2016-04-30 0 127 24

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Abstract : Cystatin C is a low molecular weight 13 kilodalton protein. It is known to be a more sensitive marker of glomerular filtration rate than creatinine in humans. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the changes of renal markers including cystatin C according to the severity of chronic mitral valve insufficiency (CMVI) and to investigate the clinical relevance of cystatin C as an early renal marker in dogs with CMVI. A retrospective study was performed to assess renal function according to International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) system classification of heart failure in dogs with CMVI. Thirty seven dogs were divided into a group 1 (healthy dogs ; n = 10), a group 2 (ISACHC I ; n = 10) and a group 3 (ISACHC II-III ; n = 17). In all dogs, serum concentrations of bun (sUr), creatinine (sCr) and cystatin C (sCys-C) were measured with an automated analyzer. In dogs with CMVI, sCys-C concentrations were significantly correlated with sCr concentrations and were independent of age, BW, SBP, and sex. Renal dysfunction tended to occur more frequently as the severity of CMVI increases. In dogs with mild CMVI, only sCys-C concentrations were statistically higher than in healthy dogs. This study demonstrates the clinical relevance of sCys-C. sCys-C may be a valuable renal marker for early diagnosis of renal dysfunction in dogs with CMVI.

2016-04-30 2 187 35

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Abstract : This field study investigated the effects of dystocia on the postpartum complications, milk production, and reproductive performance in Holstein dairy cows. Calving difficulty was scored on a rank scale of 1 to 5. Cows with a calving score of three or higher were judged to have dystocia. The cows (n = 565) were categorized based on the presence (n = 61) or absence (n = 504, control) of dystocia. The incidence of retained placenta (45.9% vs. 16.3%), metritis (39.3% vs. 17.1%), endometritis (47.5% vs. 16.3%) and pyometra (9.8% vs. 1.2%) were greater in cows from the dystocia group than those from the control group (p 0.05). The prevalence of culling was higher in cows from the dystocia group (26.2%) than in those from the control group (14.5%, p < 0.05). During the 5-month postpartum period, milk production was lower (p < 0.05) in cows from the dystocia group than in those from the control group. Furthermore, the hazard of insemination by 150 days in milk (DIM) was lower in cows from the dystocia group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.64, p < 0.005) than in those from the control group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio for the probability of pregnancy after the first artificial insemination was 0.36 times (p < 0.05) higher in cows from the dystocia group than in those from the control group. The hazard of pregnancy by 360 DIM was lower in cows from the dystocia group (HR = 0.45, p = 0.0001) than in those from the control group. In conclusion, dystocia resulted in increased postpartum complications, and decreased milk production and reproductive performance in Holstein dairy cows, leading to increased culling.

2016-04-30 2 268 34

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Abstract : This retrospective study evaluated the effect of age at first calving on the productive and reproductive performance in Holstein dairy cattle. Data were collected on 2,297 lactations from 19 dairy farms, including dates of birth, insemination, pregnancy, calving, and lactation and milk production (305-day milk yield at first lactation and lifetime milk yield). Lactation data were grouped based on age at first calving into the early (< 24 months, n = 414), moderate (24 ${leq}$ and ${leq}$ 28 months, n = 1,268), and late (> 28 months, n = 615) groups. The 305-day milk yield at first lactation was higher (p < 0.005) in the late group (8,461.9 kg) than in the early (8,130.8 kg) and moderate (8,261.9 kg) groups. Lifetime days in milk were shorter (p < 0.01) in the early group (1,045.7) than in the moderate (1,143.1) and late (1,110.7) groups, whereas the lifetime milk yield was higher (p < 0.05) in the moderate group (34,171.8 kg) than in the early group (31,791.6 kg). The second calving interval (days) differed (p < 0.0001) between the early (416.9), moderate (438.9), and late (455.3) groups. The culling rate at the first and second lactations tended to be higher (p = 0.08) in the early group (31.2%) than in the moderate group (26.0%), whereas it was intermediate in the late group (29.3%). In conclusion, dairy heifers aged 24-28 months at first calving showed a higher productive performance through an increased lifetime milk yield and a decreased culling rate.

