Diagnostic accuracy of cytology for canine osteosarcoma compared to histopathology

PICO question What is the sensitivity and specificity of cytology as a test for canine osteosarcoma when compared to histopathology as a gold standard?   Clinical bottom line Category of research question Diagnosis The number and type of study designs reviewed Overall, four diagnostic validity studies (two prospective and two retrospective) were critically appraised Strength of evidence Weak to moderate Outcomes reported There is evidence of moderate strength to support that cytology is highly sensitive and specific for diagnosing histologically confirmed osteosarcomas as mesenchymal malignant neoplasms (cytological diagnosis of sarcoma). Evidence of weak strength suggests that the sensitivity and specificity of cytology for identifying the exact histotype (cytological diagnosis of osteosarcoma) are low and high, respectively. Finally, there is currently evidence of weak strength indicating that the sensitivity and specificity of cytology are comparable to that of preoperative histopathology after incisional biopsy for the diagnosis of canine osteosarcoma Conclusion Based on the available evidence, the diagnostic accuracy of cytology in diagnosing histologically confirmed osteosarcomas as sarcomas is high, whereas a confident conclusion cannot be drawn regarding the diagnostic accuracy of cytology for the identification of the exact histotype (cytological diagnosis of osteosarcoma). There is currently scant evidence suggesting that cytology has comparable diagnostic accuracy to preoperative histopathology (i.e. after incisional biopsy) for the diagnosis of canine osteosarcomas, however, more studies are warranted to confirm these results   How to apply this evidence in practice The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient’s circumstances and owners’ values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources. Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care

Moment-Type Estimators for the Dirichlet and the Multivariate Gamma Distributions

This study presents new closed-form estimators for the Dirichlet and the Multivariate Gamma distribution families, whose maximum likelihood estimator cannot be explicitly derived. The methodology builds upon the score-adjusted estimators for the Beta and Gamma distributions, extending their applicability to the Dirichlet and Multivariate Gamma distributions. Expressions for the asymptotic variance-covariance matrices are provided, demonstrating the superior performance of score-adjusted estimators over the traditional moment ones. Leveraging well-established connections between Dirichlet and Multivariate Gamma distributions, a novel class of estimators for the latter is introduced, referred to as "Dirichlet-based moment-type estimators". The general asymptotic variance-covariance matrix form for this estimator class is derived. To facilitate the application of these innovative estimators, an R package called estimators is developed and made publicly available.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure

Differential white blood cell counts in rabbits: a comparison of the Advia 2120 and a manual method

We evaluated the performance of the Advia 2120 (Siemens) differential leukocyte count (A-Diff) compared to the manual method (M-Diff) in rabbits. EDTA-anticoagulated blood samples collected for diagnostic purposes were analyzed within 6 h of collection. The M-Diff was performed blindly by 2 observers on blood smears by counting 200 cells. We initially included 117 samples; 25 samples were excluded because of suboptimal gating of leukocytes in the Advia peroxidase cytogram or poor blood smear quality. The correlation between the A-Diff and M-Diff was very high for heterophils (r = 0.924, p < 0.001) and lymphocytes (r = 0.903, p < 0.001), high for basophils (r = 0.823, p < 0.001), moderate for monocytes (r = 0.645, p < 0.001), and low for eosinophils (r = 0.336, p = 0.001). The Passing–Bablok regression analyses revealed a small-to-moderate constant error for lymphocytes and a slight constant error for basophils. Small proportional errors were detected for heterophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils. The Bland–Altman analyses revealed that the Advia significantly underestimates heterophils and overestimates lymphocytes compared to M-Diff. The biases for the other leukocytes were minimal and likely clinical insignificant; however, our results, particularly for eosinophils, should be interpreted cautiously given the observed low percentages in our samples. Given the observed biases in heterophil and lymphocyte percentages in the Advia 2120 CBC results in rabbits, method-specific reference intervals should be used. The Advia can recognize leporine basophils. Evaluation of blood smears is still recommended to investigate abnormal results and erroneous cytograms reported by the Advia

The promotion of cultivating critical thinking skills in Greek Lyceum: a qualitative content analysis of the first-class Informatics textbook

In order to deal with the constantly and rapidly changing conditions of life, a decision-making capacity is needed. Critical thinking can help effectively in this, and that is why it is an ability that modern education seeks to cultivate. In Informatics-related education, critical thinking is essential. Consequently, in Informatics textbooks it is expected that the cultivation of the critical thinking skills will be promoted. This research is aimed to determine whether this is the case in the Informatics textbook of the A-class of the Greek General Lyceum and for this reason, the content of this textbook was examined. The method that has been used is the Content Analysis, which is an established method for analysis of texts in social sciences. The present research has revealed that in the text the promotion of the cultivation of critical thinking skills is insufficient and in such a way that these skills are not treated equally. These findings should be taken into account during educational use of the textbook

