Form-function relationships underlie rapid dietary changes in a lizard.

Macroevolutionary changes such as variation in habitat use or diet are often associated with convergent, adaptive changes in morphology. However, it is still unclear how small-scale morphological variation at the population level can drive shifts in ecology such as observed at a macroevolutionary scale. Here, we address this question by investigating how variation in cranial form and feeding mechanics relate to rapid changes in diet in an insular lizard (Podarcis siculus) after experimental introduction into a new environment. We first quantified differences in the skull shape and jaw muscle architecture between the source and introduced population using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and dissections. Next, we tested the impact of the observed variation in morphology on the mechanical performance of the masticatory system using computer-based biomechanical simulation techniques. Our results show that small differences in shape, combined with variation in muscle architecture, can result in significant differences in performance allowing access to novel trophic resources. The confrontation of these data with the already described macroevolutionary relationships between cranial form and function in these insular lizards provides insights into how selection can, over relatively short time scales, drive major changes in ecology through its impact on mechanical performance.

Recollections of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Complexities of Religious Coping and Muslim Religious and Psychological Adjustment in Afghanistan.

Religious coping is a double-edged sword. Clarification of the psychological benefits for positive religious coping requires statistical controls for negative religious coping and vice versa. This study sought to further explore the complexities of Muslim religious coping by extending the analysis to Afghans who coped with the sufferings associated with recollections of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse. Two hundred Dari Persian-speaking Afghan university students (122 identified having experience of childhood sexual abuse) self-reported on variables that measure religious orientation, religious coping, Muslim experiential religiousness, mental health, and child abuse. Results showed that negative religious coping interfered with the possibly beneficial effects of positive religious coping on mental health and child abuse. After controlling for negative religious coping, the associations of positive religious coping became obvious. In addition, Muslim spirituality moderated the associations of religious coping with mental health outcomes and child abuse: for people with higher Muslim spirituality, positive religious coping associated with better mental health, and negative religious coping associated with less child abuse. Implications for religious coping and combating trauma in a religious context are discussed.

Clinical characteristics and histology of cholecystectomised dogs with nongravity-dependent biliary sludge: 16 cases (2014-2019).

OBJECTIVES: To report the available histology, biochemistry and clinical progression of dogs without classic overt biliary tract signs that underwent cholecystectomy for nongravity-dependent biliary sludge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case series of client-owned dogs for which a cholecystectomy was performed for nongravity-dependent biliary sludge. In six dogs, for which nongravity-dependent biliary sludge filled less than half of gall bladder volume, gall bladder ejection fractions were measured. Available histology, biochemistry, presenting clinical signs and post-surgical clinical progression were reported. RESULTS: Sixteen dogs were included in this retrospective case series. No dogs met the histological criteria for gall bladder mucocoeles or had histological evidence of primary hepatitis or cholangitis. Biochemistry was normal for 11 dogs. Hypercholesterolaemia was not noted in any dog. Twelve dogs had cholecystitis (11 lymphoplasmacytic, one neutrophilic) and nine dogs had biliary mucosal hyperplasia. Thirteen dogs had enteritis (12 lymphoplasmacytic, one eosinophilic) and nine dogs had reactive hepatitis (eight lymphoplasmacytic, one neutrophilic). All six dogs with nongravity-dependent biliary sludge that filled less than half of gall bladder volume had sub-optimal gall bladder function. Presenting clinical signs, including diurnal inappetence in the morning and exercise intolerance, resolved in 86% (12/14) of dogs after cholecystectomy and clinical improvement was noted in 81% (13/16) of dogs overall. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Duodenal inflammation could potentially impact gall bladder dysmotility in dogs with nongravity-dependent biliary sludge. Furthermore, diurnal inappetence in the morning and exercise intolerance could indicate symptomatic gall bladder disease in dogs with NDBS and can potentially precede more obvious systemic clinical signs associated with gall bladder mucocoeles.

