Developing the production medicine practice

The concept of dairy production medicine has matured. The programs are probably essential for our profession to remain relevant to the dairy industry. Yet delivery of the services has lagged far behind the concept. Delivery lags because it is not simply the addition of some new techniques to an old practice; development of production medicine programs requires fundamental changes in the skills we bring to our work, changes in the way we relate to our clients and our community, and changes in the priorities that shape our practices. That is the challenge. The process is demanding, it is complex, it is sometimes painful, and in my view, it is absolutely necessary.     

Use of complementary veterinary medicine in the geriatric horse.

The use of complementary and alternative veterinary medicine continues to grow within the veterinary community. As more clients seek out complementary and alternative medicine for their own health care, they begin to seek out these forms of therapy for their animals. For the equine practitioner, this includes those clients with geriatric animals. It is hoped that this article provides some insight into what conditions may be helped with CVM (complementary veterinary medicine) and when an equine practitioner may want to consider CVM as a form of therapy for the geriatric horse.     

Genomics in equine veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is marching forward with genomics grasped firmly in one fist. Genomics has been part of our veterinary tool bag for some time in various guises, but the breadth and depth of its ramifications can be daunting. This article is designed to provide toe‐holds for veterinarians to enjoy a better understanding of genomics – a truly fascinating area of science.     

The need for research in small animal medicine

Extract

You are all aware that the needs for research in small animal medicine differs from those of other veterinary endeavours because we do not deal with export markets and primary in dustry, but rather with an unique area of consumerism. Because we deal mainly with individual animals rather than groups, some people try to link our work with that of the physician, but here again the requirements are different. The economic value of the patient may be limited but we all know that the emotional value to the client can create both challenge and demand for the veterinarian.     

William osler and comparative medicine

During the last thirty years of the nineteenth century, comparative medicine deeply influenced veterinary education in Montreal, New York and Philadelphia. Of the many physicians and veterinarians involved in this movement, Sir William Osler has attracted the most biographical and historical attention. However, his contributions to comparative medicine have been characterized inexactly, partly because of his later prominence as a clinician and partly because little has been written about the history of veterinary education in Quebec.

Osler's teaching and research in comparative medicine as well as his efforts to promote a veterinary profession are described and set alongside the work of other physicians and veterinarians who were his contemporaries. As a result, Osler's contributions to comparative medicine are seen to be many and important but by no means unique. Other Quebec veterinarians, including Duncan McEachran, Orphyr Bruneau, Victor T. Daubigny and J.A. Couture, and such physicians as T. Wesley Mills and J. George Adami made as many, and in some cases greater, contributions to veterinary education in Quebec than did Osler. That they have not received the degree of recognition that Osler has received reveals Osler's ability to represent values and ideals and draws attention to some essential features of late nineteenth-century comparative medicine.

     

Effectiveness of acupuncture in veterinary medicine: systematic review

Acupuncture is a popular complementary treatment option in human medicine. Increasingly, owners also seek acupuncture for their animals. The aim of the systematic review reported here was to summarize and assess the clinical evidence for or against the effectiveness of acupuncture in veterinary medicine. Systematic searches were conducted on Medline, Embase, Amed, Cinahl, Japana Centra Revuo Medicina and Chikusan Bunken Kensaku. Hand-searches included conference proceedings, bibliographies, and contact with experts and veterinary acupuncture associations. There were no restrictions regarding the language of publication. All controlled clinical trials testing acupuncture in any condition of domestic animals were included. Studies using laboratory animals were excluded. Titles and abstracts of identified articles were read, and hard copies were obtained. Inclusion and exclusion of studies, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by two reviewers. Methodologic quality was evaluated by means of the Jadad score. Fourteen randomized controlled trials and 17 nonrandomized controlled trials met our criteria and were, therefore, included. The methodologic quality of these trials was variable but, on average, was low. For cutaneous pain and diarrhea, encouraging evidence exists that warrants further investigation in rigorous trials. Single studies reported some positive intergroup differences for spinal cord injury, Cushing's syndrome, lung function, hepatitis, and rumen acidosis. These trials require independent replication. On the basis of the findings of this systematic review, there is no compelling evidence to recommend or reject acupuncture for any condition in domestic animals. Some encouraging data do exist that warrant further investigation in independent rigorous trials.     

