bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does telemonitoring in heart failure empower patients for self‐care? A qualitative study
Authors: Riley Jillian P , Gabe Jonathan PN , Cowie Martin R
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectives

To explore the extent to which telemonitoring in patients with heart failure empowers them to self‐care.

Background

Telemonitoring is increasingly used to provide structured follow‐up. In patients with heart failure it has been shown to reduce mortality. However there is limited knowledge of the extent to which it supports the patient to develop self‐care skills.

Design

A qualitative study including interviews with patients at 2 time‐points.

Methods

Fifteen patients mean age 74, 11 (73%) male, 9 (60%) symptomatic on moderate activity, 6 (40%) symptomatic on mild exertion were interviewed at two time points: firstly following three months of telemonitoring and the second interview following six months of telemonitoring. Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken using constant comparison.

Results

Patients undertook a variety of self‐care actions. During the three‐month interview technological skills featured highly in patients accounts and they used telemonitoring to facilitate professional monitoring. However, during the six‐month interview patients described how they used telemonitoring to support their self‐care actions. Such actions were based on the understanding of heart failure that patients developed from their personal experience of symptoms, and their interaction with the telemonitoring and the telemonitoring nurse. We found no difference in self‐care actions regardless of patients age, severity of their heart failure, time since diagnosis with heart failure or living alone.

Conclusion

In summary, the majority of patients used telemonitoring daily and developed self‐care skills in monitoring their heart failure. Such skills were developed over the six‐month time‐period of the study.

Relevance to clinical practice

Our findings suggest how the nurse can help patients to use telemonitoring to develop their understanding of their heart failure and empower them for self‐ care decision making.
Bed and shower baths: comparing the perceptions of patients with acute myocardial infarction
Authors: L Lopes Juliana , Nogueira‐Martins Luiz A , de Barros Alba LBL
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectives

To compare the perceptions of patients with acute myocardial infarction concerning bed and shower baths and evaluate how antecedent variables influence their perceptions.

Background

Professionals are often oblivious to the fact that, when performing a bed bath, they are manipulating someone else's body and invading someone's privacy and intimacy. This lack of awareness may trigger various responses in patients, such as dissatisfaction and anxiety. Several studies assessing the perceptions of patients when receiving a bed bath, and most are qualitative. Thus, there is a need to quantify these perceptions.

Design

The research was a crossover study.

Methods

The sample consisted of 71 patients with acute myocardial infarction, admitted to coronary units. Patients were evaluated on two occasions: after their second bed bath and after their second shower bath. A Semantic Differential Scale was constructed and validated prior to data collection.

Results

The perception of patients receiving shower baths was significantly more positive than those of patients receiving bed baths (<0·0001). The only variable that interfered with the general perception of patients was prior hospitalisation (p = 0·0468). Patients who previously experienced a hospitalisation had a less positive perception, concerning both the bed and shower baths, than those who were hospitalised for the first time.

Conclusion

The perceptions of patients receiving bed baths were less positive than those of patients receiving shower baths.

Relevance to clinical practice

The perceptions of patients receiving baths are very important to guiding nursing care and developing strategies to minimise patient dissatisfaction.
Spiritual support for people living with HIV/AIDS: A Brazilian explorative, descriptive study
Authors: Caixeta Camila Roberto da Costa Borges , Nascimento Lucila Castanheira , Pedro Iara Cristina da Silva , Rocha Semiramis Melani Melo
Published: November 2012

In this exploratory and descriptive research, we identified the meaning of religion and spirituality in the experience of patients at a public health service for treatment of HIV/AIDS in a Brazilian upcountry town. Eight participants were selected through theoretical sampling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, and analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. The emerging themes were religion: a path to support, and God is everything. Religion, as a path that leads patients to different sources of support, included exploration of different churches, acknowledgment of guilt, and finding strength to cope with the disease, rationalization of the disease process, meeting other churchgoers, and finding God and faith. God, an important source of support, was present in prayers, in the belief in healing through faith, and in the feeling of comfort and relief. Because spirituality and religion were seen as important sources of support, in this study we that health professionals include these aspects in care planning.
Effect of cognitive behavior therapy on sleep disorder in Parkinson's disease in China: A pilot study
Authors: Yang Hualu , Petrini Marcia
Published: November 2012

In this study, we established design feasibility and evaluated the effects of cognitive behavior therapy provided to individuals with Parkinson's disease. A single‐group interrupted time series design was used in this pilot study. Analyses were conducted on 22 participants, who provided data at pretest, post‐test, and 3 month follow up. At each time point, participants completed a sleep diary and Parkinson's disease sleep scale. There was a significant difference between pretest and post‐test (P < 0.01). The results suggests that cognitive behavior therapy facilitates improvement of sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease, and provides important information necessary to design more definitive studies in the future.
Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism
Authors: Kutlu Yasemin , Kucuk Leyla , Yildiz Findik Ummu
Published: November 2012