Chronic Inflammatory Disease in the Pancreas, Kidney and Salivary Glands of English Cocker Spaniels and Dogs of Other Breeds Shows Similar Histological Features to Human IgG4-related Disease.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a common disease in the English cocker spaniel (ECS) and is characterized histologically by duct destruction, interlobular fibrosis and dense periductular and perivenous lymphocytic aggregates. These features are also found in human autoimmune pancreatitis type 1, part of a glucocorticoid-responsive, multiorgan syndrome, newly recognized as IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). Human IgG4-RD affects one or several organs, often showing a predominance of IgG4+ plasma cells histologically, with an IgG4+:total IgG+ plasma cell ratio of >40%. This study investigated whether ECSs with CP and/or inflammatory disease in several organs show an increase in IgG4+ plasma cells within affected tissues. Histological sections of pancreas, liver, kidney, salivary gland and conjunctiva were obtained from ECSs with idiopathic chronic inflammatory disease affecting those tissues. Tissue samples from age-matched dogs of other breeds with similar diseases were also sampled. Control diseased tissue samples, from dogs without a suspected immune-mediated disease, were included. A subset of ECSs and dogs of other breeds presented with disease in more than one organ. Immunohistochemistry was performed with primary reagents detecting total IgG and three of the four canine IgG subclasses (IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4). Normal sections of pancreas and liver showed an absence of labelled plasma cells of any subclass. Normal kidney and salivary gland sections showed the presence of a few labelled plasma cells (<10 plasma cells/high-power field). Fourteen tissue sections from 12 ECSs and seven sections from six dogs of other breeds showed elevated numbers of IgG4+ plasma cells and IgG4+:IgG+ ratios >40%. Individual dogs (ECSs and other breeds) showed marked increases in IgG4+ cells. There were no significant differences in the number of IgG4+ plasma cells between ECSs and dogs of other breeds for affected pancreas, liver, salivary glands and conjunctiva. Kidney sections had more IgG4+ cells, for both ECSs and dogs of other breeds, than did sections from other organs. Dogs of other breeds had significantly more IgG4+ plasma cells in affected kidneys than ECSs. In conclusion, several ECSs and dogs of other breeds fulfilled the histological criteria for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD, supporting the existence of a multiorgan immune-mediated disease in ECSs and some dogs of other breeds.

Amanah and Muslim Identity: Relationships with Religious and Psychological Adjustment in Malaysia.

Amanah refers to the accountability of Muslims to their community. In Malaysian Muslim university students (N = 209), an Amanah Scale predicted a stronger sense of identity along with more adaptive religious and psychosocial functioning. Multiple regression analyses identified Accountability to Society as especially influential, but Accountability to Allah exhibited at least some problematic implications. Amanah mediated Identity linkages with some measures of religious and psychological adjustment, but also suppressed Identity relationships with greater self-knowledge and lower anxiety. These data confirmed the importance of communal commitments in Muslim mental health, suggested that accountability may have limited liabilities as well as more obvious psychosocial advantages, and identified possible complexities in the assessment of Accountability to Allah.

Effect of clinical signs, endocrinopathies, timing of surgery, hyperlipidemia, and hyperbilirubinemia on outcome in dogs with gallbladder mucocele.

Gallbladder mucocele (GBM) is a common extra-hepatic biliary syndrome in dogs with death rates ranging from 7 to 45%. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the association of survival with variables that could be utilized to improve clinical decisions. A total of 1194 dogs with a gross and histopathological diagnosis of GBM were included from 41 veterinary referral hospitals in this retrospective study. Dogs with GBM that demonstrated abnormal clinical signs had significantly greater odds of death than subclinical dogs in a univariable analysis (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 2.14-8.23; P<0.001). The multivariable model indicated that categorical variables including owner recognition of jaundice (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.19-3.77; P=0.011), concurrent hyperadrenocorticism (OR 1.94; 95% CI, 1.08-3.47; P=0.026), and Pomeranian breed (OR, 2.46; 95% CI 1.10-5.50; P=0.029) were associated with increased odds of death, and vomiting was associated with decreased odds of death (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30-0.72; P=0.001). Continuous variables in the multivariable model, total serum/plasma bilirubin concentration (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P<0.001) and age (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08-1.26; P<0.001), were associated with increased odds of death. The clinical utility of total serum/plasma bilirubin concentration as a biomarker to predict death was poor with a sensitivity of 0.61 (95% CI, 0.54-0.69) and a specificity of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.59-0.66). This study identified several prognostic variables in dogs with GBM including total serum/plasma bilirubin concentration, age, clinical signs, concurrent hyperadrenocorticism, and the Pomeranian breed. The presence of hypothyroidism or diabetes mellitus did not impact outcome in this study.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1 and 2 complexes regulate both histone acetylation and crotonylation in vivo.