Gender and veterinary medicine: global historical perspectives

This essay will suggest research methodologies for historians interested in the history of gender and veterinary medicine over the past 200 years. This topic is a very timely one, because we are currently living through a transition in the interactions between gender and veterinary medicine. Traditionally male-dominated, veterinary medicine has recently experienced a world-wide increase in the number of women entering veterinary schools and practicing in all areas of the profession. Understanding this transition requires us to ask historical, cultural, and sociological questions in order to illuminate the roles of gender ideologies and the participation of women in the development of modern veterinary medicine. The following paragraphs outline three specific methodological strategies that historians have used to study the interactions between gender and science and gender and medicine. I will propose ways that we veterinary historians can use these strategies to study gender and veterinary medicine. It is beyond the scope of this paper to summarize the literature on women and veterinary medicine; but it will nonetheless highlight a few studies from nations around the world to illustrate the methodological strategies that I propose. I hope to provide scholars with ideas for future studies in the history of gender and veterinary medicine.     

Hospice in a zoologic medicine setting

Forty years ago, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her landmark book On death and dying observed "maybe at the end of our days, when we have worked and given, enjoyed ourselves and suffered, we are going back to the stage that we started out with and the circle of life is closed." Just as human life expectancy has steadily increased over the last 4 or 5 decades, animal life expectancy has increased, including that of zoologic species. With this has come a need for humans to openly and frankly deal with end-of-life issues for themselves and for their animals, including those in zoos. By necessity, zoos have been dealing with problems such as aggressive pain management and triage, and efforts to incorporate end-of-life care into zoologic medicine. But these efforts have yet to include formal acknowledgment that they are a basic form of hospice. Hospice for humans, and now for companion animals, includes much more than pain relief and geriatric care. This article reviews the concepts and basic practices of hospice and the closely related field of palliative care, their relatively recent application to companion animal care, potential applications to zoologic medicine, and the ways this could provide opportunities for personal growth of zoo visitors and staff, including veterinary staff.     

The pharmacogenomics of P-glycoprotein and its role in veterinary medicine

Despite advancements in pharmacogenetics in human medicine, the incorporation of pharmacogenetics into veterinary medicine is still in its early stages of development. To date, efforts to understand the pharmacologic impact of genetic variation in veterinary species have largely focused on genes encoding for the membrane transporter, P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The emphasis on the role of P-gp is largely because of safety concerns associated with the use of some macrocyclic lactones in dogs. Because of the body of information available on this topic, we use P-gp as a platform for understanding the importance of population diversity in veterinary medicine. The impact of P-gp on drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is considered, along with endogenous and exogenous factors that can modulate P-gp activity. The review includes discussion of how population diversity in P-gp activity can lead to susceptibility to certain diseases or alter patient response to environmental stress or pharmaceutical intervention. In addition, phenotypic diversity also needs to be considered, as demonstrated by the impact of P-gp up-regulation and drug resistance. The aim of this review was to set the stage for further exploration into the impact of genetic and phenotypic variability on drug pharmacokinetics, disease propensity, product formulation and drug response in both companion and food-producing animals.     

Stem cells and veterinary medicine: tools to understand diseases and enable tissue regeneration and drug discovery

New sophisticated laboratory techniques, as well as established interactions between basic science, researchers and veterinarians, have led to an exponential increase in our understanding of the animal body in health and disease. The advent of animal cloning, the identification and characterization of stem cells, and publication of the various mammalian genomes has afforded the opportunity to exploit these technologies to better understand disease and develop new therapies. In human medicine, these medical advances are already being translated into clinical practice, the promise being that previously untreatable or incurable chronic diseases will become a thing of the past. In parallel, the veterinary profession is looking to these technologies to explore novel therapies for chronic diseases, such as osteoarthritis in companion animals, and is applying these technologies to enhance food animal production. This review focuses on the emerging area of stem cell biology and explores the potential applications of stem cell technologies to veterinary medicine.     

