Redox Status in Canine Leishmaniasis

World Health Organization defined Leishmaniasis as ‘one of the priority attention diseases’. Aiming to clarify some aspects of its pathogenetic mechanisms, our study has been focused on the assessment of redox status in dogs, the main reservoir for Leishmania infantum. Forty-five dogs from an endemic area in southern Italy were divided into four different groups (from mild disease with negative to low positive antibody levels to very severe disease with medium to high positive antibody levels) accordingly to the LeishVet group guidelines. Their plasma and/or sera were tested for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), namely superoxide anion (O2-), Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS), such as nitric oxide (NO) and hydroperoxides (ROOH), as well as the activity of the detoxifying enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity, as determined by ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, O2- generation was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in leishmaniasis affected dogs independently of the clinical stage, while NO production was stimulated (p < 0.05) only in II and III stage patients. No difference could be found for the levels of hydroperoxides and SOD activity between healthy and pathological subjects. FRAP values, were lower in affected dogs but only in stage II. Taken together, although we demonstrate that several redox status parameters are altered in the plasma of dog affected by Leishmaniasis, the oxidative stress changes that are observed in this disease, are possibly mainly due to the cellular blood components i.e. neutrophils, responsible of the elimination of the parasite. Further studies are required to assess the clinical values of the collected data

Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Parameters in Healthy Saddle Horses in Relation to Housing Conditions, Presence of Stereotypies, Age, Sex and Breed

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of many horse diseases and it has been shown that housing has important implications for the psychophysical well-being of horses. The aim of this study is to determine if there are any dierences between the redox status in horses in relation to housing conditions. The four housing conditions analyzed were: single box, without external access and without contact (Cat A), single box with external access and possibility of partial contact (Cat B), group housing with box and large paddock (Cat C), pasture with more than 7 horses and the possibility of green forage for the whole year (Cat D). A group of 117 healthy horses were selected in several private stables in Northern Italy. All subjects treated with any type of drug were excluded. At the end of the enrollment, the 117 selected horses were divided into the four housing categories. Stereotypies were highest in the group of horses in single box, without external access and without contact (Cat A). Oxidative stress was evaluated by testing plasma or serum samples for the following parameters: superoxide anion (WST), nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (d-ROMs), ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Simultaneously with the blood sampling, the owners completed a questionnaire with all the management aspects of the horse (signaling, feeding, equestrian activity, vaccinations, foot management etc.). The statistical evaluation was carried out based on the categories previously described, on the presence and absence of stereotypies and on some signaling data obtained from the questionnaire. There were no significant dierences in the parameters analyzed between the categories. No significant redox status dierences were detected based on the presence or absence of stereotypies. Interestingly, when the age was introduced as selection (<14 and >14 years old) parameter inside the categories, statistical significance was observed for some of the stress markers considered. Finally, independently of the housing conditions, the horses of the most two represented breeds exhibited dierent values of FRAP. All these aspects are commented in the discussion

Clinical characteristics of italian patients with venous thromboembolism enrolled in the RIETE Registry

Introduction: The clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and outcome of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) may vary from country to country. Materials and methods: The RIETE (Registro Informatizado su la Enfermedad TromboEmbolica) is an ongoing, prospective registry of consecutive patients with acute, objectively confirmed, symptomatic VTE. Our aim was to assess the influence of surgery and immobility for non-surgical reasons on 3-month outcomes of all Italian patients registered in the RIETE. Results: Through July 2008, 21,397 patients with acute VTE were registered in the RIETE. Of these, 896 (4.2%) were Italian, and 360 (40%) presented with pulmonary embolism (PE). Overall, 137 (15%) developed VTE after surgery; 156 (17%) developed VTE after >4 days of immobility, and 603 (67%) developed VTE in the absence of surgery or immobility. Most patients (83%) received initial therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin; 15% received unfractionated heparin. For long-term therapy, 63% of patients received vitamin K antagonists. The incidence of fatal PE during the first 3 months of therapy was 1.5% for patients with postoperative VTE, 7.7% for who developed VTE after immobility, and 1.2% for the remaining patients. The incidence of fatal bleeding among these patients was 1.5%, 1.9% and 0.3%, respectively. Of the 137 patients with postoperative VTE, 61% had received VTE prophylaxis. Of the 156 patients with recent immobility, 24% had received VTE prophylaxis. Conclusions: VTE arising after a period of immobility was associated with the highest rates of fatal PE and fatal bleeding during the first 3 months of therapy. The use of thromboprophylaxis in this population should be improved

Role of a clinical prediction score in a chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension rule-out strategy

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International collaborative study to assess cardiovascular risk and evaluate long-term health in cats with preclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and apparently healthy cats:The REVEAL Study