Proteomic analysis of histones has shown that they are subject to a superabundance of acylations, which extend far beyond acetylation, to include: crotonylation, propionylation, butyrylation, malonylation, succinylation, ß-hydroxybutyrylation and 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation. To date, much of the functional data has focussed on histone crotonylation which, similar to acetylation, has been associated with positive gene regulation and is added by the acyltransferase, p300. Although Sirtuins 1-3, along with HDAC3, have been shown to possess decrotonylase activity in vitro, there is relatively little known about the regulation of histone crotonylation in vivo. Here we show that Histone Deacetylase 1 and 2 (HDAC1/2), the catalytic core of numerous co-repressor complexes, are important histone decrotonylase enzymes. A ternary complex of HDAC1/CoREST1/LSD1 is able to hydrolyse both histone H3 Lys18-acetyl (H3K18ac) and H3 Lys18-crotonyl (H3K18cr) peptide substrates. Genetic deletion of HDAC1/2 in ES cells increases global levels of histone crotonylation and causes an 85% reduction in total decrotonylase activity. Furthermore, we mapped H3K18cr in cells using ChIP-seq, with and without HDAC1/2, and observed increased levels of crotonylation, which largely overlaps with H3K18ac in the vicinity of transcriptional start sites. Collectively, our data indicate that HDAC1/2 containing complexes are critical regulators of histone crotonylation in vivo.

A biomechanical analysis of prognathous and orthognathous insect head capsules: evidence for a many-to-one mapping of form to function.

Insect head shapes are remarkably variable, but the influences of these changes on biomechanical performance are unclear. Among 'basal' winged insects, such as dragonflies, mayflies, earwigs and stoneflies, some of the most prominent anatomical changes are the general mouthpart orientation, eye size and the connection of the endoskeleton to the head. Here, we assess these variations as well as differing ridge and sclerite configurations using modern engineering methods including multibody dynamics modelling and finite element analysis in order to quantify and compare the influence of anatomical changes on strain in particular head regions and the whole head. We show that a range of peculiar structures such as the genal/subgenal, epistomal and circumocular areas are consistently highly loaded in all species, despite drastically differing morphologies in species with forward-projecting (prognathous) and downward-projecting (orthognathous) mouthparts. Sensitivity analyses show that the presence of eyes has a negligible influence on head capsule strain if a circumocular ridge is present. In contrast, the connection of the dorsal endoskeletal arms to the head capsule especially affects overall head loading in species with downward-projecting mouthparts. Analysis of the relative strains between species for each head region reveals that concerted changes in head substructures such as the subgenal area, the endoskeleton and the epistomal area lead to a consistent relative loading for the whole head capsule and vulnerable structures such as the eyes. It appears that biting-chewing loads are managed by a system of strengthening ridges on the head capsule irrespective of the general mouthpart and head orientation. Concerted changes in ridge and endoskeleton configuration might allow for more radical anatomical changes such as the general mouthpart orientation, which could be an explanation for the variability of this trait among insects. In an evolutionary context, many-to-one mapping of strain patterns onto a relatively similar overall head loading indeed could have fostered the dynamic diversification processes seen in insects.

Self-Compassion and Cultural Values: A Cross-Cultural Study of Self-Compassion Using a Multitrait-Multimethod (MTMM) Analytical Procedure.