In this study, the reliability, validity, and psychometric properties of theTurkish version of theFraboniScale ofAgeism were assessed. The psychometric properties of the scale were studied through a descriptive and correlational design. The study sample consisted of 231 healthy people living in the Marmara region ofTurkey. In order to obtain three sets of data, a questionnaire was designed containing demographic questions and the Scale. The content validity index for the full scale was 0.98. The α coefficient for 25 items was 0.84, and the split‐half reliability of theFraboniScale ofAgeism was 0.81. The three factors represented 38.31% of the variance. In this study, we concluded that the Turkish version of theFraboniScale ofAgeism is a suitable instrument for measuring ageism in theTurkish population.
Life orientation in Finnish family caregivers' of persons with Alzheimer's disease: A diary study
Authors: Välimäki Tarja , Vehviläinen‐Julkunen Katri , Pietilä Anna‐Maija , Koivisto Anne
Published: November 2012

Family caregivers provide the majority of home care of people with Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we discuss family caregivers' life orientation and changes in life orientation during the first year after the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Family caregivers' unstructured diaries (n = 83), of the first six months after diagnosis (years 2002–2004), were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Two core themes emerged from the data analysis: the meaning of the onset of Alzheimer's disease for the lives of family caregivers, and restructuring life in its entirety. Family caregivers face challenges in their life orientation after the onset of their family members' Alzheimer's disease. Their personal milieu, familial cohesion, and conception of the future consequentially change. They face multiple challenges in the process of becoming caregivers. In this study, it was revealed that the process starts before the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and has an impact on their future. We conclude that family caregivers' well‐being should be assessed at the time of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Patients' experiences of a nurse‐led rheumatology clinic in Sweden: A qualitative study
Authors: Larsson Ingrid , Bergman Stefan , Fridlund Bengt , Arvidsson Barbro
Published: November 2012

In this study, patients' experiences of a nurse‐led rheumatology clinic for those undergoing biological therapy are discussed. The study had an explorative design, based on a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences of a nurse‐led clinic. Interviews were conducted with 20 participants, and the analysis resulted in the theme “the nurse‐led rheumatology clinic provided added value to patient care”. The participants' experiences of the encounter with the nurse led to a sense of security (due to competence and accessibility), familiarity (due to confirmation and sensitivity), and participation (due to exchange of information and involvement). Replacing every second visit to a rheumatologist with one to a nurse added value to the rheumatology care, making it more complete. Nurses and rheumatologists complemented each other, as they approached patients from different perspectives. This study suggests that a nurse‐led rheumatology clinic adds value to the quality of care for patients in rheumatology units.
Estimation of the risk factors for falls in the elderly: Can meta‐analysis provide a valid answer?
Authors: Bloch Frederic , Thibaud Marie , Tournoux‐Facon Caroline , Brèque Cyril , Rigaud Anne‐Sophie , Dugué Benoit , Kemoun Gilles
Published: November 2012

The objective of this study was to analyze whether a meta‐analysis could allow us to draw useful conclusions about the risk factors for falls in the elderly. A systematic review was carried out of various databases and completed manually. To satisfy the inclusion criteria, an article had to examine a population of subjects aged over 60 years to pertain to falls occurring during daily living activities, and to involve observational or interventional studies. This review identified 4405 indexed articles published between 1981 and 2011. Of the 220 studies with available data that were included in the final study, just 4% were interventional. Among these 220 studies, just 45% offered a satisfactory level of scientific proof. In total, 88 meta‐analyses were carried out on the 156 potential protectors or risk factors that were identified. Our systematic review and meta‐analyses ensured that high‐quality results were obtained from this comprehensive literature search and included a detailed assessment of the quality of the included studies. Several factors appeared to be disproportionately represented in the literature, a fact that likely reflects the objective and precise assessment of these factors rather than their importance in the falls of the elderly. Thus, we cannot be certain that we obtained the most comprehensive analysis of the risk factors for falling with this method. Meta‐analyses can help to define the association between falls and various risk factors, but they have to be used complementary to systematic review for the assessment of risk factors. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 250–263.
Local recurrence after retropubic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer does not exclusively occur at the anastomotic site
Authors: Nguyen Daniel P. , Giannarini Gianluca , Seiler Roland , Schiller Rike , Thoeny Harriet C. , Thalmann George N. , Studer Urs E.
Published: November 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Local recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically organ‐confined prostate cancer is largely assumed to occur at the anastomotic site, as reflected in European and North American guidelines for adjuvant and salvage radiotherapy after RP. However, the exact site of local recurrence often remains undetermined.

The present study shows that roughly one out of five patients with local recurrence after RP has histologically confirmed tumour deposits at the resection site of the vas deferens, clearly above the anastomotic site. This should be considered when offering ‘blind’ radiotherapy to the anastomotic site in patients with biochemical recurrence alone.