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most prevalent heart disorder in cats and principal cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Yet, the impact of preclinical disease is unresolved. Hypothesis/Objectives: Observational study to characterize cardiovascular morbidity and survival in cats with preclinical nonobstructive (HCM) and obstructive (HOCM) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in apparently healthy cats (AH). Animals: One thousand seven hundred and thirty client-owned cats (430 preclinical HCM; 578 preclinical HOCM; 722 AH). Methods: Retrospective multicenter, longitudinal, cohort study. Cats from 21 countries were followed through medical record review and owner or referring veterinarian interviews. Data were analyzed to compare long-term outcomes, incidence, and risk for congestive heart failure (CHF), arterial thromboembolism (ATE), and cardiovascular death. Results: During the study period, CHF, ATE, or both occurred in 30.5% and cardiovascular death in 27.9% of 1008 HCM/HOCM cats. Risk assessed at 1, 5, and 10 years after study entry was 7.0%/3.5%, 19.9%/9.7%, and 23.9%/11.3% for CHF/ATE, and 6.7%, 22.8%, and 28.3% for cardiovascular death, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between HOCM compared with HCM for cardiovascular morbidity or mortality, time from diagnosis to development of morbidity, or cardiovascular survival. Cats that developed cardiovascular morbidity had short survival (mean \ub1 standard deviation, 1.3 \ub1 1.7 years). Overall, prolonged longevity was recorded in a minority of preclinical HCM/HOCM cats with 10% reaching 9-15 years. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Preclinical HCM/HOCM is a global health problem of cats that carries substantial risk for CHF, ATE, and cardiovascular death. This finding underscores the need to identify therapies and monitoring strategies that decrease morbidity and mortality

Comparison of seven prognostic tools to identify low-risk pulmonary embolism in patients aged <50 years

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Association Between Preexisting Versus Newly Identified Atrial Fibrillation and Outcomes of Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) may exist before or occur early in the course of pulmonary embolism (PE). We determined the PE outcomes based on the presence and timing of AF. Methods and Results Using the data from a multicenter PE registry, we identified 3 groups: (1) those with preexisting AF, (2) patients with new AF within 2 days from acute PE (incident AF), and (3) patients without AF. We assessed the 90-day and 1-year risk of mortality and stroke in patients with AF, compared with those without AF (reference group). Among 16 497 patients with PE, 792 had preexisting AF. These patients had increased odds of 90-day all-cause (odds ratio [OR], 2.81; 95% CI, 2.33-3.38) and PE-related mortality (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.37-4.14) and increased 1-year hazard for ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 5.48; 95% CI, 3.10-9.69) compared with those without AF. After multivariable adjustment, preexisting AF was associated with significantly increased odds of all-cause mortality (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.57-2.32) but not PE-related mortality (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.85-2.66). Among 16 497 patients with PE, 445 developed new incident AF within 2 days of acute PE. Incident AF was associated with increased odds of 90-day all-cause (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.75-2.97) and PE-related (OR, 3.64; 95% CI, 2.01-6.59) mortality but not stroke. Findings were similar in multivariable analyses. Conclusions In patients with acute symptomatic PE, both preexisting AF and incident AF predict adverse clinical outcomes. The type of adverse outcomes may differ depending on the timing of AF onset.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Long-term Incidence and risk of noncardiovascular and all-cause mortality in apparently healthy cats and cats with preclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Background Epidemiologic knowledge regarding noncardiovascular and all‐cause mortality in apparently healthy cats (AH) and cats with preclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (pHCM) is limited, hindering development of evidence‐based healthcare guidelines. Objectives To characterize/compare incidence rates, risk, and survival associated with noncardiovascular and all‐cause mortality in AH and pHCM cats. Animals A total of 1730 client‐owned cats (722 AH, 1008 pHCM) from 21 countries. Methods Retrospective, multicenter, longitudinal, cohort study. Long‐term health data were extracted by medical record review and owner/referring veterinarian interviews. Results Noncardiovascular death occurred in 534 (30.9%) of 1730 cats observed up to 15.2 years. Proportion of noncardiovascular death did not differ significantly between cats that at study enrollment were AH or had pHCM (P = .48). Cancer, chronic kidney disease, and conditions characterized by chronic weight‐loss‐vomiting‐diarrhea‐anorexia were the most frequently recorded noncardiovascular causes of death. Incidence rates/risk of noncardiac death increased with age in AH and pHCM. All‐cause death proportions were greater in pHCM than AH (65% versus 40%, respectively; P &lt; .001) because of higher cardiovascular mortality in pHCM cats. Comparing AH with pHCM, median survival (study entry to noncardiovascular death) did not differ (AH, 9.8 years; pHCM, 8.6 years; P = .10), but all‐cause survival was significantly shorter in pHCM (P = .0001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance All‐cause mortality was significantly greater in pHCM cats due to disease burden contributed by increased cardiovascular death superimposed upon noncardiovascular death

Estimation of the Degree of Saturation of Shallow Soils from Satellite Observations to Model Soil Slips Occurred in Emilia Romagna Region of Northern Italy

For the development of alert systems for soil slip occurrence, it is important to evaluate the degree of satura-tion of shallow soils (Sr) over wide areas. Taking into account the possibility to estimate spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture using remote sensing techniques, a possible correlation between Sr and the daily output of a sequential data assimilation system called ACHAB (Assimilation Code for HeAt and moisture Balance) has been studied. ACHAB is based on integrated use of remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) and common data on meteorological forcing such as air temperature, wind-speed and incident solar radiation. The aim of this study is to understand if it is possible to use ACHAB output (a daily value of evaporative fraction for the whole Italian territory) to define the parameter Sr that could be introduced in a simplified model for the description of soil slip triggering mechanisms on territorial scale