Self-compassion is natural, trainable and multi-faceted human capacity. To date there has been little research into the role of culture in influencing the conceptual structure of the underlying construct, the relative importance of different facets of self-compassion, nor its relationships to cultural values. This study employed a cross-cultural design, with 4,124 participants from 11 purposively sampled datasets drawn from different countries. We aimed to assess the relevance of positive and negative items when building the self-compassion construct, the convergence among the self-compassion components, and the possible influence of cultural values. Each dataset comprised undergraduate students who completed the "Self-Compassion Scale" (SCS). We used a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach to the multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) model, separating the variability into self-compassion components (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), method (positive and negative valence), and error (uniqueness). The normative scores of the Values Survey Module (VSM) in each country, according to the cultural dimensions of individualism, masculinity, power distance, long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence, were considered. We used Spearman coefficients (r s) to assess the degree of association between the cultural values and the variance coming from the positive and negative items to explain self-compassion traits, as well as the variance shared among the self-compassion traits, after removing the method effects produced by the item valence. The CFA applied to the MTMM model provided acceptable fit in all the samples. Positive items made a greater contribution to capturing the traits comprising self-compassion when the long-term orientation cultural value was higher (r s = 0.62; p = 0.042). Negative items did not make significant contributions to building the construct when the individualism cultural value was higher, but moderate effects were found (r s = 0.40; p = 0.228). The level of common variance among the self-compassion trait factors was inversely related to the indulgence cultural value (r s = -0.65; p = 0.030). The extent to which the positive and negative items contribute to explain self-compassion, and that different self-compassion facets might be regarded as reflecting a broader construct, might differ across cultural backgrounds.

Religious and Psychological Implications of Positive and Negative Religious Coping in Iran.

This study examined the religious and psychological implications of religious coping in Iran. University students (N = 224) responded to the Brief Positive and Negative Religious Coping Scales along with measures of Religious Orientation, Integrative Self-Knowledge, Self-Control, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, Guilt, Shame, and Self-Criticism. As in previous research elsewhere, Positive Religious Coping was stronger on average than Negative Religious Coping, and Positive and Negative Religious Coping predicted adjustment and maladjustment, respectively, In addition, this study demonstrated that direct relationships between Positive and Negative Religious Coping appeared to be reliable in Iran; that Positive Religious Copings was broadly compatible with, and Negative Religious Coping was largely irrelevant to, Iranian religious motivations; and that Negative Religious Coping obscured linkages of Positive Religious Coping with religious and psychological adjustment.

Muslim Spirituality, Religious Coping, and Reactions to Terrorism Among Pakistani University Students.

Pakistani Muslim university students (N = 207) displayed Personal Distress, Public Distress, and Personal Defeat Reactions to Terrorism. All three reactions predicted poorer mental health with Personal Defeat being especially disturbed in its adjustment implications. In line with the assumptions of coping theory, scores on the Negative Religious Coping Scale correlated positively with Personal Distress and with Personal Defeat. However, Positive Religious Coping, the spirituality of Muslim Experiential Religiousness, and the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations exhibited positive rather than the expected negative linkages with Personal Distress and Public Distress. Muslim Experiential Religiousness moderated associations of Positive and Negative Religious Coping with Public Distress. When spirituality was high, these relationships were negative. When spirituality was low, they became positive. These data documented the negative impacts that terrorism can have on Pakistanis and suggested that Muslim religious commitments may have an important role to play in resisting those influences.

Bacterial Cholangitis, Cholecystitis, or both in Dogs.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis are rarely reported, poorly characterized diseases in the dog. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical features of these conditions. ANIMALS: Twenty-seven client-owned dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both. METHODS: Multicenter, retrospective cases series of dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both, presenting January 2000 to June 2011 to 4 Veterinary Schools in Ireland/United Kingdom. Interrogation of hospital databases identified all cases with the inclusion criteria; histopathologically confirmed cholangitis or cholecystitis and bile culture/cytology results supporting a bacterial etiology. RESULTS: Twenty-seven dogs met the inclusion criteria with approximately 460 hepatitis cases documented over the same study period. Typical clinical pathology findings were increases in liver enzyme activities (25/26), hyperbilirubinemia (20/26), and an inflammatory leukogram (21/24). Ultrasound findings, although nonspecific, aided decision-making in 25/26 cases. The most frequent hepatobiliary bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli (n = 17; 16 cases), Enterococcus spp. (n = 8; 6 cases), and Clostridium spp. (n = 5; 5 cases). Antimicrobial resistance was an important feature of aerobic isolates; 10/16 E. coli isolates resistant to 3 or more antimicrobial classes. Biliary tract rupture complicated nearly one third of cases, associated with significant mortality (4/8). Discharged dogs had a guarded to fair prognosis; 17/18 alive at 2 months, although 5/10 re-evaluated had persistent liver enzyme elevation 2-12 months later. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis occur more frequently than suggested by current literature and should be considered in dogs presenting with jaundice and fever, abdominal pain, or an inflammatory leukogram or with ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder abnormalities.

