Evaluation of a questionnaire to detect the risk of developing ESGD or EGGD in horses

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) affects various categories of horses worldwide. This syndrome is now divided into two different diseases, based on the presence of lesions on either the squamous (Equine Squamous Gastric Disease, ESGD) or the glandular (Equine Glandular Gastric Disease, EGGD) mucosa. Diagnosis is based on the evaluation of the presence of gastric lesions with gastroscopic examination. As a gastroscopy can be considered expensive by clients, therapy is started often on the basis of clinical signs only. The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire to detect the risk of developing ESGD or EGGD. The owners of 418 horses that were submitted to gastroscopic evaluation were asked to answer a questionnaire on risk factors for ESGD and EGGD. Horses were divided into three groups based on the results of the questionnaire and their risk of developing gastric lesions. In our population the survey was not useful to detect the presence and the severity of the lesions detected during gastroscopic examination, however answers to some of the questions did correlate with the development of gastric lesions. The questionnaire could therefore be a useful tool to evaluate the risk of ESGD or EGGD. Having owners periodically complete the survey could also make them more aware of changes in the conditions of the horses that could lead to gastric lesions. This could then help them seek advice from veterinarians on how to manage this potential ris

XYLAZINE FOLLOWED BY XYLAZINE OR DEXMEDETOMIDINE VARIABLE RATE INFUSION FOR STANDING SEDATION IN THE HORSE

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two different sedation protocols for a brief standing procedure in horses. Fourteen standardbreed horses undergoing gastroscopy for diagnostic purposes were involved in the study. Approval for ethical committee of University of Pisa was obtained. Animals were divided in two groups: group XX, that received a sedation with a bolus of xylazine 0.75 mg/kg IV followed by a xylazine variable rate infusion and group XD, that received a sedation with a bolus of xylazine 0.75 mg/kg IV followed by a dexmedetomidine variable rate infusion. The infusion rate was modified by an operator based on the evaluation of the sedation state. Sedation was assessed with a multiparametric index of sedation by considering posture, response to a vocal stimulus, position of head and neck, position of the lower lip and tongue and position of the eyelid. During the procedure heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) end tidal CO2 (EtCO2) were recorded before the administration of sedation (Tbase) and every five minutes for 25 minutes. No differences were detected between Tbase and the subsequent time points for HR, RR and EtCO2 in both groups. Concerning MAP in the XX group a significant difference of Tbase values was found in comparison to T5, T10, T15 and T20 time points. No differences were found for XD group for MAP. Sedation score in XD was significantly higher at T10, T15 and T20 compare with Tbase, while in XX group Tbase values were significantly lower than T10, T15, T20 and T25. Median infusion dosage of dexmedetomidine was 5 mcg/kg/h (range 2-9) while median xylazine infusion dosage was 0.4 mg/kg/h (range 0.26-0.69). Mean time from infusion stop and coordinate movement of the horses was 12.5 ± 5 minutes for XX group and 6.8 ± 2 minutes for XD group. Both sedation protocols resulted appropriate for the procedure. The infusion rate was modified in order to adequate the sedation plane to the stimuli in both groups. In the XD group a lower hypertensive effect was registered in comparison to XX group. The sedation plane in XX group was more stable but horses required a longer time to move out from the stock

EQUINE GASTRIC ULCERATION SYNDROME (EGUS) IN DONKEYS: GASTROSCOPIC FINDINGS AND PREVALENCE

The aim was to present the findings of gastroscopy in a population of adult donkeys. Thirty-nine donkeys (16 jennies, 23 jacks), aged 1-18 years (5.7±5.0, median 3 years) underwent gastroscopy to evaluate the presence of lesions. Inclusion criteria: not athletes and non-working donkeys, breeding animals, no administration of NSAIDs or corticosteroids for at least 20 days immediately prior gastroscopy. Gastroscopy was performed after 15h of fasting, under sedation using a portable processor Gastropack and a 300cm long scope. ESGD lesions were scored 0/4, EGGS was described as presence or absence, anatomical location, distribution, and appearance of lesions. Chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were applied to verify differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation to sex and age (≤4 years and >4 years). Gastric lesions were not present in 19/39 (49%) donkeys, while 20/39 (51%) donkeys showed EGUS; 19/20 (95%) donkeys were affected by ESGD, while 1/20 (5%) donkey showed both ESGD and EGGD. ESGD was 0 in 19/39 (48.7%), 1 in 5/39 (12.8%), 2 in 10/39 (25.6%), 3 in 4/39 (10.2%) and 4 in 1/39 (2.7%) donkeys, respectively. EGGD lesion was a mild depression in the ventral glandular fundus. Statistical analysis showed no differences in relation to sex or age. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first report on alive donkeys. Our prevalence was higher then in dead/euthanized donkeys, but similar to sports and pleasure horses. No statistical differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation with sex or age were detected, in line to literature

Equine gastric ulceration Syndrome (EGUS) in Donkeys: gastroscopic findings and prevalence.

The aim was to present the findings of gastroscopy in a population of adult donkeys. Thirty-nine donkeys (16 jennies, 23 jacks), aged 1-18 years (5.7±5.0, median 3 years) underwent gastroscopy to evaluate the presence of lesions. Inclusion criteria: not athletes and non-working donkeys, breeding animals, no administration of NSAIDs or corticosteroids for at least 20 days immediately prior gastroscopy. Gastroscopy was performed after 15h of fasting, under sedation using a portable processor Gastropack and a 300cm long scope. ESGD lesions were scored 0/4, EGGS was described as presence or absence, anatomical location, distribution, and appearance of lesions. Chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were applied to verify differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation to sex and age (≤4 years and >4 years). Gastric lesions were not present in 19/39 donkeys, while 20/39 donkeys showed EGUS; 19/20 donkeys were affected by ESGD, while 1/2 (5%) donkey showed both ESGD and EGGD. ESGD was 0 in 19/39 (48.7%), 1 in 5/39 (12.8%), 2 in 10/39 (25.6%), 3 in 4/39 (10.2%) and 4 in 1/39 (2.7%) donkeys, respectively. EGGD lesion was mild depressed in the ventral glandular fundus. Statistical analysis showed no differences in relation to sex or age. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first report on alive donkeys. Our prevalence was higher then in dead/euthanized donkeys, but similar to sports and pleasure horses. No statistical differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation with sex or age were detected, in line to literature

Ureteral Endoscopy to Detect Upper Urinary Tract Diseases in Horses

Ureteral endoscopy is a routine procedure in human medicine, whereas the reports of this procedure on horses are few and far between. The aim of this paper is to describe the endoscopic technique to evaluate the ureters in standing, sedated horses. An endoscopy of the ureters and lower urinary tract was performed using flexible endoscopes on 4 horses, three mares and one gelding. The animals were sedated with alpha-2-agonists and an epidural anaesthesia was given. An endoscopy of the ureter in the horse is easy to perform, causes the animal no adverse effects and could provide significant information on the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases of the urinary tract

Fundamental Contemplation on the Adequacy of the Analysis of Brain Waves: Case of EEG

In recent years, the use of biological signals to understand the oper- ations of software engineers has emerged, although with a limited understanding of its successful application. This paper provides primary evidence that biological signals obtained by electroen- cephalography (EEG) may provide valuable information from the perspective of software engineers, who then decode the adequacy, consistency, and efficiency of their work. The experimentation with 20 different professional male software engineers has been completed. Two natural situations have been investigated: pair programming and programming with (without) music. The early findings show the methodology’s effectivenes