The Effect of Bovine Leukosis Virus Infection on the Proportion Among Bovine Leukocyte Populations in the Hemogram of Cows

The effects of Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV) infection on the proportion among bovine leukocyte populations in blood (WBC) was investigated using differential staining and a CBC profile. Previous research has indicated that total WBC count and total lymphocyte are impacted by BLV infection. However, few studies have included neutrophils, basophils, and monocytes. Eighty Angus cows (51 positive and 29 negative) were bled by jugular venipuncture into 7 ml EDTA treated vaccutainer tubes on October 2, 2007. Cows had previously tested positive for the presence of BLV and were retested by ELISA on the day blood samples were taken. The analysis of variance was generated using PROC GLM (SAS Inst., Inc. Cary, NC), the model included presence or absence of BLV infection and sex. Least-squares means were calculated and separated using pair-wise ttests (PDIFF option). There was no impact of sex on any of the parameters used in this study and thus the bulls were eliminated from the data set. Total white blood cell count and total eosinophils were greater (P \u3c 0.09 and 0.005) in the cows that tested positive for BLV. Proportions of lymphocytes were greater (P = 0.11) for uninfected cows compared to infected cows. However, there were no differences in total counts or proportions of neutrophils, basophils, or monocytes and there was no difference detected for the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio. This study supported previous research in its findings that BLV infection has an impact on total white blood cell counts and lymphocytes

Comparison of Babesia gibsoni infection in pit bull-type dogs with and without a known history of involvement in organized dogfighting

Babesia gibsoni is a protozoal parasitic disease that in the United States is found almost exclusively in pit bull-type dogs and is commonly diagnosed in dogs seized in dogfighting investigations. This study compared the prevalence of B. gibsoni among two groups of pit bull-type dogs: those involved in confirmed cases (by the criminal justice system) of organized dogfighting and those with no known history of involvement in organized fighting. The prevalence of B. gibsoni in the fighting and non-fighting groups was 26% and 2%, respectively. Pit bull-type dogs testing positive for B. gibsoni had 21-fold higher odds of being from a dogfighting case (95% CI 12.00–36.24). These data provide support for an association between B. gibsoni and organized dogfighting activities

Relationship Between Scarring and Dog Aggression in Pit Bull-Type Dogs Involved in Organized Dogfighting

When pit bull-type dogs are seized in an investigation of organized dogfighting, heavily scarred dogs are often assumed to be highly dog aggressive due to a history of fighting. These dogs may be deemed dangerous and euthanized based on scarring alone. We analyzed our existing data on dogs seized from four dogfighting investigations, examining the relationship between the dogs’ scars with aggression towards other dogs. Scar and wound data were tallied in three body zones where dogfighting injuries tend to be concentrated. Dog aggression was assessed using a model dog and a friendly stimulus dog in a standardized behavior evaluation. Scarring and dog aggression were significantly related, more strongly among male (Fisher’s Exact p < 0.001) than female dogs (Fisher’s Exact p = 0.05). Ten or more scars in the three body zones was a reasonable threshold with which to classify a dog as high risk for dog aggression: 82% of males and 60% of females with such scarring displayed dog aggression. However, because many unscarred dogs were dog aggressive while some highly scarred dogs were not, we recommend collecting behavioral information to supplement scar counts when making disposition decisions about dogs seized in dogfighting investigations

Enhancing expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE) for biomaterials applications

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), a fully fluorinated linear thermoplastic polymer, and in particular the porous form expanded PTFE (ePTFE) has found widespread use in biomaterials application due to its properties of high toughness, non-adhesiveness and hydrophobicity. While it performs ideally for many applications, some challenges have been identified for its use in small diameter vascular grafts and as a tissue space-filler for cosmetic reconstructions where the implant interfaces with bone. For these applications modification of the surface of ePTFE has been investigated as a means to enhance its performance. This review will focus on the applications listed above and will detail methods of evaluating the biological response, methods used to enhance the surface properties of ePTFE, and how the modified materials have performed in their intended applications. This review will focus on work published from 2004 onwards. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40533