ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is a need for a clinically useful, quantitative index for measurement of disease activity in cats with chronic enteropathy (CE). OBJECTIVE: To develop a numerical activity index that is of practical value to clinicians treating CE in cats. ANIMALS: Eighty-two cats with CE. METHODS: Retrospective case review of 59 cats diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prospective validation study of 23 cats having either IBD or food-responsive enteropathy (FRE). Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify which combination of clinical and laboratory variables were best associated with intestinal inflammation of IBD. This combination of variables was expressed in a score that was used as an activity index for the prospective assessment of disease activity and of the effect of treatment in cats with IBD or FRE. RESULTS: The combination of gastrointestinal signs, endoscopic abnormalities, serum total protein, serum alanine transaminase/alkaline phosphatase activity, and serum phosphorous concentration had the best correlation with histopathologic inflammation and comprise the feline chronic enteropathy activity index (FCEAI). Positive treatment responses in cats with CE were accompanied by significant (P < .05) reductions in FCEAI scores after treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The FCEAI is a simple numerical measure of inflammatory activity in cats with CE. The scoring index can be reliably used in the initial assessment of disease severity for both IBD and FRE and as a measure of clinical response to treatment for these disorders.
Subject(s)
Cat Diseases/pathology , Enteritis/veterinary , Severity of Illness Index , Animals , Cats , Chronic Disease , Enteritis/pathology , Female , Male , Pilot Projects , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The filamentous basidiomycetous fungus, Oxyporus corticola, has not previously been reported in the human or veterinary medical literature. Identification of this organism as the etiologic agent of fungal osteomyelitis and multiorgan dissemination in a German shepherd dog was confirmed by comparison of ITS and D1/D2 sequences with known isolates.
Subject(s)
Coriolaceae/isolation & purification , Dog Diseases/microbiology , Mycoses/veterinary , Osteomyelitis/veterinary , Adrenal Glands/microbiology , Animals , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Coriolaceae/genetics , DNA, Fungal/genetics , Dog Diseases/drug therapy , Dog Diseases/pathology , Dogs , Female , Hindlimb/diagnostic imaging , Hindlimb/microbiology , Hindlimb/pathology , Hyphae , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Mycoses/drug therapy , Mycoses/microbiology , Mycoses/pathology , Osteomyelitis/drug therapy , Osteomyelitis/microbiology , Osteomyelitis/pathology , RadiographyABSTRACT
This study investigated changes in locus of control occurring among participants in a workshop designed to eliminate self-defeating behaviors. Experimental (n = 18) and control (n = 18) groups were composed of male and female university students. An analysis of covariance indicated that the treatment group moved significantly more than the control group (p less than .001) on the Rotter I-E Scale, and movement was in the anticipated direction, toward greater internal control. The increased internal control was maintained in a follow-up administration of the I-E Scale four months later. It was concluded that the workshop brought relatively stable changes toward greater perceived internal control. Implications were discussed.