Capillary hemoglobin electrophoresis of healthy and anemic dogs: quantification, validation, and reference intervals of hemoglobin fractions

Despite the advances in canine medicine and the rapid gaining of attention of canine models in biomedical field and particularly in hemoglobin genes research, the studies on canine hemoglobin composition are sparse with ambiguous findings. Our aim was: i) to investigate the electrophoretic pattern of canine hemoglobin and the possible effects of age, sex, and anemia using a capillary electrophoresis assay, and ii) to validate this assay and calculate reference intervals (RIs) for canine hemoglobin fractions. Blood samples were collected from 53 healthy and 42 dogs with regenerative and non-regenerative anemias. The Sebia Capillarys 2 flex-piercing was used for hemoglobin analysis and it was validated using canine blood samples. R statistical language was employed for the statistical analyses. A major hemoglobin fraction (named HbA0) and a minor one (named HbA2) were identified in 100% and 47.4% of samples, respectively. The within-run and between-run CV was 0.1% for HbA0, and 9.1% and 11.2% for HbA2, respectively. The extremely narrow range of HbA0 and HbA2 values hampered a linearity study using canine blood samples. The RIs for HbA0 and HbA2 were 98.9-100% and 0-1.1%, respectively. HbA0 and HbA2 values were not significantly correlated with age (P = 0.866) or reticulocyte count (P = 0.731). No differences were observed in the median HbA0 and HbA2 between the two sexes (P = 0.887), and healthy and anemic dogs (P = 0.805). In conclusion, the capillary electrophoresis revealed a major hemoglobin fraction and an inconsistently present minor fraction. No effect of age, sex, anemia, or regenerative status of anemia was detected. The assay used was validated and RIs were generated, so as to be suitable for use in future investigations

The prognostic value of microalbuminuria in puppies with canine parvoviral enteritis

Increased urine albumin concentration (UALB) or urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) at admission has been associated with systemic disease and increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill canine patients. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic value of UALB and UACR for the survival, as well as for the development and duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in puppies with canine parvoviral enteritis (CPVE). Unvaccinated puppies, aged 1-12 months with confirmed CPVE, hospitalized for ≥5 days were included. Urine was collected at admission via cystocentesis; albumin was measured immunoturbidimetrically and creatinine spectrophotometrically. The presence of SIRS was daily evaluated. Statistical analysis was conducted using R language. Twenty-six dogs were enrolled; 12/26 (46%) developed SIRS during hospitalization, while 5/26 (19%) died. A significant correlation was found between UALB and UACR (ϱ=0.868, p0.05). SIRS duration was significantly correlated with UACR (ϱ=0.427, p=0.030), but not with UALB (ϱ=0.386, p=0.052). The non-survivors had higher median UALB [0.6 (0.1-12.7) mg/dL] and UACR [19.6 (0.7-2,093) mg/g] compared to survivors [UALB= 0.2 (0-1.5) mg/dL, UACR= 2.3 (0-16.9) mg/g], but the differences were non-significant (p>0.05). UACR appears to be a prognostic indicator of SIRS duration in puppies with CPVE. However, a large-scale study is warranted to confirm the usefulness of UALB and UACR for clinical risk assessment in puppies with CPVE

Inorganic profiles of chemical phosphorus removal sludge

Iron dosing is commonly used to remove phosphorus from wastewater but little is known about how this changes the distribution of iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and trace metals in activated and digested sludge. This research compared the inorganic profiles of sludge from full-scale processes (activated sludge and anaerobic digestion) with and without iron dosing, with the aim of identifying changes in inorganic distribution resulting from iron dosing. Sludge phosphorus and metals were fractionated using sequential chemical extraction. Bioavailable iron was lower in iron-dosed activated sludge, as was bioavailable phosphorus (6.5 g/kg compared with 1.8 g/kg), with most of the iron and phosphorus bound as iron-hydroxy-phosphates. Similar results were found for anaerobically digested sludge afer iron dosing; iron and phosphorus in the sludge increased by 4 and 1.35 times, respectively, but bioavailability was decreased. The ratio of chemical oxygen demand to bioavailable phosphorus in the digester was 840 : 1 after iron dosing. By contrast, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc were increasingly bioavailable in the digester after iron dosing. The reported changes were linked to the iron content of the sludge; hence the level of iron dosing is key to minimising changes in sludge inorganic profiles