2016-04-30 7 564 57

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Abstract : In the field of clinical medicine, diagnostic accuracy studies refer to the degree of agreement between the index test and the reference standard for the discriminatory ability to identify a target disorder of interest in a patient. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve offers a graphical display the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity at each cutoff for a diagnostic test and is useful in assigning the best cutoff for clinical use. In this end, the ROC curve analysis is a useful tool for estimating and comparing the accuracy of competing diagnostic tests. This paper reviews briefly the measures of diagnostic accuracy such as sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) that is a summary measure for diagnostic accuracy across the spectrum of test results. In addition, the methods of creating an ROC curve in single diagnostic test with five-category discrete scale for disease classification from healthy individuals, meaningful interpretation of the AUC, and the applications of ROC methodology in clinical medicine to determine the optimal cutoff values have been discussed using a hypothetical example as an illustration.

2016-04-30 0 142 57

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Abstract : More than 20 years after the first report of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in Korea, the disease is still having major impact on domestic pig health and relevant industries. Although ELISA tests are commonly used by veterinarians to guide herd management, data on diagnostic performance of the test in field settings are very limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate two commercially available PRRSV ELISA (IDEXX PRRS X3 ELISA and Bionote PRRSV ELISA 4.0) to detect antibodies against PRRSV on serum samples. To this end, a total of 1,108 sera were recruited from 35 swine farms located in Gyeonggi province and tested at the Gyeonggi Province Veterinary Service Center. All tests were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions, by laboratory technicians who routinely perform PRRS testing on blood samples. Samples were collected from two sources of swine populations with different PRRS prevalence; 60 samples (5.4%) were originated from breeding farms and the remaining 1,048 samples (94.6%) were from farrow-to-finish farms. We applied Bayesian latent class model (LCM) for two-tests in the two-population when the accuracy of the gold standard is not available. The model estimated that Bionote ELISA was a bit more specific but slightly less sensitive. The estimated sensitivity and specificity of the IDEXX ELISA were 99.8% (95% CI 98.1-100%) and 86.4% (95% CI 81.4-96.5%), respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for Bionote kit were 98.7% (95% CI 92.8-100%), 89.8% (95% CI 86.2-93.1%), 93.8% (95% CI 91.5-96.0%), and 97.8% (95% CI 87.1-100%), respectively. Based on the Bayesian 95% credible intervals, the sensitivity and specificity of the two ELISAs were not significantly different each other when assuming that two kits were imperfect, indicating that two kits performed equally well in terms of sensitivity and specificity in our filed setting.

2016-04-30 0 135 35

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Abstract : The objective of this study was to determine potential contributing factors associated with biosecurity level of farrow-to-finish pig farms and to develop a classification tree model to explore how these factors related to each other based on prediction model. To this end, the author analyzed data (n = 193) extracted from a cross-sectional study of 344 farrow-to-finish farms which was conducted between March and September 2014 aimed to explore swine disease status at farm level. Standardized questionnaires with information about basic demographical data and management practices were collected in each farm by on-site visit of trained veterinarians. For the classification of the data sets regarding biosecurity level as a dependent variable and predictor variables, Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm was applied for modeling classification tree. The statistics of misclassification risk was used to evaluate the fitness of the model in terms of prediction results. Categorical multivariate input data (40 variables) was used to construct a classification tree, and the target variable was biosecurity level dichotomized into low versus high. In general, the level of biosecurity was lower in the majority of farms studied, mainly due to the limited implementation of on-farm basic biosecurity measures aimed at controlling the potential introduction and transmission of swine diseases. The CHAID model illustrated the relative importance of significant predictors in explaining the level of biosecurity; maintenance of medical records of treatment and vaccination, use of dedicated clothing to enter the farm, installing fence surrounding the farm perimeter, and periodic monitoring of the herd using written biosecurity plan in place. The misclassification risk estimate of the prediction model was 0.145 with the standard error of 0.025, indicating that 85.5% of the cases could be classified correctly by using the decision rule based on the current tree. Although CHAID approach could provide detailed information and insight about interactions among factors associated with biosecurity level, further evaluation of potential bias intervened in the course of data collection should be included in future studies. In addition, there is still need to validate findings through the external dataset with larger sample size to improve the external validity of the current model.

