Evaluation of prognostic factors, survival rates, and treatment protocols for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs: 151 cases (1993-2002)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prognostic factors, survival, and treatment protocols for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 151 dogs with IMHA not associated with underlying infectious or neoplastic disease. PROCEDURE: lnformation recorded from review of medical records included signalment at the time of initial evaluation; vaccination history; 30-, 60-, and 365-day follow-up outcomes; laboratory data; results of imaging studies; and necropsy findings. Dogs were grouped according to the presence of spherocytes, autoagglutination, a regenerative erythrocyte response, and treatments received (azathioprine, azathioprine plus ultralow-dose aspirin, azathioprine plus mixed-molecular-weight heparin [mHEP], or azathioprine plus ultralow-dose aspirin plus mHEP) for comparisons. All dogs received glucocorticoids. RESULTS: Cocker Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers, neutered dogs, and female dogs were overrepresented. Alterations in certain clinicopathologic variables were associated with increased mortality rate. Rates of survival following treatment with azathioprine, azathioprine plus ultralow-dose aspirin, azathioprine plus mHEP, and azathioprine plus ultralow-dose aspirin plus mHEP were 74%, 88%, 23%, and 70%, respectively, at hospital discharge; 57%, 82%, 17%, and 67%, respectively, at 30 days; and 45%, 69%, 17%, and 64%, respectively, at 1 year. In comparison, mean survival rates at discharge and at 30 days and 1 year after evaluation collated from 7 published reviews of canine IMHA were 57%, 58%, and 34%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Treatment with a combination of glucocorticoids, azathioprine, and ultralow-dose aspirin significantly improved short- and long-term survival in dogs with IMHA.     

Effects of insulation on the temperature within farrowing huts and the weaning weights of piglets reared on a commercial outdoor pig unit

The air temperatures inside uninsulated and insulated huts were recorded on an outdoor pig unit in the south of England between September 1997 and September 1998, and the herd's production parameters were also recorded. During the summer the temperatures inside some of the uninsulated huts exceeded 45 degrees C, but the temperatures inside the insulated huts were lower and fluctuated less. Despite the high temperatures, the weaning weight of piglets reared in the uninsulated huts were often higher than those of the piglets reared in the insulated huts, possibly as a result of the higher mortality of small piglets in the uninsulated huts, especially during the winter. The weaning weights of the piglets were higher during the summer.     

Studies with myoglobin variants indicate that released hemin is the primary promoter of lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle

Variants of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) were used to assess the mechanism of heme protein-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle. A myoglobin variant with high hemin affinity (V68T) was an exceptionally poor promoter of lipid oxidation, while a Mb variant with low hemin affinity (H97A) was a potent promoter of lipid oxidation. V68T releases hemin slowly due to the ability of threonine to hydrogen bond with coordinated water and the distal histidine within the heme crevice. H97A rapidly releases hemin because the relatively small alanine residue creates a channel for water to easily enter the heme crevice which weakens the covalent linkage of hemin to the proximal histidine. A variant sensitive to heme degradation (L29F/H64Q) was a weaker promoter of lipid oxidation compared to wild-type Mb. This suggests that degrading the heme ring and releasing iron decreased the ability of Mb to promote lipid oxidation. Free radicals resulting from hemin-mediated decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides have the capacity to propagate lipid oxidation and degrade hemin catalyst. This may explain why heme proteins behave as reactants rather than "catalysts" of lipid oxidation in washed cod. Collectively these studies strongly suggest that released hemin is the critical entity that drives heme protein-mediated lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle.