ABSTRACT
Videodermoscopic examinations have only recently started to be used in veterinary medicine and usually involve a small group of animals. The aim of this study was to compare specific dermoscopic parameters in selected areas of the body of Arabian horses in the summer and winter seasons. The research was conducted between 2018-2019. The procedure was performed on the left side of the horse's body in seven areas: head, neck, chest, flank, rump, mane, and tail. 42 purebred Arabian horses aged 1-25 (median), 39 mares and 3 stallions were qualified for the study. An Italian Video-Dermascope 7 (Medici Medical SRL with the 3 VIDIX 5Mpx camera and the VX1 overlay - Contact type cap Ø 3.5 cm) was used in the dermatoscopic evaluation. Specialist Cellsens Olympus software for analysing microscopic images was used to perform the measurements. Regardless of the area assessed, the skin in the summer months is darker than in the winter months. Hair thickness ranged from 44.82 (chest in summer) to 87.45 um (mane in winter). Regarding hair density, the number of hairs in the field of view of the dermatoscope ranged from 990 (summer mane) to 3680 (head in winter). Our research showed that the season of the year influences the amount of hair without significantly affecting its thickness.
Subject(s)
Hair , Skin , Animals , Female , Horses , Male , SeasonsABSTRACT
Borreliosis is the most frequently diagnosed tick-borne disease caused by spirochete bacteria belonging to the genus Borreliae - Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii. Clinical manifestations in dogs include fever, lameness, polyarthritis and glomerulonephritis. Diagnosis is mainly serological and is based on an immunoenzymatic test followed by a Western blot confirmatory test. Early treatment with antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin, for four weeks, usually reduces the risk of chronic disease. Tick control, including tick repellents, is highly reliable in preventing transmission. Vaccines are available to reduce transmission and the clinical manifestations of infection in dogs. Bernese Mountain Dogs are a breed that often test positive for antibodies against B. burgdorferi without showing any clinical symptoms of the disease. Quantitative determination of the immunoglobulin level for spirochetes has indicated that Bernese Mountain Dogs may have an increased susceptibility to Borrelia spp. infections of a hereditary nature.
Subject(s)
Borrelia burgdorferi Group , Borrelia burgdorferi , Dog Diseases , Lyme Disease , Animals , Dogs , Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Lyme Disease/epidemiology , Lyme Disease/prevention & control , Lyme Disease/veterinary , Amoxicillin/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Bacterial , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dog Diseases/epidemiologyABSTRACT
During the last years, neonatology has greatly improved. In the last decade, mortality and morbidity have decreased: mortality from respiratory failure of prematurity has decreased from 22% to 12%, mortality of the very low birthweight infants under 1000 g fell from 56% to 35% and mortalities related to asphyxia have diminished from 21% to 12% and to malformations from 33% to 28%. Prematurity is now the first cause of neonatal mortality. During this period, the number of babies under 1000 g has increased 4-fold and the number of multiple births increased more than 2-fold from 3% to 7% of the live births of our hospital. Attitudes towards the premature infant have changed, especially towards the extremely small (called the micropremies). The number of disabled children has increased in parallel with the better survival of the very immature newborns who till recently were not resuscitated.