Complementary and alternative medicine for neurologic disorders

The use of complementary and alternative veterinary medicine in treating neurologic disorders has increased in popularity in response to advances in human alternative and integrative therapies. Neurolocalization of lesions to the brain, spinal cord, and neuromuscular systems is discussed, as well as the diagnostics and therapeutics used to treat such disorders. Emphasis is placed on integrative and alternative treatments for such neurologic diseases as seizures, cerebrovascular accidents, canine cognitive disorder, meningitis, intervertebral disc disease, fibrocartilagenous embolism, degenerative myelopathy, and myopathies. Thorough physical and neurologic examinations, establishment of a correct diagnosis, and integrative therapeutics are aimed at improving the overall quality of life of the veterinary patient.     

Laboratory animal medicine. Changes and challenges

Less than three decades have elapsed since the specialty of laboratory animal medicine was first formally recognized. Tremendous progress and maturation has occurred in this short time frame due in large part to the foresight of early pioneers in the field, attention to the moral and ethical use of animals, and the recognition by the biomedical research community of the indispensable role played by the laboratory animal medicine specialist in forging new knowledge in the biomedical sciences. The ability of laboratory animal medicine specialists to properly balance their efforts in collaborative and independent research, clinical services and teaching, offers exciting challenges and opportunities for veterinarians entering the specialty. Undoubtedly, another challenge to the specialty, currently and in the foreseeable future, is the debate over animal rights which began to ferment in the late 1970's, after lying relatively dorment since the 1950's. A growing number of Americans, including some scientists, contend that animals have inherent rights to a full life, free of intentional pain, even when done in legitimate scientific pursuits; some ardent anti-vivisectionists state that the use of animals in experimental research is immoral. The laboratory animal medicine specialist will have to effectively deal with the administrators of institutions using research animals, the attendant federal and state guidelines and laws regulating their use, and defend the use of laboratory animals to a polarized public, while at the same time ensure the humane care and use of animals under their purview. Certainly, the specialty is squarely placed in a hotly debated dilemma, fraught with ethical, moral, medical, philosophical, religious, and political complexities. I believe the specialty has the vision and maturity, and is indeed ready, to successfully meet that challenge - to assuage public concern, implement new federal policy regarding animal care and use, and maintain the excellent progress in laboratory animal medicine realized in the last 75 years.     

Paradigms for pharmacologic use as a treatment component in feline behavioral medicine

Veterinary behavioral medicine remains an under-supported, under-appreciated, and under-taught specialty within veterinary medicine. Neuropsychopharmacology is the aspect that has provided the field with the most scientific legitimacy, but is also one of the most hotly debated. Paradigms for use of pharmacologic intervention include firstly ruling out any underlying medical cause. If a behavioral diagnosis can be made, treatment with psychotropic medication may be considered, although their use is most effective as part of an integrated treatment program that includes behavior modification. Used without an understanding of the mechanism of action, pharmacologic intervention may only blunt or mask behavior without altering processes or environments that produced the behavior. This paper reviews specific drugs, mechanism of action of those drugs, and relevant uses are reviewed for cats. Future advances in treatment in veterinary behavioral medicine will be pharmacological and neurophysiological. As the field of veterinary behavioral medicine expands, its paradigm will enlarge to include routine combination therapy and the implementation of neuropharmacological intervention as a diagnostic tool.     

Interfacing professional training in health maintenance and preventive medicine.

Because of emerging economic realities of the latter half of this century, the practice of preventive medicine, as opposed to curative medicine, is becoming essential in developed and developing countries. This holds true in veterinary medicine as well as in human medicine, and as we become increasingly aware of this fact, we also recognize the increasing interdependence of both fields. To determine the extent to which veterinarians are prepared to deal with this change in emphasis, two surveys have been prepared; one directed to various specialty groups within the profession and the other directed to schools of veterinary medicine. The first survey was designed to identify areas in which veterinarians felt their training had been deficient relative to decision making in applied preventive medicine. The second survey queried the schools to determine what changes had been made in their curricula to remedy these inadequacies.     

中药复方制剂对大鼠耐缺氧能力的影响及其作用机制的研究

选用健康成年 Wistar大鼠 72只 ,随机分为 6组 ,分别为中药复方 I、II、III组、阳性对照组、空白对照组和正常组。给药 2周后 ,进行常压耐缺氧实验 ,测定存活时间、血清皮质酮、促肾上腺皮质激素 (ACTH)和胰岛素水平的变化以及对肾上腺皮质束状带细胞超微结构观察。结果表明 :各复方组和阳性对照组均能显著延长大鼠的常压耐缺氧时间 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,其中复方 III组作用效果最好 (P<0 .0 1) ;各复方组和阳性对照组胰岛素浓度均显著高于空白对照组 (P<0 .0 5 ) ;各复方组和阳性对照组血清皮质酮、促肾上腺皮质激素 (ACTH)浓度均显著低于空白对照组 (P<0 .0 5 ) ;各中药复方组和阳性对照组对肾上腺皮质束状带细胞具有保护作用。结果表明 ,各中药复方和阳性对照药物均能提高机体耐缺氧能力 ,减轻缺氧对机体造成的损伤。     

Reproductive medicine in koi (Cyprinus carpio).

Each year more veterinarians are seeing ornamental fish patients and our knowledge of how to manage the pet fish patient is increasing at a rapid pace. A large percentage of these patients are nishikigoi (Cyprinus carpio) which are taxonomically an ornamental carp. In this country and in many parts of the world we refer to these fish as koi. Reproductive medicine problems are well documented in koi and a thorough knowledge of this subject will aid the fish practitioner in diagnosis and treatment.     

Waterfowl husbandry for the avian health professional

As avian health professionals, when there is an increased morbidity or mortality in a waterfowl flock, we are often concerned with disease diagnostic and treatment regimens. However, one area that should not be overlooked is waterfowl husbandry, especially if we want to develop preventive medicine strategies for the flock. Husbandry aspects need to be considered because certain management factors may predispose the waterfowl flock to certain diseases. Avian health professionals should also be aware of the common duck and geese breeds that are commonly kept in backyard flock. This type of information can provide information on flock personality and unique anatomical characteristics. In addition, understanding the different breeds will allow avian health professionals to assist in recommending the appropriate waterfowl to our clients. Waterfowl have unique husbandry requirements when compared to other poultry species, and having a better understanding of husbandry aspects like housing and feeding can help to prevent diseases from reoccurring in the flock. By having a better understanding of waterfowl husbandry, we can ensure that our waterfowl patients receive the best medical care and continue to remain healthy.     

Learning evidence-based veterinary medicine through development of a critically appraised topic

Evidence-based veterinary medicine is a relatively new field of study. Increased knowledge of medicine coupled with the increased ability of computers and other electronic devices present overwhelming information. The critically appraised topic (CAT) is one method to gather and evaluate information related to a clinical question. CATs in informatics are short summaries of evidence, usually found through literature searches, in response to a specifically stated, clinically oriented problem or question. This article describes a study in which each first-year veterinary student developed a CAT as a class project. The results of this project indicate that students were able to successfully develop CATs and that this exercise helped them understand evidence-based veterinary medicine concepts. Though some modification in this project will be made in the future, overall it was a worthwhile effort and will remain as an activity in the course.     

Belief in magic and magical medicine. Characteristics of its origin and consolidation in folk medicine for animal medical science

In the evolution of mankind and therefore in the veterinary historiography as well you can find the belief in magic and in magic medicine. In the primitive society our early forefathers began with the magic medicine by domestication and the applying of magic medicine also to animals. Because of witch-hunt and printing the belief in magic was systematized and authorized in the veterinary medicine. With the freedom of trade in the second half of the 19th century the belief in magic and magic medicine flourished also in Germany.