Measurement of serum 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one as a marker of bile acid malabsorption in dogs with chronic diarrhoea: a pilot study.

Bile acid malabsorption is a common cause of chronic diarrhoea in people, however it has never previously been investigated in dogs, despite clinical suspicion of its existence. The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of measuring serum 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4) in dogs, as a potential marker of bile acid malabsorption, and to see whether this is related to clinical disease severity or the presence of hypocobalaminaemia. Serum C4 concentration was measured in 20 clinically healthy control dogs and 17 dogs with chronic diarrhoea. Three of the 17 affected dogs (17.6 per cent) had a C4 concentration significantly above the range of clinically healthy dogs; these dogs were all poorly responsive to conventional therapy. These results suggest that bile acid malabsorption may be a clinically relevant disorder in dogs with chronic diarrhoea and serum C4 may be a useful tool to investigate this further.

Prevalence of pancreatic, hepatic and renal microscopic lesions in post-mortem samples from Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of microscopic pancreatic, hepatic and renal lesions in post-mortem samples from Cavalier King Charles spaniels. METHODS: The prevalence of microscopic lesions was determined by routine histopathology and compared to ante-mortem clinical signs. RESULTS: There was evidence of chronic pancreatitis in 51·9% of the cases, and age correlated with severity. Renal lesions were diagnosed in 52·2% of cases, most of which were inflammatory. Ante-mortem diagnosis of pancreatic and renal disease was 25 and 16·7%, respectively. Primary hepatic lesions were diagnosed in 11·1% of cases; secondary hepatic lesions were diagnosed in 64·8%. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Pancreatic and renal lesions are common in Cavalier King Charles spaniels, but they have similar rates of hepatic disease as the general population. The increasing prevalence of pancreatic lesions with age suggests that it might be a progressive condition.

Integrative self-knowledge and marital satisfaction.

Married Iranian couples (N = 210) responded to the Integrative Self-Knowledge Scale along with a measure of marital satisfaction, the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Big Five, and an index of interpersonal problems. Integrative self-knowledge correlated positively with marital satisfaction, positively with all but the extraversion Big Five traits, and negatively with three indices of interpersonal problems. Integrative self-knowledge also mediated a number of personality relationships with marital satisfaction. Spouse-ratings of personality confirmed the adaptive implications of integrative self-knowledge for marriage. Linkages with questionnaire response styles supported the description of integrative self-knowledge as a measure of both self-insight and self-development. Results confirmed the potential of integrative self-knowledge for studying self-regulatory processes and suggested that the enhancement of self-knowledge may be a useful goal in efforts to strengthen marriages.

A multi-process model of self-regulation: influences of mindfulness, integrative self-knowledge and self-control in Iran.

Self-regulation presumably rests upon multiple processes that include an awareness of ongoing self-experience, enduring self-knowledge and self-control. The present investigation tested this multi-process model using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Integrative Self-Knowledge and Brief Self-Control Scales. Using a sample of 1162 Iranian university students, we confirmed the five-factor structure of the FFMQ in Iran and documented its factorial invariance across males and females. Self-regulatory variables correlated negatively with Perceived Stress, Depression, and Anxiety and positively with Self-Esteem and Satisfaction with Life. Partial mediation effects confirmed that self-regulatory measures ameliorated the disturbing effects of Perceived Stress. Integrative Self-Knowledge and Self-Control interacted to partially mediate the association of Perceived Stress with lower levels of Satisfaction with Life. Integrative Self-Knowledge, alone or in interaction with Self-Control, was the only self-regulation variable to display the expected mediation of Perceived Stress associations with all other measures. Self-Control failed to be implicated in self-regulation only in the mediation of Anxiety. These data confirmed the need to further examine this multi-process model of self-regulation.

