Conventional and frugal methods of estimating COVID-19-related excess deaths and undercount factors.

Across the world, the officially reported number of COVID-19 deaths is likely an undercount. Establishing true mortality is key to improving data transparency and strengthening public health systems to tackle future disease outbreaks. In this study, we estimated excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pune region of India. Excess deaths are defined as the number of additional deaths relative to those expected from pre-COVID-19-pandemic trends. We integrated data from: (a) epidemiological modeling using pre-pandemic all-cause mortality data, (b) discrepancies between media-reported death compensation claims and official reported mortality, and (c) the "wisdom of crowds" public surveying. Our results point to an estimated 14,770 excess deaths [95% CI 9820-22,790] in Pune from March 2020 to December 2021, of which 9093 were officially counted as COVID-19 deaths. We further calculated the undercount factor-the ratio of excess deaths to officially reported COVID-19 deaths. Our results point to an estimated undercount factor of 1.6 [95% CI 1.1-2.5]. Besides providing similar conclusions about excess deaths estimates across different methods, our study demonstrates the utility of frugal methods such as the analysis of death compensation claims and the wisdom of crowds in estimating excess mortality.

Repair of a calcaneal fracture with a combination of internal and external fixation in a calf.

A 6-day-old male Japanese Black calf presented with a transverse fracture of the left calcaneus. In calcaneal fractures, traction of the gastrocnemius muscle causes substantial displacement of the proximal fracture fragment; therefore, external fixation alone is prone to failure of fusion or deformed fusion. Furthermore, internal fixation alone may result in refracture due to the high load on the implant. Therefore, internal and external fixation were used to treat the fracture. Bone fusion was observed on postoperative day 50; the wire was removed on postoperative day 90. Radiographic examination at 4 months postoperatively revealed that the bone had fused in normal alignment. Therefore, a good prognosis can be expected for calcaneal fractures treated with combined internal and external fixation.

A retrospective analysis for criteria of surgical intervention in Japanese Black calves with respiratory signs caused by perinatal rib fracture.

Medical records of 16 Japanese Black calves with respiratory signs associated with perinatal rib fracture were analyzed, retrospectively, to speculate criteria of surgical intervention for the disease. For this analysis, the severity of respiratory condition was classified into three grades: Grade 1, with no wheezing, Grade 2, with wheezing after excitement but not at rest and Grade 3, with wheezing at rest. Grade 1 (n=3) received only conservative management. Seven of Grade 2 (n=8) and all of Grade 3 (n=5) had surgical management. Clinical outcome was good in all of Grade 1, and the surgical success rate was 83% in other groups. Our result suggests that surgical intervention should be considered for cases with more the severity of Grade 2.

Radiographic diagnosis and surgical management for successful outcomes for osteochondrosis in Japanese Black calves.

Osteochondrosis (OC) is not well recognized in cattle. Japanese Black (JB) cattle are valued for their beef and studies regarding OC are scarce. Hence, the aim of this study was to retrospectively discuss clinical and radiographical findings, diagnosis and treatment options for OC in JB cattle for successful outcomes. Medical records of 11 calves affected with OC were reviewed, retrospectively. Clinical and radiographic findings, treatment and outcomes and postmortem examination findings were analyzed. All calves had lameness. Stifle (4/14) and tarsal (4/14) were the most affected joints. Subchondral bone lucencies were observed in all joints (14/14) and accompanied with sclerosis (10/14). Radiographic grading was performed in calves. Calves were treated surgically (8/11) or conservatively (1/11). Surgically treated calves were auctioned (5/8). Postmortem examination was performed (2/11). Gross findings revealed ulcerative lesion at articular surface. Histopathologically, cartilage layer was defected at lesion. Inflammation (2/2) and granulation tissue (1/2) was also observed. In conclusion, OC in JB cattle can be diagnosed on the basis of radiography with history and clinical signs in clinical setting. Surgery should be performed in mild cases for successful outcomes. A modified radiographic grading criteria for clinical cases may hold potential in evaluating prognosis and outcomes.

Bilateral rostral mandibulectomy for treatment of necrotic mandibular open fractures in two Japanese Black cattle.

Two-month-old (Case 1) and one-year-old (Case 2) Japanese Black cattle presented with bilateral rostral mandibular open fractures. At presentation, the proximal edges of each fracture were discolored and had a severe stench, indicating necrosis caused by infection. In both cases, a bilateral rostral mandibulectomy over the symphysis was performed. Although the tongues of both animals prolapsed post-surgery, they had no significant problems with eating or drinking. Case 1 showed excellent growth during fattening, and Case 2 successfully became pregnant and gave birth. Rostral mandibulectomy can be an effective surgical option for the treatment of cattle with difficulty in internal or external fixation due to unfavorable necrotic cranial mandibular open fractures.