Objective

To determine the anatomical pattern of local recurrence and the corresponding clinical and pathological variables of patients treated with retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP).

Patients and Methods

In all, 41 patients with biopsy confirmed local recurrence after extended pelvic lymph node dissection and RRP performed between January 1992 and December 2009 at a single tertiary referral academic centre were retrospectively studied.

The site of local recurrence as assessed on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was reviewed. Two sites were identified: the vesicourethral anastomotic site and the cranial resection margin of the surgical bed, where the vas deferens was transected and clipped.

Age and serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level at RRP, pathological tumour and nodal stage, Gleason score, tumour location, surgical margin status, age and serum PSA level at the time of local recurrence, and time to diagnosis of local recurrence were assessed for the two sites and compared with the chi‐square or Wilcoxon rank sum tests as appropriate.

Results

Local recurrence occurred at the anastomotic site in 31/41 (76%) patients and at the resection site of the vas deferens in nine of 41 (22%) patients. One patient had distinct lesions at both sites.

There was no significant difference in any of the clinical and pathological variables between patients with local recurrence in the former and latter site.

Conclusion

Most local recurrences after RRP occur exclusively at the anastomotic site. However, 22% of locally recurrent cases had tumour at the resection site of the vas deferens. This should be taken into account when considering adjuvant or salvage radiation therapy.
Job satisfaction among immigrant nurses in Israel and the United States of America
Authors: Itzhaki M. , Ea E. , Ehrenfeld M. , Fitzpatrick J.J.
Published: November 2012

ITZHAKI M., EA E., EHRENFELD M. & FITZPATRICK J.J. (2013) Job satisfaction among immigrant nurses in Israel and the United States of America. International Nursing Review60, 122–128

Aim:  The aim of this study is to examine perceptions of job satisfaction among immigrant registered nurses (RNs) in Israel and the USA.

Background:  Former Soviet Union (FSU) RNs in Israel and Filipino RNs in the USA make up the majority of the immigrant nursing workforce in their host countries. However, little is known about their perception of job satisfaction.

Methods:  Data were gathered using the Index of Work Satisfaction Scale among 71 FSU RNs recruited from three different courses in baccalaureate and master's degree programmes at a central Israeli university, and 96 Filipino RNs attending a national convention hosted by the Philippine Nurses Association of America. The required sample size was obtained by means of the WINPEPI COMPARE2 program, used to determine power and sample size for comparisons of two groups in cross‐sectional designs.

Findings:  The findings show that FSU RNs perceived pay and professional status as important, although they were least satisfied with pay. For Filipino RNs, organizational policies and interactions were most important and they were least satisfied by task requirements. Although the average length of residence in the host country was similar in the two samples, significant differences were found between FSU and Filipino RNs in selected demographic variables and components of job satisfaction.

Conclusions:  Different characteristics of immigrant RNs affect their distinct perceptions of job satisfaction. As successful adjustment of international immigrant RNs to their workplace could enhance perceptions of job satisfaction, nursing managers should support professional advancement of immigrant RNs through mentorship and educational programmes. There is a need to conduct longitudinal studies among international immigrant RNs in order to better understand changes in their job satisfaction over time and contributing factors.

Study Limitations:  Generalization of the findings is limited, because a convenience sample was used to recruit FSU and Filipino immigrant RNs.
GROWTH AND CRIME IN CONTIGUOUS STATES OF MEXICO
Authors: Pan Mingming , Widner Benjamin , Enomoto Carl E.
Published: November 2012

In the last five years, thousands of businesses have closed in Mexico and thousands of Mexicans have moved away from the crime and violence brought on by the recent drug wars between cartels. Investment, growth, and development have also been negatively affected. Using a spatial model, this study found that growth in real per capita GDP for states in Mexico was positively related to growth in neighboring states of Mexico, negatively related to crime in surrounding states, and positively related to crime within the state in the previous year. Policy suggestions to promote state growth and development in Mexico include a national effort to resolve the drug war and the establishment of joint projects between states.
Black Hats and Smooth Hands: Elite Status, Environmentalism, and Work among the Ranchers of Acre, Brazil
Authors: Hoelle Jeffrey
Published: November 2012

Cattle ranchers are often presented as the wealthy, violent, and environmentally destructive villains of Amazonia. Ranchers in the state of Acre, Brazil, are viewed in a particularly negative light, due to their perceived association with the assassination of “rainforest martyr” Chico Mendes in 1988. The objective of this paper is to increase our understanding of this enigmatic, powerful group through an ethnographic description of ranchers in relation to features of their villain label: elite status and environmental destruction. Drawing on 18 months of fieldwork with Acrean ranchers and other rural groups, I analyze the ways in which the ranchers conform to and challenge classification as an elite group in relation to economic and political power, describe how rancher status is constructed and expressed in social situations, and compare the extent to which other rural social groups agree with perceptions of the ranchers. Understanding the ranchers' perspective, especially with regard to environmental debates, requires an examination of how they perceive their work in relation to history and ideology, and how they have adapted the term to defend their interests and engage current political debates centered on environmental preservation.
Nothing to Learn? Labor Learning in California's Farmwork
Authors: Hernández Romero Manuel Adrián
Published: November 2012

Because of a perceived simplicity of its tasks and the recurrent presence of migrants in it, the agricultural labor force in California has been characterized as easily replaceable, composed of transitory unskilled workers. However, the increasing settlement of farmworkers demands new approaches. Based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in California's Central Valley among farmworkers employed in orange and table grape production, this essay describes some informal labor learning processes and everyday practices of decentralized labor management in order to explore how they are related to modern fresh‐food agro‐industry, proposing that both elements are of significant importance to the creation of a workforce tailored to fulfill the requirements of the production of high‐value crops. The effect of the learning processes in the emerging of new working and life trajectories is also addressed, questioning whether the new context includes the possibility of long careers in farmwork.
Solidarity in Deed: Poor People's Organizations, Unions, and the Politics of Antipoverty Work in Ontario
Authors: Coulter Kendra
Published: November 2012

This article explores the possibilities and challenges of building working‐class solidarity by offering an anthropological perspective on the relationships between poor workers’ organizations and formal trade unions in Ontario, Canada. I examine two community‐based, poor people's organizations, ACORN Canada and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, in order to document their recent struggles and examine the nature of their linkages with labor unions. The intersections of poor workers’ organizations and unions illustrate key ways solidarity can be and is being put into practice, but also suggest the need for broadening and deepening how solidarity is understood and pursued given the material conditions of poverty and poor people, and the current cultural and ideological terrain.
Place, storylines and the social practices of literacy
Authors: Somerville Margaret
Published: November 2012

How can literacies and literacy pedagogies better connect to the places and communities of children's lives? In this paper, I draw on the feminist poststructural concept of ‘storylines’ to analyse three stories of literacy learning to understand how different literacy practices and pedagogies function to produce different literate subjects. In order to think through a different conceptualisation of language and literacy in its relation to place, I explore the intersection of feminist poststructural and Australian Indigenous concepts of ‘storylines’. ‘Storyline’ within each knowledge framework is understood as the skeleton of a significant cultural narrative structure that informs patterns of thought and action. Australian Indigenous storylines, however, are ontologically and epistemologically connected to the land as walking trails that link the places where significant events in the creation stories of the ancestors took place. Each of these places is a site where stories are performed for the well‐being of country and its people. In taking up this doubled meaning of storylines, I explore the potential of different social practices of literacy to connect children to their local places and communities.
Students using multimodal literacies to surface micronarratives of United States immigration
Authors: Ghiso María Paula , Low David E.
Published: November 2012

This article explores how immigrant students in the United States utilise multimodal literacy practices to complicate dominant narratives of American national identity – narratives of facile assimilation, meritocracy and linear trajectories. Such ideologies can be explicitly evident in curricular materials or can be woven more implicitly into school literacy practices that privilege individual achievement, devalue cultural ways of knowing, and operate on a paradigm of remediation. Within this educational backdrop, we report on a practitioner research study that invited students in a summer school programme for English Language Learners to share their experiences in multiple formats and media, including comics, and to draw on their cultural and linguistic heritages as sources of knowledge. We feature comics created by two students in the programme (an 8‐year‐old girl of Indian heritage and a 16‐year‐old boy from Vietnam) to understand the potential of visual texts to articulate micronarratives of immigration. We emphasise how students blend semiotic resources in order to represent the complexity of their experiences, convey cultural hybridity and resist singular narratives.
Evaluation of serovar‐independentELISAantigens ofActinobacillus pleuropneumoniaein pigs following vaccination or experimental challenge with respiratory pathogens and naturalA. pleuropneumoniaeserovar 1 challenge
Authors: Eamens GJ , Gonsalves JR , Whittington A‐M , Turner B
Published: November 2012

Objective

To compare the sensitivity and cross‐reactivity of six serological enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on serovar‐independent antigens ofActinobacillus pleuropneumoniae(App).

Design

An experimental pig trial using direct or natural challenge withApp and direct challenge or vaccination using other common respiratory pathogens.

Procedure

A 39‐kDaouter membrane protein antigen and five recombinant antigens from theApxIVAgene ofApp were evaluated. The latter were derived from theApxIVA Nterminus (ApxIVA‐N,ApxIVA‐NP,ApxIVA‐NPS) orCterminus (ApxIVA‐C,ApxIVA‐CP). Pigs were sampled after direct challenge withApp,Pasteurella multocidaorHaemophilus parasuis, after vaccination with these organisms and after naturalApp infection. Clinical and necropsy findings were evaluated.

Results

The 39‐kDa ELISAhad high sensitivity, but cross‐reactivity, followingP. multocidachallenge.ELISAs usingApxIVA Nterminus antigens were clearly more sensitive thanCterminus antigens for detection ofApp‐induced disease. Although affinity‐purifiedApxIVA‐NPantigen detected marginally more diseased pigs than the ‐Nand ‐NPS ELISAs, these assays only detected 41–47% of 17 pigs with lung lesions and microbiological evidence ofApp based on sampling up to 4–5 weeks after natural (13 pigs) or 5 weeks after directApp serovar 1 challenge (4 pigs).

Conclusions

The 39‐kDa ELISAreadily detectsApp exposure and infection, but is adversely affected byP. multocidainfection.ApxIVA‐N‐basedELISAs can be used to evaluate theApp status of commercial herds, but a proportion of infected and diseased animals are seronegative at 1 month after likely exposure to aerosol transmission ofApp from clinical cases.
Detection of Aphanomyces invadans and epizootic ulcerative syndrome in the Murray‐Darling drainage
Authors: Go J , Marsh I , Gabor M , Saunders V , Reece RL , Frances J , Boys C , Gabor LJ
Published: November 2012

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome was diagnosed, and the presence of Aphanomyces invadans confirmed, from an outbreak of clinical disease in wild‐caught bony bream (Nematalosa erebi) from the Darling River near Bourke, in New South Wales, Australia, during 2008. This confirms a significant extension of the agent beyond its historical range.
Surgical treatment for acute small intestinal obstruction caused byParascaris equoruminfection in 15 horses (2002–2011)
Authors: Tatz A. J. , Segev G. , Steinman A. , Berlin D. , Milgram J. , Kelmer G.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study:There is a consensus in the veterinary literature thatParascaris equorum(ascarid) impaction carries a poor prognosis. Hence surgery is often delayed and foals are often subjected to euthanasia after diagnosis of ascarid impaction is established. Our clinical impression was that ascarid impaction carries a better prognosis than previously reported.

Objectives:Our expectation was that manually evacuating the impaction into the caecum, thus refraining from opening the small intestine, would improve the prognosis for survival of horses with ascarid impaction. The aim of this study was to examine medical records of horses treated surgically for ascarid impaction, record their clinical findings and evaluate the association of outcome with the method of relieving the impaction.

Methods:The medical records of all horses presented to our hospital between October 2002 and December 2011 that underwent exploratory celiotomy for ascarid impaction were reviewed. Information retrieved from the medical record included surgical findings, surgical technique, complications, short‐ and long‐term survival. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the Fisher's exact test. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:Fifteen horses fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eighty percent of horses (12/15) survived to discharge and 60% (6/10) survived for at least one year. Five horses are doing well but are still in convalescence. Horses that underwent small intestinal enterotomy or resection and anastomosis (n = 5) were less likely to survive to discharge (P = 0.022).

Conclusions:In our study, manual evacuation of ascarid impaction into the caecum, while refraining from opening the small intestine resulted in significantly improved survival in horses with ascarid impaction.

Potential relevance:Refraining from opening the small intestine may be the key to improving surgical outcome in horses with ascarid impaction.
The use of maggot debridement therapy in 41 equids
Authors: Lepage O. M. , Doumbia A. , Perron‐Lepage M. F. , Gangl M.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study: Maggot debridement therapy is a long‐established tool to promote wound healing.

Objectives: To describe and assess the results of this technique in equids with various lesions.

Methods: Retrospective analysis performed on cases in which, depending on clinical case, type, size and location of the wound, maggots were applied either in direct or indirect contact with the wound.

Results: Treated cases (n = 41) included horses with foot pathology (n = 9), laceration of the limbs (n = 15), other soft tissue abscesses or wounds (n = 6), fistulous withers (n = 5), other musculoskeletal infection (n = 2) and dehiscence of the linea alba (n = 4). In 5 cases, a second maggot application was necessary to reach the desired level of wound healing. In 38 cases a favourable outcome was reached in less than one week. In one individual with a sequestrum, healing was uneventful after its removal. In 2 other horses, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma were involved in chronic infected wounds and complete healing was not achieved because of recurrence of underlying tumours. Some discomfort was recorded in 7 individuals between 24 and 72 h of treatment.

Conclusions: Maggot debridement therapy can be recommended in equids for debridement and enhanced healing and its potent antibacterial action. Maggot debridement therapy is not recommended on wounds invaded with a tumour and if bone sequestration is suspected.

Potential relevance: Maggot debridement therapy can be an integral part of modern wound care in equids.
Effect of sample handling and storage time on the stability of total CO2 in equine plasma
Authors: Tinkler S. H. , Couëtil L. L. , Constable P. D.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study: The stability of total CO2 concentration (ctCO2) in plasma is influenced by storage temperature and handling during sample processing. Conflicting information exists regarding the stability of ctCO2 in equine plasma over time, and the effect of centrifugation on the measured value for plasma ctCO2 is unclear.

Objectives: To determine plasma ctCO2 stability over 5 days when equine blood is collected into Vacutainer tubes, centrifuged within 30 min of collection, and stored at 4°C; and to determine whether a delay in centrifugation increases the rate at which plasma ctCO2 decreases over time.

Methods: Blood was collected from 6 adult horses into 3 ml plastic Vacutainer tubes and randomly assigned to be centrifuged immediately, or after, storage. Plasma ctCO2 was measured in triplicate at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after collection using a NOVA‐4 analyser. Data were analysed using multivariable linear regression, with P<0.05 being defined as significant.

Results: Plasma ctCO2 decreased linearly over time during storage at 4°C. The measured value for ctCO2 decreased at a faster rate (‐0.28 mmol/l/day; P<0.0001) when centrifugation was delayed, compared with immediate centrifugation (‐0.10 mmol/l/day). There was a significant effect of sequence of sample analysis on the ctCO2 value when measured in triplicate: the second and third measurements were 0.31 and 0.41 mmol/l lower than the first measurement, respectively.

Conclusions: Blood samples collected from horses into Vacutainer tubes should be centrifuged immediately after collection and analysed as soon as possible to ensure accurate values for plasma ctCO2.

Potential relevance: Failure to centrifuge, or excessive delay in measuring ctCO2 after centrifugation, produces values significantly lower than the true value.
Retrospective study investigating causes of abnormal respiratory noise in horses following prosthetic laryngoplasty
Authors: Compostella F. , Tremaine W. H. , Franklin S. H.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing the study:To investigate causes of respiratory noises in horses following prosthetic laryngoplasty (with or without a ventriculocordectomy) and to examine potential associations between degree of arytenoid abduction and the presence of other upper respiratory tract (URT) abnormalities, including right‐sided collapse.

Methods:Clinical records and dynamic videoendoscopic recordings were examined from horses presented between 1995 and 2010 for investigation of respiratory noise during exercise, following a prosthetic laryngoplasty (+/− a ventriculocordectomy). Relationships between the degree of left arytenoid cartilage abduction and the presence of other URT disorders were investigated.

Results:Thirty horses matched the inclusion criteria. All horses had previously undergone a prosthetic laryngoplasty in different hospitals and in 63% (19/30) of these horses a left‐sided ventriculocordectomy had also been performed. The majority of cases (87%) had multiple respiratory abnormalities and only 13% had a single URT disorder. Palatal dysfunction was the most common diagnosis (83%), followed by axial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (60%) and vocal cord collapse (43%). The right arytenoid cartilage was fully abducted in all cases and no statistically significant correlation between the degree of left arytenoid abduction and any other URT disorders was detected.

Conclusions:Multiple forms of dynamic URT disorders were diagnosed in horses that presented with abnormal respiratory noise following laryngoplasty. There was no association between degree of left arytenoid abduction and other URT abnormalities. Furthermore, horses with suboptimal left arytenoid cartilage abduction were not predisposed to right‐sided laryngeal collapse.

Clinical relevance:Our results demonstrate the fundamental role of dynamic endoscopy in correctly diagnosing dynamic airway collapse in horses that have undergone surgical treatment of the upper respiratory tract.
Pathological evidence of pancreatitis in 43 horses (1986–2011)
Authors: Yamout S. Z. , Nieto J. E. , Anderson J. , de Cock H. E. V. , Vapniarsky N. , Aleman M.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Definitive ante mortem diagnosis of pancreatitis in horses is difficult. Reports summarising the most common clinical signs, clinicopathological features and concurrent disorders in horses with a definitive diagnosis of pancreatitis that may aid in the recognition of disease are lacking.

Objectives

To describe case details, clinical signs, clinicopathological data and necropsy findings in horses with a definitive diagnosis of pancreatitis.

Methods

This was a retrospective study (1986–2011) and inclusion criteria consisted of horses with a definitive diagnosis of pancreatitis. A medical records database search was performed and data extracted included case details, clinical signs, clinical laboratory data and post mortem findings. Pancreatitis was defined as acute, active chronic or chronic and presumed primary or secondary, based on post mortem findings.

Results

Pancreatitis was diagnosed in 43 horses (acute pancreatitis in 34, active chronic in 4 and chronic in 5). A presumed diagnosis of primary pancreatitis was made in 6 horses. Pancreatitis was associated with gastrointestinal disorders in 28 horses (14 large colon, 10 small intestine and 4 gastric ruptures) and primary hepatic disease in 3 horses. Six horses had pancreatitis associated with other disorders: multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome (one horse), strychnine toxicosis (one horse) and compromised immune system (4 horses).

