Do early postnatal body weight changes contribute to neonatal morbidities in the extremely low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND: The implications of early postnatal body weight changes (Δbw) in the morbidities related to body fluid metabolism in sick preterm infants in not well investigated. The extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW, birth weight <1000 g) have the highest incidence of such morbidities among all neonates. AIM: To determine the relationships between Δbw and neonatal morbidities associated with body fluid metabolism in the ELBW infants. METHODS: In an observational study, the associations between daily weight changes from birth weight (DΔ bw) and oxygen dependence on postnatal day 28 (BPD28), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), intraventricular-periventricular hemorrhage (IVH), antenatal steroid (ANS) and gestational age (GA) were evaluated. Maximum weight loss (MΔ bw) was correlated with GA, BPD28 and BPD36 (oxygen dependence on postmenstrual 36 weeks). Pearson's correlation co-efficient and multivariate logistic regressions were performed for analysis. RESULTS: DΔ bw correlated inversely with GA on days 1-8 of life (p <  0.01 for all, 0.06 for DOL 2). DΔ bw was associated with a lower risk of BPD28 on days 6 (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-1), 10 (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.98) and 11 (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99); with PDA on days 8-11 (OR ranging between 0.89 to 0.92 for the 4 days, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99) and with IVH on day 5 (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86-1) after controlling for GA. DΔ bw was not identified as risk factor for the tested morbidities. ANS decreased DΔ bw on days 4 (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-1) and 10 (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.84-1). MΔbw correlated directly with BPD28 (r = 0.3, p = 0.004), which declined after controlling for GA (r = 0.2, p = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: DΔ bw is protective for PDA, BPD28 and IVH, independent of gestational age, whereas, the effects of MΔ bw on BPD are governed by maturation in ELBW infants. ANS decreases DΔbw, which correlates inversely with GA during the first week of life.

Architecture and inflammatory cell composition of the feline lung with special consideration of eosinophil counts.

An increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is a hallmark of feline asthma; however, a wide range in the percentage of eosinophils in BALF has been documented in healthy cats. In this study, BALF and lung tissue were collected from 15 cats without respiratory disease, BALF was taken from 15 cats with asthma and lung tissue was collected from six different asthmatic cats. Total nucleated cell count (TNCC) and inflammatory cell percentages were measured in BALF and lung tissue was evaluated microscopically. Asthmatic cats had a significantly higher eosinophil count in lung tissue, but BALF TNCC did not differ significantly between groups. Cats without respiratory signs had significantly more numerous macrophages and lymphocytes in BALF than asthmatics, but significantly lower percentages of eosinophils (4.2 ± 7.8% versus 49.4 ± 20.6%, P <0.001). In healthy feline airways a BALF eosinophil percentage of <5% can be expected. Dominant microscopical findings in feline asthma include high eosinophil counts, airway remodelling and inflammation. There is good correlation between the findings in BALF and tissue in feline asthma.

Inhaled budesonide therapy in cats with naturally occurring chronic bronchial disease (feline asthma and chronic bronchitis).

OBJECTIVES: To describe the long term use of inhaled budesonide in cats with naturally occurring asthma and chronic bronchitis and to measure its effects. METHODS: Owners of 43 cats diagnosed with asthma or chronic bronchitis, which had been prescribed 400 µg of inhaled budesonide twice daily, were contacted and information was retrieved by a questionnaire. Nineteen cats still receiving inhaled budesonide after more than 2 months were re-evaluated clinically and underwent barometric whole body plethysmography and adrenocorticotropic hormone-stimulation testing. RESULTS: In 20 of the cats, therapy had been withdrawn by the owners. Cats (n=23) still receiving inhaled budesonide improved clinically and 19 cats that were reevaluated had significantly lower basal PENH (P=0·048) and higher PCPenh300 (P=0·049) values than before treatment. Corticosteroid-induced side effects were not observed in any cats but hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression was detected in 3 of 15 cases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Treatment with inhaled budesonide was well tolerated, resulting in improvement of clinical signs and barometric whole body plethysmography parameters. Although inhaled budesonide therapy was found to cause suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in some cats, no cats showed clinical signs attributable to corticosteroid side effects.

[Chronic diseases of the nose and nasal sinuses in cats: a retrospective study]. / Chronische Erkrankungen der Nase und Nasennebenhöhlen der Katze: Eine retrospektive Studie.

In this retrospective study of 41 cats with chronic nasal disease diagnoses included nasal neoplasia (n = 19), idiopathic chronic rhinosinusitis (ICRS) (n = 12), nasopharyngeal polyps (n = 3), foreign bodies (n = 2), nasopharyngeal stenosis (n = 1) and nasal aspergillosis (n = 1). In 3 cats diagnosis could not be established despite thorough work-up. Gender, indoor or outdoor housing, quality or quantity of nasal discharge, bacteriological findings of nasal flushes, radiology and CT findings did not differ significantly between cats with neoplasia and cats with ICRS. Cats with neoplasia were older (3 - 15, median 11 years) and showed clinical signs for a shorter period of time (1 - 8, median 2 months) than cats with ICRS (age 1 - 13, median 7.5 years; signs: 1 - 36, median 5 months). In all cats with neoplasia a mass was detected rhinoscopically, while this was only seen in 30 % of cats with ICRS. The exact diagnosis has to be established by examination of biopsy samples. A combination of physical examination, imaging studies and rhinoscopy with cytological and histopathological examination of samples enhances the likelihood for a correct diagnosis.

Sudden death in a dog with lymphoplasmacytic hypophysitis.

A 10-year-old dog with a history of progressive anorexia and weight loss died suddenly despite treatment. Histopathological examination revealed severe follicular lymphoplasmacytic adenohypophysitis and atrophy of the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex. It is likely that lack of production of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol was the cause of death of this dog.

Immunohistochemical screening for viral agents in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) with myelopathy.

Numerous cases of acute-onset progressive ataxia, hindlimb paresis and paralysis of unknown aetiology occurred during 1993 to 2003 in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) within the European Endangered Species Programme (eep). This study describes the immunohistochemical investigation of a possible viral aetiology of the "cheetah myelopathy". Antibodies to feline herpesvirus type 1, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus and Borna disease virus were applied to formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded brain and spinal cord sections from 25 affected cheetahs aged between three-and-a-half months and 13 years. Using the avidin-biotin complex technique, none of the antibodies gave positive immunosignals in either the brain or the spinal cord tissue.