Comparison of clinical and pathological diagnoses in dogs

Clinical and pathological diagnoses were compared in a prospective study of 145 dogs. A diagnostic work up had been performed on all dogs of which 36 (24.8%) died and 109 (75.2%) were euthanatized. In 119 dogs (82.1%) both a clinical and patholical diagnosis was made, in 20 dogs (13.8%) no pathological diagnosis could be made and in 6 dogs (4.1%) no clinical diagnosis was established. In the 119 dogs the agreement level between clinical and pathological diagnosis was scored by the referring veterinarian together with a pathologist. Total agreement was found in 61 cases (51.3%) and disagreement in 31 cases (26.0%). In the remaining cases (27=22.7%) the pathological diagnosis further specified the clinical diagnosis. Consecutive submission appeared difficult to achieve by the participating veterinarians. However, no major differences in agreement level was present between the veterinarian which succeeded in almost consecutive submissions and the other veterinarians. At necropsy 42 cases were diagnosed as neoplasia, of which 52.4% had been diagnosed clinically. As to infectious diseases 55.0% of these diseases diagnosed at necropsy had been diagnosed clinically. In about 20% of the cases the differences were of clinical significance according to the referring veterinarians. In addition, it was indicated by the clinicians that about 50% of the necropsies revealed findings which could amend future patient care. The results of the study stress the relevance of postmortem examination as crucial part of continuing education and of quality monitoring and assurance in veterinary medicine.     

Evaluation of oral administration of cortisol as a model for prenatal stress in pregnant sows

OBJECTIVE: To design a treatment that increases plasma corticosteroid concentrations to mimic prenatal stress in pregnant sows. ANIMALS: 24 pregnant sows. PROCEDURE: Sows were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups; treatment consisted of twice-daily oral administration of a placebo or 20, 60, or 180 mg of hydrocortisone acetate (HCA)/sow from 7 to 11 weeks of gestation. Blood and saliva samples for determination of cortisol concentrations were obtained hourly on treatment days 3 and 25 and twice weekly for the remainder of the treatment period. The WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts and concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 were determined on 4 days during treatment. Litter characteristics were recorded. RESULTS: Plasma and salivary cortisol concentrations were significantly increased in sows that received 60 or 180 mg of HCA (0.30 to 0.37 mg/kg and 0.95 to 1.15 mg/kg, respectively), compared with control sows. Except for the second day of treatment, the number of WBCs and the IL-2:IL-4 ratio did not differ among treatment groups. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher in sows that received 180 mg of HCA. Gestation duration was significantly shorter in sows that received 180 mg of HCA. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oral administration of 60 mg of HCA is suitable to increase plasma and salivary cortisol concentrations in pregnant sows in a controlled manner to concentrations comparable to concentrations detected after psychologic stressors. This model seems to be suitable to study the effects of increased maternal corticosteroid concentrations on young pig behavior, physiologic variables, and development.     

Growth Effects of Governmental Policies: A Comparative Analysis in a Multi‐Country Context

The potential interactions among governmental policies, investments andeconomic growth are complex and manifold. This paper will perform a systematic comparative analysis of the various economic insights that are currently available on these complex relationships, both theoretically (by a selective literature review) and empirically (by reviewing the empirically obtained insights). Despite the wide variety of potential theoretical relationshipsbetween government expenditures, taxation and growth, most empirical analyses are restricted to simple linear regressions of growth on some measure of government expenditures. We will indicate directions for future empirical research that may enrich our knowledge about the complex relationship between fiscal policies and economic growth, not only nationally but also regionally.     

Cervical Ripening and Parturition in Cows are Driven by a Cascade of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines

The final stages of cervical ripening and parturition resemble an inflammatory process. Although the role of cytokines in both spontaneous and experimentally induced parturitions has been described in several small laboratory animals and humans, the involvement of pro‐inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in physiologic parturition in cows has not been determined. In this study, the cytokine expression profiles were assessed in bovine cervical tissue at several stages of pregnancy and at parturition. Serial biopsy samples of the cervix were obtained from 10 cows on day 185 and day 275 of pregnancy (which was on average 5.4 days before parturition) and at parturition. Messenger RNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α were determined using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and the number of neutrophils and eosinophils was estimated by Luna and Sirius Red staining. At parturition, IL‐8 expression had increased 430‐fold (p < 0.001) when compared with that of the day 185 of pregnancy, large numbers of neutrophils had invaded the cervix while eosinophils remained scarce, IL‐1β had increased eightfold (p < 0.05) and IL‐6 had not changed significantly. Additionally, IL‐10 was increased by 10‐fold (p < 0.001) and TNFα decreased by 57% (p < 0.05) when compared with that of the day 185 of pregnancy. The large increase in expression of IL‐8, enabling the influx of neutrophils, is indicative of its important role in the final stage of cervical ripening and at parturition. As previous studies have shown that neutrophils excrete matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), this might contribute to softening of the cervix. In contrast, the only slightly increased levels of IL‐1, steady concentrations of IL‐6 and decreased TNFα, the potential consequences of increased IL‐10 expression, indicate that final cervical of cows in ripening at term parturition is an inflammatory process influenced by regulatory cytokines.