Conclusion

Pancreatitis is an uncommon disorder that can occur as a primary problem or secondary to gastrointestinal, hepatic or immunocompromising disorders, and when it occurs it affects adult horses more commonly.

Potential relevance

Unexplained abdominal pain, gastric dilation or rupture, peritonitis and/or the presence of white fibrinous plaques and fat necrosis in the peritoneum and mesentery or mass‐like structures in the root of the mesentery during an exploratory celiotomy should raise a suspicious of pancreatitis.
Effects of repeated intra‐articular administration of amikacin on serum amyloid A, total protein and nucleated cell count in synovial fluid from healthy horses
Authors: Sanchez Teran A. F. , Rubio‐Martinez L. M. , Villarino N. F. , Sanz M. G.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Serum amyloidA(SAA) in synovial fluid has recently been used as a marker for septic arthritis in horses but the effects of repeated intra‐articular (IA) administration of amikacin on synovialSAAconcentrations are unknown.

Objectives

To report the effect of repeated IA administration of amikacin onSAA, total protein (TP), nucleated cell count (NCC) and differential NCC in synovial fluid of healthy equine joints.

Methods

A controlled, 2 period crossover study was performed on 5 clinically healthy horses. Each intercarpal joint received one of 2 treatments every 48 h for 5 consecutive times: arthrocentesis alone (control group) or arthrocentesis combined withIAadministration of 500 mg of amikacin (treatment group). Clinical and lameness examinations were performed daily. SerumSAAand synovialSAA,TP,NCCand differentialNCCwere measured and statistically compared. Significance level was set atP<0.05.

Results

Horses remained healthy and nonlame throughout the study. Baseline values for all variables were not significantly different between groups. Values forTPin the treatment group were significantly higher than in the control group after the first sample (P<0.05). In both groupsNCCincreased significantly (P<0.05) after the first sample. No significant changes were identified in differentialNCC. In both groups, all synovial and most serumSAAconcentrations remained below the lower limit of quantification.

Conclusions

RepeatedIAadministration of amikacin caused increased values ofTPandNCCin synovial fluid, with someTPconcentrations falling within the range reported for septic arthritis. In contrast, synovialSAAconcentrations did not increase in either group.

Potential relevance

SynovialSAAcould serve as a more reliable marker thanTPandNCCwhen evaluating a joint previously sampled or treated with amikacin.
Effect of surgical technique for unilateral orchiectomy on subsequent testicular function inMiniatureHorse stallions
Authors: McCormick J. D. , Valdez R. , Rakestraw P. C. , Varner D. D. , Blanchard T. L. , Cavinder C. A. , Sudderth A. K. , Kiser A. , Love C. C.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Management decisions on unilateral orchiectomy are often influenced by the potential for post operative return to successful breeding. The effects of 2 surgical methods (first intention [FI] vs. second intention [SI] incision healing) for unilateral orchiectomy on resulting semen quality and scrotal temperature were evaluated.

Objective

To evaluate the effects of 2 surgical unilateral orchiectomy techniques on scrotal healing, size of the remaining testis and post operative sperm quality.

Materials and methods

Unilateral orchiectomy was performed on mature Miniature Horse stallions. Semen was collected prior to and up to 60 days after, unilateral orchiectomy. Semen parameters, scrotal and body temperatures, testis volume and days to incision healing were evaluated.

Results

There was no effect of treatment or time on percent total sperm motility. Total sperm numbers were higher (P<0.05) 60 days after unilateral orchiectomy compared with 14 and 30 days. Percent viable sperm were higher (P<0.05) 30 and 60 days compared with pre‐ and 14 day post unilateral orchiectomy. Scrotal temperatures were lower after unilateral orchiectomy compared with preoperative values (P≤0.003). Higher scrotal temperatures were recorded inGroupFI, as compared withGroup SI, during recovery from anaesthesia and at 1 and 2 h after surgery (P= 0.02). Mean time to incision healing was less inGroupFI(10.0 days) than inGroupSI(21.5 days;P= 0.05).

Conclusion

In this study, total sperm motility was maintained and size of the remaining testis, total sperm numbers and percent viable sperm increased after unilateral orchiectomy. Incision healing time was shorter inGroupFI; however, surgical technique did not have an effect on semen quality at 30 and 60 days post unilateral orchiectomy.

Potential relevance

These data suggest that surgical technique for unilateral orchiectomy may not dramatically influence function of the remaining testis.
Selenium deficiency associations with gender, breed, serum vitaminEand creatine kinase, clinical signs and diagnoses in horses of different age groups: A retrospective examination 1996–2011
Authors: Streeter R. M. , Divers T. J. , Mittel L. , Korn A. E. , Wakshlag J. J.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Selenium and vitaminEdeficiency have been associated with nutritional myopathy, more commonly known as white muscle disease (WMD) in horses. However, correlations between selenium concentrations and presenting clinical signs, age, breed, gender, serum vitaminE, creatine kinase (CK) and final diagnosis, have not previously been evaluated.

