1,721,097 research outputs found
Response to Letter to the Editor on “Coxiella burnetii in Infertile Dairy Cattle With Chronic Endometritis”
No full textThe correlation between cardiac and skeletal muscle pathology in animal models of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
No full textIdiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) represent a heterogeneous group of disorders in which skeletal muscle is inappropriately targeted by the immune system. IIMs are characterized by inflammation of muscle and varying degrees of muscle dysfunction. Extra-muscular manifestations may involve heart, skin, joints, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Cardiovascular involvement is a feared event because is one of the leading causes of mortality in IIM patients. As the myocardium shares many features with the skeletal muscle, it is supposed that it can be affected by the same inflammatory processes, which take place during the different forms of IIMs. However, the full extent of this link and the mechanisms behind it are still not fully understood. Animal models have greatly improved our understanding of IIM pathomechanisms and have proven to be a useful tool for discovering therapeutic drug targets. Here we report the evidence of heart muscle involvement in different animal models of spontaneous IIMs, assuming a common autoimmune mechanism and presenting them as study models for human pathology
Quantitative histologic evaluation reveals different degree of liver atrophy in cachectic and starved dogs
No full textCases of neglect in dogs are among the forensic cases submitted most commonly for postmortem examination. Starvation is a form of primary protein-energy malnutrition in which the availability of food is severely restricted or absent; cachexia is a form of protein-energy malnutrition secondary to progressive metabolic derangement during chronic diseases. Despite both conditions leading to an emaciated appearance of the cadaver, discrimination between the two is crucial in forensic cases. We hypothesized that among emaciated dogs, the degree of liver atrophy in starved animals is higher than in cachectic ones, and that this can be investigated microscopically, regardless of the degree of cadaver decomposition. We studied 46 animals: 23 starved, 11 cachectic, and 12 control dogs. Portal tracts were identified by the presence of a bile duct and associated vascular structures recognizable by a thin rim of collagen still visible regardless of the degree of cadaver decomposition. The number of portal tracts per lpf (10×) was used as an indirect measure of atrophy. The number of portal tracts in starved dogs was significantly higher (p < 0.01) compared to both cachectic and control dogs, indicating a higher degree of liver atrophy in starvation. Measuring the density of portal tracts offers a reliable additional tool for discrimination between starvation and cachexia
Essential and current methods for a practical approach to comparative neuropathology
Full text linkThe understanding of mechanisms that provoke neurological diseases in humans and in animals has progressed rapidly in recent years, mainly due to the advent of new research instruments and our increasing liability to assemble large, complex data sets acquired across several approaches into an integrated representation of neural function at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels. Nevertheless, morphology always represents the essential approaches that are crucial for any kind of interpretation of the lesions or to explain new molecular pathways in the diseases. This mini-review has been designed to illustrate the newest and also well-established principal methods for the nervous tissue collection and processing as well as to describe the histochemical and immunohistochemical staining tools that are currently most suitable for a neuropathological assessment of the central nervous system. We also present the results of our neuropathological studies covering material from 170 cases belonging to 10 different species of mammals. Specific topics briefly addressed in this paper provide a technical and practical guide not only for researchers that daily focus their effort on neuropathology studies, but also to pathologists who occasionally have to approach to nervous tissue evaluation to answer questions about neuropathology issues
The effect of temperature and post-mortem interval on the transparency of the eye lens in dogs
No full textHuman-Animal Interaction in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI)s: Zoonosis Risks, Benefits, and Future Directions—A One Health Approach
Full text link: Animal-assisted interventions (AAI)s represent the expression of integrated medicine, according to the One Health approach. Actually, animal-assisted therapies and animal-assisted activities are implemented in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, etc. The efficacy of AAIs is based on interspecific interactions and would be impacted by different factors, such as the characters of both the animal and the handler, a suitable selection of animal species, an appropriate animal educational protocol, the relationship between the handler and the animal, and mutual relationship among the animal, the patients, and members of the working team. AAIs produce many advantages for the patients but could expose them to zoonotic-pathogens transmission. Therefore, positive animal welfare, as preventative medicine to avoid incidents or transmission of zoonosis, is a relevant aspect with implications for human and animal health and wellbeing. This review aims to summarize the current published knowledge regarding the occurrence of pathogens in AAIs and to discuss their relevance in light of health and safety in AAIs participants. In addition, this review will contribute to defining the state of the art of AAIs through a careful benefits/challenges analysis and offers discussion points on the possible future developments according to the One Health approach
Human-Animal Interaction in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI)s: Zoonosis Risks, Benefits, and Future Directions—A One Health Approach
Full text linkAnimal-assisted interventions (AAI)s represent the expression of integrated medicine, according to the One Health approach. Actually, animal-assisted therapies and animal-assisted activities are implemented in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, etc. The efficacy of AAIs is based on interspecific interactions and would be impacted by different factors, such as the characters of both the animal and the handler, a suitable selection of animal species, an appropriate animal educational protocol, the relationship between the handler and the animal, and mutual relationship among the animal, the patients, and members of the working team. AAIs produce many advantages for the patients but could expose them to zoonotic-pathogens transmission. Therefore, positive animal welfare, as preventative medicine to avoid incidents or transmission of zoonosis, is a relevant aspect with implications for human and animal health and wellbeing. This review aims to summarize the current published knowledge regarding the occurrence of pathogens in AAIs and to discuss their relevance in light of health and safety in AAIs participants. In addition, this review will contribute to defining the state of the art of AAIs through a careful benefits/challenges analysis and offers discussion points on the possible future developments according to the One Health approach
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