 1200 hours of continuous behavioural data collected by focal animal sampling. Results, conclusion, and significance. Our overall finding was that abnormal behaviour was present in all sampled individuals across six independent groups of zoo-living chimpanzees, despite the differences between these groups in size, composition, housing, etc. We found substantial variation between individuals in the frequency and duration of abnormal behaviour, but all individuals engaged in at least some abnormal behaviour and variation across individuals could not be explained by sex, age, rearing history or background (defined as prior housing conditions). Our data support a conclusion that, while most behaviour of zoo-living chimpanzees is ‘normal’ in that it is typical of their wild counterparts, abnormal behaviour is endemic in this population despite enrichment efforts. We suggest there is an urgent need to understand how the chimpanzee mind copes with captivity, an issue with both scientific and welfare implications

Genetic Diversity and Microevolution of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the Environment

The soil dwelling Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the cause of melioidosis, a serious human infection that occurs in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the population genetic structure of B. pseudomallei in the environment. To achieve this, we undertook soil sampling and culture for the presence of B. pseudomallei in 100 equally spaced points within an area of disused land in northeast Thailand, and undertook detailed genotyping of primary plate colonies isolated from three independent sampling points. Our results demonstrated that multiple B. pseudomallei genotypes were present within a single soil sample, and that different genotypes were present at independent but nearby sampling points. The B. pseudomallei genetic population was unevenly distributed within a given sample, with a predominant genotype co-existing with several genotypes present as a minority population. We discuss the implications of this structuring of genotypic frequency in terms of micro-evolutionary dynamics and ecology, and how our results may inform future sampling strategies

Comparing multiple competing interventions in the absence of randomized trials using clinical risk-benefit analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To demonstrate the use of risk-benefit analysis for comparing multiple competing interventions in the absence of randomized trials, we applied this approach to the evaluation of five anticoagulants to prevent thrombosis in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a cost-effectiveness approach from a clinical perspective (i.e. risk benefit analysis) we compared thromboprophylaxis with warfarin, low molecular weight heparin, unfractionated heparin, fondaparinux or ximelagatran in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery, with sub-analyses according to surgery type. Proportions and variances of events defining risk (major bleeding) and benefit (thrombosis averted) were obtained through a meta-analysis and used to define beta distributions. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted and used to calculate incremental risks, benefits, and risk-benefit ratios. Finally, net clinical benefit was calculated for all replications across a range of risk-benefit acceptability thresholds, with a reference range obtained by estimating the case fatality rate - ratio of thrombosis to bleeding.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The analysis showed that compared to placebo ximelagatran was superior to other options but final results were influenced by type of surgery, since ximelagatran was superior in total knee replacement but not in total hip replacement.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Using simulation and economic techniques we demonstrate a method that allows comparing multiple competing interventions in the absence of randomized trials with multiple arms by determining the option with the best risk-benefit profile. It can be helpful in clinical decision making since it incorporates risk, benefit, and personal risk acceptance.</p