Objectives

To determine the number of hospitalised horses in 3 age groups that were selenium tested and the proportions of horses with categorised presenting clinical signs; the association/odds risk of final diagnosis with selenium deficiency and to examine the association between selenium status, vitaminEstatus and serumCKin adult horses.

Methods

Two hundred and seventy‐one hospitalised horses with a selenium concentration evaluated between 1996 and 2011 were examined retrospectively. Records were examined in order to ascertain selenium and vitaminEconcentrations, age, breed, gender,CKvalues, presenting clinical signs and final diagnosis. Data were analysed with proportions,Fisher's exactttest, odds ratios and multivariate linear regressions.

Results

Within the <30 day old age group, 13/20 animals had low selenium concentrations. There were 18/42 horses in the 30 days to 2 years old age group with low selenium and 77/209 horses more than 2 years of age with low selenium. There was an association between low selenium and myopathy in the <30‐day‐old animals (P= 0.017), all of which were classified as havingWMD. No associations were identified between nutritional myopathy and selenium status in horses between 30 days and 2 years of age or in horses more than 2 years of age.

Conclusions and potential relevance

This study indicates thatWMDoccurs most commonly in foals <30 days old and is associated with low selenium concentrations (7 out of 8 affected foals had blood Selenium levels <1.26 μm/l). Low serum selenium concentrations are common in hospitalised adult horses while nutritional myopathy is rare in these animals.
Variability in particulate concentrations in a horse training barn over time
Authors: Ivester K. M. , Smith K. , Moore G. E. , Zimmerman N. J. , Couëtil L. L.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Exposure of horses to airborne particulates during stable confinement has been linked with airway inflammation in these animals. Understanding that link requires accurate measures of exposures and greater understanding of the sources of variability in these exposures.

Objectives

Area and breathing zone particulate concentrations were measured over time in order to determine the relative variability introduced by daily, monthly or between horse variations. Additionally, the relationship between area and breathing zone respirable particulate concentrations was examined.

Methods

The study was conducted in a Thoroughbred training stable. Breathing zone and area respirable particulate concentrations were measured over a 30‐month period. Mixed‐model analysis of variance was used to determine effect of month and year at the time of sampling and the daily variance upon area particulate concentrations. The effects of hay feeding method and horse variance on breathing zone measures were included in the model. Real‐time concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or smaller (PM10) were measured to determine the effect of barn door position. Significance was set at P<0.05.

Results

Average area particulate concentration varied with month and year of sampling but daily variation was not significant. Maximum area respirable particulate concentrations were significantly affected by daily variation. Opening barn doors resulted in lower PM10 levels. Horses fed from hay nets were exposed to significantly higher concentrations of respirable particulates in their breathing zone than when fed hay on the ground. Horse‐to‐horse variability was significant. Breathing zone concentrations were significantly greater than area concentrations and the 2 measurements were not correlated.

Conclusions

While area respirable particulate concentrations reflected seasonal changes, these measures are poor predictors of individual horse exposure. Instead, methods of feeding and individual horse behaviour are important determinants of exposure.

Potential relevance

Studies investigating the effect of natural exposures on lung health in horses should consider the effects of individual behaviour and management practices on breathing zone exposure.
Influence of head and neck position on radiographic measurement of intervertebral distances between thoracic dorsal spinous processes in clinically sound horses
Authors: Berner D. , Winter K. , Brehm W. , Gerlach K.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

Reductions in distances between dorsal spinous processes on radiographs are used as criteria for the diagnosis of impingement of the thoracic dorsal spinous processes in horses but are potentially altered by spine motion and different head and neck positions.

Objectives

To determine the influence of head and neck positions on intervertebral distances between dorsal spinous processes on radiographs of thoracic spines of clinically sound horses.

Methods

Lateral–lateral radiographs were obtained from 23 horses in 3 head and neck positions. The width of the thoracic dorsal spinous processes and intervertebral distances between adjacent thoracic dorsal spinous processes were measured at points perpendicular to a tangent between the dorsal spinous processes and the caudal extremity of the thoracic vertebrae.

Results

A low head and neck position increased intervertebral distances between adjacent thoracic dorsal spinous processes from the 8th to 15th dorsal spinous processes whereas a high head and neck position had the opposite effect (P<0.05). Overall, intervertebral distances between adjacent thoracic dorsal spinous processes decreased from cranial to caudal in intermediate head and neck positions (P<0.01). The 12th thoracic dorsal spinous process was readily identifiable due to its significant difference to the narrower cranial and broader caudal dorsal spinous process (P<0.05).

Conclusions

The head and neck position influences the distances between the dorsal spinous processes of the vertebrae of equine thoracic spine on radiography.

Potential relevance

The measuring system reported here offers potential to improve and standardise radiographic evaluation of thoracic dorsal spinous processes.