Reference intervals for canine hematologic analytes using Siemens ADVIA 120

Η γενική εξέταση του αίματος (ΓΕΑ) θεωρείται μείζονος σημασίας για την εκτίμηση του επιπέδου υγείας των ζώων συντροφιάς. Ωστόσο, για την ορθή ερμηνεία των εργαστηριακών αποτελεσμάτων απαιτούνται ακριβείς τιμές αναφοράς. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, ο πρωταρχικός στόχος της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η εξαγωγή τιμών αναφοράς για τις παραμέτρους της ΓΕΑ στον σκύλο, με τη βοήθεια του Advia 120, ενός, ευρέως χρησιμοποιούμενου στην κτηνιατρική, αυτόματου αιματολογικού αναλυτή. Δευτερευόντως, διερευνήσαμε εάν απαιτείται διαχωρισμός των τιμών αναφοράς της ΓΕΑ με βάση το φύλο των σκύλων, καθώς και αν το μέγεθος της φυλής μπορεί να επηρεάσει τις τιμές αναφοράς της ΓΕΑ. Τα ζώα επιλέχθηκαν από το ιατρικό αρχείο της πανεπιστημιακής κλινικής ζώων συντροφιάς του Τμήματος Κτηνιατρικής του Α.Π.Θ. Τον παραπάνω πληθυσμό αποτελούσαν 284 αρσενικοί και θηλυκοί σκύλοι διαφόρων φυλών. Το σύνολο των σκύλων ταξινομήθηκε σε 3 ομάδες με βάση το μέγεθος της φυλής (μικρού, μεσαίου, μεγάλου). Οι τιμές αναφοράς υπολογίστηκαν μη παραμετρικά, χρησιμοποιώντας τα αποτελέσματα της ΓΕΑ των σκύλων που πληρούσαν τα κριτήρια ένταξης στη μελέτη. Προκειμένου να αποφασιστεί εάν απαιτείται ο διαχωρισμός των τιμών αναφοράς της ΓΕΑ με βάση το φύλο, εφαρμόστηκαν τόσο στατιστικά όσο και μη στατιστικά κριτήρια. Ανάλογα με την κατανομή των δεδομένων πραγματοποιήθηκε σύγκριση μέσων ή διαμέσων, με σκοπό να ελεγχθεί η πιθανή επίδραση του μεγέθους της φυλής στις τιμές της ΓΕΑ. Εννέα ζώα αποκλείστηκαν από τη μελέτη, λόγω της ύπαρξης φανερώς ακραίων τιμών στη ΓΕΑ. Σε γενικές γραμμές, οι τιμές αναφοράς που υπολογίστηκαν στην παρούσα εργασία είναι παρόμοιες με αυτές που αναφέρονται στη διεθνή βιβλιογραφία. Επιπλέον, με βάση την εφαρμογή των στατιστικών κριτηρίων, υποδεικνύεται ότι για κάποιες παραμέτρους της ΓΕΑ απαιτούνται διαφορετικές τιμές αναφοράς για τα δύο φύλα. Παρόλα αυτά, από κλινικοεργαστηριακής απόψεως, ο διαχωρισμός των τιμών αναφοράς αμφισβητείται και πιθανώς δεν είναι αναγκαίος. Επίδραση του μεγέθους της φυλής παρατηρήθηκε στις τιμές αναφοράς της ΓΕΑ. Οι τιμές αναφοράς που παρουσιάζονται στην παρούσα εργασία μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν ως οδηγός για την ερμηνεία των αποτελεσμάτων της ΓΕΑ στους σκύλους και να «υιοθετηθούν» από κτηνιατρικά εργαστήρια που χρησιμοποιούν τον αιματολογικό αναλυτή Advia 120. Τέλος, με βάση τα αποτελέσματά μας, το μέγεθος της φυλής θα πρέπει, πιθανώς, να λαμβάνεται υπ’ όψιν κατά την ερμηνεία των αποτελεσμάτων της ΓΕΑ.Hematologic investigation is essential for the evaluation of health status of companion animals. Appropriate and accurate reference intervals (RIs) are required for the interpretation of laboratory results. Thus, the primary aim of the present study was to establish canine complete blood count (CBC) RIs using Advia 120, a widely used in veterinary medicine automated hematology analyzer. Additional objectives were to evaluate sex as a partitioning factor of RIs and to investigate the effect that breed size has on CBC RIs. Reference individuals were selected by indirect sampling method from the medical records of a veterinary teaching hospital. The reference population comprised 284 adult dogs of both sexes and various breeds. The reference individuals were allocated into 3 groups based on breed size (small-sized, medium-sized and large-sized breeds). Complete blood count results from the dogs that met the inclusion criteria were used for the nonparametric calculation of RIs. Statistical and nonstatistical criteria were employed in order to decide whether sex-specific RIs are needed. Depending on the data distributions, mean or median comparisons were used to determine the effect of breed size and lifestyle on CBC results. Nine outliers were detected based on CBC results. The estimated RIs were generally comparable to those previously reported in the literature. Sex-dependent partitioning of RIs was indicated by the statistical criteria for a few analytes. From a clinicopathologic point of view though, sex-dependent partitioning of RIs is questioned and seems not to be required. Breed size appears to have an effect on CBC RIs. The RIs determined in the present study can be used as a guide for the interpretation of CBC results in dogs and can potentially be adopted by veterinary laboratories using Advia 120. Finally, based on the results of this study, breed size should probably be considered when interpreting CBC results