2016-04-30 0 119 39

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Abstract : A 6 month-old castrated male Yorkshire terrier (weighing 1.0 kg) was presented with acute respiratory distress. Diagnostic imaging studies found post-obstructive pulmonary edema sequel to upper airway obstruction by a rubber plug lodged at thoracic esophagus. The rubber plug was removed endoscopically. After removal of this rubber plug with conventional therapy for pulmonary edema, the clinical condition of dog was stabilized. To the best knowledge of authors, this is the first case report describing postobstructive pulmonary edema in a dog in Korea.

2016-04-30 0 121 27

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Abstract : A 1.83 kg, 9-year-old, spayed female Yorkshire Terrier was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Konkuk University for evaluation of an intra-abdominal mass with a week history of vomiting and diarrhea. On physical examination, survey radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and computed tomography, a huge firm mass was identified in the mid-caudal abdomen. Surgical exploration of the abdominal cavity was performed to remove the mass. The encapsulated mass adhered to the mesentery, tail of the spleen, small intestine, omentum, and right lobe of the pancreas was removed using blunt dissection with dry gauze and cotton swabs. Macroscopic and histopathological examination revealed that the mass was foreign-body granuloma consistent with gauze fiber. Plain abdominal radiography demonstrated no remarkable findings 8 months post-operatively. There was no evidence of vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, difficulty breathing, and cyanosis on exertion 13 months post-operatively.

2016-04-30 0 123 21

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Abstract : A dog (Maltese, 4-year-old, intact male) was referred to the hospital because of the multiple cabbage-shaped nodular masses on penis, preputial fornix and inner layer of prepuce with the free-roaming history. Those appearance was similar with the characteristic of transmissible venereal tumor (TVT). As a result, it was tentatively diagnosed as TVT by the veterinarian of a local clinic and treated with vincristine sulfate. However, the lesion did not regress. Histologically, the mass was consisted of fibrovascular connective tissue stalks and keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, and koilocytosis and intranuclear inclusion body were not shown in the epithelial layer. In addition, inflammatory changes were minimal in the tissue of mass. Based on these findings, this case was diagnosed as venereal squamous papilloma. As the treatments of TVT and papilloma differs, practitioners must be cautious with the diagnosis.

2016-04-30 0 146 25

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Abstract : A 7-year-old intact female Maltese dog presented with a history of bite wounds. Physical examination revealed labored breathing, four puncture wounds with subcutaneous emphysema of the thorax, and paradoxical respiratory movement of the right thoracic wall. On radiography, a segmental fracture of the right 7th rib and a single fracture of the 8th rib were evident on the dorsal thorax. An inward displacement of the fractured segment and contusion of the right caudal lung lobe were identified with computed tomography. A diagnosis of pseudo-flail chest was made. Exploratory thoracotomy revealed a full-thickness muscular defect, a marked discoloration of the right caudal lung lobe, a segmental fracture of the right 7th rib, and a single fracture of the right 8th rib. Necrotic tissues were removed using surgical debridement. The fractured 7th and 8th ribs were corrected using a single interfragmentary wiring technique. The thoracic wall was reconstructed using the latissimus dorsi muscle flap. Additional thoracic stabilization using a thermoplastic splint was applied to correct paradoxical respiratory movement. The external splint was removed 4 weeks postoperatively. There was no evidence of respiratory abnormalities 18 months postoperatively.