Canine hepacivirus is not associated with chronic liver disease in dogs.

Canine hepacivirus (CHV) has recently been identified in liver and respiratory tract samples from dogs, and comparative phylogenetic analysis has confirmed it to be the closest genetic relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV) described to date. CHV offers great potential as a model system for HCV, but only if the underlying processes of infection and pathogenesis are similar for both viruses. However, it is not yet clear if CHV is hepatotrophic. Canine chronic hepatitis (CH) is a common and usually idiopathic disease that shares similar histological features to that of HCV infection of humans. To date, no study has attempted to determine whether CHV is involved in the aetiology of liver disease in dogs. We employed two nested PCR assays, using primers targeting regions of the helicase domain of CHV NS3, to identify viral nucleic acids in liver samples from 100 dogs with CH of unknown cause in the UK. We also used a sensitive luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) assay to screen serum samples from these dogs for the presence of anti-CHV antibodies. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of exposure to, or a carrier state of, CHV in this large cohort, suggesting that the virus is not associated with CH in UK dogs. Future work, including transmission studies, is required to understand the pathogenesis of CHV in canids before it can be proposed as a surrogate model for HCV-induced liver disease in man.

How do GPs complete fit note comments?

BACKGROUND: The 'fit note' was introduced in the UK in April 2010, to facilitate return to work (RTW). However, no research to date has reported on how general practitioners (GPs) complete the comments section of the fit note. AIMS: To investigate the content of GPs' comments in a sample of actual fit notes. METHODS: Data were collected in a service evaluation of fit notes issued by a regular general practice and those issued by a fit for work service (FFWS), where the fit notes for patients using the service are signed by GPs who have completed or are studying for a Diploma in Occupational Medicine. Content analysis was conducted on the fit note comments. RESULTS: There were 1212 fit notes available for analysis. Seven hundred and twelve were issued by the general practice and 500 by the FFWS. The FFWS made comments in 98% of those who may be fit and 90% of those not fit against 72% and 12%, respectively, for comments by the general practice. Fourteen different categories were identified in the comments. Most comments made some reference to RTW but few described the functional effects of the patient's condition. Comments frequently covered more than one category and appeared to be serving a number of different purposes. CONCLUSIONS: There was a wide variety in how the comments section was completed, and GPs were not completing the fit note as intended. The information provided may require improvement if it is to be useful to employers.

A novel zoometric index for assessing body composition in adult rabbits.

Obesity is an emerging problem in domesticated rabbits, and an easy-to-use measure of adipose tissue mass is needed. The current study aimed to develop a zoometric ratio, capable of estimating body condition in rabbits. Body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), and zoometric measures (distal forelimb length, DFL; vertebral length, VL were measured in 150 pet rabbits. Zoometric formulae were created, combining BW with a zoometric measure, and these were tested for their ability to predict adipose tissue mass judged by BCS. Seventy-five (50 per cent) of the rabbits were in ideal condition (BCS 2.5-3.5), 52 (35 per cent) were overweight (BCS>3.5), and 23 (15 per cent) were underweight (BCS<2.5). Median (range) DFL and VL measurements were 12.1 (8.8-16.4 cm) and 34.0 (26.5-50.5 cm), respectively. In rabbits of medium breed size, the BW/DFL ratio was most strongly associated with BCS (Kendall's τ 0.80, P<0.001). Using BW/DFL limits for optimum body condition (eg, minimum 0.16; maximum 0.21), all underweight and overweight rabbits were correctly classified, while only 2/61 (3 per cent) rabbits with an optimum BCS were incorrectly classified as overweight. This study provides preliminary evidence that the BW/DFL might be a useful indirect measure of adipose tissue mass in rabbits of medium breed size.